In order to prevent the Tamu Tribe and the Fire Tribe from sending people in pursuit, Wei Yun led the remaining members of the Mighty Camp on a long journey back to Changgu Town.
“Liu Neng, take a headcount,” Wei Yun commanded as soon as he dismounted.
“Yes, sir.”
Company Leader Liu, also known as Liu Neng, immediately turned around to start counting the soldiers.
After about the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn, the count was completed.
He came before Wei Yun, cupped his fists, and reported, “Commander, we set out with 800 men for this mission. Now, 536 remain.”
Wei Yun sighed. “We lost over two hundred brothers?”
Liu Neng lowered his head. “Yes. It’s thanks to 9527—if he hadn’t eliminated that half-step Xiantian expert from the Fire Tribe, we might not have even completed the mission.”
Wei Yun nodded and said, “Count the fallen brothers. Deliver double the compensation to their families.”
“Yes, sir.”
After handling those matters, Wei Yun stood and walked over to Li Dao, saying seriously, “Thank you.”
If it weren’t for Li Dao, things might have gone just as Liu Neng said—they would have suffered heavy losses and possibly failed the mission.
Li Dao shook his head. “We just got what we each needed.”
Wei Yun continued, “Even so, I still want to thank you.”
Then he glanced at the black iron saber in Li Dao’s hand and said, “That blade served you well, didn’t it?”
“It did, quite well.”
“Keep it. No need to return it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure. That saber helped save a lot of our brothers.”
Upon hearing that, Li Dao stroked the hilt of the black iron saber. The weapon had helped him rack up quite a few stat boosts as well.
“Report!”
Just then, a flurry of urgent hoofbeats echoed from the distance.
Everyone turned to look. A soldier from the Da Qian army rushed over and dropped to one knee before Wei Yun.
“Commander, we’ve received an urgent mission report from the rear.”
With that, the soldier pulled a letter from his chest and handed it to Wei Yun.
An urgent mission?
Wei Yun frowned and opened the letter directly.
After reading for a moment, his pupils contracted sharply, and he couldn’t help but shout, “Outrageous!”
His outburst left everyone stunned—what could have angered the commander so much?
Wei Yun took a deep breath and looked toward Li Dao and his four companions. He said in a deep voice, “Everyone else, return to your posts. 9527 and the rest of you, come with me to the main tent.”
…
Not long after, inside the main tent—
Wei Yun sat in the chief seat, his expression gloomy. “Everyone, we may need to assign the third mission ahead of schedule.”
Hearing this, Shen San immediately perked up. This was good news for them—completing the third mission meant they’d gain their freedom.
Li Dao asked, “Commander Wei, does this mission have something to do with that letter in your hand?”
“The letter?”
Shen San and the others also looked toward the letter in Wei Yun’s hand.
Wei Yun didn’t hide it. He nodded. “It does.”
Li Dao nodded. “Then just tell us directly—what’s the mission this time?”
Wei Yun gripped the letter tightly and said in a low voice, “Just as we were ambushing the Tamu Tribe’s arrow convoy, the Tamu King dispatched a team toward our nation.”
“According to the scouts, this team is led by the Crown Prince of the Tamu Tribe.”
“And their purpose is singular—to negotiate a marriage alliance with our Da Qian Dynasty.”
A marriage alliance?
Shen San looked confused and asked, “What’s there to worry about with a marriage alliance? With Da Qian’s current national strength, can’t we just refuse? What does this have to do with our mission?”
Wei Yun shook his head. “You probably don’t know what’s been going on inside the court. In the past, the royal family would never have agreed to a marriage alliance—but this time is different.”
Shen San curled his lips. “What’s so different?”
Wei Yun glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby, then continued, “Just over a month ago, a disgraceful scandal occurred within the royal court.”
At that moment, Li Dao’s eyelid twitched involuntarily, and an ominous premonition crept into his heart.
“A scandal?” Shen San’s interest was instantly piqued—gossip was something almost everyone loved.
Wei Yun coughed and said, “I’m telling you, but don’t go spreading it around.”
“Relax.”
Shen San patted his chest. “On the jianghu they call me the Honest and Trustworthy Young Master—my lips are sealed tighter than a vault.”
Only then did Wei Yun continue, “Rumor has it that just over a month ago, during a royal banquet, someone with outrageous audacity broke into the inner palace and took a princess’s chastity.”
Crack!
Suddenly, the sound of something breaking echoed through the military tent.
Everyone turned and saw shards of a wine cup in Li Dao’s hand.
Li Dao casually shook off the fragments, his face calm. “Go on.”
At that moment, his feelings were extremely conflicted. From the start of the story, he already knew who it was about. He never imagined that even in this remote frontier, he’d end up being the subject of the gossip.
