Inside the main command tent of Ji Province sat a tall, upright young man in daoist robes, carrying himself with noble poise.
Su Hu entered the tent. Upon seeing the visitor, his expression turned solemn. He bowed deeply in utmost respect. "Su Hu greets His Highness the Crown Prince!"
The visitor was none other than Yin Shang's legitimate Crown Prince—Yin Jiao.
Seeing Su Hu bow, Yin Jiao smiled with delight. He hurriedly rose and helped him up personally, speaking warmly. "Lord Ji need not stand on ceremony. Please rise quickly."
Su Hu straightened, his eyes filled with shock and doubt. Unable to hold back, he asked, "Your Highness has long been cultivating under True Man Guang Chengzi of Peach Garden Cave on Nine Immortals Mountain, devoted to the Dao. Why have you suddenly descended the mountain and come personally to the front lines?"
In the past, Queen Jiang had been framed by Daji and died unjustly. The two brothers, Yin Jiao and Yin Hong, had then suffered pursuit by their father, Di Xin, and barely escaped death. Fortunately, Huang Feihu had secretly helped them out of loyalty, allowing them to flee Morning Song and seek refuge in cultivation.
Thereafter, the younger son, Yin Hong, became Chi Jingzi's disciple, while the elder, Yin Jiao, studied under Guang Chengzi.
This time, Guang Chengzi had ordered Yin Jiao down the mountain to assist Western Qi in its Heaven-mandated campaign against the tyrant.
Yet Yin Jiao was the legitimate Crown Prince of Yin Shang, his bloodline tied to Great Shang's national fate. Thinking of his ancestors' legacy and the realm passed down through generations, he was utterly unwilling to watch Yin Shang perish and its ancestral temples collapse.
Thus, after descending the mountain, he willingly defied his master's command. He resolved to go against