In such a distorted living environment, the gap between Huo Qixiao and Huo Qiyuan grew larger and larger, eventually reaching a point where even flattery couldn't bridge it.
Both were legitimate young masters of the Huo family, yet the public's perception of them was entirely different. One was like the moon in the sky, to be admired from afar and not to be profaned, while the other was treated like mud on the ground, anyone could mock or ridicule him.
As time passed, Huo Qixiao's hatred deepened. It wasn't just his parents he resented, but everyone in the Huo family...
He hated Old Madam Huo. At first, she had doted on him like a precious treasure, demanding that others treat him the same. But after Huo Qiyuan's arrival, she no longer saw him, her eldest grandson. Even the opportunistic servants in the manor dared to give him dirty looks.
He also hated Huo Sizhun. He had lived alone for forty years. Why did he suddenly find someone to marry and have a son?
If he had never married and had his own children, then as his nephew, everything he owned would have been his after his death! He would have treated him like his own father, caring for him in his old age!
Ultimately, Huo Qixiao hated Huo Qiyuan the most. He felt that Huo Qiyuan's existence was to compete with him for everything.
Those things originally belonged to him, but after Huo Qiyuan appeared, outsiders only compared the two, only mocking him for being inferior to Huo Qiyuan, and nothing else belonged to Huo Qixiao...
Seeing that the two were chatting pleasantly, Huo Siming quickly called out to Huo Qixiao, who had suddenly become dazed, staring at the teacup on the table. "Qixiao? Qixiao? What are you thinking?"
Awakened by Huo Siming's call, Huo Qixiao stopped reminiscing about the past. "Nothing! The Emperor has sent me to Sian Prefecture personally. I will depart tomorrow. In the meantime, the family affairs will be temporarily managed by Fourth Uncle. I believe Fourth Uncle knows what should be done and what shouldn't, what should be said and what shouldn't."
Although he might not have felt the same way in his heart, Huo Siming readily agreed. "Yes, don't worry, I understand what you mean. It's just that Sian Prefecture is not very peaceful right now, why would the Emperor want you to go in person?"
"It's because after three years, we still haven't found Huo Qiyuan's body! This has been a thorn in the Emperor's side. Now, a rebel leader with the same name has appeared in Huaxia City, so it's only natural for the Emperor to be uneasy!"
"Good! Then you be careful in everything, I will take good care of everything at home."
After discussing a few other matters, Huo Qixiao sent Huo Siming away. He returned to his room alone and lay on the bed, somewhat tired, continuing his unfinished memories...
He recalled that he was twenty-one years old that year. Huo Qiyuan, the young general from the battlefield, had once again made great contributions and would soon return to the capital with his army.
Not only were the young ladies in the capital captivated by him, but the daughters of several princes and princesses in the court were lining up to marry Huo Qiyuan. Everyone at home was busily preparing to welcome him.
Seeing how popular he was made Huo Qixiao feel very displeased! One moonless and windy night, after finishing his drinks, he was preparing to return.
Unexpectedly, as he passed by a street, a group of people emerged from nowhere and bound him tightly. They blindfolded Huo Qixiao and took him onto a moving carriage.
"You, what do you want? I advise you not to mess around. Do you know who I am? My uncle is the Great General who Pacifies the West, and a favorite of the Emperor. My cousin is the undefeated young general who just won a great victory, and my Fourth Uncle is also a current court official. I am from the Huo family..."
"Shut up if you want to live! If I hear you make another sound, do you believe I'll cut out your tongue and soak it in wine?" Before Huo Qixiao could finish introducing himself, the other party interrupted him fiercely and punched him hard in the stomach.
He was a pampered young master who had never been hit, let alone broken a layer of skin. How could he withstand such a punch? He was in so much pain that his teeth gnashed, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
Huo Qixiao was frightened by the other party's demeanor and subdued by the punch. He curled up in the corner clutching his stomach the entire way, not daring to make another sound.
