Preliminary Actions

"Tell me in detail how you met Li Yan, and about the meetings you've had recently. Don't hide anything, don't leave anything out. Are you listening?" Marshal Hong said, staring at Liu Chengyong.

Liu Chengyong's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Brother Li has somehow offended the Grand Marshal? I need to put in a good word for him. He didn't dare to hide anything. He recounted Li Yan's words and actions when he first entered the city, as well as their subsequent interactions, adding his own subjective interpretations, leaning towards Li Yan's side. He used phrases like "young" and "inexperienced," but he didn't fabricate any facts.

Marshal Hong listened, sometimes frowning, sometimes pondering, occasionally interrupting with a question. This made Liu Chengyong even more worried, feeling that the Grand Marshal's detailed questioning meant that Li Yan had inadvertently done something wrong.

After Liu Chengyong finished, Marshal Hong pondered for a moment. "So, it seems you and Li Yan are quite compatible."

"Yes, somewhat."

"Hmm, during your interactions, did you talk about his affairs? Such as how he's living in the Military Advisor's Residence, how his Martial Arts training is going, things like that?"

"Not really. But these past few times, I felt that Lord Li seemed a bit listless, and I heard that he hasn't been in a good mood lately. I don't know if it's related to his training or not being used to the lifestyle."

"Oh? Tell me about it." Marshal Hong straightened up upon hearing this.

"I heard this from Chen An. Today, while drinking, Chen An told me that Lord Li's temperament has been somewhat volatile recently, and that I should be careful with my words, so as not to inadvertently anger Lord Li. But from my perspective, through these two encounters, Lord Li seems to get along well with me, and I haven't noticed anything amiss." Liu Chengyong shook his head, trying to clear the alcohol-induced dizziness, and recalled carefully.

"A volatile temperament... that's somewhat similar to the reports we've received about his recent erratic behavior," Marshal Hong murmured to himself.

Liu Chengyong stood below the hall, quite a distance away, and only heard the murmuring, not knowing what the Grand Marshal was saying to himself. He didn't dare to ask.

After a while, Marshal Hong looked up at Liu Chengyong. "Alright, next time he enters the city, you should find him and tell him that the registration information from when he joined the army is incomplete, and he needs to come see me. Yes, it's best if this is done quickly."

Liu Chengyong was completely bewildered. How could Lord Li have been given an official position if the registration was incomplete? But he didn't dare to ask. However, if that were the case, Li Yan would indeed have to come to the Grand Marshal's office, because the Deputy Commandant of Defense wasn't a minor position, and it fell under the direct jurisdiction of the military supervisor.

But Liu Chengyong was also an old hand in the army. After hearing these words, how could he not understand that this was something they didn't want to discuss openly? The Grand Marshal meant for him to contact Li Yan privately. But why do this? What was the reason? He didn't want to know. The more he knew, the more trouble it would be.

After a moment's consideration, he said, "Grand Marshal, the Military Advisor's Residence isn't easy to enter, especially considering Lord Li's other 'disciple'

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status. Military Advisor Ji has also said privately in the army that without his permission, no one is allowed to disturb his disciple's training. In that case, we can only wait for Lord Li to come out himself. As for the timing, I can't control that." Liu Chengyong said nervously.

"Oh? Then find a way yourself. It's best to get this done soon. And let me tell you, I don't have any ill intentions towards Li Yan. There are just some things I need to explain to him. Just be aware of that, understand?" Marshal Hong glared with his round eyes.

"Yes," Liu Chengyong replied weakly, his face as bitter as a frost-bitten eggplant. But at the same time, he felt a little relieved for Li Yan. He knew that if the Grand Marshal had a prejudice against someone, he wouldn't act like this. He would use direct means to resolve it. As an old subordinate who had followed Marshal Hong for more than a decade, there were some things he shouldn't ask about. He should just follow orders.

After Liu Chengyong withdrew, the hall was quiet for a while. Suddenly, a muffled voice echoed, "Senior Brother, won't this be too hasty? It will alert Ji Wenhe."

