The young dragon tries to conquer the world

　"The Red Mirror Dragon is dead, the Ark Dragon is dead, and the remaining monsters have fled back to the forest. With Little Light eating the leftover bones, most monsters don't dare approach this village. So, there's no reason for you to stay here anymore. Of course, you can choose to stay here or go back to Aize."

　"Didn't Master want you to take me with you? Besides, I really want to travel too."

　"In that case, I would welcome it, but before we set off, we just need to figure out what that strange guy is up to."

　"Meow meow meow, meow~" The hunter's secret stew is here! Oh, and would you like some toast?

　"Yes, that's enough for the two of us, thank you. As for him, he's already full, so there's no need to give him any more." Frilian took the large bowl of steaming stew that Melalu brought over. Only then did Shutark realize why Frilian and Philen had only eaten two skewers of grilled meat and hadn't continued eating. At first, Shutark thought they were taking care of him and was feeling touched, but it turned out the best was yet to come.

　However, this matter really has nothing to do with Frilian. If Shutark had eaten a little slower, he could have caught up.

　During their time with the young girl, the Melalurus's cooking skills improved significantly, especially their stews, which became incredibly refined. The reason for this was that stews were extremely cost-effective in feeding the young girl. Keep in mind that there were only three Melalurus. If they were to cook for the young girl at the same speed as the Palico chefs, they would be exhausted.

　While its companion was grilling meat, the other two Melaluru began preparing the ingredients for stewing. One of them was responsible for breaking the spine and leg bones of the Ark Dragon into suitable sizes, while the other was responsible for processing the leg and breast meat of the Ark Dragon. In the meantime, Melaluru poured the mushroom pork fat into the pot, and after it melted, it added leeks, miasma fruit, king cactus and Hundred Suns Grass to the pot. After stir-frying until fragrant, it added the bones of the Ark Dragon and water to start stewing.

　After the water boils, add carefully selected mushrooms, sea worms, and pumpkin to stew together. This not only enhances the texture of the broth but also makes it more flavorful. However, it takes a long time to stew a good broth. So, at this time, the two Melaloos in charge of stewing the meat went to prepare bacon and egg rolls for the young girl.

　While called bacon and egg rolls, they'd be more accurately described as assorted meat rolls. Besides meat sliced ​​from the Ark Dragon, there's fresh cheese bought in town, fish, shrimp, crabs, and shellfish caught from the river during the day, as well as boiled potatoes. Huge chunks of meat sizzle in the oil, changing color as they roll and turn in the hot oil. When the meat turns a deep brown, Melalu scoops it out of the oil. And every time this happens, the first few batches of bacon Melalu fries are "stolen" by a chubby little hand and quickly disappear into her belly.

　Besides bacon, there were also golden omelets, and of course, these eggs included not only Ark Dragon eggs but also other magical ones.

　The eggs of the creatures were quickly transformed into beautiful omelets by Melalu's superb culinary skills. Then came fried fish, shrimp, crab, and cooked shellfish. As for the fish, shrimp, and crab, they were simply fried in oil. The shells of these creatures posed no risk of piercing the young girl's throat; on the contrary, they could provide her with a certain amount of calcium.

　Of course, simply piling them together like this is not enough to eat them. This is where mashed potatoes come in. Steamed potatoes are mashed into soft mashed potatoes in a wooden bowl. Finally, while stirring, seasonings such as cheese, salt, and pepper are added. This completes the preparation.

　Start with a base of crisscrossed bacon, then add a layer of omelet, followed by a layer of fried fish and shrimp, shaped with mashed potatoes. Place cooked shellfish on top of the mashed potatoes, then add another omelet, top with bacon, and finally spread a layer of mashed potatoes on top. You're all done!

　This calorie-bursting, fat-bursting, and stomach-bursting assorted egg roll is now ready!

　Although the little girl ate happily, Frilian felt like she had already swallowed the food just imagining the taste. Shutalc was curious about the dish, but the little girl wouldn't share her favorite things with him unless she was full.

