Chapter 49: The Truth

  "That's enough, you've had plenty to drink!" Ren Shuai grasped Du Bing's wrist as they sat in Gong Sun Bar, the only 24-hour bar in Lian Cheng City, drinking away their sorrows.

  "Don't mind me!" Du Bing sighed lightly, stretched out his right hand to grab Ren Shuai's hand, and slowly turned it over: "Besides drinking, what else can I do now?"

  "There are still many things we need to do!" Ren Shuai sincerely advised: "At the very least, we must protect Your Highness and ensure her safe..."

  "Protect Your Highness?!" Du Bing burst out laughing, then patted Ren Shuai's shoulder: "Above, there is the leader who worries, below, there is General Wang Rui who exerts himself, where can a small person like me intervene? Don't talk nonsense, come on, let's drink, drink!" After finishing speaking, Du Bing tilted his head back and downed another cup.

  "I can't drink anymore, I'm on night duty tonight." Ren Shuai shook his head: "Du Bing, let's finish this cup and go back together. Otherwise... if the commander finds out that you sneaked out of camp, you won't be able to bear the consequences!"

  "It's only a matter of time before I'm blamed by Master Tong, what difference does it make whether it's sooner or later?" Du Bing poured another cup of wine: "Come on, let's not talk about tomorrow today, drink up, drink up!"

  Ren Shuai gazed at Du Bing for a moment, then stood up with a bitter smile: "You drink first, I'll go to the temple below and ask for leave on your behalf. Just in case Commander is blaming you, there's an excuse."

  Du Bing smiled and said, "Thanks." As he spoke, he poured himself a drink from his wine cup.

  Ren Shuai saw that Du Bing didn't listen to his advice at all, so he had no choice but to leave the bar helplessly.

  Just as Du Bing raised his cup and drained it in one gulp, a voice suddenly spoke up behind him: "Is General Du drinking heavily just to drown his sorrows?"

  Du Bing slowly turned his head and saw a young man in a white robe smiling at him. Du Bing's face turned cold: "What's it to you?!"

  He Zicheng smiled as if he hadn't heard Du Bing's words, walked to Du Bing's side, sat down in the position where Ren Shuai had just sat, and gently tapped on Du Bing's wine cup: "I admit that wine is a good thing! However, it depends on how you drink it and who drinks it. A heroic man drinking wine will naturally be enthusiastic when he reaches the exciting point, while a cowardly man drinking wine can only dissipate his own ambition, seemingly without any other purpose."

  Du Bing looked at He Zicheng coldly: "I recognize you, you are the son of He Kuoming."

  He Zicheng also took a wine cup and poured himself some wine: "I didn't expect General Du to still notice me, does this count as us being fated?"

  "You drink your wine, I'll drink mine! Whether Du Bing is a hero or a coward has nothing to do with you!" Although his face was still cold, Du Bing's tone had softened significantly as he faced He Zicheng, who remained smiling.

  "General Du, you seem to have some prejudice against me! Why must you reject people from afar? Sometimes a conversation can change a person's life, of course, not just yours, but mine as well." He Zicheng said slowly while fiddling with his wine cup.

  Du Bing's mouth corner revealed a hint of playful smile: "What do you want to say?"

  "General Du seems to be having a rather unpleasant time now, that money is not leaving..." He Zicheng's words came to an abrupt halt, as Du Bing's hand had already reached the hilt of his sword.

  "Remember, General Du has shown me great kindness! Don't dare speak ill of him in front of me." Du Bing's face was filled with a murderous intent as he spoke word by word: "Otherwise..."

  "Alright, alright, I admit that Commander Du's favor to me is as heavy as a mountain!" He Zicheng emphasized the word "mountain": "But it seems like this mountain is too heavy for Commander Du, so much so that he doesn't return to the barracks at night and gets drunk alone in a tavern!"

  Du Bing's face fell, and he stood up in anger, let out a cold hum, then turned around and walked out of the wine house.

  "Have my words offended General Du? If so, I can apologize. But I really don't understand why General Du can't have a good talk with me?" He Zicheng didn't rush to stop Du Bing, still fiddling with the wine cup in his hand.

  Du Bing's footsteps paused, and he leaned down to whisper in He Zicheng's ear: "I can talk to anyone, but I won't waste my breath on those who collude with external enemies for personal gain. As a soldier, in my eyes, those who only care about their own interests and disregard the country's overall situation are beasts!"

  He Zicheng's face finally changed, but immediately returned to calm: "General Du, please stay!!" After finishing, He Zicheng waved his hand, and seven or eight customers who were hiding in the corner drinking suddenly stood up, rudely driving out the remaining people from the bar, and even drove away the bartender and the waitress. They then divided into two teams, one team guarding the front door and the other team guarding the back door.

  Du Bing's hand grasped the hilt of his sword, a fierce intent rising: "What? You think you can use them to keep me here?"

  "No, I want to keep General Du with my sincerity!" He Zicheng looked at Du Bing calmly: "I have no malice, and besides, I'm sitting here right now. If anything unexpected happens, you can kill me first." He Zicheng originally just wanted to probe this time, but through observation and conversation, he deeply felt the hardships and pressure that Du Bing had endured, and he greatly admired the proud spirit on Du Bing's body. How could such a talent not be won over? So He Zicheng decided to speak openly.

  "Sincerity?" Du Bing burst out laughing: "Alright, then please show me your sincerity and let Du Bing see it for himself!"

  "Now that things have come to this point, I can no longer hide anything." He Zicheng looked around and his face became extremely serious: "There are some things we know, you also know, so I won't repeat them. However..." He Zicheng dipped his finger in wine and began drawing on the table: "This is Liancheng Fortress, this is Jiaji Pass. Everyone thinks that General Wei's Wind and Cloud Army is stationed in Hongzhou, but that's not true. The Wind and Cloud Army is actually stationed here!" After finishing speaking, He Zicheng drew a line with his finger and then pointed to a spot.

  Du Bing took a deep breath of cold air, measured the distance with his eyes, and suddenly raised his head: "Qinglong Ridge?!"

  "Not bad." He Zicheng nodded: "Who doesn't know that Jamukha is a tiger and wolf? Do you think we would really cooperate with them in good faith? The name of traitor to the country is not something we can bear."