Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 999 - 617: Recent Developments_2

Chapter 999: Chapter 617: Recent Developments_2

"But... only he and I know about this matter."

"....."

Silence spread.

Li Junwu raised her delicate hand to massage her brow, as if she had figured something out. Suddenly, she chuckled lightly and said with a smile:

"Troublemakers always live long. This lady knew that guy wouldn’t die so easily. I worried in vain for so long."

Jia Yi’s slender foot lightly rubbed against the rough wooden floor as she spoke slowly:

"Do you trust that person?"

"Of course."

Li Junwu answered matter-of-factly, turning back with a gentle smile: "I’m thinking of sending Cang Bei to investigate the bait that guy’s throwing out."

Cang Bei, the only trusted aide of Li Junwu who survived.

Upon hearing this, Jia Yi’s crystalline toes tapped the ground as she softly said:

"I mean, even if you make contact with him, will it really change the situation we’re in? You must understand that your Zhenxi Prefecture has already been completely infiltrated."

As she spoke,

Jia Yi extended her slender hand, gripping Li Junwu’s fair wrist, and quickly said in a low voice:

"If it doesn’t, then you might as well reconsider my previous suggestion."

Li Junwu arched her delicate brows and glanced at the hand holding hers:

"Your suggestion?"

"If your Zhenxi Prefecture is willing to help me seize control of the Tartar Royal Court, I will swear in the name of the Great Desert Goddess that the Western Desert will not raise arms for a century."

"And then, I’ll have to leave the city with you to find the Qilin Wolf’s true form?"

"...." Jia Yi.

Li Junwu chuckled softly, withdrawing her wrist from Jia Yi’s grasp, and said gently:

"Don’t joke with me. Do you think that’s realistic? Neither I nor my father have the habit of raising a tiger to threaten ourselves. Besides, you should know, our Zhenxi Army has deep-seated blood hatred with the Tartar people."

While speaking,

Li Junwu stood up briskly, walking to the window. Gazing toward the spot where that crazed man had just passed, a hint of tender emotion flashed across her spirited and resolute brows. She said in a charming voice:

"Hmph... Though that guy usually acts unreliable, I trust him when it comes to matters of principle.

"Moreover, the fact that he could guess this lady’s presence in Zhenxi Prefecture already says a lot. Given his status, he should be capable of accomplishing much."

Jia Yi stared at her back and insisted:

"Are you sure this person isn’t an informant for those who want us dead?"

At these words, Li Junwu immediately turned around, her gaze carrying a hint of amusement. Her voice elongated slightly as she smirked:

"Him? Even if you were to betray the Tartar people, he wouldn’t compromise with those Sect members."

After speaking, the room fell into silence.

A yellow dog lay at the feet of the Great Desert Goddess, raising its clear, curious eyes to watch the two women inside. Occasionally, its wagging tail brushed against the goddess’ exposed bronze-colored calves.

"Thud."

Jia Yi lightly kicked the annoying dog, pushing it away. Then, suddenly, she smiled softly at Li Junwu:

"If he is truly as you say, then perhaps we really might break the stalemate."

Li Junwu arched her beautiful eyes, shrugged her shoulders, and draped on a garment to cover her largely exposed skin. She also threw a robe to the Great Desert Goddess and said in a low voice:

"Put it on. Cang Bei should be back soon."

...

...

...

The night in Zhenxi Prefecture City was exceptionally quiet.

Sitting on the doorstep, Xu Yuan gazed up at the starry sky. Suddenly, a sound of galloping hooves echoed beyond the courtyard gate. Instinctively, he extended his will-spirit but, to his disappointment, it was not the person he awaited. Instead, it was a patrol of well-arranged cavalry guards.

In practice, the curfew rule in Zhenxi Prefecture was even stricter than that of Northern Border City.

The right to kill first and report later for encountering pedestrians at night was one matter. But during wartime, they even had the power to break into homes for searches without reason.

On top of that,

The patrol captains responsible for the perimeter held tokens that allowed them to manipulate parts of the Protective City Formation.

The government office responsible for civil affairs and the City Defense Office, which managed the Formation, practically served as figureheads in this place.