　The little girl quickly devoured the Ark Dragon's meat, leaving only its internal organs. The heart, liver, and lungs were easy to process, but the large intestine, small intestine, and stomach were much more troublesome. It would take the Melalus at least six hours to process them all. However, the little girl was only interested in the heart and liver, and she also liked the chewy small intestine. She didn't particularly like the other parts.

　It was at this moment that the shadow that had attacked the young girl reappeared. However, this time the shadow did not attack the young girl. Instead, it grabbed the liver of the Ark Dragon on the ground and flew away. The shadow was very fast and escaped more than ten meters away in an instant. This was terrible. The young girl's eyes widened and white-gold dragon scale patterns quickly appeared on her face. Almost at the same moment, the young girl was launched towards the shadow like a cannonball.

　The next instant, the little girl smashed a huge crater in the shadowy spot. "Ancient Dragon Magic - Partial Manifestation - Steel Fist!" The little girl's crimson-gold pupils locked onto the upright creature beneath her feet, and she let out a low growl, as if warning the creature or checking if it was still alive. After confirming the creature's death, the little girl raised her tail, curled up the Ark Dragon's liver, and then flicked her tail, creating a series of flames on the ground before returning to Lanmei's side.

　P.S.: The next chapter will reveal what I've been building up for so long, hehe, it'll be a little more of a climax, I wonder if you guys can guess it.

　Book 1: 403 - To Keep a Heart from Sorrow

　After the young girls had eaten their fill, it was already midnight. A bright moon hung in the night sky, with a few stars scattered around it. The young girls yawned as they watched the Melalus process the internal organs of the Ark Dragon. Melalus's best method was braising. When preparing the raw materials, Melalus soaked the blood out of the dragon's heart and liver. When the surface turned pink, it meant it was ready to be braised.

　Making the braising liquid is quite troublesome. Not only do you have to stir-fry the seasonings until they're fragrant, but you also have to simmer them to extract the flavor. At this rate, by the time Melalu finishes making the braising liquid, the sky might already be turning silver with the light of dawn. This means that if we want to eat this pot of braised offal made from dragon heart, liver, and large intestines, the earliest we can do so is tomorrow morning. In fact, Melalu's plan is to make this for breakfast, which is what they call dragon offal soup.

　Normally, the little girl would get sleepy after eating her fill. In the past, she would definitely transform back into her Black Eclipse Dragon form to fall asleep peacefully. After all, in her Black Eclipse Dragon form, the scales she scattered could not only warn off uninvited guests but also effectively conceal her Black Eclipse Dragon body. However, after molting and becoming the World Lord, and especially after meeting Lan Mei, the little girl no longer minded sleeping in human form. Frilian and the others also noticed the sleepy little girl. After agreeing with Lan Mei that they would investigate the person's identity, Lan Mei carried the little girl, who was clinging to her like an octopus, back to the prepared wooden house.

　Frilian, along with Philon and Shutark, arrived at the crater created by the little girl's punch. Normally, it would be almost impossible for anyone to survive such an attack, but Frilian was surprised to find that the person was still alive when she got closer. Although their breathing was very weak, their heart was still beating. Frilian jumped into the crater and carefully checked the person's vital signs. Then, without thinking, she took out the nutrient solution G that Melalu had given her and, imitating Melalu, poured it on the person.

　As expected, as soon as Frilian poured the yellowish-green potion on her, a trace of color visibly returned to the person's face, and her skin was no longer deathly pale. In Frilian's view, although the bottle of nutrient solution had shattered all her ribs and broken her arm and leg bones beyond recognition, at least she was no longer in mortal danger. However, in this state, she couldn't be carried back to town by hand, so Frilian used levitation magic to bring her back to town.

　The next day, Shutark hurriedly dressed and ran as fast as he could through the city.

　On the town's main street, "Wow, sorry!" Just as he was about to bump into someone, Hughtar hurriedly apologized loudly. However, he didn't stop but continued running forward. The villagers next to him smiled as they watched the direction Hughtar ran. The reason Hughtar did this was simply because he had overslept.

