Mo Yan approached Dong Hua. "Bai Zhen was able to obtain some clues that might help us in our hunting."

"Where is he now?" Zhe Yan asked.

"He's at the training grounds main tent with the twins." Mo Yan replied.

"Let's go." Dong Hua disappeared on his azure mist. Lian Song followed him.

"This better be good Mo Yan!!! Dong Hua is crankier than ever. He needs some serious anger management counseling. That is your expertise. Perhaps you could offer him some therapy." Zhe Yan jokingly said.

"He's your son-in-law Zhe Yan, you... handle him." Mo Yan said before disappearing too.

"Sure!!! Leave me here hanging!!!" Zhe Yan cursed them.

Dong Hua, Lian Song and Mo Yan appeared at the training grounds main tent. "Where is Zhe Yan?" Mo Yan asked looking behind.

"I thought he was with you." Lian Song replied. Dong Hua heavily sighed getting annoyed at their bickering; he knew Zhe Yan was recuperating too. He located his essence and brought him in.

"About time!!" Zhe Yan complained. Bai Zhen smirked at their interaction.

"Where is the dreg?" Dong Hua exasperatingly asked.

"Who?" Zi Lan confusedly asked. Dong Hua remained soundless with his indifferent expression.

"If you are referring to Lord Cang Yi, he and his father are long gone." Yan Chiwu replied.

"Bai Zhen, please share your findings with us." Mo Yan quickly intervened before Dong Hua outburst of anger escalated. He felt his temper building up.

"I have reason to believe that the same person that tried to kidnap Xiao Jiu before is the same person behind her current kidnaping. Is a well-known fact, that foxes, have their senses highlighted when it comes to pick up different scents. We possess the ability to encode the obtained traces in our memory bank. I recognized the familiar scent when I removed the poison dart from Zhe Yan's neck. It matched the accustomed track that I previously obtained. Like foxes, dragons have their smell senses highlighted too, so Mo Yan was able to identify the maker of the poison dart. We both were suspicious about the same person, but we needed to gather more intel to legally detained the culprit. Father and second brother are on their way here. They still don't know about these findings. Father will be furious to know that he let go of his captor." Bai Zhen said.

When Bai Zhi and Bai Yi arrived; all eyes were on them. "What is going on?" Bai Zhi asked.

"Yan Chiwu looked around, "Hey, where is your third wheel?" Bai Yi ignored Yan Chiwu remark. Zi Lan gave his brother a small smile.

"How is Xiao Jiu, Dijun?" Bai Zhi asked.

"She is getting better. But she's confined recuperating. Her mother is taking care of her now. Our courtyard is under heavy security to avoid any more hostile actions." Dong Hua indifferently replied.

"As long as she is well cared for is what's important." Bai Yi said. Zhe Yan eyed him straight-faced.

"Well son you asked us to be here, let's hear it." Bai Zhi regarded Bai Zhen.

"Father, we have an eagle to catch."

"Who?" Bai Yi furrowed his brows.

"Lord Cang Yi. He's the master mind behind Xiao Jiu's kidnapping. He infiltrated in our camp as a spy to gain information of our war stratagems in order to escape with valuable statistics to engage us in war. He used Xiao Jiu as a pawn to execute his plan. This is not the first time he had tried to get closer to Qing Qui's Queen. The first time it happened was in Zhe Yan peach forest before we met with the Demon Clan elders to sign the peace treaty. He would have caught her if it wasn't for me when I detected a strange presence in her room while she was sleeping."

"That scoundrel, he acted so dignified in front of us. How come you share this with me now Bai Zhen?" Bai Zhi angrily asked his son.

"It was until now that we were able to gather evidence and match his scent with the poison dart that he used on Zhe Yan."

"Did you saw him attacking you Zhe Yan?" Bai Zhi asked

"No, it was not him. But my attacker was an impostor. He morphed his appearance to Bai Yi's form to get close to Xiao You. When I discovered the trap, he acted quick and poisoned me." Zhe Yan replied.

"He employed someone to cover for him." Lian Song added.

"When we found him, he was tied up and unconscious. No doubt that it was part of his plan to diverge everyone from being traced to him." Zi Lan reported.

