Chapter 40: Danger

Ning Jinli was frightened and cried out.

Pfft—

A muffled thunder-like snort sounded, and a blast of hot air sprayed onto her face.

Ning Jinli fell onto her butt, then she saw clearly: before her stood a tall black horse, its dark ugly face almost bumping hers—the horse's long black face.

As she turned her head, it was too close, and she thought she'd seen a ghost.

Xiao Qidi stood beside the black horse, looking at her with a half‑smile.

It turned out Xiao Qidi had ridden the horse back to the factory first.

When Ning Jinli was stopped by the police to discuss compensation with the restaurant owner, he, to be safe, quietly moved the corpse from the van.

"Miss Ning, you can return this horse." Xiao Qidi gently stroked the horse's mane and said lightly.

Though he said that, his eyes clearly showed reluctance.

The horse seemed to understand his words, lowered its head, and thrust its large head into his embrace.

The fierce horse, said by the restaurant people to be too ill‑tempered to compete, was unusually docile in front of Xiao Qidi.

Ning Jinli rubbed her forehead and said, "I don't want to go through this anymore; let's leave it as is—I already bought it, so from now on it's yours."

Chirp~

The horse raised its forelegs high and let out a joyful neigh.

Ning Jinli added, "However, I'm not sure I can send it over to you—I've never transmitted a living thing before."

Xiao Qidi said, "If not, then please, Miss Ning, take care of it; this horse shouldn't be confined in that restaurant's tiny stable for people to gawk at."

Recalling how he had turned away with a sour face last night, Ning Jinli puffed her cheeks and wrinkled her nose, saying, "I couldn't be bothered!"

Xiao Qidi narrowed his eyes and said, "You don't want to know where I put the corpse? You're not planning to send it to my place for disposal?"

Ning Jinli: ……

Fine, he's got me under his thumb.

The factory is so huge—who knows which corner he'll stash the corpse in.

Once the factory starts up, if the workers find the corpse before I do, we're doomed.

Ning Jinli pursed her lips: "If I can't send the horse over, I'll keep it for you. At least tell me where the corpse is, okay?"

Xiao Qidi was about to speak when a taxi pulled up to the factory gate and stopped.

Ning Jinli made a hushing gesture.

Then a middle‑aged man with graying temples stepped out of the car.

"Miss Ning!" the middle‑aged man hurried over, greeted her, and said, "I'm here to report to you."

Ning Jinli's eyes lit up: "Uncle Zheng!"

The person was none other than the factory director she had rehired—Zheng Houcheng.

"Miss Ning, just call me Old Zheng," Zheng Houcheng said, eyes glistening, "I never dreamed I'd be able to work here again—thank you!"

He was truly grateful from the bottom of his heart.

Not only did they rehire him, they doubled his salary and even gave him two years' advance pay.

This completely resolved his urgent financial crisis.

When he mentioned these things, he simply didn't know how to express his gratitude in words.

"Miss Ning, who is this?" Zheng Houcheng looked at Xiao Qidi.

"Never mind him," Ning Jinli got straight to the point, "Hire workers and start production right away—make whatever the factory used to make; we'll worry about sales later."

"It's a large comprehensive processing plant; we can produce quite a lot," Zheng Houcheng said doubtfully, "Just produce and not sell? Or do you have your own sales channel, Miss Ning?"

Ning Jinli blinked and said, "I have my own arrangements; you just focus on the work."

Zheng Houcheng nodded, "Yes, Miss Ning, I guarantee that within a month I'll have all departments staffed and get the production lines of all major product areas running again!"

Afterwards, Ning Jinli had him go pick up the car first.

The business sedan they had prepared for him a few days earlier was meant to be a surprise.

But Ning Jinli was simply too busy to attend to it, so she just told him to go pick it up himself.

Zheng Houcheng is a pragmatic sort, not good at flattery or empty loyalty; he only knows that with a good boss like Miss Ning, he'll work hard no matter what.

He wiped the corner of his eyes, bowed to Ning Jinli, and then left.

"I didn't realize you had such a knack for winning people over," Xiao Qidi said softly.

Ning Jinli frowned, "Is that what you call winning hearts? I don't understand—I only know he's a good person and capable, and I hope someone like him can live a good life."

Upon hearing that, Xiao Qidi's eyes flickered with a thoughtful expression.

"Corpse!" Ning Jinli squeezed the words out between her teeth.

"The corpse is——"

Xiao Qidi was about to tell her.

Unexpectedly, a large truck drove up.

