Northwest Army Camp
Three hours later, the main camp came into view in the distance.
Inside the Northwest Army Camp, dozens of armored commanders were crammed into a military tent, each with a face full of anger and all possessing the cultivation level of Grandmaster.
Seated in the center was a burly middle-aged man, exuding Great Grandmaster Perfection at the peak of his realm; he was none other than Xiao Zhenbei, the commander of the Northwest Army Camp.
"General!" a bearded commander spoke first, "The Crown Prince and several princes have taken all the soldiers with inner Nei Jin and Hua Jin from the camp! Now, apart from a few lieutenants, all our soldiers are at the superficial Ming Jin level! If we go to the battlefield, how will we withstand the army of Great Chu and the demonic beasts!"
"If you ask me, we should have agreed to the Crown Prince's request back then..." another commander said through gritted teeth.
Before he could finish speaking, someone next to him interrupted, "Are you crazy? How dare you say such a thing! The Crown Prince failed to win over the General, and has been suppressing him at every turn all these years. Otherwise, with the General's strength and military achievements, he would have been the Grand General Who Protects the Nation long ago!"
"Alright."
Xiao Zhenbei uttered only two words, and the tent fell silent.
"Defending our homeland is our responsibility; let's set aside everything else for now." He looked at his men, "Commander Zhou, report on the latest situation at the border."
"Yes!" A young man stepped forward from the crowd, took out a map from his robes, and spread it out on the table. "Please take a look, everyone. According to my information, the Great Chu has dispatched 500,000 troops to attack Wild Goose Return Pass."
"Attack Wild Goose Return Pass? Has the Great Chu gone mad!" exclaimed the bearded commander. "Wild Goose Return Pass is easy to defend and difficult to attack; even an army of 500,000 wouldn't be able to take it!"
"I don't understand this either," Zhou Xiong nodded.
Xiao Zhenbei raised his eyes and swept them over the crowd. "Don't you all know who I am? Having ideas but not daring to speak them, what kind of border soldier are you? Speak your mind."
Zhou Xiong immediately said, "General, there's only one possibility for the enemy to act this way: they're coordinating from within and without. Only in this way can we possibly break through Wild Goose Return Pass!"
Everyone nodded in agreement, clearly sharing the same guess.
"What you say makes sense. But we have no evidence right now," Xiao Zhenbei said, emphasizing each word. "Investigate this matter secretly, and absolutely do not let it get out, or the morale of the army will be thrown into chaos."
"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.
Just then, a lieutenant entered the tent and reported, "General, a man and a woman have arrived outside the camp, and one of them claims to be Her Highness the Princess!"
"What?! Our leader this time is actually a woman!" The tent erupted in chaos. Everyone had assumed it was a prince, but it turned out to be a princess, and their faces turned grim.
They were unaware of the Ten Thousand Swords Tomb Secret Realm at this moment.
"Silence!" Xiao Zhenbei stood up, his voice booming, "If I hear this again, I will punish you according to military law! All of you, come with me to greet the princess."
Outside the tent, Lu Shuang stood in front of the gate in full military uniform, with Lu Feng standing beside her.
"This humble servant, Xiao Zhenbei, greets Your Highness." Xiao Zhenbei bowed, then looked at Lu Feng, "And this gentleman is?"
The young man's aura was restrained, and he couldn't see through him. There shouldn't be such a young person among the Celestial Person Realm in the Dragon Protection Pavilion.
"His name is Lu Feng, and he came with me." Lu Shuang only said two sentences, "Seeing him is like seeing myself."
Upon hearing the name "Lu Feng," everyone's eyes lit up with surprise, as they hadn't expected the royal family to produce such a young figure.
"I never imagined that Lord Lu would enter the Dragon Protection Pavilion at such a young age. Congratulations!" Xiao Zhenbei cupped his hands in greeting.
Lu Feng looked puzzled. Why were these people mistaking him for someone from the Dragon Protection Pavilion?
"He's neither a member of the royal family nor a member of the Dragon Protection Pavilion," Lu Shuang said.
"What?" Not only Xiao Zhenbei, but also the group of commanders behind him were stunned.
Previously, no one could discern Lu Feng's cultivation level; they assumed he was like the other princes, accompanied by experts from the Dragon Protection Pavilion. While other princes had two or three, and the Crown Prince had seven or eight, Lu Shuang only had one, which was acceptable to everyone. But now that they were told he was just a pretty boy brought along by the princess, their hopes were dashed.
