Chapter 173: General Duan Leads His Army to Invade Yu Guo, General Qi Defeats Sha Yue and Returns

"I… you all…" Ning Yao stared, dumbfounded.

The officer rubbed his face, which had been slapped several times, pointed to the recorder on his chest and said, "Also, you assaulted a police officer. If you don't cooperate, the consequences will be more severe."

Ning Yao completely wilted, her legs went soft, she collapsed, and two officers hoisted her onto the vehicle.

As for the bodyguards she had brought, they were all taken away afterward.

The factory finally cleared, and the ribbon‑cutting ceremony, which had been forced to halt, could resume.

After the ribbon‑cutting ceremony ended, the reporters left satisfied; the news material they gathered was exciting, sensational, and quite shocking, enough for a slew of hot headlines.

Ning Jinli opened the oil plant's main gate, and a seemingly endless array of brand‑new equipment stretched before her.

Hundreds of professional staff specially arranged by Shangguan Ying entered their respective workstations.

Starting today, oil extracted from the Lin Xian Cheng oil wells will be officially processed at this plant.

Due to the oil's exceptionally high quality, most of the preliminarily separated raw materials will be specially supplied to national research sectors, while the remainder will be left for Ning Jinli to manage herself.

"Jinli, the two big shots have something they'd like to discuss with you," Shangguan Ying led Ning Jinli to a corner.

"Greetings, leader. May I ask… any instructions?" Ning Jinli couldn't help feeling a bit nervous.

The two national‑level department big shots exchanged a smile, appearing a little nervous themselves, and one said, "Miss Ning, could you do us a favor?"

Flattered, Ning Jinli replied, "You're too kind. If there's anything I can help with, just tell me."

"It's like this," the other said, eyes full of anticipation, "We'd like to see with our own eyes what Huaxia was like two thousand years ago. Miss Ning, could you take us there?"

Ning Jinli was taken aback—so that's what it was?

The other immediately assured, "Just a brief tour is fine; once we get there, we won't cause any trouble."

"No problem," Ning Jinli readily agreed.

The two composed big shots in their fifties instantly broke into beaming smiles.

"General Shangguan, you see Miss Ning has agreed; you should approve it, right?"

They both looked anxiously at Shangguan Ying.

"Fine, I approve." Shangguan Ying pulled a pair of sunglasses from his pocket, put them on, and emphasized, "But only this once, no precedent. And I'll have to go with you two; if any safety issue arises, I can't bear the responsibility."

"Hahaha! Alright, alright!"

"To experience the ancient world in person within my lifetime, even just once, makes this life worthwhile!"

The two immediately agreed to Shangguan Ying's request.

Thus, Ning Jinli led the three big shots to the rear warehouse of the oil factory.

She opened a Time‑Space Gate there to facilitate transporting the crude oil extracted from the Lin Xian Cheng oil field.

In the blink of an eye, the four of them appeared together near the oil field.

Shangguan Ying and the other two were passing through a Spacetime Portal for the first time and couldn't help exclaiming how marvelous it was.

Just moments ago they were standing in the warehouse, not knowing what was happening, and the surroundings had changed.

But the two big shots soon showed puzzled expressions.

"Is this… really the ancient world over two thousand years ago?"

"The oil field is small but decent; it's not much different from some of the less developed mining areas of our era."

No wonder they felt that way.

Looking around, a few small oil wells were accompanied by modern machines at work.

Workers in modern workwear could be seen everywhere.

There were also some medium‑ and large‑size transport vehicles moving among them.

"Hehe, leaders," Ning Jinli laughed as she explained, "This place has undergone preliminary modernization, even a thermal power plant has been built, so it doesn't have a strong ancient vibe. But the people working here are genuine common folk from the Xuan Nation period."

"You're truly impressive!" one big shot gave a thumbs‑up, "You've even taught ancient people to use machines and extract oil!"

Ning Jinli hurriedly said, "I don't dare take credit; I only provided the tools, machines, and supplies. Everything was led by my parents, done bit by bit."

The other big shot praised, "With such remarkable parents, no wonder Miss Ning is an outstanding talent!"

Ning Jinli's face flushed slightly, embarrassed by their compliments.

Shangguan Ying said nothing, just watched quietly.

Later, Ning Jinli led the three away from the oil field to visit other places briefly.

After leaving the oil field area, although many cement brick houses were visible, the lack of transport vehicles and modern equipment gave the area a gradual ancient feel they had imagined.

Moreover, one could constantly see people in modern safety gear alongside those in ancient clothing, and armored guards patrolling—this blend of modern and ancient was especially novel.

