Chapter 430: It Depends on His Mood

The young woman finally snapped out of her stupor. She had just let out a scream when she quickly covered her own mouth and cut herself off, recalling something. Then, she moved her hand to cover her face instead.

She quickly crouched down, completely disregarding whether her private parts were exposed, and frantically gathered all the clothes lying on the floor with one hand. She also picked up every scrap that had fallen to the floor, leaving behind nothing that might reveal her identity, before finally leaping out the window to escape.

Wei Yuan had been watching quietly the whole time. Only then did he call out to her retreating figure, “Might you leave your name? So I can tell Brother Lee when he returns.”

“Go to hell!” the girl’s voice echoed through the night.

Wei Yuan looked thoughtful. It seemed that, not only had Lee Zhi not been idle in his daily life, he had come up with many ways to keep boredom at bay. No wonder the guy still hadn’t attained his Avatar.

He shook his head and returned to his documents. The cat, the snake, and the ferret also went about their own business.

There was nothing Wei Yuan could do about Mahayamuri Buddha Mother right now. The monk was as elusive as a ghost, and even Wei Yuan’s perception struggled to detect him. If he were in the Realm of Qingming, he could have relied on the immense amplification of the realm to track him down and capture him. But here in the Realm of Zhenshan, there was nothing he could do.

Early the next morning, Wei Yuan summoned all the officers of the Realm of Zhenshan, including the two generals of miscellaneous titles in the spirit-cultivating stage of the Avatar stage.

Wei Yuan ordered someone to unfurl a map and pointed to the largest Mountain Dweller settlement near the realm’s border, saying, “These Mountain Dwellers have been entrenched here for a long time. We’re just sitting around anyway, so why not go over and wipe them out? Here are the arrangements....”

Wei Yuan then issued a series of orders.

As the orders were issued, the generals under Lee Zhi’s command went from surprise to shock, and then to disbelief.

These orders were extremely detailed; even the marching routes for small units of 3,000 men had been arranged. Where to go, when to arrive at each location—everything was laid out clearly.

The tens of thousands-strong army was to arrive simultaneously at an open river valley thirty li from the Mountain Dwellers’ main camp. That was also the site of the final decisive battle.

Wei Yuan handed each general in command of an independent unit a map marking their designated assembly areas upon arrival, as well as the formation they were to assume.

After issuing his orders, Wei Yuan concluded, “Brother Lee granted me the authority of life and death before he left. Anyone who dares to disobey orders may be beheaded on the spot. I hope I won’t have the opportunity to exercise this authority during the upcoming battle.”

A general of a miscellaneous title whispered a reminder, “Lord Wei, there are one hundred and twenty thousand Mountain Dwellers in that camp.”

“I know.”

The general of a miscellaneous title fell silent after that.

As the sunlight streamed down, the Realm of Zhenshan radiated a vibrant army aura. A great army then surged out of the domain. Dozens of scout cavalry squads set out ahead to survey the surrounding terrain.

Wei Yuan had visited the Realm of Zhenshan several times before, and with each visit, the details on the maps had become increasingly comprehensive. This time, with dozens of scout cavalry scouting ahead, the detailed topographic maps of vast swathes of land were all recorded in the Great Realm.

The main force had set out at dawn and reached the designated battlefield by the afternoon.

The Qingming Army arrived first, securing the high ground on both sides of the river valley. Then, the infantry and Dao Soldiers began digging defensive positions while the cavalry stood on the high slopes to monitor the enemy’s movements.

After a while, the Zhenshan forces began arriving in a steady stream, with the first and last units arriving a full hour apart.

The appearance of the human army naturally caught the attention of the Mountain Dwellers. They swarmed out and began forming their own battle formations.

Wei Yuan gazed down on the battlefield from a mountain peak as the officers under Lee Zhi’s command gradually gathered around him. Once everyone was present, Wei Yuan pointed at the Mountain Dwellers across the valley and said calmly, “If you had all arrived on time, we would have already driven those Mountain Dwellers back to their homes by now.”

