Chapter 69: Chapter 65: Donning the Yellow Robe

Outside Hongzhou City.

「That night.」

The eight-hundred-li military camp was silent. Only Black-armored Soldiers stood guard at the gate, and two lamps flickered faintly at the entrance of the Commander’s Camp.

Many soldiers were sound asleep. They had spent half a month marching through seven counties, fighting desperately. Even if a man were made of iron, he could not withstand such a toll.

It was not a matter of physical stamina, but that the tension in their minds had been stretched taut without a moment’s rest. The mental exhaustion far outweighed the physical, and this was especially true for a Martial Artist.

The flames of a bonfire leaped and danced. Several on-duty Great Yan Guards were gathered around it.

“Tell me,” a young-looking soldier complained, “we’ve been fighting this war for so long, running back and forth every day. When will it ever end?”

Another, an old veteran with a thick beard, chuckled. “What’s so bad about war? Without it, where would we get silver and wives?”

The veteran beside him snorted coldly. “How much silver can you get from fighting this rabble? It’s not like we’re facing those monsters from the Western Border or the Northern Lands.”

The young soldier asked curiously, “Senior, have you been to the Western Border and the Northern Lands?”

The old veteran proudly pulled up his clothes, revealing a chest and arms covered in scars. “Not only have I been there, but I also made it back alive.”

“What’s it like over there?”

“The Western Border is full of strangely shaped Demons. Some of them are colossal beasts that can blot out the sun, and it takes a heavy toll in lives just to kill one. I nearly lost my life there, but I was saved in the end by a profound and mysterious Daoist master. As for the Northern Great Wall, the people we fight there are a lot like us, only they’re incredibly ferocious and tough. You can’t kill them unless you chop off their heads. Luckily, we have many Immortals with Long Swords on their backs to help us. The Northern Great Wall is majestic, hundreds of meters high and so long you can’t see the end of it. We were lucky—we were only there to provide support. But those Immortals are stationed in that land of black fog year-round. The thought alone is terrifying.”

The old veteran recounted briefly.

The young soldier didn’t dare to imagine what kind of monsters those were. He could only sigh and say, “Still, the Third Prince treats us well. He’s given us a lot of silver throughout this campaign.”

“This is all money plundered from the wealthy gentry. His Highness has no need for it, so he gave it to us.”

Speaking of this, they couldn’t help but glance toward the Commander’s Camp. Gratitude filled the eyes of more than a few.

Inside the Commander’s Camp, an oil lamp cast a faint yellow glow.

The burly and powerful Third Prince, Lu Guangyao, rubbed his temples. He stood before a vast map of the Great Yan empire drawn on parchment. Since the start of the campaign, he had not closed his eyes for over twenty days. Not even a Qi Cultivator could endure such a state.

While a Qi Cultivator’s meditation to restore their spirit was brief—half a day’s meditation could offset seven days of sleep—it still required time. He didn’t even have a moment to doze off, let alone meditate.

The reason he dared not slack off for even a moment was that he was racing against time and could not afford to waste it. The eight disciples of the Rakshasa Demon Venerable were all remnants of the cult. Any day of delay would allow them to bewitch more people with their strange doctrines and move to other locations.

In just the past few days, they had already passed through three or four cities, not to mention mountains and rivers. This highlighted the importance of racing against time. Speed is paramount in war. They had to surround and annihilate the enemy before they reached the next city to leave nothing to chance.

They had already dealt with five of them, leaving only the last three. Then, they could report back to the capital. However, the minds and bodies of his generals and soldiers had reached their limit, forcing a temporary rest. Complaints could often be heard within the army, but he had suppressed them with silver.

“Your Highness, please rest for a while.”

Two Generals in red cloaks stepped forward and said softly.

Lu Guangyao glanced at his right and left-hand men and sighed.

“I must find the best marching route before dawn, or these rebels will escape again.”

The tall, refined man on the left was the eldest son of Marquis Weiyuan, Zhang Rucheng.

The tall, strong, dark-skinned man on the right was the second son of Marquis Wuan, Bai Jingtiao.

Both were his childhood playmates. They had practiced martial arts together, grown up together, and joined the army together. Both possessed a Sixth Realm Grandmaster Cultivation. This time, the Seven Great Marquis’s Mansions had all sent many of their younger generation to gain experience in the army. Zhang Rucheng and Bai Jingtiao were among the first from their Marquis Mansions to enlist.

“Let us handle it. Your Highness is the commander-in-chief; there’s no need for you to do everything yourself,” Zhang Rucheng volunteered.

“Indeed. We’ve fought in dozens of battles under the Holy Emperor. We can handle a small matter like this. If Your Highness collapses from exhaustion when the battle starts, what would we do?”

