Zhongzhou City Lord's Mansion. The Ink-Splashed Courtyard.
Cold wind howled bleakly, black clouds churned. There was no moon, not even a trace of starlight. The entire courtyard was shrouded in darkness.
Yan Xiangma stood at the entrance to the courtyard, unable to stop himself from feeling somewhat uneasy.
He did not know when it had begun, but that legendary old man was always hidden in the darkness, just like the things he had done.
No one could guess his state of mind or know what he was thinking. He was like a ghost, impossible to find, yet omnipresent.
Yan Xiangma knew that he was in Zhongzhou at this moment. With such an important city and such a crucial battle, it was impossible for him not to come personally and oversee the battlefield.
Moreover, one could see the clues from Marshal Xu Da's recent change in attitude. Xu Da, known throughout the empire as the "Iron Arm General," had always been an extremely overbearing man, but lately, he had become much gentler in how he treated people and handled affairs.
Yan Xiangma understood then. There was someone even more forceful than Xu Da manipulating the situation from the shadows.
Looking across the entire Xifeng Empire, who else could make those generals of high rank and authority bow respectfully and obey his every command?
Lu Xingkong!
What a miraculous figure. Yan Xiangma thought to himself. Although the path taken by the Yan Clan differed from his, and the two sides often clashed over court affairs, speaking from the heart, when it came to strategy, judgment, and patience, no one in the entire Xifeng Empire could match him.
In the past, everyone had called Song Gudú, that Old Immortal of the Song Clan, the "Eye of the Starry Sky." In other words, the