A flicker of envy crossed Taran Zhu's face, and she said coldly, "You serve Warchief Garrosh?"
"And who isn't?" A murderous glint appeared on Jiyun Ailin's face as she sneered, "You're nothing but two pieces of trash, not even worth a hair on the Warchief's head. Even if Ra-den were blind, he wouldn't ask you for help. It was Warchief Garrosh who received Ra-den's revelation. Only the Warchief is qualified to save Azeroth."
Taran Zhu's expression was conflicted as she cautiously advised:
"Heroine, the Heart of Darkness is crucial to the future of the Pandaren. If we can merge with the Heart of Darkness, perhaps the Pandaren can escape the tragic fate of becoming food for the Orcs."
Jiyun Ailin's mockery deepened. "You want to replace me, offer the Heart of Darkness to Garrosh, and win his reward, don't you?"
"I had no such intention!" Taran Zhu cried out, accusing herself of wrongdoing.
Jiyun Ailin said viciously, "The Pandaren have fallen to this state, and every one of you is responsible. That night, to cover my escape, Grandpa fought alone against the leaders of the five major sects, and was eventually shattered into pieces. Taran Zhu, you are one of the culprits."
Taran Zhu looked slightly embarrassed. "Your grandfather plotted to destroy Azeroth, okay? That's a lie, but it's not our fault. The Orcs unifying Azeroth is an inevitable trend."
Jiyun Ailin proudly raised her head. "That's why I've pledged allegiance to Garrosh and serve the Orcs. The Pandaren, being such inferior beings, are destined to be eliminated."
Facing the leader of Garrosh's special forces, Chen Stormstout became much more respectful. "Heroine, how can I help you?"
Jiyun Ailin made no attempt to hide her disdain as she sized up Chen Stormstout: "Just like you did before, I need three thousand Pandaren to die. They must be Mastery martial arts, and their blood will be used to open the dungeon seal. One of you is the leader of the Shado-Pan, and the other is a great hero who betrayed countless Pandaren. Compared to me, the descendant of the murderer who destroyed Azeroth, your reputations are far better."
Chen Stormstout's expression was complicated, as if he had resigned himself to his fate. "Heroine, although I have some minor reputation, the surviving Pandaren are either living in seclusion in the mountains, hiding among the various races of the Alliance, or accepting the protection of the Shado-Pan Monastery."
Glancing at Taran Zhu, Chen Stormstout continued, "Shado-Pan Monastery has been bewitched by the Sha of Madness, making enemies of the Orcs and plotting to destroy Azeroth. They will absolutely not listen to me."
Taran Zhu added, "Those fools who believed Chen Stormstout's sweet talk have already been eaten by the Orcs. What's left are all cunning villains who refuse to become Orcs food. They won't believe you if you're using the name of saving Azeroth."
Jiyun Ailin smiled slyly, "Then let's hold a martial arts tournament under the pretext of driving away the Orcs. With the two of you in charge, they'll definitely believe us."
Taran Zhu made a final plea. "Heroine, have you considered that this is tantamount to severing the future of the Pandaren race?"
Jiyun Ailin pointed at Taran Zhu's nose and said, "The Pandaren have no future."
Taran Zhu and Chen Stormstout exchanged a glance, resigned to their fate for the time being.
"Drive out the Orcs, expel the Mogu, and revive the Pandaren."
In this name, Taran Zhu and Chen Stormstout issued a wide invitation to heroes, inviting ambitious individuals among the Pandaren to participate in the martial arts tournament.
The meeting will be held at Vale of Eternal Blossoms.
Chen Stormstout and Taran Zhu discussed the matter privately.
"Master Zhu, this is bad! Our lives are in imminent danger."
Taran Zhu wrote the invitation to the heroes, was puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Chen Stormstout said in a low voice, "Do you believe this Jiyun Ailin? She hasn't produced any proof, and no Orcs have testified for her. Who knows if she's the leader of Garrosh's special forces? She's a remnant of the Swiftcloud Sect, calling on the Pandaren to resist the Orcs in our name. If she succeeds, we'll all be torn to pieces by Garrosh."
