Today's events could no longer be described as a double blessing — it was a triple one, and if Yao Si was counted, it was a quadruple blessing... Which was why Hua Qingsi was in an exceptionally buoyant mood.
"Sister Hua, what exactly did you say to the Palace Master just now?" Bian Yuqing asked curiously. She wasn't the only one wondering about this — everyone was — but she was simply the first to voice it.
Hua Qingsi smiled faintly. "Two points."
"Two points?" Bian Yuqing furrowed her delicate brows.
Hua Qingsi chuckled. "First: regardless of who takes up the position of Commander of the Ji-Zi Army, Lingxiao Palace will contribute at least twenty thousand Disciples to the Ji-Zi forces. Having the Palace Master command and deploy them himself is far better than entrusting our Disciples' lives and futures to someone else, and the Disciples themselves would much rather follow the Palace Master into battle."
Bian Yuqing nodded upon hearing this. She was right — the Great Emperor had ordered Yang Kai to serve as Commander of the Ji-Zi Army, but all recruitment and supply procurement had to be handled on his own. Never mind the supplies; Lingxiao Palace had accumulated a fair share of good resources over the years. As for personnel, at least twenty thousand Disciples from the sect itself would join, which was enough to form the backbone of an entire army.
Rather than letting those twenty thousand Disciples take orders under someone else's command, it was naturally preferable for Yang Kai to hold the reins. If it ever came to a life-and-death struggle with the demons on the battlefield, even if he couldn't give special treatment to Lingxiao Palace's Disciples, he could at least treat everyone equally.
One could say that this first point alone was sufficient to make Yang Kai take the position of Ji-Zi Commander seriously. He truly had no interest in the post and no desire to take orders, but disinterest was one thing — reading the situation was another.
Moreover, Hua Qingsi had a second reason to persuade him.
"And the second point?" Bian Yuqing asked again.
"The second point is this: if he beats this Yao family scion, then by his own words, his life belongs to the Palace Master. A Great Emperor's son — surely he wouldn't go back on his word or spout empty promises. If even his life is the Palace Master's, then asking him to do a little something — say, serve as acting commander of the Ji-Zi Army — would be only natural."
Bian Yuqing's expression turned to one of realization. She knew Hua Qingsi was right. Yao Si had made his declaration in front of everyone — there was no way he'd break his word. His life belonged to Yang Kai, so if Yang Kai asked him to do something, he certainly wouldn't refuse.
Yang Kai didn't want the role of Commander, didn't like it — no matter. Let Yao Si handle things in his stead. Every matter, big or small, within the army would be delegated to him. Yang Kai could remain behind the scenes, doing whatever he needed to do without wasting his time or disrupting his normal life.
It was precisely because Hua Qingsi had laid out these two points that Yang Kai had suddenly been seized by fighting spirit — because he felt she was absolutely right. The Ji-Zi Army should be in his own hands, and to boot, snagging a commander to serve him was an incredible windfall.
Bian Yuqing pressed her lips together and giggled. "That Yao family heir tried to outfox everyone and ended up losing his own rice!"
Hua Qingsi said: "One can only say he underestimated the Palace Master."
If Yao Si could have heard this assessment, who knew what he'd have thought. How could he have underestimated Yang Kai? He was a Great Emperor's son, and there was nothing wrong with holding himself in high regard or treating others with arrogance — he had the standing for it. But when several Great Emperors had no objections to Yang Kai serving as Commander of the Ji-Zi Army, that proved Yang Kai was capable!
In truth, Yao Si had never underestimated Yang Kai. Before coming here, he had even made a deliberate estimate of Yang Kai's strength — and had rated him one level higher than most would.
And yet...
One move!
Or rather, a single exchange, and he had fallen into a deep slumber. This had happened with all his divine sense and cultivation fully deployed. This near-total crush was something he had never imagined before setting out.
Hua Qingsi smiled again. "In fact, defeating this Yao heir brings many other benefits as well. It was just too rushed at the time to go into detail with the Palace Master."
Bian Yuqing asked in surprise: "What other benefits?"
Hua Qingsi said with a coy smile: "Think about it. If he's part of the Ji-Zi Army, whether he likes it or not, he'll have to manage the army well. And as a Great Emperor's son, he holds advantages in personnel recruitment and supply procurement that ordinary people simply cannot match. I've heard that although the various armies are all ostensibly fighting the demons together, they constantly bicker over how to divide spoils of war and allocate personnel. The Palace Master may be strong, but his seniority is low, and many of the other Commanders have connections to him. When those situations arise, how could the Palace Master bring himself to bicker and argue with his elders? But this Yao heir is different. His seniority isn't high either, but his background is. If we ever run into such troublesome matters in the future, having him step forward would be ideal. He'll make sure our Ji-Zi Army doesn't get the short end of the stick."
This was a fair point. Indeed, many Commanders had ties to Yang Kai. With those whose relationships were merely cordial, it wouldn't matter much — people like Bing Yun or Wen Zishan, who were on rather good terms with Yang Kai.
If it ever came to dividing spoils, Wen Zishan might very well walk up to Yang Kai and say, "I want seventy percent — you get thirty." And that was no joke; Wen Zishan was perfectly capable of something like that, given his habitual shamelessness.
When that time came, Yang Kai would probably get a headache. But if Yao Si were the one negotiating with Wen Zishan, a fair distribution was virtually guaranteed.
Bian Yuqing's beautiful eyes lit up. "Sister Hua is truly clever — you even thought that far ahead."
Hua Qingsi laughed softly. "I eat my lord's rice, so I serve my lord's cause. Thinking a little extra never hurts. Oh — he's waking up, he's waking up."
The two women had been chatting when Yao Si, who had been standing there blankly the whole time, finally showed signs of movement. The vacant look in his eyes gradually returned, and the muscles on his face began to stir.