A tragic past, a seven-year promise...

  Liu Xuan's eyes gradually cleared up, the knot in his heart suddenly opened up, and he felt a great sense of relief. He looked at the army with its banners clearly visible and high morale, and a faint smile appeared on Liu Xuan's lips.

  What does this large army count for? Liu Xuan knew that Liu Bei was not without arrangements, and his heart was burning like a spring breeze. Liu Xuan also slightly guessed one or two of the arrangements Liu Bei had said. As he was immersed in thought, Gan Ning quietly rode up beside him, saw Liu Xuan's dazed expression, and furrowed his brow slightly. Looking around, he whispered: "Liu younger brother, what are you thinking about?"

  "Ah?" Liu Xuan looked at Gan Ning and asked in puzzlement: "Xingba big brother, what's the matter that you're looking for me?"

  Gan Ning heard this and slightly shook his head, lightly laughing: "I see that Liu little brother's mind is elsewhere, as if he's thinking of something."

  Liu Xuan's expression was subtle, and he furrowed his brow slightly as he gazed at Gan Ning. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he spoke in a low voice: "To be honest with you, brother, I do have some thoughts on this matter, but I'm not sure if you..."

  Gan Ning watched as Liu Xuan seemed to want to say something but hesitated, and teased him slightly: "Hey...Liu little brother, you're usually so eloquent, what's wrong today?"

  Liu Xuan heard this and burst out laughing, looking at Gan Ning seriously: "Xingba elder brother, aren't we brothers?"

  Gan Ning listened, slightly stunned for a moment, then said in a low voice: "Liu little brother, how can you say such things? Although we are not biological brothers, our relationship is even closer than that of biological brothers. In the future, if Liu little brother has any instructions, just let big brother know and big brother will go through fire and water to accomplish it."

  Liu Xuan's heart was slightly moved, his eyes were slightly dim and he was very touched. He hurriedly said: "Big brother, little brother will thank you first." After a pause, Liu Xuan swept around and said in a low voice: "Little brother heard that Big Brother Xing Ba was previously the famous 'Brocade Sail Thief' who dominated the south and north of the Yangtze River. I wonder why Big Brother Xing Ba fell to this point?"

  Gan Ning's face fell, and he remained silent for a long time. Liu Xuan saw the hint of sadness on Gan Ning's face and hastily said: "I was wrong to offend you, please forgive me, General..."

  At this time, Gan Ning had come to his senses and heard Liu Xuanzhi's words. He smiled slightly and said: "Liu younger brother is not an outsider, the matter here has been weighing on my mind for a long time, it's been pressing down on me, if Liu younger brother doesn't mind, I'll talk about it."

  Liu Xuan felt a chill in Gan Ning's tone and his heart skipped a beat. He raised an eyebrow: "I'm all ears!"

  Gan Ning's eyes were filled with a hint of sadness and nostalgia as he began to speak to himself:

  "I was originally from Linjiang, Ba County. Although my family wasn't the wealthiest in the world, we were still one of the richest families in our region. In my youth, I had great physical strength and my parents saw how much I loved martial arts, so they spent a huge amount of money to hire many martial arts masters to teach me."

  One day, a stranger passed by my house and watched me practicing martial arts for a long time. Afterwards, he came in and said that I had excellent bones, and if I practiced and polished my skills diligently, I would definitely achieve something. My teacher and I sparred, but I was defeated after just a few moves. At dinner that evening, my teacher told my parents about this, and they saw that the stranger was actually a master of high skill. They pretended to be happy and sent me out with him. After more than ten years of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, my teacher finally said that I had made progress in my art and could go down the mountain and display my talents.

  I was overjoyed when I heard that, and hastily bid farewell to my master, rushing down the mountain, riding a horse straight home.

  But who would have thought that what awaited me was a disaster... As he spoke, Gan Ning's lips flowed with threads of blood, his eyes bursting with endless hatred and killing intent, the muscles on his face twisting violently, looking extremely ferocious.

  Liu Xuan sighed inwardly "Another life and death separation, when will this game end?"

  Gan Ning gritted his teeth and said, "I returned home with great enthusiasm, but was shocked to see that my door was already broken and open, with a thick layer of dust on the broken door, it seemed like it had been a long time..."

  As I saw this, a surge of unease suddenly rose in my heart. I rushed anxiously into the house, but only to see bloodstains all over the hall, already dry and unknown how long it had been...

  I rushed through the entire mansion, but didn't see a single person. The whole estate was stained with bloodstains everywhere. At that time, my mind went blank, and I had red eyes. I asked the neighbors on both sides what happened to my family, and it turned out that our whole family was exterminated?

  After I inquired through various friends, I finally understood that the powerful Lai family of Linjiang had been coveting my mother and sister's beauty, colluding with the county magistrate to plot against my family, striking at our business from all sides. My father was a kind-hearted person, seeing this he was at his wit's end, could only bear the loss to avoid disaster.

