Just as Chen Wei was wondering how to escape this calamity, Yang Niansan brought back good news.
Yes, good news!
Yang Niansan came pattering in, delight spilling from her eyes and brows. "Sir! Good news! Wonderful news! The Holy Manifestation True Lord has summoned you!"
Good news?
The True Lord had summoned him?
Chen Wei slowly set his teacup on the desk. In his heart, the drums of retreat were already pounding.
His supreme strategic directive for this campaign had been simple: hide in the rear and fish in muddy waters. Keep himself happy, keep everyone happy, keep all the immortals happy, and if they won, tag along for a little broth.
Now look at this. In the blink of an eye, he was being pushed into the central command tent to face the commander himself?
"Lord Yang..." Chen Wei tried to keep his voice steady. "At this critical juncture, with a vast army bearing down upon us, the True Lord has countless affairs to attend to and military duties aplenty. Wouldn't I only add to the chaos by barging in to disturb him? Perhaps this meeting..."
Before he could finish-
Pang Long sprang to his feet, all three strands of his long beard trembling. "Do it, sir! This is a heaven-sent opportunity!"
The corner of Chen Wei's eye twitched violently.
Do it?
Do what?
He was just about to speak and put a damper on this reckless momentum when Yang Niansan patted her chest and solemnly assured him, "Sir, just go with an easy mind. I've already spoken with the True Lord! He's very interested in the plan and is waiting for you to discuss the details!"
Chen Wei closed his eyes.
The grand claims had already been made, and he had already put on the inscrutable airs of a chief official.
His subordinates were all gazing at him eagerly.
He was riding a tiger now, with no way to get off.
If he backed down at this point, his authority as chief official would be swept into the dirt. How would he lead his people after that?
How would he command their respect?
There was no other choice.
Chen Wei forced an airily untroubled smile. Slowly rising with his hands behind his back, he said in a grave voice, "Mm. Since the True Lord has summoned me, I believe this risk is worth taking!"
"A wise decision, sir!" Pang Long and Ma Muzhi cupped their hands and cried out in unison.
Chen Wei and Yang Niansan flew side by side toward Yang Jian's Flying Boat. Formations of celestial soldiers patrolled back and forth around them, and a grim, murderous air hung over everything.
As she flew, Yang Niansan kept chattering. "Sir, fly a little faster! Don't worry, the True Lord is very easy to talk to. Out of consideration for the Third Holy Mother, he certainly won't make things difficult for you. Just tell him the plan we discussed."
Easy to talk to?
Chen Wei's heart pounded at her words, but his control over his expression was first-rate.
He turned his head slightly and smiled calmly. "You worry too much, Lord Yang. When I previously discussed matters with the True Lord at the War Council, we had a most pleasant conversation. He was full of praise for my prudent approach. Why would he make things difficult for me?"
Fine words indeed.
Yet the closer he drew to the Flying Boat, the stronger his sense of foreboding became.
An immortal's intuition was usually accurate. Chen Wei kept feeling as though a great pit lay somewhere ahead, shrouded in clouds and mist.
At last, the two immortals arrived outside the door.
Chen Wei swept his gaze over the entrance. Something was wrong. Very wrong!
Ordinarily, at least two ranks of Golden-Armored Strongmen stood outside the True Lord's door, solemn and imposing.
Today, however, it was completely deserted. Not even a Yellow Turban Strongman stood guard.
Chen Wei was just about to find an excuse to stall when Yang Niansan pushed the door open and beckoned over her shoulder. "Sir, come in."
Whether he stuck his head out or drew it back, the blade would fall all the same.
Chen Wei steeled himself and stepped over the threshold.
Inside.
Yang Jian sat cross-legged on the floor. He wore no battle armor, only loose everyday robes. Across his knees lay the fearsome weapon renowned throughout the Three Realms, stained with the blood of countless great demons-the Three-Pointed, Double-Edged Blade.
The True Lord was carefully wiping along its edge with a piece of deerskin.
When he saw Chen Wei and Yang Niansan arrive, his wiping hand paused slightly. He slowly raised his head and smiled. "Oh, Qingquan is here? Have a seat."
