♂,
Because I needed to stabilize my cultivation, while Han Shanshan likewise needed to enter secluded cultivation for longer than I did, she returned to her room on her own and left me here.
After about two days, I emerged from seclusion. The moment I reached the entrance, the two guards outside told me that Ruan Qiushui had returned a long while ago. She had come looking for me once, but I had not been there. She was now holding a meeting in the central command tent.
"Marshal Ruan, the Xia Emperor has arrived!" Before I reached the central command tent, the guards outside had already announced my arrival. As soon as their voices rang out, all the commanders inside filed out, with Ruan Qiushui, clad in handsome armor, at the very front.
"Greetings, Xia Emperor!" Everyone knelt on one knee to salute me. I hurriedly helped Ruan Qiushui and the chief commanders at the front to their feet, then gestured for everyone not to be so formal.
At that moment, I discovered that quite a few of them belonged to the Demon Race. I could not help feeling delighted. This showed that the Demon Race of Wanzhou had already begun integrating into Zhongzhou, and that many of them were even serving in the army.
More than half a year had passed since I had first gone to Lanzhou. It was only to be expected that the Demon Race would join us; I just had not expected there to be so many of them.
Some of the Demon Race generals already knew me. When they saw me nod at them, they were deeply moved and knelt on one knee again. This showed how badly they needed my recognition. After all, some human generals still harbored racial prejudice.
Zhongzhou was a