The Ethereal Domains

Chapter 684: Who Is Lord Xiao?

Who Is Lord Xiao? . . .

"Hmm. More or less like that," Song Jue replied, raising his head. "If we're not leaving, why would we seek trouble? Why provoke those people? Do you think we're foolish?"

Zhu Chenggong was taken aback once more. After a pause, he exclaimed, "Impressive!"

Song Jue smiled. "Come on, Zhu. Enough with the theatrics. What about the blood? You mentioned you have plenty of people and blood. I don't need you to obtain blood from hundreds of young lords. Just fetch four or five of them. Is that too much to ask? Am I not generous?"

Zhu Chenggong shook his head. "Brother, I don't have young lords in my troops. Even if I did, I wouldn't dare to do that... Fine. I admit I was wrong."

Song Jue grinned. "Good, you admit it. I can be generous too. But you have to keep your promise, don't you?"

Zhu Chenggong half-closed his eyes and smiled. "Brother Song, come on. Look at us. Weren't we just fooling around? No way. It was just a joke."

Song Jue immediately flared up. "A joke? Joking my fat ass! Do it now! A deal is a deal!"

Zhu Chenggong cupped his hands and earnestly spoke, "Brother Song, please. You're like a real brother to me. I was ignorant. I couldn't even see it if a god stood in front of me. Please, you said it. It was just a joke in my fat ass... I am the fat ass, alright? I'm a fat, stupid ass... How about that? Please, my dear senior brother!"

Song Jue felt satisfied hearing Zhu Chenggong refer to himself as a fat ass. After all, he was a generous man, but he had consumed all the fine liquor that Zhu Chenggong had collected for a long time.

...

Outside the city, on the other side.

The camps of the Kingdom of Lan-Feng.

The War God of the Kingdom of Lan-Feng and also the Prince, Wenren Jianyin, furrowed his brow. He was just over forty years old, and he looked resolute as he gazed at the top of the walls of Iron Peak.

Speaking in a low voice, he said, "Why has their army arrived so swiftly? It's faster than we anticipated. The Kingdom of Chen shouldn't have a significant force left, especially in terms of soldiers and generals. The only possible commander is Chen Xuantian, their king. If he were leading, it would have taken longer. So who is the commander now?"

"Where is our spy in the Kingdom of Chen? He should have sent us a message!"

It made sense. When the King of the Kingdom of Chen had appointed Cha Eun Xiao as the army's commander, it had taken three days for the news to reach the senior officials, meaning few were aware of it. Cha Eun Xiao's army moved swiftly, marching day and night, faster than anyone else could have anticipated. This likely caused the spy to be unable to transmit the message to the Kingdom of Lan-Feng before Cha Eun Xiao's arrival.

Wenren Chuchu, dressed in a white suit and cyan robe, her hair neatly tied, still had a remarkable figure. She observed Iron Peak while speaking from behind her silk mask, "Our intelligence system might be flawed. We don't yet know who their commander is. It's certainly not Chen Xuantian. That means he's not a capable figure. From what we can see, it's an army of no more than one hundred thousand men. Although that's a significant force, it shouldn't pose a substantial threat to us."

Wenren Jianyin replied in a solemn tone, "We shouldn't underestimate them. Quantity doesn't guarantee victory. The shouts we heard earlier must have come from the remnants of the Western Army cheering together upon the new commander's arrival. I don't think he's an ordinary individual."

"This is war," Wenren Jianyin sighed deeply. "A commander's capability and prestige are reflected in his soldiers. From that roar, I can sense that he is a formidable adversary. He must be a tough nut to crack."

"He's very likely a formidable opponent," Wenren Jianyin concluded.

Wenren Chuchu nodded in agreement.

"Moreover, the new commander has arrived; why haven't they changed the commander's flag yet? Are they trying to confuse me? That's not a wise move," Wenren Jianyin contemplated as he observed Iron Peak.

"Wu Gonglie was a commendable man. His soldiers were loyal to him. This new commander must be trying to earn the soldiers' favor by not immediately changing the flag," Wenren Chuchu suggested.

"That's a possibility. However, it's generally the right thing to do, changing the flag to establish one's own authority. If he truly refrained from doing it to gain popularity among the wounded soldiers, he would be a fool. There's no reason to be alarmed," Wenren Jianyin responded.

As they conversed, a sudden shout broke their discussion. "Their commander's flag is going up..."

The messenger reported in a normal manner, but his tone carried a sense of incredulity, as though he had witnessed something extraordinarily strange and couldn't believe it.

Both Wenren Jianyin and Wenren Chuchu were caught off guard, and they turned their attention to the flag.

Despite their attempts to remain composed, their faces showed surprise as they gazed at the flag.

A massive flag was ascending over Iron Peak, at least five times larger than a typical commander's flag, and it unfurled gracefully in the brisk wind.

It was a magnificent sight, but it was an unusual flag – white.

The soldiers from the Kingdom of Lan-Feng began murmuring amongst themselves.

"This is unbelievable. Am I seeing things?"

"By the heavens! A white flag? Are they surrendering?"

"I've fought in battles for years, and this is the first time I've seen someone enter battle with a white flag. That's... quite bizarre."

"You're right. A white flag. There should be some sort of surrender message written on it. It's not much of a surprise to me."

Wenren Jianyin squinted at the flag, attempting to decipher the words with his sharp eyes and Sky Origin Stage capabilities. "Lord Xiao, Kingdom of Chen?" he mused, puzzled. "Chuchu, you spent some time in the capital of the Kingdom of Chen. Do you happen to know who Lord Xiao is?"