The carriage traveled for an unknown duration. Judging by the sound, it seemed to have already left the city and entered an unknown wilderness.
In the pitch-black night, the group of people dragged Huo Qixiao off the carriage and led him to the front of a thatched cottage. The cottage was brightly lit by torches, and a man wearing a mask was sitting by a square table, drinking tea, seemingly waiting for someone.
When the man saw Huo Qixiao enter, clutching his stomach in pain, he glared displeasantly at his subordinate. "My lord asked you to invite Young Master Huo here, not to be so rough. Go down and receive twenty lashes as punishment!"
Seeing the man's rather kind attitude, Huo Qixiao breathed a sigh of relief. He thought that since the subordinate was punished for his own sake, he wouldn't be beaten again, right?
As Huo Qixiao was lost in thought, the man opposite him spoke again. "Young Master Huo, please sit."
Only then did Huo Qixiao look up to examine him carefully, mainly because the man's voice was very peculiar.
When he was reprimanding someone, his voice was very high-pitched, even somewhat shrill. But when he spoke normally, his voice was very gentle.
If the man wasn't standing right in front of him, Huo Qixiao might have mistaken him for a woman speaking.
With the old man's good attitude, Huo Qixiao also became more assertive when he spoke. "Since you know who I am, why did you kidnap me in the middle of the night and bring me here?"
"It's the servants who were ignorant and startled Young Master Huo. I, here, offer tea in place of wine to apologize to you!" The man raised his teacup, assuming a posture of apology.
"Forget it! I'm not someone who quibbles over such things. Just tell me why you asked me here. If I'm late in returning, my family will worry!"
Huo Qixiao was also a pragmatic person and knew when to accept a concession. After all, he was still in their hands. If his attitude was too rigid, what if these people killed him and dumped his body in the wilderness?
He couldn't think about it, if he kept thinking, he would be so scared that he would wet his pants...
Seeing the fear in Huo Qixiao's eyes, the man revealed a satisfied expression under his mask. "Young Master Huo is naturally magnanimous. We specifically invited you here this time mainly to ask for a small favor."
"A favor? What favor can I do for you? I have no official position, no military power, nor am I a wealthy merchant with immense fortunes. Besides the title of a noble young master, I have basically nothing. So you've probably found the wrong person!"
Huo Qixiao genuinely hadn't expected that this person would capture him just to ask for his help. After all, from Huo Qiyuan's birth until he achieved great military achievements and became famous throughout the capital, the world only knew that in addition to the founding general and Prince Jian, the Huo family had gained a brave, resourceful, and all-around excellent young general.
As for him, the unfavored eldest young master, he had long been forgotten by the world. Therefore, when he heard that someone wanted to ask for his help, Huo Qixiao was truly surprised.
"Young Master Huo, you don't need to be so self-deprecating. As long as you help me with this favor, you will possess the fame and fortune you just mentioned. So I haven't found the wrong person; this favor is for you, and only you are the most suitable person in this world!"
Helping someone could lead to fame and fortune? And immense wealth? This person must be trying to fool him. "Then tell me, what favor do you want me to do?"
Seeing that he had taken the bait, the man took out a small jade box from his sleeve and opened it to reveal a small glass bottle inside. "You just need to find an opportunity to have your cousin, General Huo Qiyuan, take this... and the task will be completed."
Huo Qixiao looked at the small porcelain bottle emitting cold air on the table, then jumped up and retreated a few steps. His eyes widened, and he pointed a trembling finger at the man. "What, what is in here? Is it poison? Do you want me to kill him?"
The man didn't speak, but merely looked at Huo Qixiao, a sinister smile playing on his lips.
Did he mean it was? The contents were poison, and his so-called favor was to use his hand to kill Huo Qiyuan!
