In the war room, on the large map, Qian Ye meticulously marked all the latest reconnaissance information and sketched out a planned route for the troops.
Qian Ye briefly summarized his findings to everyone, “This is the latest intelligence I’ve gathered, along with the proposed offensive route. The good news is that the ruler of that territory, the spider demon count Stuka, is exceptionally cruel and has overtaxed his domain to the breaking point.”
“Therefore, we can anticipate that when we launch our attack, if we can defeat the count’s direct forces, the resistance from other directions will not be too strong. The bad news is that we are likely going to have to fight this count.”
Wei Po Tian immediately became excited, jumping up and shouting, “A spider demon count! That’s really thrilling! I have to go! My strength has improved recently, and now I’m eager to see if the spider demon count can break through my Thousand Layers Mountain!”
“Of course he can, and in one hit! Sit down!” Zhao Yuying ruthlessly brought Wei Po Tian back to reality, then pushed him back into his seat with a firm hand on his shoulder.
Zhao Yuying sneered, “A brat who hasn’t even grown all his hair yet, wants to fight like a man? Stay put in the city, you little punk!”
Wei Po Tian glared, then turned and pointed at Song Zining, “What about this pretty boy?”
“Zining will be coming with us,” Qian Ye said.
“You?” Wei Po Tian was puzzled.
“Yuying and I,” Qian Ye clarified.
Wei Po Tian leaped up again, roaring, “Why can this effeminate guy go, but I can’t? What do I lack compared to him?”
Before Qian Ye could respond, Song Zining stood up, fanning himself, and said, “Because I’m handsomer than you, my dear!”
Wei Po Tian instantly fumed, “Effeminate scoundrel, you’re asking for it!”
Song Zining fanned himself faster, smiling, “Indeed, I am. But can you do anything about it, Prince Wei?”
As Wei Po Tian was about to retort, another powerful force pressed on his shoulder, sending him back into his chair.
Zhao Yuying slammed Wei Po Tian back into his seat, her chilling gaze sweeping over both men, barking, “Both of you, shut up right now!”
Wei Po Tian and Song Zining immediately sat still, no longer causing a commotion. Qian Ye was stunned, almost unable to believe his eyes. He did not know that, during their absence from Blackstream City, Zhao Yuying had been so annoyed by the constant bickering between the two that she had set rules for them; if they didn’t comply, she would immediately take action.
With Zhao Yuying’s combat prowess at level eleven and her fierce strength, Wei Po Tian’s Thousand Layers Mountain wouldn’t stand a chance. As for Song Zining, he dared not use his Three Thousand Floating Leaves technique in front of her, as domain countermeasures were no joke.
These two young men had been beaten into submission.
Everyone understood why Wei Po Tian couldn’t be part of this mission. If Prince Wei went to battle, the young ladies would follow. Blackstream City was such a desolate place that the battle against Dong Qifeng was the only excitement they had had. If there was a chance to get involved in a real war, they would not miss it.
However, if they moved, the Third Legion led by Zhang Zixing would also be activated. If the dark races learned of an imperial fleet appearing in Evernight, they would mobilize their own fleet, turning a local skirmish into a full-scale war.
Qian Ye originally only wanted to seize a territory from the dark nation to establish a foothold. In the impoverished land of the Evernight Continent, any viscount could rule vast territories. The high-ranking officials of both sides usually wouldn’t even care to hear reports about such border skirmishes.
But if an imperial fleet appeared, it would attract not only marquises but possibly even dukes. That was not Qian Ye’s intention, nor the empire’s.
Wei Po Tian was well aware of this, but he couldn’t swallow his anger when he saw Song Zining’s arrogant attitude. In his fury, he pointed at Song Zining and shouted, “Tonight, let’s have a one-on-one fight in the back alley. Whoever doesn’t show up isn’t a man!”
Song Zining’s eyes lit up, and he laughed, “Fine, I haven’t beaten you in a while, so you must be itching for a good thrashing.”
Wei Po Tian sneered, “I’ve been through life and death on the battlefield, and you think I can’t beat this weakling who spends his days in the company of women?”
Seeing the two of them setting up a duel, Qian Ye felt a headache coming on.
But Zhao Yuying had a solution. She grabbed Kaisan, the massive axe, and slammed it in front of Wei Po Tian, saying, “This is yours!”
Then she pounded the table in front of Song Zining, saying, “And this is yours!”
Miss Zhao, with a menacing look, scanned the two of them, grinning, “You little brats want to fight? Fine, tonight, I’ll take both of you on in the back alley. Bring it on!”
Wei Po Tian and Song Zining were left dumbfounded, not sure if they were more intimidated by her words or her actions.
Qian Ye coughed lightly, and Zhao Yuying pointed at him, barking, “Shut up, or I’ll beat you too!”
Qian Ye smiled innocently, saying, “I just wanted to say that you’ll lose if you fight both of them at once.”
Zhao Yuying’s expression became quite interesting.
She turned to glare at Qian Ye, “You’re always meddling! Fine, you and me, let me teach you a lesson!”
