Chapter Eighty-Nine

Xiao Zhi laughed and said, “You know, you’re just like Old Yan said, exactly the same—except for your strength now, nothing else has changed.”

Zhou Yu, holding Nian Yu’s hand, asked, “Oh? What did Old Yan say about me?”

Xiao Zhi replied, “He said you’re a rascal. Look all refined, but once people get to know you, it’s obvious you’re full of streetwise swagger, foul-mouthed, never play by the rules. Everyone else stops when sparring, but you go all out no matter what, wildness hard to tame. Old Yan said if you ever became a soldier, you’d be both a king among soldiers and a troublemaker.”

Zhou Yu cursed, “Damn it, that Old Yan, talking behind my back. I’m plenty refined, right, darling?”

Nian Yu shot him a glare and said, “Refined? I think what they said is spot-on. You really are a rascal.”

Zhou Yu protested, “I am not a rascal!”

He turned to Xiao Zhi, saying, “It’s just that I never wanted to be a soldier. If I had, you all wouldn’t have stood a chance.”

Xiao Zhi chuckled, “True enough, if you’d joined the army, you’d be someone people love and hate at the same time.”

Zhou Yu said, “Hey, don’t talk nonsense. I’m male, I like women, my orientation’s perfectly normal, okay? Who says you old men have to love me?”

Xiao Zhi switched to a serious tone, “Tell me, what was that last set of moves you used? It looked messy, but it was impossible to defend against.”

Zhou Yu explained, “You don’t know, do you? I’ve woven everything I’ve ever learned into that routine. Every technique is just instinctive.”

Xiao Zhi said, “You really are talented. What a pity.”

Zhou Yu asked, “Pity for what?”

Xiao Zhi replied, “First, it’s a pity you’re not my soldier. Second, it’s a pity that your skills aren’t used in service of the country. Third, your training is too scattered, and you haven’t had proper guidance.”

Zhou Yu’s face grew serious. “First, I’m not your soldier, so you can lament all you want, but I never wanted to be under anyone’s control. That’s why I didn’t enlist. Still, I respect soldiers—otherwise, I wouldn’t be so easygoing about it.”

“Second, all the skills I have, I earned myself. Except for what I learned from Old Yan, not a single move comes from the military. I have no reason to serve the country. Has the country ever been good to me? Or to my Ashura?”

“Third, my martial arts are indeed mixed, but my own fighting style—few can break it.”

“Fourth, my main attack techniques are with knives and short swords. So there’s no need to worry about my hand-to-hand skills.”

Beside him, Nian Yu tugged Zhou Yu’s sleeve, then addressed Xiao Zhi, “Chief Xiao, everything Xiaoyu has is from his own hard work. The country never gave him any help. If you keep insisting on this, we might have to meet as enemies.”

“It’s Xiaoyu who held us back from forcing our way in. He won’t serve the country, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t respect soldiers, nor does it mean he’ll let anyone invade his home.”

“If you’ve paid attention to Ashura, you should know who they fought in their last battle. It wasn’t entirely because they were from the Island Nation, but that was part of it.”

Xiao Zhi said, “I’ve heard of it. They say you wiped them out without losing a single man. Is that true?”

Zhou Yu replied, “It is, though we were all wounded. And if you keep talking about serving the country, like my wife said, we’ll have to face each other as enemies.”

Before Xiao Zhi could speak, Zhou Yu continued, “Don’t forget—I did so much for them, and in the end, they still put me on the wanted list. Hah.”