　He had arranged to meet Frilian and Philen in the morning, but when Shutark woke up, he realized it was already past midnight. Although he had wanted to rest early the night before, he was so excited that he couldn't fall asleep because his mind was filled with thoughts of the Ark Dragon, his master, and the little girl. He tossed and turned until he finally drifted off to sleep, and it was almost dawn. Although he got up and rushed out of the house, it was closer to noon than morning.

　After crossing the central square and running down the south staircase, they arrived at the tavern, the place where everyone had agreed to meet. After opening the wooden door that Hughtark knew all too well, Philen sat down at the table with an impatient expression on her face. Standing next to Philen was Frilian, who was calmly looking at a spellbook, and there was also an old man with gray hair.

　Seeing Hugh Tarek running over, panting heavily, Philon stared at him with icy eyes, while the old man looked at Hugh Tarek with a smile on his face.

　“…I remember the meeting time should be in the morning, right?” Philen said, her cool voice laced with obvious sarcasm.

　"Ha! Ha! That's why I apologized!"

　Perhaps her apology hadn't reached Philen, because she turned her head away and asked, "And who is this old gentleman?" Shearer asked the old man standing to the side, fiddling with his thick beard and watching them.

　"This is Mr. Sanchez, who runs a clinic in town. Mr. Sanchez knows something about the person we rescued, which is why I asked him to tell us about that person."

　"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't notice yesterday."

　Frillie waved and ordered a drink. While waiting for her drink and snacks to arrive, Frillie looked at Sanchez and said, "Well then, could you please tell me about it?" Sanchez finished his full glass of ale and began his story.

　"The matter is actually quite simple. I know her, her name is Edora. We used to team up and go on adventures together. Later, I heard that she got married and stopped being an adventurer. Edora and her husband raised a daughter. However, her husband continued to work as an adventurer to earn money. As you all know, being an adventurer is not a safe job. Unfortunately, her husband died during a mission to deal with demons. The whole family was left with only her and her daughter to depend on each other. However, she had experience as an adventurer, so she managed to get by."

　"The change happened twelve years ago when her daughter died. It happened so suddenly that she didn't even have time to react. According to our mutual friend, she didn't even cry at the time. She buried her daughter with a smile. Time just flowed by. I thought she had emerged from the shadows, but eight years ago, our mutual friend said she had gone mad, left the village, and became neither human nor ghost. In the end, after investigation, we found out that she had been searching for the Phantom Ghost."

　"What?!?"

　Upon hearing Sanchez's calm and collected remark, Philon and Shutark, who were originally at odds with each other, both exclaimed in surprise. Frilian also cast a puzzled look at them, but then seemed to realize something and remained silent.

　"Lady Frillien, the Phantom Demon is not the same monster we saw before, the one that feeds on humans..."

　"Yeah, that's not a five-star danger monster, why would she..."

　Sanchez remained silent, watching the incredulous expressions on the faces of Philon and Shutark, before gulping down the liquid in his glass. Philon frowned slightly, turning to stare at Frilian sitting opposite him. However, Frilian maintained a calm expression, meeting Philon's gaze without flinching. Her emerald-like pupils seemed to see through everything, radiating an incredible light.

　"You must have seen your daughter."

　After Frilian pointed it out, Sanchez immediately replied, "You noticed after all," and nodded happily. "I see." After a moment of slight confusion, Frilian could only respond with these words. Even she herself did not know what the more detailed answer or her deeper thoughts were.

　"In fact, I also commissioned an adventurer to investigate. She did encounter the Phantom Ghost, and even broke through the environment with her own willpower to kill it. It seems that she really went crazy after that. She kept repeating the process of searching for and killing the Phantom Ghost. In this process, she almost never failed. Of course, if that's the case, it might be understandable. But two years ago, she started eating all kinds of poisonous mushrooms and hallucinogenic foods. The dosage she consumed was so large that anyone else would have died a hundred or eighty times over."

　Philon seemed to understand something, glancing slightly down at the table. Hughtark, not quite grasping what was being said, perhaps unable to bear seeing the dazed Hughtark sitting there alone, Sanchez kindly reached out and gently patted him.

