"Tell me in detail how you got to know Li Yan, and about your recent meetings. Do not hide anything, and do not omit anything. Do you understand?" Marshal Hong said, staring at Liu Chengyong.
Hearing this, Liu Chengyong's heart skipped a beat. 'Could it be that Brother Li has done something to anger the Marshal? I need to put in a few good words for him.' He didn't dare to hide anything and told him everything about Li Yan's words and actions when he first entered the city, as well as their subsequent interactions. He also added some of his own subjective opinions, clearly biased towards Li Yan, with words like "young" and "inexperienced." But the facts he stated were not adulterated in the slightest.
Marshal Hong listened, sometimes frowning, sometimes thinking, and occasionally interjecting with a question for more details. This made Liu Chengyong even more worried, feeling that the Marshal was asking so many details because Li Yan had definitely made some mistake.
After Liu Chengyong finished speaking, Marshal Hong thought for a moment. "So, you and Li Yan get along quite well."
"We get along quite well."
"Mm, have you talked about any of his personal matters in your few meetings? For example, how his life is in the Strategist's Manor, how his martial arts cultivation is going, and so on?"
"We haven't talked about that. It's just that I've felt that Lord Li seems a bit listless these few times. And I've heard that he's not been in a good mood recently. I don't know if it's related to his cultivation or not being used to the life."
"Oh? Tell me more," Marshal Hong said, sitting up straight.
"I heard these things from Chen An. When we were drinking today, Chen An told me that Lord Li's temper has been a bit volatile in the manor recently, and he told me to be careful with my words sometimes, so as not to accidentally anger Lord Li. But from my point of view, through these two contacts, Lord Li and I get along quite well, and I haven't noticed anything wrong," Liu Chengyong said, shaking his somewhat dizzy head from the alcohol and trying to recall carefully.
"His temper is a bit volatile. This is somewhat similar to the reports that his personality has been erratic recently," Marshal Hong muttered in a low voice.
Liu Chengyong stood in the hall, quite far away. He could only hear a mumbling sound and didn't know what the Marshal was saying to himself. He didn't dare to ask.
After a while, Marshal Hong looked up at Liu Chengyong. "How about this. The next time he comes into the city, you find him and say that the information he registered when he enlisted is still incomplete, and he needs to come and see me. Mm, it's best if this is done quickly."
Liu Chengyong was at a complete loss. The registration information was incomplete? Then how did they give Lord Li his official position in the first place? But how could he dare to ask this? However, if that really was the case, Li Yan himself would have to come to the Marshal's side once. After all, this Deputy Defender was not a small official, and it was under the direct jurisdiction of the military supervisor.
But Liu Chengyong was also an old hand in the army. After hearing these words, how could he not understand that this was something that was not to be discussed openly? The Marshal's meaning was that he wanted him to contact Li Yan privately. Otherwise, he would have just issued a direct order. But why do it this way? What was the reason? He didn't want to know. The more he knew, the more trouble it would be.
After considering for a moment, "Marshal, it's not easy to enter the Strategist's Manor, especially since it involves Lord Li's other identity as a 'disciple.' Strategist Ji has also said privately in the army before that no one is allowed to disturb his disciple's cultivation without his permission. This way, we can only wait for Lord Li to come out himself. As for the timing, this subordinate cannot control it," Liu Chengyong said apprehensively.
"Oh? Then you think of a way yourself. It's best if this matter is settled soon. And I'm telling you, I have no ill will towards Li Yan. There are just some things I need to explain to him. You just need to be clear about it, do you understand?" Marshal Hong said, glaring with his round eyes.
"Yes," Liu Chengyong replied weakly, his face as bitter as a frostbitten eggplant. But at the same time, he also felt a little relieved for Li Yan. He knew that if the Marshal had a prejudice against someone, he would not be like this. He would always use direct means to solve it. As an old subordinate who had followed Marshal Hong for more than ten years, there were some things he shouldn't ask about. He just had to follow orders.
After Liu Chengyong left, the hall was quiet for a while. Suddenly, a gruff voice echoed. "Senior Brother, isn't this a bit too hasty? It will arouse Ji Wenhe's suspicion."
