The Deluded Fool.

Heaven Dou City, West Market teahouse.

The second-floor private room, doors and windows tightly shut.

Ning Fengzhi sat by the window, clutching a secret report just delivered from outside the city, his fingers trembling slightly.

There were few words on the report, yet each one struck his heart like an iron hammer.

"Four hundred and fifty thousand allied troops, the entire army routed in a single night."

"Marshal Helge captured, Prince Xue Ye taken prisoner, King Kundera surrendered."

"Approximately one hundred and fifty thousand dead or mortally wounded, over three hundred thousand surrendered."

"From the start of the battle to the collapse, less than two hours."

Less than two hours.

Four hundred and fifty thousand men, gone in less than two hours.

Ning Fengzhi set down the report and took a sip from his teacup.

The tea had already gone cold, the bitterness spreading across his tongue, yet he remained completely unaware.

"Uncle Chen, what is your take?"

Sitting opposite him, Chen Xin kept his eyes closed, his fingers resting on the hilt of the Seven Kill Sword across his lap.

After a moment of silence, he opened his eyes, his gaze calm and grave.

"I have lived for decades, and I have never heard of such a battle."

"Four hundred and fifty thousand troops, not four hundred and fifty thousand pigs."

"Even if they were four hundred and fifty thousand hogs, if you sent twenty thousand men to catch them, they wouldn't finish in a single night."

Ning Fengzhi gave a bitter smile: "Yet they finished them off."

"Therefore, this woman is far more terrifying than we imagined."

Chen Xin's voice was low, carrying a hint of apprehension he himself did not notice.

"How did she do it?"

Ning Fengzhi stood up, walked to the window, and gazed toward the direction of the imperial palace in the distance.

Morning light spilled onto the glazed tiles, reflecting a golden glow.

The palace looked peaceful and serene, not at all like the abyssal maw that had just swallowed four hundred and fifty thousand men.

"Twenty thousand Heavenly Strategy Army, no matter how elite, could not possibly crush an army of four hundred and fifty thousand head-on."

Ning Fengzhi turned around, his eyes flickering.

"Unless—she tampered with things from within the allied forces."

"And not just dozens or hundreds, but hundreds or thousands. Otherwise, it would be impossible to cause four hundred and fifty thousand men to completely lose command in such a short time."

He paused, his voice dropping even lower.

"Even Marshal Helge was taken alive."

Chen Xin was silent for a moment before speaking slowly.

"It is not just internal agents."

"The location of the allied camp, the terrain, the water source, the wind direction... she must have calculated it all in advance."

"I suspect she raided the central command tent, which means she knew the movements of the allied forces like the back of her hand."

Ning Fengzhi's pupils contracted slightly.

"She even knew the allied forces were going to lay siege? Knew where they would camp? Knew they would surround before attacking?"

"She certainly knew." Chen Xin's voice was very soft, yet it struck like a heavy hammer, "She knew every move the allied forces would make."

The room remained silent for a long time.

Ning Fengzhi leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and his mind raced.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, a complex light flashing within them.

"Uncle Chen, what do you think... we should do now?"

Chen Xin did not answer immediately.

Ning Fengzhi stood up and paced the room, his voice low.

"Ever since she issued those decrees, I knew this woman was no simple character."

"But I never expected her to be powerful to this extent."

"Four hundred and fifty thousand allied troops, crushed by her in a single night."

He stopped his pacing and looked at Chen Xin.

"Our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has always been founded on commerce, and our greatest strength lies in navigating between various factions.

But this time, I truly cannot see through it."

"Uncle Sword, what do you think—how will she treat us?"

Chen Xin was silent for a moment before speaking slowly.

"I don't know."

"But one thing I can be certain of.

Those methods of hers could not have been prepared in a day or two.

From the moment she took Heaven Dou City, she had already begun laying out her plans."

Chen Xin's voice was low and firm.

"Facing the allied forces, she is not passively defending, but actively attacking.

Before the allied forces even reached Heaven Dou City, her blade was already pressed against their throats.

This war, from the moment Xue Ye raised his troops, had its outcome already determined."

Ning Fengzhi let out a long sigh.

"I used to think that with four hundred and fifty thousand against twenty thousand, there was no way to lose, no matter how the battle was fought.

But now..."

He looked at Chen Xin, his gaze tinged with bitterness, "I understand."

