Chapter 69 – He Yuntian Steps Up

“My lord, shall I go invite the Fourth Young Miss and her friend over?” the guard whispered.

Yue Kun glanced at the young man chatting and laughing with Yue Lanshan, then shook his head. “That would actually be counterproductive.”

He hadn’t gone senile just yet. The identity of a Gentleman’s Court disciple represented a kind of potential — an excellent long-term asset to cultivate — but it couldn’t help him resolve his current predicament.

The gong rang out. Iron Shield, who had been sitting cross-legged on the stage to regulate his breathing, stood up and fixed his gaze on Yue Kun’s side.

The referee called out, “The fourth bout is about to begin. Please send up your challenger!”

Yue Kun looked toward the training ground’s exit — not a single figure in sight. What was that second son up to?!

The Jade Pendant had been sent by Li Mao, saying that if anything arose, one could go to that place to seek aid. It was only because Yue Kun recognized the value represented by the Jade Pendant that he had chosen to board Li Mao’s ship. Otherwise, with the imperial capital so far from Huangzhou, what was the point of risking annihilation to seize power right under Yi Shang’s nose? That would be nothing short of courting death.

After the referee urged him several more times, Yue Kun pointed to one of his Postnatal realm great completion fighters and said, “Get up there. Stall as long as you can — don’t clash with him head-on.”

Yue Lie said, “Should we call in the Prenatal realm fighters lying in ambush at the hunting grounds?”

“Absolutely not!” The first and second bouts were meant to wear down the Crimson Blood Army’s strength. Only by luring them into the third segment — the field hunt, where traps had already been laid — could they swiftly and decisively wipe them all out in one sweep.

But when he had carefully assessed the Crimson Blood Army’s strength, he had failed to account for their several Prenatal realm experts, and so even now, their forces had hardly been depleted at all.

If only those few Prenatal realm fighters didn’t exist, everything would be much simpler.

Yue Lie’s current predicament was truly awkward. Was he supposed to play by the rules, finish the military exercise, and then welcome the Crimson Blood Army’s takeover as if nothing had happened?

How could he be content with that!

Yue Lie produced a letter. “Uncle, do this one thing for me.”

Although the second son of the Yue family had already gone to make contact, since he hadn’t returned after all this time, something had probably gone wrong. He couldn’t put all his hopes on him, so he had no choice but to send Yue Lie on an errand.

This letter was not a token like the Jade Pendant, but rather a personal correspondence between him and Li Mao — the man who received it should react accordingly.

There was an entire realm of difference between Postnatal and Prenatal. No matter how much one dodged, one couldn’t be lucky enough to escape a Prenatal realm fighter’s attacks every single time.

And this Postnatal realm fighter was dodging in a particularly wretched manner. The spectators outside all clicked their tongues in disappointment, and even the soldiers of the Dabi Army felt like throwing rotten eggs.

Fight him head-on, for heaven’s sake — have you no dignity as a soldier at all!

“Silence!” Yue Kun had just finished shouting at the Dabi Army when that Postnatal realm fighter tumbled off the stage in a sorry heap.

Three thousand Crimson Blood Army soldiers brought their Long Spears down upon the ground in unison, their momentum earth-shaking. “Souls of crimson blood, protect our brothers-in-arms; we contest every inch of land to guard our rivers and mountains; we ride with blades drawn to stand by your side; we are the first to ignite the eternal flames of war!”

Amid the soldiers’ thunderous battle cry, hot blood surged in Iron Shield’s heart. “Brothers on the other side — do you still remember whose banner you hold in your hands? Whose designation you bear? Whose homeland and nation you are defending?”

In the Yin Dynasty’s armies, apart from the private forces of various lords, most were standing armies with rotating commanders, so honor resided in the entire army and in the designation it carried.

But at this moment, the Dabi Army fell into silence and disarray. The few sparse responses that arose grew faint and weak amid the clamor.

Zero-Two’s expression was cold and hard. “‘Bie’ — the character written with the radical for ‘bone’ and ‘knife’: to cut away the flesh from bones, to carve out the enemy’s blood and sinew. And yet now you cannot even shout out the creed of your own designation. You are fit to be discarded.”

Yue Kun wasn’t ready to tear all pretenses away just yet. He roared in furious exasperation, “What are you all good for? Shout it back!”

A scattered, ragged chorus rose up, and after several repetitions it finally unified into a complete battle cry — but it drew nothing but contempt from the Crimson Blood Army across from them.

From the viewing platform, He Yuntian offered a flippant critique. “One side hollering blindly, the other side’s spirit utterly broken. What a sorry bunch, both of them.”

Yue Lanshan protested, “Cloud Heaven Brother, even if you’ve seen grand spectacles and don’t think much of them, you can’t say things like that about Father’s army in front of me.”

