Chapter 390: The Wolf King Raises His Claw, the World Changes Again

Chen Wenmian's words fell, Li Guanyi said nothing, and the silver-haired girl looked puzzled.

Then she asked.

"Are you calling me?"

Chen Wenmian was slightly surprised; he had seen Li Guanyi walking side by side with this silver-haired girl at this moment, so he made a judgment—but now her reaction made him realize his mistake, and he immediately said:

"... It's just that today my spirit is scattered; I spoke out of turn."

"Miss, please forgive me."

Li Guanyi frowned slightly and instinctively stepped aside.

He blocked the silver-haired girl behind him, his arm slightly raised, the crimson sleeve embroidered with the Qilin pattern falling silently to shield her, his heart filled with many questions, asking: "... Brother Wenmian, where did this title 'elder brother' come from?"

"Aren't you older than me?"

Li Guanyi had instinctively grasped the core of the issue.

Chen Wenmian fell silent and said: "This concerns what my father said..."

Yu Langwang, Chen Fubi.

The strongest opponent he had ever faced.

Li Guanyi frowned slightly and turned his head toward Yao Guang; the silver-haired girl nodded.

She held her scroll and walked away quietly, step by step.

Li Guanyi was about to say to Chen Wenmian: "We can..."

The silver-haired girl stopped walking, extended her hand, gazing at her palm, thinking of how just moments ago she had almost caught the 'firefly' fluttering before her eyes.

She halted.

After thinking, she turned and walked quickly.

Li Guanyi intended to have an honest, open talk with the son of the Wolf King—about the Wolf King's decisions, about the Wolf King's changes, and about the fifty thousand heavy cavalry that could match twenty thousand border troops in consumption.

Footsteps suddenly approached; Li Guanyi turned his head and smiled: "Yao Guang..."

The star-seer's sleeve fluttered, rustling like a bird's wings, silver hair rising and falling—and then the silver-haired girl reached out and seized Li Guanyi's hand.

The tips of her hair settled.

She was content.

She released his hand and looked toward Chen Wenmian.

The silver-haired girl thought for a moment, first shook her head, then, after reflection, made her judgment based on the *First-Generation Yao Guang Manual* and contemporary common knowledge; her voice remained calm, without ripples, and she answered with the etiquette of a royal star-seer:

"Not yet."

Chen Wenmian: "????"

The silver-haired girl let go of Li Guanyi's hand.

She held her scroll and turned away.

The deer-hide boots with thick soles, made for her by Sa Atandi, tapped lightly against the white stone slabs.

Tap-tap-tap.

She turned.

Tripped over a branch.

Flew forward.

Precisely landed on the back of the Fire Qilin, who was stealing fruit and wine.

The Fire Qilin, caught mid-theft, let out a cute yelp of alarm.

Li Guanyi: "............"

He had the feeling that Yao Guang was slightly happier today.

He crossed his arms, hands tucked into the hanging civil-military battle robe; he no longer bore the commanding aura of the battlefield. The young Qin Wu Hou stood beneath the moonlight, calm like a lazy tiger.

Chen Wenmian hesitated, then the former Crown Prince said:

"Elder brother, did I come at a bad time? Did I disturb the two of you...?"

Li Guanyi raised an eyebrow and said: "No, you came at the perfect time."

"I have many questions I want to ask you."

For example: military funding, military funding, and military funding.

Chen Wenmian pressed his lips together and said: "I have many things to confess as well."

Meanwhile, along one side of the corridor:

The Fire Qilin's scales bristled, and it wriggled forward like a cat.

It had come to steal fruit; the Western Regions bore fruit abundantly, larger and tastier than those from the Central Plains and Jiangnan. Lei Laomeng had selected many of the ripest, sweetest fruits to ferment into wine.

Tai Ping Gong couldn't tolerate spicy food or fishy vegetables.

Qin Wu Hou loved sweet foods.