　I offered my shoulder as a form of comfort.

　"She did indeed do it to see her daughter, whether it was the phantom or eating the hallucinogenic poisonous mushrooms. Perhaps the phantom's illusions were too real, and Edora couldn't accept the fact that her daughter had died. But the truth was right in front of Edora, so she couldn't bear it and chose the hallucinogenic poisonous mushrooms to see her daughter. Even when she was poisoned, she didn't give up the idea of ​​seeing her daughter. But as far as I know, since her daughter died, Edora has only seen her daughter once."

　“It was when I first saw the Phantom, wasn’t it?” Frilian replied after a moment’s thought. Sanchez didn’t say anything, just nodded quietly.

　"As for the liver of the Ark Dragon, as you know, as a herbivorous creature, the Ark Dragon often consumes various medicines. As the saying goes, every medicine has some toxicity, and the liver of the Ark Dragon is also highly poisonous. If it is eaten with Datura grass, it has a strong hallucinogenic effect. Although the effects of poisoning are also very serious, Edora has never given up."

　Suddenly, Philen thought of something, sniffed, and said, "We encountered two Phantoms before, but Xiao Guang killed them with magic. That means Lady Edora might have been nearby at the time, and she was also looking for the Ark Dragon's liver. That's why she stepped in and snatched it when Xiao Guang was about to eat it. But if that's the case, she..." Philen didn't finish her sentence.

　Sanchez looked at the thoughtful Hugh Tarek and said, "Since you were able to run into her at this time, you might have encountered her on the way. By the way, I've been hearing you guys talk about Xiao Guang. Is there someone in your team? I've never seen her before."

　"Ah, well, she's our companion, but she doesn't really travel with us. They've been staying outside the city lately, so, Lady Frillian! Hikari is having liver today!"

　If Sanchez hadn't asked, Philon would have almost forgotten this important matter. Without Frilian's reminder, Philon grabbed her staff and rushed out of the tavern, casting a flight spell and immediately flying towards the place outside the town where the little girl was.

　Looking at the tavern door shaking incessantly, Hughtark suddenly understood what Sanchez meant earlier. Overwhelmed with emotion, Hughtark was speechless for a moment. Frilian raised her large glass and sipped the fruit wine slowly. After a while, she finally said slowly, "You helped with the investigation of those hallucinogenic drugs, didn't you?"

　Sanchez could only smile wryly at Frillian's direct statement. "As expected of the famous elven mage, Frillian. As her former companion, I couldn't bear to see her suffer like this. After Edora's daughter passed away, she seemed fine on the surface, but when she was alone, she could only cry her eyes out. Once, after visiting Edora, I suddenly felt uneasy. When I rushed back, I found Edora attempting suicide. It was at that moment that Edora encountered the Phantom Ghost."

　"Then you killed the Phantom, but this also made Edora realize how to miss her daughter, so she started looking for the Phantom and tried to enter the Phantom Magic. But the Phantom is not so easy to find, and the one she sees may not necessarily be her own daughter."

　"That's right, and it can become extremely dangerous if something goes wrong."

　"Then what are you going to do next?"

　Sanchez could only stare intently at the table for a long while before slowly saying, "Perhaps it will continue like this."

　Hugh Tarek couldn't help but glance at Sanchez. "This isn't good. Ms. Adora's daughter certainly wouldn't want her mother to live like this. At the very least, she should live a good life."

　"Should we let her live in remembrance forever?"

　Meanwhile, when Philon arrived at the cabin where the young girl was, she was happily munching on a grilled fish. If you looked closely, you could see that the fish in her hand was actually a sea fish, not a freshwater fish commonly found in the nearby river. In addition to the grilled fish, there was also a stew made with a sea serpent and a jumping chicken that the young girl had caught along the way. Of course, this was not enough to fill the young girl's stomach. In fact, the young girl had hunted a lot of prey while hunting the Ark Dragon, and as long as it was not eaten as a staple food, it would be enough for her to eat for a while.