And it was actually a convoy.

Ning Jinli rubbed her temples and said, "Looks like the batch of goods I bought last time has arrived; I'll go receive the shipment first..."

Under her direction, the convoy entered the warehouse one by one to unload.

Truck after truck of steel bars and cement gradually filled a large warehouse of several thousand square meters.

Then came shovels, spades, hand carts and other basic farm tools, filling another warehouse of the same size.

After all that hustle, half a day had passed.

"For this warehouse's steel and cement, first have everyone reinforce the key sections of the walls; later, when my factory can produce on its own, I'll keep sending a steady supply."

"As for how to use it, I'll send you a video for everyone to learn from."

Ning Jinli gave Xiao Qidi a lengthy briefing.

She had just been about to catch her breath.

Another cargo truck arrived…

Ning Jinli ordered the trucks to unload the items into the large warehouse of the food district.

Since these are the upgraded gear she provided for the Xi Tun Guan soldiers, she will transmit them shortly so the troops can use them right away.

When this batch was finally unloaded, night had already fallen.

Ning Jinli gave Xiao Qidi a brief overview.

"Camouflage tactical uniforms, tactical boots, and bulletproof gear—over ten thousand sets."

"This one is the 'Strange Sword', that one the 'Horse Spear', essentially upgraded long sword and spear. I had them custom‑made at a factory with the finest materials. I don't recall the exact count… but it's enough for ten thousand of your troops."

"And this is custom‑made warhorse armor; the soldiers have armor, the horses must not be left behind."

"Additionally, I bought over a hundred Walkie‑Talkies, so you can communicate promptly on the battlefield."

"Oh, right… I'll also run a power line from here to the cave, install a socket, so the Drone, Walkie‑Talkie, and even your phone can be charged inside the cave."

"…"

She finished, then rubbed her aching temples.

She felt as if all her strength had been drained and her mind could barely keep up.

Exhausted—so exhausted.

She hadn't slept a single night, and that incident had left her nerves stretched to the limit.

Before she could rest, there was more unloading, keeping her busy until night fell.

"You've worked hard," Xiao Qidi said softly.

All day, Ning Jinli was busy directing the unloading, and he could only watch, unable to help because he didn't understand the process.

Ning Jinli went to a few crates, spread her limbs, and said weakly, "It's all for you… you bastard…"

Xiao Qidi's cheek quivered slightly; he said nothing and stepped behind her.

After a brief hesitation, he extended his large hands and pressed on her delicate shoulders.

The pressure was just right, the spot perfect, prompting Ning Jinli to emit a soft, contented hum.

"Huh? You, a sovereign king, actually know how to massage?" she exclaimed, "And you do it so well, you truly are—"

Xiao Qidi, expressionless, said, "I served others when I was young; if I massaged poorly, I'd get beaten."

Ning Jinli quickly swallowed the words "so great".

She suddenly felt a strange, uneasy feeling inside.

"So… are you hungry? How about we have dinner first, and after that I'll transmit all these items to you," she asked, standing up.

Xiao Qidi gave a soft hum.

Ning Jinli immediately called for takeout.

…

Lin Xian Village, within the Immortal Cave.

Several Xi Tun Guan commanders discussed the situation while waiting, but even as night fell, His Majesty did not appear, nor did any transmission from the Fairy arrive.

Their spirits were heavy.

"General Duan," a soldier reported, "the senior general and the remains of several thousand fallen soldiers have been interred near the Immortal Cave."

This was the arrangement of several commanders.

Being buried near the Immortal Cave is intended to invite the Jinli Fairy's protection over the spirits of the fallen.

"The supplies seized from Ba Yong's camp have been fully inventoried, including massive grain stores, over thirty thousand sets of Yu Guo army iron gear, more than fifteen thousand warhorses, and also…"

This time they wiped out the fifty thousand enemy troops led by Ba Yong, and the spoils were considerable.

But Duan Wu could not feel joy, waving his hand to signal the soldiers to stop continuing.

What good is seizing more enemy supplies…

In just five days, as many as three hundred thousand enemy troops will arrive.

This time, everyone fears they won't be able to endure.

"His Majesty is absent… the Fairy has lost contact… our Daxuan Xi Tun Pass frontier is in peril!" a commander sighed.

"Yu Guo has sent a full twenty thousand elite soldiers this time, plus ten thousand extremely ferocious barbarian troops from Sha Yue Nation. Even if the Fairy continues to aid us, I think… we still couldn't handle it," Duan Wu said, his expression heavy.

