The bonfire burned fiercely, reflecting in everyone's smiling faces. They gathered together, eating meat heartily, drinking wine from large bowls, and chatting loudly, fully enjoying themselves.
Yes, this wine was also "taken" from the carriage by Bai Sheng.
Because they still had border duties, each soldier could only have half a bowl. However, even this small half-bowl was enough to boost their courage. After a few sips, Jin Shuwei's earlier defiance resurfaced.
He recalled the princess mentioning that her consort could fight five hundred men alone. He bravely stepped forward, cupped his fists, and said respectfully, "Your Highness's consort, I heard from the princess that our five hundred soldiers couldn't contain you. How about we have a spar?"
Upon hearing this, everyone began to clap, looking at Zuo Ye and shouting enthusiastically, "Consort, spar! Consort, spar..."
Five hundred people bullying one?
Shen Tianjun, loving Bai Sheng as much as he loved Zuo Ye, originally intended to reprimand Jin Shuwei for daring to trouble his Little Snowball's husband in public.
However, seeing everyone present so excited, he didn't want to dampen their spirits. He also wanted to see how capable Zuo Ye was and whether he was worthy of his Little Snowball.
A man should be strong, brave, and responsible!
The cheers grew louder and more fervent, with everyone looking forward to it. Even Bai Sheng's people joined in the commotion, wanting to show these Qing Huang soldiers how formidable their master was.
Zuo Ye smiled at Bai Sheng, who winked at him, "Husband, go ahead and let them see how strong this princess's man is!"
Zuo Ye smiled brilliantly and patted her head, "Don't worry, your husband will never disgrace you, my dear."
In the open space before the bonfire, Zuo Ye stood tall, exuding a calm and collected aura. The flickering firelight in the night seemed less radiant than him. All eyes were fixed on him.
He was perhaps the most beautiful man they had ever seen – exquisitely handsome, yet possessing no effeminate charm; his demeanor was manly, yet entirely devoid of coarseness.
Many men were left stunned.
Jin Shuwei, along with over five hundred soldiers, stood opposite Zuo Ye. The soldiers were all spirited, stretching their wrists and loosening their leg muscles.
Looking at the consort standing alone, each of them felt confident of victory. After all, they had five hundred people. Even if they fought him one by one, they could nearly exhaust his stamina. If all five hundred attacked at once, their chances would be even higher. With so many people rushing forward, they could crush the consort just by their sheer numbers.
Jin Shuwei stood at the forefront, doing chest expansions, and smiling at Zuo Ye, he said, "Consort, since we have more people, you can choose whether we attack one by one or all at once."
Zuo Ye, with a relaxed expression, chuckled, "Let's have all of you come at once."
"Good, since the consort requests it, we won't hold back. As long as it's not fatal, feel free to fight us, consort!" Jin Shuwei said heartily, cupping his fists.
The spectators were enthralled, betting amongst themselves on who would win. The loser would be tasked with washing dirty socks for a month.
Most soldiers believed Jin Shuwei's side would win, as they had over five hundred men against Zuo Ye's single person.
A minority, however, favored the consort, as the princess's tone suggested it was no mere boast.
General Shen looked at Bai Li Rong Mo and smiled, "Brother Rong Mo, who do you think will win?"
"Without a doubt, my nephew will win," Bai Li Rong Mo replied with confidence.
"Oh?" Shen Tianjun raised an eyebrow. "Then I'll bet on Jin Shuwei winning. The loser will drink three glasses of wine as a penalty."
"Good! Three glasses it is!" Bai Li Rong Mo laughed heartily.
Zuo Ye spread his hands towards Jin Shuwei, "Jin Shuwei, come on, let's have everyone attack together."
Jin Shuwei bowed slightly, "Consort, please excuse us!"
Saying this, he waved vigorously at the soldiers behind him, "Attack!"
"Ah!"
"Yah!"
"Aow!"
...
The soldiers howled in unison and charged towards Zuo Ye.
Zuo Ye stood his ground without moving. As the opponents approached, he lifted his long legs and kicked each one. Those he kicked immediately cried out in pain, clutching their injuries.
"Daddy! Go! Daddy is amazing! Daddy is so handsome!" The four little ones jumped up, clapping their hands wildly and shouting.
"Husband, go! Husband is so handsome!" Bai Sheng transformed into Zuo Ye's biggest fan, cheering him on from the side.
While kicking people, Zuo Ye looked at his children and Bai Sheng. Seeing his mother and children cheering him on, he kicked with even more vigor.
Zuo Hua, Ga Mei, and the others also shouted excitedly, "Big Brother (Master), go!"
The soldiers, seeing this, also stepped forward and shouted in unison, "Jin Shuwei, go! Jin Shuwei, rise up!"
The scene grew more fervent, the firelight reddening half the sky, and the shouts reverberating to the heavens.
Seeing that Zuo Ye had already knocked down dozens of people in moments, Jin Shuwei shouted loudly to his soldiers, "Surround him!"
The soldiers then formed a circle around Zuo Ye, intending to encircle him from all directions.
However, Zuo Ye suddenly spun like a black whirlwind, stepped on someone's shoulder, and executed a spinning kick, knocking down a whole group.
Towards the end, Jin Shuwei abandoned all pretense of fair play, shouting loudly, "Attack! Press him down, crush him! Crush him!"
But Zuo Ye's Qing Gong was so superb it was like a phantom. Every time the soldiers rushed him en masse, they ended up crushing each other and crying out, yet they couldn't touch the consort.
In less than two incense sticks' time, Jin Shuwei and over five hundred soldiers were all downed. It was evident that the consort had held back. If this were a real battlefield, none of their five hundred men would have survived.
General Shen watched Zuo Ye and burst into hearty laughter, immensely satisfied. Only such a true man was worthy of his Little Snowball. Yes, good, very good!
Third Uncle looked triumphantly at Shen Tianjun, "Brother Tianjun, it's your turn to drink the penalty."
"Haha, alright, alright, I'll drink the three glasses!" Shen Tianjun picked up his wine cup and emptied it in one gulp.
Shi Sheng and Deputy General Li exchanged glances, then stood up and, with a leap of their toes, approached Zuo Ye.
"Brother-in-law, please enlighten us."
"Consort, please enlighten us!"
Deputy General Xu, however, remained seated. Today, the consort had easily dislocated his wrist with a slight exertion. He knew the consort's capabilities and therefore decided not to seek a challenge.
Zuo Ye surveyed the spectators and called out loudly, "Is there anyone else who wants to try? Come at me together."
Bai Sheng looked at Prince Yu and smiled, "Cousin Jing Yu, do you want to join in?"
Prince Yu immediately shook his head, "No. This kid Zuo Ye has already shown off enough tonight. I can't give him more opportunities to brag."
Bai Sheng chuckled and said proudly, "How is my husband bragging? He's simply the strongest on earth!"
"Our Daddy is the strongest!" The four children were also immensely proud.
"Little brats, isn't your godfather also strong?" Prince Yu asked with a hint of grievance.
"Godfather is also very capable, but just not as capable as Daddy!" Rui Rui delivered another blow to Prince Yu's heart.
Infuriated, Prince Yu grabbed him and began tickling him.
After Zuo Ye asked for the second time, a few more young men leaped forward.