Chapter 767

Chapter 767 – Long Xing and Xia Ye

In the center of the Royal Army Camp . Not long after, two Generals clothed respectively in red armor and black armor walked into the tent . They were two commanders of the Flame Dragon Army and the Xia Yu Army . They were both ranked as Lieutenant Commanders . The Flame Dragon Army’s Commander was called ‘Long Xing’ and looked to be around thirty five years old . There was a groomed goatee on his chin . He was tall and sturdy, but didn’t look to be very strong . The other commander, who was in charge of the Xia Yu Army, was called ‘Xia Ye’, and was a young general around twenty five years old . He was around my age, and actually managed to climb his way up to this rank .

The difference was that I, the Royal Army General, was still only ranked militarily as a Lieutenant General . Long Xing and Xia Ye used to also be Lieutenant Generals, and would’ve been the same rank as me . However, these two were also the Crown Prince and the Second Prince’s men . Clearly they were here to suppress me for whenever I showed “abnormal” behavior .

Long Xing entered the strategy tent with his sword at his hip . He stood before the sand table and smiled, “I, Long Xing, pay my respects to the General . Your reputation precedes you!”

Xia Ye was also grinning widely . He placed a dagger on the table and smiled, “I, Xia Ye, am also willing to follow the General’s orders, whether it’s through a mountain of blades or a sea of flames, I will go to any lengths!”

I wryly smiled . I didn’t bother to scold them on their overly flippant attitude . Instead I said, “Xiao Lie, bring some wine . Let’s celebrate the arrival of the Generals Long Xing and Xia Ye!”

Xiao Lie said, “General, the Royal Army has a new rule that forbids drinking within the tents . ”

I thus replied, “It’s fine, that’s a rule meant for times of war . The great battle has yet to arrive, what’s the problem with some men who want to drink?”

“Yes, I will go and get it now!”

……

Long Xing picked up his sheathe and placed it on the table as he sat down . He looked at me with arrogance, “I heard that the General was the one who lead the ‘ruffian corps’ Royal Army to battle in Dragon City . You guys actually managed to kill two thousand of the legendary Hybrid Demons?”

I sat down as well and said, “That is correct . ”

Long Xing smiled, “While I was in the Flame Dragon Army, I lead a division of over ten thousand people . However, we’ve been fighting constantly on the southern lines, facing off the attacks from Port City . And so, we’ve never had a chance to meet some real Hybrid Demons . They must not be as strong as the rumors say so . After all, the Royal Army was about to kill two thousand of them . ”

I smiled and calmly said, “Holding off an advance from the Hybrid Demons is number one priority for the Royal Army . Now that General Long Xing has come to lead his troops in my Royal Army, then I’m sure you’ll get the chance to see just how strong those demons are . ”

Long Xing visibly shuddered . He never would have expected me to counter his sentence . After all, he was of noble birth, how could he understand all of the different arguments and excuses . He smiled, “Then I look forward to it . ”

On the side, General Xia Ye looked at me and said, “I heard that General has recruited a bunch of Barbarians living in the Magic Bamboo Forest . I originally heard that the Royal Army was only made up of princelings who lived extravagant life styles . I never would have expected it to take in a bunch of disdainful Barbarians . My lord is truly a capable man . ”

I looked at him with a straight face, “Everyone with a life is equal . There is no need to separate based on wealth or race . The Barbarians are also humans . They just don’t live in the same city as us . Besides, the Royal Army is no longer a princeling army . When I entered, I had kicked all of the useless ones out . Right now, the Royal Army is a troop of experienced fighters who are willing to die at any moment for the country . However, they are not, nor will they ever be, someone else’ tools . ”

Xia Ye stiffened . Suspicion rose up in his eyes, “General Li, just what do you think a soldier's mission is in Tian Ling City?”

I thought for a moment, “To obey, in heart and mind . ”

Xia Ye smiled, “Obeying is a vocation, that I know, but what does it mean, in heart and mind?”

I stood up and leaned against the sand table with a smile, “For what reason did we join the army? Some people joined so that they could become rich . Some joined so that they could become a noblemen . However, it is my firm belief that the most important issue to a military man is to understand his worth . We aren’t some private army for some noblemen, we are the empire’s army . We fight for our homes and for our people!”

“Good!”

A peculiar expression lit up in Xia Ye’s eyes . He stood up and smiled, “That is truly a quote to go down in history, fight for our homes and our people!”

As he said that, Xia Ye backed up a step and knelt on one knee, “I general Xia Ye, pay my respects to the General . I entrust my life to you, as well as the five thousand lives of my brothers!”

I celebrated internally . This Xia Ye was very young, and at first it appeared that he kept people at an arm’s length . However, I could tell that hot blood ran through his veins . Most of the armies in Tian Ling City were private and kept by noblemen . Each and every one of them are harboring some ulterior motive . Even as the day draws near when the Hybrid Demons are attacking, they still cannot set aside their differences . I’m afraid that many other young Generals like Xia Ye have become jaded by the situation . Now that he had come upon a rock that couldn’t be cracked even if it were boiled, he must be beside himself with excitement .

Long Xing smiled on the side . I could see a sliver of mischief and banter in his eyes, “General Xia Ye must have already forgotten our original intent?”

Xia Ye smiled back, “General Long Xing is overthinking it . I, Xia Ye, came to the Royal Army only to protect my home . There was no other intent . Rather, General Long Xing, are you still considering the secret order given by the crown prince?”

