Chapter 21: The Greatest Beauty of the Great Qian

To prevent the Tamu and Liehuo tribes from sending pursuers, Wei Yun led the remaining men of the Weiwu Battalion on a long trek back to Changgu Town.

"Liu Neng, take a headcount." As soon as he dismounted, Wei Yun shouted to the battalion commander.

"Yes, sir." Liu Neng, also known as Liu Neng, turned and began counting.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the headcount was finished. He approached Wei Yun and clasped his hands. "Reporting to the Grand Commander, eight hundred men went on this mission, and five hundred thirty-six have returned."

Wei Yun sighed. "We lost over two hundred brothers?"

Liu Neng lowered his head. "Yes. And that is only thanks to 9527. If he hadn't killed that half-step Innate realm expert from the Liehuo tribe, we might not have even been able to complete the mission."

Wei Yun nodded. "Compile a list of the fallen brothers. Send double the compensation to their families."

"Yes, sir."

After handling these matters, Wei Yun walked up to Li Dao and said in a deep voice, "Thank you." If not for Li Dao, the outcome would have been exactly as Liu Neng described; the Weiwu Battalion would have suffered heavy losses and potentially failed the mission entirely.

Li Dao shook his head. "We just got what we each needed."

Wei Yun continued, "But I must thank you regardless." He glanced at the black iron saber in Li Dao’s hand. "The blade handles well, doesn't it?"

"It’s quite good."

"It's yours. No need to return it."

"Are you sure?"

"Certainly. That blade helped me save many of my men."

Upon hearing this, Li Dao touched the hilt of the black iron saber. It had also helped him farm quite a bit of attribute points.

"Report!" Just then, the sound of urgent hoofbeats rang out from nearby.

The group looked back to see a Great Qian soldier rushing toward Wei Yun, kneeling before him. "Reporting to the Grand Commander, an urgent mission has arrived from the rear." The soldier pulled a letter from his tunic and handed it to Wei Yun.

An urgent mission? Wei Yun frowned, opened the letter, and began to read. After a moment, his pupils contracted, and he couldn't help but shout, "Audacious!"

The surrounding men were stunned, curious as to what could make the Grand Commander so angry. Wei Yun took a deep breath, looked at Li Dao and his four companions, and said, "Everyone else return to your posts. 9527, you five, come with me to the main tent."

...

Shortly after, inside the main tent, Wei Yun sat at the head of the table with a grim expression. "Gentlemen, I may have to assign your third mission ahead of schedule."

Upon hearing this, Shen San grew excited. This was good news for them; once this mission was completed, they would earn their freedom.

Li Dao asked, "Commander Wei, this mission must have something to do with the letter in your hand."

"The letter?" Shen San and the others looked at Wei Yun’s hand.

Wei Yun did not hide it, nodding. "Indeed, it is related."

Li Dao nodded. "Just tell us, what is this mission?"

Wei Yun gripped the letter tightly. "While we were ambushing the arrow shipment of the Tamu tribe, the King of the Tamu tribe sent a delegation toward our dynasty. According to intelligence, this group is led by the First Prince of the Tamu tribe. Their sole purpose is to discuss a marriage alliance with our Great Qian Dynasty."

A marriage alliance? Shen San looked puzzled. "What’s there to worry about with a marriage alliance? Given the current national strength of Great Qian, why not just refuse? What does that have to do with this mission?"

Wei Yun shook his head. "You may not be aware of the situation within the imperial court. Previously, the imperial family would never have agreed to such a proposal, but this time is different."

Shen San curled his lip. "What’s so different?"

Wei Yun checked his surroundings to ensure no one else was present before continuing. "More than a month ago, a scandal occurred within the court."

Upon hearing this, Li Dao’s eyelid twitched uncontrollably; a bad premonition arose in his heart.

"A scandal?" Shen San became interested. Almost everyone loves gossip.

Wei Yun coughed. "Do not spread this around."

"Don't worry," Shen San said, patting his chest. "In the pugilistic world, I am known as the Honest and Trustworthy Young Master. My lips are famously sealed."

Wei Yun continued, "It is rumored that at an imperial banquet over a month ago, a brazen individual broke into the inner palace and defiled a princess."

*Crack!*

Suddenly, a breaking sound echoed in the military tent. Wei Yun and the others turned to see Li Dao holding shards of a wine cup.