"We don't know to full extent how many from their clan are sided with him. Which creates a bigger problem. While training with us we exchanged valuable information. He now knows our plan. We have to come up with new strategies to overcome their attack. It reminds me of when my troop formation was stolen by Xuan Nü when she acted as a spy for the Ghost Tribe that ended up sacrificing my spirit to destroy the Dong Huang bell." Mo Yan unsympathetically said.

"We won't relive this episode again." Zhe Yan reassuredly said.

"Aren't you the god of war? I'm pretty sure that this is a walk on the park for you" Yan Chiwu said earning a disapproval gaze from his twin brother. "What about if we use the same game plan as Cang Yi did."

"Elaborate" Mo Yan said.

"The ultimate control is leading the enemy to believe he's in control. Let him think he has the upper hand, which by this time, is what he believes. Change the battlefield in a way that suits and makes your enemy uncomfortable. Obviously, he's on his guard knowing that he's being persecuted. He will inform Miao Lou's informants of our current situation and she will move according to the information provided. She is not dumb enough to catch the bait, without digging deeper and discover our informant within her people first. When it happens, I will know. That is when you high deities come into play with whatever ploys you have in your sleeves. I know that Ice Face here is always ten steps ahead of everyone. Am I right?" Yan Chiwu addressed Dong Hua.

"Ice face?" Zhe Yan snorted. Dong Hua gazed at Yan Chiwu irritated.

"Yan Chiwu has point." Lian Song said. "Cang Yi and the rebels are expecting a counterattack reaction from us. It's the approachable route to follow according with what they assume. We can't become a sheep in the crowded center; we have to go to the extreme. A dominating polarizing presence has more pull than middle ground soldiers. Miao Lou wants to trap Dong Hua directly to eliminate the biggest threat first. Let's give her what she wants."

"Our past successes can be our biggest obstacles if we believe that repeating the same strategy will give us the victory over her. We have to let go of the past war era, and embrace change and fluidity instead. We have to overcompensate it by doing it the opposite by creating urgency and desperation." Bai Zhi referred to Mo Yan.

"We have to do some chaos control. We need to decentralize our army to gain mobility and speed. The critical elements in war are speed and adaptability–the ability to move and make decisions faster than the enemy. We have to break our forces into independent groups that can operate on their own following the mission to accomplish, and room to run. It might work." Mo Yan answered. "I have an idea." He produced the wooden puppet figure. "In situations like this, it will be an exception to the rule." Mo Yan said while approaching Dong Hua.

"You all know that I forbade this type of magic for a reason." Dong Hua steely answered.

"We all know it, but desperate situations require that desperate measures are taken when it comes to Miao Lou brother. She will not rest until she gets what she wants. She wants you dead, lets feed her the illusion of it. Are you going to let her get her way and risk the peace of all realms?" Bai Zhi asked Dong Hua.

"I don't want another chaotic war era. We'll use whatever it takes to stop her. But I'm certain that Miao Lou will find out about the illusion, she's dangerously clever and not naive. She will significantly pay for the pain she inflicted to my Dihou. I'll make sure of it!!!" Dong Hua disappeared into his purple-red mist. Mo Yan, Zhe Yan and Bai Zhi gazed at a each other knowing that his sworn brother was emotionally unsettled. They all felt his aura turning darker.

"Maybe this is the direction that he needs to take in order to save us all again." Bai Zhi absently said.

"Is the greatest risk that we all will face. Let's all hope that he stops before is too late." Mo Yan replied.

Yan Chiwu disappeared to follow Dong Hua. "Hey Ice Face!!!!" Dong Hua continued walking unhurriedly ignoring him. "I know you are ignoring me on purpose. But I want you to know that I too love Jiu Ge and I will protect her with my life and the little one she's carrying." Yan Chiwu said.

That made Dong Hua stop on his tracks. He turned around to meet Yan Chiwu's face with a chilling look. Yan Chiwu was not enthralled by his dark side surfacing. He carefully approached him. "I know that Jiu Ge is expecting."

"How did you find out? Did she..." Dong Hua was livid.

"No, she didn't. But before you erupt like a volcano and burst a vein, hear me out first. When she came and greeted us at your arrival at the tent, I felt her fetus movement when she hugged me. I was surprised but I didn't say a word to no one, not even to my brother. Zi Lan didn't noticed." Dong Hua stared at Yan Chiwu surprised.

"She probably told you how she saved me from dying from poisoning when we were little."

