Chapter 79: That Is Her Father

  

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  **Chapter 79: That Is Her Father**

Knowing that Chang Kuo's question came from concern, Cui Jing replied calmly, "Cui Jing has already found his heart's desire in this life, so there are no plans for marriage."

Chang Kuo was taken aback.

"Found your heart's desire? But you have no plans for marriage?" 

"What do you mean by heart's desire...?" 

If it were a woman, even if she weren't from a noble family, if he wanted to marry her, with his rebellious nature, the Cui family likely couldn't stop him. 

If it wasn't a woman, then it could only be...?

Chang Kuo's expression changed slightly, and he unconsciously sat up straighter.

Cui Jing said, "Only the Xuanzhe Army and the sword in my hand—this is where my heart belongs; it resides only here."

"..." Chang Kuo came back to his senses and reflected on it.

He was indeed thinking too narrowly.

"You care for the Xuanzhe Army, you care for the stability of the Da Sheng Empire, and that's certainly not wrong." Chang Kuo sighed deeply. "But one person is ultimately too lonely."

Cui Jing rarely smiled. "Aren't you alone too, General? Yet you don't seem lonely."

"I'm not alone; I have a son and a daughter!" When he mentioned his children, Chang Kuo's smile spread across his face, smoothing the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. "And someone to support me in my old age!"

"Living in this world is about being comfortable! If you truly have no plans to start a family, then there’s no need to force it. After all, no one can truly force you!" Chang Kuo said with great loyalty. "If the Cui family doesn't do things properly, it doesn’t matter; when the time comes, I'll have Sui An and Sui Ning take care of you in your old age!"

Cui Jing fell silent for a moment. He felt touched, but it didn’t quite add up. "General, shouldn’t you calculate the age difference between me and your esteemed son and daughter?"

"Oh... I was being foolish!" Chang Kuo slapped his forehead and laughed heartily. "It doesn’t matter; when I have grandchildren... using them to take care of you would be the same!"

Saying this, he stood up, still smiling. "There’s nothing else... Let’s go to the garden and take a look!"

Cui Jing initially intended to take his leave, but Chang Kuo was quite drunk and unsteady on his feet, making him feel uneasy. Moreover, Chang Kuo was so enthusiastic that he didn’t give him a chance to refuse.

Cui Jing, wanting to let him get some fresh air to sober up, accompanied him to the garden.

"...I won! I won again!"

A Dots stood by the pond, jumping up and down with excitement. With a shout of "again," another stone flew from his hand, splashing against the water and creating a long crack on the surface.

Wei Shuyi followed suit, throwing his stone as well.

He stood under the spring willows at the edge of the pond, his jade-green long robe sleeves rolled up, looking quite entertained, occasionally bursting into clear laughter.

Standing on the bridge in the middle of the pond, Chang Suining watched, feeling quite puzzled—she didn't quite understand a man's obsession with skipping stones.

She yawned again and looked up, feeling the sun was so bright that it nearly blinded her, almost melting her away.

"Why aren’t they tired yet? This isn't skipping stones; it’s clearly..." Xi'er couldn’t help but say, "It’s clearly like the ancient Jingwei bird filling the sea, and now we have Dots and Young Master Wei filling the pond!"

If they continued to skip stones like this, the pond at the general's residence would soon need to be redone.

As Xi'er spoke, she suddenly noticed her young lady's face was flushed and couldn’t help but be startled. "Young Miss, are you feeling unwell?"

"I do feel a bit..." Chang Suining slowly raised her hand to touch her forehead, her palm feeling hot.

Xi'er exclaimed, "Oh no! Young Miss, you’re not drunk, are you?"

Drunk?

Chang Suining thought to herself, "How could this be so ridiculous?" Yet, her mind and limbs felt uncontrollable, and she staggered back two steps.

This bridge was made of blue stone, spanning the pond, with a gentle slope and no railings—

As she stepped back, she found herself stepping into thin air.

"Young Miss!"

Xi'er’s startled shout suddenly broke the tranquility of the afternoon.

Xi'er hurriedly reached out to grab her but it was in vain.

With a splash, Chang Suining fell backward into the pond, startling a group of colorful koi.

As the young girl suddenly fell into the water, her skirt and half-loose hair floated around her. The afternoon's shimmering waves sparkled, and the koi quickly scattered.

"Little A Li!"

"Miss Chang!"

The commotion from Chang Suining falling into the water reached the ears of Ah Dian and Wei Shuyi on the opposite side.

Without thinking, Ah Dian jumped into the water, but he was on the other side, and this pond was more like a small lake. It took time to swim over, not as quick as walking on land. Wei Shuyi weighed his options for a moment and quickly ran toward the stone bridge.

Xi'er couldn’t swim and would only make matters worse by jumping in, so in a panic, she broke a bamboo stick at the edge of the bridge, kneeling at the side and throwing one end into the water, urgently calling, "Young Miss, grab it! I’ll pull you up!"