The two generals who arrived late shifted their gaze nervously, their faces flushed with shame. They lowered their heads and remained silent. Without further ado, Wei Yuan addressed them by name and ordered, “Your two units will lead the attack. You will atone for your crime via merit.”

The two generals gritted their teeth and, leading their respective units of 10,000 soldiers, launched a head-on assault against the Mountain Dwellers’ army. They were convinced they were doomed when suddenly, a hundred-zhang-tall jade mountain suddenly descended from the sky!

The jade mountain was truly deadly. Among the six Avatars in the Mountain Dwellers’ middle guard, three fled instantly, while the remaining three were forced to take the blow head-on. They were instantly gravely wounded, and the middle guard plunged into chaos. As of now, how could a mere two or three Avatars possibly withstand his full-powered attack?

The jade mountain appeared again, smashing a gap in the Mountain Dwellers’ formation. The Dragon Wings Army then charged through the breach, piercing through the enemy ranks before charging back out. The infantry rushed in, the Dao Soldiers rushed in, and everything after that was just the usual, mindless routine.

Xu Wenwu rode a ferocious warhorse. With a click, he loaded a massive magazine into his gun before firing several rounds in rapid succession with one hand, sending the Mountain Dwellers ahead crashing to the ground.

Xu Wenwu swapped in a fresh magazine, feeling utterly formidable and brimming with killing intent. The gun he was wielding was custom-made; although its caliber was much smaller than the flying sword gun used exclusively by Dao Foundations, it was comparable to the anti-materiel sniper rifles from his previous world.

So he let out a loud laugh and shouted, “I’m a man who can handle a Barrett with one hand now!”

He was just looking for his next target when a piercing whistle rang in his ears, followed by a barrage of gunfire. It was the Dao Soldiers firing a volley. Then, there were no enemies left in front of Xu Wenwu.

The overall situation on the battlefield was clearly divided. The Zhenshan forces were in charge of the left flank, and they were currently engaged in fierce combat against the Mountain Dwellers. Their battle cries shook the heavens as they clashed back and forth.

The Qingming forces were in charge of the right flank, where the opposing Mountain Dwellers were mowed down in waves like weeds. In the blink of an eye, the enemies on the right flank were routed. The Qingming forces then turned to flank the left wing and, mere moments later, routed the Mountain Dwellers there as well.

The Mountain Dwellers, which had only recently dealt a crushing defeat to Lee Zhi, left tens of thousands of corpses behind and fled over mountains and through valleys just like that.

Watching the fleeing Mountain Dwellers, Wei Yuan felt a twinge of regret. If Lee Zhi’s forces had arrived on time and dealt a crushing blow to the Mountain Dwellers while they were still forming their battle lines, the Dragon Run Army and the Dao Soldiers would have had the time to flank them and cut off their retreat. He would have been able to swallow up this 100,000-odd Mountain Dwellers whole.

That said, Lee Zhi’s army had marched several hundred li and arrived with a difference of only one hour between the front and rear units. They were unquestionably an elite force, and Wei Yuan could not ask for more.

In fact, the Qingming Army’s ability to move precisely like the extension of his arm was largely due to the presence of the sentient Dao Foundation warriors leading them. It allowed Wei Yuan to track the progress of every unit in real time and issue commands instantly.

However, he had no intention of deploying these sentient Dao Foundation warriors into Lee Zhi’s forces. This was his greatest secret at the moment, and he did not wish to reveal it to outsiders just yet.

In this battle, the time difference between the arrival of Lee Zhi’s forward units and rear units was an hour. While this might seem insignificant, if they were fighting against Wei Yuan, he could have wiped out Lee Zhi’s entire force during this period. Basically, the rear units would have arrived just in time to see their forward units being completely annihilated.

Despite the great victory, Wei Yuan wasted no time and swept away another two major strongholds of the Mountain Dwellers in quick succession. Only then did he return to the Realm of Zhenshan to rest and regroup. After just two days of rest, Wei Yuan grew bored with the inactivity and led his troops out to fight again.

He went so far as to bring in another 20,000 mounted and infantry troops from the Realm of Qingming before launching wave after wave of attacks against the Mountain Dwellers. It wasn’t long before he had wiped out every trace of them within a 500-li radius.

