053 Everything Is the Calm Before the Storm (Please Vote for Me)

Wu County.

Outside the city.

“Sister-in-law, there’s no need to see us off any farther!” Su Ming held the reins as he looked at Da Qiao, who had come to bid them farewell.

Da Qiao glanced at Su Ming, then at Sun Shangxiang, and urged, “The road back won’t be peaceful. Both of you must be extremely careful!”

Su Ming knew all too well what Da Qiao’s words implied.

Now that he had come to Jiangdong, whether it was the great clans or Sun Quan himself, none would necessarily allow him to leave alive.

Before Su Ming set out, Xu Shu had already anticipated this.

Xu Shu had devised two strategies in quick succession, enough to safeguard Su Ming during his stay in Jiangdong.

Even if something truly unexpected happened, Su Ming rode the Thunder Leopard and wielded the Phoenix-winged Gilded Glaive—there was nowhere in the world he could not go.

“Sister-in-law, there’s no need to worry about me. Since I dared to come, I am fully prepared.” Su Ming tried to reassure Da Qiao, then added, “If you ever find yourself in danger, send a message to Jiangxia.”

“If I receive your message, no matter the difficulties, I will ensure the safety of both you and my nephew.”

Su Ming and Sun Shangxiang rode side by side, making their way onto the official road outside Wu County, where Zhang Zhao had already been waiting with his men for some time.

Sun Quan had not come to see Su Ming off in person, instead ordering Zhang Zhao to escort him out of Jiangdong’s territory.

“General Su, my lord is busy with affairs of state and could not come to see you off himself. He asked me to escort you,” Zhang Zhao rode up, greeting him with a cheerful smile.

Despite having been humiliated by Su Ming as a stepping stone, Zhang Zhao now welcomed him with a gracious face, showing not a hint of resentment. Clearly, Zhang Zhao was a man of deep calculation.

“Oh?” Su Ming responded, half-smiling. “Your lord didn’t come himself? Is he perhaps busy plotting how to take my life?”

At these words, Zhang Zhao froze for an instant.

But he quickly regained his composure and smiled, “General Su jests. You are the imperial envoy, representing His Majesty himself.”

“We in Jiangdong would never harm you, not in the slightest. On the contrary, we must ensure your complete safety.”

Such words, Su Ming thought, were empty promises—mere paper burned on a grave, meant only to fool the dead.

Sun Quan has no wish to kill me?

Impossible.

He probably dreams every night of carving me into pieces.

Ever since Su Ming made a scene at Sun Ce’s funeral, enmity had been set between him and Sun Quan.

Now, with Su Ming’s capture of Jiangxia, he held Jiangdong’s throat in his grasp.

If Jiangdong wished to expand, if Sun Quan aspired to hegemony, he must first take Jiangxia.

Whether for public or private reasons, Sun Quan could never coexist peacefully with Su Ming.

Their fates were sealed—they would fight to the death.

“Ah!” Su Ming sighed, turning to Zhang Zhao and speaking bluntly, “You people live such exhausting lives.”

“You want to play both sides—act the whore while erecting a memorial arch. If you want to kill me, why bother with all the secrecy?”

“Take me for example—I want to kill your lord Sun Quan. One day, I’ll seize all six counties of Jiangdong.”

“Jiangdong is a fine land—rich in fish and rice, the people prosper. With Jiangdong and the natural barrier of the Yangtze, it’s an invincible position.”

Upon hearing these words, Zhang Zhao thought to himself, Is he mocking us again? Could Su Ming truly be a decoy sent by Cao Mengde, meant to provoke Jiangdong into killing him? Then Cao Mengde would use the emperor’s name to rally the world against us!

No, that can’t be. Cao Mengde and Yuan Benchu are confronting each other at Guandu—their great battle is about to erupt. How could Cao Mengde afford to open another front?

Ah, I see!

It’s precisely because Cao Mengde is embroiled in war with Yuan Benchu that he would use such a ploy to throw all under heaven into chaos, to plunge the entire realm into war.

Yes, that must be it!

This young man is a decoy—a lure by Cao Mengde to drag the whole world into the mire of war.

Imagination is the deadliest trap. At this moment, Zhang Zhao’s mind conjured up a grand conspiracy, never realizing he was simply overthinking.

The reason Su Ming repeatedly mocked Sun Quan and all of Jiangdong was only because he felt aggrieved and needed to vent.

Su Ming was a man of the sword, not one for such elaborate plots.

He knew only the rage of a warrior—the kind that spills blood within five paces.

“General Su jests, truly jests!” Zhang Zhao said hurriedly. “Let us continue our journey.”

Since Zhang Zhao refused to take Su Ming’s bait, Su Ming said no more, and the party pressed on.

The journey from Wu County to Wuchang County took seven days, and throughout the seven days, not a single incident occurred.

Not only were there no open ambushes, but not even a single assassin appeared.

It was as if neither the Jiangdong clans nor Sun Quan had any intention of killing Su Ming at all.

In the blink of an eye, seven days had passed.

Zhang Zhao accompanied Su Ming all the way, escorting him out of Wuchang city.

Beyond Wuchang was no longer Jiangdong’s domain—anything that happened to Su Ming now had nothing to do with Jiangdong.

“General Su, I shall not go any farther.”

“I wish you a safe journey!” Zhang Zhao clasped his hands and bade Su Ming farewell.

After sending Su Ming out of Wuchang, Zhang Zhao and his men turned back toward the city. Now, on the official road outside Wuchang, only Su Ming, Sun Shangxiang, and the hundred elite soldiers he had brought remained.

Once Zhang Zhao had left, Su Ming sensed something was amiss.

A shadow seemed to fall over his heart, as if a storm were brewing.

“Something’s wrong!”

“Sun Quan and the Jiangdong clans can’t possibly have no intention of killing me. Traveling all this way in peace—something is definitely off!” Su Ming muttered to himself. Then, in a flash of realization, he said, “I see now!”

“Now that we’ve left Wuchang, we’re no longer in Jiangdong. There must be ambushes ahead!”

At his words, Sun Shangxiang grew anxious and blurted out, “Then—then should we turn back?”

Turn back?

Back to where?

Going back would only mean returning to Jiangdong’s territory.

Now, it was a matter of knowingly walking into the tiger’s den.

Even knowing there are ambushes ahead, they had no choice but to proceed.

Su Ming turned to Sun Shangxiang and said, “Shangxiang, listen to me. You should go back.”

“You’re the young lady of Jiangdong. Sun Quan only wants to kill me. With the old matriarch there, Sun Quan wouldn’t dare do anything to you.”

After all, Sun Quan and Sun Shangxiang were siblings. Sun Shangxiang, as a young woman, posed no threat to Sun Quan.

As long as she was not with Su Ming, Sun Quan had neither reason nor need to trouble her.

During Su Ming’s many days in Jiangdong, he had been treated with courtesy, no matter how much he provoked them. The ministers of Jiangdong and Sun Quan himself had shown remarkable restraint.

It must be known that Sun Quan was a regional lord—such forbearance was excessive.

Now, Su Ming understood it all. This was the calm before the storm.

The ministers of Jiangdong and Sun Quan had endured so much because, in their eyes, he was already a dead man.

Without a doubt, there would be many ambushes ahead. Sun Quan would not allow him to return to Jiangxia alive; he would have made thorough preparations.