Chapter 3: Even with great kung fu skills, one can still be afraid of a kitchen knife

  Tie Ying's big mouth opened wide, and he laughed: "Your Highness, you're joking. This isn't one of those chivalrous legends where people can fly through the sky and into the earth. I've heard that even top-notch masters can only jump a few feet at most, that's already the limit." Once the topic turned to martial arts, Tie Ying became more talkative.

  "That opens the stele and splits the rock, with swords and guns unable to enter. In an army of a million, how can one take the head of the commander-in-chief?" Qin Lei continued to ask, looking somewhat ignorant.

  Tie Ying's smile faded, and he clasped his fists together in a western direction. In a loud voice, he said: "I am a humble disciple of the greatest master of the Great Qin, Purple Cloud Sword Guest Xia Suiyang. My master can defeat dozens of people single-handedly and emerge unscathed from an encirclement of hundreds. There are only a handful of people in the world who can rival my master. However, if one were to fall into the Tiger Guard's formation, with strong bows and hard crossbows, and a dense array, there would be no one in the world who could escape unscathed."

  No sooner had he finished speaking than a low rumbling noise came from Iron Eagle's belly...

  Qin Lei gave Tie Ying a sideways glance and said sympathetically: "Let's eat, I'm starving too..."

  Tie Ying's face flashed with a look of embarrassment, and then he immediately put on a serious expression, saying helplessly: "Your Highness, the cook in the mansion was injured last night..."

  Qin Lei pushed open the door and saw that the room was in a mess, then he went out and closed the door, saying indifferently: "Just find someone to do something to make do."

  "The rest are all dead..." Tetsu said with a helpless expression.

  Qin Lei, who was walking down the stairs, stumbled and almost fell. He scratched his head and asked even more helplessly: "Is it just these three people?"

  Iron Eagle nodded, stretched out his big hand and began to count: "One cook, one maid, one doorman, me, and Your Highness." He curled back a finger for each person he counted.

  Finally clenching his fist as big as a vinegar jar, Iron Eagle concluded: "There is no one else."

  Qin Lei gave Tieying a perfect back of the head and walked straight into the front hall: "Then go out to eat, you're treating!"

  They hadn't gone far when Iron Eagle's low and rough voice floated over: "The mansion gate has been sealed off by the Qi army, no one is allowed to enter or leave."

  Qin Lei still didn't turn around, and strode into a room nearby, almost shouting: "Tell them to send food, or send the cook!!"

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Half an hour later, inside the small study room.

  Qin Lei smiled as he watched Tie Ying, who looked unhappy, clumsily take out food from the lunchbox with his big hands and feet. There were a few small dishes of pickled vegetables, a can of millet porridge, and three steamer baskets of small buns. Despite being rough, Tie Ying insisted on going to the restaurant to buy breakfast himself, but was bullied by Qi Guo's soldiers.

  Qin Lei picked up the ceramic spoon and bowl, filled a bowl with millet porridge, placed it in front of Tie Ying, smiled and said: "Get rid of your anger, getting angry before meals affects your appetite. Come on, eat, sit down quickly..."

  Tie Ying was stunned for a while before slowly sitting down halfway under Qin Lei's repeated urging.

  Qin Lei didn't know that his previous action had slightly moved Tiewu. Seeing Tiewu sit down, he picked up the millet porridge, blew off the hot air, took a sip, and it was fragrant and thick. He then added some refreshing side dishes, and Qin Lei's appetite opened up, feeling great. He went to pick up the crystal-clear steamed buns again, only to notice that Tiewu hadn't moved his chopsticks.

  Qin Lei's hand, holding a package, hovered in mid-air as he looked at Tieying with questioning eyes. Tieying smiled awkwardly and pulled out three rolled meat pancakes from the bottom of the food box, explaining: "If we don't eat enough in the morning, we'll be sluggish all day..."