Lu Guangyao weighed the pros and cons and finally agreed.

“Then you can draw it for me. I’ll go take a nap behind the camp.”

With that, he handed the brush to Bai Jingtiao, lifted the curtain flap, and went to the back to sleep.

In no time, thunderous snores echoed out. He was clearly exhausted, having fallen asleep almost the moment his head hit the pillow.

“I don’t know what the Holy Emperor is thinking. Prince Chu is meticulous despite his rough exterior, his talent for the Martial Dao is exceptional, he has a Mastery of military strategy, and he’s skilled in both literary and martial arts. He’s so considerate of his subordinates, yet he isn’t the Crown Prince.”

Bai Jingtiao said, feeling it was an injustice to Lu Guangyao.

“My father told me to probe Prince Chu’s attitude, but with the fighting so intense these past few days, I haven’t had a chance,” Zhang Rucheng, the eldest son of Marquis Weiyuan, said, shaking his head.

“Your father told you, too?” Bai Jingtiao’s gaze flickered.

Zhang Rucheng looked surprised and nodded slightly. “Yes. My father said that His Highness’s attitude toward the throne remains a mystery.”

Bai Jingtiao mused, ’If His Highness wants to vie for it, then it’s certainly not a problem. After all, the children of the Seven Great Marquis’s Mansions are spread throughout the armies of Great Yan, and we generally advance or retreat as one. The only fear is that Prince Chu doesn’t want to compete.’

Zhang Rucheng completely agreed.

“Prince Chu is too honest. He isn’t skilled in matters of power struggles, nor does he care for them. That’s the main reason. Otherwise, the Marquis Mansions wouldn’t have supported the Eldest Prince before.”

“Let’s wait until the war is over to ask. Otherwise, I’m afraid His Highness will get angry.”

Just as Bai Jingtiao was drawing the map, Zhang Rucheng lifted the curtain and went to the rear of the tent to check on Lu Guangyao.

He was surprised to see something familiar covering the Prince’s body.

Upon closer inspection, it was a yellow Dragon Robe!

This gave him a real fright. He quickly called Bai Jingtiao over to have a look.

Both men were utterly shocked.

“Do you think… His Highness is giving us a hint?”

“It’s very likely. Perhaps His Highness is too embarrassed to say it outright, so he can only express it this way.”

Zhang Rucheng seemed extremely excited.

“The one thing my father wants to see most is Prince Chu openly declaring his intentions! This way, he can take the next step. He’s been Marquis Weiyuan for twenty years and has been unable to turn his title from ’Marquis’ to ’King.’ Perhaps he can achieve it after His Highness ascends the throne.”

“I have to tell my father this news at once!”

After saying this to Bai Jingtiao, Zhang Rucheng hurried out of the tent.

「At that moment.」

Bai Jingtiao dropped the brush in his hand. Expressionless, he walked to the back of the tent where the thunderous snoring continued. He replaced the Dragon Robe on Lu Guangyao’s body with a yellow Python Robe, making his deception flawless.

He muttered in a low voice, ’I’m sorry, Your Highness. This is a choice I had to make to inherit the Marquis Mansion. In a way, this is for your own good, too.’

…

「After daybreak.」

Lu Guangyao slowly woke up, feeling his whole body brimming with energy. His spirit was fully restored.

After walking out of the command tent with a powerful, commanding stride, he found that the scions of the great Noble Families from the Marquis Mansions, as well as Marquis Weiyuan and Marquis Zhongxin themselves, were all ready to set out. But everyone was looking at him strangely.

Their gazes held a mix of anticipation and a hint of fanaticism.

This left him baffled. ’Did I grow a new wrinkle on my face or something?’ he thought.

’Or maybe I just slept so well last night that everyone’s raring to go now that it’s time for battle?’

“Your Highness, did you sleep well last night?”

Zhang Rucheng asked with a smile.

“Well enough.”

His father, Marquis Weiyuan, however, looked suspicious and asked, “Your Highness, the yellow robe on you last night… was it real or fake?”

“What ’real or fake’? The robe I used as a blanket last night was indeed yellow,” Lu Guangyao said with a frown.

Hearing this, Marquis Weiyuan and Marquis Zhongxin exchanged a look, and both saw the delight in each other’s eyes.

At this moment, Bai Jingtiao interrupted loudly, “Prince Chu, you hide your depths well!”

“We understand!”

Zhang Rucheng and the other Generals replied in a loud chorus, “We understand!”

Of all the people present, most were lost in their own machinations. Only Lu Guangyao had no idea what was happening.

But he had no time to dwell on it. The sun was rising, and they had to press the pursuit.

“On my command, march out!”

He bellowed, his voice booming across the entire army. The flag-bearers waved the banners to signal the advance.

The army charged toward the next State and County.

…

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