How come I, who has the physique of a succubus, was pushed back by the ship girl?

"Why force him? Feiying, this is a different time. Being captured is not something Lord Longfeng can do against his will~"

"Of course, if Lord Longfeng really feels that our strength is not up to par, why not write a letter to the central government and mobilize your past connections to get some assistance for us as much as possible?"

"But can you still do it now?"

The sarcasm and disdain in his words permeated almost every word, so subtle yet so blunt that it disgusted her.

But there were many people who agreed with this, and the attitude of others was not much better than Kumano's. Long Feng curled his lips, and a nameless fire rose in his heart.

She certainly knew how she had triggered the siege by the crowd, how she was defeated and captured, and how she was sent as an official from Beijing to another place. In the eyes of the world, this was enough to explain everything.

Face is earned by oneself, not given by outsiders. Even if he has lost his high status, Long Feng still does not think that his light has been dimmed.

She immediately clenched her fists, stood up, looked directly at everyone on the field without avoiding, and made two assumptions.

"Suppose we give up Gunma County and follow the example of our predecessors and retreat. With Zhou Xuan's current marching speed, it won't take long for him to catch up with us. We will be even more passive at that time."

"If we ignore the strength of both sides and fight recklessly, it will only accelerate our demise and the fall of Gunma Prefecture."

"So, in my opinion, the best strategy is to rely on the favorable terrain to hold on and wait for reinforcements, while selecting several elite troops to launch a surprise attack when the enemy is unprepared."

Compared with other people's extreme choices, Long Feng's suggestion can be said to have touched Katsuragi's heart.

The lord of the city immediately came to her side, clasped his hands, and took a step closer to ask.

"So, what are you going to do as the first step?"

Long Feng hesitated for a long time before speaking.

"I want to... meet Zhou Xuan first."

It would be nice to meet Zhou Xuan, but the specific method is not a simple meeting, but a battle on the battlefield that is a matter of life and death, she said.

"Fight with me, Zhou Xuan! Just you and me, a one-on-one duel. This... can be regarded as me testing your conscience with the sword..."

The more proud a person is, the less he likes to expose his thoughts and weaknesses to others.

As a result, the people in Zhou Xuan's camp could only hear the first half of her words, thinking it was some trick, and tried to dissuade her immediately.

"My husband, I know you love talents, but don't forget that Long Feng is an enemy first, and then a talent. You must not agree to her request because of a momentary impulse."

"That's right, my lord. What Lord Tiancheng said makes sense. Longfeng was once my commander-in-chief, and I have a certain understanding of her character."

"She is a particularly stubborn person. She has identified you as her enemy and will not give up easily until she achieves her goal."

Suruga also advised, and by analogy, she also gave more analysis on Longfeng's personalities, and every word she said made sense.

But unlike them, Zhou Xuan could hear the confused tone in the lower part of Long Feng's voice, and he became more convinced of his judgment.

What's more, he has the ability and there is no possibility of losing.

"I know my limits, everyone, just watch me."

Against all odds, Zhou Xuan slowly walked up to Long Feng under her gaze, ignoring the fact that she was tightly gripping the scabbard and was ready for battle, and spoke to her as he walked up.

"Long Feng, long time no see."

And then there was his signature smile.

She didn't know why, but the smile that seemed quite hypocritical to her before now became so touching that it made her heart ache.

Not wanting to think any further, feeling the instability of his mind and even will, Long Feng drew his sword and said something coldly.

"Draw your sword, I'm going to attack."

Chapter 319: Unable to cut off, still in disarray

Regarding the result of the entire duel, according to Zhou Xuan, it was a draw.

According to the original rules, if a fight ended in a draw, both sides would maintain harmony for three days, and then continue fighting or officially start a war when the opportunity arose.

Zhou Xuan left, leaving behind this conclusion, and personally led the army to retreat several miles, maintaining a suitable combat distance.

Gunma Prefecture gained three days of peace, which gave the entire army a little more hope and made it more likely that they could hold out and wait for help.

