Exploring Military Matters from the Residence, Personally Going Out to Greet Him

Dingchang City, the Military Governor's Residence.

Xiao Lan, the military governor of Dingchang and the Marquis of Darui Maishan, sat in a chair with a commanding presence, dressed in military attire. His demeanor was calm and composed. In front of him, on both sides of the hall, sat several people, some of whom were quite old and some of whom were still young. Each of them exuded a dignified aura, and as they sat next to each other, it was as if a blood-red current of energy was twisting and flashing around them, constantly changing.

The first person on the left was an old man of about fifty years old, with a beard hanging down to his chest. He sat upright with his eyes closed, silent, yet a powerful aura kept emanating from him, soaring into the sky.

In the open space of the main hall, a messenger knelt on one knee and informed everyone present that a caravan had arrived from outside the city.

In fact, it wasn't just Qiu Yan and Pang Qianru who arrived on horseback; the entire delegation was discovered as soon as they entered Dingchang territory. The news spread through the ranks and reached Xiao Lan, who then gathered her people there.

However, the soldiers stationed on the city wall had just discovered it, and it was only right and proper for them to come and report it.

"Xie Jie your help, you can go now." Xiao Lan nodded, and the messenger saluted before leaving.

Then, Xiao Lan looked around at everyone and slowly said, "It is not advisable to make the news of the delegation's northward journey public yet, so as not to arouse the vigilance of the Rouluo. Although the Rouluo are in internal strife, they can still send a force to launch an attack."

At this moment, a young man in battle robes stood up and clasped his hands in a fist salute. "My lord, these are all minor matters. As long as the Three-River Hu are willing, even if the Rouluo try to intercept us, it will be useless. The general trend cannot be changed. On the contrary, if the Three-River Hu are unwilling to join forces with our Great Rui, even if they can advance unimpeded, it will be a waste of effort."

"Yuan Xing is right," another person stood up. He was a burly man with a full beard and a rough voice. He also cupped his hands towards Xiao Lan and said, "These diplomatic missions and such are not of much concern to us. I, Old Lu, only care about when I can lead my troops into battle and have a good time. Otherwise, I'll be stuck in the city."

At this point, he changed the subject, his face showing suspicion. "By the way, we're here for this year's top scholar! Isn't it said that he's a descendant of the Military School? A descendant of the Military School strategist went and became the top scholar, but I don't know if it's true! If it is, that would be a real honor for us. Those civil officials, don't they all say we're uncultured? And yet they can't even beat us Military School!"

Yuan Xing poured cold water on the matter, saying, "This matter is not yet confirmed. Besides, even if Qiu Yan is truly a descendant of Military School and becomes the top scholar, what does that have to do with you Lu Jiang?"

Xiao Lan raised her hand in a gesture of calm to quell the argument. She continued, "Elder Xu is already verifying this matter, and we'll have results soon. If it's true, we'll naturally recruit him into our Military School. From now on, we'll have someone to contend with Rouluo, instead of resorting to blind resistance as before."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room shifted their gazes, focusing on the fifty-year-old man. Sensing the aura of authority emanating from him, they fell silent, as if waiting for something.

Then, most people felt their flesh and blood tremble, their Qi and Blood surged, connecting them together and coming into contact with Elder Xu's aura. Their senses expanded, reaching all the way outside.

In the sky, the Military School Order pulsed, drawn by the Military Spirit, converging towards the outside of the city.

Outside the city gates, in mid-air, a Military School Order also existed, resisting the celestial Order and the surrounding Spiritual Qi, resulting in a stalemate.

But the several Order originating from the sky pressed in step by step, like righteous soldiers, squeezing down little by little, advancing cautiously, and slowly suppressing the Order outside the city.

"Master Xu has descended with the spirit of a military strategist. Even if Qiu Yan is in accordance with the order, he has never led troops and has no soldiers following him, so he cannot fully exert the power of the order. With this kind of pressure, his true strength should be revealed, and the situation will become clear." Marquis Xiao Lan of Maishan squinted and sensed the situation, then looked towards a corner of the hall and said, "Xiao Jian, go see Qiu Yan on my behalf and bring him here."

"Yes!" A young man, strikingly handsome and imposing, stood up from the corner of the hall, at the very end of the group. He turned and walked towards the door, but the moment his foot crossed the threshold, a series of gasps erupted from the hall—

"What happened?"

What's going on?

"Impossible!"

The exclamations of surprise came from the people in the room. These were all fierce generals under Xiao Lan, stationed on the frontier. Although they had no illustrious reputation, they had fought for half their lives and seen all kinds of storms. But now, in the young man's view, one could clearly see the undisguised shock on their faces.

Not only that, even his own father, Marquis Xiao Lan of Maishan, who had guarded the border for many years and remained calm in the face of adversity, showed a look of shock.

The young man stopped in his tracks, puzzled. Limited by his cultivation level and perception, he naturally didn't know that the reason everyone in the room was so shocked was because they had caught the colorful concept released by Qiu Yan!

Like ink dropped into clear water, the moment this vibrant color, combining the concepts of two Continent, was revealed, the surrounding Spiritual Qi became chaotic, scattering and surging in all directions. Even the Military School Order falling from the sky fluctuated, showing a tendency to collapse and becoming increasingly difficult to control!

Sudden!

"Ugh!" In the Military Governor's Residence, the old man with his eyes closed let out a muffled groan, opened his eyes, and the others also trembled, with one or two people standing up directly.