Perhaps that was a common flaw among the heavily militarized frontier towns of Dayan.

Military rule over civil matters.

No matter how high the rank of an official, upon arrival here, they had to obey the military.

Everything prioritized warfare.

Summer in the Great Desert held no sound of cicadas, only an endless silence.

As the noise outside once again subsided into quiet, Xu Yuan withdrew his gaze from the starry sky and closed his eyes to rest.

The rare beauty he scarcely encountered in his previous life had grown wearisome in this one.

Time ticked by. Up until the stroke of midnight, Xu Yuan still hadn’t heard the knock he was waiting for. Instead, the patrol guards made several more rounds near the courtyard.

The steady clatter of hooves echoed on the stone-paved path, carrying far into the night.

Again.

Listening to the commotion outside, Xu Yuan habitually extended his spiritual vision beyond the door. The result, however, remained the same as before.

Watching the diligent patrols move away again, he was about to retract his vision when suddenly, he noticed two silhouettes at the end of the alley.

The cultivation of the two figures wasn’t weak. With a single leap, they swiftly closed the ten-zhang distance to his courtyard gate.

Both wore black robes, though of differing styles. They appeared to be vestment robes, with some blocking effects against detection. However, these proved ineffective against Xu Yuan’s spiritual vision.

Zhou Chen and an unfamiliar young man.

With this realization, Xu Yuan noticed the young man preparing to scale the wall, only to be pulled back by Zhou Chen, who pointed at the door knocker.

To meet my lord, one must knock.

The young man’s eyes showed astonishment.

At a time like this, knocking?

Zhou Chen, full of propriety, raised his hand to knock.

"...."

This Grandmaster Zhou certainly knew how to make an impression.

Finding it amusing, Xu Yuan opened his eyes, his voice resonating softly in the ears of the two outside:

"Just come in."

Rustle—

The faint sound of robes fluttering arose as the two figures landed simultaneously in the square courtyard.

The young man’s gaze carried a hint of scrutiny.

Zhou Chen landed and immediately dropped to one knee in salute:

"Young Master, I’ve brought the person."

"....."

Sitting on the doorstep, Xu Yuan ignored Zhou Chen, instead fixing his gaze on the unfamiliar young man:

"You... are Li Junwu’s trusted aide?"

The young man slowly pulled back his hood, revealing a resolute and handsome face. His star-like eyes gleamed as he saluted:

"By the Commandery Princess’ orders, I come to meet Young Master."

Standing up and brushing off the dust from his robe, Xu Yuan smiled faintly:

"Now that you’ve met me, can you tell me where she is?"

The resolute young man tightened the hand held in Dayan’s military salute slightly and said in a low voice:

"Before that, I must confirm one question with you."

"Your Commandery Princess is certainly wary. Go ahead."

"....."

After some hesitation, the resolute young man fixed his gaze on Xu Yuan and asked in a heavy tone:

"The Commandery Princess asks: who is she stronger than?"

"Hah?"

Hearing this question, Xu Yuan was momentarily stunned. The moonlight spilled over his handsome mask, laced with an odd expression:

"What did you just say she asked?"

"...."

The young man didn’t respond, but his eyes quickly turned vigilant, scanning the courtyard attentively.

Noticing this shift, Xu Yuan chuckled softly and said:

"Brother, don’t be so tense. I’m just a bit surprised, not unable to answer."

"...." The young man stayed silent.

Feeling the other’s guarded disposition, Xu Yuan decided not to prolong it. After a brief reminiscence, he answered calmly:

"Li Qingyan, or perhaps Wu Yuan."

"Correct."

"Heh... How childish."

With the correct code matched, Xu Yuan couldn’t help but laugh. But seeing a trace of hostility surface in the young man’s gaze, he quickly restrained his amusement:

"Brother, what should I call you?"

The young man took a deep breath and said in a low voice:

"Young Master, you may address me as Cang Bei."

Cang Bei...

Xu Yuan recalled that seemed to correspond to a unit in the Zhenxi Army.

After giving the young man a once-over, Xu Yuan didn’t press further about his name. Returning to the matter at hand, he said:

"Cang Bei, since your identity is confirmed, can you now tell me where she is?"