Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 342 "Love Letter"

While Sheng Yuanyao was taking a bath, Long Qinghuang saw the demon general who had been released.

"Are you trying to tell me that we've won a complete victory, but you've been stuck at the foot of Guiyuan City for three days without making any progress, and then you're slinking back to ask for reinforcements?"

Long Qinghuang stood high in the Gobi Desert, hands behind her back, looking at the distant city, and asked without turning her head.

The demon general was drenched in cold sweat: "Guiyuan City was originally within our grasp, but we encountered a female general named Sheng Yuanyao. She was originally from the scout camp, but for some reason, she came to Guiyuan City, seized the city lord's token, and overstepped her authority to command the city's defenses..."

"You mean, you were defeated by a temporary worker?"

"No!" the demon general exclaimed urgently, "His Majesty gave me three days, and today is the third day. I was about to breach the city, but an accident happened..."

Long Qinghuang suddenly turned her head, her gaze cold and sharp: "Did I come here to listen to your nonsense?"

Sensing the chilling killing intent, the demon general shouted, "Unexpectedly, Lu Xingzhou is here!"

Long Qinghuang's killing intent seemed to be frozen in place.

What she was thinking was that if she encountered Lu Xingzhou, then his failure would be understandable. Even she herself had been tricked several times... and it was thanks to his reminders that she was spared trouble.

Ordinary demon generals would certainly be no match for Lu Xingzhou, so their defeat would be quite normal.

Her performance, however, did not escape the notice of the demon general, who secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He thought to himself, "Where there's smoke, there's fire. Is this truly His Majesty's attitude towards a talented person? Hearing that the opponent is Lu Xingzhou, he hasn't even questioned my crimes..."

There's definitely something fishy going on.

Long Qinghuang said with a stern face, "So you were defeated by him? What about your men? Were they all wiped out?"

Lu Xingzhou actually dared to slaughter my tribe!

The demon general wiped away his cold sweat: "Um, we were captured, but I was released."

Long Qinghuang: "?"

The atmosphere was stagnant for a moment.

The surrounding high-ranking demons exchanged glances, their expressions tense.

The entire army was captured and then released... How can you talk about such a shameful thing so calmly? If it were us, we would have all committed suicide.

His Majesty must be furious, right?
Long Qinghuang's voice was indeed very cold: "Where are the others?"

"They are all imprisoned."

"not dead?"

"No."

Long Qinghuang's expression softened a little.

Actually, he was quite happy. Lu Xingzhou must have been giving him face and didn't mean to offend him.

That's not wrong, and it could be considered a fact, but there might still be some subtle differences in the details...

"Since everyone else is imprisoned, but you were the only one released, he must have sent you to deliver a message. Tell me, what does he want? Is he using prisoners to force us to withdraw our troops?"

"I don't know." The demon general took out the letter: "His words are written in the letter, but I dare not read them."

"Why didn't you say so earlier? Why all the nonsense?" Long Qinghuang snatched the letter and unfolded it to read.

He instinctively judged that the letter was basically using prisoners as leverage to persuade him to retreat. It couldn't possibly be a letter of surrender, and it was even less likely to inform him that there was a traitor among his men. Finding the traitor was the greatest strategic objective of his trip, so how could Lu Xingzhou know that?
"Your Majesty, it is as if we are meeting in person. Since we parted ways in Hanchuan, I have often thought of you. I am very pleased to know that Your Majesty's military might has swept across the northern frontier and that your demeanor is even more impressive than before."

Long Qinghuang smiled. This young man was as sweet-talking as ever. His greeting skipped over the incident of trying to catch him in the sea and getting thwarted, making it seem like he knew nothing about it. It was just so pleasant.

"Your Majesty's purpose in coming here is most likely to find someone... I, Lu, do not wish to disrupt Your Majesty's plans."

Long Qinghuang's expression changed instantly.

He really knew!

How did he know?
It's already strange enough that you know there's a spy in your midst. This must be a top secret of Gu Zhanting, something even Ye Tinglan would keep completely hidden. How did you, Lu Xingzhou, a young man uninvolved in court power, know this? And to make matters worse, you also know that the real goal of this battle is to find this person!

This is absolutely outrageous.

The war appeared so grand on the surface, spanning dozens of cities across the entire border and involving a direct confrontation between the emperors of two nations, all to conceal the true intentions. If even this can be seen through, what's the point of the game? If Lu Xingzhou knew all this, wouldn't the traitor himself have also gotten wind of it?