"As for His Majesty," Duan Wu's expression softened slightly, "perhaps the Fairy took a liking to him and brought him to the immortal realm; I hope… he never returns here. At the very least, he won't get into trouble."

The others also nodded.

During this time, His Majesty, disregarding his own safety, shared life and death with everyone, and they all witnessed it.

Moreover, they all knew the circumstances of this young Xuan Guo king.

Born in a foreign land, he spent nine years abroad as a Hostage Prince.

A few years later, his father the king died; at thirteen he inherited the throne, but the court officials were divided between the Prime Minister's faction and the Empress Dowager's faction.

Everyone had taken sides, and no one expected this young king to accomplish anything significant.

Yet only he, upon learning that the barren, remote Xi Tun Guan was struck by a severe drought and plagued by marauding bandits, rushed over without hesitation.

Even when Ba Yong led a fifty‑thousand‑strong invasion, he did not depart, but continued to fight side by side with everyone.

With all these deeds, ask yourself today which king can be compared to him?

"Last time, with the Fairy's aid and His Majesty leading, we were rescued from a dead end. We eliminated fifty thousand enemies, broke the siege, and secured a constant flow of underground water; everything improved. I thought I'd give my all to help His Majesty. Sadly… we're about to die here," Li Yao said, sounding lost.

"Then, shall we act according to the decision we discussed today?" Duan Wu looked around at the others.

The others all solemnly nodded.

"Alright, it's settled!" Duan Wu rose and, together with several commanders, walked out of the Immortal Cave.

Six people arrived before the earthen hill where the old General Duan and several thousand soldiers were buried.

A circle of torches burning in the ink‑black night illuminated their dark, rough, resolute faces.

Duan Wu ordered his subordinates to take a jar of wine from the captured enemy supplies.

"Father…… fellow soldiers…… please forgive our limited conditions; we can only offer this turbid wine as a sacrifice."

His eye sockets were red; he poured most of this small jar of wine onto the ground.

Then, the six each took a sip of the remaining half.

"Tsk, I really want to get drunk……" Li Yao smacked his lips, still unsatisfied.

There was still plenty of wine among the captured supplies, but they had decided to keep as much life‑saving supplies as possible for the civilians.

Therefore, even for the memorial to the dead, they took only a small jar.

"Father, I am incapable; though I slew Ba Yong, I still cannot hold Xi Tun Guan." Duan Wu said, kneeling heavily.

The other five also knelt down in unison.

Duan Wu said to the burial mound:

"We have decided to lead the soldiers and fight to the death against the impending 300,000‑strong enemy army."

"We will retain enough supplies for our ten thousand soldiers for several days, and distribute the rest to the sixty thousand civilians."

"While the enemy has not yet arrived, let the civilians…… flee……"

"We and the soldiers will fight here to the last person, vowing to buy the civilians more time to escape."

After speaking, he and the other five commanders kowtowed heavily.

On their faces there was no fear or retreat, only reluctance.

They were unwilling that all they could do was at best preserve the civilians' lives, yet could no longer hold the land they wished to protect.

This is the shame and sorrow of being a frontier garrison commander……

After the memorial.

The six returned to the camp, gathered all the soldiers, and began to explain the deployment.

They clearly told everyone that this time death was certain.

If anyone feels fearful, they may leave together with the civilians.

The sole requirement is that, on the escape route, they should as much as possible protect the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled.

"Those who wish to leave may now take off their armor and depart the camp; I, Duan, will bear no grudge!" Duan Wu shouted loudly.

However, not a single one of the ten thousand soldiers moved their feet.

"General Duan! Generals!" a soldier shouted, "If we were greedy for life and afraid of death, we would have fled long ago—how could we still be here?"

"Yeah! We're not like those deserters who even dare to plot to steal grain!"

"We are willing to fight to the death against the enemy!"

"Fight to the death! Fight to the death!"

The shouting was deafening!

The six commanders were already tear‑streaked.

"We too!" a group of Lin Xian Village soldiers shouted, raising their long sabers outside the camp.

Duan Wu wiped his tears, walked over quickly, and said firmly: "No, you are merely a spontaneously formed village militia, different from us; you must also withdraw swiftly."

"What does it matter that we're spontaneously formed?" the leader of the Lin Xian Village soldiers raised his head and said, "This place is our homeland! We also consider ourselves frontier soldiers of Daxuan; we once fought side by side with His Majesty against the bandits! Do you think, General Duan, that we lack the qualifications?"