Longevity by Picking up Attributes in the Battlefield

Seeing Zhao Feng's utter disregard, Guo Kai panicked and looked at him in terror. "You're a madman! If I kill Concubine Zhao, the King of Qin will exterminate your entire clan!"

"You'd be the one killing her, not me," Zhao Feng said with a calm smile, though he continued to draw closer. "Once you kill Concubine Zhao, I'll kill you. That would be a great accomplishment for me. Between a dead Empress Dowager and one captured by a foreign state, I'm sure the current Great King knows which is preferable."

At Zhao Feng's words, Guo Kai's face went slack, and his sword-wielding hand trembled. In that very instant, Zhao Feng moved, rushing toward Guo Kai and clamping a hand down on the one holding the sword.

"Ah! Let... let go!" Guo Kai's face twisted, his features contorted by the excruciating pain in his hand.

But Zhao Feng had no intention of killing Guo Kai. This is the War God of Qin, after all. Without him, who knows how many more Qin soldiers would have to die to destroy the Zhao state. His power alone is equivalent to an army of one hundred thousand men. Keeping him alive is far more useful.

Having resolved the hostage situation, Zhao Feng disarmed Guo Kai and tossed him aside. Two trusted aides immediately stepped forward and pinned him to the ground.

Yet even without Guo Kai holding her captive, Concubine Zhao remained as if her soul had left her body, standing motionless.

Could it be that after the incident with Lao Ai, she's gone mad? Seeing her in this state, Zhao Feng was inwardly surprised. However, he didn't dwell on it. If she's gone mad, so be it. As long as she's alive, that's all that matters.

"Reporting to my Lord," Zhang Ming announced as he approached Zhao Feng. "All enemies have been dealt with. Eight of our brothers were injured, but their lives are not in danger. These men weren't ordinary soldiers; they were elites."

"Good that they've been taken care of," Zhao Feng nodded, scanning the area. Aside from Guo Kai, everyone else had been eliminated.

"Brothers!" Zhao Feng said with a smile, turning to the men holding Guo Kai down. "We got lucky this time. We've stumbled upon a great merit. Do you know who this fellow is?"

"My Lord," one of the trusted aides asked curiously, "who is this guy? He looks too weak to truss a chicken, much weaker than the ones we slaughtered."

"The Prime Minister of Zhao, Guo Kai," Zhao Feng said with a smile.

Hearing this, the trusted aides all stared at Guo Kai.

"Him? The Prime Minister of the Zhao state?"

"Are you joking?"

"We just followed our Lord out for a bit and ran into the Prime Minister of the Zhao state? What are the chances?"

"Hahaha!"

"This is incredible! We've earned great merit for nothing!"

"We've actually captured the Prime Minister of Zhao!"

"Excellent!"

The trusted aides grew ecstatic. With this accomplishment, their noble ranks could be raised, or at the very least, they would receive a monetary reward from the Imperial Court. The Qin Army's merit system was absolute; their deeds would not be overlooked.

"And do you know who this is beside me?" Zhao Feng smiled again, his gaze falling upon Concubine Zhao.

The trusted aides looked on, still confused. Their only job was to kill the enemy, not ask who they were.

"The Empress Dowager of Qin," Zhao Feng announced with a smile. "The birth mother of our current Great King."

His words left all the trusted aides completely dumbfounded. They stared at Concubine Zhao in disbelief.

"This has to be a dream, right?"

"Running into the Prime Minister of the Zhao state on the Wei River was a one-in-a-million stroke of luck, but we also rescued the Empress Dowager?"

"No wonder those men were so skilled! If ordinary soldiers had faced them, the casualties would have been catastrophic. It turns out they infiltrated Qin to abduct the Empress Dowager."

"It's a good thing we ran into them! If the Empress Dowager of Qin were captured and taken to a foreign state, the consequences would be unimaginable."

The trusted aides couldn't help but feel a shiver of fear at the thought. The capture of an empress dowager by another nation would be a monumental affair.

"Pay your respects to the Empress Dowager," Zhao Feng commanded loudly.

As one, the trusted aides bowed. "We pay our respects to the Empress Dowager."

Yet, despite their display of homage, Concubine Zhao showed no reaction. Zhao Feng observed her secretly.

She has no reaction to such a display. It seems Concubine Zhao really has lost her wits. Although her affair with Lao Ai was despicable, the two sons she bore him were still her own flesh and blood. She must have lost her mind after being forced to watch them be dashed to death.

Afterward, Zhao Feng approached Concubine Zhao and bowed slightly. "Empress Dowager, please enter the cabin to rest."

It was unclear whether she heard his voice or simply saw him, but the formerly vacant Concubine Zhao suddenly showed a flicker of life in her eyes. She looked up and met Zhao Feng's gaze. The moment she did, she was overcome with terror and staggered backward.

"You... don't come any closer!" she shrieked. "I was the one who wronged you back then! You can't blame me for your death! Don't come any closer..."

Concubine Zhao looked at Zhao Feng in sheer terror, as if she were seeing something horrific.

Seeing this, Zhao Feng was utterly confused. Concubine Zhao really has gone mad. She's acting as if I'm her mortal enemy, here to kill her.

"Han Xi!" Zhao Feng called out.

"This servant is here!" Han Xi replied, immediately leaping from the other boat and staggering as he landed.

"Take care of her," Zhao Feng instructed.

"This servant obeys," Han Xi responded at once. He went to Concubine Zhao's side to support her, while Zhao Feng stepped away.

Strangely, as Zhao Feng walked away, the terrified look on Concubine Zhao's face gradually faded, and she once again became vacant and soulless.

She really has become a madwoman, Zhao Feng sighed inwardly.