Of course, as a party involved, only Long Feng himself knows the real outcome behind this game.

She was no match for Zhou Xuan. Whether in military or personal strength, she had never been his opponent.

If Zhou Xuan had not intentionally let it go, his cavalry would have already razed Gunma County to the ground, or wars would have broken out, plunging the entire Gunma County into an endless purgatory.

Thinking back carefully, it is actually a little unbelievable. Just like Suruga said before, in the beginning, she really looked down on Zhou Xuan.

But the repeated great victories, as well as the private heart-to-heart talk among the three of them that night, gradually changed her opinion of Zhou Xuan.

Until they met again today, she saw Zhou Xuan, who had become even more dazzling. Just by looking at him from afar, she had an urge to surrender to him, it was thrilling.

What followed was a competition between the two. It was called a competition, but in fact, in her opinion, it was more like a dance with swords like a fairy couple.

There was rarely any murderous aura in his demeanor, and she was so confused by it that she could feel her heart getting disturbed several times.

She once thought that she had lost again, but she didn't expect...

Not knowing how to conclude, Long Feng simply quit his thoughts, picked up the wine jug, and filled his own glass.

Then, in front of Katsuragi, he started drinking again.

It was not until he accidentally choked on the smell of shochu that Katsuragi finally spoke out his doubts.

"I don't remember you being such a heavy drinker before."

"Is it all because of Zhou Xuan? That foreigner? Ever since he came, everything about you has been wrong."

"Um... Zhou Xuan... Zhou Xuan?" Long Feng narrowed his eyes slightly and turned sideways, leaving only a slit in his eyes for Ge Cheng beside him.

"Yeah." Katsuragi confirmed.

"Why do you ask? Is my face... filled with worries?"

"More than that, they almost compiled it into a book and told me the whole story."

Long Feng laughed out loud, and she slapped the table, not even noticing that she had spilled the wine.

"I still can't hide anything from you, Katsuragi. As expected, you are the only one who knows me best."

"That's true, but if you keep it to yourself, I can't help you."

"Then I won't help." Shrugging, Long Feng was very cool.

"Anyway, this is a matter between him and me. This invisible contest will come to an end sooner or later."

"What kind of contest? Did you agree with him?"

"Well...it's not really an agreement. I just can't stand the fact that there's always someone in my heart."

"When I find a way to win, or when Ji Yi eliminates Zhou Xuan, maybe everything will be fine..."

The dragon and the phoenix hid their secrets very well, and although they seemed to have said nothing, Katsuragi still keenly grasped the key points.

Regarding her words that remained in her heart, after careful consideration, she slowly gave her own guess.

"From the surface, this is a love-hate drama. Long Feng, you...could it be that you like Zhou Xuan?"

After these words were spoken, not only Katsuragi, but even Longfeng himself was stunned. His brain suddenly froze and he was silent for a long moment before he forced out a smile.

"Good guess, Katsuragi. Don't guess next time."

Still without a straightforward answer, Long Feng felt anxious and wanted to pour himself a glass of wine to ease his emotions.

But she forgot that when she mentioned Zhou Xuan just now, she had already spilled the wine in her glass.

It’s too late to collect what has been spilled, and now all I can do is pour another glass.

"I'm not kidding you!" Katsuragi glanced at the table and emphasized his judgment again.

"You may be in love without knowing it, but I don't understand why you feel this way. Did Zhou Xuan do something to you when you were captured?"

"Otherwise, there's no reason to explain your current state, being sad all day and drinking all the time."

"Do you know the old saying? Drinking to forget your sorrows only makes you more sorrowful. Damn it. This has something to do with Donghuang's Zhou Xuan again."

People of letters always like to dwell on trivial matters. The more she guessed and the less Long Feng said, the easier it was for her to fall into a dead end and think in complicated ways.

Even ridiculous conclusions like mind control were brought up.

In this regard, Long Feng could only interrupt her thoughts, waved his hand, and told her to go back to sleep.

