"As a knight of the Hua Clan, in the Holy War, it is only right that I do my part for Great Xia and for humanity!" Though Zuo Qiu Mingyue's appraisal moved Zhang Tie somewhat, he was not so swept away by it that he lost his head. He remained humble and tranquil. In truth, Zhang Tie had no love for fame or profit, nor any fondness for power, so he was very calm in the face of praise that would have thrilled others. "In fact, besides me, there are knights and soldiers fighting on the Wei River front, and people in the rear doing their part for Great Xia—scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, as numerous as the stars. Lord Zuo Qiu and the several Sky Knights are all pillars of Great Xia and the Western Theater. Zhang Tie was merely fortunate..."
"There is no fortune for knights, and even less so for a knight among knights!" Prince Changying stared earnestly at Zhang Tie. With His Highness's eye for judging people, he could naturally tell that the calmness on Zhang Tie's face was not an act; Zhang Tie truly did not care much for such honors and praise. One of Prince Changying's chief purposes in coming to see Zhang Tie this time had been to personally see what kind of man Zhang Tie was and understand his temperament. Yet after only a few exchanges, observing Zhang Tie's words and bearing, the prince had already formed some measure of judgment. Xuanyuan Changying gave a hearty laugh, pointed to the two chairs in the flower hall, and said gently, "Your injuries have only just healed. Let's not stand around talking. Sit, and we'll talk."
"Very well. Please, Your Highness."
The two sat across from each other at a long table in the