One month later, when Lee Zhi hurried back, he suddenly discovered that Zhenshan’s territory had expanded to 150 li, and the spoils of war within his borders were piled so high that there was simply no time to transport or process them all.

Upon returning to the city lord residence, Lee Zhi saw two tall, tall stacks of battle reports piled high on his deck, and his scalp immediately prickled with dread.

He unfolded the map specially delivered by his subordinate generals and saw that every known Mountain Dweller stronghold had been marked with a cross, while many unknown strongholds had also been plotted and marked with crosses as well.

On the map, not a single Mountain Dweller stronghold could be found within a 300-li radius of the Realm of Zhenshan. It was as clean as a dog’s food plate.

Wei Yuan was currently leading a small unit of scout patrol outside the realm and had not yet returned. So, Lee Zhi quickly summoned his generals to ask how many battles had been fought recently and exactly how they had been conducted.

According to the generals, these battles had been exceptionally straightforward. The basic sequence went something like this: the main force took position, the jade mountain descended on top of the enemy, the cavalry charged back and forth, the entire army launched an assault, and then they collected the spoils of war.

Lee Zhi finally understood where he fell short compared to Wei Yuan: he lacked a jade mountain.

It didn’t have to be a literal jade mountain, of course—any Dao spell of comparable power or mystic treasure-equivalent would suffice. When an unstoppable mystic treasure like this was unleashed, even the sturdiest enemy formation would fall into chaos.

Fortunately, the Four Sages Academies possessed deep reserves. The Lee Clan of Southern Qi also held countless treasures. It should not be difficult to find a mystic treasure of comparable power.

At the moment, Wei Yuan returned to the Realm of Zhenshan and met with Lee Zhi in his study.

Lee Zhi said, “This mission was a success. I was able to persuade three elders to support you, though on the condition that they grant you another three years. There is also one elder who remained undecided and somewhat wavering; the Xiao Clan may need to offer additional incentives for him to change his mind. However, I believe the key ultimately lies in the capacity in which you negotiate with them, Worthy Little Brother. Merely discussing interests, benefits, and exchanges will likely not suffice.”

Upon hearing this, Wei Yuan understood.

Lee Zhi had truly done him a great service. If he counted Bao Manshan, then he had the support of four great elders in total. He only needed to win over two more. The key issue remained what Lee Zhi had said—and what Bao Yun had asked that day: In what capacity and from what stance was Wei Yuan approaching the Bao Clan?

Without further ado, Wei Yuan returned the realm lord authority of Zhenshan back to Lee Zhi and returned to the Realm of Qingming. His troops had long returned, so there was no need to linger.

After seeing Wei Yuan off, Lee Zhi habitually opened his map, preparing to plan his next move and determine where to deploy his forces.

But when he saw the clusters of crosses on the map, he realized that there were no enemies left for him to fight in the surrounding area. All he had to do now was wait for Zhenshan’s domain to gradually expand and take over the territory.

Consequently, even by nightfall, Lee Zhi—who was accustomed to diligence—still hadn’t come to his senses.

A night with nothing to do was, surprisingly, empty.

Lee Zhi then picked up a brush and wrote a letter to the daughter of a general of agile cavalry[1] of the State of Zhao stationed at the rear. He sent a trusted aide to deliver it to her, then sat down in meditation as he waited.

Based on past experience, the young woman would likely arrive around dawn. A female assassin would then sneak out under cover of night to ambush the enemy general, fail in her assassination attempt, be captured, and suffer all manner of humiliation.

Or perhaps a miss of a distinguished family would sneak out to meet her lover in secret at midnight, only to inadvertently fall into the hands of local bandits and be subjected to all manner of humiliation.

Or maybe a vulnerable young woman, selling herself to bury her father, would be forced to submit to a wealthy earth tycoon and be subjected to all manner of humiliation.

Which of these dramatic scenarios he would choose depended entirely on his mood that night.

But the general’s daughter never came even after dawn broke.

1. Now this is a general with a proper title. ☜