"Zheng Qiao? He's not worthy!"
Gongxi Chou's words dripped with contempt.
He added disdainfully, "Go it alone? No thanks."
"No?" Gongxi Chou's answer took Xun Ding by surprise. He straightened up and pressed, "Why not?"
"Because it's a hassle."
"...A h-hassle?" Xun Ding nearly stammered.
"Isn't being a ruler yourself even more of a hassle?" Gongxi Chou looked at him as if to say, You're still too young. "I'm not interested in fame or fortune. I only want to make a name for myself so I can find my big brother, and, while I'm at it, attract more powerful warriors to challenge me. That way, life won't be so boring."
Gongxi Chou's goal had always been simple.
So—
Going it alone was out of the question.
He wouldn't go it alone in this lifetime.
He knew all too well how much trouble it was to manage a whole retinue.
It took endless time, manpower, and resources. He would have to recruit people, scheme against others, and balance the conflicts and relationships among his subordinates. The bigger his power grew, the more he'd have to worry about. And he still wanted to do whatever he pleased, whenever he pleased?
He might as well be dreaming.
Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
Gongxi Chou knew himself well. "I was born to be a warrior. My uncle even said I was a once-in-a-thousand-years martial arts prodigy. I was destined to live for battle, not the battlefield. If my opponent isn't evenly matched, it's not a fight—it's a one-sided slaughter."
He didn't even blush as he said it.
He was the very picture of humblebragging.
He was enthralled by the clash and thunder of raw power, and he savored the supreme exhilaration of teetering on the brink of life and death. Compared