　Of course, this staple food is not a staple food in the conventional sense, but a staple food for young girls.

　Philen glanced at it quickly, and as she expected, the Ark Dragon's internal organs had been completely eaten. Philen asked anxiously, "Hey, Xiao Guang, are you alright? The Ark Dragon's liver is poisonous, you know. Eating it will make you feel unwell. Are you feeling unwell now? If you are, you must tell me, sister."

　The little girl nodded to indicate that she understood, then stuffed the entire grilled fish into her mouth in one go and chewed it carefully. Before she could even swallow the fish, she reached out her little hand to Lan Mei, as if afraid that her mouth would be empty. Lan Mei then picked up a grilled fish and placed it in the little girl's hand. As for the issue of toxins that Philon mentioned, it is important to know that talking about toxins without considering dosage is just being irresponsible. Even if a toxin is effective for the little girl, such a dosage would be like a drop of poison in the ocean in front of the little girl's 53-meter-tall body, having no effect at all.

　Moreover, this poison not only becomes non-toxic after being cooked by Melalu, but also...

　It also acts as a seasoning, and the reason why the young girl felt that the dragon offal soup was slightly spicy when she ate breakfast in the morning was because of these toxins.

　"Philan, have you had lunch yet? Would you like some more?" Lanmei had a high opinion of the crispy grilled fish slices that Melalu had made today, so she invited Phyllen to try them. However, Phyllen had already eaten. "Thank you, Miss Lanmei, but I've already had lunch. But it's good that you haven't been poisoned. I just found out that there are still a lot of toxins in the livers of the Ark Dragons."

　Under Lanmei's persistent questioning, Philon recounted in detail the story about Edora that Sanchez had just told them. Although Edora's story was very touching, it was somewhat mundane for the young girl and Lanmei. Indeed, as Elder Dragons, the young girl and Lanmei could hardly comprehend that feeling. Moreover, Elder Dragons generally live for thousands of years, excluding Elder Dragons like the Black Eclipse Dragon and the Sky Returning Dragon. This means that birth, aging, sickness, and death are common occurrences for Elder Dragons.

　"Frilian and you are going to the place where souls sleep, that place called Aureol. I suppose that human will be able to see his daughter there."

　Philen clapped her hands. Ah, how could she not have thought of that? If they were there, Edora and her daughter would definitely meet. Philen, in her sudden realization, didn't even notice that Lanmei had referred to Edora as "that human." The little girl, having just finished eating grilled fish and licking her fingers, casually remarked, "Since they'll all be returning to Aureol, why not dress up nicely and look forward to seeing each other then?"

　Lanmei patted the little girl's head. Although she didn't know how the little girl came up with that sentence, Lanmei agreed with it. The ancient dragons' thoughts were simple, and they wouldn't see things in such a complicated way. Philen also looked at the little girl thoughtfully. Although the little girl's sentence was simple, it made sense when you thought about it carefully. After chatting for a while, Philen returned to the town. However, Frilian and Sanchez had already left the tavern, leaving only Hughtark there.

　Upon arriving at Sanchez's clinic, Philon told Frilian what the young girl had said to Lanmei, but Frilian immediately rejected Lanmei's idea.

　"Let alone whether we take her with us or not, our journey spans almost the entire continent, which is a very long distance. Last time we completed this journey, it took us a lot of time. Look at her, she only has ten years left to live."

　Even without Frilian pointing it out, Philen knew that Adora's lifespan was less than ten years, not to mention that Frilian's journey this time was likely to last longer than ten years. However, Frilian did not agree with the little girl's opinion. Frilian thought that the little girl was too presumptuous. However, Frilian also felt that this answer was very much in line with the little girl's age, just like at Simmel's funeral. Remembrance is never a momentary thing, but a thing that has been tugging at your heartstrings all along.

　"What made her feel distant was not the long years, but those two or three irreversible things."

