I am the old, fiery-faced man from the senior department.

"Wait, is it going to be some kind of ice cream crab hot pot?"

I still remember the fear of being dominated by Xi's ice cream fondue.

"I heard there's something called snow skin mooncake hot pot..."

"No, there's no hot pot this time. Who eats hot pot at a Mid-Autumn Festival gathering? Hahaha, Xiaobai, don't you think so?"

The topic was promptly changed that year.

"It's alright, it's good to try something new. This time it's on me."

"Hey, no, no, no, let's not try any of those weird mooncake hotpots. This time we're just having mooncakes, tea, and chatting."

Seeing Nian's appearance, Xi wagged her tail slightly with a smug look on her face.

"Come in quickly."

Nian invited the two into the house.

"Greetings, Ancestor!"

Happy Ancestors' Day.

The two little sisters had already arrived and immediately greeted Bai Zhou upon seeing him.

"Yes, hello everyone, happy holidays."

I greeted them cheerfully and introduced Xi to them during the day.

Hello.

Xi rarely greeted him, which surprised Nian so much that he ate half a mooncake.

Hello.

Although Chen Ta had heard of Xi, this was their first meeting. Despite having a good relationship with Bai Zhou, they were surprised and, more than anything, felt the awkwardness of juniors in front of their elders when faced with this legendary woman whom their ancestor had repeatedly sought but failed to win over.

"Mr. Bai, I've arrived."

A small golden unicorn with slightly curly long hair arrived on the battlefield.

"Yes, please sit down."

He greeted her with a smile during the day.

Who is this?

Jingzhe looked curiously at Xi, who was sitting next to Baizhou.

I feel like I've seen this somewhere before.

"Let me introduce you. This is the wife I told you about, Yu."

"Oh, so it's Madam Bai..."

The little Qilin has withdrawn from the battlefield.

"How embarrassing, the Awakening of Insects."

The carefree black cat found something amusing as soon as it came in.

"Go away, I don't have time for you."

The little Qilin was eating the mooncake with gusto, seemingly trying to vent its sadness through the food.

"Pfft, hahaha..."

Nian covered her mouth and laughed so hard she collapsed beside Bai Zhou.

"Waaah..."

The little Qilin's mournful cries grew louder.

"Mr. Bai... Nian!"

"Mr. Bai? Wow! It really is... Oh dear, I didn't consult a fortune teller before I left home, how could I have such good luck?"

"Huh? I remember you didn't say that..."

“Kross, you misheard me.”

"Ah...is that so? What do you think, Saga?"

“The abbot once taught me that one should not lie. You, benefactor, have broken the precept.”

"Ah, Master! You can't harm me! Mr. Bai, my loyalty to the Great Yan is as clear as day!"

The lively group of four brought even more joy to the place.

"It's alright. Please take a seat."

Even in broad daylight, he wouldn't actually take action based on a single sentence.

"Hey, Mr. Bai is brilliant!"

Everyone at the gathering has their own social circle, so there's no need to worry about neglecting anyone.

Since most of the attendees were from Yan country, there was no sense of distance in their conversations. With plenty of banter and jokes, the gathering was lively and quite enjoyable.

"Ok?"

After drinking a beverage, it seemed as if daylight glimpsed something through the window.

"I'll be right back. You can continue."

He apologized to everyone and went outside alone during the day.

(A joyful neigh)

"Hmm...M3?"

Bai Zhou looked at the little monster in front of him with slight surprise.

But there must be more than just one little monster coming.

During the day, he looked towards the corridor further away and then slowly walked towards it.

"Why didn't you come in since you're here?"

Reaching out to stop the lynx from retreating, Bai Zhou looked at her hand in her pocket.

"I was just passing by and had no intention of disturbing Mr. A."

The lynx's beak remained as hard as ever.

Knowing her temperament, Bai Zhou wasn't annoyed; instead, he smiled.

“I’m glad you came. Thank you, Kal’tsit.”

He sent the invitation with only hope, but he didn't expect the lynx to actually find the time to come and see him.

"..."

"The mooncakes are delicious, but you added too much sugar. It would be a burden for me to eat them all."

The lynx withdrew its hand and handed a mooncake, still in its packaging box, to Bai Zhou.

"Based on your method, I have made a mooncake with a more standard sugar content. I hope you will like it."

"..."

His smile was even brighter during the day.

“I will savor it carefully, Kal'tsit.”

"What you need is to learn... Do as you please."

“I still have a medical report to write, and you have a gathering to continue. Time is tight for both of us.”

Looking at the real dragon before him, the lynx pursed his lips slightly, and then, under his expectant gaze, spoke again, seemingly helplessly.

"Happy holidays, Your Highness."

Happy holidays, Kal'tsit.

Returning to Liuguan, they refused to leave and held firm.

"This is the Great Yan...you bandits...don't even think about taking a single step out!"

After beheading the bandit leader, Ye Wenshun steadied himself, turned around, and plunged his sword into the body of the charging Ursus man.

The stench of blood filled his nostrils, but it only made him feel better.

"He is General Yan! Kill him, and the 100,000 rubles will be ours!"

Ye Wenshun scoffed when someone shouted out the Ursus language from somewhere.

"To think Ye's head is only worth 100,000 is to seriously underestimate him!"

A three-foot-long sword flashes, its brows furrowed in a cold stare; the golden eagle's feathers flutter in the wind.

"My head is right here. You scoundrels! Come and take it if you dare!"

The Yan dialect, originating from the warm interior, is mellow and clear. Although it has become more weathered and hoarse after experiencing wind and snow, the spirit born in its bones has never changed.

"Fellow soldiers of Yumen! Follow me to fight the enemy!"

Half an hour later, forced by the defenders' tenacity, the Ursus army retreated again, leaving behind only corpses and ruins.

"They ran away again. These guys... they just want to wear us down like this."

With the enemy retreating, Ye Wenshun was finally able to catch his breath for a moment.

But he knew that the trials of today were not yet over.

"Lieutenant, quickly tally the number of dead and wounded soldiers, and arrange for sentries to patrol. Keep a close eye on their movements."

"Tonight... it's very likely that no one will be able to sleep."

"Here."

Leaning against the wall, Ye Wenshun shakily placed the sword beside him, tore open the cloak on his back, and tightly bound his bleeding left arm.

"There are still many things to deal with, so I can't rest for now."

After catching his breath, Ye Wenshun picked up his sword again, descended the city wall, and headed towards the government office where military strategies were discussed.