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Chapter 19: The Intent of Yuanming
"What brings you here?" Flying Wolf asked, looking at Yuanming with curiosity from within his room.
Yuanming smiled, slowly entering with two jugs of wine in hand. His demeanor, mannerisms, and even his voice exuded friendliness as he said, "I know you have great ambitions, Flying Wolf. I understand your expectations and the hard work you have put in."
The relationship between Flying Wolf and Yuanming was not close enough for a visit like this, but from Yuanming's words, it seemed he was not here to cause trouble. A hint of gratitude arose in Flying Wolf's heart; others, even the clan leader, were unaware of how much he had sacrificed.
Flying Wolf sat at the tea table while Yuanming took a seat across from him. "In the past, our conversations were often mixed with emotions, but that was because I had high expectations of you."
This was something Flying Wolf had never known before. He had never imagined that Yuanming would feel this way. After hearing this, his chest swelled with pride; no matter what Yuanming's current status was, he had once been the clan leader.
Flying Wolf couldn't quite grasp Yuanming's intent but spoke politely, "You had expectations of me?"
Yuanming smiled slightly, his expression warm. "Of course."
Flying Wolf replied, "I never felt that way before."
"Let's have a drink," Yuanming said as he placed the wine jug on the tea table and poured two cups. When Flying Wolf caught a whiff of the aroma, he was surprised but not startled. "Cool Blossom Wine!"
Cool Blossom Wine was a ceremonial drink for blessings in their village. Yang Guizhi had imposed a ban on it; it could only be consumed after rituals and should not be opened at other times. Yuanming was openly defying the clan leader's orders. There had been villagers who secretly drank it before and were severely punished by Yang Guizhi.
Yuanming asked, "Are you hesitant to drink or just unwilling?"
Flying Wolf chuckled in response. "You brought the wine; what do I have to fear?"
Yuanming gestured for him to proceed. The two clinked their cups lightly together. As the wine reached Flying Wolf's lips, he found no reason to hesitate any longer. He let the smooth liquid flow over his tongue for a moment before swallowing it down. As the fine wine entered his body, he felt a rush of excitement.
"This tastes wonderful."
Flying Wolf set down his cup and looked at Yuanming. The better Yuanming treated him, the more important the matter he wanted to discuss seemed to be. Regardless of what it was, Yuanming had given him the respect he deserved. If it wasn't too troublesome, Flying Wolf felt he could agree to his request.
As Yuanming poured more wine, Flying Wolf raised his cup and said, "This is blessing wine; let's toast to Kai Zhou Shen so it won't count as stealing."
Yuanming never expected Flying Wolf to have such an interesting side. Indeed, Yuanming had a request from him, so he raised his cup, albeit reluctantly. He said, "Kai Zhou Shen has wise eyes; he must see the respect we have for him right now."
The two drank it all in one go.
Yuanming and Flying Wolf were not enemies; they merely had differing views on Kai Zhou Shen. Yuanming's willingness to toast to Kai Zhou Shen pleased Flying Wolf greatly. Flying Wolf then asked, "Now that we've had our drink, what do you need from me?"
Yuanming replied, "I once thought about nurturing you because you are the only one in the village with strength and determination. Now, I want to give you the Bird."
Flying Wolf's expression changed in surprise, but he also looked very excited. He knew what possessing the Bird would mean. Breathing heavily, he asked, "Why do you want to give me the Bird?"
Yuanming explained, "Because you have strength and determination. You know I am no longer involved in village matters; those birds are of no use to me here. However, you must promise me that after I give you the Bird, you will do everything in your power to protect the village."
Flying Wolf replied earnestly, "I have the strength and determination you seek! For the safety of the village, I will do anything!"
Yuanming nodded. "The path of protecting the village will be difficult for you, but I believe in you. If you have time, come find me in Spring Valley; I will teach you how to control the Birds."
Of course, Yuanming wouldn't give the Bird to Flying Wolf without reason. He knew that the Bird was far more important than the Azure Blaze Lizard. Flying Wolf would certainly understand which was more crucial. Moreover, if Flying Wolf had ulterior motives, it would be better for him to control the Bird than the Azure Blaze Lizard because Yuanming would keep a hand in reserve. If Flying Wolf tried to use the Bird for anything nefarious, Yuanming could reclaim control at the right moment.
---
Prince Huixin's team returned to Qingyang City to regroup and reorganize their remaining forces in preparation for another battle. Prince Huixin believed that no matter how many soldiers fell, as long as Qingyang City remained intact, he could slowly recruit more troops.
The soldiers and citizens within the city worked together to repair it. Others thought that the fighting would come to a halt for a while, but Prince Huixin and Wei Deputy understood that the Hall of Malevolence would still come.
"They won't give us much breathing room," Wei Deputy voiced a concern he had been contemplating.
"They will pursue us relentlessly," Prince Huixin nodded in agreement. "They will launch another fierce assault; Qingyang City won't hold out for long."
