"The Kang Sect...!"
After Quinlan passed all the info he could relay and mixed it with bare-faced lies to fill in the gaps, he finally managed to finish his report. However, after the mention of Kang Sect, the family head's face turned pale.
He turned pensive, as if thinking deeply about something. However, before he could mull over the matter, rushed footsteps echoed from outside the hall and approached.
"R-Reporting! At the gate, G-General Jiang Mugen is asking for an audience with the family head and Young Miss Yinuo!"
"...!"
Everyone in the hall became excited upon hearing who came to visit. After all, General Mugen is one of the most trusted retainers of the Emperor!
"Let him in immediately! Everyone else, prepare the room for receiving the general!" Meng Hanxiao shouted his orders, his voice reflecting the excitement and joy he was feeling. "This could be a chance for our family to rise in the ranks! Hurry!"
Everyone seemed to move with a skip to their steps. Everyone but a certain individual, Quinlan, who had a deep frown on his face.
'General Mugen? The one who Xiyadie said had saved me the previous night?'
As far as Quinlan knows, that's the extent of their acquaintance. He couldn't guess why such an esteemed figure would request for him by name.
Various thoughts were circulating inside his head, but unfortunately, he couldn't even speculate the reason why the general came to visit. Having nothing to base his guesses on, he decided to just follow Hanxiao's words and wait for the general.
About a minute later, the entire hall transformed magically. The earlier dark impression of the hall turned into a golden paradise, sparkling enough that it was starting to hurt Quinlan's eyes. Everyone stood in attention, with Hanxiao and Yinuo standing in the middle of the room facing the door, while everyone else lined both sides with bated breaths.
*CLACK!* *CREAAAK!*
Then, the guards pushed open the door to the main hall, revealing a muscular young man standing with his body covered in lamellar armor of red and brown hues. Under his left arm, his metal helmet was held tight.
"Hmmm..."
With a low hum that made everyone's skin vibrate, General Mugen scanned the entire room with his sharp green eyes. His gaze stopped right at Quinlan, who flinched under his fierce stare.
"You..." he muttered in his low, deep voice. He passed the helmet held under his arms to the guard as he strode forward confidently. "You must be the girl I saved before, right? Yinuo, was it?"
He scanned Quinlan from head to toe before smiling thinly, causing a few maids to scream in delight. Before he continued, however, he first turned to the man beside Quinlan and cupped his hands in greeting. "And you must be Meng Hanxiao, the head of this house. It's nice meeting you."
"No, no. The pleasure is all ours, General Mugen." The family head returned the greeting, cupping his hand before him too.
The rest, however, lowered their heads in a slight bow, showing deep respect to the man.
"It might be a little rude to come without getting invited. Please forgive me, Sir Meng." The general muttered in apology, his face still covered in a friendly smile. "But I have to see this young lady once more."
"Ugh..."
Quinlan could feel something amiss and wanted to quickly leave the place. However, it was impossible. Rather, it was too late.
"Meng Yinuo, I've seen you fight several assassins who are a stage more powerful than you and even dispatched most of them alone." His gaze turned to Quinlan, narrowing down as if looking at something interesting. "You are a promising talent. Enough that I would like to invite you in as a member of my army. How about it?"
"""...!"""
Everyone was surprised by what the general offered. The First Imperial Army under the General was also known as the Phoenix Regiment. They were a collection of the best of the best and had a record of flawless victories with no losses across hundreds of skirmishes.
Joining such an army, no matter who it is, should be considered one of the highest honors they could ever imagine. As proof, Meng Hanxiao's face was glowing with joy, knowing that his daughter would become a part of the Imperial Army!
Well, that's if Quinlan accepted the offer anyway.
"I humbly refuse the offer, Sir General." He bowed a perfect 90 degrees as he apologized. "I feel honored by the offer, but I think such a post would be too much for me to handle. Please look for someone else."
"W-Wha...?"
"..."
From his response, Hanxiao went speechless, while the general simply narrowed his eyes as his smile sharpened.
"Well, I should've guessed." He chuckled lightly, scratching his head. "The offer is still valid until a week later before we leave to return to the Emperor's side. If you change your mind, come to the garrison at any time, and we'll welcome you with open arms."
Not pushing the matter, General Mugen turned around to leave. Quinlan watched him exit the hall until he could no longer be seen. After the guards closed the door to the main hall, silence spread. It was so quiet that Quinlan could hear everyone's breathing... but nobody was breathing.
"Shit..."
The atmosphere in the room was turning weird, as if he had made a fatal mistake. Just as he was about to slowly sneak away, a bulky hand held his left shoulder tight.
"Yinuo, why did you refuse?!"
The family head, Meng Hanxiao, shouted in a voice filled with confusion and anger. "Becoming a part of the Imperial Army should be a great honor to you! Not only that, it could even help our family!"
Quinlan's face turned sour, but he quickly straightened it, bowing respectfully to Yinuo's father.
"Father, as you know, the First Imperial Army includes only those of the Golden Core stage and above. As I am now, I would probably be the first to die in a skirmish."
*BAM!*
Meng Hanxiao smashed the chair behind him, causing the base of his left fist to bleed. "Dying for the Emperor is an honor! Are you really going to be this difficult?!"
He stomped his leg hard enough that the floorboards cracked.
"Meng Yinuo, I hereby command you as the Family Head; accept General Mugen's offer and be a part of the Imperial Army! If you don't follow my words, then don't ever call yourself a member of the Meng Family!!!"
"..."
Quinlan wanted to sigh, but thinking that it might aggravate the situation, he held it in. 'I somewhat get why Yinuo didn't like her family now.' Quinlan thought after seeing everyone implicitly agreeing with Meng Hanxiao's words, including Yinuo's mother.