Great Wilderness Demon Lord

"We will leave the pass at 3:45 AM and arrive at Shuofeng Plain in five days according to the itinerary," Han Chong replied with a bow. "We have fifty able-bodied soldiers, one hundred recruited soldiers, two hundred convicts, thirty guards from the Xiao Clan Chamber of Commerce, five craftsmen, and all supplies are ready."

Li Xuan walked to a stone bench by the field, sat down, picked up her teacup, and took a sip: "Those fifty troublemakers, are they convinced now?"

"I'm impressed." Han Chong paused, then added, "Three days ago at the training ground, Xiao Yunlan fought fifty elite soldiers single-handedly, defeating them all in half an hour. Zhao Meng broke two ribs, and the remaining thirty-odd men were wounded."

Li Xuan raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes: "He does have some skill. No wonder Madam Liu dared to put this illegitimate child forward."

"Although Xiao Yunlan is an illegitimate child, he has been registered under the Liu family and is now the legitimate second son of the Xiao family." Han Zhong carefully considered his words. "This time, the Xiao family's support for going to Shuofeng Plain was not generous on the surface, but Liu Heyang put in a lot of effort in secret."

The Chamber of Commerce's thirty guards are all highly skilled, and the supplies are 30% more than the books show.

"The Liu family has placed their bet." Li Xuan put down her teacup, a faint smile playing on her lips. "The Xiao family has many pawns in the Northern Frontier, but this one... is quite interesting."

She rose and walked to the edge of the training ground, gazing at the northern horizon. The morning light had fully spread, and the outline of the desolate wilderness beyond the pass stretched into the distance, boundless and vast.

"Han Zhong, do you think he can stand firm?" she suddenly asked.

Han Zhong remained silent for a moment, then slowly said, "The difficulties of Shuofeng Plain cannot be resolved by mere bravery in battle. Favorable timing, advantageous terrain, popular support, and the barbarian tribes... these four perilous obstacles already make it a matter of life and death. What's more—"

He paused, lowering his voice, "Recently, there has been frequent activity from cults outside the pass. According to reports from our spies, it seems that followers of the Four Heavenly Venerables Cult are frequently seen in the Shuofeng Plain area."

Xiao Yunlan's departure will likely disturb those lurking spirits deep within the Great Wilderness.

Li Xuan turned around, her eyes sharp: "The cult... is it finally about to surface?"

"It's hard to say. But all indications suggest that there are indeed cult strongholds deep in the Great Wilderness, and possibly more than one. The imperial court has sent people to investigate many times over the years, but all have failed. If Xiao Yunlan can truly gain a foothold on this trip, perhaps..." Han Zhong carefully chose his words, "he could become a nail driven into that fog of mystery."

"Even a nail can become bait," Li Xuan sneered. "My brother and several important officials in the court tacitly allowed the Xiao family to push him out, probably with this in mind—to use the Xiao family's scouts as pebbles."

If successful, the imperial court gains a forward military town and can also spy on the cult's strengths and weaknesses; if it fails, the only loss is a noble family losing an illegitimate son, while the imperial court suffers no harm whatsoever.

She walked to the weapon rack, her fingertips brushing against the scabbard of a horizontal sword: "The Xiao family isn't stupid. Using this pawn to pioneer new lands, if successful, it's a family achievement; if they fail, they only lose a member of a collateral branch."

The Liu family was even more shrewd—they appeared fair on the surface, but secretly placed their bets.

If Xiao Yunlan can truly establish himself in Shuofeng Plain, her branch of the family's influence within the Xiao family will be significantly different.

Han Zhong lowered his head and remained silent. As a military general, it was not appropriate for him to speak too much about the power struggles between these aristocratic families and the imperial family.

"Giving those fifty troublemakers was merely a show of force," Li Xuan said, her tone turning indifferent. "If the Xiao family wants to establish a foothold in the Northern Frontier, they'll have to kowtow first. But if they can truly reclaim the Shuofeng Plain..."

A complex look flashed in her eyes: "The imperial court needs the spiritual veins and mineral resources of the Great Wilderness, and it needs the achievements of pioneering to stabilize the nation's fortunes. The five great families have controlled the resources of the Central Plains for too long. If the royal family cannot open up new opportunities in the Great Wilderness, it will sooner or later be subject to others."

