Isolated town in northern border region

Just as Xiao Lie's horse trampled Jingzhou City, Zhou Xun arrived at Xuzhou on the eastern front.

When the carriages and horses arrived in Xuzhou, the sky was overcast, like an old cloth that could not be washed off covering the city walls.

The city gates were wide open, and the Yan army flag was flying on the city walls, fluttering in the wind.

The doors and windows of the houses on both sides of the street were tightly closed, and some doors had been removed, leaving only dark doorways.

The procession had not gone far through the city gate when a group of people appeared ahead.

Yan soldiers led a long line of civilians, herding them like livestock, binding their hands together one by one with ropes, forming a seemingly endless queue.

The people had their heads down, their clothes were tattered, some were barefoot, and some still had bloodstains on their bodies.

No one spoke, no one cried out, only the rustling of footsteps on the gravel and the occasional crack of a whip.

A Yan soldier lashed his whip across the back of an old man who was walking at the very back. The old man staggered but did not cry out; he simply quickened his pace.

Tie Muyun gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his eyes fixed on the line of soldiers.

Zhou Xun lifted the carriage curtain, looked in that direction for a while, and then said to the driver.

"Wait a minute."

The carriage stopped, and Zhou Xun got off and stood by the roadside.

As the procession passed in front of him, a young woman paused for a moment when she saw his Chu official robes and the Chu banner on the carriage behind him.

She lowered her head and quickened her pace, but as she passed Zhou Xun, her lips moved slightly without uttering a sound; she only mouthed the shape of her mouth.

Zhou Xun saw the lip movements clearly; it was four words.

"Save us!"

Zhou Xun sighed and bowed to the people.

Afterwards, Zhou Xun returned to the car. Tie Muyun noticed his furrowed brows and asked him a question.

"What? Scared?"

Zhou Xun shook his head.

"No, on the contrary, they've become even bolder!"

Soon, Zhou Xun arrived at the camp where Yan and Shu were negotiating peace.

When he entered the tent, he only brought Tie Muyun with him. The tent was filled with soldiers holding swords on both sides, and two people were sitting in the center.

Yan Ji, Prince Yong of Yan, and Yang Wei, Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies of Shu.

Yan Ji was in his early fifties, with fair skin. He wore a black brocade robe and had a fine jade pendant hanging from his waist. He was slowly sipping tea and looked more like a leisurely prince visiting friends than a prince who had come to fight.

Yang Wei was a bit younger than him, around forty years old, with a slender build and long, thin fingers. He was looking down at a scroll of documents.

When Zhou Xun entered the tent, the two men simultaneously looked up at him, then simultaneously looked away.

Zhou Xun is too young, too young to be someone who can represent a country in negotiations.

Yanji put down his teacup and spoke.

"The State of Chu did send a young man."

Yang Wei added a sentence.

"It's good that young people are energetic."

His tone carried an undisguised contempt.

Tie Muyun took a step forward, his hand already on the hilt of his sword.

Zhou Xun glanced back at her, gestured for her to step down, and then walked to the front of the table and sat down.

"Gentlemen, since this is a peace negotiation, let's begin."

Yanji put down his teacup.

"No rush!"

"Our Yan state is hospitable, so when an envoy from the Chu state comes to visit, we naturally have to treat him well."

He beckoned, and a guard stepped forward, drew a dagger, cut a piece of flesh from his own arm, gritted his teeth, skewered it with a wooden stick, and roasted it over the fire.

Blood dripped onto the charcoal fire, making a hissing sound. Yang Wei waved his hand, and another Shu guard did the same.

Yan Ji's gaze fell on Zhou Xun's face, as if waiting to see his reaction.

"Envoy of Chu, my Great Yan enjoys roasted meat, but when we go to war, we carry dried meat, which is rather impolite to serve guests. Therefore, we have no choice but to resort to this less-than-ideal solution."

Yang Wei also spoke up.

"Envoy of Chu, are you satisfied with the hospitality shown to you by the State of Yan and our Great Shu?"

Zhou Xun smiled and nodded, but a hint of disgust flashed in his eyes.

Yan Ji spoke again.

"Now that the three countries are holding talks, there are only two pieces of roasted meat, which is rather unappealing."

"I've long heard that the State of Chu is vast and rich in resources. Surely they can't even produce a single piece of fresh meat?"

Before Zhou Xun could speak, Tie Muyun behind him suddenly drew his sword.

"Who could possibly eat such a small piece of meat?"

"Although I am just an ordinary woman from the State of Chu, I know that one should be generous when entertaining guests!"

"Today, I will show you all the grandeur of my Chu Kingdom!"

After she finished speaking, she raised the knife and slashed at her left arm with such force that if the blow had landed, her entire arm would have been severed.