"Hasty, yes, it is a bit hasty. But is there a better way right now? I've weighed it again these past few days. No matter when, as long as we contact that kid, Ji Wenhe will be alerted. It's inevitable. Plus, with Liu Chengyong's relationship with that kid, it might be worth a try."

"Senior Brother, our original plan was to wait a few years, maybe two or three, until Ji Wenhe's health deteriorates, and then make a move."

Marshal Hong paused for a moment after hearing this, then took a long breath. "We've seen that his health has indeed been getting worse year by year, but so many years have passed, and he's still alive and well. And his Martial Arts haven't declined at all. On the contrary, they've improved a lot. This contradicts the theory of poisoning. Have you ever heard of a martial artist whose skill increases instead of decreasing after being poisoned? I've been considering these things for a long time, but I haven't been able to understand. If he's still not dead in another two or three years, and his skill continues to increase at the same rate as these past few years, then we really won't have any chance of winning."

Since returning from the Marshal's Residence, Liu Chengyong thought and thought, but he still didn't dare to go against Military Advisor Ji's instructions in the army, nor did he dare to go to the Military Advisor's Residence to find Li Yan. So, whether he was on duty at North City, craning his neck to see those three horses appear in his line of sight, or waiting in the military camp to hear news of Li Yan entering the city, he was eager to see Li Yan.

In order to get news of Li Yan's arrival in the city, he also asked the brothers on duty at the North Gate to notify him as soon as Lord Li entered the city, and he would reward them handsomely.

Little did he know that his actions had been seen by other teams as an attempt to find an opportunity for promotion, to climb up the ranks. People like Zeng Wen would think of using this to play a joke, and then deliberately tell him afterwards, making him unable to get angry or annoyed. If he knew this, he would definitely curse these inhuman brothers.

In this way, more than ten

days passed, and the matter remained unresolved. Fortunately, Grand Marshal Hong hadn't urged him, but he knew that the sooner he completed his superior's order, the better. Otherwise, if it took too long, it would leave a bad impression on those above.

Today, he wasn't on duty again. He was in his room, wondering if he could entrust a letter to Chen An, asking him to find a time to pass the letter to Li Yan, asking if he could spare some time to enter the city and find him. But he had been thinking about this for a few days, and he still hadn't come up with a reason to write the letter. He wasn't a greenhorn. He knew the ins and outs of officialdom, and he couldn't ruin this matter because of his own incompetence.

Just as he was anxious and didn't know how to see Li Yan as soon as possible, a soldier came to report that a Lord Li had come to find him. He was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed. He strode towards the military camp gate, leaving the soldier who had come to deliver the message behind, making the soldier mutter to himself, "Even when your dad came, I didn't see you so excited!"

Liu Chengyong hurried to the gate and saw Li Yan and his two companions from afar. He quickened his pace again. "Lord Li, how have you been lately? Haha!" His laughter was loud, attracting the attention of the soldiers on duty at the gate, who couldn't help but wonder why Liu Chengyong was so radiant today.

"Oh, thanks to Captain Liu's blessing, everything has been well recently, hehe!" Li Yan saw Liu Chengyong coming out of the camp, and looked at him with his hands behind his back, smiling slightly.

"I wonder, what wind has blown Lord Li here today? Does Your Lordship have something to discuss?" Liu Chengyong was pleased to see Li Yan being so polite, although he couldn't wait to talk about the matter, he still remained courteous on the surface.

"Nothing major. I've just been feeling a bit bored in the Military Advisor's Residence lately, so I came out to relax. I don't know many people in the city, so I came to catch up with Captain Liu. I hope I'm not disturbing you?"

"Not at all, not at all. I have nothing to do today anyway, haha!"

"Then where do you think we should go?" Liu Chengyong said hesitantly after laughing. He also wanted to find a place to explain things to Li Yan, but this wasn't the place.

"Oh, how about we go into the military camp and take a look? Although I'm also a member of the military, I haven't spent much time in the camp. I wonder if that's possible?" Li Yan said after a moment's thought.