Huo Qixiao, terrified, retreated two more steps. As he stepped out of the thatched cottage, he turned to run. But he forgot that several people were guarding the entrance. The moment he took a step, he was grabbed and roughly thrown back into the thatched cottage.
This time, the man's attitude had clearly changed. He no longer blamed his subordinates for being too rough with Huo Qixiao, but instead picked up his teacup and slowly sipped his tea, as if he hadn't seen the pained Young Master Huo lying on the ground.
Huo Qixiao endured the pain and said to the man, "Who exactly are you people? My cousin is the heir of the Prince Jian's manor, and the 'God of War' personally appointed by the Emperor. How dare you ask me to poison him! I am his cousin, why would I do such a thing?"
The man put down his teacup and looked at Huo Qixiao on the ground with some confusion. "Oh? That's a bit strange. I thought that in Young Master Huo's heart, you would wish for Huo Qiyuan to disappear from this world!"
Huo Qixiao's eyes flickered aside guiltily, and his reply was noticeably lacking in confidence. "You, what nonsense are you talking about? I don't think that way at all! Huo Qiyuan and I are blood brothers, why would I wish him dead? What benefit would his death bring me?"
"Hearing you say that, I've misunderstood? I didn't expect Young Master Huo and your cousin to have such good feelings! To the point where you'd sacrifice yourself for him. Since that's the case, I can't force you to deal with your own good brother anymore. Guards! Take him down, cut out his tongue, gouge out his eyes, and chop him into pieces to be fed to the wolves in the back mountain!"
The man's previously kind demeanor vanished, replaced by a ruthless and murderous expression.
Hearing the man's words, Huo Qixiao was terrified. His fear reached its peak at this moment. He fell to his knees with a thud, then crawled forward, grabbing the man's robe and pleading.
"No, no... I don't want to die, I don't want to die yet, please, please, don't kill me, please let me go! I swear, I won't say anything when I go back. Besides, I don't even know who you are, so I don't know where to start even if I wanted to say something! Please, please..."
Huo Qixiao cried rivers of tears, kowtowing and begging the man. He looked pitiful, but the man maintained his characteristic half-smile.
"You want to know who we are? Heh, I'll tell you, so you can die knowing."
Upon hearing the man's words, Huo Qixiao hastily let go of his clothes and covered his ears in terror. "No! Don't tell me, I don't want to know, don't tell me..."
Unfortunately, no matter how much Huo Qixiao resisted and resisted, he couldn't stop the man from continuing. "You can consider us to be Prince Ning's people, or Prince Yue's people, or Prince Rui's people. Anyway, Prince Jian's manor and Huo Qiyuan are equally uncooperative, rejecting the good intentions of several princes in court to win them over. You say he has offended so many people, is there still a need for him to live?"
"Don't kill me, it's their business to reject you, it has nothing to do with me. I promise I won't reveal a single word of what you just said. Please, I beg you."
Huo Qixiao's habit of crying at the drop of a hat greatly annoyed the man. He put down his teacup with displeasure and said stiffly,
"You only have these two choices: either join us, or die immediately! Since you can't make up your mind for the moment, I'll find a good place for you to think it over carefully. And let's see if your family in the Huo manor will look for you, their unfavored eldest young master, after you've been missing for a few days."
After speaking, the man clapped his hands, and two people walked in from outside. They dragged Huo Qixiao to a corner of the thatched cottage. After touching something, the floor tiles slowly slid apart, revealing a secret passage on the ground.
One person, holding a torch, went down into the passage first. The other two dragged Huo Qixiao, who was struggling and begging for help, into a stone chamber below the secret passage.
The entire secret passage was pitch black. Apart from the faint light cast by the torch ahead, it was impossible to see anything in other areas.
When people can't see anything, their inner fear is magnified infinitely. At this moment, even a cool breeze on their backs could scare a person who was already on the verge of a breakdown.
After dragging Huo Qixiao into the stone chamber, they turned and left, completely ignoring the person who was desperately begging for help inside.