Eyes Charming - Глава 44
Upon hearing this, everyone's lifeless faces lit up again, and they all looked at Jinxuan with hopeful eyes, their eyes shining brightly.
"Really? Has Your Highness come up with a solution?" Zhao Zhiyang stood up excitedly. He knew that there was nothing the omnipotent 'God of War' could defeat.
"No." Jinxuan bluntly poured cold water on the excitement of the crowd.
"Then Your Highness, why did you say..." General Li, who had remained silent until now, miraculously opened his mouth.
Jin Xuan glanced at General Li meaningfully, but the glance was so quick that it went unnoticed. He said pointedly, "The winner is neither Cang Liao nor Long Xuan, but Sheng Chi, who activated the Blood Soul Heavenly Stem Eight Trigrams Formation."
"Saint Chi? I heard he's the new sect leader of the Saint Immortal Sect, the former sect leader's personal disciple. He's the one who activated the Blood Soul Heavenly Stem Eight Trigrams Formation? As a member of the Dragon Pavilion, why would he help Cang Liao?" General Bai stroked his beard, puzzled. After all, the Saint Immortal Sect is the righteous faction of the Dragon Pavilion!
"I've heard about Saint Chi from a friend in the martial world. He's incredibly cunning and ruthless. As soon as he became sect leader, he began a brutal massacre of his fellow disciples who disobeyed him. Now, the Saint Immortal Sect is torn apart, with many disciples in various pavilions being cruelly murdered. The martial world is also facing its doom. Saint Chi has issued a 'those who submit will prosper, those who resist will perish' threat to all major sects, demanding their allegiance to the Saint Immortal Sect. Those who refuse will face annihilation. Everyone in the martial world lives in fear. I never imagined he would even aid an enemy nation and launch such an evil formation," General Chen said angrily. He always loved hearing tales of extraordinary figures in the martial world, and although he wasn't actively involved, he was always well-informed about its affairs.
"Your Highness, this humble general still doesn't understand what you mean," General Li asked, seemingly very interested in the topic. All the generals, including Wei Ziqi and Zhao Zhiyang, were equally puzzled.
“Yes! Your Highness, isn’t Sheng Chi helping Yelü Ying? If Sheng Chi wins, doesn’t that mean Yelü Ying wins?” Wei Ziqi asked, puzzled. Everyone nodded in agreement with Wei Ziqi’s question, except for General Li, who remained deep in thought.
Jin Xuan's eyes flickered at the reactions of the crowd, and he continued, "Everyone should know who Sheng Chi is after hearing General Chen's description. How could such a person be willing to be subordinate to anyone? Moreover, he holds a trump card in his hand—the Blood Soul Heavenly Stem Eight Trigrams Formation. Once this formation is officially formed, its power will be enough for him to easily control the entire world. How could he hand over this achievement to someone else?"
Upon hearing Jinxuan's words, everyone nodded unconsciously.
"But Your Highness, since this formation is so powerful, Yelü Ying, with his intelligence, must have thought of this as well. Why did he still sacrifice the lives of tens of thousands of Cangliao soldiers to help Shengchi complete this formation?" General Bai asked again. As expected of an old general, he got to the heart of the matter as soon as he asked.
Jin Xuan had been waiting for this moment. He said calmly, "I think Yelü Ying is completely unaware of the true power of this formation. He has been kept in the dark by Sheng Chi. After all, very few people understand this formation. If it weren't for the strategist, we wouldn't have known that such an evil formation existed in the world." As he spoke, he subtly gave everyone another hint.
Each general nodded thoughtfully, except for General Li, who frowned and whose eyes flickered almost imperceptibly.
"Your Highness, what should we do next? The only ones who understand this formation besides Saint Chi are the strategist, but he's now at odds with us over that Yu'er, and probably has no mind to deal with it anymore. What should we do?" Wei Ziqi asked, frowning. The thought of how Mo Jun treated him that day for a woman pained him deeply. He had been so open and honest with her, and this was the result. Now, with a formidable enemy at hand, she was indulging in lust, completely neglecting military affairs—it was truly disheartening!