"Fairy!" a soldier rode in on a horse, "Fairy, we're about to report good news to you!"

"Fairy?" the two big shots looked at Ning Jinli with interest.

Ning Jinli felt a bit embarrassed, lowered her voice and said, "Leaders, don't make fun of me. It's because I initially helped the locals here; they treated me as an Immortal. Even though I later clarified, they still won't change their words."

"Hahaha!"

The two laughed, "It's good, benefiting the people, being called Fairy is a good thing. How could we mock you?"

Only then did Ning Jinli feel less awkward and asked the soldier what good news he had to report.

The soldier dismounted, performed a clasp‑fist salute.

He glanced at the three people accompanying Ning Jinli, finding their aura unusual, unlike anyone here, more akin to a Fairy.

He didn't inquire further, quickly informing Ning Jinli of the situation.

The good news was that a team previously sent to the remote border area between Daxuan and Yu Guo to control locust‑plague risks had achieved excellent results.

Not only did it effectively curb large‑scale locust outbreaks, but following Ning Jinli's orders to conduct Artificial Rainmaking and distribute relief grain, many villages were saved.

All together, several thousand impoverished border‑region residents of Yuguo survived because of this.

Since these places lie on the border of the two nations and, like the original Xi Tun Guan area, have long been extremely barren, their lives were not valued by the Yu Guo King.

When Daxuan dispatched soldiers for rescue, the locals were initially terrified, thinking they came to kill them; after realizing they were there to help and truly rescued, the villagers were moved to tears of gratitude.

After all, even from the Yu Guo monarch down to the local officials, no one has ever cared for them like this, and actually saved their lives.

Because of this, many young and strong men voluntarily joined the Daxuan Army.

Before the two nations' war even began, parts of the border region had already quietly become areas actually controlled by Lin Xian Cheng.

"Fairy!" the reporting soldier exclaimed, eyes bright with excitement, "Everyone is now saying that we didn't expect the Fairy's method to be so effective at winning the people's hearts! It's simply amazing!"

Ning Jinli said, "It's not just about winning the people's hearts; we truly want to treat all Huaxia people as our own family. Even if the various states coexist and divide Zhong Yuan's lands, we must always remember that all Huaxia people share the same roots and origin."

The soldier grinned and said, "Yes, yes, yes, my wording was improper, Fairy, please don't blame me."

Listening to this conversation, the two national-level bigwigs quietly said to Shangguan Ying:

"It seems you really chose the right person."

"This young lady's enlightenment is high; she is indeed the indispensable core candidate for the Repair Plan..."

Shangguan Ying's mouth curved into a smile, and she murmured softly, "It wasn't I who chose her; she chose me."

"Fairy, General Duan is about to receive His Majesty's command, lead the army to campaign against Yu Guo; would you like to go see?" the soldier asked.

Ning Jinli nodded, "Of course I will go; bring me two horses!"

"Yes, Fairy!"

In a short while, the soldier fetched two tall, high‑headed horses.

Among the four, only Shangguan Ying and Ning Jinli could ride, so each took one and rode straight toward Xi Tun Guan.

On the walls of Xi Tun Guan, Daxuan Army banners fluttered in the wind.

Outside the city gate, eleven thousand soldiers—including over ten thousand Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army troops—were fully armed, standing in uniform rows, like an endless sea of people.

Xiao Qidi stood atop the main tower of the city wall, holding a ceramic bowl filled with wine, and proclaimed loudly, "All Daxuan soldiers, I am here to bid you farewell! On my behalf and that of Jinli Fairy, please act for Heaven, eradicate the ignorant and unrighteous Yu Guo royal family, and save the suffering people of the world! I await your triumphant return!"

After speaking, he drank the wine in one gulp.

Ahead of the more than one hundred thousand troops, Duan Wu raised a strong drink and roared, "Daxuan Army, we will never betray His Majesty's and the Fairy's great expectations!"

"Daxuan Army will never betray His Majesty's and the Fairy's great expectations!" the over one hundred thousand soldiers raised their cups together, in unison, their voices booming like rolling thunder, their spirit spanning a long rainbow!

Then they drank the wine in one go, smashed the ceramic bowls heavily onto the ground, their eyes filled with soaring morale.

Such a spectacular scene left Shangguan Ying and the others watching from afar deeply shocked.

Even someone like Shangguan Ying, who has seen modern military spectacles, could not calm her heart for a long time.

The marching horn sounded.

The army set out, under the brilliant sunset, marching grandly toward the Yu Guo border pass.

After seeing the Daxuan Army depart, the two national-level officials shifted their gaze to the tall, upright youth on the main tower of the wall.

In the sunset, he faced against the light.

