fairy family

Chapter 249 Troops March on the Rakshasa Kingdom, Midnight Search for the Remaining Deficiency
Zhenjun Island, the naval camp of Zhenhai.

A middle-aged man with white hair but a handsome face was dressed in a brocade robe embroidered with dragon and python patterns.

He held a chess piece in his hand, looking at the chessboard, while reviewing the official documents beside him.

This person reads official documents much faster than he can place a piece in a chess game; he can read nearly ten documents in a single move.

Of course, he only glanced at most of the official documents, understood them in his mind, and then used his magic to simply answer "yes" or "no" on the documents.

There would also be personal guards and attendants standing by the chessboard, respectfully sorting the official documents he had approved and retrieving documents that had not yet been approved from a distance.

At this moment, seeing that the middle-aged man had not made a single move and the chessboard remained unchanged for a long time, the guard couldn't help but speak up:

"General, there are many matters in the army, both big and small, and they are very complicated. Why do you have to do everything yourself?"

This is no longer the time when True Lord Island was first established. If things continue like this, I'm afraid you'll exhaust yourself too much, which will only spoil your enjoyment of chess.”

The middle-aged man smiled, looked up at the personal guard, and said:
"Haha, I'm afraid you're not worried that I'll lose interest in playing chess, but rather that I'll run out of energy and die young."

Upon hearing this, the guard's face hardened, his eyes lowered, and he remained silent.

The middle-aged man sighed softly, finally placing the chess piece he had been deliberating over onto the board, muttering to himself:

"We really don't know if this step was right or wrong; we can only wait and see how it ends."

After placing the chess piece, the man did not pick up any more pieces from the chess box. Instead, he lowered his head and focused all his attention on the official document in his hand.

He quickly flipped through the pages as he answered the guard:

"Although things are different now, if I hadn't been in charge of everything on the island, let alone training troops and setting sail, the island would probably have been thrown into chaos immediately."

The middle-aged man sighed softly, "It's not that I'm attached to power. Thirty years ago, I stopped commenting too much on the island's affairs and left it to the next generation to manage. But who can blame me..."

He suddenly pointed to an official document in his hand and said:
"For example, in this case, the true disciples of Huangshan Dao Palace applied for the entire palace to go out and suppress the Rakshasa Kingdom. They clearly wrote the reasons in the official document, and there was even a Rakshasa princess as a witness. The reasons were sufficient."

However, no one in the military dared to approve this matter.

The reason for this is simply that the Huangshan disciples are likely out at this time of year to avoid the upcoming island-wide drills. Therefore, no one in the army dares to offend the Tiance Army, and thus released the entire Daoist army from the palace ahead of time.

The middle-aged man shook his head:
"But if you refuse directly, they are soldiers from the Huangshan Taoist Palace, not your own imperial army. Whether they listen to you or not depends entirely on their mood."

If things go wrong, the island will either have to suppress this Huangshan Dao army first, or they will simply set off on their own, showing no respect to Zhenjun Island whatsoever.

The middle-aged man smiled, stretched out his hand, and circled the document.

"In such matters, it is up to this old man to play the good guy or the bad guy."

After drawing the circle, the middle-aged man handed the official document to his personal guard, thought for a moment, and then gave the following instructions:
"If it's going to rain, it's going to rain; if a mother is going to remarry, she'll tell the Tian Ce Army that they don't need to worry about it."

It was also declared in advance to the Huangshan Imperial Palace that anyone sent out on missions from the island who failed to achieve any results, wasted military supplies, or delayed military operations would be punished according to military law!

The guard straightened up and immediately bowed, replying, "Yes, sir!"

He stretched out both hands and held the revised official document firmly in his hands.

........................

Yu Que glanced at the official document brought by the palace disciples, then tossed it onto the table and casually instructed the palace staff:

"Send an order to the entire palace to quickly prepare military supplies."

"There's no time to lose. We should leave the island at midnight tonight and head out to sea for the Rakshasa Island Kingdom, so we won't get entangled with them again!"

He also cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Gong Dongxue and said:
"Senior sister, to prevent any trouble caused by petty villains in the army, please go there personally to retrieve military rations and call upon ships."

He paused, then added:

"If things don't go well, the ships don't need to be used; Senior Sister can retrieve the military rations. If even the military rations don't go well, then it's up to Senior Sister's methods. But please be sure to return before midnight and don't get entangled with the people on the island."