Seeing that nothing serious had happened, Shen San couldn’t help but comment, “That’s insanely bold—daring to sleep with a princess right in the palace! Truly a role model for men everywhere.”
Ahem.
Li Dao let out a light cough.
“Boss, are you alright?” Shen San asked with concern.
Li Dao waved his hand. “I’m fine. Keep going.”
Scratching his head, Shen San saw nothing was wrong and turned back to Wei Yun. “Commander Wei, do you know which princess it was?”
Upon hearing this, Wei Yun lowered his voice to a whisper and cautiously said, “It was Princess Mingyue.”
“What?!”
Hearing those four words, Shen San couldn’t help but shout.
“You dumb fatty, keep your voice down!”
Wei Yun quickly clamped a hand over Shen San’s mouth, terrified he might blurt out something earth-shattering.
Shoving Wei Yun’s hand away, Shen San said, eyes red with emotion, “Tell me who did it—I’ll kill him!”
Li Dao: ???
Wei Yun frowned. “Shen San, what does this have to do with you?”
“It has everything to do with me!”
Shen San gnashed his teeth and said, “That’s Princess Mingyue we’re talking about! Rumored to be the number one beauty in Da Qian, the woman of my dreams—how could her purity be taken by some shameless scoundrel?”
Cough cough.
Li Dao coughed lightly and couldn’t help but ask, “How do you know it was a shameless scoundrel?”
Shen San replied without hesitation, “To defile the royal palace—of course that’s the work of a shameless scoundrel!”
Li Dao was speechless. There was really nothing he could say in response.
He couldn’t exactly explain that it was an accident that led to him taking the princess’s virginity.
What surprised him more was that Princess Mingyue was regarded by the Jianghu (martial world) as the most beautiful woman in Da Qian.
Thinking of this, an unforgettable, breathtaking image emerged in his mind.
Come to think of it, that reputation wasn’t undeserved.
He admitted it—Princess Mingyue was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
Yes, both in appearance and character, she was truly unmatched.
But soon, Li Dao focused on something else. Frowning, he asked, “Then what does this have to do with the marriage alliance you mentioned, Commander Wei?”
Wei Yun let out a long sigh. “Because the crown prince of the Tamu tribe is coming specifically for Princess Mingyue.”
Hearing this, Li Dao’s eyes narrowed, and his fists clenched instinctively.
Wei Yun continued, “Originally, with His Majesty’s love for Princess Mingyue and her reputation among the people, even if the Tamu crown prince had become their king and then come to propose, the royal family still wouldn’t have agreed.”
“But the problem is that this scandal broke out just at the wrong time.”
“And since such matters are considered scandals in the royal court, those in the capital naturally want to suppress it. The arrival of the Tamu crown prince conveniently gives some people an excuse.”
“If they marry off Princess Mingyue, they not only build ties with the Tamu tribe but also sweep the scandal under the rug. The truth is, some people have always been envious of how favored Princess Mingyue is and are using this chance to get rid of her.”
“Nothing may seem wrong on the surface now, but once the Tamu crown prince arrives in the capital, there really might be people who push this marriage through.”
Li Dao asked directly, “So what’s our mission this time?”
Wei Yun placed the letter on the table and said gravely, “Intercept the Tamu crown prince before he crosses into Da Qian’s territory—stop the marriage alliance from happening.”
Then he added in a low voice, “This information comes from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”
The Embroidered Uniform Guard?
Upon hearing that, Li Dao immediately understood.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard was a secret agency directly under the emperor. If the intel came from them, this mission was likely a covert order from the emperor himself.
As the saying goes—never mess with a father obsessed with his daughter.
Just from hearing a rumor, the emperor immediately dispatched people to shut it down before it could spread.
Normally, with Li Dao’s strained relationship with the emperor, he’d consider it a win just not to sabotage the mission—helping wouldn’t even be on the table.
But when he thought of that stunning figure again, a strange emotion stirred in his heart.
He had one thought now: the woman he had slept with wasn’t going to be handed over to anyone else—especially not a barbarian.
On that point, he and the Da Qian Emperor were briefly aligned.
Li Dao looked up and asked directly, “When do we head out?”
“Yes, when do we head out!” Shen San chimed in, eyes red. “Even if Princess Mingyue’s purity is gone, she’s not someone that barbarian can lay a hand on!”
Li Dao: “…”
Why did it seem like Shen San cared more about this than he did?
Was this the charm of Da Qian’s number one beauty?
He couldn’t help but wonder—what would Shen San think if he knew he was the one who took Princess Mingyue’s chastity?
Wei Yun explained, “Because of how sensitive this mission is, none of us stationed on the border—people with recognizable faces—can take part. That’s why it has to be the five of you.”
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