Wife Offered to the Heavens

On a barren plain not far from the Jia Ma Imperial Capital, a vast army of several hundred thousand was slowly advancing.

Today was a rare day of victory for the Jia Ma Empire in its war against the Cloud Empire.

About half a year ago, the Cloud Empire had brazenly invaded the Jia Ma Empire, using an attack on one of its own merchant caravans as an excuse.

Faced with the Cloud Empire's aggression, the Jia Ma Empire had no choice but to fight back.

Yet no one had expected that a war the Cloud Empire should have dominated would instead end in the Jia Ma Empire's victory!

Just a few days ago, the two sides had finally negotiated a ceasefire.

And now, this army of several hundred thousand, assembled by the Jia Ma Empire, was returning in triumph!

At that moment, banners blotted out the sky across the plain as clouds of dust billowed behind the passing army.

At the head of the army rode the Jia Ma Empire's Grand Marshal, Intal Mo Ya.

Unlike the Jia Ma Empire of later generations, where the Imperial Family shared power with three great clans—the Mittel Family, the Nalan Lineage, and the Mu Household—the current empire had a different balance of power.

Leaving the Misty Cloud Sect aside, the Jia Ma Empire was led by the Imperial Family, with just two great clans beneath it: the Mittel Family and the Intal Family.

The Mittel Family was in business, while the Intal Family handled government—or, more precisely, military affairs.

Of course, this did not mean there were no other clans in the Jia Ma Imperial Capital. It was just that, apart from the Imperial Family, only the Mittel and Intal Families had Dou Wang experts.

The other clans had, at most, Dou Ling experts.

Among them were the Nalan Lineage, the Mu Household, and the Xiao Household, all quietly rising within the Jia Ma Empire.

Unlike the Xiao Household of later generations, which had only Xiao Zhan, a Da Dou Shi, to hold things together and could barely even remain in the Jia Ma Imperial Capital, the Xiao Household of today still had Dou Ling experts.

And more than one!

Besides its clan leader, Xiao Dongcheng, a Six-Star Dou Ling, there was also Xiao Lin, who was barely over twenty and had already been chosen by the Xiao Household as its next clan leader.

So where was Xiao Lin now?

He was on the road back to the Jia Ma Imperial Capital with this army.

Near the front of the army, a handsome young man in his early twenties sat astride a fine horse, unable to hide the urgency on his face.

That young man was Xiao Lin.

The Xiao Household, which had made its home in the Jia Ma Imperial Capital, had also committed itself to military service.

As soon as Xiao Lin broke through to Da Dou Shi, he had begun honing himself in the Jia Ma Empire's army.

Over the next five years, he had risen from a mere foot soldier to a general commanding thirty thousand men, while also breaking through to Dou Ling.

Then, about half a year ago, war broke out between the Cloud Empire and the Jia Ma Empire. As a general of the Jia Ma Empire, Xiao Lin had naturally gone to battle.

But ever since he had left for the front, Xiao Lin had been beset by unease.

Before he departed, his wife, Wen Lingyun, had already been more than three months pregnant.

With the war underway, there was no way to know when he would return.

And his wife had never been in good health, which was why he was so worried.

"How much longer until we reach the capital? This is driving me crazy!"

Xiao Lin made no effort to conceal the anxiety on his face.

But a victorious army could not simply race home like a defeated one.

The Jia Ma Empire had lost eight out of every ten battles against the Cloud Empire. Now that it had finally beaten its old rival, of course it had to make a show of it.

So this victorious army was moving back at a snail's pace!

Xiao Lin understood why the Jia Ma Empire's Imperial Family had arranged things this way, but he could hardly help longing to rush home.

After all, more than half a year had passed. His wife, who had been only about three months pregnant when he left, could go into labor at any moment now!

Clearly, Xiao Lin wanted to be by her side when she gave birth.

But judging by the situation, it would take at least half a day to reach the capital.

To anyone else, half a day was just half a day. To Xiao Lin, it dragged on like a year.

"Hey, Xiao Lin, judging by that look on your face, you must be missing your wife, huh?"

Just as Xiao Lin wished he could fly straight home, a brisk voice suddenly came from beside him.

Xiao Lin knew who it was without even turning around: his close friend, Nalan Jie.

The two had known each other since childhood. They might as well have grown up sharing a pair of pants.

And their families were evenly matched in strength.

Then they had both joined the Jia Ma Empire's army to train, and their friendship had grown closer than brothers, despite not being blood relatives!

No wonder Nalan Jie had guessed at once what Xiao Lin was thinking when he saw his expression.

Xiao Lin merely rolled his eyes at Nalan Jie's teasing.

"Your wife gave birth before we left for the campaign, so of course you're not worried. Yun'er's different!"

Xiao Lin couldn't help complaining.

Nalan Jie's son was naturally Nalan Su.

"Heh, Xiao Lin, we made a promise. If we both had sons, they'd become sworn brothers. If we both had daughters, they'd become sworn sisters.

"But if one of us had a boy and the other a girl, we'd become in-laws.

"I've got a son now, so I really hope your wife has a daughter!"

Rather than take Xiao Lin's complaint to heart, Nalan Jie just grinned lecherously.

Yes, to Xiao Lin, Nalan Jie's grin looked downright sleazy.

More than once, he had wanted to punch that loathsome face, but he had managed to hold himself back.

At the same time, Xiao Lin silently prayed that his wife wouldn't have a daughter.

It wasn't that he disliked girls. He just didn't want to let Nalan Jie's "scheme" succeed.

After all, the two of them really had made that promise when they were drunk.

Back then, they had clearly both hoped to marry each other's daughters and bring them home as daughters-in-law.

But now that Nalan Jie already had a son, Xiao Lin naturally wasn't pleased.

Thinking of his wife, Xiao Lin couldn't help sighing again.

"Alas, what's the use of talking about it? I haven't even seen Yun'er yet."

Gazing at the Jia Ma Imperial Capital taking shape in the distance, Xiao Lin's unease deepened for no reason.

Then Xiao Lin and Nalan Jie chatted as they followed the army toward the Jia Ma Imperial Capital.

At last, half a day later, before sunset, the victorious army of several hundred thousand returned to the Jia Ma Imperial Capital.

Xiao Lin didn't even attend the Victory Banquet held at the Jia Ma Imperial Palace. He headed straight back to the Xiao Household.

But when he returned and saw white mourning cloth hanging all over the Xiao Household, his heart shuddered.

In that instant, a terrible premonition surged through Xiao Lin.

The Xiao Household members who saw him return all looked as if they wanted to speak but couldn't, and the sight made his head ring.

Xiao Lin paid no attention to anything else and rushed straight toward his courtyard.

"Yun'er! Yun'er! I'm home!"

As he ran, he kept calling his wife's name.

But when he reached his courtyard and saw the coffin, he froze. Then it felt as though something shot straight up into his head.

And with that, Xiao Lin promptly fainted.