I'm the Farmgirl You Can't Mess With

Chapter 1380: Side Story: Qi Xiuyuan (12)

Editor: Atlas Studios

As Qi Xiuyuan joined the army before he turned 14 years old, Zhu Qing brought him by his side for two months. After confirming that he could protect himself on the battlefield, he sent him to a place further north.

Due to their close relationship, if Qi Xiuyuan made an achievement while serving under him, it would inevitably invite gossip. Thus, it was better to send him to a colleague’s camp and let him advance by accumulating military merits.

Zhu Qing just had to ensure that no one would frame Qi Xiuyuan and snatch his military merits.

Zhu Qing said to Qi Xiuyuan, “If you want to avenge your mother and protect and take good care of your brother, then stay alive and accumulate more military merits. Only by standing far above Qi Feng one day can you do what your heart desires.”

Qi Xiuyuan did his best for this.

It was also because of his good luck that he encountered Great Jin the moment he was sent to the north. When General Yuan organized the soldiers in his camp to launch a counterattack against Great Jin, Qi Xiuyuan slayed 16 enemies and was promoted from a lowly soldier to a section commander.

He was the only one left in his section. Because many people had died in that battle, as a newly promoted section commander, he could only be assigned new recruits. The veterans had all been picked by the lieutenants holding higher ranks than him.

When Qi Xiuyuan saw Rong Xuan, he was huddled among a group of soldiers. He looked older than him, but his face was pale and his footsteps were weak. Qi Xiuyuan thought that he could probably knock Rong Xuan down with one finger.

He did not want such a soldier because he appeared too fair and tender. One look and one could tell that he did not have much strength. Such a person would just be easy targets for the enemy on the battlefield, and would not even be able to block the saber for his comrades.

However, Qi Xiuyuan, who was not even 14 years old, was still too soft-hearted. With respect for life, he looked back and forth at him several times. When his platoon commander saw this, he took the initiative to transfer Rong Xuan to him and said, “Although he looks a little weak, he might be able to block the sword for you after some training.”

Qi Xiuyuan lowered his head and led Rong Xuan and nine other soldiers away.

Having seen blood before, he knew that the stronger a person was, the higher his chances of survival on the battlefield. Therefore, he trained these ten soldiers to the extreme, especially Rong Xuan.

The others more or less had some objections to Qi Xiuyuan. Although he was a commander, he was the youngest among them. If his soldiers weren’t up to his standards during training, although he wouldn’t whip them, he would drag them out to continue training. If they did not perform well during the training, not only would he not let them eat, but he’d also not let them sleep.

In private, everyone hated him to death.

However, Rong Xuan was different. The stricter Qi Xiuyuan was towards him, the more he liked him.

This made Qi Xiuyuan, who was lonely and had no friends, gradually become friends with him. It also made Qi Xiuyuan take more care of him and often took the hit for him on the battlefield. Get full chapters from Novl_Fire(.)net

There were many battles that year. Perhaps it was because Zhu Qing had spoken with the assistant commander that Qi Xiuyuan had always been placed at the front line, so he accumulated military merits very quickly.

The soldiers under him came and left. Some died on the battlefield, and some were poached by the other higher-ups. Only Rong Xuan stayed by his side all this while. As he was promoted from a section commander to a platoon commander and then from a platoon commander to a lieutenant, Rong Xuan became his advisor.

There were frequent battles at the border. Although it was dangerous, there were also great opportunities. In just three years, Qi Xiuyuan accumulated enough military merits to get promoted to the position of a fourth-grade assistant commander.

A 17-year-old assistant commander was rare even in troubled times, and Qi Xiuyuan could only achieve this feat because of his younger brother who was still in the capital, as well as his thirst for revenge for his deceased mother.

This was also the reason why Qi Feng felt like a fishbone was stuck in his throat. His son had advanced too quickly. Seeing as he had achieved the same rank as him after merely three years, it was obvious this young man had a bright future ahead.

Although there was a chasm between fourth-grade and third-grade, and the higher one’s rank was, the harder it was to advance. However, Qi Xiuyuan had military power, was capable, and was born in chaotic times. It was only a matter of time before he advanced.

Moreover, since Qi Feng was despised by others because of past matters and suppressed by the Zhu family, it was difficult for him to advance further. When this unfilial son far surpassed him one day, would he still let him off?

Because of this, Qi Feng became even more strict with Qi Haoran and became even more guarded against Qi Xiuyuan. He wished he could break his wings and trap him in the capital.

That was why Qi Feng wanted Qi Xiuyuan to marry Madam Wu’s niece. He wanted Qi Haoran to attend the wedding on behalf of his brother and hold the wedding as soon as possible. At that time, Qi Xiuyuan would have to acknowledge her even if he didn’t want to.

Unexpectedly, he could still escape after locking her in the house. He still wanted to set up this marriage, but he and Madam Wu could not be sure of what Qi Xiuyuan would do, and so did not dare to gamble using the Wu family’s daughter.

In the past, they could still threaten him with Qi Haoran in their hands. Now that Qi Haoran had run away, if Qi Xiuyuan didn’t listen to them, they couldn’t very well let Madam Wu’s niece enter the family first and wait indefinitely, right?

Not to mention the Wu family, even Madam Wu did not dare to gamble like this.

Meanwhile, Qi Xiuyuan, who was far away at the border, was furious when he found out that his brother and cousin had run out.

In this chaotic world where bandits were rampant, two 12-year-old youths dared to run away from home alone. Were they tired of living?

Qi Xiuyuan immediately sent people to look for them along the way, but there was no news.

Seeing that his expression was getting uglier and uglier, Rong Xuan couldn’t help but persuade him. “Didn’t General say that your younger brother is very skilled in martial arts? What’s there to be afraid of? Perhaps they’ll find their way here in two days.”

Qi Xiuyuan raised his younger brother like a son. When he heard this, he said with a frown, “Although that silly boy is skilled in martial arts, he hasn’t seen the world. I’m afraid he’ll be sold and not even know it. How can I be at ease?”

If it was just a competition of martial arts, he would not be worried. After all, his younger brother had started practicing martial arts at the age of three for nine years. Although they had only exchanged letters, he knew how skilled his younger brother was. However, bandits were not people who only knew how to wave their sabers and shout to kill. Considering his younger brother was so dumb, he was afraid that he would be easily deceived.

Rong Xuan said with a smile, “But didn’t you say that your cousin is smart? With him around, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

Qi Xiuyuan was even more worried. “Although Zijin is smart, he’s too arrogant. I’m naturally not worried if they have servants by their side to help them deal with others, but there are only two of them. One is smart and arrogant, while the other who’s approachable is a fool with good martial arts skills. I’m just afraid that it’ll backfire.”

Qi Xiuyuan said this purely out of worry, but he did not expect himself to be right. Three days later, he looked at the two brats in a sorry state and was speechless.

Qi Haoran didn’t know how to read the room, and was only relieved that he finally got to see his big brother. Excited, he went forward to hug him and cried, “Big Brother, I finally get to see you!”

Qi Xiuyuan had just placed his hand on his brother’s back when he heard him howl, “I’m famished—”

Although Mu Yangling had given him some food, there was really not enough meat from those rabbits and pheasants. Most importantly, it had taken him a long time to walk from the foot of the mountain to the county, so he was so hungry that his belt tightened twice.

Qi Xiuyuan looked at his two younger brothers wolfing down the food. After learning the truth about them running away from home, a cold glint flashed across his eyes as he said coldly, “In that case, stay in the north and don’t go back.”

Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin nodded happily.