"Sovereign Regiment, you can't just let a pampered princess enter Red Scorpion and do as she wishes!" Zhou Xianjun complained in a loud enough voice as his disapproving gaze fell on Yan Huiqing.
"Xianjun, looks like you need to go through the special camp once again, don't you?"
The special camp was the beginner's training camp that every soldier had to go through before formally becoming a part of the elite team of Red Scorpion.
Yan Huiqing's face was a little pale. As a princess she has never encountered such harsh words and obviously wasn't used to it either.
She pursed her lips till they turned a deep shade of red.
Ji Fenhua's cold stare sent a chill down Xianjun's spine.
He was a reputed veteran in the army and has served for years now, along with his brother. Although the sovereign regiment was strict to others, he had never been under the blade of his ruthless treatment. Which was also why he had the courage to face him heads on.
But it turns out his cordial behaviour with him till date was but an illusion in his mind. When his bottom line was touched he didn't hesitate to insult him in front of so many soldiers.
It's just that he didn't expect the bottomline to be a woman. Xianjun had a grim expression on his face as he felt the burning gazes of the injured army on him. He had a hard time not retorting with even harsher words.
But he was a man who knew when to back down.
"Apologies, Sovereign Regiment, I have crossed my boundaries. But my words were intended with the best intention of the camp in the heart." He explained with a much gentler voice as he bowed respectfully.
Huiqing looked away. She could understand the man's resentment. But she was also in an awkward situation and was at a loss regarding how to respond. Her legs seemed to be stuck to the ground.
She was stunned as a warm touch enveloped her hand. She lifted up her head to see the man who was cold and indifferent not too long ago. When he scolded the intervening man, he was so ruthless that even she felt a tinge of fear creep up inside her heart.
But looking at his water like gentle gaze her heart wavered.
"Xianjun, if you can't even recall basic etiquettes, Red Scorpion isn't the right place for you." His resolute words fell in the ears of the man who was still bowing.
Zhou Xianjun's heart skipped a bit as an ominous feeling rose in his heart. He had already lowered his stance. And he was still unwilling to let it go? What did he want him to do? Leave this elite camp? No, he must be thinking too much.
"What does the Sovereign Regiment mean by this?" He asked,his gaze somewhat surprised as he looked at Ji Fenhua holding the hand of that woman. But not long after he averted his eyes.
"Leave the camp. Rejoin the special camp and from there whether you can return or not is up to you."
With Xianjun's abilities it won't be a big deal for him to go through the beginner's training again and rejoin. But this meant he will have to enter as a new soldier, and work his way up again to regain his status.
He wasn't leaving him with no way out. However this was way too humiliating for him.
Zhou Minghui lifted up the curtains and entered inside, about to retort. Before he could speak up his elder brother's gaze stopped him. Indeed, he couldn't be too rash. If the sovereign didn't leave his brother any face, how could he change anything? He might just be suspended completely and the Zhou family will be in a worse positon.
He halted and merely perfunctorily greeted before leaving.
"I will do as per the Sovereign Regiment's order." Xianjun gritted his teeth and replied.
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After the fiasco was over, Fenhua escorted Huiqing to her specific camp.
Huiqing was looking down the whole time, trying to stop that man's words from replaying in her head again and again. As her attention was diverted soon she bumped into a strong wall. The impact of the hardness made her forehead feel slightly sore. Looking up dazedly she looked at a pair of sincere eyes looking at her with concern.
"Still upset?" He asked, gently caressing the spot of her forehead where it hurt.
"Mhmm." She said in a trance, before immediately nodding her head frantically to deny it.
Fenhua let out a soft sigh.
"Princess, you don't have to let any of their words affect you. I believe you are qualified. I believe you have the ability to improve their healing speed. You have nourished your skills for years, haven't you?"
Huiqing stepped away a bit as she noticed the inappropriately close distance between the two of them.
She hesitated a bit, struggling to put her feelings into words.
"I…it's not that I don't trust my skills. But he was not wrong either. I am a pampered princess. I have indeed never stepped away from the castle. I don't have the practical experience required to be a healer in this camp. Even my brother…he also trusted my skills and helped me by presenting me with valuable exotic herbs. But he also never allowed me to step foot in his special army."
"Yes you are a princess, a pampered one, so what? let him be jealous of the fact that he isn't pampered."
His words made her smile. A brawny soldier like him being jealous about this? Heh, it was funny to even imagine.
Zhou Xianjun would have felt aggrieved if he was there to hear such words.
"As for your brother, it's not that he didn't trust you. Or he thought your experience wasn't enough. It just wasn't the right time to go against the empress." He explained again, in a much calmer tone.