I am the snake demon!

On the first day of the spring hunt, the barbarians of Bingzhou bowed their heads, and the demons of Liangzhou knelt in worship.

What followed was, naturally, much smoother than expected.

A scene of joy and harmony.

Only in the Bingzhou military camp, Nie Ying and Wei Feng, two third-rank generals, lay on their beds in a disheveled state, their faces filled with humiliation and anger.

Since joining the army, when have these two men ever suffered such humiliation?

"What a disgrace! How dare this brat be so arrogant!"

Nie Ying lay on the bed, gritting her teeth.

"It's not arrogance, but rather a matter of assessing the situation. This is Liangzhou, not Bingzhou. He controls everything. If we really turn against each other, even our elder brother can't protect us. That's why he's so fearless. Even if he kills both of us here, our elder brother can't do anything about it. Nie Ying, you acted impulsively this time," Wei Feng said, shaking his head.

"Kill us? He dares?" Nie Ying shouted.

"What wouldn't he dare to do? If it weren't for our years of comradeship, I would have executed you on the spot."

As soon as Nie Ying finished speaking, a cold voice rang out.

Upon hearing this, Nie Ying and Wei Feng immediately looked up with delight, only to see Xu Wenzheng walking in from outside the tent with a frosty expression, his gaze sweeping over Nie Ying like a knife.

"Big...Big Brother."

Upon seeing Xu Wenzheng enter, Nie Ying's expression immediately changed, her previous arrogant demeanor vanishing.

"Tell me, what makes you think he won't kill you? What if he does kill you? In this northern border, is there anyone he can't kill, only people he doesn't want to kill?" Xu Wenzheng walked into the tent, his gaze as sharp as a knife as he looked at Nie Ying.

Nie Ying felt a chill run through her body, but she forced herself to say, "Big...Big Brother, I just can't accept it. I earned my rank of Third-Rank General by fighting my way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. What right does he have to kill me? Even the Emperor can't easily kill someone with a rank of Third-Rank."

"Just because he's not the emperor, he can kill you whenever he wants. Just like now, if I want to kill you, saying you disobeyed military orders, I can immediately use military law to execute you," Xu Wenzheng said, word by word.

Sensing the chill emanating from Xu Wenzheng, Nie Ying trembled and dared not utter a word.

"Brother, although Nie Ying is impulsive, he has a good heart and is only thinking of you," Wei Feng quickly said, trying to smooth things over.

"Thinking of me? So you secretly contacted Wang Shizhong, wanting to use the gift-giving as an excuse to embarrass Xu Shi'an? To let the Mo Ci Three Guards and the Wild Forest Deer Clan see that my Northern Border is fighting amongst themselves? To let them harbor inappropriate thoughts?" Xu Wenzheng looked at Wei Feng and the other man and sneered.

"Absolutely not. Brother, we're all doing this for you. We're not satisfied. Xu Shi'an has no merit or virtue, and we've heard that his array formation level is only at the Twelfth Seal Illumination Realm. He's a laughingstock. He's neither talented nor virtuous. Why should he be the Prince of Zhenbei? And someone like you, brother, has to obey his orders and be subordinate to him? This is not fair!"

"Everything was planned perfectly. Xu Shi'an couldn't subdue the Mo Qilin, so you, brother, took action and subdued it, killing two birds with one stone. It would damage Xu Shi'an's prestige, enhance your own prestige, and even give you a mount, killing three birds with one stone. Who would have thought that Xu Shi'an would use some strange method to make that beast obediently submit?"

Finally, Nie Ying said through gritted teeth.

"Really? It's all for my sake. Why didn't you tell me beforehand?" Xu Wenzheng's gaze swept over Nie Ying.

"Brother, you're too concerned about your relationship with Yuhua. You should cut ties when necessary," Nie Ying said through gritted teeth.

"Concerns?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Wenzheng laughed out loud, and with a palm strike in mid-air, an illusory palm print fell heavily onto Nie Ying, causing Nie Ying to spit out a mouthful of blood.

"Big brother!"

Wei Feng was taken aback by what he saw.

"How many times have I told you to consider the big picture? You think I'm strong enough and want me to be the commander, but you also think you're smarter than me, so you make decisions over me. What are you really thinking? Or do you want me to be the Prince of Zhenbei because if I don't take a step further and become the Prince of Zhenbei, you won't be able to take a step further either?" Xu Wenzheng looked at the two men with a half-smile.

"Brother, we have no such intention. We truly believe that you are the most suitable candidate to inherit the title of Prince of Zhenbei." Upon hearing this, Nie Ying was shocked. Ignoring his injuries, he endured the pain and knelt down to say this.

"Why should I be the most suitable? Is Uncle Leng's strength below mine? Is the Flying Bear Army inferior to our Bingzhou Flying Cavalry? They are not inferior at all! It's because my surname is Xu!" Xu Wenzheng's gaze swept over Nie Ying like a blade. "How I fight with Xu Shi'an is my business, but the Northern Territory must belong to the Xu family, and that cannot be changed. What are you trying to do by letting the Mo Ci Three Guards cause trouble? To let them see the weakness of our Northern Territory?"