Before Chen Wei could thank him and sit down-
Yang Jian turned his gaze to Yang Niansan and dismissed her. "Lord Yang, wait outside for now. Official Chen and I have important matters to discuss!"
Yang Niansan was immediately displeased.
She had intended to remain in the room so that her presence could provide Chen Wei some protection, lest her second brother lose his temper and turn on him.
"True Lord, I am a deputy official of the Censorate. Regarding this proposed plan..." Yang Niansan had just begun reaching for bureaucratic arguments to protest.
Yang Jian said nothing. He merely gave her a sidelong glance.
That single glance made Yang Niansan swallow the words on her tongue. She remembered her agreement with her second brother. If she kept making a nuisance of herself, he might truly fall out with her and overturn the table.
Yang Niansan could only shut her mouth and turn toward the door.
Before leaving, she gave Chen Wei a reassuring look.
Outwardly, Chen Wei remained composed. Inwardly, towering waves had long since begun crashing through him.
Why was the True Lord wiping his blade?
Once a weapon left its sheath, it had to taste blood.
There were only two immortals in this tent. Surely he wasn't cleaning it to cut melons?
In a battle of nerves, whoever showed fear first lost.
A high immortal stood right before him. Rules and etiquette were the best defensive armor he had.
Chen Wei stepped forward and bowed. "This humble official pays his respects to the True Lord."
"Ah, Qingquan!" Yang Jian still had his head lowered, his gaze fixed on the keen edge of the Three-Pointed, Double-Edged Blade. "From what Lord Yang tells me, you have a fine plan to break through the current chaos at the Heaven-Reaching River?"
Chen Wei's thoughts raced.
Offer a plan?
If he said he had a good plan, that would be flaunting his cleverness before the commander and overstepping military authority.
If he said he did not, that would be deceiving the commander and making sport of the army.
At that thought, Chen Wei put on a humble expression. "True Lord, you give this humble official far too much credit! What would I know of deploying troops and arranging formations, or of fine plans to break this deadlock? What Lord Yang mentioned earlier was merely a few trifling schemes my colleagues and I idly cobbled together. They are unfit for august halls and unworthy of serious consideration!"
At this, Yang Jian stopped wiping the blade.
He folded the deerskin and set it on the commander's desk. Then he gripped the shaft of the Three-Pointed, Double-Edged Blade with one hand, lightly turned his wrist, and lifted the weapon.
Yang Jian looked at Chen Wei, his face wreathed in smiles. "Don't belittle yourself. As I see it, Qingquan has undergone a gentleman's transformation, his virtues shining like a leopard's markings-a worthy minister to aid the court. With a plan like this, why didn't you propose it at the earlier military council?"
"True Lord!"
"This humble official is only an errand runner. I have no talent for strategy!"
Chen Wei involuntarily retreated two steps. Why did he feel as though Yang Jian wanted to cleave him in two?
He hadn't offended the True Lord, had he?
He was only a lowly true immortal. Surely he wasn't worth a great Luo golden immortal's attention.
As he was thinking this, Chen Wei suddenly felt the flow of energy throughout his body lock tight.
Yang Jian did not move. The vertical line between his brows quietly opened a sliver, and golden light fell precisely three inches before Chen Wei's brow. Caught by that stray ray from the Heavenly Eye, even his true immortal Dao fruit ceased circulating.
"Qingquan, you say you have no talent for strategy, but I'm not so sure." The smile on Yang Jian's face never faded. "From what I know, you're an old hand at political maneuvering, with long sleeves that let you dance most deftly in the Bright Hall! Military affairs are no child's play! What is this? Do you intend to make sport of me with a few tricks cobbled together at random?"
A damning charge had landed on his head.
Making sport of the commander was a capital offense, one that could get him hauled up to the Immortal-Slaying Platform.
Chen Wei felt his scalp prickle. His mind spun so fast it left afterimages.
He decided to tell a lie. Though he had told countless lies in his life, he believed this one went against his heart more than any other.
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