Chapter 14

Sand

"If we use the tiger's method, won't we have nothing to worry about afterward?" the queen said, half mocking, half encouraging.

Diqi's charm was indeed astonishing. Just a few days after her public declaration, the outskirts of the Fox Territory were already packed with eager Orcs,

forming what had vaguely become a small marketplace. Whether the coming disaster could be resolved or not aside, the Fox-kin Tribe had already made a fortune from the rapidly growing number of flower protectors.

Some cunning Fox-kin had even begun selling magical images of their queen, some stored in crystals and others on badges. The content was Diqi's public call for warriors at the Fox-kin Tribe gathering.

The second document was a military report from the Radiant Knights. Their commander, Alex, reported to Lei Chen that traces of the eldest princess, Lei Xiaoqing, had been discovered in the Rotting Swamp.

The report also mentioned that Duoduo, a mage from Saguli Academy, had gone to the Rotting Swamp that same night, accompanied by a young man and a Goblin.

"Pass on my orders." Lei Chen's sudden words jolted the already exhausted old prime minister awake.

"First: upon receiving this order, the Radiant Knights are to immediately leave their original garrison and reach the southern province within seven days, where they will be placed under the command of Marquis Aiwado Golis, the governor. Those who disobey will be executed." Lei Chen's expression was grim.

Atrien was startled when he heard this military order. What had the Radiant Knights done to anger His Majesty so badly that the usually mild-tempered Lei Chen would issue an order like "those who disobey will be executed"?

"Atrien, I want Alex to receive this order tonight. Do you understand?" Lei Chen rarely spoke to the prime minister in such a stern tone.

"Yes, I understand," Atrien replied with repeated nods.

"Do you really understand?" An intriguing smile appeared at the corner of Lei Chen's lips. Before the prime minister could respond, Lei Chen continued as if talking to himself, "You do not understand, Prime Minister. The Radiant Knights actually dared to ignore my orders, disguise themselves as Orcs, and lie in ambush in the Rotting Swamp. Fortunately, nothing happened. Atrien, I somewhat regret not listening to you old men."

"Your Majesty has already made the most thorough considerations." Atrien rose and answered, "I must bear the greatest responsibility for this matter. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

"Since nothing happened, why speak of punishment?" Lei Chen motioned for Atrien to sit back down. "Send the second order to Count Yi Tianxing. Tell him to send twenty capable members of the Yi Family, along with three hundred garrison troops, to guard the Radiant Knights' garrison.

"Oh, there is one more matter." Lei Chen watched Atrien record his orders without pause, then stopped to take a sip of water.

After organizing Lei Chen's orders, Atrien looked up and waited for the emperor's next instruction.

"The third..." This order is to be delivered privately to Yi Tianxing. "Among the twenty Yi Family members sent to guard the place, Yi Junze and Yi Lin Hanxuan must be included." Lei Chen toyed with a communication crystal that gave off a faint green glow. Through the crystal's refraction, Atrien seemed to see a hint of longing for an old friend in Emperor Lei Chen's eyes.

Suddenly, the ground shook violently. Before Lin Hanxuan could figure out what was happening, his vision blurred, and Yi Junze followed Hermie into the fissure at lightning speed. Several teachers rushed over to investigate as well. Before long, Yi Junze slowly rose from the underground crack, Hermie in his left arm and the purple feather fan in his right hand.

The students nearby erupted into cheers. Though Hermie, held in Yi Junze's arms, was trembling in fear, she buried her head deeply against his chest.

"Hermie, Junze, are you all right?" asked Heifan, the teacher of magical beast biology, as he took Hermie from Yi Junze's arms.

"Teacher, be careful..." Yi Junze swayed, and the feather fan in his hand suddenly snapped in half with a crack. The broken surface was perfectly smooth, as though it had been sliced apart by a sharp blade.

Before Yi Junze could finish speaking, his body tipped backward. A jet of blood burst from his chest, splattering Heifan and Hermie's faces.

"Careful." Seeing that Yi Junze was badly injured, Hal hurriedly caught him.

"Senior Junze, what's wrong? Don't scare me!" Yi Junze had saved Hermie, leaving her full of gratitude. Seeing the handsome young man suddenly gravely wounded, words of concern burst from her lips without thought for propriety.

"Move aside, move aside. Let me see." Tidavi, the teacher of the Four-Winged Light Tiger Class, struggled to push through the crowding students, eager to save Yi Junze. Seeing the injuries on the second young master of the Yi Family, Tidavi's face grew grave. "Chadman, Nora, come help too."

"Please wait, Teacher." Aslan spoke up to stop him.

"Aslan, what do you mean by this? Junze may have offended you, but he is still your senior!" Tidavi pushed away Aslan's lion paw and was about to treat Yi Junze on the spot.

Lin Hanxuan also walked silently to Aslan's side, his eyes fixed on the fissure.

With a puff, the fissure suddenly spewed a blast of sand and soil. The swirling dust immediately made everyone unable to open their eyes.

Aslan had been watching the spot where Yi Junze lay all along. The instant the sand erupted, he closed his eyes and leaped toward Yi Junze, scooping him up before quickly jumping aside.

"Hehehe..." A cold, sinister laugh spread through the air. Amid the billowing dust, no one could see what had happened again.

"Little lion, you're clever. But no one can escape Peiganbo's hand blade."

"Tsk, I'm injured." Aslan calmly assessed his own condition.