"Is that alright?" Of course it's possible, but there are some places in the military that you can't go to without the Grand Marshal's warrant, you see..." Liu Chengyong said hesitantly, slightly stunned.

"It doesn't matter. I'll just go inside and take a look, just to understand what the military camp is like," Li Yan said. It wasn't that he had to enter the military camp, but he was thinking about how to get rid of Chen An and Li Yin's gaze. Outside, the two of them had many reasons to protect him at all times. But inside this military camp, did he still need protection?

"Then Lord Li, please!" Liu Chengyong also wanted to find a private opportunity to talk to Li Yan, so he reached out and invited him.

Chen An and Li Yin also took a few steps forward to follow. Li Yan couldn't help but frown, and turned back and shouted, "Do I need you two to protect me even in this military camp?" His words revealed a hint of anger.

Chen An handed the reins to Li Yin, then took two steps forward and bowed slightly, smiling. "Young Master, it's been a long time since we two

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have come to this place. We also want to go into the camp to catch up with old brothers. Please allow us, Young Master."

Li Yan was speechless after hearing this. Yes, couldn't people come back to the army to catch up with old brothers? These two were truly slippery as eels.

So the four of them entered in single file, Liu Chengyong and Li Yan in front, Chen An and Li Yin leading the horses behind, and walked into the camp. At this time, some soldiers at the camp gate also learned Li Yan's identity from the conversation just now, and also recognized Chen An and Li Yin, two old-timers who had left the military camp for many years. Li Yan had status here, and Chen An and Li Yin were also members of the military, so no one would stop them. As for the important places in the camp, there were other soldiers guarding them, so they didn't need to worry about them.

After entering the camp, Liu Chengyong led Li Yan towards his own camp, while Chen An and Li Yin found the stables, tied up the three horses, and then went to find acquaintances to "catch up," but the direction of the acquaintances they were looking for was basically the same as the direction Li Yan was going, and the distance was not far. Even so, it was enough for Li Yan to have space to talk to Liu Chengyong.

After arriving at Liu Chengyong's camp, Li Yan looked back at Chen An and Li Yin, who were far away, chatting wildly with a group of old soldiers, and after confirming the distance, he walked towards this camp. This camp was just a row of military camps, and Liu Chengyong's position as a squad leader was enough for him to have a separate small room, so he didn't have to squeeze into the communal bunk.

Liu Chengyong's small camp was very simple, a simple army bed, a long table, a wardrobe, and a weapons rack with knives, swords, spears, and other equipment inserted into it.

Liu Chengyong looked at Li Yan somewhat awkwardly. "The military camps are all so simple, please don't laugh at me, Lord Li."

Li Yan said dismissively, "The military doesn't really care about that stuff. Captain Liu, you're too polite. And don't call me 'Lord Li,' just call me Brother Li. I'm not used to it, haha."

Liu Chengyong's dark face flushed slightly. "How could I do that? I can't overstep ranks like that."

Li Yan waved his hand. "It's nothing. You know I only got this position because of my teacher's name. I don't really care about these things. When you call me 'Lord Li,' I feel like we're strangers." As he spoke, he began to casually walk around the room. When he reached the weapons rack, he became curious about the weapons on it. He drew a sword from it and examined it carefully in the light.

"This sword of yours is truly a fine one," he said, and he wasn't just flattering him. Back in the village, he often went hunting in the mountains with the adults, so he knew a thing or two about weapons.

After hearing what Li Yan said earlier, Liu Chengyong stopped being so fussy. Seeing Li Yan draw out a weapon and look so interested, he smiled and said, "Brother Li, you have a good eye. These weapons aren't standard military equipment. They're some of the better spoils of war I've collected on the battlefield. If you like it, just take it." He was quite pleased with himself as he said this, as these weapons of his were truly incomparable to ordinary standard equipment.

Li Yan carefully examined the sword in his hand. The sword shone brightly in the light, with a chilling aura that was almost palpable, and a faint scent of blood emanated from it. It was clearly a deadly weapon. Hearing Liu Chengyong's words, his eyes lit up.