Qian Ye opened his eyes wide, smiling, “Hand-to-hand combat, no weapons?”
Zhao Yuying’s face darkened. Qian Ye was different from Wei Po Tian and Song Zining; he excelled in close combat and had terrifying strength and endurance. The previous melee in Qian Ye’s bedroom had made Zhao Yuying very clear about the outcome of an unrestrained close combat between them. She would never win, and being a beautiful woman, ending up bruised and battered would be embarrassing.
But Miss Zhao, with her stubborn temper, arched her eyebrows and her face turned cold.
Just then, Song Zining slowly said, “Qian Ye, how can you bring yourself to lay a hand on such a ravishing beauty as Yuying? And hand-to-hand combat? That’s too unrefined. Let’s set some rules. One, no hitting the face; two, no touching the chest; three, no grabbing the buttocks. If you follow these, you can fight. Otherwise, I’ll have to join in to protect Miss Yuying. How can you be so rude to a lady?”
Qian Ye was flabbergasted. With so many restrictions, how could he even fight?
Zhao Yuying also grew angry, slamming the table, “How can we fight under those conditions! Mind your own business, don’t treat me like a woman!”
After that outburst, the entire war room fell into an eerie silence. It seemed no one ever treated her like a woman.
Finally, order was restored. Qian Ye presented his plan, made some adjustments based on everyone’s input, and then called in the high-ranking officers of Darkflame to assign tasks.
After the meeting, Wei Po Tian, naturally, found himself surrounded by the noble ladies again.
The stalemate among the noble ladies had lasted until today, and it was no longer as tense as it had been. They all knew that a large group wasn’t conducive to building relationships, so now fewer ladies accompanied Wei Po Tian, taking turns, which made things easier for the prince.
That afternoon, Wei Po Tian had taken over the entire open-air fighting arena, with only a few noble ladies accompanying him, which was perfect for chatting and sharing thoughts.
After practicing his martial arts, Wei Po Tian was drenched in sweat. Bare-chested, his sculpted muscles made him look truly formidable.
“Po Tian, what’s wrong? You seem upset,” a gentle, graceful girl asked.
“It’s nothing, just can’t stand that pretty boy!” Wei Po Tian spat, feeling a bit calmer after cursing.
Glancing at the gentle girl, he suddenly remembered something and asked, “What do you think of my brother Qian Ye?”
“He’s very handsome!” the girl replied without hesitation, her face slightly blushing as she added, “Of course, he’s also very strong.”
“That’s my brother, of course he’s strong!” Wei Po Tian beamed, even prouder than if he had been praised himself.
Nangong Ling, who had spent more time with Wei Po Tian, could guess what he was thinking and said, “Young Master Qian is indeed excellent, but his background is a bit low, not even from a humble family, right?”
Wei Po Tian angrily replied, “A man’s worth is in his abilities, not his background! What does lineage matter?”
“Yes, yes,” Nangong Ling smiled and dropped the subject, believing Wei Po Tian understood her meaning.
Wei Po Tian took a sip of water and said, “Qian Ye is my sworn brother, and he’s not married yet. If anyone has a suitable girl, introduce her to him! You’ve seen how he already commands a division. Taking a few provinces will be a piece of cake for him in the future!”
The three noble ladies’ hearts raced. Wei Po Tian tended to exaggerate, but they all believed Qian Ye could easily conquer a county or two. In the empire, such military achievements could earn a title, and with the right connections, a hereditary viscountship for three generations was possible. This was the pinnacle for a scholar family.
Though his background might not match theirs, marrying a non-hereditary knight’s daughter or a lower hereditary viscount’s daughter was acceptable. Moreover, with the matchmaking done by Prince Wei, it was even more respectable.
These noble ladies were discerning, especially Nangong Ling, who understood the value and potential of someone like Qian Ye. Simply put, in conflicts or wars with other families, a fierce general like Qian Ye, with a large army, was more useful than ten nobles.
The gentle girl immediately said, “Okay, I’ll talk to my grandfather and ask him to pick a few girls from the clan.”
Nangong Ling’s heart stirred. This girl was the granddaughter of Duke Fu. She had gone to great lengths to impress Wei Po Tian. Unwilling to be outdone, Nangong Ling said, “I have a cousin, a very lovely and well-mannered girl. She is the youngest daughter of Lord Huiriver, and she has always been pampered at home.”
Huiriver Lord came from the Xiqu Chou family, a mid-upper tier noble family. Huiriver Lord was the younger brother of the patriarch, and his title, though a county lord, could be inherited for five generations, making it a high honor for Qian Ye.
When Nangong Ling said this, Wei Po Tian looked at her and nodded. The other two noble ladies immediately started thinking of eligible girls among their relatives.
Wei Po Tian thought of a few distant relatives from the Far East Wei family, adding them to the list, making it quite a number. With so many beauties, Qian Ye was bound to find one he liked.
At this point, Wei Po Tian put away his smile and said seriously, “There’s actually something important I need to discuss with you all.”
The three ladies, rarely seeing Wei Po Tian so serious, grew a bit nervous.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage