Rewarding Merit

Clang! Clang! Clang! Amidst the swirling snow, crimson Source Qi billowed outward. Two silhouettes dodged and shifted across the makeshift drill grounds, the incessant clash of weapons ringing through the air. The grounds were truly makeshift—merely a relatively flat patch of earth with a circle drawn in the dirt to delimit the boundaries of combat. Yet this crude arena did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of the surrounding soldiers. After all, this was one of the few forms of entertainment available in military life. "Great blade work!" "Young Master Xu won't last much longer." "Heh, even if Commandant Qin cultivates military arrays, he's still a fourth-rank cultivator and a seasoned veteran. How could Young Master Xu, a fifth-rank Soul Condensation cultivator, possibly be his match?" "Go get him, Commandant Qin! Beat the hell out of that pretty boy!" "Are you out of your mind?! What pretty boy? That's Her Highness's prince consort!" "Her Highness's prince consort?" "You didn't know?" "Go get him, Commandant Qin!! Beat the hell out of Her Highness's prince consort!!!" "You absolute bastard—" "..." The cheers around the perimeter were overwhelmingly on the side of the burly Commandant Qin, while not a single person supported Xu Yuan. Xu Yuan was hardly surprised. Marquis Wucheng had called his old man an old scoundrel and a thief who stole the state. With their commander-in-chief setting such an example, the common soldiers would naturally be influenced to some degree. More importantly, for days now, he had been sleeping in the same quarters every night as their goddess, Princess Li Qingyan. The men below had no idea what went on inside. That they hadn't already picked fights with him was solely thanks to the Beifeng Army's strict discipline. Under such circumstances, he had actively entered an internal martial tournament organized by the Beifeng Army and arrogantly declared: "Anyone at or below the fourth rank who can defeat me will receive ten thousand taels of silver." The moment those words were spoken, the entire army erupted. More than a few men in the Beifeng Army longed to beat Xu Yuan black and blue. Unfortunately, those at the same fifth-rank level who cultivated military arrays stood no chance against him. Meanwhile, those at the fourth rank were mostly senior officers of commandant rank, and they couldn't bring themselves to cast aside their pride. Today, this Commandant Qin was the first fourth-rank Body Integration expert to step into the ring. Time ticked by, minute by minute. While laymen watched the spectacle, the discerning spectators could see the deeper truth. A few sharp-eyed onlookers around the ring had already noticed that Young Master Xu's saber technique was unraveling, and he had been forced to the edge of the grounds. "Commandant Qin is about to win." "Ten thousand taels of silver... Heh, Commandant Qin already said that once he wins, he'll use the money to buy wine for the brothers." "Doesn't Her Highness forbid drinking in the army?" "A little bit should be fine." "..." These confident remarks drifted into Xu Yuan's ears, causing the corner of his mouth to twitch. In truth, he was indeed reaching his limit. The gulf between Body Integration and Soul Condensation was immense. Because of this, the battle had been completely one-sided from the start. Even using a lethal move like Blood-Ink Jade had only posed a minor inconvenience to this battle-hardened Commandant Qin. All it had done was notch the edge of his ancient ingot saber. Hum— Though its edge was notched, the blade of the ancient ingot saber, wrapped in Source Qi, still gleamed with dazzling brilliance as it chopped down toward Xu Yuan's head. Seeing this full-force strike, Xu Yuan knew he had no way to evade. Unfortunately for his opponent, Xu Yuan could not lose. Because he had a cheat. With that thought, a few cherry blossom petals drifted down in silence. Commandant Qin's red-glowing eyes instantly went blank in a brief daze, and the cleaving slash shifted off course, swinging past Xu Yuan's flank. Seizing this brief opening, Xu Yuan took a step back, turned his back to his opponent with saber reversed, and unleashed a ferocious whip kick that tore through the air, slamming squarely into Commandant Qin's chest. Bang! With a dull thud, a white-armored figure flew backward through the air and crashed outside the drawn circle. Looking at the brocade-robed young master standing alone in the center, the soldiers who had been gearing up to celebrate instantly fell dead silent. Commandant Qin... lost? Amidst their dumbfounded shock, a sharp shring resonated as Xu Yuan sheathed his saber. Sweeping his gaze across the dark-faced officers and soldiers around him, he cupped his hands with a chuckle. "Good match. We'll continue tomorrow. Is this the best the Beifeng Army's fourth-rank Body Integration—" "You lost." Just as Xu Yuan was about to bait some hatred with a few sarcastic remarks, a cold, slightly husky female voice abruptly rang out from the crowd. "..." Hearing this, Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly and looked back. The wind and snow continued to fall. The crowd that had packed the edge of the grounds immediately parted to make way for the speaker. A cold, glamorous woman in red armor, flanked by several commanders in martial regalia, strode forward at a measured pace. After a breath of mutual silence, she pointed toward Xu Yuan's feet. "You stepped out of bounds first." Xu Yuan looked down and saw that both of his feet had indeed crossed the marked boundary. He clicked his tongue, saying nothing. Under the gaze of the crowd, Li Qingyan walked up to him, a faint trace of amusement in her phoenix eyes. She lightly raised an exquisite hand, gesturing for payment. "Prince Consort, you wouldn't be thinking of reneging on your debt, would you? If you welsh on a bet in the army, this princess won't be able to protect you." Seeing the princess speak up on their behalf, the surrounding soldiers were about to shout in unison to press him. Xu Yuan rolled his eyes, reached directly into his Sumeru ring, and pulled out a large chest, slamming it onto the ground with a heavy thud. With a pained grimace, he muttered, "Fine, fine, stop badgering me. You're hounding me like debt collectors! I am a man of my word. Here, take it." With a flick of his hand, Xu Yuan flipped open the lid. The gleaming, pure white silver nearly blinded everyone looking on. Li Qingyan glanced at it from the corner of her eye, cupped her hands with a smile, and said, "This princess thanks the Third Young Master for the gift of ten thousand taels of silver." After a momentary silence, the surrounding soldiers caught on, beaming from ear to ear as they shouted in unison: "We thank the Third Young Master for the gift of ten thousand taels of silver!!" "We thank the Third Young Master for the gift of ten thousand taels of silver!!" "Commandant Qin won!!" "Commandant Qin won!!" The thunderous roars of the Beifeng soldiers shook the heavens and earth. Amidst their shouting, Xu Yuan walked away with a dark expression, catching a few teasing remarks from the commandants along the way: "Young Master Xu, are we continuing tomorrow?" "Shut up. You were just lucky today. Tomorrow it is!" "Young Master Xu, don't be hasty. When you lose a bet, you accept it!" "..." Xu Yuan said no more, leaving with a stony face. The instant he stepped out of the grounds and returned to the carriage, the gloom on his face vanished entirely. He threw himself onto the soft couch, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips. Moments later, the door slid open, bringing with it a waft of delicate feminine fragrance. Without looking up, Xu Yuan asked casually, "How was it?" Li Qingyan briskly walked over, sat down in the space beside his waist, and said, "Thank you." Xu Yuan glanced at the curve of her back, outlined by her red martial attire, and smiled. "'Thank you' is the most useless phrase in the world. Body language is the most beautiful language of all. Don't you think, Qingyan?" "..." After a few seconds of silence, Li Qingyan let out a soft snort, her voice husky. "This princess thought you were merely passing the time." Deflecting the subject again. Refusing to be swayed—not cute at all. Missing the Giant Ice Block, Day N... After a silent complaint in his head, Xu Yuan looked up at the ceiling and replied offhandedly, "The barbarians' prolonged harassment has unsettled army morale. With my identity, I'm the perfect target. Giving them someone to vent on is just what was needed to rally their spirits." He paused, let out a long breath, and sighed with a slightly raised pitch, "Still, what I gave away was real gold and silver. I heard from those officers that you've always been clear-cut in dispensing rewards and punishments. Now that your prince consort has paid such a hefty price, is Her Highness truly going to be so stingy?" Li Qingyan's tone remained indifferent. "Wasn't that silver ill-gotten loot you extorted from the sects?" "It was not," Xu Yuan denied flatly. "It wasn't?" "The sects didn't pay in hard cash. That was extorted from your brother." "..." Li Qingyan. "Prince Consort, you truly hide nothing from this princess. In that case, this silver—" "Don't change the subject, Her Highness Wuyuan, who is so clear-cut in rewards and punishments." "..." Li Qingyan. She took a deep breath. "Very well. Prince Consort, how do you wish for this princess to reward you?" "..." Xu Yuan blinked, a hint of surprise in his eyes. Having spent these past few months together, he was all too familiar with the princess's manipulative mind games: playing hot and cold, treating him differently from everyone else, letting him look but never touch, teasing without taking responsibility, making empty promises, and so on. His demand just now had merely been an excuse to tease her. After a brief contemplation, Xu Yuan let his gaze wander over her shapely curves. He grinned and ventured, "From now on, whenever you return to the carriage, take off your chest wrap, and you're not allowed to resist or use Source Qi to protect yourself?" "..." Silence fell over the carriage. After a long pause, Li Qingyan replied in a strictly businesslike manner, "Military situations change by the second. This princess cannot divest herself of armor." "Not a shred of sincerity." Xu Yuan rolled his eyes, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "And you claimed to be clear-cut in rewards and punishments?" Li Qingyan scoffed softly, narrowing her eyes. "Prince Consort, are you that impatient for lust?" Looking at her untouchable, noble, and aloof bearing, Xu Yuan spoke with utmost seriousness: "Any man would find it hard to remain composed in the face of an earthly beauty like Your Highness." He paused, sighed, and then smiled. "Still, since Her Highness cannot divest herself of armor, let's settle for this." With that, Xu Yuan tapped a finger against his cheek, adding, "If Your Highness is unwilling, then forget it. It's not as if I actually expected Her Highness to be clear-cut in rewards and pun—" Before he could finish, a low hum resonated through the carriage. The spacious interior seemed to freeze solid. Crimson pupils surfaced within Li Qingyan's phoenix eyes. Xu Yuan felt his entire body seized by a surge of immense Source Qi as the valiant woman in red armor slowly rose to her feet. After holding his gaze for a breath, Li Qingyan raised a slender index finger and gently tilted Xu Yuan's chin up. "Prince Consort... you want this princess to kiss you?" "..." Her cold gaze looked down on him from above her crimson pupils. With his body immobilized, Xu Yuan licked his lips, cleared his throat, and assumed a solemn expression. "Your Highness, I merely..." "Quiet." "..." Xu Yuan. A faint, cool smile touched her phoenix eyes. Li Qingyan slowly leaned down, her breath like orchid blossoms against his ear. "Though this princess has other ways to restore army morale, the Prince Consort did indeed lend a helping hand. That counts as great merit, so..." With that, absolute silence settled over the carriage. Looking at those stunning phoenix eyes veiled in mist just inches away, the soft touch against his lips was intoxicating. Just as he instinctively prepared to take the next step, he suddenly found that his entire body remained utterly paralyzed, pinned firmly to the soft couch by an invisible force. "..." Xu Yuan. Damn it, which one was this already? Dominated by a woman yet again, forced to play the eunuch yet again. Power. Just wait until he reached the Second-rank Origin Realm—he would show these women what a husband's authority really looked like. A few breaths later, their lips parted. Li Qingyan extended the delicate tip of her tongue to lightly lick her plump red lips. Her slender fingers remained hooked beneath his chin, her gaze looking down with a soft chuckle. "Prince Consort, you... must have kissed quite a few women in the past, haven't you?" Xu Yuan was startled, but he maintained a serious expression and an earnest voice. "Your Highness, do not sully my purity. I, Xu Changtian, have always been deeply devoted." Li Qingyan released his chin and suppressed her slightly quickened heartbeat, her phoenix eyes flickering with an unreadable light. "Deeply devoted? Deeply devoted to every woman?" Without batting an eye, Xu Yuan spouted nonsense: "Your Highness, kissing one person a hundred times yields the exact same effect as kissing a hundred people once each." "Heh." Li Qingyan laughed softly, choosing not to press the matter. She lightly raised her hand, dispelling the restraint on Xu Yuan, and sat back down beside him. "Is the Prince Consort satisfied with his reward now?" "If I'm not, can we continue?" "What do you think?" "..." Her calm gaze made Xu Yuan's skin prickle. Averting his eyes, he changed the subject. "Your Highness, it's been nearly two months since we marched south from Beifeng, hasn't it?" Indeed, he had been following the army for two months now. Counting the days, that woman Tianyan had probably already entered the capital. Li Qingyan rolled her eyes at him and went along with the change of topic: "Prince Consort, time loses meaning in military campaigns. Pursuing these barbarian tribes across the snowfields can sometimes take half a year. When Uncle Mu and the others suppressed rebellions within the borders in the past, it was even worse. Capturing a single rebel city often took nearly a full year." Staring at the wooden ceiling, Xu Yuan remarked leisurely, "That Barbarian Heterodox King can certainly endure solitude. His own homeland is on the verge of being razed, yet he can still hold back." "That surprised this princess as well. That Barbarian King should know Uncle Mu's style of command very well." "Style?" "Knowing Uncle Mu's character, he likely will not pull back until he has slaughtered every last one of those barbarians." "..." After a few moments of contemplation, Xu Yuan slowly sat up from the couch. "There's no point talking about that now. By the way, Qingyan, you've been convening the commanders for war councils every day recently. Did you discover something?" Li Qingyan turned back, looking slightly surprised. "What makes you say that?" Xu Yuan spread his hands as if stating the obvious. "You're not like those commanders who fuss over red tape. You never call a council unless there's critical intelligence. Besides, we've been halted at the foot of Beiting Peak for five days now, haven't we? That hasn't happened once in the past two months." Li Qingyan dabbed the corner of her lips and looked at Xu Yuan with a smile. "Though the blizzard masks their tracks, this is Great Yan territory after all. After two months, it's about time something turned up." Crunch— Crunch— Her red dress fluttered amidst the swirling snow. Two sets of footprints traced a path up from the foot of the mountain, only to be buried by the falling flakes moments later. Standing atop the summit of Beiting Peak, looking upon the heroic, stunning face of the woman at his side, and listening to the howling wind rushing past, it felt as though the entire world had been reduced to just the two of them. Without looking at him, she gazed into the vast, snow-covered expanse in the distance, pointed to the northwest, and spoke in a measured tone: "Prince Consort, three hundred li in that direction lies a forbidden zone. None of our scouts or accompanying experts who ventured there have ever returned." A trace of solemnity surfaced in Li Qingyan's eyes as she murmured, "Yesterday, I dispatched Luo Qingfeng and his twenty thousand border troops there. If nothing goes awry, we will have our answer today."