The young girl’s pout carried a coquettish charm that was most pleasing to look at. He Yuntian apologized repeatedly, “I spoke without thinking. Please forgive me, Miss Yue.”

“Don’t let it happen again.” Yue Lanshan deliberately put on a stern face, but the very next moment the act crumbled as she and He Yuntian burst out laughing together.

After a short rest, Yue Lanshan said with a worried sigh, “These outsiders are so formidable — Father is probably going to lose.”

“Victory and defeat are common in warfare. The worst that can happen is starting over from the beginning.” He Yuntian offered comfort.

“Cloud Heaven Brother, you don’t know the full situation. Shenzhou is now in great turmoil — lords have risen on all sides, and warfare rages everywhere. Only Huangzhou has remained stable under Father’s watch. And now that Imperial Princess wants to come and seize military authority over Huangzhou — it truly chills one’s heart.”

He Yuntian inwardly found it amusing. Wasn’t Huangzhou the Yin Dynasty’s territory to begin with? Her father was nothing more than an appointed military commander, and yet he had truly started treating the army as his own family’s possession.

Chilled heart? It was clearly unbridled ambition.

His mind turned: Huangzhou was indeed an excellent place. If the He family could establish a firm foothold there, then when the day came for him to rise like a dragon meeting water, they might well become a powerful force across the land of Shenzhou — a fitting gift to repay the family that had raised him.

However, with Yue Kun and the Imperial Princess now at odds, this was not a good moment to step forward. But Yue Kun didn’t seem like a fool — openly resisting the envoy of the Yin Dynasty at a time like this, he must have some backup plan in reserve. Perhaps he could fish for an opportunity in the chaos.

“Lanshan’s words are absolutely right. The common people suffer and wander, and all of it is the Yin Dynasty’s fault. The Yi Family is no worthy master.”

Yue Lanshan thought to herself: surely nothing is more captivating in a man than when he speaks with the grand air of one who surveys and governs the realm — those words were certainly no exaggeration. “Cloud Heaven Brother is indeed a man of extraordinary insight. Little sister is truly full of admiration.”

As the two of them chatted idly, three more bouts had been fought on the stage — and the Dabi Army had lost every one of them.

Only three bouts remained. If Yue Kun continued sending up Postnatal realm fighters, defeat was inevitable.

Yue Lanshan could see the look on Yue Kun’s face, and she no longer had the heart to chat leisurely with He Yuntian. She watched the bouts on stage with anxious eyes.

But in the seventh bout, the Dabi Army lost again.

He Yuntian waved his Fan with graceful ease. “Don’t be anxious, little sister. Let me go up and have a match with him. Only—”

He blinked. “You’ll need to find me a change of clothes.”

Yue Lanshan understood what he meant, and she was slightly moved — yet she still tried to stop him. “Cloud Heaven Brother, please don’t act recklessly. I appreciate your good intentions, but I can’t let you hurt yourself on my account.”

What a guileless girl. He Yuntian’s smile became considerably more genuine. “A Prenatal realm fighter like this cannot hurt me. Just watch me bring home the victory.”

Yue Lanshan’s face flushed slightly, and she murmured quietly, “Let me go ask Father first.”

Yue Kun had already given up on the stage bouts and was simply waiting for the afternoon’s field hunt to settle things decisively. Since the young prodigy from the Gentleman’s Court wanted to play, he might as well let him play.

He personally brought He Yuntian a set of Dabi Army battle robes and said with heartfelt gratitude, “Young Friend He is truly a man of loyalty and honor. Lanshan has made a good friend. Regardless of whether we win or lose, I, Yue, offer my sincere thanks.”

As he spoke, he genuinely clasped his hands and bowed. He Yuntian stepped forward to support him. “General Yue’s loyalty and righteousness are unmatched — it is men of courage like you whom I admire most. Rest assured and let me take the stage. I will repay you with the enemy’s blood.”

The ferocity in He Yuntian’s words made Yue Kun’s eyes light up. The way he spoke made it clear he had no goodwill toward the Crimson Blood Army whatsoever — and that was a good thing.

With the referee urging them on, He Yuntian leaped lightly onto the stage and faced Iron Shield. “Why would it take any of the senior brothers to defeat you? I am nothing more than a newly enlisted recruit, and that is more than enough!”

What incredible arrogance!

Iron Shield did not take him lightly. He assumed his opening stance. “All talk and no action is just a show. Come at me.”

An eagle’s eyes took in the scene below the clouds and swept off into the distance.

Finally — someone needs to go find the director and take her to the hospital, because she has yet again slashed the female lead’s screen time.

A certain director lay face-down on the bed, weeping bitterly, “I just want to keep you hidden away — why don’t you understand this deep, profound love?”

Wu Fei Yu, coming to visit the sick: Confused — isn’t the yandere-who-turns-dark supposed to be my character arc?