The joy from just annexing the Dou army and the excitement of a great victory still lingered on everyone's faces.
Sitting on his horse, Ma Yingjie looked contentedly at his soldiers, when the scout Gu master delivered the latest battle report.
He tore open the envelope and read:
"The Hei and Liu armies have started a war; the first battle was a draw, and they are now facing off in a stalemate."
"The Yelu army was attacked by seven allied armies overnight. Yelu Sang can't hold out alone, even though he's incredibly strong and defeated six five-turn masters, but he still can't save the situation. The remnants of the Yelu army are now fleeing towards the
"Rat King Jiang Baoya agreed to the Yang family's request and officially announced his joining of the Yang allied army."
"The Nuer army didn't continue their campaign, but instead took a break to recover and widely catch wild leopards."
...
This report made Ma Yingjie's eyes dance with joy. He gloated: "Hei Loulan and Liu Wenwu are the hot favorites to take the royal court this time. Who'd have thought they'd go at each other early? It's great that they've crippled each other. Yelu Sang has been relying on his personal strength ever since he got the immortal Gu. But his army suddenly getting attacked by seven forces probably has the shadow of Great Snow Mountain behind it."
To advance into a super family, the Ma family had secretly colluded with demonic Gu Immortals who coveted the Eighty-Eight True Yang Building. As the young master of the Ma family, Ma Yingjie knew all about these underhanded dealings.
The
Apart from the righteous Gu Immortals, the demonic Gu Immortals also supported their own pieces. The golden-blooded tribes, to survive better, willingly cooperated with demonic Gu Immortals. After failing to seize the Royal Court
Immortal Gu are rare.
The supreme elder of the Yelu family placed the Immortal Gu with Yelu Sang, essentially betting it on this chessboard.
According to the rules set by
Placing a big bet comes with corresponding risks.
It was the Immortal Gu on Yelu Sang that made him a target for Gu Immortals, who secretly instigated seven armies to surround the Yelu forces.
"The Rat King joining the Yangs means the Rat King and Eagle King Yang Poying have teamed up, making the previously overlooked Yangs a newfound favorite for the royal court. But the Yangs' foundation is far inferior to ours, and the Rat King is badly damaged, so the threat isn't high."
"Nuer Er, though called the Leopard King, suffered heavy losses among his leopard forces. He didn't seek help from the Gu Immortal backing him, but instead went himself to catch wild leopards — that's a bit odd..."
"But overall, the situation looks great for our Ma family. The opponents ahead are all weaker than us. As long as we keep winning, keep annexing, and keep growing, the hope of entering the royal court will get bigger and bigger!"
Thinking this, Ma Yingjie couldn't help clenching his fists, a tiger-like glint in his eyes. His heroic ambition constantly spurred him to achieve great feats.
Meanwhile, in this high-spirited army, a little girl was hiding in a carriage sobbing.
"Miss Lianyun, don't be sad. Your father's death is truly saddening, but you should eat something, or you'll faint from hunger," beside the little girl, the anxious Fei Cai clumsily tried to comfort her.
The crying little girl was none other than Zhao Lianyun.
Her father, the Zhao clan leader, had died in the recent battle.
Without the protection of her doting father, Zhao Lianyun felt adrift. Her stepmother remarried the new Zhao clan leader on the night of her father's death, and Zhao Lianyun's status plummeted.
"In battles, people always die, it's normal. My dad was killed too," Fei Cai tried again when he saw Zhao Lianyun still crying.
Zhao Lianyun sobbed, then suddenly looked up, glaring at Fei Cai with tearful red eyes, and kicked him: "You idiot! You don't even know how to comfort someone!"
Her grief was genuine. Though she had inexplicably come to this world not long ago, her father's love was indeed wholehearted. This sincere love filled her with gratitude and gradually growing affection.
But now her father had died on the battlefield, leaving her completely alone.
"Miss, you're hiding here! I've been looking for you! Come with me, your mother is calling for you," at this moment, the carriage curtain was lifted, and an old maid entered, grabbing Zhao Lianyun's small arm.
Zhao Lianyun struggled and yelled: "My mother died long ago! She's not my mother! I'm not going!"
"You have no say!" The old maid sneered and forcibly dragged Zhao Lianyun out.
This old maid had previously served Zhao Lianyun and been repeatedly played tricks on by her. Now seeing Zhao Lianyun's miserable state, a feeling of revenge surged in her heart.
"Let go of Miss Lianyun!" Fei Cai shouted and punched the old maid, knocking her down.
The old maid tumbled out of the carriage from the heavy punch. She stood up, touched her bruised black eye, and screamed: "You hit me! A slave dares to hit me, a citizen! How dare you! Who gave you the guts!?! I'll report you, you're dead! According to the rules, you'll be flayed, your body hung out in the sun until it dries into a mummy!"
The old maid was furious, her disheveled hair and venomous gaze making her look like a jumping old hen.
But her screams indeed attracted the attention of those around.
Fei Cai clenched his fists, glaring angrily at the old maid, fiercely protecting Zhao Lianyun behind him.
Zhao Lianyun pushed Fei Cai's arm aside, stood on the carriage step, her fair face still stained with tears, and sneered at the old maid: "What? You want to have Fei Cai punished? Fine! Go report him. But according to the rules, you need to inform his master first and demand compensation. So then, go see the young master. Fei Cai is Boss Ma Yingjie's slave master!"
"What?!" The old maid was stunned. Her screeching abruptly stopped, her anger dissipated like a tide, leaving only incredulous fear.