The bamboo touched her floating sleeve, but Chang Suining did not respond.

She had her eyes closed, seemingly unconscious, with no struggle.

A mouthful of cold water rushed into her nose, causing her to suddenly open her eyes, her expression instantly becoming vigilant.

The rising sensation of drunkenness made it hard for her to discern the time of day.

But the icy water surrounding her and the imminent risk of drowning triggered her survival instinct.

In her daze, she felt as if she had returned to the water battle against the barbarians.

When the ships were destroyed, she humped into the water, injured, and was ambushed by several enemies hiding under the ship—

At this moment, someone swam quickly towards her from behind, grabbing one of her arms.

Of course!

A sudden surge of killing intent rose in Chang Suining, and she turned sharply, raising her other hand to deliver a heavy blow to the person's face.

"?" The other party clearly didn’t expect her to suddenly strike back, catching them off guard and causing them to fall back in pain.

Taking advantage of this moment, Chang Suining pulled her arm free and seized the other person’s jaw and neck with one hand while wrapping the other around the back of their head, putting all her strength into trying to twist off their head.

"??" Cui Jing could only counter her. Although her strength was not enough to actually twist his head off, he had to take action.

The afternoon sun was blinding, reflecting off the splashing water and creating a dazzling spectacle. As Chang Suining fell into the pond, water rushed into her eyes, causing them to sting. At this moment, she could barely see anything.

Ensuring he wouldn’t hurt Chang Suining, Cui Jing broke free from her “deadly move,” just as he was about to grab her arm to pull her up, he heard her mumble in a dazed tone, “Where’s my sword...?!”

Cui Jing: "???" 

No sword? It didn’t matter. With her eyes stinging, Chang Suining vaguely caught sight of the jade hairpin atop the other person’s head. Without hesitation, she pulled it out and aimed it at his neck.

Those life-saving, enemy-killing moves were ingrained in her bones.

Even if her mind wasn’t clear, her body would still follow through.

Cui Jing, with his long hair suddenly falling down, evaded and grabbed her delicate wrist.

In the water, Chang Suining lifted her knee, aiming for his lower abdomen.

Cui Jing: "!"

Fortunately, her movements were sluggish due to her intoxication, and the resistance in the water weakened her power, rendering it without substantial lethality—

"Ah, why are you still fighting?!" Ah Dian, who had finally swum over, was utterly confused by this scene. 

Many others were equally stunned. 

Chang Kuo: "?"

Wei Shuyi: "?"

Xi'er: "?"

Chang Ji: "?"

Yuanxiang: "!!"

— Even with his countless experiences in military parades, he couldn’t figure out what exactly was happening!

In the water, Chang Suining saw that she couldn’t hold her ground against the enemy and realized the situation was dire. She didn’t dare to linger in battle. As she created a distraction to draw Cui Jing's attention, she quickly turned and swam toward the shore, managing to climb up by herself.

The others looked increasingly stunned.

In the water, Cui Jing, his hair disheveled: "…"

Very well, I’m meddling again.

“Suining!”

Chang Kuo was already half-awake from the wine. When he saw his daughter swimming this way, he rushed over to help her, bending down to support her.

Chang Suining had no strength left for swimming; it was pure survival instinct that allowed her to barely maintain a shred of consciousness—

Seeing her father now, she felt a wave of relief, but could no longer hold on. Her voice slurred, “... The enemy's army is cunning; I’ll leave it to you…”

After saying this, her eyes closed, and she lost consciousness.

Chang Kuo shook his daughter: “Suining?!”

Everyone rushed over in a flurry.

“General Chang, you need not worry too much,” Wei Shuyi said after a careful examination, his tone complex as he concluded, “Miss Chang is likely just drunk and unconscious.”

“Quick, get Suining back home!” Chang Kuo ordered urgently. “And send someone to call a physician!”

Xi'er quickly scooped up her young lady.

Cui Jing silently emerged from the water.

The astonishment on Yuanxiang's face hadn’t faded: “General… are you alright?”

Watching Chang Suining being carried away by the servant, Cui Jing felt he had little to say.

Suddenly, he recalled Chang Kuo’s earlier remark about letting the Chang siblings take care of him in his old age... Was this Chang family lady planning to send him to his end instead of allowing him to age gracefully?

Wei Shuyi suddenly let out a laugh.

Cui Jing shot him a cold glance.

“Forgive me, forgive me…” Wei Shuyi bowed awkwardly, lacking sincerity. “I just couldn’t help it.”

Who could resist seeing Cui Jing in such a sorry state?

As for the time Cui Jing was beaten by General Chang—he had been busy preparing for the imperial examination and missed that commotion.

Cui Jing couldn’t be bothered with him, dripping water and disheveled, as he turned to leave.

“It’s all my little girl’s fault for getting drunk… causing such a scene!” Chang Kuo sighed helplessly, hastily instructing his servants: “Hurry, take the general to change clothes!”

Ah Dian followed to assist with the change.