Gong Dongxue quickly realized that what Yu Que valued most now was to take all the Huangshan disciples off the island and away from Zhenjun Island.

Once they successfully leave the island, they will be subject to the emperor's orders even when they are away from home. Moreover, the Huangshan Dao Army is the Huangshan Dao Palace's own army and has no strict subordinate relationship with the three Dao armies on Zhenjun Island.

Being located off the island, the Huangshan Palace could completely ignore any orders or instructions given on the island.

"Understood." Gong Dongxue nodded in acknowledgment, then selected a group of disciples waiting in the palace and led them to the military headquarters in the center of the island to request military rations and ships.

Yu Que stood in the palace and continued to issue orders. He methodically carried out the tasks that had been planned in advance and handed them over to the people in the palace to handle.

In no time, Yu Que had sorted out all the matters related to sending troops.

Inside the main hall, everyone else was busy, but he took a break from his work and found himself at ease.

So he sat cross-legged in the main hall of the palace, then simply lay back on the couch and comfortably closed his eyes to rest.

Next, Yu Que only needs to wait for Gong Dongxue and the others to return one by one and report on the progress of the matter.

Soon, disciples inside and outside the palace were running around, reporting their work to Yu Que one by one. These things were a mix of good and bad, smooth and unsuccessful.

But at this time of year, Yu Que is rushing to send out troops and has no time to maneuver.

He immediately instructed his disciples to cut off what they could and to delay what they couldn't, in any case, not to waste time on trivial matters on the island.

As a result, the originally noisy palace became increasingly orderly and quiet.

Like Yu Que, many disciples, after finishing their tasks, leisurely waited in the palace, just waiting to depart.

With only an hour left before departure, Gong Dongxue was the only one in the entire palace who had not yet returned.

Fortunately, with only 45 minutes left in the ion time, Gong Dongxue returned to the Huangshan Palace with a frosty expression.

As she looked at the Huangshan disciples filling the palace, especially Yu Que, the frost on her face finally melted away.

Yu Que didn't question Gong Dongxue about the specifics of how she handled the matter; he simply asked:

"Is there a boat?"

Gong Dongxue shook her head and was about to speak.

But Yu Que stopped her directly, cupping his hands and saying, "Thank you for your hard work, Senior Sister. Please take a seat. We will set off now."

Gong Dongxue's expression was gentle. After a few moments of contemplation, she stepped into the crowd and bowed to Yu Que in front of everyone: "Please, true disciple, issue the decree!"

Immediately, Yu Que took out the mountain-shaped ancient treasure that he had seized from Bai Shanze, held it in his hand, and four Six Ding Six Jia Divine Generals appeared around him, guarding him.

Holding the ancient mountain-shaped treasure, he pointed it outwards from the palace and shouted:

"Marching out, marching on the Rakshasa Kingdom!"

The hundreds of disciples in the Huangshan Palace bowed and shouted:

"I will obey your orders!"

Buzz!
Taoist robes fluttered in the palace, and the group immediately lined up and walked in formation. The incense smoke wafted from their bodies, making it seem as if a giant beast was lying on their heads, moving with them as they moved.

Next, Yu Que led everyone straight ahead to the ferry crossing on Zhenjun Island.

On the way, their departure in the dead of night and their hurried manner immediately alarmed many people, even attracting the attention of the patrolling soldiers who rushed over and questioned them repeatedly.

Yu Que ignored these questions and simply chose to let the entire palace continue to move forward in silence.

The number of night patrol soldiers gathering towards them was also increasing.

Only after everyone had boarded the Rakshasa Whale ship docked at the Zhenjun Island ferry did he take out the document from his sleeve, flick it, and send it flying toward the Zhenhai generals who had already formed ranks in front of the ferry.

The naval commanders who rushed over looked at the document and, after confirming several times that it was not a false order, all of them relaxed, their tense nerves immediately easing.

They looked at the Huangshan Daoist, who was fully prepared to depart on the whale ship, and pointed and laughed at each other:

"What a commotion! I thought there had been a mutiny on the island, and we'd have to resort to knives again tonight."

"The true lineage of Huangshan only took a break recently, so why is it causing such a commotion again now?"

As the naval commanders were talking, the leading officer, holding a document and accompanied by two personal guards, stepped out and prepared to personally board the Rakshasa Whale ship to hand over the dispatch order to Yu Que.

But little did anyone know, his talent had just stepped out.

