It’s Yu Wenye.

He appeared solemn, but his cold eyes, except for reflecting the blade against him, did not show any murderous intent. His hands hung calmly by his sides, without exerting any force or holding any weapon.

Lei Guo furrowed his brows and said, "You, not making a move?"

Yu Wenye looked at him coldly and said, "You should be able to see that I do not intend to fight you."

"..."

"Because if I wanted to make a move, it would have been at the door just now, and by now, you should have already been out of breath."

"...!"

Lei Guo’s face stiffened, and the tip of the sword in his hand trembled slightly, but he did not refute.

Clearly, he knew very well Yu Wenye’s prowess and understood that there was no exaggeration in his words. The fact that he could still stand here with a sword in hand pointed at Yu Wenye was only because Yu Wenye was giving him a chance.

He took a deep breath and said, "Then, what do you want?"

Yu Wenye looked at him calmly and said, "I came to ask you to do one more thing."

"Do one more thing?"

Lei Guo frowned, "What thing?"

Yu Wenye said, "To defect."

"...!"

Lei Guo’s gaze flickered, and his sword trembled violently. The tip of the sword reflected the room’s only candlelight, flickering more fiercely than his gaze. After a moment, he said in a trembling voice, "What did you say?"

Yu Wenye said, "I want you to return."

"..."

"I also want you to help me take Taiyuan!"

The more Yu Wenye spoke, the more erratic Lei Guo’s breathing became, and eventually, he could no longer hold his sword, his long arms slowly drooping down, losing all capacity for a fight. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Yet, he still shook his head and said, "You know that’s impossible."

"..."

"Indeed, I have defected, but the side I defected to is not ’the enemy,’ it’s—"

At this point, he seemed unable to continue speaking, or perhaps it was that he could not explain clearly. It was because Lei Yu had married the Turkic Prince, and the Western Turks had already united with Wang Shaoqiu to take Taiyuan, leaving him no retreat but to accept the situation, defect, and continue guarding Qi County. However, Taiyuan did not belong to Lei Yi, nor Lei Yu, and even the person giving him orders regarding Qi County was not someone from the Lei Family.

Now, enemies aren’t foes, and kin cannot be kin.

He not only felt ashamed before the court he once served loyally and before Duke Sheng who treated him well, but he also completely lost his life’s goal.

Seeing him in such a state of bewilderment, Yu Wenye’s eyes became deeper. He stepped forward and said to Lei Guo, "Lei Guo, you once said you encountered a wise lord."

"..."

"So, is the one you now serve a wise lord?"

"..."

"Or should I ask you, which one do you believe can be a wise lord?"

"..."

"Is it the ruthless and greedy, depraved Wang Shaoji, or the cunning and treacherous Wang Shaoqiu, or—" Yu Wenye’s eyes flickered with a clear hint of mockery: "The Western Turks?"

At the mention of this, Lei Guo’s brow furrowed even tighter.

His naturally high brow ridge, when in dim light, almost cast enough shadow to cover his eyes. At this moment, it’s as though his eyes were swallowed by gloom, leaving only a faint glimmer.

Like a person about to drown, still struggling.

After a long while, he looked up at Yu Wenye: "You—"

"No need to ask me."

Yu Wenye coldly and firmly said, "I have only one answer."

"..."

"Lei Guo, your uncles siding with Liang Shide back then was understandable, because Emperor Yang was inherently suspicious. He not only detested the rebel army but also distrusted generals leading troops within the court, which is why he sent General Lei with only fifty thousand men to Hebei to quell Liang Shide’s several hundred thousand rebel army, aiming for mutual destruction so he could be at ease."

"..."

"So, his demise, the downfall of the state, was destined!"

Although at this moment, it’s a matter of persuading the person in front of them, and their life and death are at stake, but at the mention of Chu Yang, Shang Ruyi’s breath became choked.

She couldn’t deny Yu Wenye’s words; their judgment of Chu Yang might be harsh but was profound and even strikingly incisive.

Some things are just predestined.

No matter how favored by the heavens, or how exceptionally intelligent he might be.

Just when Shang Ruyi’s mind was in disarray, Yu Wenye standing before her seemed to sense the chaotic breath behind him and glanced back. Shang Ruyi quickly pulled herself together, and Yu Wenye’s gaze flickered for a moment but didn’t say anything, instead turning back and continuing to speak to Lei Guo, with even deeper and colder tones: "But your defection was unwise."

"..."

"Because, without my conclusion, you yourself know that neither Wang Shaoji, Wang Shaoqiu, nor the Western Turks planning disorder in the North and eyeing the Central Plains, none of them are wise lords."

"..."

"Your ideal from childhood was for no more warfare in the world and for the people to live and work peacefully. But can’t you see, by following them, not only will you fail to achieve your ideal, but you will also destroy the possibility of peace in the Central Plains you hoped for!"

"...!"

This sentence was like a heavy hammer, striking hard at Lei Guo’s heart.

At this moment, not only did his pupils shatter, but even his breathing and heartbeat almost came to a stop.

Yet Yu Wenye remained calm, his eyes and tone without the slightest ripple, calmly saying, "I have finished speaking."

"..."

"Today, I did not bring a weapon into the city, and as I said earlier, I do not intend to fight you here. So if you want to make a move, or if you want to call someone over—even though it’s not easy, you could still capture me."

"..."

"It’s up to you to decide."

Saying so, he slowly put his hands behind his back.

Seeing him, Lei Guo’s face flashed with countless complex emotions, and in those eyes, it seemed as though thousands of thoughts were colliding, struggling.

His hand slowly tightened around the hilt of the sword.