"Victory or defeat has never been about the number of people, but about who controls the intelligence, who seizes the initiative, and who can predict every move of the opponent."

"And she, she has been one step ahead of the allied forces at every turn."

The two were silent for a moment.

Just as Ning Fengzhi was about to speak, suddenly—

"Truly worthy of being the Young Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, your analysis is quite logical."

A slightly charming voice drifted in from outside the window.

Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin's expressions changed simultaneously.

Chen Xin's reaction was faster. His hand was already pressed against the hilt of his Seven Kill Sword, his spiritual power released like a tidal wave, locking onto the direction the voice came from—outside the door.

He could not sense the presence of that person.

This meant that the opponent either possessed strength far exceeding his own or had special concealment methods.

"Clack, clack, clack."

Crisp footsteps came from the top of the stairs, unhurried, as if stepping on one's heart.

The door to the private room was pushed open gently.

A figure walked in gracefully.

A black and red dress, nine tails swaying, peach-blossom eyes slightly upturned, red lips curved into a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

Her entire being exuded an enchanting and dangerous aura.

Yan Lingji.

Following behind her was a silver-haired, pink-eyed young girl with an equally proud figure, following timidly and curiously observing the room.

Na'er.

Ning Fengzhi took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart, and quickly put on a respectful smile.

"I did not know Your Majesty was coming; please forgive me for failing to welcome you properly."

Chen Xin also stood up slowly, his hand on his sword hilt, his gaze locked on Yan Lingji.

This woman stood there, yet she seemed like a void, with no soul power fluctuations leaking out.

The more it was like this, the more dangerous she was.

Yan Lingji glanced around the room and sat down leisurely in the main seat.

Her nine fox tails spread out behind her as she leaned lazily against the back of the chair.

Na'er stood obediently behind her.

"Young Sect Master Ning need not be so reserved," Yan Lingji chuckled, "I won't eat you."

"Yes, yes, Your Majesty is joking." Ning Fengzhi wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead.

Yan Lingji tilted her head, a hint of mischief flashing in her peach-blossom eyes.

"I am actually quite curious, what is the Young Sect Master thinking?"

She paused.

"With four hundred and fifty thousand allied troops at the city gates, the Young Sect Master is in the city, yet you do not seek an audience with me, nor do you declare which side you stand on.

Are you planning to wait for the outcome to emerge before leaning toward the winner?"

Ning Fengzhi's smile stiffened for a fleeting moment.

He took a deep breath and said slowly, "Your Majesty, please understand, it is not that I am unwilling to take a side.

It is just that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was founded on commerce and has always refrained from imperial politics. My intention in coming here was merely to observe the situation, not to—"

"Not to what?" Yan Lingji interrupted him. "Not to be a fence-sitter? Not to sway with every breeze?"

Ning Fengzhi's face paled a shade.

He opened his mouth to explain, only to realize he had no way to refute her.

"Your Majesty jests." His voice sounded somewhat parched. "I was only... only..."

"Only what?" Yan Lingji chuckled. "Only waiting to see if I could survive this.

If I survive, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect comes to curry favor.

If I don't, you go to curry favor with Xue Ye."

Her voice was like an invisible blade, piercing through all of Ning Fengzhi's pretenses.

Fine beads of sweat seeped out onto Ning Fengzhi's forehead.

He could not deny it at all.

What Yan Lingji said was the truth.

"Truly worthy of being the Young Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect." Yan Lingji's voice carried a hint of mockery.

"Playing both sides, swaying with the wind. I must say, I admire such talent."

Ning Fengzhi's body stiffened for a moment, then slowly relaxed as he forced a bitter smile onto his face.

"Your Majesty is right. I did indeed... indeed have a heart that wished to wait and see."

He gritted his teeth and lowered his posture even further.

"Your Majesty's methods are heaven-defying, and I am convinced.

From this day forward, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is willing to serve Your Majesty."

Yan Lingji looked at him, the mockery in her peach-blossom eyes neither fading nor being immediately answered.

The air in the room seemed to have frozen, with only the occasional chirping of birds drifting in from outside the window.

Yet, this stance only made Ning Fengzhi feel even more terrified.

Chen Xin, standing to the side, spoke up.

"Your Majesty, this old man has something to say, though I do not know if it is appropriate."