Lei Laomeng had known since three years ago that his lord enjoyed monkey wine and planned to brew some.

The Fire Qilin came upon the scent.

In the past, Lei Laomeng guarded it fiercely; today, he had gotten drunk with General Yuwen and passed out.

The Fire Qilin's eyes lit up, ready for a feast—but was startled by the silver-haired girl. Turning to see Yao Guang, it muttered: "It's you...? What's wrong?" The silver-haired girl sat upright, expression calm, eyes clear and serene, showing no emotion.

She settled herself, brushed the dust off her clothes, and spoke without ripples:

"I held his hand."

The Fire Qilin widened its eyes in confusion.

Born of heaven and earth, even one who had undergone countless reincarnations as a divine beast did not understand such things.

It extended one claw, elegantly piercing a fruit, then shoving it into its mouth: "So what?"

Chew, chew.

The Fire Qilin waved its claw: "Aren't you always shaking hands?"

The silver-haired girl answered quietly: "It's different."

The Fire Qilin picked up another fruit: "What's different?"

The silver-haired girl's voice was calm, undisturbed: "In the past, I acted as Yao Guang, offering aid to the Bai Hu Da Zong. Today, I am merely myself, wanting to hold his hand—so it's different."

"I think, very different."

"So, I too have changed."

The Fire Qilin froze.

It watched the silver-haired girl speak those momentous words with no expression; Yao Guang calmly brushed dust from her robes, stood up, and reached out to pluck a fallen leaf from her temple.

"So, meeting him truly was wonderful."

"Goodbye."

The silver-haired girl reached out, selected a fruit from the Qilin's claw, and left quietly. The Fire Qilin stared blankly: "???"

…………………

Li Guanyi and Chen Wenmian entered a quiet chamber. Li Guanyi took off Chixiao Sword and placed it casually on the table, then poured tea for Chen Wenmian. Chen Wenmian sat in silent solemnity, briefly recounting Yu Langwang's request.

Li Guanyi frowned: "... Is that so?"

Chen Wenmian withdrew an object from his robe and placed it gently on the table: a pale blue seal, engraved with a gray wolf pattern, its face inscribed in Chen-state-style large seal script with a single character: 【Ling】.

Li Guanyi asked: "What is this?"

Chen Wenmian said quietly: "The command seal of fifty thousand Gray Wolf Guard cavalry."

"They are the finest soldiers, obeying only the seal, the token, and my father. Today, he leaves these fifty thousand Gray Wolf Guards behind—likely as my ransom."

Li Guanyi held the seal.

The foundation upon which the top five divine generals of the world rode through chaos and secured their place lay here: honestly, fifty thousand Gray Wolf Guards, with their men and horses, consumed as much as two hundred thousand regular border troops—but when they charged, they could stand against a hundred thousand ordinary soldiers.

Had Yu Langwang not been careless, Li Guanyi would not have been his match.

Li Guanyi pinched the seal between his fingers, then suddenly flicked his wrist and tossed it into Chen Wenmian's arms. Chen Wenmian froze, looked up. Li Guanyi said: "This may be a gift—but not a gift for me."

"It is your father's gift to you."

Li Guanyi said: "Though we are enemies, between us there is no pure hatred—only that we both aspire to the world, and thus clash."

"Now that he has withdrawn, you may stay here for now."

"Of course, when I need to use you, I won't be gentle."

Chen Wenmian said: "Your Qilin Army's elite number only thirty thousand. The Anxi Army is built on a coalition of over sixty western cities that joined you only months ago—its foundation is unstable, and cannot be compared to the Gray Wolf Guards."

"Why give me fifty thousand Gray Wolf Guards? Aren't you afraid I'll wield power equal to yours and rebel here?"

Li Guanyi looked at him: "Will you?"

Chen Wenmian could not answer.

A man of his nature could never do such a thing.