　Volume 1: Side Story I - The Invading Alien Race and the Mysterious Black Wind

　On July 13th, the fourth year of the Yongqing reign, Li Jingming, who had recently ascended the throne, encountered the greatest challenge he had faced since taking over the Great Qian Dynasty. The Western Turkic Khan led an army of 200,000 Turks to invade Great Qian. In just a few days, a breach had been made in Great Qian's northern defenses, and Lingzhou was on the verge of falling. If Lingzhou fell, Yuanzhou, Qingzhou, and Jingzhou would also be captured by the Turks. At that time, the Western Turkic army could march straight to the capital region as if it were empty, and Great Qian would be in grave danger.

　Enraged, Li Jingming immediately ordered his troops to prepare for battle after reading the report. He wanted to personally lead the expedition and vowed to completely annihilate these nomadic tribes. As soon as he said this, the officials in the court immediately raised objections. It was not that they wanted to let the nomadic tribes go, but that they wanted to remind Li Jingming to put the country and the people first.

　Li Jingming, who had returned to the dragon throne, quickly came to his senses. For him, the biggest problem was that the transition of imperial power was very short at the moment, and his control over the court was not deep. In the entire Daqian Dynasty, apart from the border guards stationed in the frontier regions, the only troops that Li Jingming could mobilize were the mere 60,000 soldiers who originally belonged to him in Chang'an. And the fact was obvious: with 60,000 against 200,000, he had almost no chance of winning.

　Moreover, some of the civil and military officials in the court belonged to the remnants of the Crown Prince's faction. They were more than happy that Li Jingming could not deal with the Western Turkic Khan. Despite the various opinions in the court, Li Jingming still made up his mind.

　"My mind is made up. We will rush to the aid of Lingzhou, drive out the Tartars, rescue the people from their suffering, and protect the nation."

　"Relieving the people from their dire straits is a matter that cannot be discussed any further."

　After saying this, Li Jingming immediately appointed four generals to take over the military affairs of Lingzhou, Yuanzhou, Qingzhou and Jingzhou respectively. Among them, Li Jing, the general commander of the Dingxiang Road Army, led 30,000 troops to support Lingzhou and repelled the Western Turkic army at all costs. The other three generals were responsible for supporting Lingzhou and also for doing their best to resist the harassment and attacks of the Western Turkic army.

　At this moment, in Lingzhou, the governor, Sen Hongzhe, paced back and forth in the inner hall, constantly looking out the door. Countless battle reports were scattered on the ground. The Western Turks' offensive was extremely fierce. Although the soldiers defending the city fought against three against one, showing no fear of death, they were ultimately outnumbered. The situation was now critical. Both the defending army and the city's stored grain were almost depleted, and the city was on the verge of collapse. If the reinforcements from the court did not arrive, the governor of Lingzhou would have no choice but to lead a group of elderly, weak, women, and children to the city walls to meet the enemy.

　As evening fell, the governor of Lingzhou looked at the soldiers on the city wall, their clothes soaked with blood, and the generals struggling to stay awake. After kneeling and bowing several times in the direction of Chang'an, he resolutely picked up the unclaimed longsword on the ground. He had already made up his mind that before the city fell, he would send the people in the city to the nearest city, Qingzhou, and he would live and die with Lingzhou. If the city fell, people would die; if the city did not fall, people would defend it to the death.

　Although it was July, the pre-dawn wind was still a bit chilly. After a night, the stench of blood hadn't dissipated much. The governor of Lingzhou tightened his clothes, stood on the city wall, and stared intently at the movements of the Western Turkic soldiers below. But it was still dark, and it was difficult to observe anything useful with the naked eye. Moreover, his eyes soon became extremely dry. The governor of Lingzhou subconsciously rubbed his eyes, and this rub immediately caused the Western Turkic army stationed outside the city to move. The shouts of the soldiers, the thunder of warhorses, and the sounds of drums and whistles all mixed together and reached the governor of Lingzhou's ears.