A disturbed look entered Long Xing’s expression . Clearly there was something on his mind that he couldn’t say . He smiled and said, “Nevermind . I will remain in the Royal Army and see for myself whether or not the General is truly as he says he is, and fighting for the people!”

I nodded . Right at that moment, Xiao Lie arrived with two jars of wine . He had also brought with him Han Yuan and the other generals . Everyone sat around the table and began to converse freely with the wine and food . This wine wasn’t some expensive treasure, so drinking it didn’t add any stats . Rather, it was very strong and spirited . I could feel my head spin in the game just from drinking it .

In the end, all of the generals in the Royal Army were drunk . I had also admonished myself and made sure this was the only and final time that this would happen . From now on, I would never touch the spirits in the game again .

I glanced at that clock . It was already late in the evening . We had pretty much settled all of the matters in the Royal Army . The next item on the agenda was integrating the ten thousand new troops into our army . I strongly believed that human nature could change . As time goes on, Long Xing and Xia Ye would definitely see themselves as men of the Royal Army .

As I logged off, I realized that there were still quite a few matters to attend to in the real world .

……

Late in the night, I opened up my window and watched as snowflakes softly fluttered from the sky . It had finally snowed . If my memory served me right, tomorrow was New Year’s Eve . A traditional holiday for Chinese people, one that surpassed all others .

In the other dining room, I saw that Wan Er and Dong Cheng were actually still awake . They were in the middle of sticking fortune characters on the doorways . The scene really brought warmth to the heart, despite the wintry weather outside . Qin Wen was also awake . But, what really brightened my eyes was the Christmas outfit that Wan Er was wearing . A short skirt with fur trimmings was wrapped tightly around her snow white legs . A cute shawl was wrapped around her shoulders . She sat on the couch, her cheeks tinted pink as she separated the packages .

I was a little stunned, “What are you guys doing down here?”

I couldn’t take my eyes off of Wan Er . I was mesmerized by her beauty . My heart raced and I smiled, “Wan Er, you didn’t wear anything Christmas-y during Christmas, so why now?”

Wan Er looked over at me, her face blushing even harder, “It's all because I lost to a bet against Dong Cheng… This Christmas outfit was a gift we got when we bought our Christmas bracelets, but I never wore it . And so, Dong Cheng and I made a bet, whoever lost would have to wear it for you…”

I facepalmed, “So you ended up losing . What was the bet?”

Wan Er was so embarrassed she couldn’t say it .

Dong Cheng looked up with a smile, “I bet that Wang Jian and Star Scar have already gotten the homerun . Wan Er bet that they hadn’t . So I carefully interrogated the two . He he, apparently, it was during the second weekend at the Hero’s Wings tournament . I mean, how could they have not gotten the homerun? A boyfriend and a girlfriend, living together . The couldn’t possibly resist…”

Qin Wen smiled, “Then what about Li Xiao Yao and Wan Er? They’re considered dating, and they’ve been living together for so long . Ai yo, does this mean that you guys hit the homerun already? I need to tell uncle this! Hurry up and buy some snacks so I don’t tell!”

Wan Er was speechless . Dong Cheng then said, “Hmph hmph, did you think that all lovers are like these two? It's been so long and they still haven’t hit the homerun . I’m dying of anxiety because of them…”

I said, “The emperor doesn’t worry, and yet all of his eunuchs do* . That’s right, tomorrow is New Year’s Eve . Do you all have any plans?”

*TL Note: A joke referring to how the emperor’s servants worry more about his night life than the emperor himself

Wan Er said, “Dad wants us to go home, but I don’t want to . We almost ended up fighting over it . I really don’t know what to do…”

I said, “Then how about we go back? It’s just one day . ”

Wan Er pouted her lip and looked at me, “Then are you going back home to your Auntie and Meng Yao for the new year?”

“Yup . ”

“But I want to be with you…”

“Alright…” I smiled, and sat down beside Wan Er . “How about, we all eat our New Year’s Eve dinners in our respective homes, and then I come and get you so that we can watch the sun rise?”

“Ok . ” Wan Er was extremely happy .

Dong Cheng asked, Brother Xiao Yao, how has supervising the Royal Army been?”

“Not bad, there’s still a lot of things that need to be done . To top it off, King Rocklin, Theodore, and Owen are up to something . It's really making my head ache . I’m afraid that I might be fired not long from now…”

“Good luck, keep it up for a bit more!”

“……”

……

After I finished my midnight snack, I went to sleep .

The next day, the celebratory feelings were thick in the air . Everyone was setting off firecrackers and gathering in groups . Wan Er, Dong Cheng and I weren’t interested at all . Instead, we went straight into our games so that we could complete our daily quests . Lin Tian Nan sent a car over to pick up Wan Er, while I drove the A4 to the mall . I went and bought quite a few gifts for Auntie and Meng Yao .

For the New Year’s feast, Auntie made several of her most famous dishes . Meng Yao couldn’t stop grinning . She asked me this and that, and even tried to get me to teach her the techniques of the Pulse Break Method . Meng Yao was a smart girl, and could easily pick up a skill she wanted to learn . On top of that, the Pulse Break Method truly was an insanely strong technique for soloers . After all, having a lot of skills wouldn’t do any harm, learning one more would be good for her . So I helped Meng Yao level up and get better equipment . She was already on par with Yao Yan . With a little more time, surpassing Yao Yan was not a far off dream .

Once Auntie had settled Meng Yao in, I went out . I opened up the A4 as a strong gust of wind blew snowflakes into my face . It was time to pick up Wan Er .