Li Guanyi stepped forward, raised his hand, and struck Chen Wenmian's neck with a slow slash; his sleeve fluttered: "Today, consider this as me having already cut off your head. Your skull and life are temporarily lodged on your neck."

"If you rebel—"

"I will spare your life."

On the table, the candle flickered as Qin Wu Hou, clad in crimson battle robe, departed.

Chen Wenmian, in white robes, sat with lowered eyes.

Li Guanyi turned and walked out. Cold air struck his face; the alcohol faded. He crossed his arms, sleeves hanging, watching the moon rise above the sea of clouds, illuminating the vast, boundless land, and thought lazily.

This world truly is magnificent—and yet truly—

Hard.

He extended his hand; the divine essence passed to him by Yu Langwang swirled and twisted between his five fingers, shifting and transforming—a path of martial legend, distinct from the Fishing Whale Guest's formation, the Dao Sect's mysteries, and Grandfather Murong Longtu's sword.

The military martial path: glorious, majestic.

Yet far more ferocious, brutal.

The military martial legend must be tied to the scale and quality of the battle formations commanded.

Even if Li Guanyi never walks this path, Yu Langwang's gift is immense enough.

Even a true son or nephew might not be willing to give it.

But Li Guanyi knew: had he not defeated Yu Langwang, the latter would never have surrendered this—more likely, he would have beaten Li Guanyi senseless, tied him up, and forced him into marriage with a royal Chen woman.

"Truly, Yu Langwang…"

"Like the lord of wolves—he departs only when challenged and defeated."

Li Guanyi felt his internal Qi, just newly entered the Eighth Heaven, shift and stir, becoming more active, as if glimpsing greater power and possibility. He tried following that path—but failed to achieve it.

Not enough. Not nearly enough.

His foundation, his reserves—far too weak.

He must first cultivate to the peak of the Ninth Heaven before he has the right to tread the path Yu Langwang glimpsed in a lifetime of warfare.

Had Yu Langwang not come with only fifty thousand troops, Li Guanyi himself would not have been his match. But what are the unique traits of Yu Langwang's martial legend compared to the First Divine General of the world?

The military Dao divides generals into four categories.

Yu Langwang must be Bing Xingshi.

And Jiang Su, the First Divine General of the world—how is he?

The western frontier is temporarily settled. Anxi City and Li Guanyi's prestige have soared; all know his name. But Yu Langwang remains coiled, uncommitted. Lu Youxian harbors strategy; Jiang Gao and Qin Yulong seem to hold no enmity toward Li Guanyi.

The world is vast—yet even in this single ten-thousand-li western region, the winds and clouds shift so unpredictably.

How much more so in the entire Central Plains, in Saibei?

Countless heroes.

Lu Youxian withdrew his troops and departed; Lan Wendu and Wen Qingyu mutually lingered, reluctant to part.

The prestige of Anxi City soared, and Li Guanyi's financial headache was alleviated when General Nongong Wumeng casually mentioned it while escorting the Western Heqan back home.

The Western Heqans, lost in thought, seeing the Tian Kehan troubled, voluntarily emptied their own treasuries to fill the gap; these Western lords, each ruling a realm merely a thousand li across, possessed astonishingly vast gold reserves.

It temporarily eased the urgent crisis.

This owed gratitude to the Tuyuhun three hundred years ago.

This forged a consensus among the Heqans: if a hegemon demands gold, you must hand it over.

If he came personally to collect it, he would also bring along a few hundred heads.

Compared to that hegemon of three hundred years ago—fierce, brave, cruel, and suspicious—the Tian Kehan was practically too benevolent.

Master Yan Daiqing, following tax procedures, accepted these gold and silver.

The Western Heqans regarded it as akin to tribute.

Both sides obtained their desired outcomes.

Master Yan Daiqing felt refreshed and invigorated!

Master Yan Daiqing invited Nongong Wumeng to join logistics again, and was refused a second time.