"It is a bit hasty, but is there a better way now? I've weighed it again these few days. No matter when, as long as we contact that boy, Ji Wenhe will become suspicious. It will happen sooner or later. Plus, with Liu Chengyong's current relationship with this boy, it might be worth a try."
"Senior Brother, our original plan was to wait a couple more years, maybe until Ji Wenhe's health fails, and then make a move."
Marshal Hong heard this, paused for a moment, and then took a long breath. "Hmph, we have seen that his health has indeed been getting worse year by year. But so many years have passed, and he is still alive and well. And his martial arts have not declined in the slightest. On the contrary, they have improved a lot. This goes against the theory of being poisoned. Have you ever heard of anyone in the martial world whose skill has increased instead of decreased after being poisoned? I have also considered this for a long time but have never been able to understand it. If, in another two or three years, he is still not dead, and his skill is still growing at the same rate as in these few years, then we will truly have no chance of winning."
After returning from the Marshal's Residence, Liu Chengyong thought and thought, but he still did not dare to go against the instructions that Strategist Ji had given in the army, nor did he dare to go to the Strategist's Manor to look for Li Yan. And so, whether he was on duty at the north gate, stretching his neck and hoping to see the three horses appear in his sight, or in the military camp, hoping to hear news of Li Yan entering the city, he was anxious to see Li Yan.
In order to get news of Li Yan entering the city, he had also asked his brothers on duty at the north gate to inform him in the first instance if they had any news of Lord Li entering the city, and he would definitely reward them well.
He had no idea that his actions had been seen by other squads as an attempt to find an opportunity to climb up the ladder. So, there would be people like Zeng Wen, who just wanted to play a joke on him, and then deliberately tell him about it afterwards, so that he would be angry but couldn't do anything about it. If he knew about this, he would definitely curse this group of inhumane brothers.
And so, more than ten days passed, and the matter was still hanging in the air. Fortunately, Marshal Hong's side did not rush him. But he knew that the sooner he completed his superior's order, the better. Otherwise, if it dragged on for a long time, he would definitely leave a bad impression on his superiors.
Today, he was not on duty again. He was in his room, thinking about whether he could send a letter to Chen An and ask him to find a time to pass it to Li Yan, to see if he could spare some time to come into the city to find him. But he had been thinking about this matter for a few days and had not yet thought of a reason to use in the letter. He was not a greenhorn. He knew the ins and outs of officialdom. He could not mess this up because of his own incompetence.
Just as he was getting anxious and didn't know how to see Li Yan as soon as possible, a soldier came to report that a Lord Li was here to see him. He was stunned for a moment, and then his heart was filled with joy. He strode towards the military camp gate, leaving the soldier who had come to deliver the message behind. This made the soldier mutter to himself, "Even when your father came before, I didn't see you so excited!"
Liu Chengyong hurried to the gate and saw Li Yan and his two companions from a distance. He then quickened his pace. "Lord Li, have you been well recently? Haha..." His laughter was loud and clear, which also attracted the attention of the guards on duty at the gate. They couldn't help but wonder why this Liu Chengyong was so radiant today.
"Oh, thanks to Captain Liu, everything has been very well recently. Hehe!" Li Yan said with a slight smile, looking at Liu Chengyong as he came out of the camp.
"I wonder what wind has blown Lord Li here today. Is my Lord on some business?" Liu Chengyong said, happy in his heart to see Li Yan being so polite. Although he was eager to get down to business, he couldn't help but exchange some pleasantries on the surface.
"It's nothing important. I've been feeling a bit bored in the Strategist's Manor recently, so I came out to get some fresh air. I don't know many people in the city, so I came to see Captain Liu to catch up. I hope I'm not disturbing you."
"Not at all, not at all. I have nothing to do today anyway. Haha..."
"Then where do you think we should go...?" Liu Chengyong said with some hesitation after laughing. He also wanted to find a place to talk to Li Yan. This was not the place.
"Oh, this? How about we go and see the military camp? Although I am also a member of the army, I have never been in a camp in detail. Is that possible?" Li Yan said after a moment's thought.