"We can only take it one step at a time now," Jinxuan said helplessly, rubbing his forehead. Then he gave a stern order: "What I told you today is only for those of you present to know. Anyone who leaks it will be dealt with according to military law."
"Understood, sir," everyone replied in unison, their brows furrowed. This was a matter of morale!
Having achieved his goal, Jinxuan waved his hand weakly, dismissing everyone. Once they had all left, his previously exhausted expression vanished instantly, replaced by a shrewd glint in his eyes: "Now, we just have to wait for the snake to emerge from its hole."
The pitch-black night sky was dotted with only a few lonely stars. Such a night was perfect for a snake to emerge from its hole. A black figure flew out quickly from the Longxuan military camp and soon disappeared into the night.
“It really is him.” On the small hill, Jin Xuan watched the black figure disappear quickly and said in a deep voice.
“He’s very well hidden.” Standing next to Jin Xuan, Ao Jun quietly watched the direction where the dark figure disappeared and said coldly.
“If the Blood Soul Heavenly Stem Eight Trigrams Formation hadn’t been so intimidating, he wouldn’t have given himself away. No one would have guessed that the loyal and shrewd man would be a spy for Cang Liao. Even I was fooled by him for so long,” Jin Xuan said solemnly, his calm tone revealing no emotion.
“The people Yelü Ying sent are definitely not simple,” Ao Jun said calmly. It seemed that after their last 'date,' her feelings for him had improved considerably, which also made her determined to carry out this plan.
“Now that the snake has been lured out, all that’s left is to wait for the big fish to take the bait.” Jin Xuan turned his head, his expression slightly changing as he stared at Ao Jun, but his words remained flat and emotionless. Hearing the implicit praise for Yelü Ying from Ao Jun’s lips had made his heart ache terribly. He knew that Jun and Yelü Ying had no connection, and that Jun didn’t mean it that way, but he still felt a tightness in his chest. Couldn’t he really stop seeing her as just a simple confidante?
Because it was nighttime and Ao Jun wasn't looking at Jin Xuan, she didn't see his subtle changes in expression at all (even if she had, she wouldn't have understood the meaning! What a clueless girl when it comes to love!). Coupled with his unchanging tone, Ao Jun had no idea that Jin Xuan, who had seemed calm and composed just moments before, was actually experiencing a turbulent inner world.
"No, that big fish is too cautious and clever. To get him to take the bait, we'll need a strong dose of poison." Ao Jun gave a cryptic, cold laugh. That strong dose was herself.
Jin Xuan remained silent, simply observing the confident, seemingly all-powerful figure radiating an air of superiority. His hard-won composure was stirred anew by a surge of inexplicable excitement: No matter how clever or cautious Yelü Ying, he couldn't escape the web you've woven. Even I can't escape it, and I increasingly feel I don't want to escape anymore. In this world, besides Yu Qing, only you are worthy to stand shoulder to shoulder with me, and I only want you by my side.
Battlefield Chapter 41: The Counter-Espionage Scheme
A biting wind howled past, it was so cold! To have to come out in such cold weather was going to kill her. She really missed the air conditioning and high-end thermal clothing of the 21st century... Ancient technology was so backward, especially during wartime, it was simply unbearable!
Ao Jun leaned against a tree on a small hillside, seemingly elegant and casually admiring the vast mountain scenery, but in reality, he was constantly complaining in his heart. If anyone heard these inner thoughts, they would all faint immediately. The dignified and aloof "Number One Military Strategist in the World" was actually complaining about the cold weather.
"Ugh! It's so cold! I really miss Ying'er's hot soup!" Seeing that the target hadn't come out yet, Ao Jun finally couldn't help but shiver, sighed, and missed Yueying's delicious soup.