Master Yan Daiqing no longer felt refreshed and invigorated.

He picked up a bench and began searching Anxi City for Wen He.

Jiang Gao, Li Guanyi, and Chen Wenmian chatted idly for several days.

Three years ago, their circumstances were what they were; now, everything had changed, and each felt a quiet sense of things remaining, yet people transformed.

Jiang Gao personally poured wine and sighed: "Today, one of you is famed throughout the land, the other commands fifty thousand elite troops; yet I, though bearing the title of Crown Prince of Da Ying, am now restless, my position unstable."

"Today, I may still drink with you as Crown Prince of Da Ying."

"Who knows what title I shall bear tomorrow? Such is the world—it cannot but sadden the heart."

Li Zhaowen, avoiding Crown Prince Jiang Gao, had recently been training her own troops.

At this moment, her status in Anxi City was the same as Ye Buyi, Zhou Liu's camp, and Gong Zhenyong—among the younger generation of battlefield generals.

As allied forces, she temporarily carried out missions under the command of Qin Wu Hou.

Awaiting orders.

Yet Li Guanyi felt deeply guilty toward this friend: Li Zhaowen fulfilled their earlier promise, leading several thousand troops to reinforce Anxi City during Yu Langwang's surprise attack, and even gifted him one of her six most beloved divine steeds.

Sa Lu Zi had accompanied Li Guanyi through multiple great battles, even penetrating the northern wastes to scourge Wang Ting, yet died during the chase with Yu Langwang; Li Zhaowen appeared carefree, but when they met the next day—

The eyes of this brilliant young general were slightly red.

Li Guanyi was honest.

He personally carried Sa Lu Zi's corpse and, together with Li Zhaowen, buried her on a hillside beside Anxi City; they dug a grave together, and the maiden with dragon-and-phoenix grace clasped her hands, praying the warhorse might gallop freely in the next world.

Master Lei Laomeng personally carved a bas-relief of the divine steed.

This was a problem left over from the founding days of the Fire Qilin Army.

Back then, there were too few hands, so Master Lei Laomeng had to develop all kinds of skill trees.

Back then, they thought: once more hands arrived, this wouldn't be necessary.

Then things would become easy.

But no one foresaw that later, the Tiance Prefecture's manpower grew slower than its territorial expansion, and because Master Lei Laomeng could handle any situation, he was forced to sprint endlessly down the path of being omnipotent.

Although Wu Gong ranked second-to-last among the Tiance Prefecture's core members,

his skills were usable in every other context.

Li Zhaowen closed her eyes, silently prayed, then rose.

Li Guanyi asked: "Won't you stay a while longer?"

Li Zhaowen shook her head: "She is already dead. In truth, I came here only to comfort myself." She stood, clad in armor beneath a battle robe, her black hair tied into a tail, her eyes faintly red.

When Li Guanyi didn't know Li Zhaowen well, he thought this friend was brilliant and majestic—truly formidable; only after familiarity did he realize Li Zhaowen was far more emotional than most in this world.

Li Guanyi said: "... Sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

Li Zhaowen punched Li Guanyi's chest with a clenched fist, regaining her usual brilliance, though her eyes remained faintly red, as if dusted with shadow, saying: "Sa Lu Zi was raised by me personally. I lent her to you, yet you let her die on the battlefield."

"... You owe me!"

Brilliant, always upright Li Zhaowen wished she could bury herself.

What she wanted to say was: a warhorse dying on the battlefield was only natural.

No need to dwell on it.

But when she opened her mouth, words came out unlike her nature.

Li Guanyi said: "Compensate you with another divine steed?"

Li Zhaowen exhaled, returning to her usual carefree composure, saying:

"I haven't decided yet. Let's wait until I've thought it through!"

"Still, Brother Li, is it alright for me to stay here?"

Li Zhaowen's expression returned to normal; though she forcibly shifted the topic, it was also her concern. Li Guanyi said: "Aren't you unwilling to return?"