Just as the blade was about to fall, Zhou Xun reached out and grabbed it.

Tie Muyun withdrew his force in time, but the blade had already cut into Zhou Xun's palm, and blood dripped from between his fingers onto the ground, spreading a small patch of dark red.

His voice remained calm, and he even had a smile on his face.

"Our Great Chu is a nation of the Central Plains; how can we learn from barbarians and eat people?"

He winked at Tie Muyun, who then loosened his grip on the hilt of his sword.

Zhou Xun bent down and picked up the bloodstained knife. Soldiers on all four sides simultaneously drew their swords and aimed them at him, the tips of the blades less than three feet away.

"The three of us are here solely for the benefit of the country."

"Since the two envoys are so fond of cannibalism, I have no choice but to comply..."

Zhou Xun didn't look at them. He simply threw the knife in the center, then kicked away the two wooden sticks on the brazier and stepped into it.

The flames instantly ignited his clothes and shoes, and black smoke rose into the tent.

Zhou Xun stood in the fire, the burning pain causing cold sweat to break out on his forehead, but his voice did not tremble.

"If I were to sacrifice my life today, you two kingdoms of Yan and Shu would be considered impudent states that have killed your envoy."

"And my Great Chu will then have a legitimate reason to wage war!"

His voice echoed in the tent.

"My name will be etched in history, but when my lord leads the elite troops of the Northern Frontier to sweep across the world, you two will be sinners for all time."

Yan Ji suddenly stood up, his composure vanishing.

"Quickly! Save the Chu envoy!"

Tie Muyun had already rushed forward, kicked over the fire pit, picked up Zhou Xun, and rolled out of the fire.

The soldiers rushed forward and extinguished the remaining flames on his body. But Zhou Xun's calves were covered in blisters from the burns, and the soles of his feet were charred black.

The military doctor was hurriedly called in to treat the wound. When the medicine powder was sprinkled on the wound, Zhou Xun's body involuntarily tensed up.

The military doctor wiped his sweat.

"The burns are severe, but his life is not in danger; he needs to rest."

Yan Ji and Yang Wei exchanged a glance, and both breathed a sigh of relief.

Yanji's voice was somewhat dry.

"Envoy of Chu, why do this! I was only joking, why take it so seriously!"

He turned to military doctors.

"Take the Chu envoy down to receive treatment first. Make sure he has the best medicine and manpower. Go quickly!"

The military doctor responded and ordered Zhou Xun to be carried out.

Yan Ji only sat back down at the tent entrance after his figure disappeared.

"The people of Chu are truly insane!"

Yang Wei also wiped away a cold sweat.

"No, it's the Northern Frontier King's men who have gone mad!"

The two men only wanted to give Zhou Xun a hard time before the peace talks, but they didn't expect this weak scholar to be so fierce!

Both the Yan and Shu states knew that it was impossible to swallow Chu whole; they simply wanted to take advantage of the situation to extort money from Chu, not to fight Chu to the death!

If Chu is truly forced into a full-scale war, it's uncertain whether Chu will perish, but Yan and Shu will definitely suffer!

If things really come to that, there's still the Jing Kingdom watching from behind!

Zhou Xun's composure completely crumbled after he was carried into another tent.

He kept biting his sleeve and groaning.

"It hurts so much... Iron Girl... Be gentle..."

Tie Muyun was squatting in front of the bed wringing out the medicine cloth. When he heard him cry out in pain, he softened his movements, but his words were still sharp.

"You weren't like this in the tent just now."

"I thought you weren't afraid of pain."

Zhou Xun gritted his teeth.

"That's... an act for others to see... If you were to cry in pain in front of Yanji..."

He gasped.

"He can double the price tomorrow..."

Tie Muyun didn't reply. She applied the medicated plaster to the wound, her movements becoming gentler than before.

Zhou Xun gasped again.

Tie Muyun lowered his head to apply the medicine, then suddenly spoke.

"Weren't you afraid I wouldn't be able to stop you when you gripped the knife?"

Zhou Xun remained silent for a while.

"Why are you thinking so much?"

"Even if I lose four fingers, it's still better than you losing an arm, isn't it?"

Tie Muyun didn't look up, but her hand paused for a moment.

After a while, she spoke.

"Don't do that again!"

"There are times when I can't control myself."

Zhou Xun turned his head and glanced at her.

"It's okay, you can handle it."

Tie Muyun didn't reply. He simply applied the medicated bandage, then stood up, rolled up the blood-stained bandage he had taken off, and put it in the basin.

Zhou Xun hummed and muttered to himself.

"It's good that you got burned!"

"This will at least buy us ten days to two weeks!"

"I wonder how things are going with the Prince..."