The Cult of the Hall of Malevolence suffered a significant defeat in Fierce Death Valley but would soon return with renewed vigor. However, Qingyang City had sustained heavy losses and found it difficult to gather a large force again in a short time.
A great victory could indeed boost the morale of followers, but that was all it could do.
Prince Huixin had never felt so helpless. He turned to Wei Deputy and said, "We have suffered some losses, but we still have strength. However, if we just wait in the city while those from the Hall of Malevolence surround us without attacking, we will starve."
"We're not afraid of being besieged; we can definitely hold our ground! All the cities are in close contact, and we have made preparations before they arrive," Wei Deputy firmly believed. On another note, he also knew that holding out was not feasible. Wei Deputy did not expect the Cult from the Hall of Malevolence to withdraw due to low morale; they would destroy everything around Qingyang City and then wait for us to run out of supplies.
They had managed to revive themselves within a short time, which was fortunate. Although Qingyang City was under reconstruction, it still lay in ruins.
"What can we do now?" Prince Huixin's eyes were filled with deep concern. Unlike others, Wei Deputy had not rested properly since returning to the city. Among everyone, only Wei Deputy remained spirited; he had grown up during wartime and had fought numerous battles with little sleep. Of course, he was not made of iron and would still seize any opportunity to catch a nap.
Wei Deputy said, "What we can do now is set up some obstacles near Qingyang City."
"That's all we can do for now. You go ahead; there's no rush on this matter. Tomorrow, have someone set some traps outside," Prince Huixin replied.
"Understood," Wei Deputy said as he took his leave.
Wei Deputy returned to his room and fell asleep immediately. The next day, he was full of energy as he led a cavalry unit out of the city. Outside the city, Wei Deputy's cavalry team encountered some refugees. These refugees were fleeing from the nearby city. Seeing that they were blocking the way, the cavalry captain took action; he shouted angrily at one nearby refugee and waved his axe in front of him.
Seeing such a display, who wouldn't be afraid? The refugees quickly stepped aside to make way for them.
Wei Deputy stepped forward and admonished the captain, "Do not be rude to them!"
He gestured, "Go help them."
The refugees were dragging their families along with ox carts and horse-drawn carriages. With Wei Deputy's instructions given, no one dared to provoke him; everyone obediently followed his orders.
Soon, the captain dispersed the cavalrymen to various spots to assist the refugees in pushing their carts up the slope. The road quickly became clear again. Following the direction the refugees were heading, Wei Deputy looked into the distance where a large mountain stood. He asked, "What is that mountain called?"
The captain glanced at the mountain and replied, "Chaoyang Mountain."
"Chaoyang Mountain," Wei Deputy repeated. "Are these refugees trying to go up there?"
Noticing Wei Deputy's expression, the captain said, "They might be trying to cross over the mountain to take a shortcut to the big dock and leave Desolate Central Plain by boat."
Wei Deputy's gaze was heavy as he said, "This means that the Desolate Central Plain is in a very dangerous situation."
The captain replied, "These people are ungrateful. When things were fine, they praised the Desolate Central Plain to the skies, but now that trouble has come, they just pack up and leave."
Wei Deputy's expression deepened. "We can't blame them. They can leave, but we cannot. We must stay and fight. If we leave too, the Desolate Central Plain will be finished."
---
In the Great Palace, Sanjiaozhu was urging the law enforcers to construct new Teleportation Arrays. They planned to establish twenty Teleportation Arrays in hopes of quickly transporting soldiers to various battlefields.
The Great Palace King observed the law enforcers and said, "I thought we could regain control of the Opening of the Zhou Wasteland by dealing with the Evil God, but now there's an additional Gravel Demon to contend with."
The Four Palace Master stood beside the Great Palace King and replied, "We've dealt with this Gravel Demon before and know how to counter it. Its threat isn't as significant now. The senior law enforcers are also setting up a new Formation to contain the Gravel Demon's power as much as possible."
The Great Palace King returned to his chamber. Inside, there was a secret room containing the Exploration Four-Star Umbrella. The yellow four-star umbrella rested on a pedestal, shining brightly as if made of pure gold. The light from the umbrella flickered in the secret room, and as the Great Palace King approached it and picked it up, the radiance from the pedestal began to flow upward in an unusual manner.
As the light reached the tip of the umbrella, it slowly descended before rising again, creating a mesmerizing flow back and forth.
The Exploration Four-Star Umbrella was infused with the blood of the Great Palace King himself. He would never use it lightly unless absolutely necessary. The four-star umbrella was a national treasure of the Great Palace; not only could it combat large crawling Demon Beasts, but it could also seal away Evil Gods.
Holding the Exploration Four-Star Umbrella filled him with immense pride. Despite its simple design, it radiated a terrifying yet noble brilliance.
The Great Palace King declared, "No matter who it is, as long as they dare to offend the Great Palace, I will use the Exploration Four-Star Umbrella to shatter their corpse into pieces."
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