Sun Bin

"In that case, Junior Brother, rest well!"

Pang Juan had nothing more to say to Sun Boling. After advising him to rest, he left. Watching Pang Juan’s retreating figure, Sun Boling felt vaguely that his senior brother seemed different from the man in his memories, yet he did not dwell on it.

He simply assumed that after years of separation, it would take time to rekindle their bond.

As a great general of the State of Wei, Pang Juan was very busy.

After Sun Boling arrived in Daliang, even though he lived in Pang Juan’s manor, their opportunities to meet were few and far between.

However, Pang Juan would still find time to bring several problems to him.

They were all major military and political affairs of the state. Sun Boling suspected nothing and answered each of Pang Juan’s questions. As time passed, Sun Boling noticed more and more people visiting Pang Juan’s manor, their faces filled with flattery as they repeatedly congratulated him.

He had become the King of Wei’s favorite!

As many days went by, the communication between him and Sun Boling grew even sparser.

Suddenly, one morning, Pang Juan came to Sun Boling’s room and knocked on the door. "Junior Brother? Are you awake? I have urgent business with you!"

Sun Boling hurried to open the door and invited Pang Juan inside. As he poured a cup of tea, he asked, "What is the matter, Senior Brother?"

Pang Juan rubbed the tea cup, his expression deep. After a moment of thought, he looked at Sun Boling.

"Junior Brother, there are too many visitors coming and going from my house. I fear they disturb you. How about this: I have another house outside Daliang. Although it is a bit secluded, it is quiet and peaceful. Why don't you move there?"

Sun Boling rarely dealt with people and could not hear the underlying meaning in Pang Juan’s words. After a moment of thought, he nodded in agreement. "Thank you for being so thoughtful, Senior Brother!"

Seeing him offer his thanks, Pang Juan also smiled.

After Sun Boling moved outside the city of Daliang, the number of times Pang Juan visited him decreased even further! Initially, Sun Boling enjoyed the solitude, but one day, Wei Armored Soldiers suddenly burst into his house. They searched under his bed and found letters corresponding with the State of Qi!

They were letters written in his name, reporting Wei’s secrets to Qi!

"No, this isn't mine!"

Sun Boling panicked. When had he ever written such things? He tried to argue with the soldiers, but they ignored him completely. No matter how he explained himself, they acted as if they heard nothing and dragged him to the dungeon.

Soon, the King of Wei sentenced him to kneecap removal and facial tattooing!

The person who came to announce the royal decree was Pang Juan.

"Senior Brother!"

Seeing Pang Juan in the prison, Sun Boling shouted to him in a panic, "Senior Brother, save me! I never betrayed Wei! I am innocent! Please, speak to the King on my behalf! I—"

Halfway through, he saw Pang Juan’s indifferent expression.

It was a far cry from the senior brother in his memory.

"Senior Brother?"

Sun Boling’s voice trembled slightly.

Pang Juan unfurled the silk scroll and announced loudly, "By royal decree! The Sun clansman, having enjoyed the stipends of Wei, failed to repay the state and instead colluded with Qi against Daliang! Today, he is sentenced to kneecap removal and facial tattooing!"

Sun Boling felt as if he had been struck by lightning, losing all his strength.

At that moment, he finally understood the Teacher’s words.

'Do not go to Daliang; do not see Pang Juan!'

So, the Teacher had already known he would face this calamity?

Pang Juan watched with his own eyes as the prison guards carried out the sentence. To Sun Boling, whose legs were now broken, he said, "Sun Boling, you are a man without a king or a father. By royal decree, your name is stripped! You shall be called by your punishment: Sun Bin. Men, throw him out!"

Sun Bin was discarded on the streets of Daliang, living as a beggar.

Eventually, he went mad!

Yet Pang Juan still did not believe it. He continued to send people to watch him day and night. If anyone attempted to contact or speak with him, they would be warned or even punished.

Over time, everyone in Daliang avoided Sun Bin like the plague.

By the time Qingnu heard the news, a year had already passed.

"Qingnu, are we... really going?"

Hongluan watched as Qingnu packed her bags, tilting its head in confusion. "I thought you didn't like getting too involved with mortals?"

"He studied under me for years. He’s a child I watched grow up. How can I not go? This Pang Juan truly shows no mercy. To be so cruel? Back then, even when I met that Yao Jiang who wanted to skin me, didn't I just make him kowtow in apology?"

Qingnu grumbled to herself.

She finished packing and set out on the road to Daliang.

The capital of Wei was prosperous. When Qingnu arrived, the buildings on both sides of the streets stood in neat rows, and there were many pedestrians.

Qingnu was unsure how to find Sun Boling when the market ahead suddenly grew chaotic. Pedestrians scrambled to both sides in panic, and the commotion soon reached her.

She looked closely and saw a mad beggar with disheveled hair and a filthy face crawling on the ground.

"Eek!! What is that—"

Hongluan was startled, leaning its head back on Qingnu’s shoulder.

The beggar crawled all the way to the hem of Qingnu’s skirt. When he saw the green fabric, he froze for a moment.

Qingnu looked down, her red lips parting slightly. "Sun Boling?"

The beggar’s body stiffened.

But soon, he began to shake his head violently, his body twisting as he screamed in terror, "No! Who is Sun Boling? I don't know him! I am Sun Bin! I am a beggar! I—I, I am nobody! I’m hungry! I’m hungry! Boohoo—"

Twisting his body, he crawled away toward the other side as fast as he could.

"Qingnu, is that Sun Boling?" Hongluan’s voice trembled, hardly daring to recognize the person before them.

This man picking scraps and filth from the dust was the military genius who had beaten Qingnu in a war game? The descendant of Sun Wu?

Qingnu remained silent. She quickly stepped forward to Sun Bin’s side, knelt down, and grabbed his hand as he was rubbing together some leftover food someone had discarded. Sun Bin let out a sharp scream and tried to push her away, shouting, "Don't touch me! Scary! No!"

The men Pang Juan had sent to monitor Sun Bin were already approaching Qingnu.

"What audacity, daring to contact the prisoner!"

"She must be a spy from the State of Qi. Capture her first!"

The men moved to seize Qingnu.

But would the snake girl, who had lived as she pleased for two thousand years, fear these underlings who weren't even a fraction of her age? They clearly didn't know who they were dealing with!

She had even beaten a King of Zhou before!

Hongluan flapped its wings and took flight. Qingnu turned and sent one man flying with a kick. She snatched a wooden staff from nearby and swung it at another, shouting as she struck, "What’s wrong with a little audacity? A Qi spy? Are you so full from eating that you have nothing better to do all day!"

"I’ll beat the life out of you!"

"Don't run!"

The men were driven away by Qingnu’s wild strikes.

She was still kind at heart and didn't kill them, knowing they were just following orders. However, she did use some force; those men would surely be bedridden for ten days to a month after returning.

Seeing them flee, Qingnu tossed the staff aside and brushed the dust from her hands. She turned back to Sun Bin.

She gently nudged him with her foot and asked, "Come on, let’s go eat?"

"No—no, I..."

Sun Bin continued to mutter incoherently.

Qingnu, however, pulled him up, ignoring the filth on his body. "'I' what! In all the world, nothing is more important than a meal! When you were at my Ghost Valley, when did I ever let you go hungry?"