Outside, the Military Spirit contracted, and the several Military School Order in the sky dissipated accordingly.

"What is that thing? Could it be the true essence of Military School Order? But why is it so chaotic? As soon as it appeared, it disrupted the Military School Order established by the military town?"

"It's not the true essence of Order, but it's related to the Military School Order," Elder Xu. "There must be a secret hidden within Qiu Yan. The vibrant colors don't represent spirit or Order in the ordinary sense. It's difficult to fathom in a short time. After all, I'm relying on the Military Spirit to invoke the Force of Order. I can't control it as easily as I would my own limb. If I encounter someone who can Thought-Convergent Order, I will inevitably be at a disadvantage."

"Call..."

Letting out a long breath, Xiao Lan stood up from her seat and called to the young man, "Xiao Jian, come back. We'll greet them together later. Tell people to prepare and open the city gates."

"This isn't a good idea," Yuan Xing frowned. "Such a grand display will inevitably attract the attention of the Hu people scouts, making it difficult for the delegation to conceal their whereabouts."

"It's not about welcoming the delegation, it's about welcoming Qiu Yan!" Xiao Lan glanced at him. "The situation is clear now. Qiu Yan can defy the Military School Order without provoking a backlash. The rumors are probably true, so we can't treat him lightly!"

"If we welcome Qiu Yan and he is discovered by the Hu people, we must treat him with special care, since he is going to the Northern Desert with the delegation. This could potentially trigger a chain reaction."

Xiao Lan had already reached the door, but turned back and smiled, "Qiu Yan Thought-Convergent Order and has the potential to become a great sage of the Military School. Such a person should naturally be protected by the Military School. How can we let him go to the Northern Desert alone?"

"Was that the power of Military School Order just now?"

Outside the city walls, in front of the tightly closed gate, Pang Qianru stared at Qiu Yan in disbelief.

Just moments ago, Spiritual Qi surged and Order descended, and it looked like a great show was about to begin, but in an instant it vanished into thin air. She saw Qiu Yan gently wave his hand, which disrupted the descending Force of Order!

Pang Qianru was no stranger to the power of Military School Order. She had experienced it when she was very young and knew that once that power was used, with the help of favorable timing and location, it was something that no cultivator's Divine Ability could resist.

But it was precisely this power that was easily shattered by the vibrant colors thrown by Qiu Yan. His effortless manner left a deep impression on Pang Qianru, and the belief in victory she had built up over the past six months of dream conquest began to waver.

"With such methods, it's no wonder he dared to leave Prosperity Capital at this time!"

Pang Qianru heard about Qiu Yan's falling out with several Daoist Sect sects from her father, Marquis Pang Yi of Anyang Marquis. Pang Yi also gave his analysis, pointing out that Qiu Yan had left Prosperity Capital and was no longer within the Capital Region. The power that had been suppressing his Divine Ability abilities had receded, leaving only the insignia held by the envoy, which could guide the Dragon Qi for blessing, but it was not as advantageous as the capital's location.

Under these circumstances, Qiu Yan was easily attacked, which is why Pang Yi sent Pang Qianru along, and used this as an excuse to mobilize the Marquis's mansion's experts to protect him secretly.

But at this moment, Pang Qianru suddenly realized that her father's worries might be somewhat unnecessary.

Whew~~

The air currents lingered, the remaining strong winds gradually subsided, and sparse silt drifted by.

On the city wall, a dozen soldiers drew their bows and nocked arrows, aiming the arrows at Qiu Yan and his companion.

The Spiritual Qi and Order surged, which ordinary people could hardly see directly, but those who had come from the Sand Battlefield had keen senses and could not help but feel wary. After seeing Qiu Yan throw out the colorful garb, causing the air currents to scatter, they finally reacted.

"Who are you people..." On the city wall, the officer-looking man was about to ask when a voice came from behind him, stopping him in his tracks. He then ordered the soldiers to put down their bows and arrows.

Hearing the sound, the group looked at each other in surprise and doubt, put away their weapons, and looked down at the city.

Creak!

The towering city gates slowly opened, and Marquis Xiao Lan of Maishan led his men out. He approached Qiu Yan, sized him up, and finally smiled, saying, "Mr. Qiu, please come in..."

These words caused the soldiers on and off the city wall to widen their eyes in disbelief.

At the same time.

North of Dingchang, on a hill covered in trees, several people gazed into the distance; their hairstyles were quite different from those of those in the Central Plains.

No hair is left on top; the hair on all four sides is ear-length, and grows longer after the ears, with a lock of hair hanging down on each side of the forehead.

The leader was young, but his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's. He wore a four-hatted robe and a two-colored robe, while the others wore Rouluo robes, which were narrow green robes with floral patterns. They all exuded youthful energy and were focused on observing the sky.

At this moment, someone spoke up, "Your Majesty, the aura of Order has dissipated. What should we do next? Among the people of the Central Plains, someone is actually Thought-Convergent Order's again!"

The young man narrowed his eyes and sneered, "They thought I was trapped in the Royal Court, so they were unprepared and exposed. That aura of Order is unstable, obviously because I have just gained control of the army and have not yet consolidated my power. This is the perfect opportunity to make a move!" As he spoke, the Military School Order appeared and disappeared around him.

ps:

Thank you to "Xiao Wu's Dad" for the donation!

I have some things to do tomorrow, so the one I posted at noon might have to wait until tonight!