Taran Zhu gasped, the more she thought about it, the more sense it made. She put down her pen. "How could I not have thought of that? We almost ruined everything. What should we do? We can't win a fight. Should we just sneak away?"
Chen Stormstout shook his head. "My secluded place is extremely well-hidden, yet she still managed to find me and use her Nightmare magic. Escape is probably impossible. But I have a way to defeat her."
"You?"
Taran Zhu looked doubtful.
Chen Stormstout, patting his chest, said:
"My strength has not yet recovered to its peak. My Undead body limits my power. If you could lend me the power of unity with Unity of Heaven and Humanity, defeating this woman would be a piece of cake."
"Are you absolutely certain?" Taran Zhu asked.
Chen Stormstout nodded. "This woman is a martial arts prodigy just like me, but she is slightly inferior to me."
Taran Zhu thought for a while, then gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, let's give it a try. Brother Stormstout, I'm counting on you."
Having conspired together, the two prepared to cause trouble for Jiyun Ailin.
"General, this way please." Jiyun Ailin invited a strong Orcs, just as they ran into Taran Zhu and Chen Stormstout.
Stormstout immediately gave Taran Zhu a wink; he recognized the Orcs as Garrosh's Adjutant, Malkorok.
Malkorok loudly commanded, "I have other matters to attend to, so I won't linger. The Warchief will lead an army of 500,000 to land in Pandaria in three days. Qingluan, you must remember, the matter of the Heart of Darkness is absolutely not to be taken lightly. Only the blood of three thousand Pandaren who are proficient in Chi can open the dungeon."
Jiyun Ailin respectfully replied, "General, please rest assured, the foolish Pandaren will soon come to their deaths."
Upon hearing this, Chen Stormstout and Taran Zhu simultaneously extinguished their rebellious thoughts, becoming respectful, smiling, and displaying a fawning expression.
Malkorok glanced at them and laughed, "Two useless pieces of trash."
In an effort to curry favor with Warchief Garrosh, Chen Stormstout and Taran Zhu went to great lengths. Taran Zhu mobilized his accumulated network of connections over the years, while Chen Stormstout found the remnants of the Golden Lotus, the remnants of the Peace Dove. Finally, on the appointed day, they managed to gather three thousand Pandaren who Chi.
Jiyun Ailin was satisfied and instructed, "The Warchief is about to arrive at the Vale of Eternal Blossoms; that's the time for us to take action."
Anduin led 50,000 Alliance soldiers to land in the Krasarang Wilds, leaving a small number of soldiers to guard the camp, and then rushed to the Townlong Steppes in the name of defeating Lei Shen.
This was a choice made after analyzing the situation. The Mogu were powerful, and even the Alliance and the Horde combined were no match for them. Rather than defeating Lei Shen, it was more about seeking the protection of the Mogu. Anduin made up his mind that if the Mogu came to his aid, he would immediately surrender to Mogu. Although his Destiny was unpredictable, it was better than being eaten by the Orcs.
Anduin was unaware that his analysis of the situation was riddled with flaws.
Garrosh claimed to have an army of 500,000, but in reality, he only borrowed 200,000 from the Caverns of Time. 150,000 were used as provisions, and the remaining 50,000 were new recruits. They lacked armor and weapons, were poorly trained, and suffered from illness and acclimatization issues during their voyage at sea, resulting in many deaths and severely low morale.
If Anduin determined to intercept Garrosh at sea, his entire army would be wiped out. Although he knew this very well, he still had to bite the bullet and chase after him.
Orcs cannot lack momentum. If Garrosh were to falter, the Horde would be the first to become unstable. Undercity would surely unite with the Blood Elves to raise the banner of revenge, and the Tauren would definitely not be content to continue being food. Therefore, Garrosh was on tenterhooks the whole way. Fortunately, Anduin was an Imp.
Garrosh's only asset was his three thousand elite Kor'kron, an army that had always followed the Warchief and remained by his side.