Li Dao flicked the fragments from his hand, his expression calm. "Continue."

His heart was in turmoil. He knew exactly who they were talking about. He never imagined that even in this remote border region, he would end up hearing gossip about himself.

Seeing that nothing was wrong, Shen San couldn't help but say, "That is truly daring! To openly sleep with a princess in the imperial palace—he is a role model for us all."

*Cough, cough.*

Li Dao cleared his throat.

"Boss, are you okay?" Shen San asked with concern.

Li Dao waved his hand. "I'm fine. Go on."

Shen San scratched his head and asked, "Commander Wei, do you know which princess was defiled?"

Wei Yun lowered his voice to a whisper. "It was Princess Mingyue."

"What!" Shen San gasped.

"Keep your voice down, you fat fool!" Wei Yun quickly covered Shen San’s mouth, terrified he might shout something earth-shattering.

Pushing Wei Yun’s hand away, Shen San said with red eyes, "Tell me who did it! I’m going to kill him!"

Li Dao: "???"

Wei Yun frowned. "Shen San, what does this have to do with you?"

"It has everything to do with me!" Shen San gritted his teeth. "That is Princess Mingyue, rumored to be the greatest beauty in Great Qian, my dream lover! How could her purity fall into the hands of such a shameless scoundrel?"

*Cough, cough.*

Li Dao cleared his throat and couldn't help but ask, "How do you know he’s a shameless scoundrel?"

Shen San didn't hesitate. "Causing chaos in the imperial palace—of course, he is a shameless scoundrel."

Li Dao was speechless. He couldn't explain himself. He couldn't exactly say it was an accident. However, he hadn't expected Princess Mingyue to be rated as the number one beauty in the Great Qian pugilistic world. Thinking of this, a breathtakingly beautiful figure appeared in his mind. It seemed the reputation was deserved. He admitted that Princess Mingyue was the most beautiful person he had ever seen—both inside and out.

But then Li Dao noticed something else. He frowned and asked, "Commander Wei, what does the marriage alliance have to do with this?"

Wei Yun sighed deeply. "Because the First Prince of the Tamu tribe is coming specifically for Princess Mingyue."

Li Dao’s gaze sharpened, and his fists clenched instinctively.

Wei Yun continued, "Originally, given the Emperor’s doting on Princess Mingyue and her reputation among the people, even if the First Prince of the Tamu tribe became King, the Great Qian imperial family would never have agreed. But the problem is that this scandal broke out."

"Because this is a royal scandal, there are people in the capital who want to suppress it, and the arrival of the Tamu prince provides them with a convenient way out. By marrying Princess Mingyue to the prince, they can not only win over the Tamu tribe but also cover up the royal scandal. In short, there are people who harbor ill intentions toward the Princess and want to marry her off."

"It may not be obvious now, but once the prince arrives in the capital, someone might truly force this through."

Li Dao asked directly, "So, what is our mission?"

Wei Yun placed the letter on the table. "Stop the First Prince of the Tamu tribe from entering Great Qian territory and prevent the marriage alliance." He added in a low voice, "This intelligence comes from the Jinyiwei."

The Jinyiwei? Li Dao understood instantly. The Jinyiwei were the Emperor’s direct intelligence organization. If the news came from them, this was a secret order from the Emperor himself. It truly lived up to the saying: never mess with a man who dotes on his daughter. Just hearing the news, he immediately sent men to nip the threat in the bud.

Normally, given the hostile relationship between Li Dao and the Emperor, he would have been happy to let things go wrong or even sabotage them. But thinking of that stunning figure, a strange sentiment arose in Li Dao’s heart. He had only one thought: the woman he had slept with could not be cheapened by anyone else, especially a barbarian.

On this point, he and the Emperor were temporarily in agreement.

Li Dao looked up. "When do we head out?"

"Yes, when do we head out?" Shen San said, his eyes red. "Even if Princess Mingyue has lost her purity, she is not for a barbarian to touch!"

Li Dao: "..."

He wondered why Shen San was more invested in this than he was. Could this be the power of the number one beauty in Great Qian? He wondered what Shen San would think if he knew he was the one who had defiled the Princess.

Wei Yun explained, "Because this mission is sensitive, those of us who are well-known at the border cannot act. It must be you five."