  One day, my family's business was on the verge of bankruptcy, and my father went to talk to them about it. But who knew that the county magistrate and the Lei family were so arrogant? They brazenly demanded that I and my sister become their concubines. My father was furious and stormed out of there immediately.

  But unexpectedly that night!

  That damned county magistrate sent the county lieutenant to lead the county soldiers to surround my home, and when my father went forward to block them, he was stabbed to death by that county lieutenant. Afterwards, they began a massacre against my family, capturing my mother and sister for that damned county magistrate and the Lei family.

  "My mother and sister refused to surrender, and in the end they had no choice but to take their own lives." Gan Ning's breathing was rapid and labored, his voice heavy with anger as he continued: "I understood the reason behind it all, and I endured in silence, secretly uniting with the scattered family servants who had escaped. After a year, I killed the Lei family and those corrupt officials..."

  "After that, I killed the county magistrate, the county lieutenant, and all the people of the Li family. But because of this, I committed a bloody crime and had to flee with these brothers... Now I'm drifting and have become a pirate." Gan Ning said, his eyes closed tightly, his expression quite sad and helpless.

  Liu Xuan gazed quietly ahead, his eyes deep and unfathomable like the vast starry sky. Gan Ning opened his eyes to look at Liu Xuan and said bitterly: "Liu little brother, do you think big brother me..."

  "Xing Ba big brother, Xuan thinks that big brother is a man of noble character." Liu Xuan interrupted Gan Ning's words calmly and said word by word: "Act according to one's nature... only then can one be a real man!"

  Gan Ning was moved by the words and looked at Liu Xuan, who also smiled back at Gan Ning. The two suddenly burst out laughing! After their laughter subsided, Liu Xuan spoke seriously: "Brother Xingba, your martial prowess is unmatched in the world, can't you go further? Why are you willing to stay on the treacherous waters and be a pirate for life?"

  Gan Ning was taken aback once again by Liu Xun's serious words, and then sighed with a bitter smile: "Alas, what else can I do?!" He looked around and said in a low voice: "I thought Huang Zu would reuse me, but that Huang Zu is so stubborn and refuses to listen to advice. After this time, I'll take those brothers back to my previous island and live a carefree life as the Water King!"

  "Is this really what Xingba Big Brother truly means?" Liu Xuan looked at Gan Ning and suddenly shook his head, his heart suddenly moved, and he blurted out: "Xingba Big Brother, if Little Brother has the ambition to contend for the throne, would Xingba Big Brother be willing to lend me a helping hand?"

  After finishing speaking, his eyes stared tightly at Gan Ning. Liu Xuan could feel his heart beating rapidly. Gan Ning was taken aback and looked at Liu Xuan in disbelief. After a long while, Gan Ning smiled lightly and said: "Liu little brother, are you talking nonsense?"

  "No, Brother Xingba, I'm telling the truth." Liu Xuan's face was solemn, and he said seriously: "Brother Xingba, there is a saying that one should not look down on young people who are poor, for ambition is not determined by age!"

  "Xing Ba big brother, are you thinking of surrendering to Eastern Wu after this?"

  Gan Ning's expression changed, his eyes slightly shocked as he looked at Liu Xuan. Liu Xuan felt a slight sense of urgency in his heart and thought to himself: "Indeed, it is so." After a pause, he continued: "Xingba elder brother, in my humble opinion, although Jiangdong may prosper for a time, it cannot last long..."

  "Sun Quan, although courteous to the virtuous and humble towards scholars, is actually inclined towards aristocratic families by nature. Moreover, his mind is heavily focused on power struggles, making it difficult for him to have ambitions of competing with the north." Liu Xuan smiled slightly: "Those who only know how to guard their small plot of land will eventually be eliminated by the times..."

  Gan Ning's expression changed suddenly, his eyes flashing with a strange light. Liu Xuan saw this and quickly took advantage of the situation to say: "Xingba big brother, why don't we make a seven-year pact? If after seven years you still have a firm determination to go to Jiangdong, I won't try to persuade you again. Is that acceptable?"

  "A seven-year debt?" Gan Ning fell silent for a long time, then stared at Liu Xuan and said in a low voice: "Liu younger brother, I owe you one favor, today I will repay that favor..."

  Liu Xuan listened and blinked mischievously, suppressing the joy in his heart, saying: "So, does that mean Big Brother Xing Ba has agreed?"

  "No, Liu Xiao Di, seven years later, if you have a state to govern, Gan Ning will naturally lead his troops to surrender to you." Gan Ning said his conditions decisively and then smiled freely: "Seven years is neither long nor short, enough for someone to see clearly what kind of person Sun Quan is."

  "Besides, Liu Xiaodi, big brother is waiting for your good news."

  Liu Xuan heard this and smiled slightly, just about to speak, when suddenly a shout of killing came from the front. Gan Ning's expression changed, and he threw out a sentence "I'll go take a look." Then he patted his horse and galloped forward.