The Rakshasa Whale boat at the ferry dock had already pulled up its anchor, loosened its reins, and roared away from the dock, disappearing into the dark sea into the distance.

hold head high!
A loud whale call rang out from the ship. The massive whale ship swung its tail a few times and then disappeared completely, leaving only the officer holding the documents looking stunned.

The officer walked back among his soldiers, muttering, "Good heavens, they're running away like cowards, not even bothering with their mission documents?"

Just then, another group of soldiers suddenly rushed in from Zhenjun Island, still on horseback, carrying torches and messenger flags!

"Urgent report: There is an evil sect causing trouble on the island."

All warships immediately turned their bows toward the island and awaited orders from the Tiance Army.

All merchant ships must cease operations and await search of the island!

"Urgent report! Urgent report!"

The messenger on horseback hadn't even reached the ferry yet, but his loud shouts had already reached the ferry crossing.

The naval soldiers and officers of Zhenhai, lined up in front of the ferry, looked in the direction from which the shout came and immediately recognized the person who had come:
"It's the guys from the Tian Ce Army!"

Having clearly heard the shouts of the newcomers, the soldiers looked suspiciously in the direction where the Huangshan army had left. The officer holding the document bowed his head repeatedly to examine it, questioning its authenticity.

"What a coincidence! They just left and then sealed off the island." Many people exclaimed in surprise, thinking it was just a coincidence.

However, when the Tian Ce Army's scouts rushed to the ferry and saw not a single disciple of the Huangshan Dao Palace, only the soldiers of the Zhenhai Army, the scouts' faces immediately showed disappointment and anger.

*Slap slap slap*, the other party lashed his dragon-scaled steed fiercely, cursing loudly:

"Damn it! Did they grease their feet? They're running so fast."

Upon hearing this, the soldiers of Zhenhai Navy suddenly realized that it was not a coincidence, but rather a deliberate attempt to leave and intercept them.

The officer who was still holding the documents in his hand also showed a look of understanding in his eyes, and stopped checking the authenticity of the documents in his hand.

As far as he knew, the Tian Ce Army was one of the three main armies of Zhenjun Island. It did have the authority to make decisive decisions and seal off the entire island. However, in order to allow for a buffer period, any orders involving the entire island, unless issued by the Zhenhai General, would only take effect at midnight.

The dispatch document from Huangshan Taoist Palace should be authentic. Otherwise, the Heavenly Decree Army wouldn't have needed to use the pursuit of the evil sect as a pretext to directly seal off the entire island and prevent any ship from leaving.

The Tian Ce Army scouts stood before the ferry, cursing repeatedly, their faces flushed with shame and anger.

Suddenly, he noticed the onlookers casting his gaze and couldn't help but mutter a curse under his breath.
"A bunch of useless idiots, are they treating military rations like pig feed? They can't even stop one person."

Everyone present was a deity, each with their own household spirit, possessing extraordinary hearing, and able to clearly hear the other's veiled curses.

The soldiers of Zhenhai were immediately filled with anger, their eyes blazing as they stared at the scout.

The scout saw the amusement on the other man's face vanish instantly, replaced by anger and murderous intent. Far from being afraid, he rode his dragon-scaled steed, looking down at the group from his superior position.

The two sides agreed.

The officers in the naval garrison felt as if their faces were being bitten by ants, red and painful, but they kept their lips tightly shut, pretending not to hear.

The scouts of the Tian Ce Army snorted coldly, whipped their fierce horses a few times, and swaggered away.

When the scouts returned, they reported what had happened at the ferry crossing.

News of Huangshan Daogong's safe departure reached the Tiance Army's headquarters.

With a loud thud, a jade ruyi was slammed onto the chessboard, scattering a dozen black and white chess pieces. The ruyi itself was also shattered, releasing its pure spiritual energy.

"Hmph! I truly did not know that losing one of your pieces would cause me to lose an entire army."

Tian Ce Jun's face was gloomy, and his gaze was cold and sharp as he looked at the table in front of him.

He looked at the shattered jade ruyi without any regret, only wondering why he hadn't smashed the chessboard on the table as well.

After a few breaths, the Heavenly Emperor's expression softened. He looked at the eunuchs and guards kneeling around him and spoke:
"For my sake... I'll take this chessboard away and burn it, so I won't be bothered by seeing it."

The eunuchs and guards rushed forward, some carrying the chessboard, others kneeling to pick up the chess pieces, not wanting to delay even a moment.

(End of this chapter)