"She did." Dong Hua nodded.

"Did she mentioned to you that although she was only a cub, she managed to transferred some of her cultivation to me to prevent me from dying?"

Dong Hua was perplexed. He couldn't comprehend how his little fox managed to used her powers at that phase; risking her life for a demon. No immortal has been able to do what she did at such a young age; it was unheard of. Many questions aroused in his systematic mind.

"As impossible as it may sound, that is the truth. I don't know up to this day how she did it. But I'm grateful that saved me. Jiu Ge bestowed her kind-heartedness and compassion to me when others would had left me dying. Those emotions are hard for us demons to grasp. But she made me realized that I was worthy of living and being cared of. That's the reason why I'm her blood sworn brother Dong Hua. I love her as the sister I never had. We share a special bond thanks to her blood and her cultivation. When she ascended, I knew how powerful she'll become. I'm proud of who she is. Jiu Ge is important to me just like she is to you." Yan Chiwu said.

"I highly doubt it." Dong Hua responded to fuel Yan Chiwu's irritation.

"I'm willing to sacrifice myself for her and your child to live, if it comes down to it. She may be your Dihou, but she is also my beloved sister!!!! And I will do anything to whoever wants to harm her!! I won't betray her Dijun, this I swear to you." Yan Chiwu produced a dagger and slid his palm making a blood oath to Dong Hua staring at him with fury.

After getting the precise reaction from him, Dong Hua internally smirked triumphantly. "What do you want?"

"I pledge my loyalty to you for her highness Queen Bai Feng Jiu safety. I want in, on whatever plan you're decocting. I don't care how risky, dicey or dangerous it might be." Yan Chiwu went down on his knees.

"It's rare to see this type of piety among your kind. Acting so morally righteous. Aren't you afraid of repercussions?"

"My job as demon lord and clan chief is dangerous enough for me to evaluate what is most important and take extreme risks even at the cost of my honor, name and my own life. Her highness is worthy of all of it."

"You know that your lady wife will greatly pay for the suffering she imposed on my Dihou." Dong Hua calmly expressed.

"I'm aware of the consequences of her actions Dijun. She might be my lady wife, but I know where my loyalty stands." Yan Chiwu firmly replied.

"Hmm. As long as we are clear on that, then I will accept your pledge. But know this, demon lord Yan Chiwu, if you cross me, you won't live to tell the tale." He menacely warned him. Dong Hua's tone sent chills to Yan Chiwu's spine. He gulped hard and bowed to the almighty deity. "Noted" Dong Hua slit his palm and gave Yan Chiwu a drop of his golden blood to seal his blood oath.

Meanwhile on Feng Jiu's courtyard...

Feng Jiu was being pampered by her mother. She was washing her hair. Feng Jiu was completely relaxed enjoying her spa treatment. "Mama I love when you do my hair. I missed this." Her mother smiled.

"You always liked it since you were little. How are you feeling today sweetheart?"

"After soaking in this hot bath, I feel sleepy right now. It's been like that lately, perhaps is the pregnancy."

"It sure is darling. Your body is still adjusting to the changes. During pregnancy, you'll undergo many physiological changes, which are entirely normal, including behavioral, cardiovascular, hematologic, metabolic, renal, and respiratory changes."

"Did you felt like that when I was inside your belly mama?"

"Oh, yes, I did. You slept a lot in my belly. So, I was always moving to make sure that you were awake. You also loved Zhe Yan's voice; I remember like it was yesterday. You will jump in my tummy every time he was near. And for some strange reason, I craved ice during my pregnancy. I had to eat it with every meal. Bai Yi went thru extremes to get it for me daily. It was an awful craving."

Feng Jiu laughed with her mother, but she curiously asked her: "Mama, why you're still married to him. I know how deeply you love fùqīn. I've seen how you two act when you get to see each other. He clearly loves you too."

Feng Jiu's mother demeanor changed. "It's my way to repay his kindness darling."

"But...doesn't he..." Feng Jiu trailed off but her mother cut her short. "Let's get you dry up sweetheart before your skin gets all wrinkled. And you can lay down, while I'll start dinner for all of us." Her mother quickly interjected changing the conversation. Feng Jiu understood her mother stillness on the subject and quickly complied.

"Okay mama. But I feel bad that I can't help you." She pouted.