Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 362 - 254 The Troops Approach Houting County

Chapter 362: Chapter 254 The Troops Approach Houting County

Standing alone on the slightly dilapidated city gate tower, the Barbarian Strange King’s ears were filled with the ever-rising cheers of the Holy Race’s people.

Conquering this giant city that had obstructed the southward march of the Holy Race for thousands of years drove all members of the Holy Race nearly mad with excitement.

Countless citizens were shouting his name, which echoed over the entirety of Northern Border City.

However, the Barbarian Strange King’s face was devoid of any joy, his expressionless gaze fixated on the Dayan military camp that sprawled endlessly in the distance.

The raging blizzard could not hinder his sight in the slightest, he could even make out the patterns on the bricks of those simple camps.

"Creak—"

"Creak—"

The sound of footsteps crunching on snow suddenly approached, and a deep, hoarse voice rang out beside the Barbarian Strange King, tinged with a smile:

"King, won’t you go down and celebrate? Many of our Holy Race now regard you as equal to the Ancestral Gods."

The Barbarian Strange King turned his gaze:

"Zhayé, the Ancestral Gods do not exist, the so-called Ancestral Gods are merely a figment our Holy Race created amidst the desolate tundras."

"...." Zhayé’s originally smiling, fierce face froze at his words.

The Barbarian Strange King withdrew his gaze, continuing to observe the Dayan encampment outside the city, his voice emotionless:

"Did you come to find me because there’s something you need to report?"

As someone who had grown up alongside the Barbarian Strange King, Zhayé recognized the heavy burden on the other’s heart, subdued his smile, and solemnly reported:

"The several clans of the Holy Race have already taken over Northern Border City, and the Great Sacrificial Rite has tallied the spoils and losses. Please, King, have a look."

The Barbarian Strange King took it without looking and ordered directly:

"If there’s nothing else, Zhayé, you may leave first. Let me be alone for a while."

Seeing this, Zhayé quickly said in a grave voice:

"King, there’s another matter."

"Speak."

"Dayan has sent an envoy who wishes to meet with you."

"....."

After a moment of silence, a hint of relief finally showed in the Barbarian Strange King’s deep blue eyes:

"Bring him over."

...

...

...

The cold wind cut like a knife, stinging sharply against the skin.

Wrapped in a thick fur coat, Xu Yuan watched the blizzard outside the cave, his hand igniting the war report spontaneously with blood flame, turning it into a handful of ashes.

Lou Ji had given him the latest report,

Northern Border City had completely fallen, Wu Yuan was leading the few remaining troops north to Houting County.

Looking out from the cave, the torrential snowfall buried everything in the wilderness under an endless expanse of white.

The cave where Xu Yuan and Lou Ji were presently located was a liaison point established by the Black Scale Guards in the tundra, which could also be considered a safe house.

It was equipped with a Spirit-avoiding Formation to prevent will-spirit probing, and a Communication Crystal for long-distance communication.

In the Northern Frontier, where war raged year-round, the outcome of a battle largely depended on how much information each side could gather.

Establishing such liaison points allowed scouts or high-level cultivators to report enemy movements to the main camp at the earliest opportunity.

Of course, such installations weren’t unique to the Black Scale Guards; many powers had built similar caves or bunkers throughout the tundras of the Northern Frontier.

Regrettably, most of these liaison points were destroyed during the last southern incursion by the Barbarian Tribes.

It wasn’t that the Barbarian Tribes had extraordinary reach to accurately locate these liaison points across the vast tundra, but rather because the various factions of Dayan were sabotaging each other, precisely informing the Barbarian Tribes of their locations.

According to Lou Ji, their Black Scale Guards originally had close to ten liaison points scattered around the tundra, but now only two remained.

One was tucked away in the mountains next to the Northern Border plains, and the other was precisely where Xu Yuan and the others were now, in the mountains a hundred miles northeast of Houting County.

"Changtian..."

With a soft call, Xu Yuan turned his head.

A voluptuous silhouette emerged from the dim recesses of the cave, her waist and hips swaying gently as she stepped forward, softly laughing:

"It seems that little girl Wu Yuan didn’t touch what you had left behind."

Hearing this, Xu Yuan regained his composure and looked at Lou Ji with a slight smile:

"Although lacking a lot of information, Li Qingyan is a smart woman; she should be able to figure out a few things."

As Lou Ji heard him praise her, she smiled and bent her eyes:

"It seems, Changtian, that you’ve had quite a pleasant time with her over these days?"

Details of the cunning woman’s flirtatious techniques involuntarily surfaced in Xu Yuan’s mind, prompting a light chuckle as he shook his head:

"Quite alright, indeed. She’s a formidable woman."

After a pause,

Xu Yuan glanced into the darkness behind Lou Ji and asked:

"Sister, has our Sect reached an agreement with the Barbarian Tribes?"

"...."

After a moment’s hesitation, Lou Ji crossed her arms over her chest, raised a slender finger to tap her fair chin, her green pupils shimmering with snake-like glints:

"Mmm... they should have reached an agreement by now, but neither side has a foundation of mutual trust, so they are still at an impasse."

"A foundation of mutual trust?"

Xu Yuan murmured, grasping the chain of events, somewhat speechless.

Even if the Sects were willing to allow the Barbarian Tribes to pass through the north, the Barbarian King wouldn’t easily trust the Sects.

