News of Li Rufeng's bad luck finally coming to an end quickly spread through the military camp. Upon hearing about the various bizarre events that had taken place in the camp that day, the Empress found it immensely amusing. She and General Ma Rulong decided to come to the camp together, wanting to see Li Rufeng with their own eyes and tease him a little along the way.
As soon as the Empress saw Li Rufeng, she smiled and said, "Li Rufeng, I heard your bad luck yesterday turned the military camp completely upside down—grain supplies running away and horses even riding people. It certainly opened our eyes."
Li Rufeng scratched his head awkwardly and gave a wry smile. "Your Majesty, please don't make fun of me. That bad luck tortured me to death."
General Ma Rulong also chimed in from the side. "Indeed, Li Rufeng, your bad luck packs such astonishing power that even I want to witness it firsthand." With that, he reached out as if to pat Li Rufeng's shoulder.
However, the moment his hand touched Li Rufeng, the general suddenly felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, and his body began spinning around uncontrollably. He shouted as he spun, "What... what is going on here?"
The Empress looked at the general in astonishment and couldn't help bursting into laughter. "General Ma, what is wrong with you? Could you have caught Li Rufeng's bad luck as well?"
Before the general could reply, the Empress suddenly felt her feet slip, and her entire body lunged forward. Fortunately, Li Rufeng was quick-witted and agile, reaching out to catch the Empress. But this rescue was not without consequence—the Empress also began to feel that something was terribly wrong with her. First she let out a sneeze, and then a rapid string of sneezes erupted like a string of firecrackers.
Sneezing continuously, the Empress said between her laughs and tears, "Li Rufeng, you... Atishoo! What is the meaning of this—Atishoo! Why is there still an aftershock?!"
The surrounding soldiers were all dumbfounded, and a roar of laughter immediately erupted among them. A soldier chuckled, "Both the general and Her Majesty have been struck. It seems the power of Li Rufeng's bad luck hasn't completely dissipated yet."
With an innocent expression, Li Rufeng explained, "Your Majesty, General, I really didn't mean to do it. This bad luck should have ended yesterday."
Having finally managed to stop spinning, the dizzy and disoriented general said, "Li Rufeng, you... you are simply a walking bad luck bomb. Touch you and you get hit."
Having finally suppressed her sneezes, the Empress caught her breath and said, "It seems I really must be careful whenever I see you from now on."
The soldiers crowded around, though they dared not get too close. One of them joked, "Li Rufeng, you are now the most dangerous person in the military camp. Whoever gets close to you has bad luck."
With a helpless gesture, Li Rufeng waved his hands. "Everyone, please stop joking around. I have no idea what is going on either."
At that moment, a junior soldier plucked up the courage to say, "Why don't you try casting that Bad Luck Technique again, Li Rufeng, and see if it can clear up this aftershock?"
Making a wry face, Li Rufeng replied, "How on earth would I know how to control it? This Bad Luck Technique just acts up randomly."
Because of this commotion, the military camp was filled with joyful laughter and cheerful voices. Meanwhile, Li Rufeng stood right in the middle, looking completely helpless and wondering what on earth he should do. Everyone chattered away, all of them guessing when this bizarre situation would finally come to an end.
One day, female General Mei Yuxin came to find Li Rufeng to discuss military affairs. Just as the two of them were talking, a sudden, fierce gust of wind swept in without any warning. Li Rufeng secretly cursed inwardly. With this all-too-familiar feeling, could his Bad Luck Technique have flared up again?
Before he even had time to react, Mei Yuxin's feet slipped, and her entire body pitched forward. Instinctively, Li Rufeng reached out to catch her, but the result was that both of them tumbled to the ground together in a rather comical posture.
"Ouch!" Mei Yuxin let out a soft cry of pain. Struggling to get up, she discovered that somehow her hair had become completely entangled in Li Rufeng's armor, making it impossible for the two of them to separate for the moment.
"Li Rufeng, what on earth are you playing at?!" Mei Yuxin glared at Li Rufeng, feeling both embarrassed and angry.
Looking utterly awkward, Li Rufeng hurriedly explained, "General, I... I have no idea either. It must be the aftershocks from the Bad Luck Technique earlier."
The surrounding soldiers couldn't help snickering when they saw this scene. One junior soldier whispered, "It looks like Military Counselor Li's Bad Luck Technique has worked its magic again. This time even the female general has been caught in it."
Another soldier covered his mouth and giggled, "Indeed. The two of them tangled up like that—what kind of sight is this?"
Hearing the soldiers' laughter, Mei Yuxin's face flushed bright red. She tugged forcefully at her hair, only to pull it even tighter, causing her to hiss in pain and suck in cold breaths.
"Don't move, General! The harder you pull, the tighter it gets!" Li Rufeng hurriedly intervened. He cautiously attempted to untangle the knotted hair, but in his fluster and haste, he accidentally brushed against Mei Yuxin's face.
"You!" Mei Yuxin widened her stunning eyes in fury. Startled, Li Rufeng shivered and hastily apologized, "I... I'm sorry, General, I didn't mean to."
Right at that moment, another gust of wind blew by, tearing down a nearby military flag which drifted down and landed squarely, covering the two of them completely. This threw the pair into an even greater panic as they thrashed about blindly beneath the flag.
"What on earth is going on here?!" Mei Yuxin shouted from inside the flag, her voice slightly distorted by anger.
Worried sick, Li Rufeng worked desperately to untangle the hair while saying, "General, please don't panic. I'll have us free in a second."
Watching the struggling figures thrashing beneath the military flag, the soldiers could no longer hold back and burst into boisterous laughter.
"Hahaha! Look at those two under the flag—they look just like a pair of trapped giant crabs."
"Indeed! This sight is too hilarious. This is the first time I've ever seen the general in such a sorry state."
Amidst the uproarious laughter of the crowd, Li Rufeng finally managed to untangle Mei Yuxin's hair, and the two of them crawled out from beneath the flag. Mei Yuxin straightened her disheveled robes and glared fiercely at Li Rufeng. "Li Rufeng, if you don't sort out this mess with the Bad Luck Technique, I won't let you off!"
With a wry face, Li Rufeng nodded. "Yes, General. I will resolve this as quickly as possible."
Having been through this ordeal, Li Rufeng knew all too well that he had to resolve the aftershocks of the Bad Luck Technique as soon as possible.