Chapter Five: Teaching the Art of War

"Do you know why so many things have happened to you?" Chu Bing turned around, suddenly locking eyes with Li Haoran, and asked with utmost seriousness.

Li Haoran was taken aback by her solemn expression, unsure what Chu Bing was up to, and shook his head slightly.

"Because..." Chu Bing put her hands behind her back, gazed into the distance, furrowed her brows, and sighed deeply with regret. "You've been afflicted with bad luck!"

Li Haoran: "..."

"There’s only one way to break this misfortune: within three days, you must thoroughly study the Military Strategies of Grand Duke Taigong and master the Thirty-Six Stratagems contained within. If you do so, I guarantee your troubles will vanish and you’ll live to one hundred and eighty!"

Watching her deliver such nonsense with a straight face, Li Haoran smiled softly. "Miss Chu, don’t you find that explanation somewhat far-fetched?"

"Uh..." Chu Bing blinked awkwardly, then forced herself to continue, "Anyway, I can guarantee you’ll master the book in three days, but during those three days, you must stay by my side and accept my guidance. Will you study or not?"

The promise to fully grasp an entire military treatise in just three days was tempting, but Li Haoran was not as naïve as he appeared. He knew that no help in this world came without reason.

"Miss Chu, why are you helping me?" First she sold him the book at a low price, now she actively offered to teach him; Li Haoran couldn’t fathom her motive.

"Because I fancy you, of course."

Li Haoran almost suspected his ears were deceiving him.

"Ah, no, that’s not it." Chu Bing pressed her hand to her forehead in frustration. She had meant to complain about the red envelope system always assigning tasks to Li Haoran, but her slip of the tongue had omitted the most crucial subject.

"I have my reasons for helping you," Chu Bing admitted frankly. "But I promise you this: as long as I live, I will never harm you."

Li Haoran gazed steadily at Chu Bing. After a long silence, he bowed deeply. "Then I must trouble you, Miss Chu. I have no choice but to study the Military Strategies."

Having reached an agreement, the two settled in a villa on the outskirts of the city.

"The scenery here is quite unique," Chu Bing remarked as she surveyed the grounds, unable to resist a word of praise. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she hurriedly asked, "You’ll be away from home for three days—did you inform your family?"

Li Haoran smiled self-deprecatingly. "Rest assured, Miss Chu. My father doesn’t know about this place. In truth, as long as I stay away from military matters, even if I die outside, he wouldn’t inquire much."

Gazing at the courtyard, Li Haoran spoke again, his voice as if carried from a distant time: "As a child, whenever I was scolded by my father, I would come here to watch the night sky. It made the sorrow easier to bear."

Chu Bing detected the faint sadness in his words. She touched her nose and tried to change the subject. "Right, I brought the military treatise. Take a look first—if there’s anything you don’t understand, ask me. You’ll learn faster that way."

Li Haoran took the book and examined it carefully. "This one looks very much like the one I had before."

Chu Bing’s heart skipped a beat. She forced a smile. "Does it, really?"

"Yes. I remember I once spilled tea on it while reading—see, here’s a water stain next to the character for ‘military’." Li Haoran pointed it out.

"Oh, that’s my doing. I happened to have two copies, so don’t think about your old one anymore. What matters now is mastering the book as quickly as possible. Let’s begin at once." Chu Bing hastily covered up the matter.

Li Haoran agreed that now was not the time to discuss it further. He unfolded the book and began studying it earnestly in the courtyard.

Chu Bing had already familiarized herself with the treatise upon receiving it, and Li Haoran was intelligent and eager to learn. In two and a half days, they had completed their plan.

Yet the system’s final assessment would not arrive until tomorrow. For now, they could scout out a restaurant location—after all, one needs a place to open an eatery.

With that thought, Chu Bing began to take action.

"Are you going somewhere?" Li Haoran asked, seeing Chu Bing dressed in male attire.

"Just out for a stroll," she replied, smoothing the folds of her clothes.

Li Haoran assumed she was restless from their days of seclusion and wanted to go out for a change of scene. He said nothing more, but recalling the troubles with previous teachers, he couldn’t help but add, "I’ll go with you. I have things to buy as well."

Chu Bing had no objection, and the two set out with their silver.

Arriving in the city, Chu Bing quickly spotted an ideal location. She was about to inquire with the owner when, out of nowhere, a driverless carriage barreled down the street, swift as a whirlwind, threatening to mow down anyone in its path.

"Get out of the way!" Chu Bing instinctively pushed Li Haoran aside, then used the Emei martial art to glide away herself. As she regained her composure, Li Haoran’s panicked shout rang out: "Watch out!"

Chu Bing looked up—an unknown flowerpot plummeted straight toward her head, falling so fast she couldn’t dodge. At the critical moment, Li Haoran rushed over and tackled her to the ground.

The sound of the flowerpot shattering echoed right beside their ears.

Before they could recover, two beggars appeared, clamoring for Chu Bing to treat them, claiming she had injured them while escaping the carriage.

In the end, Li Haoran handed over all their silver to settle the matter.

One strange incident after another—the air was thick with suspicion. The two decided not to continue their outing and returned to the villa.

Late at night, under the starry sky, Li Haoran suddenly spoke. "I’m sorry for today. I brought trouble upon you."

"If anyone should apologize, it’s me," Chu Bing replied silently in her heart, though she said nothing aloud.

The warning from the black-clad men echoed in her ears. Seeing Li Haoran at her side, they dared not act directly, so they tried to orchestrate accidents to harm her.

Could it be they feared Li Haoran might surpass the two sons of the house?

"I know what you’re thinking," Li Haoran sighed. "They’ve grown up—my eldest and second brothers are restless now."

Chu Bing: "You mean…"

"At home, in front of our father, we can pretend to be harmonious brothers. But when no one’s watching, brotherhood disappears, leaving only rivals vying for the title."

So Li Haoran suspected the Marquis’s eldest and second sons. To eliminate competition, it was not impossible for them to attempt to kill him.

Yet Chu Bing felt something was off. Though today’s incidents happened to them both, the evidence suggested the attacks targeted her alone.

Therefore, the mastermind behind all this was likely not as simple as Li Haoran imagined.