In a moment of impulse, I forcibly kissed my brother's best friend.

"Listen to me, I don't care what you are, you're not allowed to make my Yige disappear again. And don't send our child to other places, it's too dangerous."

"If you agree and promise to do it, put that cup back here."

He tapped the table.

Sure enough, the cup suddenly reappeared at the spot he pointed to.

Cui Yutang raised an eyebrow. "Alright, you can go now."

Xie Dudu felt like her world had collapsed.

It, a system of its own, was actually threatened by a human. He couldn't even see it, but he accurately grasped its existence.

The march usually begins at dawn, but due to special circumstances last night, the time was postponed by one hour the following day.

The Mysterious Ancient Miasma Beast King was lying outside Cui Yutang's military tent, occupying a large open space. Its crimson eyes were half-closed, radiating a terrifying aura.

Bao Yu walked to the front of the military tent, trembling with fear, unsure whether to go in or back. He had important business to discuss with his master, and his face was long and gloomy.

"Come in."

Cui Yutang had been lingering for a while when he heard his footsteps. This guy was usually quite bold, but now he was acting like a coward.

Bao Yu resignedly walked in. Just as he was about to lift the curtain, the ancient miasma beast king suddenly turned to look at him. With just a glance from its crimson beast eyes, Bao Yu's legs went weak.

It turned out to be that useless human hanging in the tree, so it lazily lowered its head again.

Bao Yu then went in and reported the results of the interrogation of the two arrested individuals to Cui Yutang.

"Master, it was indeed the work of Li Jing, the third son of Prince Rong'an. He sent three groups of people last night. The first and second groups were martial arts masters used to deceive; the third group of eighty-nine people were his trained assassins."

Cui Yutang paused for a moment after he had just finished tying the straps on his cuffs.

"He enjoys assassinations so much, how can I not play along?" Cui Yutang's lips curled into a cold smile. "Send a message to Mr. Dugu: I want his head."

"Boy, is this how you order me around?" A lazy voice suddenly came from outside the military tent, with a hint of speechlessness at the end.

Cui Yutang's face lit up with joy, and he went out to greet them.

Not far from the military tent, on a large rock, lay a man dressed in moon-white linen clothes.

Her hair was half-tied up, a mix of black and white, with two long strands of hair fluttering in the wind in front of her forehead. A strip of cloth of the same color was casually tied around her waist, with a shiny gourd hanging from it, which had been rubbed until it was covered in a patina.

A row of soldiers pointed their spears at him, but he paid no attention and didn't even bother to lift his eyelids.

When Cui Yutang looked at him, her eyes sparkled, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve into a beautiful smile.

"Sir, after the matter is accomplished, there will be one hundred jars of pear blossom wine, plus—" His smile deepened, "I will build you a bamboo house deep in Pear Mountain."

The man indeed abandoned his lazy demeanor and sat up abruptly. He gave a haughty "humph," saying, "You're quite cunning, kid. You're good at manipulating people."

"The bamboo house should have three floors. The top floor should have a viewing platform and a rocking chair."

"Mr. Du Yi."

At this moment, Xie Yige also ran out, her beautiful peach blossom eyes round and curious as she looked at the man.

"Is this the little lady who made you want to die?" He sized up Xie Yige.

"Yes, she is now my wife, her name is Xie Yige." Cui Yutang's expression was smug and proud.

He leaned close to Xie Yige's ear and whispered, "He is my mother's junior brother, Yun Bianyue. He likes to drink pear blossom wine. Baby, give him two jars first to coax him into doing chores."

"You brat, do you think I'm deaf?" Yun Bianyue suddenly jumped down from the rock, her clothes fluttering. "Give me at least three jars first."

"Sir, please wait a moment, I'll go get it right away." Xie Yige smiled, her eyes curving into two crescent moons.

Soon, Xie Yige used the tent as cover to take out four jars of wine from his spatial storage. Each jar weighed about two jin (1 kg) and the mouth of the jar was suspended by a rope.

"Your wife is so sensible." Yun Bianyue looked at Xie Yige with admiration, strode forward, and quickly took the wine jar with both hands.

