Nan Shiying pursed her lips and looked up at the ceiling. Only then did she remember that she was currently in a stone cave, with a rock ceiling seven or eight meters high. The excavated rock formations were intricate, and the luminous pearls embedded in the stone walls cast a continuous light, illuminating the entire cave as if it were daytime.
She couldn't see the sky.
Nan Shiying sighed in her heart, a caged bird, a trapped beast.
The Great Li's Xiliang Miao Territory and the Changsheng Sect had yet to be resolved, and now the Liao Territory had appeared, giving the impression of endless troubles.
Ji Jinmo held Nan Shiying's hand, tightening his grip slightly.
Nan Shiying turned her head to look at him.
His phoenix eyes were as deep and dark as ever, but his eyes seemed to be veiled by a layer of mist. Through the mist, Nan Shiying thought she saw a boy surrounded and protected by a fortress.
"Liao Yuan, right? Fighting nomadic peoples, I'm familiar with that!"
Nomadic peoples, who migrate with the grass for pasture, are difficult to eradicate. However, their cohesion is insufficient. While the imperial court can command various tribes, internal strife and power struggles among the tribes are common. If war breaks out, even before battle, conflicts will arise between tribes over troop numbers, casualties, and provisions.
Therefore, nomadic peoples are skilled fighters but poor strategists; their individual combat strength is strong, but their group coordination ability is extremely poor, making them like a pile of loose sand.
Before Nan Shiying ascended to the throne, she had participated in a Far East campaign as part of the army – the Great Yuan's campaign against the Xiongnu. The Xiongnu were also a nomadic people, and if one were to speak of it, Liao Yuan's ancestors. Yue Sinan had not yet taken the position of National Preceptor at the time, serving as the internal strategist for that campaign.
In that battle, one hundred thousand Xiongnu were slaughtered, and the army pressed directly towards the Xiongnu imperial court, killing the Xiongnu king before his imperial tent.
She fought alongside the army, serving as the deputy commander of the vanguard.
Therefore, she had her own methods for dealing with nomadic peoples. If Lin Yuan and Da Li were inevitably to go to war, and to prevent the Liao Territory from seizing the opportunity to cross the border, she could lead the Demon Hunter Army to block the Liao Yuan army at the Yu River, preventing them from setting foot in Lin Yuan.
Ji Jinmo was not worried about these matters. He was simply blaming himself for not being able to provide Nan Shiying with the life she desired. He could not make promises because he did not know when these disturbances would end, when he could truly shed his responsibilities, and wander the world with her.
Listening to her proud, yet somewhat wild and confident words, Ji Jinmo felt her concern and compromise. He felt his heart swell with an indescribable sense of peace and warmth that lingered for a long time.
He curved his lips, his smile softening the inherent coldness in his phoenix eyes.
"Do you want to personally train an army of your own?" he asked, holding Nan Shiying's hand.
Nan Shiying's eyes lit up, then dimmed. After a lifetime of exhausting effort, only to start anew, why would she jump into the same pit?
Train an army?
Whoever wants to train, let them train!
"No, let's forget it. We can discuss it when we get back!"
A triple refusal.
Ji Jinmo shook his head helplessly. He just wanted to give her stability. If she had her own army, then no matter what changes occurred in the future, she would have the capital to establish herself in this world.
However, it was fine. If there were any eventualities, the entire Demon Hunter Army would be under her command.
"Alright, how is your progress? Shall we go back?"
"I just finished acupuncture on Old Poison, slightly slowing down the speed of his demise."
Ji Jinmo's lips twitched slightly, as if he had been subtly poked.
Demise?
That's a good word choice, but you're not allowed to use it again.
"Shall we go then?"
"Let's go!"
Nan Shiying stood up and turned to call out to Old Poison in the house, "Old man, we're leaving now. We'll be back in seven days for your second acupuncture session."
"Get lost!"
Old Poison did not show himself, but his roar bid farewell to Nan Shiying.
Tsk~
This old geezer!
Nan Shiying rolled her eyes and pulled Ji Jinmo out of the stone cave.
Behind the stone cave, there seemed to be another world, but Nan Shiying was not particularly curious. After getting into the carriage, Nan Shiying leaned into Ji Jinmo's embrace and looked up at him, asking, "I chose to treat Old Man Poison first, instead of you. Will you be unhappy?"
Ji Jinmo lowered his head. Nan Shiying's eyes, with their long, fluttering lashes, were bright and dazzling.
Ji Jinmo bent down slightly, his nose brushing against Nan Shiying's. He answered with certainty and sincerity, "No!"
"Old Poison is your master and also a senior I admire. He tirelessly researched and studied to remove the蛊虫 from my body, even going so far as to activate the蛊虫 within him, causing the蠱毒 in his body to worsen. Therefore, it is only right to resolve Old Poison's蛊毒 first." A simple "no" would not have been very convincing, so Ji Jinmo expressed his thoughts.
In fact, even if Ji Jinmo were to feel unhappy about it, Nan Shiying would not have changed her choice. However, hearing Ji Jinmo's answer, Nan Shiying breathed a sigh of relief.
She raised her hands, her arms encircling Ji Jinmo's neck, and pressed her lips to his.
The journey was silent, but as the two alighted from the carriage, their clothes appeared somewhat disheveled.
The events that occurred in the Nan Residence yesterday had not yet subsided. Regarding whether Nan Yujin was qualified to serve as the prefect of Yuyuan Prefecture, the court officials were divided into three major factions:
Support, opposition, and neutrality.
To everyone's surprise, the Marquis of Xunyang held an opposing view.
"So, among the opposing officials, there must be people from Nan Chaoyin's faction."
Nan Shiying leaned on the soft couch. Ji Jinmo picked up the memorial submitted by the Xuan Guard, which recorded the officials' statements in court today, and read it to Nan Shiying. Hearing this, Nan Shiying couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.
Ji Jinmo did not attend court today for various reasons, so he had not witnessed the court officials' disputes firsthand. However, the day before, Nan Yujin had been carried back to the Nan Residence, and the news of Ji Hong's intention to appoint Nan Yujin as the prefect of Yuyuan Prefecture had subsequently spread throughout the capital.
The news had spread so quickly that someone must have been fanning the flames.
At present, it could not be determined which of Nan Chaoyin's or Yu Chengxuan's factions had leaked the news. However, the chaos in court today was predictable.
Ji Jinmo nodded noncommittally. However, compared to these matters, he was more concerned about the whereabouts of the border defense map.
...
Black Market.
North Street Pharmacy!
"The medicine is in the medicine cabinet. Take whatever you want!"
Gui Lao, with his back to the medicine cabinet, lay on a reclining chair, a patched quilt covering his legs. He was lazily dozing when he heard footsteps behind him. He raised a finger and pointed at the medicine cabinet, indicating for the newcomer to take what they needed.
"Just put the silver on the table," he added.
"Gui Lao..."
The newcomer did not head towards the medicine cabinet but walked behind Gui Lao, stopping about a meter away from him.
"If you have something to say, spit it out!"
Gui Lao still did not turn around, but he opened his eyes with annoyance. His peaceful slumber had been disturbed, and he felt a surge of anger.
"Or perhaps, I should address you as, Your Excellency, the Medicine Venerable!"
Gui Lao suddenly turned his head, the reclining chair grinding against the ground, emitting a chilling, piercing sound.