Li Zhaowen said: "Yes... Though the Crown Prince and General Qin Yulong are open-minded, General He Ruo Qinhu is different." Li Zhaowen's gaze narrowed: "His aura of slaughter is too heavy; his strategic operations seem aimed not merely at Yu Langwang."

"Brother Li, be careful."

The Ying State has already clashed fiercely with the Chen State.

Lu Youxian and Jiang Gao are now directly opposed.

If not targeting Yu Langwang, then who else could it be—this is now clear.

Li Zhao Wen said: "General He Ruo Qinhu has many complaints about my family. I have a stubborn nature and cannot endure such treatment, so I simply left—here with you, far from this petty scheming, fighting across the lands, it's truly satisfying."

"But I wonder if it will affect Anxi City's situation."

Li Zhao Wen waved it off: "If it does affect things, Brother Li, don't worry—just say it outright! The world is in chaos now; even a pillar general like He Ruo Qinhu cannot do anything to my family."

"We'll meet again someday."

Li Guanyi said: "Earlier, what you said did have some impact on Anxi City."

"But now? It has no effect at all."

Li Zhao Wen looked puzzled.

"Have you forgotten who I am?"

Li Zhao Wen's eyes flickered slightly brighter.

Li Guanyi lifted the sword in his hand and smiled: "As a Tian Ge'er merchant from the Central Plains, even an alliance has no right to order you to stay here. But I am not Tian Ge'er now."

Li Guanyi gazed at Anxi City, raising Chi Xiao Sword, pointing at the city ahead—and beyond it, the Western Regions and the whole world—and said softly:

"I command all the armies under heaven, appointed Grand Marshal."

He turned his head, glancing at Li Zhao Wen beside him. Three years ago, their heights were nearly equal; now, Li Zhao Wen stood only slightly above his shoulder. Li Guanyi smiled: "Even before the Red Emperor's realm had fully collapsed, I could protect you."

"If you don't want to stay at home, my place will always have room for you."

"………………"

Li Zhao Wen smiled, suddenly bumped her shoulder against Li Guanyi's, calm and carefree, teasing: "Brother Li, Brother Li, you really know how to speak sweet words. If I were just an ordinary woman, your words just now—just that one bump—might have made me secretly fall for you."

Li Guanyi replied calmly: "Li Zhao Wen is certainly no ordinary person."

Li Zhao Wen burst out laughing, let out a sharp whistle, and moments later her warhorse galloped up. She leapt onto its back, tugged the reins, and the steed shook its body. Li Zhao Wen's spirit soared: "Yes, no ordinary person."

"So you'll have to do it more than once."

"Hahaha."

Li Zhao Wen spurred her horse into a wild gallop, wind sweeping past, finally leaving her family behind—and because of the identity of this, her first true friend in life, she could even afford not to return for a while.

The title: Commander of All Armies Under Heaven.

In ordinary times, it carried little weight. But at this critical moment, it carried an inexplicable, overwhelming momentum.

Li Zhao Wen felt a deep sense of exhilaration; the wind brushed past, lifting the strands of hair at her temples.

Her ears had long turned red.

……………

After chatting with Li Zhao Wen, Li Guanyi returned and immediately ordered reconnaissance troops to continue scouting the surrounding areas. They indeed discovered the source of the problem—Yu Langwang had retreated, and Xiao General Xiao Wuliang had withdrawn his forces.

He Ruo Qinhu had originally appeared behind Yu Langwang, cutting off Xiao General Xiao Wuliang's reinforcements.

Now that Xiao General Xiao Wuliang had retreated, Yu Langwang's crisis was resolved.

Yet He Ruo Qinhu refused to withdraw.

Not only did he refuse to withdraw—he kept reinforcing the front lines, building momentum, his spearhead clearly aimed at Anxi City. The situation, which had just begun to ease, instantly tightened again.

