Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 259 - One Hundred and Ninety-Nine: Escalation of the Conflict_2

Chapter 259: Chapter One Hundred and Ninety-Nine: Escalation of the Conflict_2

There, a nine-story tower stood.

The Prime Minister’s Mansion’s library tower.

And the woman waiting on the shore was the servant from within the library tower, who had also been the personal maid of his late mother.

Third Grade Great Grandmaster.

Xu Yuan took the towel, nodded with a smile, and said,

"Mhm."

The woman smiled gently, handing the umbrella to Xu Yuan, and bowed slightly,

"The Prime Minister is waiting for you in the inner court, so I shall take my leave first."

Having said this, the woman walked towards the library tower, braving the rain along the lake’s edge.

Watching the figure depart, Xu Yuan shook his head, propping up the umbrella and wiping his hair with the towel as he walked towards the inner court.

The Prime Minister’s residence in the Imperial Capital was very large, even larger than the residence in Jingjiang Prefecture; the current Emperor had specifically ordered several nearby streets to be demolished in the precious land of the Imperial City to build this place for that old father of his.

Compared to the Xu Residence in Jingjiang Prefecture, the Prime Minister’s Mansion in the Imperial Capital was clearly much busier.

Beyond the basic maids and servants, there were many people dressed in court official uniforms and splendid robes within the residence.

Some of these people were here to pay their respects with gifts, others were delivering memorials, and yet others were aides of his old father’s faction.

Once unknown, but now seen anew, this Prime Minister’s Mansion was another court within the Imperial Capital.

Those who could stay to work within this Prime Minister’s Mansion were mostly seasoned individuals, which was why Xu Yuan, having taken off the Human Skin Mask, also passed through unimpeded.

No side-branch young masters or high-ranking evil servants suddenly emerged to make things difficult for him, the Third Young Master, freshly returned.

Walking past, many who bowed and greeted Xu Yuan had breaths so profound they were unfathomable.

If it were in Cang Yuan, these individuals would likely have crimson question marks above their heads, marking them as elite bosses.

After all,

Within Cang Yuan, the Prime Minister’s Mansion was considered the most challenging final boss room.

Collecting his thoughts, Xu Yuan chuckled and shook his head, casting aside these unrealistic ideas from his mind and placed his hand on the wooden door in front of him.

Most of the area of the Prime Minister’s Mansion was the outer court; the inner court, where the legitimate family members lived, was actually not very large.

One room for each of the four siblings, one for Xu Yinhè, a study, and a main hall where they ate together.

With this in mind, Xu Yuan stepped in.

A familiar stone path greeted his eyes, with unnamed flowers and plants on either side, and the end not more than a dozen meters away was the main hall.

At this moment, two figures, one old and one young, were already seated inside the main hall.

The rain drizzled down, cascading off the ancient tiles from the eaves like a beaded curtain falling, knocking on the ground of the courtyard, creating ripples in the puddles formed.

Yet, the two hadn’t waited for him and had already started using their chopsticks.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan unconsciously smiled slightly and quickly approached.....

...

The main hall of the inner court wasn’t decorated with carvings of dragons and phoenixes, just a simple square table, the kind that could seat two people on each side.

Because this inner court was truly a restricted area of the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

Rules set by Xu Yinhè himself.

Apart from their family, no one else was permitted entry, not even high-level figures like Lou Ji were allowed into this restricted area.

With no outsiders, there was naturally no need for pretense.

Although it was Xu Yuan’s first day back in the Imperial Capital, the father and son did not offer a feast to wash away the dust of travel for him.

The noon meal was still four meat dishes, two vegetarian, and one soup, just as before.

This was the standard when not all members were present; if everyone were there, one more meat dish and one vegetarian dish would be added.

However.....

All members are unlikely to be complete again

"......."

The small main hall was filled only with the crisp clinking of chopsticks against porcelain bowls and the sound of the rain outside.

After Xu Yuan greeted them, Xu Yinhè nodded, and then he sat down.

There were no pleasantries, no warm inquiries after each other’s well-being, as if he had not been away for two years, but had left in the morning and returned at noon.

Gobbling down the food, the trio of father and sons did not speak.

It wasn’t due to any strict rule; Xu Yinhè was not a stern father, and not only could you talk while eating, but you could even flip the table without him saying anything.

As long as you were prepared to be hung up and beaten by Xu Changge afterward.

