Jiang Xingyan’s eyes flew wide open.
She never expected to run into that otherworldly visitor here of all places!
Right now, the two of them were separated by nothing more than a thin tent wall—as if fate had brought its destined enemies face to face. She could feel her heart pounding like a copper hammer against her ribs.
What did this mysterious person actually look like? Where had he come from? And why had he chosen to come and stir up trouble in their world?
Inside the tent, General Baha let out an angry growl: “Are you challenging my authority?”
Bam!
The otherworldly visitor slammed his hand hard on the table. The sharp jingle of the bells on his wrist cut through the air, harsh and grating.
“Heh. General Baha, I suggest you recognize your place. Before me, even Tuoba Hongxue is nothing. You’re just a dog sent by the King! I say how things are done, and you do them. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
BOOM!
A thunderous blast shook the very mountains.
In the earth-shattering roar, the entire Northern Luo army amassed at the border—with the main command tent at its center—was blown into a massive crater stretching five zhang in every direction.
“Enemy attack! Enemy attack!”
“Someone save General Baha!”
“This is punishment from the True Lord!”
“That pretty boy swore to the King that he was the only one in the world who knew how to make such overpowering black powder!”
“It’s him! He’s the one trying to kill us! Report this to the King immediately!”
Jiang Xingyan peered through the thick smoke, her eyes locked on the bottom of the crater, determined to make sure that bastard was dead.
But she didn’t notice a black-clad figure racing at full speed toward the direction of Great Xia.
“You useless system! The enemy was standing right outside my tent ready to blow me to bits, and you didn’t give me a single warning—are you trying to get me killed?!”
“Go find out right now—how did Western Zhou manage to produce black powder? And who was behind tonight’s attack?”
“What? You can’t find out? Ha! What good are you, then? If you don’t come up with some decent compensation today, I swear I’ll report you to the main system!”
——-
Back at the camp, Jiang Xingyan saw Yun Chunfeng cradling a sleeping Xiao Ya as he hurried out to greet her.
“Miss, Iron Stone has shut himself off again. He moved his tent a hundred zhang away from the main army and won’t let anyone follow him. He said he won’t come back until he’s worked out whatever it is he’s trying to figure out.”
Jiang Xingyan sighed. Having subordinates who were too stubborn could be a real headache sometimes.
“Brother Yun, guess who I ran into out there?”
Yun Chunfeng glanced around before lowering his voice. “Walls have ears, Miss. Better go inside the tent first.”
Jiang Xingyan nodded, took Xiao Ya into her arms, and walked in while nuzzling the little girl. Yun Chunfeng followed behind her. As he let the tent flap fall, he glanced sideways toward the corners of the nearby tents, the corner of his mouth curling into a meaningful smile.
Hidden in the shadows, eavesdropping, Xiao Zhonghua suddenly shivered.
His heart sank. Had Yun Chunfeng discovered him? That couldn’t be! If he had, wouldn’t he have silenced him immediately? Why would he still act so familiar with this fake Huo Ci right in front of him?
Wait—what had he just called that person?
Miss?!
Xiao Zhonghua felt the knot in his head tighten even further. And on top of that, the two of them seemed to have exchanged something out of thin air. But neither of them was holding anything!
His mind went hazy. Maybe he was just too exhausted.
Stumbling, Xiao Zhonghua made his way back to his own tent, his silhouette carrying a weight of self-doubt he’d never known before.
Of course Yun Chunfeng knew someone was hiding in the shadows. He’d deliberately let him overhear just enough to chew on—to keep him from scheming against others all day long. What Yun Chunfeng found even more unbearable, though, was the way Xiao Zhonghua looked at him and his Miss—that scrutinizing, suspicious gaze that made him feel like the man was conjuring up all sorts of unspeakable scenarios involving him and Huo Ci’s body.
How utterly uncomfortable!
Jiang Xingyan had no idea what was going through Yun Chunfeng’s mind. She gently laid Xiao Ya on the bed, barely able to contain her excitement, and grabbed the wrist of the person beside her.
“Brother Yun, I—”
Yun Chunfeng looked at her with a pitiful expression, his eyes flicking down to where the body of Huo Ci was gripping him. Jiang Xingyan immediately understood, yanking her hand back as if burned.
“Sorry—I got too excited.”
Brother Yun gazed at her with tender affection. “Miss never needs to apologize to Brother Yun. Did you run into that otherworldly visitor?”
Jiang Xingyan’s eyes went wide. “Exactly! How did you know?”
“No one else could make Miss so flustered and rattled.”
Jiang Xingyan was touched by how well Brother Yun understood her. She steadied herself, replaying every word and action of that man in her mind.
“He seemed to have bells all over him—they jingled with every move he made. He was even the one responsible for throwing Tuoba Hongxue into prison. He’s been pushing the Northern Luo generals to send soldiers strapped with explosive devices to keep attacking the city walls. That stuff seemed to be called black powder. What’s he in such a rush to accomplish? Now that I’ve blown up his camp, he’s probably going to have a hard time explaining himself back in Northern Luo.”
Yun Chunfeng furrowed his brow. “Miss thinks he’s still alive?”
Jiang Xingyan said with certainty, “It’s not that I think—I know he’s alive. Someone like him wouldn’t dare come to the front lines alone without some means of saving his own skin.”
“Now we’ve thoroughly provoked him. We’re bound to face even fiercer retaliation.” Yun Chunfeng idly traced a few lines on the sand table. “Over the next few days, we must reinforce our defenses. There can’t be fewer than a thousand crossbowmen on the city walls. I’ll also set up several layers of protective formations around the main command tent to make absolutely sure nothing goes wrong.”
Jiang Xingyan was deeply moved, though her face was filled with guilt. “…Brother Yun, don’t you think I acted rashly? Not only did I fail to root him out completely, but I also tipped him off.”
Yun Chunfeng smiled gently and shook his head. “No matter what, he was never going to let us off easy. Rather than wait passively for him to make the first move, it’s better for us to strike first—agitate him into panic, and let his fox tail slip.”
Jiang Xingyan paced back and forth inside the tent. It was clear that leading an army wasn’t something you could learn just by reading a few military manuals. Thank goodness Brother Yun thought things through so thoroughly.
“Oh, and there’s one more thing—they also said Shanhe Pass is about to fall. Brother Yun, what should we do? How about I take one of Falling Flower Daoist’s furnaces and go reinforce them tonight?”
Jiang Xingyan had braced herself for rejection, but to her surprise, Yun Chunfeng readily agreed.
“Alright.”
“Fine, if you won’t let me go, I’ll send someone el—huh? Wait, Brother Yun, you’re actually letting me go?”
“Yes.”