Han Zhong finally spoke: "Your Highness, if the cult does indeed make any unusual moves, how should the military government respond?"

"Support them." Li Xuan said decisively, her eyes flashing with sharpness. "Eliminating the cult is the court's top priority. If Shuofeng Plain becomes a battlefield, the military government will not stand idly by."

She paused, her tone turning cold, "But there are limits to the support—if Xiao Yunlan can gain a foothold and confront the cult head-on, the military government will naturally send troops to assist in the battle, and provisions, armor, and weapons can all be provided."

But if he can't even establish a stable camp, he won't be able to lure out the hidden rats, and the court's resources cannot be wasted.

She walked back to the stone table, picked up a pen, wrote a few lines on a piece of paper, stamped it with a small seal, and handed it to Han Zhong: "This is a secret order. From today onwards, the military spies will advance fifty miles northward, focusing on investigating the traces of cults around Shuofeng Plain."

Another battalion of light cavalry was stationed twenty li outside the pass, ready to be deployed at any time. In case of any unusual activity—”

She looked up. "You will lead the troops yourself."

Han Zhong's heart skipped a beat, and he bowed to receive the secret order: "This subordinate understands. However... if the military government intervenes too early, it may alert the enemy."

"I know my limits." Li Xuan turned to look north. "Xiao Yunlan is the bait, but if the bait is swallowed, the fisherman should put away his line. What the court wants is to eradicate the cult and cleanse the wilderness."

As for whether the credit should be attributed to the Xiao family or to the military register...

A faint smile played on her lips. "It's not important."

Han Zhong said no more, bowed deeply, and withdrew.

The training ground returned to silence.

Li Xuan sat alone on the stone bench, her fingertips tapping lightly on the edge of the stone table, her gaze fixed on the northern horizon.

"Xiao Yunlan..." she murmured to herself, her voice filled with scrutiny and anticipation, "Let me see just how big a fish you can lure out with this pawn."

Outside the window, the north wind grew stronger, swirling up the fallen leaves in the courtyard. The banners of Zhenhuang Pass fluttered on the city walls, while three hundred miles away, the northward-bound army was marching towards an unknown battlefield.

The chessboard is set, the bait is in the water. Now, all that's left is to wait for the fish to bite.

-----------------

The convoy had traveled thirty li from the pass, and the terrain was gradually becoming undulating. The vegetation along the roadside was sparse, with only occasional hardy juniper bushes shivering in the wind.

The temperature was significantly lower than in the interior, and the wind felt like a dull knife scraping against my face.

Xiao Yunlan sat on his horse, eyes closed, concentrating.

The intense hunger of the demon within him grew ever clearer, as if there was an emptiness in his heart, yearning to be filled with some kind of burning, almost blind loyalty.

Just then, the scouts rushed back from ahead.

"Report! Bandits have been spotted three miles away, about twenty riders, currently robbing a merchant caravan!"

Xiao Yunlan opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing in them.

Without even giving an order, he simply spurred the horse's belly, and the green horse shot off like an arrow, galloping northward.

Zhao Meng paused for a moment, then roared, "Follow me!"

The journey to Sanli was completed in the blink of an eye.

Three carriages were leaning precariously by the roadside, their canopies torn and their goods scattered all over the ground.

Five or six corpses of caravan guards lay scattered about, their blood congealed into dark red ice crystals.

More than twenty mounted bandits were laughing and rummaging through the goods. Their leader was a one-eyed strong man who was carrying a blood-dripping scimitar. He kicked aside an old coachman who was trying to protect the cargo box.

Hearing the sound of hooves, the bandits turned around in surprise.

Seeing that there were only fifty or so riders, the one-eyed leader grinned, revealing his yellow and black teeth: "Sir, you've come at the right time. This shipment..."

Before he could finish speaking...

Xiao Yunlan was already within thirty paces.

He didn't slow down at all, and his green horse charged straight into the bandits!

The bandits cried out and scattered in alarm. The one-eyed leader hastily raised his sword, only to see the figure in blue robes on horseback unleash a spear like a venomous dragon emerging from its lair—