One night later. Fan Li and his one hundred thousand troops successfully arrived north of Yunzhou City. Twenty miles north of the city, there were two connected barren mountains, perfect for concealing an army.
As a surprise force, their primary mission was to remain hidden, waiting for the right opportunity to strike.
"What are you doing?"
With one hundred thousand troops concealed within the mountains, there were naturally many tasks to attend to. Everyone was busy, except for Han Yue. She wandered in and out of Fan Li's command tent as she pleased.
Military law?
In the presence of Han Yue, the world's strongest female sword cultivator, military law was as flimsy as a sheet of paper, holding no power over her.
"Uh… writing a letter."
Fan Li looked at her nervously.
This letter would soon be delivered to the allied forces' encampment by a scout. It contained military secrets that couldn't be revealed to outsiders.
He tried to shield the letter from her view, but Han Yue, with a swift and graceful movement, appeared beside him.
They stood so close that Fan Li could smell her natural fragrance.
"Hmm, your handwriting is quite impressive. Even Jin De wouldn't be able to compare."
Han Yue, proud and aloof, rarely praised others. As a pure sword cultivator, her understanding of Confucian calligraphy was limited.
She was merely trying to please him. She waited expectantly for his reaction, but Fan Li showed no sign of being flattered. He even tried to hide the letter, as if unwilling to let her see its contents.
"Fan Li, what are you doing?!" Her face fell.
It was just a letter. If Fan Li hadn't written it, she wouldn't have been interested at all.
"Hmph!"
She flicked her sleeve, turning and striding out of the tent.
Fan Li didn't pursue her. He quickly added a few more lines to the letter and summoned Zhao Jinniu.
"Bring me the top scout from the scout battalion."
"Yes."
Zhao Jinniu returned with a thin, serious-looking man.
Fan Li studied him for a moment. "I remember your name is Qing Yuan. You were the chief disciple of the Wuyang Sect, the heir apparent to the sect leader, weren't you?"
The Wuyang Sect was a mid-ranking martial arts sect in the Great Chu, established over three hundred years ago. It had a long history, and its talented disciples often joined the Great Chu military.
Logically, Qing Yuan should have remained at the sect, continuing his cultivation until he inherited the leadership position.
His presence in the Great Chu army meant he had lost his status as heir apparent.
"This subordinate, Qing Yuan, Scout Captain of the scout battalion, greets My Lord."
He knelt on one knee, the most formal military salute. But he only mentioned his military rank, ignoring Fan Li's question about the Wuyang Sect.
This was incredibly disrespectful.
"Insolent!" Zhao Jinniu barked. "Answer My Lord's question!"
Qing Yuan remained kneeling, his head bowed lower, but he didn't respond.
Humble, but not subservient. Silence was also a form of resistance.
Fan Li, however, wasn't angry. He was relieved.
Qing Yuan's personality – calm, resilient, determined – was exactly what he needed.
The scout battalion of the city guard was a unique unit. Scouts had the highest casualty rate. Every mission could be their last. But their responsibilities were crucial, and ordinary cultivators couldn't handle them.
Therefore, the three essential qualities of a city guard scout were: high cultivation level, a calm and calculating mind, and a fearless spirit.
Fan Li didn't know what Qing Yuan had experienced that led to his selection as Scout Captain by Fan Chun. But to have reached this position, Qing Yuan was undoubtedly the best scout in the city guard.
"What is your cultivation level?" Fan Li asked.
"Ninth rank of the Nascent Soul realm," Qing Yuan finally replied.
Fan Li was stunned.
With this level of strength, disregarding military merit, Qing Yuan was already qualified to be a lieutenant general.
If he broke through to the Divine Transformation realm, he could even become a major general. Yet, he was a Scout Captain.
"What kind of reward do you seek?" Fan Li asked.
He said "reward," but he meant "compensation."
The rewards for scouts who completed their missions were the highest in the army. But even if they failed and perished, their compensation was also the highest. Otherwise, who would be willing to become a scout, facing near-certain death?
"This subordinate has only one wish." Qing Yuan suddenly looked up.
"Bai Rong, the tenth Sage Ruler candidate of the Great Ci Dynasty. I ask My Lord to find a way to kill her."
Fan Li shot up from his seat. Kill a Sage Ruler?
He had done it once before, with Xue Feng – the Blood Phoenix, the tenth Sage Ruler of the Pure Land. He had never imagined that Qing Yuan's request would be to kill Xue Feng's successor.
"Qing Yuan, do you understand what you're saying?" Fan Li asked.
"I do…" Qing Yuan smiled wryly. "I don't expect My Lord to agree. But this is my only wish. If it could be fulfilled, I would die without regrets."
Fan Li stared at him for a long time, then slowly sat back down.
Meanwhile, in Peng City, his true body immediately began searching for information about Qing Yuan and the Wuyang Sect.
He discovered a startling fact – shortly after Sage Ruler Xue Feng's death, the sect leader of the Wuyang Sect, Qing Yuan's master, had suddenly died.
And another strange coincidence – Bai Rong, Qing Yuan's fiancée and the most beautiful woman in the Wuyang Sect, had quietly left the sect and joined the Brahma Sound Pure Land.
"Was the Wuyang Sect leader's death related to Bai Rong?" Fan Li asked.
"Yes."
Qing Yuan's eyes flashed with hatred, as if reliving a blood feud.
"My master… was also my adoptive father. One day, he returned from his travels with a female cultivator. She was from the Brahma Sound Pure Land. They needed a replacement for the tenth Sage Ruler. They claimed to be a haven for women in need, so their Sage Rulers were chosen from among all the talented women in the world, not just those within the Pure Land. They said this demonstrated their lack of prejudice. The reason this female cultivator visited the Wuyang Sect was because she had heard of a disciple, renowned for her beauty and exceptional talent. She wanted to see if this disciple was worthy of being trained by the Pure Land and becoming the tenth Sage Ruler's successor."
Qing Yuan paused and trembled.
Finally, he continued, "The disciple she wanted to see was my fiancée, my junior sister, Bai Rong. Bai Rong was incredibly talented. My master once said she was the most gifted disciple our sect had seen in a century. I'm ten years older than her, and I've been cultivating for ten years longer, but I only barely surpassed her in strength and skill. My master once said that within three years, she would be my equal. After five years, I wouldn't be able to defeat her…"