The Routine

As a model of orderly evacuation, Luo Qingfeng and his accomplice led nearly 20,000 defeated soldiers who were actually carrying a considerable amount of supplies.

The remaining heavy cavalry Demon Horse were mostly carrying one or two bags of fodder, and there were even more than a dozen large beast-drawn carts loaded with supplies and military equipment.

Xu Yuan guessed that these two were probably among the first batch of routed soldiers to flee.

If this grain were used to supply themselves, it could probably last for about ten days.

However, there are two ways to transport and store military supplies: one is to use horses and animal-drawn carts, and the other is to hide them in Sumeru Ring.

The two men handed over the former; now Xu Yuan and Li Qingyan's task was to get them to hand over the latter as well.

After a few breaths of silence,

Hou Jiancheng spoke first, cupping his hands in a respectful gesture to Xu Yuan, and said in a low voice:

"Our army's provisions, supplies, and even the armor and weapons worn by our soldiers have been handed over to your army in accordance with His Highness Wu Yuan's orders."

Xu Yuan glanced at the two people below the hall, stroked his chin, and smiled:

"But His Highness Wu Yuan wants all your supplies. Can't military equipment and supplies be stored in the Sumeru Ring?"

He paused for a moment,

Xu Yuan slowly stood up from his seat, walking down the stairs while chuckling softly:

"I have great faith in your character, but the situation is what it is now. The Barbarian Tribe army is entrenched near Beifeng City, and the garrison around Houting County is now isolated outside of Great Yan. Weapons, supplies, and even provisions are extremely scarce. We are all in the same boat and need to work together."

Luo Qingfeng hesitated for a moment, then said decisively:

"Young Master, Qing Feng's Sumeru Ring contains many confidential documents about my father and Snow Soul Valley. I'm afraid I cannot comply."

A very direct refusal.

Xu Yuan chuckled upon hearing this.

He could roughly guess what those two were thinking.

You could say he had ulterior motives, or you could say he was biding his time and waiting for his chance.

Their biggest problems now are low morale and the risk of being harassed by the Barbarian Tribe wolf riders in the blizzards.

First, we should reorganize the morale of the troops in Houting County. When the great battle is about to begin, the Beifeng Army will surely have to return their armor and weapons. If things turn bad then, they can simply run away.

Once war breaks out, any Barbarian Tribe with a brain won't stop them from leaving.

To achieve this, they must have some supplies in hand; otherwise, even if they manage to escape, they will surely collapse in this icy and snowy landscape without provisions.

Thinking of this,

Xu Yuan had already stood in front of Luo Qingfeng.

Luo Qingfeng has a slender figure, but she is not very tall, the same height as Cangyuan.

Compared to the tall and slender women of the Northern Border, she possessed the graceful and delicate beauty of women from the water towns of Jiangnan. The height difference of more than half a foot allowed Xu Yuan to look down upon this third-grade Grandmaster.

He looked at her and said slowly:

"Miss Luo, I am not asking for your opinion; this is a military order."

Luo Qingfeng slightly raised her eyes, her gaze meeting his, and said calmly:

"According to the Great Yan Law, Jian Cheng and I are not under Your Highness's direct command."

"."

Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow.

In Cangyuan, he was unaware that this woman possessed such a stubborn and obstinate side.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Although the players in Cangyuan had some misunderstandings with this woman, they were still in cahoots in the end.

It's normal for people to be stubborn and unyielding when they have different stances.

Thinking of this, Xu Yuan fell silent, his gaze sweeping back and forth over the woman's ample bosom.

The close-up stare caused Hou Jiancheng to clench his fists slightly, and just as he was about to explode, Xu Yuan suddenly laughed:

"Miss Nalu, tell me, according to the Great Yan Law, what punishment should be imposed for causing the 300,000 elite border troops to collapse due to a general's erroneous decision?"

Neither of them spoke.

Xu Yuan chuckled softly and patted Luo Qingfeng's delicate, boneless shoulder:

"According to military law, he should be executed. However, I am a soft-hearted person and cannot bear to see such a beautiful woman as Miss Luo perish."

At this point, Xu Yuan deliberately glanced at Hou Jiancheng beside him, whose face had turned completely black, and laughed:

"However, you may be spared the death penalty, but you cannot escape punishment. We will arrange for you, Miss Luo, to work at the Imperial Music Bureau for three years."