　Ignoring the discomfort in his eyes, the governor of Lingzhou hastily wiped them clean, pulled out the last bit of wine he had and gave it to the soldiers around him, shouting, "Brothers, see you at the mass grave!" The moment the governor uttered these words, the surrounding soldiers stamped their feet and shouted in response. The soldiers defending the city were in high spirits, preparing to face the Western Turkic attack. Even those with injured arms who couldn't hold their swords properly bit down on them, ready to fight. But after a long while, the dust kicked up by the warhorses settled, and there wasn't a single Western Turkic soldier outside Lingzhou. The governor of Lingzhou was dumbfounded.

　However, he still believed that this was a ruse by the Western Turkic army to provoke them. As the saying goes, "One should strike while the iron is hot, but the momentum will weaken with each attempt and eventually be exhausted." The governor of Lingzhou did not expect that the Western Turks would have such strategists. He could only observe the situation below more cautiously. Time passed, and soon the sun rose directly above Lingzhou City. After waiting all morning, the Western Turkic army had not made any moves since the commotion at dawn. To exaggerate a bit, the governor of Lingzhou even doubted whether those people were still in their camp.

　Because today was expected to be the decisive battle, none of the scouts in Lingzhou City were sent out. At this moment, the governor of Lingzhou was really undecided. Just then, a bold soldier next to him immediately whispered, "Sir, I'm quick on my feet. Why don't I go and check out those barbarian camps?"

　The governor of Lingzhou thought for a moment and agreed to his request, "Alright, just take a look from afar. You must come back alive. If you can win this battle, I'll treat you to drinks."

　The soldier then grinned. He knew that the governor of Lingzhou was a good official, but he was afraid he wouldn't be able to drink the wine.

　Unexpectedly, the soldier quickly ran back. After panting heavily for a while, he stammered, "No...no...it's all...all gone."

　"It's gone? What's gone? Catch your breath and tell me carefully."

　"Ha, ha, the people, the Turkic barbarians are all gone, there's not a single person left in the camp."

　The governor of Lingzhou was stunned. He grabbed the soldier's shoulder and shouted sternly, "Everyone's gone? Are you sure? You should know that reporting false military information is a capital offense!"

　“It’s absolutely true. The Turkic barbarians’ camp is completely deserted. I’ve even sneaked into the camp. Look, sir, this is a Turkic saber. I also found something else: the hoofprints in the Turkic camp are very messy. Something serious must have happened.”

　The governor of Lingzhou was even more bewildered. What big thing? What big thing could there be for the Western Turks now, besides taking Lingzhou?

　However, for safety's sake, he sent out several more scouts to carefully investigate the Western Turkic camp. In order to obtain accurate information, the governor of Lingzhou ordered the scouts to investigate thoroughly. This investigation took a long time, and the scouts did not return until night. The intelligence gathered by the scouts was the same as what the first soldier had observed: the Western Turkic army seemed to have encountered something and had all fled in panic.

　But what exactly is that terrible thing?

　Even so, the governor of Lingzhou dared not relax his vigilance, and he dared not spread the news casually. He then arranged for the soldiers guarding the city to go out and investigate every hour before returning to the governor's mansion.

　Li Jing was still on his way when this matter came up, and he had considered many possible outcomes. After all, he had only set off from Chang'an after receiving the battle report.

　The battlefield is ever-changing. Li Jing thought that when he arrived in Lingzhou, it might already be a ghost town, or the Western Turks might have already crossed over Lingzhou, or they might be oppressing the people of Daqian. Thinking of this, Li Jing's teeth itched, and he wished he could immediately appear in front of the Western Turks, drink their blood, and eat their flesh raw. But when Li Jing arrived outside Lingzhou, he never expected, nor dared to expect, that Lingzhou was very safe. Moreover, it seemed that Lingzhou had lifted its previous state of war, and the soldiers guarding the city were in high spirits, not at all like after a major battle.

　After verifying his identity and entering Lingzhou, Li Jing immediately sought out the governor of Lingzhou to understand the situation at the time. Although it was hard to believe, the current situation in Lingzhou was indeed as described, leaving Li Jing no choice but to believe it. What was even more unbelievable was that news from the other three prefectures confirmed the same thing. Li Jing immediately sent this intelligence back to Chang'an and stayed in Lingzhou to guard against a sudden attack by the Western Turks.