Yueying knew she was afraid of the cold, so every day she would prepare a bowl of hot, delicious soup for her—it was so good and warming, even better than an air conditioner… But ever since she hit Yueying last time, she hadn't spoken to her at all, not even seeing her. Poor girl, she not only had no good food, but not even a sip of soup, and no one prepared clothes for her. She wasn't good at taking care of herself to begin with, and now without Ying'er, life was simply unbearable! It was all that Yu'er's fault, making her end up so miserable, hmph…
While she was lost in thought, the target appeared. Ao Jun remained in the same position, looking up at the sky, a jade pendant appearing in her hand at some point.
"Strategist, why are you here alone?" The target, no, General Li, came to Ao Jun and asked expressionlessly, neither humble nor arrogant. His calm face revealed no emotion, but his gleaming eyes glanced subtly at Ao Jun's hands.
"Just bored, so I came out for a walk." Ao Jun said calmly and briefly, not even glancing at the newcomer, seemingly unwilling to speak to him. His hand was intentionally or unintentionally stroking the jade pendant on his wrist. He was indeed a person suitable to be a spy. If she hadn't already known his identity, she probably would have been deceived by him. No wonder he had been hidden in the army for so long, right under Jin Xuan's nose, without being discovered. If this were the 21st century, he would definitely be an outstanding 007.
General Li's real name is Li Cang. Three years ago, he was just a lowly soldier in the army. Later, due to his bravery and skill in battle, he made many meritorious contributions and was promoted to general by Jin Xuan. He is intelligent and cautious. Although he doesn't like to talk, he is loyal and polite to others. Jin Xuan had long suspected that there was a spy in the camp, but he never expected it to be him.
Li Cang didn't care about Ao Jun's attitude towards him. He stood casually to the side, looked up at the sky, and after a while, lowered his head and said to Ao Jun, "Is the strategist troubled by the misunderstandings his brothers in the army have about him?"
Ao Jun remained unmoved and coldly sneered, "Misunderstanding? Does General Li consider it a misunderstanding?"
Li Cang pretended not to see Ao Jun's cold laugh and said in his still slightly deep voice, "This humble general knows that the strategist is not that kind of person."
Listen to that tone of conviction; it's so moving!
But someone let out an even bigger sneer, almost coldly saying, "That kind of person? Prioritizing women over friends? Obsessed with women? Ha, General Li, you're wrong. This strategist is that kind of person."
Li Cang probably didn't expect Ao Jun to say that, and was momentarily speechless, unsure of what to say. Seemingly reluctant to leave, he casually changed the subject, asking, "What is the strategist looking at?"
Thankfully, he wouldn't say things like "The weather is nice today." Ao Jun chose to remain silent, as if he hadn't heard him, and continued to gaze at the clouds drifting across the sky.
"Does the strategist dislike this humble general?" Li Cang, undeterred by Ao Jun's indifference, pressed on.
"No." Ao Jun said two words and then fell silent again. Didn't he say he didn't like to talk? I see he talks quite a lot. It's taken so long and he still hasn't gotten to the point. But it also shows that he is indeed cautious and careful. What a pity! He met Ao Jun, who is even more patient than him.
"The jade pendant in the strategist's hand is very beautiful." Li Cang finally couldn't resist Ao Jun and praised the jade pendant in Ao Jun's hand.
Finally getting to the point, Ao Jun slowly withdrew her gaze, turned her head, glanced at Li Cang, and then picked up the jade pendant in her hand, rubbing it back and forth slowly, as if it were a very precious treasure.
Seeing Ao Jun's actions and expression, Li Cang's eyes flashed, and he said again, "The strategist really likes this jade pendant, doesn't he? Is it a family heirloom?"
"A friend gave it to me." Ao Jun looked at the jade, seemingly admiring it, yet also lost in thought. A family heirloom? Ha, she didn't believe he wouldn't recognize it as belonging to Yelü Ying. Even if it wasn't just Yelü Ying's, he must know it belonged to the Cangliao royal family.
"Friend?" The steady voice suddenly rose a lot, but when he was surprised and received Ao Jun's gaze, he quickly calmed down and coughed lightly, saying, "Ahem... This jade pendant looks very valuable. The strategist and that friend must have a very good relationship, which is why he gave this jade to the strategist."