"Okay, stop guessing. It's not as complicated as you think. If I really have to say it, it's probably just the feeling of meeting a worthy opponent. It can't be considered love."

"I don't think you're that interested in drinking this wine, so I won't force you to stay. If you have nothing else to do, go back and rest."

"I can take care of myself."

It was an obvious order to expel the guest. Katsuragi could certainly hear it, but since Long Feng was unwilling to say it, she didn't plan to continue asking.

After all, no matter how close the relationship is, friends should still maintain some sense of propriety towards each other.

"Then I'll be leaving first. Don't drink too much. We can't let our guard down at this critical moment. You still need to be on your guard."

"If this cup is not enough, drink this pot and go to rest. I will have my subordinates refuse to send you wine. Only by cutting off the source can you stop thinking about it."

This was Katsuragi's good intention. Long Feng didn't say anything, but just raised his hand, leaving her an international friendly gesture.

Then, the two of them smiled knowingly.

After seeing Katsuragi off, without her chattering friend, her room became quiet again.

She also drank the last glass of wine as Katsuragi instructed, then extinguished the candle, took off her boots, and returned to her bed.

But too much alcohol did not cloud her brain. As she turned left and right, Zhou Xuan's figure became clearer in her mind.

Especially everything she saw today and the battle she had personally experienced with him, made her already turbulent heart even more confused, and she couldn't find the specific reason.

She was suddenly thinking about everything Katsuragi said before he left, and the tiny possibility that she had rejected outright.

"Have I really...changed?"

"Am I really moved?"

"Zhou Xuan..."

Chapter 320: Who is going to the meeting alone?

"Excuse me, my lord, why did you agree to Long Feng's unreasonable request on the battlefield today? Could it be that you still have hope for her?"

He came to the door eagerly, and as soon as Suruga opened his mouth, he got straight to the point.

"Do you really want to know?" Zhou Xuan raised the corner of his mouth, looking like a cynical and evil young man, and accidentally made Junhe stunned.

Zhou Xuan has never been a difficult person to get along with. He is gentle, kind and friendly.

It was not uncommon to see him smiling, but most of the time he smiled as warm as the sun. This was the first time Suruga had seen him smile like this.

It was probably just as she expected when she came here, she was confident and had her own considerations.

Suruga thought so, and when she came to her senses, she realized that her heartbeat quickened, and her blood was boiling in her heart, and her face turned red.

"Of course... If possible, I would like to ask the Lord to give me some advice."

Overall, he managed to control his gaffe, but it was not an easy thing to do. Suruga's voice was still a little trembling, but it was harmless and made Zhou Xuan want to stop laughing.

"Then I'll tell you."

"Please give me some advice, my lord." With his hands clasped in front of him and his body bent forward slightly, Suruga was listening respectfully.

"You're right. I do have some ideas about Long Feng. She's a talented person worth pursuing. That's why I agreed to her request and fought with her."

"Of course I also know that this is just her stalling tactic. Three days and three days, three days is a lot."

"But if we really persist, there is still a chance of success. What do you think is the possibility of my idea being realized?"

Junhe was silent. Zhou Xuan was always used to looking at the long term, and with her intelligence, she naturally knew the answer.

The real result has come out. Zhou Xuan was just testing her. So in order to prove that they have a mutual understanding and to prove her own talent, she must give a satisfactory answer.

"When I saw Long Feng this morning, I found that she had changed a lot. It was a change in her aura that came from deep within her heart."

"Long Feng...seems to have become decadent, having lost her usual fighting spirit and passion, especially her eyes, which no longer sparkle with the light that could conquer the world."

"Even when she was captured and imprisoned in the Sky Prison, I never saw her like this."

"Based on my understanding of her and my acquaintance with her over the years, it is clear that she is now doubting herself, and the source of this change is you, my Lord."

After listening to Junhe's series of speculations, Zhou Xuan's expression remained calm. He did not interrupt her and nodded to signal her to continue.