"Madam Zhen is far too modest. Demon Master Palace has never failed in its missions, and this time, aside from the Demon Master himself, they practically deployed their entire force. The fact that we managed to shake them off for the time being is largely Madam's achievement."
A broad-nosed, deep-set-eyed man from the Western Regions beside her sighed with emotion. This woman was named Zhen Sushan. Though she was young, beautiful, and unmarried, everyone addressed her as "Madam Zhen." At first, he had deeply resented this delicate woman ordering them about, believing that women like her were only good at serving men in bed. Yet after witnessing her uncanny calculations during this crisis, he was finally convinced beyond doubt.
Another lean man with a reddish beard standing nearby repeatedly echoed his agreement.
Madam Zhen smiled faintly. "If General Yan and General Zhuo had not excelled at infiltration, tracking, and concealment, then no matter how many ideas I had, I could never have shaken off those people from Demon Master Palace."
The tall and lean men facing her were Yan Muliang and Zhuo Yuanyuan, two great generals of Khwarazm's army.
"Your Majesty, I truly do not understand. We were doing quite well in India, so why have we traveled thousands of miles to take part in Western Xia's marriage selection? Isn't this simply inviting the Mongols to hunt us down?" The speaker was an elderly man of around fifty, with a high nose and deep-set eyes. Most striking of all was his shoulder-length silver hair, which gave him an incomparably imposing appearance.
A strange purplish-red ring circled the outer edges of his deep eyes, making it clear that his martial arts must be exceedingly unorthodox. He was Khwarazm's foremost expert, Hua Zha'ao, known as the Purple-Eyed Demon Lord. His name was