May 5th, the weather was clear.
The people from Yaoking City had arrived more than twenty days ago. Si'an Prefecture City was bustling with activity, with various construction teams working at full steam. The city changed day by day, making it hard to believe that just over twenty days ago, it was a desolate and barren ruin.
Although quite a few people had come from Yaoking City this time, they were mostly technical talents familiar with the new materials and tools introduced by Su Muqing.
Fortunately, there were already many refugees in the prefectural city, so labor was not lacking. It was precisely because the conditions of timing, location, and people were all present that the construction teams could proceed simultaneously, leading to such significant changes in the city.
Now that Si'an Prefecture was gradually returning to a normal state of life, with everything in order, Huo Qiyuan and the others could continue with their own affairs. There was no need to stay here and waste any more time.
In fact, Huo Qiyuan had known about Huo Qixiao's encampment in Chehe City as soon as he arrived. However, at that time, the people of Si'an Prefecture were suffering from the virus, and he was unable to divide his attention.
As for Huo Qixiao's forces, apart from occasionally probing the edges for trivial information, they had made no other moves. Therefore, Huo Qiyuan had instructed his subordinates to keep a close watch on the movements in Chehe City, patiently waiting for the situation in Si'an Prefecture to improve.
And now was the time!
In the study of the separate residence, Huo Qiyuan and the members of the Cold Character Team were formulating a plan. After consultation, it was decided that the army would depart in three days, heading straight for Chehe City to catch Huo Qixiao off guard!
After his subordinates had withdrawn from the study, Huo Qiyuan tightly clutched a jade pendant, a possession that every person of his generation in the Huo family had. He stared grimly out the window at the ground, where tender green grass shoots had already emerged.
"Usurper, Huo Qixiao, you killed my parents and over a hundred people in the Prince of Bingjian's Mansion. I will make you pay with blood!" Huo Qiyuan slammed his palm against a nearby pillar. After a long time, he calmed his emotions and left the study.
After he left, a deep handprint remained on the thick vermilion wooden pillar, indicative of the unspeakable hatred Huo Qiyuan harbored for the two of them.
On the other side, in the dormitory where the Cold Character Team rested.
"Great, we can finally stretch our muscles again. We've been in Si'an Prefecture for almost two months, and I feel like my bones have become lazy," Leng Nuo said, happily packing his belongings. Being young and naturally restless, he found it tedious and boring to stay in one place for too long.
Leng Si, while packing, looked up and retorted, "Your bones aren't lazy because you're in Si'an Prefecture, but because you yourself are lazy. However, to be honest, if it weren't for the sudden outbreak of the virus, Prince would have already conquered Chehe City."
Leng Nuo ran over to Leng Si and Leng Ren, asking his two older brothers curiously, "Big Brother, Fourth Brother, Huo Qixiao is leading the Great Yu Dynasty's forces this time. What do you think the Prince will do to deal with him?"
Leng Si crossed his arms, his expression fierce and his tone chilling. "If it were me, I would capture him alive, then inject him with the Emperor's unique truth serum that amplifies pain, and then carve him into a thousand pieces, making him wish he were dead and unable to die! Drain every drop of blood from his body!"
Leng Nuo pouted, looking unconvinced. "Is that all? That would be too easy for him! If you ask me, we should ask the Emperor for his ninety-nine kinds of poisons and use them all on him. Then, by training venomous insects with a thousand poisons, we could turn Huo Qixiao into a poisonous person! Make him neither human nor ghost, so that he suffers a fate worse than death!"
"Why think so much? The Prince has his own plans. No matter what, we have to make Huo Qixiao and the dog emperor pay the price this time!" Leng Ren, the eldest among them, was the most steady and composed.
The Prince had selected him and had him train martial arts alongside Huo Qiyuan. Huo Qiyuan had never treated him as a mere subordinate; they often interacted more like brothers.
Leng Ren, like an elder brother caring for his younger sibling, had watched over Huo Qiyuan as he grew up, thus their bond was even deeper. The thought of their young master suffering so much for the deaths of the Prince and Princess, and for the destruction of the Prince's Mansion, made him wish he could personally kill all the instigators!
...
While everyone else was engaged in heated discussion, Leng Feng sat quietly to the side. He neither packed his belongings nor joined his brothers' conversation, appearing to be lost in thought.
Leng Ren nudged Leng Si's arm, signaling him to stop talking. He had noticed a significant change in Leng Feng recently. He had a gloomy expression every day, spoke little, and rarely smiled, unlike his former carefree and unrestrained self.
Leng Feng did not notice the gestures of his brothers. He sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the floor, his mind a mess, making it difficult to concentrate.
He had also felt a change in himself lately. He would inexplicably become irritable, or dangerous thoughts would occasionally surface in his mind.
This feeling became even stronger and harder to control, especially whenever he tried to forget Su Ling'er or went a long time without smelling her scent. He had tried shouting loudly in deserted places or staying awake all night practicing martial arts in open spaces. As a result, his swordsmanship and saber techniques had become more refined, but his mind remained unsettled.
Moreover, with each advancement in his power, the fear and bloodthirsty impulses within him became more active. Leng Feng had been frightened these past few days, because when he saw the soldiers' exposed necks, he even felt an urge to bite them.
He had initially thought he was becoming possessed due to over-exertion in his training. However, the night before last, he woke up thirsty in his sleep. He drank several pots of cold water, but it brought no relief.
Finally, as if possessed, he stumbled into the chicken coop next to the kitchen in a daze, grabbed two chickens, and bit through their necks.
Holding the headless chickens, Leng Feng drank greedily from the fresh, cool blood gushing from their necks.
After he finished drinking, he felt that the burning sensation in his throat had somewhat subsided, and his mind gradually regained clarity.
The sober Leng Feng was struck speechless by the scattered chicken feathers, the two headless dead chickens, and the large patches of blood on the ground and on himself.
He stared blankly at the messy scene, tasting the residual salty,腥 taste in his mouth. His throat churned, and he felt an urge to vomit.
Eating raw flesh and drinking blood! Why had he become like a beast? No! He couldn't let anyone discover his difference, or they would surely consider him a monster!