"But once a great war breaks out, the lives of countless people will be lost, far surpassing the small skirmishes of the past. I still advise Your Majesty to reconsider. Of course, I know I don't have that much influence, so how about I provide Your Majesty with information that forces you to withdraw your troops?"

"In the battle at sea, Your Majesty should know that the Ancient Realm is attempting to invade this realm in various ways. I have learned that members of the Ancient Realm will launch a surprise attack on the Demon Clan's sacred mountain, repeating the events of the past when True Person Tinglan was not involved. If Your Majesty assumes that True Person Tinglan is not involved in this battle and ignores the third party, I fear that the tragedy of ten years ago will be repeated."

Long Qinghuang frowned.

Lu Xingzhou's attitude... he doesn't want to help Emperor Qian fight him, nor does he want to help him deal with Emperor Qian.

The letter didn't even mention Gu Zhanting. Even though the so-called people from the ancient world might be colluding with Gu Zhanting, he pretended not to know and didn't say a word.

Why didn't he help me deal with Emperor Qian? Was it because he didn't want to be a traitor?
Why didn't he help Emperor Qian deal with him?

He wanted to mediate... whether his real intention was to prevent "bloodshed" was hard to say; the Lu Xingzhou that Long Qinghuang knew didn't seem like someone who would show compassion. Perhaps Ye Tinglan had some influence? But his true intention was most likely just to sabotage the Ancient Realm's operations.

Because the Ancient Realm caused trouble for the Tianyao Holy Land, he regarded them as enemies.

Long Qinghuang suddenly felt a little uncomfortable, and her furrowed brows remained furrowed.

Even if it was just an attempt to disrupt the ancient realm, objectively speaking, it helped Long Qinghuang on a small scale, and on a larger scale, it prevented "massacres," which is a great achievement. But the question is, is this reliable?

What if they're just deceiving themselves into withdrawing their troops? It would be ridiculous to withdraw based on just one letter.

Long Qinghuang pondered for a long time, then suddenly asked those around her, "Has Shi Kuang's side made contact with Huo Xingyuan yet?"

Someone answered, "Judging by the timeline, Huo Xingyuan should be almost at Wugong City by now. As the largest supply base in the Northern Frontier, it's a place Huo Xingyuan absolutely must rescue. But he probably won't head straight for Wugong City; he might take a detour. Which route, exactly..."

Long Qinghuang waved her hand: "Which one is specific is not something we can control remotely from a distance. Lion Mad will make the judgment himself. This area has already become our territory, and their aerial reconnaissance is not just for show."

"Yes."

Long Qinghuang gazed into the distance and muttered to herself, "The decisive battle is tonight. It can't be just a few hours' difference. Things have come to this point, and there's no reason to retreat now. Besides, since the Battle of Night Listening to the Waves, the Holy Mountain's defenses are far stronger than before. Do you think the people from the Ancient Realm can just storm in like that? They're really underestimating the Holy Mountain."

"Everything remains the same... Once I defeat Gu Zhanting and return to reinforce Holy Mountain, we'll see if what you're saying is true or false."

Having made up her mind, Long Qinghuang suddenly smiled slightly: "You're quite thoughtful."

The demon general, seeing his emperor's ice and snow melt away, thought to himself that this letter was indeed a love letter.

…………

"Young Master Lu!" An elder of the Shadow Moon Sect knocked on the door of the City Lord's Mansion: "Huo Xingyuan's army has arrived. He did not go through Wugong City, which Young Master Huo Zhang predicted, but took a detour. We cannot investigate nearby and do not know how the other side will respond. But logically speaking, all the cities in the rear except ours have fallen, and the advantage of home ground has already fallen to the demon race. Huo Xingyuan is practically moving through their territory. This movement has not even been kept secret from us, so it is probably even more impossible to keep it from them."

Sheng Yuanyao had just broken through to the next level. The two exchanged a glance and knew that they really couldn't do anything tonight.

The war is about to start.

"Brother Long hasn't returned yet. Logically, this round trip shouldn't take this long. Long Qinghuang's choice is quite clear. She doesn't believe me... or rather, even if she does, she feels the die is cast and can't withdraw her troops now." Lu Xingzhou walked out the door, looked at the group of powerful figures waiting for orders, and sighed: "King Si, do you want to seal the Wolf's Lair?"