　A few days later, two strange people suddenly appeared in Lingzhou City, which had returned to normal life. Not only were their clothes strange, but their physical appearance was also strange. Judging from their age, one of the girls seemed to be in her late twenties. Her hair color was not the usual black, but a light pink, and her long hair even reached her buttocks. The girl wore a loose white coat with pink stripes on the chest and sides, but the neckline was narrow. She wore shorts that just went past her thighs, mainly white with pink flowers, and a pair of sneakers. However, all of this looked very strange to the people around her.

　What's even stranger is that the little girl has a pair of curved horns on her head, and a long, thin, white-gold tail that swings back and forth as she walks, leading some clueless passersby to call her a monster. The other girl looks older, more like she's around sixteen or seventeen, but she doesn't have a tail. Instead, she has horns like the little girl's on her head, wears a bright green shawl over a navy blue dress, and a white shirt on top. Unlike the little girl, she's wearing high heels, which make a crisp sound as she walks.

　Since they appeared on the street, the two have been wandering around various taverns. Although a small number of passersby called them monsters, their beautiful faces, fair skin, and the heavy gold nuggets handed over by the young girl made the shopkeepers believe from the bottom of their hearts that the two were just dressed up strangely.

　Of course, what surprised the shop owner was not only their attire, but also the appetite of the two women, especially the child.

　Lingzhou is famous for its mutton, and due to its geographical location, its carrots and potatoes are also very delicious. One of its specialties is braised mutton. A freshly slaughtered sheep is taken, split along the spine and cut into appropriate sizes. Local special sauce is spread on the mutton, then a suitable amount of oil is poured on and spread evenly. Next, various seasonings such as onions, carrots, and cumin are added for marinating. Afterward, an earthen stove is built, and the whole sheep is stuffed into the stove. Charcoal is continuously added to it. Once the stove is hot, the charcoal is buried inside, and the mutton is braised using the residual heat.

　Of course, there's also whole roasted lamb and kebabs. With the help of the local secret seasoning, the lamb tastes amazing, tender and bouncy, with a crispy crust that makes a crunchy sound. And perhaps because of the place of origin, the seasoning here is also very fragrant. "Aww~ O~O" The little girl swallowed the juicy roasted lamb in big mouthfuls, her legs swinging happily on the stool. In fact, there is another way to eat kebabs, which is to wrap them in baked naan bread.

　However, the young girl generally disliked anything made of flour, so she wouldn't try it. Lanmei, on the other hand, tried taking a bite and found it quite delicious.

　The waiter standing at the door was stunned by the sight of the two fairy-like figures. It wasn't just the young girl and Lan Mei's appearances that made him swallow hard, but also the young girl's appetite. Watching a whole roasted lamb flow into the young girl's stomach like water, the waiter even suspected that she could eat him alive. The young girl and Lan Mei even attracted a wave of customers to the tavern, and there were even some Confucian scholars standing at the door angrily rebuking the young girl and Lan Mei for their indecent behavior, which the waiter scoffed at.

　Although he knew he was ignorant, he believed that these two were definitely fairies descended from heaven. Otherwise, people in the mortal world would be satisfied with two or three out of three of their clothes, appearance, and gold. But these two fairies had three out of three of those qualities. However, with such a large appetite, they might even eat people when they were extremely hungry.

　Thinking of this, he couldn't help but slap himself. She was clearly a fairy, how could she eat something as filthy as him, a mortal? But young girls certainly don't eat people.

　Seeing the little girl eating with her mouth full of oil, Lanmei's mood improved. This time, they hadn't brought Melalu with them, so the beef and mutton they had eaten before were all raw. There was no other way. Although eating raw food wasn't a big deal for them, they were still used to Melalu's cooking and it was a little unusual. So, after finally getting to eat such food, the little girl and Lanmei's mood quickly improved.

　Within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the little girl had devoured all the food in the shop. She patted her stomach, and Lanmei understood that this meant she wasn't full yet.