"You bastard!"

Hou Jiancheng let out a low growl and subconsciously tried to press down on the sword at his waist, but he had already put it into his Sumeru Ring before entering the government office.

"Bass!"

A flash of light, the blade was drawn, and Xu Yuan handed his sword directly to Hou Jiancheng:

"General Hou, are you looking for a knife? Here, take it."

As he spoke, Xu Yuan stared into Hou Jiancheng's gloomy eyes:

"You may do whatever you want. I am merely a fifth-rank Soul Condensation cultivator. It shouldn't be difficult for General Hou to kill me."

Having said that,

Xu Yuan secretly glanced at Li Qingyan, who remained calmly seated in the hall.

Sister, don't mess up, or you'll be living the life of a widow.

"."

Li Qingyan rolled her eyes.

She now seriously suspects that this guy is just using her orders to unleash his true nature.

Hou Jiancheng stared at the blade Xu Yuan handed him, took a deep breath, looked at Li Qingyan in the hall, and said in a low voice:

"Your Highness Wu Yuan, does this personal guard represent your will?"

"Don't ask her, I can make the decision."

Xu Yuan interrupted him again, sheathing his sword and saying with a smile, "You two, choose quickly: either die, go to the Imperial Music Bureau, or hand over all your Sumeru Ring."

The blatant humiliation made Luo Qingfeng's chest heave with anger, her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, and she whispered:

"Currently, the only generals of higher rank than the two of us are Mr. Zong and Marquis of Martial Achievement. May I ask, by what right does the young master make this decision? Is he His Highness's personal guard? Or..."

"Is it possible because my father is Xu Yinhe?"

"." Luo Qingfeng.

"." Hou Jiancheng.

Seeing the two suddenly fall silent, Xu Yuan waved his hand and said with a light smile:

"And you two, don't try anything funny in front of me. Mr. Zong has already told me everything you want to do and what you might do. I'll ask you one last time: hand it over, or not?"

"."

Luo Qingfeng and Hou Jiancheng exchanged a glance for a moment, seemingly realizing something, and nodded imperceptibly.

"Since the Third Young Master has said so, it would be ungrateful of us not to hand over the supplies. However, we don't have much baggage left."

Having said that,

The two of them swiftly removed the Sumeru Ring from their fingertips, carried them with their Source Qi, and presented them to Xu Yuan, while also removing the restrictions on the Sumeru Ring.

Xu Yuan took the two Sumeru Ring, probed them into his Will Soul, and raised an eyebrow slightly.

So fat!

There were countless silver notes, pills, and various rare medicinal herbs, but very little grain and supplies.

Xu Yuan turned around and exchanged a glance with Li Qingyan, then smiled directly:

"Gentlemen, there is no military baggage in your Sumeru Ring."

Luo Qingfeng cupped her hands in greeting:

"In that case, I hope the Third Young Master will take the Sumeru Ring."

"Eh."

Xu Yuan interrupted, frowning, and said, "Right now, we need pills and money to boost morale. I'd like to keep these two Sumeru Ring for you. Don't forget, you're about to die. After you've redeemed yourselves through meritorious service, I'll return them to you."

Luo Qingfeng and Hou Jiancheng seemed to have been prepared for this, and the moment they took off their Sumeru Ring. However, they both showed just the right amount of embarrassment and anger on their faces.

He pondered for a few breaths,

Hou Jiancheng suddenly cupped his hands and gritted his teeth, saying:

"In that case, Third Young Master, you must be tired from your military journey. May Qing Feng and I go and rest first?"

"Rest?"

Xu Yuan's eyes held a hint of amusement as he raised a finger, pointed at himself, and a greedy glint appeared in his eyes. He licked his lips.

"Who would believe that a commander-in-chief only possesses a Sumeru Ring?"

A hint of anger flashed in Luo Qingfeng's eyes:

"Xu Changtian, what do you want?!"

"Search her." Xu Yuan stared at her and uttered two words.

"That's outrageous!"

"So what if I bully you?"

Xu Yuan threw his sword directly at Hou Jiancheng's feet, who had spoken, and glanced at him sideways:

"A fool's rage can spill blood five steps away; if you're not happy, come and kill me!"

"." Hou Jiancheng.

With veins bulging on his forehead, Hou Jiancheng bent down to pick up the knife, but Luo Qingfeng grabbed him, because the princess in the hall had completely locked onto their Qi.

