Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 320 - 232 Probing_2

Chapter 320: Chapter 232 Probing_2

"Regardless of whether there is a way out or not, the fact that you dare to stay in Northern Border City under these circumstances means you do not disgrace my man."

Having said that,

she patted Xu Yuan on the shoulder with her hand:

"I am very satisfied with you in this matter."

"...." Xu Yuan.

Withdrawing her hand, Li Qingyan continued to step forward, saying:

"The barbarians will probably begin their siege in about two hours.I will head to the gate tower shortly to oversee."

Two hours....

Xu Yuan was momentarily stunned, then quickly caught up, frowning as he asked:

"Lou Ji told me that the barbarians are adjusting their deployment and preparing for a siege, which wouldn’t start until tomorrow or even the day after."

The valiant woman in red raised her eyes, glancing at the white expanse of the sky:

"To fully surround Northern Border City indeed requires waiting until tomorrow, but that Barbarian Strange King wouldn’t make the mistake of doing so. He will at most deploy his army to the East String Gate and not go any further north."

Xu Yuan immediately realized:

"A surrounding army must leave an outlet, huh..."

"A surrounding army must leave an outlet? Good vocabulary."

Li Qingyan’s phoenix eyes narrowed slightly: "But it’s more because the Strange King is all too aware of the conflicts within our Northern Frontier Border Army. As long as his troops are positioned to the south, the Sects within the city will inevitably have other intentions."

Xu Yuan pondered for a moment, his brow slightly furrowed:

"Do you mean to suggest the Sects might think of escaping?"

As he spoke, Xu Yuan looked at the sky with a strange expression:

"Escaping with an army in this weather, isn’t that courting death? Besides, if Northern Border City falls, that army of 700,000 would truly become an isolated force."

Li Qingyan’s voice took on a chilly tone:

"The army wouldn’t escape, but those high-ranking ones would definitely seek to flee with the resources. There are barbarians who understand our Great Yan language. They will surely use this to disturb the morale in the city. Moreover, with the loss of these leaders, the time it takes to reorganize the troops below will become a gap period."

The higher one’s status and power, the more they value their own lives.

For high-level Cultivators, crossing the Northern Frontier mountains is not difficult. As long as their luck isn’t too bad and they’re not blocked by barbarian powerhouses, they can generally escape directly back into Dayan Territory.

After a moment of reflection, Xu Yuan suddenly asked:

"But haven’t you activated the Formation?"

Li Qingyan shook her head:

"Maintaining the operation of the Northern Border City Protective City Formation is already a huge expense every day. If we have to withstand siege weapons, that expense will become even greater. Once the battle begins, most of the Source Crystals will be allocated to the formation in the south of the city, and naturally, the formation on the northern side won’t be able to maintain such intensity."

After speaking, Li Qingyan gave Xu Yuan an assuring smile:

"Don’t worry. Even if the city falls, you will definitely not die before me."

Upon hearing these words, Xu Yuan’s heart sank, and he suddenly had an ominous feeling:

"Princess, are you suggesting..."

Li Qingyan did not speak and took out a set of armor from the Sumeru Ring:

"Try it on and see if it fits."

"......"

Xu Yuan glanced at the armor meant for the personal guard of a Feathered Forest Army colonel.

In Great Yan, the technology for engraving defensive Formation Patterns on fabric clothing was still rare, but while expensive, the engraving technique on armor was quite mature.

In this extraordinary feudal dynasty, a person’s life was cheap, but a martial Cultivator was valuable. Raising a combat-ready soldier takes at least five years to start, and Elite Troops are trained over spans of a decade.

Therefore, most powers are not stingy with armor, the life-saving equipment, and the regular army essentially all have standard-issue armor.

From the basic rank-and-file soldiers, to the middle-ranking Colonel, and up to the high-ranking commanders, all have standard-issue armor.

But the armor that Li Qingyan gave him appears to be custom-made; his will-spirit detected some complex and arcane Formation Patterns on it.

After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan reached out to receive it while asking softly:

"May I know what your intention is..."

Li Qingyan pursed her lips and smiled:

"From now on, you are my only trusted aide."

Xu Yuan’s mouth twitched:

"The only one?"

As they spoke, the two had arrived at a courtyard.

As Li Qingyan pushed open the courtyard door, she said offhandedly:

"When my cultivation was weak, I followed Uncle Mu around. As it grew stronger, of course, I no longer needed a personal guard, so you are the first one."