He couldn't wait to open one of the jars.

The moment the seal was broken, a faint fragrance of pear blossoms mingled with the rich aroma of wine, lingering around the nose. The fragrance was like an invisible hand, and Yun Bianyue's eyes widened.

He tilted his head back, took a sip, and became intoxicated, letting out a satisfied sigh.

"I've smelled the fragrance of pear blossoms in my dreams, but alas, I'm consumed by endless longing."

Holding the wine jar, he turned around, his moon-white linen robe billowing like a cloud in the wind, and he was already more than three zhang away.

The sound grew fainter and fainter, disappearing into the horizon along with his figure.

Cui Yutang took Xie Yige's hand and gently massaged her palm with his thumb.

He looked at Li Zhige and Cheng Chuliang, who had walked over with him, and said in a deep voice, "Pass down the order: the army shall set off and reach the hinterland of the southwest within three days."

"Your subordinates obey orders." Cheng Chuliang and Li Zhige clasped their hands in unison.

Bugle calls echoed through the camps, and the sound of horses' hooves pierced the morning mist.

Upon hearing the horn, the ancient beast king twitched its ears, slowly stood up, and moved its massive body like a small, dark mountain, following beside Xie Yige's carriage.

Cui Yutang, Cheng Chuliang, and Li Zhige did not ride horses today; instead, they gathered in a large carriage to look at a military map of the southwest.

The map was drawn on sheepskin, with several circles and crosses drawn on it in red cinnabar, and some burn marks left on the edges.

"According to reports from scouts ahead, Li Jin's rebel army is entrenched in the mountains and forests, using the continuous mountain ranges in the southwest as a barrier, intending to wait for the enemy to tire themselves out." Li Zhige said solemnly, pointing to several locations where they were entrenched, which were the same places circled by the vermilion ink.

Cheng Chuliang frowned as he looked at those spots and then turned to Cui Yutang.

"General, I have heard that Li Jin is aggressive, bloodthirsty, arrogant and conceited. I believe that luring him out to fight would be more advantageous for us."

Cui Yutang pondered for a moment, then looked at Li Zhige and said, "Deputy General Li, activate our secret network and spread rumors among their troops, saying that Cui Yutang, as a civil official, was hastily appointed and does not know how to lead troops. There are complaints all over the army, many people are sick due to the change in environment, and the army's combat strength has already been reduced by more than half."

"Your subordinate obeys," Li Zhige said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

"Furthermore, Li Jin has stockpiled troops in the mountains, making it difficult to transport supplies along the mountain roads, resulting in huge losses. We can send several elite squads to infiltrate the mountains, find the stockpiled supplies, and set them on fire. Once the supplies are destroyed, the morale of the rebel army will collapse, and he will surely take the initiative to attack in order to achieve a quick victory."

"General, this plan is brilliant. I, Cheng, am willing to be the vanguard." Cheng Chuliang grinned, revealing a set of bright white teeth. He had been on the battlefield for many years, and his skin was wheat-colored, which made his teeth look dazzlingly white.

Compared to him, Cui Yutang's pale skin makes him look like a pretty boy.

"allow."

Cui Yutang employed two strategies: feigning weakness and luring the enemy forward, working in tandem. Cheng Chuliang no longer harbored any resentment towards him, completely convinced of his abilities, and his gaze towards Cui Yutang now held genuine respect.

After Cui Yutang got off the large carriage, he jumped directly into Xie Yige's carriage.

Now almost no one dares to approach her carriage; the soldiers would rather take a detour than pass within three feet of the tiger.

Cui Yutang's purpose in coming up here this time was very clear: he came to file a complaint.

Xie Yige was playing with her binoculars, the copper tube of which she had polished to a shine. When she saw Cui Yutang looking at her with a conflicted expression, she couldn't help but soften her voice.

"Husband, what's wrong?" She looked at him with her round eyes, tilting her head.

"My wife, there is something I am not sure if I should say." His eyelashes were lowered, and his eyes were about to burst into tears.

For some reason, alarm bells went off in Xie Dudu's mind.