The pale-faced young man seemed to want to rise but winced in pain, his body hunched over. Hearing footsteps at the door, he suddenly turned his head, his black eyes filled with vigilance and killing intent.
The murderous aura emanating from him startled Di Shuangcheng.
"Brother He."
Di Tao was extremely excited. "You're awake? Are you alright?"
Upon seeing that it was Di Tao, Xiao Yan's tense posture relaxed, and he almost stumbled as he loosened his grip.
Di Shuangcheng stepped forward, catching him and helping him sit back on the bed. He then released his hold, observing Xiao Yan's wary gaze.
"Who are you?"
"I am Di Shuangcheng, this scoundrel's father." Di Shuangcheng gestured toward Di Tao. "Thank you for escorting them safely back."
As Di Shuangcheng spoke, he scrutinized Xiao Yan. The young man's appearance was striking, and his earlier aura was extraordinary.
Noticing Xiao Yan's initial wariness fade upon hearing his name, Di Shuangcheng's eyes gleamed with thought. He then slapped Di Tao's back. "What are you standing there for? Apologize!"
Di Tao stumbled from the slap, his face turning even paler. He lowered his head, facing Xiao Yan.
"I'm sorry, Brother He." His voice was filled with guilt. "I shouldn't have involved you in this." He glanced at Di Shuangcheng. "Beiling targeted the Di family and the Zhen'an Army." He looked back at Xiao Yan. "It's my selfishness that nearly cost you your life and led to the deaths of your guards."
His eyes reddened with remorse, recalling how Xiao Yan's guards had dwindled from dozens to just Zhang Bin. Now, even Zhang Bin was severely injured. Di Tao couldn't continue, his words choked with emotion.
Di Shuangcheng shot his son a fierce glare before turning to Xiao Yan.
"This time, it's Di Tao's fault." He looked at Xiao Yan. "He's currently unable to move and would be a burden if he goes out." He glanced at his son. "Once he's better, I'll have him report to the army for punishment and remove his official position, sending him to the front lines to fight Beiling."
The deputy general interjected anxiously, "General, the young general knows his mistake."
"Does knowing his mistake bring back the lives lost?" Di Shuangcheng's voice was stern. "He's my son, but that doesn't mean he can act recklessly." He turned to Xiao Yan. "Brother He, Di Tao's life was saved by you." He looked at his son. "If you feel this punishment isn't enough, feel free to deal with him as you see fit."
Xiao Yan fixed his gaze on the burly, righteous-looking Di Shuangcheng. After a moment, he spoke weakly, "There's no need." He took a deep breath, suppressing the pain, and sat up straighter. "I came to Fengcheng for other matters and had no intention of getting involved with military affairs." He glanced at Di Tao. "Since the young general is fine, please excuse me."
Di Tao was stunned. "Brother He..."
Xiao Yan looked at him with a cold expression: "I am not familiar with you, and General Di has no intention of letting you get to know me. General Di, please call me He Yan."
He ignored Di Tao's puzzled and pale face and looked up at Di Shuangcheng who was standing next to him.
"I was originally going to Fengcheng, and I brought Di Tao and his sister with me just for the sake of it. As for those people from Beiling, they sneaked into the heart of Wei with no good intentions, and they all thought that I was killing enemies for the country."
"General Di, as a military commander, you don't have to go to great lengths to pretend to teach Di Tao a lesson in order to stop me from asking your Di family for my life-saving favor. I'm not the kind of person who would want to repay a favor and pester the people of your Di family."
Di Shuangcheng didn't expect Xiao Yan to see through his thoughts at a glance. Seeing the young man's brows full of annoyance and impatience, he was silent for a moment before speaking: "How did you see that?"
Xiao Yan said coldly: "Ordinary people would not be like General Di when facing their savior."
"He didn't talk about repaying or showing gratitude. He just punished Young general Di and made him go to the battlefield to kill the enemy to compensate for the guards he killed. He said, ‘You can deal with him as you wish’ to clear the Di family of any connection."
"General Di doesn't want to accept the favor, and I don't want to do you a favor, so there's no need to act like this."
Di Shuangcheng looked at the frosty young man and did not argue: "Sorry, I am not targeting you. There are too many people in Beiling who want to infiltrate the army in recent years. I have to be cautious."
After hearing this, Di Tao finally understood what his father meant. He hurriedly said, "Father, He Yan is not that person."
"My mother, Fang Yun, and I were ambushed for many days, and everyone around us was killed or injured. When we met He Yan, he wanted to avoid us, but I forced him to come in. He also wanted to leave several times when he was in Anxi before, but I had to use some tricks to keep him here."
"And if he had any ill intentions, he would have handed my mother and I over to the Beiling people long ago. If we fell into Beiling's hands, you and the Zhen'an Army would be in chaos. Why would he risk his life to send us back?"
Di Shuangcheng looked at the wounds on Xiao Yan's body, and remembered what his subordinates had said about their miserable condition when they found them, and wanted to say something.
However, Xiao Yan had already spoken "I know what General Di is suspicious of. Luoyan Pass is a strategic location and must not be taken lightly. It is normal for you to be cautious."
"I have no ill will towards the Di family. I came to Fengcheng for other things. General Di can rest assured. After today, I will no longer have any dealings with General Di."
After Xiao Yan finished speaking, he pointed to the outside room:
"I want to take a break. Please go out."
Di Tao said urgently: "He Yan!"
Xiao Yan looked indifferent, shut up and said nothing more.
The Di family father and son and the deputy general were almost "blasted" out by Xiao Yan. Although Xiao Yan was injured and could not take any action, his disgusted attitude made them unable to stay.
When he came out of the inner room, Di Tao angrily said to Di Shuangcheng: "Father, what are you doing? He Yan saved Fang Yun and I's lives. He is still seriously injured, and his guards are almost dead. How can you speculate about him like that!"
Di Shuangcheng frowned "It was such a coincidence that he saved you."
Those people from Beiling got the information from somewhere and tried to kill his wife and children, but He Yan happened to save Di Tao and his sister.
Although Di Shuangcheng was angry that Di Tao had involved innocent people, he was also somewhat wary of whether He Yan was deliberately using this matter to get close to Di Tao. After all, countless people had tried to use this method to sneak into the Zhen'an Army over the years, and he had suffered greatly because of it.
Di Shuangcheng originally just wanted to test the waters, but who could have thought that the young man would directly see through his thoughts and ruthlessly drive them out. It was obvious that his previous actions had annoyed him.
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T/N: Xiao Yan is playing them so good
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You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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