The pond in the courtyard had already frozen. Pavilions and towers were covered in thick snow, but it seemed the stone walkway was made of a special material, causing the snow that landed on it to vanish immediately.

Walking together on the stone path, Xu Yuan smacked his lips:

"Is such a measure really necessary? Under the current circumstances, there’s no need for me to hide my identity."

Being a trusted aide is equivalent to being a 24-hour personal bodyguard, equivalent to not being able to attend the Third Prince’s invitation tonight, and it would make almost anything he wanted to do afterwards nearly impossible.

Li Qingyan seemed to guess Xu Yuan’s thoughts, her gaze sweeping over him coldly:

"Once the battle begins, with the Protective City Formation in place, as well as the military formation, being by my side will be the safest place."

Xu Yuan did not consent, saying:

"The battle has not yet begun, there’s no need to rush this."

Li Qingyan’s eyebrows slightly furrowed, but then it seemed she understood something and turned her eyes, glancing at him:

"You... did you have unfinished business with Li Yunqing in that pavilion earlier?"

"....." Xu Yuan.

It seemed this washboard Princess was a bit too perceptive. If this marriage really went through, deceiving her after the wedding might not be so easy.

Hmm, Big Ice Lump was still the cutest.

Whatever he said, she would believe.

Day one of missing Big Ice Lump.

As Xu Yuan’s mind was cluttered with these random thoughts, Li Qingyan suddenly said something unexpected:

"In that case, come to my palace tomorrow and serve as my trusted aide."

"...." Xu Yuan’s eyes were somewhat astonished.

This woman was actually letting him do it?

Li Qingyan’s exquisitely beautiful face appeared gentler amidst the snowstorm, her phoenix eyes met his gaze, and she spoke softly:

"If you wish to go to places like Hook Bar, I won’t stop you before the grand wedding."

Xu Yuan subconsciously stopped in his tracks, staring at Li Qingyan’s tall silhouette, his eyes stunned.

But immediately,

he heard the rest of Li Qingyan’s words drift over:

"Although I am not clear on what you’d like to discuss with Li Yunqing, if it involves a fight for the heir, I suggest you don’t get involved recklessly. I’m not like Li Yunqing."

Having said that,

she pushed open her chamber door and went straight in.

Xu Yuan stood there somewhat dumbfounded.

Hissss...

What did she mean by that last comment?

Following her into the room,

Xu Yuan looked around and locked his gaze on the red-clad woman tying up her hair, directly asking:

"Hey, what did you mean by your last words?"

Li Qingyan took a hairpin from the Sumeru Ring, gathered her long black hair draped behind her, and swiftly tied it into a bun, replying softly:

"The literal meaning."

Xu Yuan sat down opposite Li Qingyan and asked:

"You don’t support the Crown Prince, are you planning to support the Second Prince...."

Li Qingyan looked at Xu Yuan with a helpless gaze:

"Changtian, in your eyes, must one take a stand with a Prince in a royal succession struggle?"

Xu Yuan took a deep breath, continuing his acting to probe:

"You intend for me to become a Prince...."

"Foolish."

Li Qingyan finished tying her hair and stood up, her tall stature and simple bun making her appear even more heroic, her eyes growing slightly colder in a flash:

"Great Yan is plagued by external threats and internal troubles, and the common people suffer. Whoever wishes to solve these problems, whoever can solve them, I will support that person."

"......."

Xu Yuan placed the armor on the desk in front of him and exhaled.

Right,

he had thought this washboard Princess was preparing to become an empress.

True to being raised by Marquis Wucheng, she only supports the Emperor, not a specific person.

While he was pondering,

Xu Yuan’s gaze suddenly sharpened, staring at the red-clad woman opposite him:

"What are you doing?"

Li Qingyan began untying the belt around her waist, her voice calm as water:

"Changing clothes, putting on armor."

Xu Yuan watched intently, his expression serious:

"Do you need help?"

Li Qingyan met his gaze, without a hint of shyness on her face:

"You... seem very eager to help me put on my armor?"

After a pause,

a mocking smile flickered in her reddish pupils:

"Oh no, it seems you’re more eager to help me undress."

As she spoke,

the red clothes fell to the floor, and the room was silent.

Xu Yuan’s eyes first widened, then filled with disappointment, followed by surprise.

The stunning woman’s fair and flat abdomen was traced by beautiful and enticing lines, but higher up there was nothing more to see.

A strip of special chest-binding cloth was wrapped tightly around her, hiding everything completely from view.