  Qin Lei watched as Tiewu slurped down the porridge and devoured the meat pie, swallowing his own saliva in envy...

  ~~~~~~

  Just after finishing breakfast, someone in the courtyard shouted loudly: "The Honorable Li of Hongfu Temple requests an audience with Your Majesty..."

  Qin Lei didn't stop eating, but looked at his chief guard with inquiring eyes. He already knew he was the unlucky Fifth Prince, while Tie Ying was just an ordinary unlucky chief guard.

  Tie Tongli swallowed hard the food in his mouth, cleared his throat and lowered his voice: "Lord Li is a great envoy of Qin, come to discuss an alliance treaty."

  Qin Lei nodded and gestured for Iron Eagle to follow him to greet the guests.

  Upon entering the front hall, I saw a middle-aged man wearing purple robes, with a refined and handsome appearance, already standing in the main hall. His expression seemed somewhat anxious. Hearing footsteps, the man bowed his head and said in a clear voice: "Your humble servant greets Your Highness..."

  He had barely finished bowing when he was supported by someone, and a clear voice rang out at the same time: "Lord Li is too polite, we are all strangers in a strange land, and it's right that we should help each other. Please sit down quickly."

  Mr. Li stood up with the momentum, and the host and guest took their seats. After he sat down, he looked at the main seat, but saw that the fifth master's hair was a bit messy, his clothes were also a bit wrinkled, but his complexion was good, his eyes were particularly spirited, and seemed to be in better spirits than when he had seen him last time.

  Qin Lei knew that in order to understand more about the situation, this Mr. Li was the best person to ask. So he plucked up his courage and smiled as he asked: "Has Mr. Li had breakfast yet?"

  Mr. Li bowed his hands and said: "I haven't used it yet, I heard that Your Highness was stabbed, and you couldn't eat or sleep well, without confirming your safety, I couldn't eat either."

  Qin Lei's face showed a moved expression, and he slightly excitedly said: "How can this be?" He turned to Tie Ying and said: "Quick, go to the back and bring up breakfast."

  Even if Iron Eagle's mind was tough, he couldn't help but roll his eyes inwardly. The two of them had eaten their breakfast clean, and at most they could only find a few grains of rice, half a pickled vegetable, which would be enough for a mouse guest. His Highness obviously didn't want to invite guests, Iron Eagle thought to himself.

  He was about to open his mouth when Lord Li on the other side was inexplicably moved, hastily stopping the iron guard and excitedly saying: "Your Highness's kindness, I am deeply grateful, but the situation is urgent and there really isn't time. Another day when Your Highness returns to the capital, I will definitely welcome you back with a banquet."

  Tieying glanced at Qin Lei, Qin Lei nodded, and he went down to prepare tea. This deliberate move brought the distance between host and guest much closer - the two were now sitting tightly together.

  Li Shaqing saw that the doors of the house were all guarded by his own guards, and he lowered his voice to say to Qin Lei: "Your Highness has made great sacrifices for the country, with laborious merits, in a dangerous situation, not forgetting to report to the country, I admire it tightly, also heartbroken tightly."

  Qin Lei wasn't quite clear about his meaning, and smiled vaguely in response.

  This smile fell into Li Guangyuan's eyes, but it was the elegant smile of the Fifth Prince, noble and dignified. In his heart, he praised the dragon breed for being a dragon breed at all times, and became even more respectful: "When we negotiated with Qi Guo, it was unfavorable to Your Highness, it must be those eagle claws from Nan Chu, they are vicious and ruthless, crazy and cruel, Your Highness must be careful."

  Qin Lei nodded and indicated for him to continue speaking, his face without a ripple.

  Li Guangyuan saw that the Fifth Prince was not anxious or flustered, and his demeanor was calm and composed. He couldn't help but praise him in his heart, then said: "Your humble servant has an improper request, would you be willing to grant it?"

  ~~~~~~~~~~~

  The two of them whispered in the room for a good while, roughly enough time to eat three breakfasts, sufficient to refute Governor Li's excuse that he had no time to eat.

  Qin Lei and Tie Ying escorted the guests to the gate, where the Qi state soldiers stood with stern faces, holding out their long spears and saying in a cold voice: "By order of the Prefect of the Imperial Capital, the hostage son is not allowed to leave the mansion!"

  Tie Ying let out a loud shout: "How dare you!" He stepped forward, grasping his long spear, and glared at the Qi army with anger in his eyes.

  Qin Lei's face changed as he shook hands with Li Guangyuan, who felt a sudden pain in his hand. Qin Lei nodded awkwardly and smiled: "Sir, have a good trip, I won't see you off due to some reasons."

  Li Guangyuan felt that the smile on the face of the hall was more suitable for a cold laugh. He sighed in his heart, put on a stern face and scolded Qi Bing: "You have the audacity to humiliate my family's master, I'll report this to the imperial court and make your family's official pay the price!"

  Although the Qi soldiers were not afraid of this big Qi's defeated general's envoy, they also feared that if things got out of hand, the prefect would be angry with them. They hastily withdrew their long guns and apologized to Li Guangyuan with a smile, repeatedly assuring him that it wouldn't happen again.

  Li Guangyuan knew that these soldiers were the most unscrupulous, and didn't bother to entangle them. He cupped his hands to Qin Lei and said, "Your Highness, if they dare to be rude to you again, I will definitely seek justice for you." In fact, he regarded Qin Lei as a lonely and pitiful child.

  Having said that, they bid each other farewell.

  Qin Lei gazed at Li Guangyuan's back and whispered to the iron eagle beside him, "Impolite? I am the most impolite person in the world."

  Tieying looked at Qin Lei's delicate face with a ferocious expression and felt very comfortable.

  ~~~~~~~~~