Book of Disaster

The candlelight flickered, and with a clang, the black iron gate opened. Bai Qi took off the shackles on his body, held his head high, and walked out of the prison calmly.

"General Xuanwu, how is it?"

Bai Qi stopped and said with a casual smile.

General Xuanwu lowered his head, pondered for a while, and finally sighed:

"Your Excellency's opinion is profound. I have nothing to say."

Before today, General Xuanwu would never believe that he would lose to a greenhorn, let alone surrender to him.

however--

The facts were there, and he had no choice but to admit defeat.

Bai Qi had calculated everything, and the moment Nangong Xu appeared, he had already lost completely.

"Hahaha……"

Bai Qi laughed, flicked his sleeves, and walked out of the prison.

……

After a while, in a hall of the recruit camp, Bai Qi saw the legendary Nangong Xu.

The latter was wearing a cloak of basalt scales, looking majestic and awe-inspiring, with two rows of personal soldiers guarding him. He stood tall with his back to Bai Qi, motionless, like a sculpture.

"Thank you for your help, General!"

Bai Qi walked forward and bowed respectfully.

Nangong Xu heard this and turned around slowly.

His eyes were sharp and cold, and when they fell on Bai Qi, a hint of imperceptible dissatisfaction suddenly flashed across his eyes, but he immediately concealed it perfectly.

"Is it him?"

Nangong Xu had a hint of doubt in his heart as he looked at the adopted son of the imperial concubine, the youngest genius in the empire. His face remained calm, with a forced smile on the corner of his mouth.

Bai Qi didn't say anything, his eyes were still fixed on Nangong Xu.

Although he left a letter for the imperial concubine, he knew nothing about the identity of the rescuer who had arrived, and the young general in front of him was also a mystery to him.

The two looked at each other, and there seemed to be a moment of silence in the air. However, soon, Nangong Xu smiled slightly, breaking the silence:

"You don't have to be polite, sir. Since you are Concubine Zhao's adopted son, you are also half a member of the Nangong family. It is only natural that I come to help you."

"It turned out to be General Nangong."

Bai Qi smiled and bowed.

There was a hint of respect in his voice, but he also vaguely sensed that something was wrong with Nangong Xu.

Half?

He had his back to me when we first met?

Although this person's words were polite, in his heart... he seemed to be dissatisfied with himself!

Is it because I was sent to do this task?

"I have solved all the problems here for you. General Xuanwu and King Xiaojing should not dare to embarrass you again."

Nangong Xu paused, raised his eyes and stared at Bai Qi, then continued:

"Also, go back and pack up, and come back with me to the Royal Guards. They are the army of my Nangong family, and they can help you complete your recruit training and provide a better training environment."

"Given your status and your connection with our Nangong family, I dare not say anything else, but when you are promoted to the regular army, I can guarantee that you will at least start as a lieutenant."

When Nangong Xu said these words, his eyes were as sharp as an eagle, trying to read any slight fluctuations in the expression of the boy opposite him.

The position of captain, this is his generosity, and it is the honor that Nangong Xu can give.

In the recruit camp, countless outstanding young men were competing for this rank, but he could award it easily.

"The Royal Guards are the royal guards, they have a high status and are very close to His Majesty. If you follow me, it will be easier for you to gain His Majesty's favor, and your promotion speed will naturally be much faster than other troops. Even ordinary generals will show respect to you and dare not offend you easily."

"This will only benefit you, no harm, what do you think?"

Nangong Xu's invitation was understated but full of temptation.

The selection of the Royal Guards is extremely strict, and only one in a million is chosen. Even for children from big families in the capital, it is extremely difficult to join.

Now, Nangong Xu generously opened the door to Bai Qi and promised him the position of captain, which was an opportunity that countless people dreamed of.

For a fifteen-year-old boy, such temptation was almost irresistible.

In fact, Nangong Xu's words also had an effect. He clearly noticed that Bai Qi showed a hint of excitement.

"Haha, are you really moved?"

Nangong Xu smiled in his heart and was not surprised by Bai Qi's choice.

Not only Bai Qi, but no one could refuse.

only--

Is this the person the Queen has chosen?

Is this the person that the Empress made an exception for me to rescue in a hurry?

Really...disappointing!

However, the next moment, just when Nangong Xu was about to lose his ability to conceal his disappointment, an unexpected answer came into his ears -

"no need!"

Bai Qi refused straightforwardly:

"General, I appreciate your kindness, but... I still hope to stay in the original army."

When these words came out, Nangong Xu was stunned, and even the adjutants and guards around him couldn't help but look frozen.

Obviously, this answer was not what they expected.

These are the emperor’s personal guards!

So many people tried their best to squeeze in, but Bai Qi really refused?

On the other side, Bai Qi smiled calmly, but a subtle thought flashed through his mind:

"This person is not sincere... He is testing me!"

I have to admit that when Nangong Xu made the invitation, Bai Qi was really tempted, but soon, Bai Qi noticed something wrong.

If this person was really sincere, he wouldn't have turned his back to me when we first met.

Also, if it was really a sincere invitation, he could have just taken out the token of the Emperor's Personal Guard and thrown it into my hand, and then asked me if I wanted it?

Isn't this temptation too obvious?

Does he look like a brainless guy?

What's more, when Bai Qi made the request to the imperial concubine, he only said that he wanted a general with a high status who could suppress the commander of the recruit camp to show up to support him. He didn't mention anything else at all.

This was obviously something General Nangong came up with on the spur of the moment.

"He is a general of the Nangong family and a personal guard of the emperor, but he wants to mobilize a large army for a nobody like me. He must be dissatisfied and also wants to test my character."

"…If I take advantage of the situation and agree to join the Royal Guards, he will definitely look down on me and discredit me in front of my stepmother."

Bai Qi smiled secretly.

It would be too easy to hide this thought from him.

"Can I ask why?"

Looking at the young man in front of him, Nangong Xu looked at him with admiration. He couldn't help but feel a little fond of him and asked curiously.

Few could refuse his offer.

"Although the Royal Guards are good, they are still subject to many restrictions. If you really join the Royal Guards, you will be criticized by the court officials, which will be detrimental to the Empress. This is not Bai Qi's original intention."

"And no matter how good the Royal Guards are, they are not as good as our Bai family's own army. Bai Qi still hopes to join our Bai family's army in the future and serve under my father freely."

Bai Qi was calm.

More importantly, once he joins, while he will benefit from the power of the Nangong family, he will also be restricted by it and his actions will be limited from then on.

Bai Qi’s goal is not just to become a general, but to be the master of his own destiny!