Luo Qingfeng took a deep breath, her beautiful eyes fixed on the unbridled playboy, and whispered:

"How does the Third Young Master intend to conduct the body search?"

Xu Yuan thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled ambiguously:

"Miss Luo will be personally inspected by me. I know a little about this, after all, women can hide things in quite a few places. As for General Hou, you can be inspected by His Highness Wu Yuan's deputy general; he likes men the most."

"."

Upon hearing this, Hou Jiancheng's eyes seemed capable of killing.

Luo Qingfeng's breath hitched, and her delicate body trembled slightly.

"Why must you humiliate us like this, Third Young Master?"

"There's no humiliation involved. Respect is earned, and your current predicament is entirely your own fault."

With that, Xu Yuan gestured to Hou Jiancheng towards the outside of the government office hall, saying, "Please, General Hou."

Hou Jiancheng clenched his fists, his Source Qi trembling uncontrollably, but he stood still.

Xu Yuan smiled with slight surprise:

"Ah, General Hou, you wouldn't want to watch me search Miss Luo's body, would you? That might be a bit unseemly."

"Xu Changtian!"

"Um?"

"."

Hou Jiancheng, his face grim, remained silent for a long time before finally squeezing out a sentence through gritted teeth. "I can give you the Sumeru Ring."

Xu Yuan blinked, then smiled with feigned surprise:

"Real?"

After a pause, Xu Yuan continued, "According to the allocation of my Black Scale Army, a force of 20,000 men would typically be equipped with three to five Sumeru Ring."

Hou Jiancheng clenched his fist and nodded. "I know."

Upon seeing this, Xu Yuan simply stretched out his hand and opened it.

Hou Jiancheng gently shook his head, his voice trembling slightly:

"The Sumeru Ring is not on us; it was buried under a snow-covered pine tree fifteen miles outside the city."

"."

Upon hearing this, Luo Qingfeng slowly lowered her eyes.

Xu Yuan chuckled upon seeing this.

Done.

Cangyuan was right.

This simp couldn't stand seeing his goddess being desecrated, especially since he had a real chance with her.

Thinking of this, Xu Yuan suddenly spoke loudly:

"Mr. Wine, I would like to trouble you to accompany General Hou out of the city and bring back the Sumeru Ring containing military equipment and supplies."

Shortly after the words were spoken, a middle-aged man descended from the sky, landing outside the lobby. He calmly walked up to Hou Jiancheng and gestured for him to enter.

"General Hou, please."

"."

Hou Jiancheng clenched his fists and walked silently out of the hall, with Mr. Wine following closely behind.

And then,

Under Xu Yuan's regretful gaze, Luo Qingfeng was also led away by a maid.

For a moment, the main hall of the government office fell silent.

Sitting in the main seat, Li Qingyan's indifferent expression gradually turned somewhat amused as he stared at Xu Yuan's back as he stood below:

"You did that on purpose?"

Xu Yuan continued to stare at Luo Qingfeng's slender back.

"Of course, some people see power as everything, but others value emotions more. Hou Jiancheng and Luo Qingfeng were childhood sweethearts, and he cannot tolerate me desecrating the love of his life."

Li Qingyan noticed his gaze and gave a soft hum.

"Why do I sense that you seem somewhat disappointed, My Lordship?"

"Disappointment?"

Xu Yuan withdrew his gaze, turned back to look at the woman's flawless face in the hall, and said quite bluntly:

"Your Highness lets me see but not eat. Anyone who doesn't know better would think I, Xu Yuan, am a eunuch."

"Luo Qingfeng was exceptionally beautiful just now, and the chance to get close to her was extremely rare. Now that it's gone, of course I'm disappointed."

"."

Li Qingyan stood up from her seat, her phoenix eyes fixed on Xu Yuan:

"You show absolutely no consideration for my feelings."

"You have feelings for me?" Xu Yuan asked with a smile.

Li Qingyan at him for a few moments, then shook his head.

"Not yet, but I do not approve."

Xu Yuan looked at the woman in red who had approached and was almost as tall as him:

"Life is full of disappointments, and some things won't happen just because Your Highness dislikes them."

Li Qingyan rolled her eyes at Xu Yuan:

"Shameless!"

"Oh, thank you for the compliment. Shamelessness is a skill in itself."