"No, brother, I really didn't. What are the Mo Ci Three Guards? We can wipe them out anytime we want! We want everyone to see that you are the strongest and that you should be in charge of the Northern Territory," Nie Ying said in a panic.

He admitted that he did have some selfish motives.

But if it were truly for Xu Wenzheng's sake, then the position of Prince of Zhenbei should have been given to Xu Wenzheng.

Even if one is nameless, one must have substance.

"Whether it's true or false, it doesn't matter. After we return to Bingzhou, you will be stationed at Hanmen Pass for three years," Xu Wenzheng said, withdrawing his gaze.

"Big brother?" Nie Ying's expression changed drastically upon hearing this.

Hanmen Pass.

The border of Bingzhou.

The danger was secondary; the main problem was being far away from Xu Wenzheng, which meant leaving the core of power in Bingzhou, essentially being sent to an outside post.

"Go and stay for three years. Think it through and come back. If you can't think it through, then don't ever come back." Xu Wenzheng ignored him and turned away.

He believed that Nie Ying was loyal to him.

They had fought side by side for many years, sharing life and death countless times. Although they were not blood relatives, their bond was stronger than that of many brothers.

But brothers also have their own little schemes.

Loyalty does not mean they don't have their own thoughts.

These ideas are not necessarily what Xu Wenzheng would be willing to accept.

It could even be said that these people, under the guise of doing what's best for him, are actually pursuing their own selfish interests.

If he wanted that position, wouldn't he fight for it himself?

Who are these people to make decisions for him?

Watching Xu Wenzheng leave, Nie Ying remained standing there, her face ashen.

Xu Wenzheng walked out of the tent on his own. Once outside, he saw Leng Shih-hu standing not far away, arms crossed, looking at him. He immediately went up to him and said, "Uncle Leng, were you waiting for me?"

"That's right. Not long ago, many of the younger generation of demons from the Wild Forest Deer Clan went missing and their whereabouts are unknown. When I was searching Cangshan today, I found that these demons were all in the hunting area," Leng Shih-hu said.

"They want to sow discord between the Northern Territory and the demon race?" Xu Wenzheng's expression changed immediately upon hearing this.

According to custom, when hunting in Cangshan, some monsters are thrown into the forest to facilitate the hunt.

However, these monsters were carefully selected, and the Wild Forest Deer Clan no longer hunted them.

Those of the Wildwood Deer tribe who submitted to the North enjoyed the same treatment as the people of the North.

If the deer king were to shoot the animal without permission, he might not outwardly do anything, but his true intentions could be quite different.

"I've already resolved this matter. Your Highness doesn't know, and I don't care about the truth. But let's stop here. Don't go any further, otherwise, given our young prince's personality, you might really not be able to return to Bingzhou," Leng Shih-hu said.

"Thank you," Xu Wenzheng said sincerely.

"No need. I'm not doing this for you, but for the Northern Border. Bingzhou cannot be without you, and the Northern Border cannot be without you either. You and I must guard the Northern Border," Leng Shih-hu said.

"Uncle Leng, don't worry, Shi'an is right. We all share the surname Xu, so even if we fight, we won't go too far. Besides, I need to go back first and have some fun with my other good brother, who is also your good disciple, Xu Yanheng," Xu Wenzheng said with a smile.

"Don't go too far. Yan Heng is the only one in the Xu family besides you and the Prince who is capable of shouldering great responsibilities," Leng Shih-hu said.

"That depends on whether he knows what's good for him or not." Xu Wenzheng chuckled lightly, then bid farewell to Leng Shih-hu.

He doesn't plan to fight Bai Xuan for the time being, because if they do, the best outcome would be mutual destruction, which wouldn't be good for either of them.

But Xu Yanheng was different; Xu Yanheng had already entered his territory, and he was absolutely confident.

Bingzhou belongs to him, and no one can change that.

Watching Xu Wenzheng's departing figure, Leng Shih-hu shook his head slightly, but didn't say much. The northern border couldn't be in chaos, and neither he nor Xu Wenzheng could be harmed.

They are simply not enough.

The tripod stands on three legs.

The two feet are somewhat lacking.

The Heavenly Pivot Demon-Slaying Formation is now missing the Greedy Wolf link, making it less confident in facing the great formations of the Demon Kingdom and the Wilderness.

My little prince, grow up quickly!

As Leng Shih-hu sighed, a gust of air suddenly swept overhead. He looked up at the sky and saw a Qilin soaring freely through the sea of ​​clouds. On the Qilin, two figures could be vaguely seen.

Upon seeing this, Leng Shih-hu immediately frowned. Such a fine mount! Why don't you take Qing-han to heaven? It would be so beautiful, and you might just win Qing-han's heart.

Why did you take Yuhua to heaven?

So, what's your current progress?