After a long silence,

Xu Yinhè slowly put down his chopsticks and looked at Xu Yuan, who had returned home:

"Your marriage arrangement will need some more time before it can be settled."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan lifted his gaze and pondered for a moment before asking:

"Why?"

Xu Yinhè didn’t intend to hide anything and said directly:

"Marquis Wucheng has gone to the Northern Frontier, so the wedding has to wait until his return."

At this news, Xu Yuan immediately frowned.

Marquis Wucheng has gone to the Northern Frontier?

This was significant information.

Now that he had begun to appreciate the power of military formations firsthand, and had gathered much information on the topic along the way, he naturally wouldn’t underestimate the revered military deity of Dayan as he might have in the past.

Strong individuals of First or Second Grade facing military formations could adopt strategies of conserving energy and waiting for the enemy to tire, but these tactics were seldom used on the actual battlefield, because more often than not, it was akin to sending lambs to the slaughter.

The cultivation techniques used within the army differed from conventional methods, representing a wholly distinct path.

They harnessed the power of thousands of soldiers into one.

Though other than some abnormal and ruthless individuals, any cultivator of the same level could easily hang a commander trained in military formations out to dry, the collective resonance of Origin Qi, even without forming a complete formation, could geometrically enhance the commander’s abilities—senses, will-spirit, strength, and more.

As long as the elite soldiers accompanying the army could briefly hold off the attacking enemy, those attackers were often doomed to a one-way trip.

After reflecting for a moment, Xu Yuan asked in a low voice:

"Can’t Master Zong handle it alone?"

Zong Qingsheng, as head of the Black Scale Army and naturally with profound knowledge in military formations, was now joined by Marquis Wucheng.

Upon hearing this question, after pondering for a moment, Xu Yinhè calmly answered:

"The situation is a bit complex; in short, those people from the Great Desert seem to have formed an alliance with the Barbarian Tribes."

His father said it casually, but the implications were vast and multifaceted.

Xu Yuan briefly organized his thoughts and asked:

"Father, may I see the details of the situation?"

Ever since parting with Lou Ji, the intelligence leader, Xu Yuan relied almost exclusively on the government-issued gazettes for information during his two-month journey northward.

Those gazettes typically reported on peace and prosperity, with the Northern Frontier’s battles seemingly always progressing smoothly.

In two months, the war on the Northern Frontier had not ceased but seemed to have escalated.

This war, never mentioned in the gazettes of Cang Yuan, appeared to be a harbinger of an impending age of chaos...

Thinking of this, Xu Yuan felt somewhat heavy-hearted.

Xu Yinhè gazed at Xu Yuan’s expression for a few breaths, then lightly smiled and said:

"Changtian, you’re quite interested in this war, aren’t you?"

Xu Yuan put down his chopsticks, took out three teacups, and poured tea for each of them, saying:

"The Emperor wants to eradicate the neighboring foreign tribes. If the Barbarian Tribes have allied with those from the Great Desert, we might, for the time being, avoid crossing swords with the Li Family."

Such treasonous words fell softly in the room, but Xu Yinhè’s expression remained unchanged:

"The situation on the Northern Frontier is not good at the moment; many of our supply lines have been cut, and now we rely largely on the Sumeru Ring."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan immediately understood and asked:

"The work of the Sects?"

Xu Yinhè did not answer, but the darkness in his eyes still conveyed the answer to Xu Yuan.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan sighed.

In a standoff between armies numbering nearly a million, the fight is over logistics.

After decades of preparation, the Dayan Royal Family and the Prime Minister’s Mansion had amassed various materials for wartime, but they could not reach the front lines.

The Sects had informants spread almost throughout the entire Northern Frontier. People could sneak over in small groups, but the transport of large-scale supplies could not be done this way.

In other words, they could only be sent through the Sumeru Ring.

However, the typical capacity of a conventional Sumeru Ring is about 4X4X4.

After reflecting for a few moments, Xu Yuan suddenly remembered something and said:

"Father, do you mean that right now we can only transport supplies through the Sumeru Ring?"

Xu Yinhè did not answer but glanced sideways at Xu Changge.

Seeing that look, the typically overbearing Xu Changge obediently took out a paper scroll from the Sumeru Ring and placed it on the table.

Xu Yuan did not immediately look at it, as there were matters he needed to report to his father first:

"If the Sumeru Ring is needed, during my travels I discovered a Secret Realm near the Guanyin Mountain Range."