Li Guanyi and Tiance Prefecture held several discussions.

Everyone felt an immense, crushing pressure.

He Ruo Qinhu, a veteran of the realm, a top-tier general, had spent decades dominating the land—only ever suffering defeat at Yu Langwang's hands. The mighty Xiao General Xiao Wuliang, who easily crushed Qin Yulong, was nonetheless shattered effortlessly by He Ruo Qinhu.

Only Yu Langwang, a divine general whose leadership, Wu Gong, and aura were peerless in this age, could fight him on equal terms. Now, with Yu Langwang defeated through carelessness, no one in this Western Region battlefield could stand against him directly.

Li Guanyi's forces had just endured a major battle.

After all, men are flesh and blood. After such a battle, whether in body, morale, strength, or mindset, they were utterly unprepared for another brutal clash.

He Ruo Qinhu, cunning as ever, seized this opportunity to launch his army.

He had learned from Yu Langwang's experience.

He categorically refused to engage Li Guanyi in a battle of tens of thousands. Instead, he intended to escalate the conflict to a scale of one hundred thousand or even two hundred thousand troops, relying on the might of the Great Ying State to crush this young divine general outright.

In the camp, the veteran general He Ruo Qinhu grew even more resolute:

"Li Guanyi may have defeated Yu Langwang, but he has surely exhausted all his cards. In the short term, he cannot possibly regain his peak strength. Such an opportunity will not come again. A general in the field may disregard imperial orders."

"How Your Majesty punishes me afterward is up to Your Majesty."

"But today, in my eyes, Li Guanyi poses a far greater threat to the Great Ying than the aging Yu Langwang or Chen Dingye of Chen State! He is the true enemy—the real threat to Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty should never have made an alliance with Li Guanyi."

"He should have allied with Chen Dingye—first crush this young tiger, then turn back to slowly deal with this venomous snake."

He Ruo Qinhu gnashed his teeth in fury, yet he knew:

If he allied with Chen Dingye, Li Guanyi would be protected by Chen Dingye.

Even if Chen Dingye hated Li Guanyi with every fiber of his being, he would still protect him.

To maintain a balance.

This venomous snake possesses only the capacity of a dragon—able to hold a single territory, but incapable of seeing the whole world.

He Ruo Qinhu sighed, preparing to order his army forward, when suddenly a scout rushed in, his face ashen: "General! General! Disaster!"

He Ruo Qinhu looked up: "What is it?!"

The scout's voice trembled: "Yu Langwang, Chen Fubi, has arrived."

"He says—"

Before the scout could finish, Chen Fubi's booming laughter, at the peak of the Ninth Heaven Realm, rolled across the battlefield:

"You bully the young."

"Funny—I like that too."

Yu Langwang arrived with an army of five hundred thousand.

He Ruo Qinhu's pupils shrank violently; in an instant, his scalp prickled. A regal, overwhelming aura descended—where the Yu Langwang who had fought Li Guanyi with fifty thousand troops had forced all sides to unite, now—

It's five hundred thousand.

The Peak Yu Langwang.

When the Tiance Prefecture began mobilizing its troops, battle reports arrived—

"Yu Langwang attacks He Ruo Qinhu."

"He crushes him!"

"He Ruo Qinhu is severely wounded, escaping with only eight hundred cavalry."

The balance was shattered again: the Yu Langwang, who had just been defeated by the young Divine General, crushed a top-tier Divine General with absolute brutality, baring his fangs. Li Guanyi whispered at once:

"... One hundred thousand troops."

He suddenly realized something.

Whether or not He Ruo Qinhu himself initiated it—

"Jiang Gao is finished."

The battle report had already appeared on Jiang Wanxiang's desk.

Jiang Wanxiang's expression was like storm clouds.

The palace gates opened, and the Divine General, white-haired and armor stained with blood, walked in.

The First Divine General, Jiang Su.

She has returned to court because of this!

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