"This? Of course, you can. But there are some places in the military camp that you can't go to. You need the Marshal's order. You see..." Liu Chengyong said with some hesitation after a moment's stun.
"That's no problem. I just want to take a look inside, just to get an idea of what a military camp is like," Li Yan said. It wasn't that he had to go into the military camp. He was just thinking about how to get out of Chen An and Li Yin's sight. Outside, the two of them had many reasons to protect him personally. Inside this military camp, did he still need protection?
"Then, Lord Li, please!" Liu Chengyong also wanted to find a private opportunity to talk to Li Yan, so he extended his hand and invited him in.
Chen An and Li Yin also followed a few steps forward. Li Yan couldn't help but frown. He turned his head and shouted, "Do I need you two to protect me in this military camp?" A hint of anger was in his voice.
After handing the horse's reins to Li Yin, Chen An took two steps forward and bowed with a smile. "Young Master, we haven't been here for a long time either. We would also like to go into the camp to catch up with our old brothers. Please allow us, Young Master."
Li Yan was speechless at his words. That's right, couldn't they come back to the military camp to catch up with their old brothers? These two were really a pair of sly foxes.
And so, the four of them entered in a single file. Liu Chengyong and Li Yan were in the front, and Chen An and Li Yin were leading the horses in the back, walking towards the camp. At this time, some of the soldiers at the camp gate also knew Li Yan's identity from the conversation of the few people just now, and they also recognized Chen An and Li Yin, these two old hands who had left the military camp for many years. Li Yan had a status here, and Chen An and Li Yin were also members of the army, so naturally no one would stop them. As for inside the camp, those important areas were also guarded by other soldiers, so they didn't have to worry about it.
After entering the camp, Liu Chengyong led Li Yan towards his own barracks. Chen An and Li Yin, familiar with the place, found the stables and tied the three horses inside. Then they also went to find their acquaintances to "catch up." It was just that the direction of the acquaintances they were looking for was basically the same as the direction Li Yan was going, and the distance was not far. Even so, it was enough for Li Yan to have some space to talk to Liu Chengyong.
After arriving at Liu Chengyong's barracks, Li Yan looked back at Chen An and Li Yin, who were chatting with a group of old soldiers in the distance. After confirming the distance, he walked towards this barracks. This barracks was just one of the rows of barracks in the military camp, and a squad captain like Liu Chengyong could already have a small single room and no longer had to squeeze into the large common room.
Liu Chengyong's small room was very simple: a simple camp bed, a long table, a wardrobe, and a weapon rack with a few weapons such as a saber, a sword, and a spear on it.
Liu Chengyong looked at Li Yan with some embarrassment. "The military camp is always so simple. Please don't laugh, Lord Li."
Li Yan said indifferently, "The army doesn't care about these things. You are too polite, Captain Liu. You don't have to call me Lord. Just call me Brother Li. I'm not used to it. Hehe."
A blush appeared on Liu Chengyong's dark face. "How could I do that? I must not overstep my rank."
Li Yan waved his hand. "It's nothing. You also know that I got this official position through my teacher's name. I don't care about these things. When you call me Lord, I feel very distant." As he spoke, he walked around the room casually. When he reached the weapon rack, he became curious about the weapons on it. He drew out a sword and looked at it carefully in the light.
"This sword of yours is truly a good sword," he said. This was not a compliment. In the village, he often went hunting in the mountains with the adults and knew a little about weapons.
After hearing his previous words, Liu Chengyong no longer stood on ceremony. Seeing Li Yan draw out a weapon and looking quite interested, he said with a smile, "Brother Li, you have good eyes. These few weapons are not my army's standard issue. These are a few of the good trophies I have captured on the battlefield. If you like it, you can take it." As he said this, he was also a little proud. These few weapons of his were indeed not comparable to ordinary standard issue weapons.
Li Yan looked carefully at the sword in his hand. The sword shone in the light, exuding a chilling air and a faint scent of blood. It was clear that it was a deadly weapon. Hearing Liu Chengyong's words, his eyes couldn't help but light up.