Si Han was taken aback: "What is 'Fenglang Juxu'?"

"Oh, I forgot you don't have this story... Would you like to follow the example of the Heavenly Yao Holy Lord?"

"Me? Fight the Holy Mountain?" Si Han was dumbfounded.

The demon race doesn't only have Long Qinghuang; even the Holy Mountain has top-tier guardians. Ye Tinglan was able to break in, that's because Ye Tinglan is incredibly powerful. How could he possibly succeed?
Why don't you just tell me to wipe out the demon race?

"The so-called attack on the Holy Mountain is just the Heavenly Frost Kingdom's attempt to take advantage of the conflict between the Great Qian and the Demon Clan. In reality, when you arrive, the Holy Mountain will undoubtedly be in the midst of fierce fighting. The Holy Mountain is not easy to attack. When the attackers see your elite troops suddenly coming from behind, they will be worried about being attacked from both sides and will definitely retreat. Once they retreat, you can retreat as well."

Si Han: "..."

He knew what Lu Xingzhou was thinking, but this was exactly what Si Han wanted.

Why would he want to rescue Gu Zhanting for no reason? Why should he fight Long Qinghuang to the death for no reason?
He could gain the reputation of "attacking the sacred land of the demon race" and scare away the ancient realm without incurring any losses. Why not? As for disrupting the ancient realm's operations, Si Han was even more pleased. Zhao En had previously stolen the fortune of his Tian Shuang Kingdom, almost killing him. As the ruler of a country, how could Si Han not have a temper?
Although it's unclear whether Zhao En and this group from the ancient realms are in cahoots, they're all from the ancient realms anyway, so let's treat them as one group for now.

Seeing Si Han leave in high spirits, Huo Zhang was anxious: "You've transferred the elite troops away, what about us?"

Lu Xingzhou glanced at him.

Judging from the fact that the opposing general has set up a trap and is waiting for Huo Xingyuan, the opponent should be a close confidant of Long Qinghuang, intending to deliver a truly ruthless blow to Huo Xingyuan. If they were colluding with Huo Xingyuan, their behavior wouldn't be this cautious.

In other words, among those who stayed by Long Qinghuang's side to attack Gu Zhanting was that traitor.

The current situation is that Huo Xingyuan is facing an even greater test, and he may suffer heavy losses. Huo Zhang's help to his father at this time, whether it is a drop in the ocean or not, is certainly a great opportunity to make a good impression.

If you want to show off, then go ahead and do it. What role can Huo Zhang play on his own?
"Just wait and see." Lu Xingzhou patted his shoulder kindly. "When the time is right, you'll step into the fray to help your father. With such merit and such friendship, how will Huo Qi possibly compete with you in the future?"

Huo Zhang hesitated for a moment: "And you?"

Lu Xingzhou smiled slightly: "Of course I'll go too. But we might not fight side by side; we'll each be responsible for different flanks."

Huo Zhang was overjoyed: "No problem, as long as I'm not fighting alone, there's no issue."

Judging from Lu Xingzhou's previous actions, Huo Zhang always had the feeling that this guy was about to become a demon, but now that he said this, he was completely relieved.

He also knew that Lu Xingzhou was unwilling to help Huo Xingyuan; it was normal that they were on different paths. Anyway, it didn't matter if he went to his father's location alone, as Lu Xingzhou could help keep things in check from the other side, so it wouldn't count as him going alone.

In this type of battlefield, a third-rank general like him still has a lot of room to perform.

After Huo Zhang left, Sheng Yuanyao finally whispered in his ear, "Are you really willing to go and save Huo Xingyuan? But our small force is no match for them."

“First, I’m not helping Huo Xingyuan. Second, we’re not just a bunch of remnants. Third, in this chaos, who can care about anyone else? What I really want to do is see if I can secretly kill Huo Xingyuan… He’s dealing with the enemy general, which is probably when he’s most vulnerable to a sneak attack.” Lu Xingzhou reached into his robes and pulled out a mask: “Have you ever seen my Yama’s Mask?”

Sheng Yuanyao sighed, said nothing in objection, and simply took off the Dragon Subduing Armor and put it back on him.

Then she gently stroked his chest and whispered, "You can take revenge anytime. Just remember not to be too reckless. If things are hopeless, safety comes first."

(End of this chapter)