Chapter 697 – The Lord Borrows a Person, With No Returns
He wanted to be alone for a moment, to lick his wounds, when Yang Jian’s son—twenty-two-year-old Yang Tao—entered the tent.
Yang Tao was the only son born of the main wife, who passed away shortly after childbirth.
Over the years, the concubines in the rear courtyard had given birth to a string of daughters, so Yang Jian had only this one son.
He cherished him dearly, though his stern appearance reflected the demeanor of a typical strict father.
“Is something the matter?”
His son looked uneasy, “Father, just now someone from Liu Xi’s side came over, wanting to borrow a person from us.”
Yang Jian raised an eyebrow in suspicion, “Borrow whom?”
Yang Tao hesitantly replied, “The person Liu Xi wants to borrow is a centurion.”
“Why does he want to borrow him?”
A centurion was not just some insignificant soldier; with only about fifteen thousand troops under Yang Jian, a centurion was quite valuable.
Yang Tao looked at his father, his youthful face betraying a hint of doubt.
“Speak plainly, what are you hesitating for, you’re already a grown man?”
Yang Jian suddenly raised his voice, scaring Yang Tao into quickly saying, “Father, forgive me! Liu Xi thinks that he has an… unusual beauty and wants to borrow him to take a look.”
Unusual beauty?
How ugly could he be?
Yang Jian didn’t believe Jiang Pengji was the type of person to act whimsically; if she asked to borrow someone, there must be a reason.
He frowned and raised his hand, instructing someone to summon the centurion.
Once he saw him, even someone like Yang Jian, who wasn’t particularly concerned about looks, felt a tinge of disdain—it was like a blow to the eyes.
The centurion was slightly shorter than average, and his right leg had been injured, making it obvious that he had a limp.
Moreover, the man’s appearance was genuinely unpleasant.
His eyebrows were uneven, his eyes were long and sunken, his nose was flat with freckles on either side, and his lips were thick and dark. His neck proportion was unusual, his shoulders looked slightly hunched, and he seemed lacking in vitality. One arm was shorter than the other…
Thinking of the phrase “unusual beauty,” Yang Jian’s brows furrowed, feeling a bit vexed.
A handsome and tall man like Yang Jian had an inherent aversion to those with ugly appearances.
But why did Liu Zhi’s son want to borrow this person?
“Do you know Liu Xi, the county magistrate of Xiangyang?”
Yang Jian meticulously examined the centurion’s features, which seemed filled with flaws.
The man stood at attention, his gaze lowered as he softly replied, “I haven’t met him, but I’ve heard of him.”
His voice was hoarse, not in a magnetically attractive way, but scratchy and harsh to the ears.
Yang Jian grew increasingly dissatisfied, losing interest in probing into this person’s background; that face completely ruined the atmosphere.
He directly said, “Liu Xi thinks your appearance is unique and has asked to borrow you for a few days. Are you willing to go?”
The inquiry was merely a formality, and of course, the man wouldn’t oppose.
However, Yang Jian was also calculating, inadvertently creating a wave of animosity towards Jiang Pengji.
“I am willing.”
“Then you may go, and don’t keep Liu Xi waiting.”
Yang Jian dismissed the man, and Yang Tao quietly watched, looking somewhat troubled.
He attempted to speak several times, but Yang Jian started asking about his studies and martial arts, forcing Yang Tao to swallow the words he wanted to say.
After enduring the conversation with Yang Jian, Yang Tao returned to the tent, feeling gloomy.
Before long, a young scholar of similar age entered.
The scholar looked at Yang Tao with a smile, “What’s wrong? You look so downcast.”
His eyes were like clear springs, full of captivating depth and wisdom, and he exuded an air of refined scholarly elegance.
Yang Tao looked up, a bit frightened as he gazed at his friend, hesitating for a long time to muster the courage.
“Um… there’s something… just don’t get angry when I say it…”
Yang Tao’s face had an almost pleading look.
“What’s going on?” The young man remained as gentle as ever.
“You were pretty fond of that centurion responsible for training soldiers before…” Yang Tao stammered.
“Yeah, I remember. What about him?”
“Well, he’s been borrowed away…”
After saying this, Yang Tao shrank his neck, waiting in silence for a response.
He cautiously opened his eyes to see his friend still sitting with his usual posture.
No explosion of anger… but…
The expression that was almost a smile had vanished, replaced by a solemnity that was as deep as water.
“Borrowed away? Who borrowed him?” the young man inquired.
Yang Tao responded, “The county magistrate of Xiangyang, Liu Xi. He said that the man had an unusual beauty and wanted to borrow him for a look.”
The young man’s lip curled into a cold smile, and he tossed the scroll in his hands to the ground. Although it made little noise, the aura it radiated nearly took the breath away.
“Borrow? Ha! I fear it will be a borrowing without returning.”
Yang Tao obediently sat there, looking like a student awaiting judgment, making the young man both laugh and cry.
“Tell me in detail what happened then.”
Yang Tao dared not hide anything and hurriedly rambled on, even including the changes in his father’s expression.
“Did Uncle mention the reason Liu Xi wanted to ‘borrow a person’?” the young man asked.
“He did mention it.”
The young man murmured, “Ha, I hope this becomes a thorn in his heart and doesn’t lead him to take a fancy to Liu Xi.”
Yang Tao asked in confusion, “But really, what does Liu Xi want with him? Just because he looks ugly?”
The young man suppressed his urge to facepalm, “That Liu Xi isn’t interested in how ugly someone is; he clearly wants to train water soldiers!”
Train water soldiers?
Yang Tao’s expression shifted, then he cautiously asked, “What does Liu Xi want with water soldiers?”
The young man countered, “What do you think Liu Xi wants to borrow him for?”
Is it really just because of his ‘unusual beauty’?
Such reasoning would only fool a three-year-old; it wouldn’t work on him.
“If it really is to train water soldiers, then doesn’t this man’s ambition become… perhaps you’re overthinking it…”
After all, from any angle, the young man’s speculation was rather chilling.
Liu Xi’s territory was located to the north of Dongqing, mostly consisting of basins and hills, with few rivers; large-scale naval battles were non-existent.
Training water soldiers was akin to trying to draw water with a basket!
But the young man disagreed, “The Liu father and son are low-key by nature, which makes most people overlook them. If you pay close attention, you’ll soon discover their ambitions. At this moment, wanting a talent for training water soldiers from us is quite revealing of their intent!”
Yang Tao lamented, “Even if what you say is true, Liu Xi can always find other ways if he didn’t borrow someone from us.”
The young man looked at Yang Tao with a shade of pity, as if he were looking at someone dim-witted.
The crux of the problem wasn’t about how ambitious Liu Xi was, but that they had someone poached right from under their noses!
Maybe Liu Xi would get addicted to this and keep eyeing them for more!
Yang Jian’s family business was already small; if it fell into the hands of an unobservant Yang Tao, he wouldn’t even realize losing his core members.
Dealing with such a childhood friend was exhausting.
Yang Tao also realized he had misspoken, quietly asking, “Should I try to find a way to get him back?”
The young man’s expression grew even more desperate—why would his friend suggest such a foolish idea?
Get him back?
If Yang Tao dared to chase, Yang Jian would be the first to break his legs.
“Forget it; he’s just a person. Our army has plenty of capable water warriors, so there’s no need to fuss over one.”
The young man could only comfort himself this way.
