Dilia (Seeking Recommendations)

Black Mountain.

Iron cavalry galloped, churning up billowing dust.

Zhong Shenxiu reined in his horse, gazing into the distance at the Great Rift of Black Mountain.

He hadn't felt it before, but after obtaining a portion of Earl Hestings' memories, he could cross-reference and confirm that this desolate land was once the sacrificial site of Hestings County.

'Are the remnants of the Felix family trying to use their bloodline power to stir that existence again?'

He stared at the great rift, silent.

The Great Rift of Black Mountain was a legendary place of danger and peril, but Su Daozhi had once investigated it.

Zhong Shenxiu thus knew that, in truth... there wasn't much danger there.

The real danger lay in using a mysterious ritual at the right time and place to cross the barriers of space or even time, contacting some enigmatic existence!

'As it stands now... the right time, the right place... the final key is the Felix family's bloodline as the trigger?'

Zhong Shenxiu felt an inexplicable unease.

'Perhaps... what those remnants are scheming for isn't some evil god, but that thing inside me?'

Just as he was pondering, several riders approached from afar, converging on him.

These Black Armored Iron Cavalry were all dispatched by Feng Xi'er to patrol the area.

Her Black Armored Iron Cavalry consisted of only one company of fifty men, and Zhong Shenxiu had been reduced to a common soldier again.

Still, cavalry were more valuable than infantry; an ordinary cavalryman held status comparable to a common Squad Leader, not to mention other perks.

The men in Zhong Shenxiu's squad looked down on him as a 'fortunate upstart.'

Now these few riders charged over arrogantly, showing no sign of slowing as they reached the spot, heading straight for Zhong Shenxiu—clearly intending to humiliate him.

Zhong Shenxiu wore a smile on his face, but inwardly cursed, 'MMP.'

It wasn't like he'd volunteered to attach himself to Feng Xi'er; from the way she recognized him, no matter how he performed in that martial selection, he'd end up transferred by her in the end.

He wanted to stay far from the trouble that was Feng Xi'er, but that wasn't really possible.

And these bastards were targeting him for that very reason?

Zhong Shenxiu sneered coldly, palming a few pebbles and secretly flicking them out.

This hidden weapon skill was peerless, and he released them without a sound; in his past life, he'd used it to defeat the so-called 'Rain of Petals Scattering Coins,' the number one hidden weapon master in the martial world.

This time, he was cautious, aiming not at the riders themselves but at the horses' legs.

Smack!

Zhong Shenxiu's flick found its mark. The lead horse stumbled, crashing to the ground and throwing its rider off.

Luckily, that rider had strong martial arts; he rolled once, braced his palm on the ground, and forced himself upright.

The two cavalrymen behind him yanked their reins hard, barely avoiding trampling their comrade.

Even they hadn't noticed Zhong Shenxiu's trick.

"Brother Wang Lun, are you injured?"

Zhong Shenxiu dismounted and approached leisurely, his face full of concern.

Wang Lun bellowed, "My Wind-Treading Steed has always been steady—how could this happen? You must have tampered with it!"

Without another word, he lunged straight at Zhong Shenxiu.

His movements were disciplined, clearly using the Azure Dragon Probes the Clouds Hand.

'Cloud Dragon Extends Claw?'

Zhong Shenxiu smiled inwardly. 'He's at the second level, but...'

He lightly brushed his hands, blocking Wang Lun's strike, then grabbed back with a move called 'White Dragon Holds Corpse'!

His claw wind was sharp, secretly reinforced by Xiantian True Qi!

This was one of the killing moves of the Azure Dragon Probes the Clouds Hand, and he easily seized Wang Lun by the throat, lifting him off the ground.

"Su Daozhi, what are you doing?"

The two riders behind shouted.

"Hmph, you should ask Wang Lun why he attacked me. The army forbids private fights, and we're on a mission—do you want to face military law?"

Zhong Shenxiu glanced at Wang Lun's purple face, snorted, and threw him to the ground, too lazy to say more.

As for the horse? He'd never admit it. As long as he could prove Wang Lun struck first, he had nothing to fear.

"We're all brothers in the same squad—why go this far?"

Another rider, named Ma Jing, pretended to mediate, but inwardly he was alarmed: 'This Su Daozhi—I thought he just got lucky with the Colonel's favor, but now it seems he's not only broken into Xiantian but has also mastered the Azure Dragon Probes the Clouds Hand. He's no pushover...'

With that thought, his expression softened considerably, and he quickly said, "It's all a misunderstanding. Let's not take this outside—none of us would benefit, right?"

"Exactly." Zhong Shenxiu replied with a smile, since he wasn't the one who'd lost out.

Only Wang Lun, mortified to the point of death, kept his head down and said nothing.

He had no idea that Zhong Shenxiu simply found it inconvenient at the moment, which was the only reason he hadn't killed him yet.

There would be plenty of chances later; he never made a habit of leaving enemies alive.

The few knights discussed among themselves, found nothing unusual in the vicinity, and then returned to Black Mountain Fortress to report.

Black Mountain Fortress, somewhere.

An officer in Company Commander attire walked into his quarters.

Even the lowliest soldier at Black Mountain Fortress had a private room, so the Company Commander's quarters were naturally more spacious. Inside at this moment sat several people.

The Company Commander knelt on one knee and saluted: "The most radiant pearl of the Felix Family, Miss Dilia, you have finally arrived."

A man who looked ordinary, dressed as a common soldier, wiped his face.

Countless fleshy tendrils spread across his features, layer after layer receding, revealing another face—skin as smooth as milk, eyes as blue as the sea.

This was a blood descendant of the Felix Family—Dilia Felix.

"Uncle Fisher, thanks to you, we've been able to lie low in the camp... No matter how the Yanhan people search, they would never think we're hiding right here."

Dilia said with a smile.

"Everything is for restoring the glory of our ancestors!" Fisher pressed his fist to his chest and said solemnly.

"The glory of our ancestors..."

Dilia's expression grew slightly distant: "How many people still remember now that the original Fufeng Protectorate should have been our nation?"

"As long as Miss restores the rites, you will surely obtain the power to overturn everything. All of this is recorded in the family's secret scrolls..."

Fisher said firmly: "Ever since the rise of the Second Yanhan Empire, the family has been preparing in secret. It was precisely because of these preparations that your branch escaped pursuit and was safely preserved, waiting for the opportunity... Now the infighting among the Second Yanhan Empire's princes has grown fiercer, and a few years ago there was even a major rebellion case. They have no mind to spare for us in these remote borderlands."