His features were indistinct.

Yet even from a distance, one could feel the unique, powerful aura emanating from him.

"He is... Xiao Qidi...?"

"No wonder he is a name for the ages, the man who founded Huaxia's great unification; even before becoming the ancestral emperor, he already possessed the domineering aura of 'who else can rule the world?'..."

The two national-level officials couldn't help but exclaim.

Even though they already held positions in the modern world that ordinary people could hardly match, after seeing the historically recorded Xiao Qidi with their own eyes, they couldn't help but show reverence.

"Leaders, would you like to go greet him?" Ning Jinli asked with a wink and a smile.

A flash of surprise crossed their faces, but they quickly calmed.

"No, no."

"Ahem, not yet... we're not prepared."

Their expressions turned complex as they waved a hand to politely decline.

Shangguan Ying teased, "This is the first time I've seen you two chicken out, hahahaha."

The two burst into laughter, admitting they were indeed a bit scared.

Shangguan Ying cheerfully said, "You two senior gentlemen, national-level elites, can chat freely before other countries' leaders, yet now you can't match little Ning girl; she has already firmly captured Xiao Qidi's heart."

Their eyes showed astonishment, at a loss for words, and they gave Ning Jinli another thumbs‑up.

Ning Jinli's cheeks were redder than the sunset, "Sister Ying, this kind of thing doesn't need to be said..."

"When you get married, remember to invite me," Shangguan Ying squeezed her eyes.

The other two bigwigs added, "And us, don't forget, hahahaha."

At this moment, Xiao Qidi on the main tower had already left.

"Fairy, we were previously ordered to subdue General Qi Zhan of the Shayue Nation and several thousand Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army troops, and we have returned! They flattened Shayue Nation, exterminated the Qi royal family! The lands seized by the Shayue tribe have returned to our Daxuan!" another soldier rushed to Ning Jinli's side.

Ning Jinli's eyes brightened, "Is everything alright?"

"Fine," the soldier said, "Only some were injured, nothing serious; the worst is General Qi, but fortunately his life is not in danger."

"Qi Zhan?"

"The General Qi recorded in the histories, who made the greatest contribution in Daxuan's unification war against the feudal states?"

The two bigwigs exclaimed in surprise.

Shangguan Ying nodded, "That's him."

Ning Jinli hurriedly asked the soldier, "What injuries did General Qi sustain?"

"Your Fairy, he has several knife wounds and has been poisoned by miasma," the soldier reported, "The divine physician of Yaowang Gu is already treating General Qi."

"Take me there quickly!"

Concerned for General Qi's safety, Ning Jinli did not hesitate and rushed over.

"Jinli, first take us back there," Shangguan Ying reminded.

"Alright, okay," Ning Jinli instantly opened a Time‑Space Gate on the spot, channeling Internal Strength as her mind shifted.

The next second, Shangguan Ying and the two others returned to the warehouse of the oil factory.

Ning Jinli followed the soldiers, nonstop, and rushed to the room where Qi Zhan was receiving treatment.

Upon entering, she immediately smelled a strong medicinal odor.

Xiao Qidi and Doctor Lian were also there.

Qi Zhan on the sickbed saw her come in and immediately rose, saying, "Fairy! I have not disappointed your expectations; I have completed the mission!"

"Lie down quickly!" Doctor Lian, frightened, hurriedly pressed him down.

Xiao Qidi laughed and said to Ning Jinli, "This kid was listless from taking medicine just a moment ago, but the instant he saw you, he perked up."

Ning Jinli came to Xiao Qidi's side and, instinctively, naturally linked her arm with his.

Qi Zhan blinked slightly, wanting to speak but hesitating.

"Doctor Lian, how is his injury?" Ning Jinli asked.

Lian Qingbai said: "The external wounds have been sutured using the tools the Fairy gave; with General Qi's extraordinary constitution, he will soon recover, but the miasma has entered his body, requiring considerable time to recuperate, and only with careful treatment using herbs from Yaowang Gu can the toxin be completely eliminated."

"Is the miasma inside Shaoyue's borders that severe?" Ning Jinli exclaimed in surprise.

"No, that's not it," Xiao Qidi explained. "He had already taken over all of Shaoyue's territory, slaughtered most of the Shaoyue people and all of the Shaoyue royal family, yet he continued to press deeper into the regions south of Shaoyue's borders, where various barbaric tribes gather, the climate hot and rainy, the dense jungle rife with miasma—that's how he fell victim."

"Ah?" Ning Jinli frowned. "Qi Zhan, are you trying to get yourself killed? After the battle's over, why would you rush into that godforsaken place?"