The Barbarian Strange King probably understood the intentions of the Sects very well and knew that they did not want the strength of the Barbarian Tribes to weaken too much. However, this was a matter of life and death, involving the heads of almost all the warriors of the tribe.

The Barbarian Strange King was not aware that the Sects were without Cloud Qi Bombs.

If, during their detour, the Sects ignored martial morality and suddenly threw a "Cloud Qi Bomb," then the accumulated snow clouds would all be dispersed, and the Barbarian Tribes would be forced into an open-field decisive battle with the Sects.

And to fight a decisive battle in the open field against the elite troops of Dayan...

After pondering for a moment,

Xu Yuan let out a breath of white fog and, looking at Lou Ji, he asked,

"Sister, if you had to rush from Northern Border to Dali Mountain, roughly how long would it take?"

Without hesitation, Lou Ji replied directly,

"If I don’t conceal my Qi and go at full speed, it would take just half a day. But if I need to hide my presence, at least two days, or even longer."

"Two days, huh..."

Xu Yuan murmured, then he chuckled and said, "It’s been almost five days since the Barbarian Troops approached the city. That Barbarian Strange King must be very aware that he’s running out of time and must make a decision quickly."

Upon hearing this, Lou Ji’s eyes sparkled with a smile as she looked at Xu Yuan and said,

"Oh? What choice?"

Xu Yuan, smiling, exhaled another puff of white fog while gazing at the falling snow outside,

"Whether to put all his eggs in one basket and hold Northern Border City at the risk of his life, or to fully trust the Sects and try to trap Marquis Wucheng and Master Zong to death in the area of Houting County in the Northern Frontier."

At this point,

playfulness flashed in Xu Yuan’s eyes, but he didn’t continue.

As an experienced intelligence worker, Lou Ji was naturally able to sharply observe the changes in Xu Yuan’s expression. Slightly displeased, she pinched the soft flesh around his waist,

"Changtian, if you have something to say, just finish it. Are you holding back even with your sister?"

Feeling the pain in his waist, Xu Yuan sharply inhaled and quickly stepped back,

"Stop, stop, I’ll talk! It’s just a possibility."

"Heh..." Lou Ji chuckled softly, letting go of her grip.

Xu Yuan rubbed his waist and said with a helpless smile,

"That Barbarian King is a madman; you can’t predict the actions of a madman with logic."

"...."

The light in Lou Ji’s eyes flickered, and she quickly understood, speaking softly,

"Changtian, are you saying... that the Barbarian Strange King might choose neither option?"

Xu Yuan nodded and asked,

"Sister, how effective do you think those fortifications are that the Sects’ elite built to the north of Northern Border City?"

Lou Ji recalled briefly, smiled with a tilt of her brow, and said,

"They are all silver-plated spearheads."

After a brief pause, Lou Ji changed the subject,

"However, Changtian, as repulsive as these Sects are, there are still many skilled individuals in their ranks. The Barbarian Strange King is unlikely to take such a risk."

Xu Yuan shook his head, grinned, and asked,

"If they end up in a dog-eat-dog situation, would that not be a pleasant surprise? If not, we just stick to the original plan, right? Yuan Hao has already gone to stand by north of Houting County, and knowing that someone can be killed, that psychopath is thrilled."

While saying this, Xu Yuan rubbed his arms, shivering, and turned to walk deeper into the cave,

"It’s really cold..."

Lou Ji watched his retreating figure, took delicate steps, and slowly followed,

"Changtian, Master Zong said that Marquis Wucheng’s Northern Border Army did not come down with him."

Xu Yuan stopped in his tracks and looked back,

"Master Zong didn’t persuade him?"

Persuading Marquis Wucheng to move south without exposing the Tianxun Crystal Orb was indeed a delicate matter.

However, for individuals of Master Zong and Marquis Wucheng’s caliber, all actions can essentially be interpreted as "war instincts."

After all, it was precisely this "war instinct" that had allowed Master Zong to lay an ambush in advance and help Li Qingyan lift the siege of Dali Mountain.

Considering this, Xu Yuan spoke hesitantly,

"If it’s just the 150,000 men of the Black Scale Army, we will likely struggle to hold the defense line around Houting County."

Hearing this, Lou Ji raised her hand to pinch Xu Yuan’s serious cheek and said with a radiant smile,

"Don’t worry, I only mentioned that Marquis Wucheng hasn’t moved south, not that his Northern Border Army hasn’t. The Northern Border Army has soldiers at four towns in the snow plains, and he has instructed two towns to follow Master Zong south, leaving them under Wu Yuan’s command once they reach the vicinity of Houting County."

Xu Yuan’s mind relaxed slightly, but his eyes still held a trace of doubt.

It seemed that Master Zong had successfully persuaded Marquis Wucheng, but if that was the case, why would Marquis Wucheng still leave two towns of soldiers in the snow plains of the Northern Frontier?

The south was about to concentrate forces for a grand strategic decisive battle. Using all one’s strength to catch even a rabbit was the principle – Marquis Wucheng ought to understand this even better than him.

Lou Ji said softly,

"Changtian, don’t overthink it. Marquis Wucheng must have his reasons for doing this. We just need to do what we have to do."

After a moment of silence,

Xu Yuan exhaled and sat down behind a desk in the cave, asking,

"Then... how much longer before our people reach the north of Houting County?"

"They’ve already arrived."

"What?"

"Mhm... The Black Scale Iron Riders and Northern Border Iron Riders are a bit faster than the infantry~"