Chapter 1036: Feeling Down
If nothing else, Li Zongming was Li Qianlin's father. It was good enough that he wasn't preventing Zhang Lie and Li Qianlin from seeing each other, and he was happy to provide a little assistance, but for him to serve as a meat shield as well...
Zhang Lie calmed down somewhat and cleared his head. This wasn't Li Zongming's fault.
"It's all that crazy woman's doing!" Zhang Lie grabbed the tea that Li Zongming had just poured and swallowed it all.
Li Zongming asked, "Do you have any thoughts regarding the upcoming meeting?"
"None at all!" Zhang Lie's temper still hadn't subsided completely.
Li Zongming smiled. "You haven't had a chance to rest since the war. Take some time to do so now. I've already prepared a guest room. We can set off once it's time for the meeting. No one will bother you before then."
Zhang Lie thought back to what had happened during the last few days. Indeed, he hadn't had an opportunity to rest—he had been continuously moving from one objective to the next, without any time to rest. Because his body was strong, he didn't notice the strain, and if he were to continue like this, he would collapse.
Although Zhang Lie's mental fortitude was stronger than everyone else's, that didn't mean it was unlimited. The fact that he hadn't noticed his strain until now wasn't a good thing; it was a very serious issue indeed. It meant that he had grown accustomed to his fatigued state, both physically and mentally.
At that point, it was difficult for him to identify that anything was wrong, and if something really were to happen, his mental or physical state might give out on the spot.
For example, while staying up overnight, you might feel a little faint. That was normal—but if you stayed up long enough, you would suddenly feel much more energetic and clear-headed, so much so that you couldn't sleep even if you wanted to.
But that was all just an illusion caused by adrenaline. Your brain would eventually become more and more sluggish, and the best solution was to go to sleep immediately before your mental state became worse.
Zhang Lie's body would be able to withstand things a little longer, but who knew what would happen during the meeting of the superior kings? It wouldn't be unusual if the superior kings of antiquity were to gang up on him during the meeting.
Zhang Lie nodded. "Thank you for the offer. I'll rest a little."
He took a shower and went to lie in bed. Although he wasn't tired, in preparation for the upcoming meeting,
Zhang Lie thought that he had better sleep. He even contemplated knocking himself out, though there was no such need. Eventually, he fell into a state of dormancy.
He thought he could sense Li Qianlin and Dong Mingxing make their way over at some point, but Li Zongming blocked them from entering.
In a daze, he heard, "His majesty has forbidden anyone from disturbing the guest inside."
Dong Mingxing snorted. "Don't you know who I am, and who's by my side? That's your princess! How dare you block my way!"
The guard hesitated. "Miss Dong, please don't make our lives difficult."
Dong Mingxing cried out, "You know who we are, and you're still daring to block us?!"
The guard replied, "Miss Dong, his majesty himself instructed us to ensure that the guest within can rest well. We can't let anyone by."
"Hey, you inside, how dare you avoid our visit! If you don't come out, I'm going to come in for you!"
Li Qianlin visibly hesitated. "Mingxing, since Zhang Lie is resting, we shouldn't disturb him."
Dong Mingxing cried out angrily, "Qianlin, you're too good-tempered! You can't let someone like Zhang Lie get too comfortable, or something will happen immediately. I'm going to rush in now—who's going to stop me?!"
"And if I do?" Li Zongming suddenly teleported before them.
Dong Mingxing obediently shut up and lowered her head.
Li Zongming frowned. "Surely you wouldn't try to get through me, would you?"
Dong Mingxing was silent.
Li Zongming, mindful that this was where Zhang Lie was resting, chose not to berate them loudly right there and then. With a snort, he transported them all away, and Zhang Lie couldn't hear what transpired next.
"What's wrong with the two of you? I commanded that no one was to disturb Zhang Lie. Why did you try to get past the guards?"
Li Zongming glared at them both. "Dong Mingxing, I gave you full permissions to roam the palace because you were Qianlin's friend, as well as someone who's aware of the big picture. What made you so rash today?"
Dong Mingxing instantly lowered her head.
"Li Qianlin, you have truly disappointed me." Li Zongming stared grimly at his daughter.
Dong Mingxing hurriedly shouted, "No, it's not Qianlin's fault! I insisted on rushing in on my own."
Li Qianlin shook her head. "No, no, it was me. I made some snacks and, thinking that it was rare that Zhang Lie was here, decided to send him some."
Li Zongming snorted. "You're both as thick as thieves, I see."
Li Qianlin sighed. "I'm sorry, Father."
Li Zongming sighed as well. "Both of you used to know better."
Dong Mingxing sounded exasperated. "Perhaps it's because we spent too much time in the draconian world, which doesn't have any of the constraints and trappings of court."
Li Zongming advised, "Be more mindful in the future. Zhang Lie just returned from the battlefield, and he hasn't had any time to rest. He's been rushing back and forth because of the evolution of the draconian world, and he's tired both mentally and physically. It's rare that he has some downtime, so don't disturb him."
Li Qianlin couldn't help but feel a twinge of pain at Zhang Lie's suffering.
Dong Mingxing explained, "We truly are sorry, Your Majesty. We worked hard to make these snacks, and this is our first time giving the fruits of our labor to a man—so when we heard that Zhang Lie refused to see us, that our hard work was for naught, I was so upset I tried to barge inside."
Li Zongming clasped both hands behind his back. "Indeed? And yet my daughter has never made me any snacks before..."
Li Qianlin couldn't help but laugh.
"Father, if you don't mind, please have these snacks. I'll make another serving with Dong Mingxing later."
Li Zongming waved a hand. "Forget it. I'm sure Zhang Lie will be very interested in them once he wakes up, and I won't try to snatch them away from him. I'll bring him the snacks once he's up. I do have to talk to him as well, at any rate."
Li Qianlin bowed. "In that case, Father, let me and Mingxing make you a serving too."
Upon witnessing Li Qianlin and Dong Mingxing walk away, Li Zongming smiled.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Zhang Lie blearily opened his eyes, stretched, and went off to find Li Zongming. He found him seated in front of a table, sipping tea as he ate his daughter's snacks with a rare look of enjoyment on his face. He turned to Zhang Lie.
"Are you rested now?"
Zhang Lie replied, "Ah, it's not my own bed, so I'm a little unused to it..."
Li Zongming: ...
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