"Your Highness, this is a battlefield, not..." Xiao Zhenbei frowned and spoke bluntly.
Before she could finish speaking, Lu Shuang glanced at him.
She didn't draw her sword, nor did she make a move, but a chill spread out before she did.
The banners in front of the gate froze in mid-air, white frost quickly covered the armor of the men, and the weapons at their waists hummed and trembled, almost falling from their sheaths. Several Grandmaster commanders' knees sank, their blood and qi stagnated, and a breath caught in their chests, unable to be exhaled.
Xiao Zhenbei's pupils contracted. He was Great Grandmaster Perfection of his cultivation, only one step away from the Celestial Person Realm, but at this moment he could clearly see that this step was an insurmountable chasm. The princess in front of him only released a wisp of Sword Intent, and he couldn't muster even the slightest thought of fighting back.
"This... this is the Celestial Person Realm cultivation level, and a sword cultivator at that!" a commander exclaimed. "Heavens! The princess has broken through to the Celestial Person Realm at such a young age, isn't she even more powerful than the Crown Prince!"
Lu Shuang withdrew her Sword Intent.
As the frost faded, everyone felt a sense of relief; their backs were soaked with cold sweat.
Xiao Zhenbei was even more excited. He not only sensed Lu Shuang's Celestial Person Realm cultivation, but also knew that Lu Shuang had awakened her Sword Physique. Awakening the Sword Physique meant that she would definitely break through to the Yin Spirit Realm in the future, and even the Yang Spirit Realm was not impossible.
What does this mean? Currently, there isn't even a single Yin Spirit Realm expert in the entire Great Qian. In other words, this princess before us will definitely become an ancestor in the future, becoming the pillar of stability for the entire Great Qian Dynasty.
"We were blind just now, and we hope Your Highness will forgive us!" Xiao Zhenbei took the lead and bowed deeply. The commanders behind him followed suit and bowed in unison.
"The one you should apologize to is not me, but Lu Feng," Lu Shuang said.
Without the slightest hesitation, Xiao Zhenbei turned and cupped his hands to Lu Feng, saying, "We were blind just now, and we hope Lord Lu will forgive us!"
"Generals, there's no need for such formalities." Lu Feng raised his hand. "What's the current situation with the enemy?"
He remained unmoved when everyone mistook him for someone else. The two of them had been parachuted in; how could these seasoned veterans be expected to be completely convinced from the start?
He was more concerned about something else. As soon as they met, he used his divine sense to examine everyone. These soldiers all had some kind of hidden injury. Especially Xiao Zhenbei, whose hidden injury had been accumulating in his meridians for many years. If it weren't for this, he probably would have already stepped into the Celestial Person Realm.
Lu Feng held these soldiers who guarded the border and protected the country in high esteem.
"Your Highness, Lord Lu, please come in." Xiao Zhenbei stepped aside to make way for them.
As everyone entered the tent, Xiao Zhenbei immediately recounted the information he had received earlier.
After listening, Lu Shuang pondered for a moment and said, "General Xiao is right. However, we'll discuss the specifics once we reach Wild Goose Return Pass. Now, take me to see the soldiers."
"No rush," Lu Feng said. "General Xiao just said that the remaining soldiers are all at the Ming Jin level. Their morale is low now that they're assembled. I want to go to the rear camp first and check on them."
A silence fell over the tent. Everyone looked at Lu Feng, then at Lu Shuang.
In their eyes, Lu Feng was just a pretty boy. Now that the princess had spoken, how could he dare to contradict her?
"Do you need me to go with you?" Lu Shuang asked. She didn't know what Lu Feng was going to do, but he must have his reasons for doing so.
"No need. You and the other generals can discuss it and find a centurion or platoon leader to take me to the barracks."
"Alright. General Xiao, arrange for someone to take Lu Feng to the military camp."
Xiao Zhenbei immediately summoned a centurion. "Take this Lord Lu for a tour of the military camp."
"Yes!"
"Lord Lu, please come with me," the man said to Lu Feng, and then the two left the tent.
Upon seeing this, the commanders couldn't help but sigh inwardly, marveling at how obedient the princess was to Lu Feng.
After Lu Feng left, Lu Shuang sat down in the main seat, her expression solemn. "General Xiao, please give a detailed account of the situation of the Chu State army. Also, please tell us about the situation of Lu Xinghan and the others."
"The situation in the Great Chu is as follows..."
Inside the main tent, Lu Shuang and her generals began their discussion.