The group left the garden, and Chang Ji intentionally walked alongside Yuanxiang, crossing her arms and softly saying, “Your lord was beaten, but my lord was not.”

Yuanxiang, unable to contain his anger, retorted, “My lord had the chance to be beaten; your lord did not!”

Chang Ji was momentarily taken aback, his mind spinning.

A sense of self-admiration welled up in Yuanxiang—what a clever comeback!

Hey, it seems his diligent study of military texts truly paid off; this must be the beauty of accumulating knowledge over time.

It took Chang Ji a while to sort out his jumbled thoughts, and he couldn’t help but twitch his lips—there’s nothing to discuss with someone who’s mentally challenged.

Steward Bai ordered someone to bring Chang Sui'an’s unworn new clothes to the guest room in the front courtyard.

After changing, Cui Jing rejected the servant from the Chang family who came to serve him, took the hair-drying tools, and entered the room to dry his hair and tie it up.

Afterward, he couldn’t help but feel quite skillful, quickly grabbing a nearby bronze mirror to present to his general: “general, take a look. How is it?”

Cui Jing glanced at the bruise at the corner of his mouth in the mirror: “... Not great.”

That bruise was from the elbow strike delivered by Chang Suining when he hadn’t been prepared.

Yuanxiang awkwardly took back the mirror and quietly remarked, “Miss Chang usually hits people, but how is it that she hits even more when drunk…”

Does she hit people?

Cui Jing turned and walked outside, correcting, “She probably meant to kill.”

Or rather—kill the enemy.

Cui Jing instinctively raised his hand to touch his neck.

Before his eyes, the scene replayed of the girl, also soaked and glimmering in the water, suddenly getting close. Her eyes, dimmed by water droplets yet filled with killing intent, gripping his jaw with one hand while the other wrapped around the back of his head—

If she wasn't drunk then, if she were sober and he were just an ordinary person of lesser skill, he would have lost his life the moment she had tightened her grip on his neck.

Her current martial skills were only average, but her deadly moves were astonishing.

“Yes… I noticed from afar that Miss Chang’s techniques seemed like they were meant for the battlefield…” Yuanxiang pondered aloud. “It must be General Chang’s teachings?”

Cui Jing remained silent, his eyes filled with contemplation.

Chang Kuo and Wei Shuyi were waiting not far away. Seeing Cui Jing come out, Chang Kuo again expressed his apologies: “... Next time, I’ll host a banquet to apologize on behalf of my daughter!”

Cui Jing: “…”

Another banquet?

If she gets drunk again and makes a move against him, there might be no end to the banquets.

It’s better not to express that apology.

Cui Jing politely declined: “It’s alright; Miss Chang did not mean any harm.”

Perhaps sensing the voice of his inner thoughts, Wei Shuyi chuckled again.

Hearing that the physician had gone to Chang Suining's courtyard, Chang Kuo, still uneasy about his daughter, hurried over. Before leaving, he instructed steward Bai to personally escort Cui Jing and Wei Shuyi out of the residence.

After exiting the general's mansion gate, Wei Shuyi glanced back at the plaque, sighing: “... It’s said that General Cui and General Chang are truly fated. In the capital, no one dares to trouble General Cui, yet your precious experiences of being beaten twice are all here.”

When he was young, he had been beaten by his father.

Now, as the imposing general of the Xuanzhe Army, he had been beaten by someone’s daughter.

As he spoke, Wei Shuyi couldn’t help but laugh again.

Cui Jing’s expression darkened as he mounted his horse and left.

...

In her dreams, Chang Suining was also hitting people.

But in her dream, she was still the same as before.

A-Xiao had been bullied by the third prince again; the already frail boy had developed a high fever after falling into the water.

And the empress dowager dared not seek justice.

Unable to bear it, she donned her brother's robes, tied her hair up to conceal her rosy, healthy complexion, and hid by the path the third prince would pass, waiting for the moment he appeared. She pounced on him, knocking him to the ground and giving him a good beating.

“Li Xiao… you dare hit me!”

“You sickly little fool, are you crazy!”

“Stop it!”

“Wuwuwu, stop, stop! I promise I won't bully you again…”

That was exactly what she wanted to hear, and only after she did would she let go.

As she turned to leave, a bright yellow figure appeared in her sight, blocking her path.

She was still very small and needed to look up to see that person—it was the emperor of Da Sheng Dynasty, her father.

“Father, Li Xiao hit me!” The third prince cried, supported by weeping palace servants, pointing at her.

The gaze of the ruler of a nation fell upon her, and she instinctively took a step back.

She and her brother had never been the focus of their father’s attention.

She had thought she would certainly face punishment.

But she was not afraid of being punished.

So, she straightened her back.

What she didn’t expect was for her father to say such a thing—

And it was that day, just because of that one sentence, that her fate would change forever.

Cui Jing—The Great Wronged One—spent his life being beaten by the Chang family.

Ning Ning: I never would have thought that the line corresponding to the last sentence of chapter 076 would be me.

(The end of this chapter) 

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