Chapter 51: Stay away from me, the scent of rouge is too strong

If it were anyone else, even if they disagreed, they wouldn't have beaten a person right out of the room.

However, military generals generally had very straightforward temperaments.

After all, in places like military camps, supreme value was placed entirely on strength without all those twists and turns; when a conflict arose, fists did the talking, and whoever won was in the right.

"So that's how it is!"

Ye Liuyun finally understood.

He did have some prior knowledge about this Great General of the Border.

As the head of the military officials in the Great Qian Dynasty, he held immense power and commanded four hundred thousand troops of the dynasty.

There were even rumors among the common folk.

Had it not been for the Grandmaster Prime Minister keeping him in check, this border-guarding general would likely have rebelled long ago.

Naturally, such rumors were best taken with a grain of salt, and whether they were true or not depended entirely on one's own perspective.

Nevertheless.

Even the head of the military officials needed to plant his own people within the Embroidered Uniform Guard; he must have had his eyes on the power they wielded.

"My lord need not worry!"

Seeing the thoughtful look in Ye Liuyun's eyes, Sheng Lanzhi said with a smile.

"My father is my father, and you are you. The Northern Commander-in-Chief surely won't go out of his way to make things difficult for you because of past events."

"Ha!"

With a hearty laugh.

Ye Liuyun wasn't worried about this in the least. Besides, pinning one's hopes on others was never his style.

...

The next day.

When Ye Liuyun arrived.

Sipan and Shi Sheng were already waiting there with a group of Embroidered Uniform Guards, clearly aware that they would be heading out of the city today, as everyone had their packs fully prepared.

"My lord!"

Seeing Ye Liuyun approach, Sipan and Shi Sheng took the lead in greeting him.

"The Commander-in-Chief hasn't arrived yet, but quite a few Century Commanders and even Thousand-Man Commanders are already waiting inside the courtyard."

As the higher-ups of the Commander's Office, naturally they would make their grand entrance last.

A significant number of people were leaving the city this time to search for the spirit artifact, including several Thousand-Man Commanders. Evidently, these individuals had all received information from their respective factions and knew the true purpose of the expedition was to hunt for the spirit artifact.

"Let's head in first!"

Ye Liuyun merely nodded.

There wasn't even a trace of the spirit artifact yet, so overthinking things at this point was pointless.

When Ye Liuyun led his men into the courtyard, a large crowd had already gathered. Since the Northern Commander-in-Chief had yet to arrive, these people were not maintaining strict decorum and were currently chatting in small groups.

From this, it was evident that despite the Embroidered Uniform Guard not being exceptionally large, it was heavily fractured into various factions.

Those clustered together right now were strictly members of the same clique.

Ye Liuyun's arrival failed to stir any commotion. Many merely glanced his way before withdrawing their gazes and resuming their casual chatter.

Only a single person stepped forward.

"As expected, you've come too!"

Pinched his fingers into an orchid gesture with a somewhat shrill voice, Wan Feiliang raised his brows slightly upon seeing Ye Liuyun.

He walked straight over with brisk strides.

"It looks like you've received word from His Majesty, haven't you?"

Wan Feiliang was fundamentally a man of the Nine Thousand-Year-Old Eunuch, and through that connection, he knew that Ye Liuyun was currently working for the young emperor.

He had concluded that Ye Liuyun had learned about the spirit artifact from the young emperor, which was why he had shown up.

With that thought,

Wan Feiliang leaned in close to Ye Liuyun's ear and whispered,

"Don't think you can do whatever you want just by relying on the emperor. Let me tell you, that little emperor won't last much longer on the throne. When that day comes, let's see who can protect you!"

Anyone with even a shred of inside information doubted how much longer Yan Shuzhu could hold onto the imperial seat.

Seeing the blatant threat gleaming in Wan Feiliang's eyes,

Ye Liuyun was far from frightened; instead, he couldn't help letting out a soft chuckle.

"???"

Just as Wan Feiliang frowned, puzzled by Ye Liuyun's reaction,

the next moment, Ye Liuyun's voice rang out clearly.

"Commander Wan, let's just talk normally, shall we? Must you lean in so close? The scent of rouge on you is far too heavy; it's choking me."

With that, Ye Liuyun deliberately made a gesture of covering his nose and took two steps back.

He practically had the word "disgust" written across his face.

Many eunuchs were unable to control their bladders, and over time, a strong odor would cling to their bodies.

Consequently, most eunuchs would carry sachets or use various cosmetic powders to mask the smell.

However, as a martial artist, Wan Feiliang was naturally fully capable of controlling it.

Ye Liuyun said this purely to mock him.

Since they had already become enemies, did Wan Feiliang really think he could prance over to provoke him and that Ye Liuyun wouldn't have the guts to throw the insult right back?

"!"

"How dare you!"

Such a counterattack left Wan Feiliang momentarily stunned.

When he recovered, the expression on his face flicked between shades of green and black, looking hideous to the extreme.

He truly hadn't expected Ye Liuyun to mock him using his identity as a eunuch.

"Pfft!" Unlike Wan Feiliang's hushed tones, Ye Liuyun made no effort to lower his voice. Many people in the courtyard heard it, and someone failed to hold back, bursting out into laughter on the spot.

Some Century Commanders or Banner Leaders,

perhaps out of fear of Wan Feiliang's status, might have swallowed their laughter.

However, the other Thousand-Man Commanders present didn't care in the least.

"Hahaha!"

"Hahahaha!"

They laughed with unbridled amusement, causing Wan Feiliang's face to darken even further.

"You!"

Staring at Ye Liuyun, he opened his mouth, wanting to retort.

Right at that moment,

"The Commander-in-Chief!"

Someone noticed the Northern Commander-in-Chief stepping out and hurriedly bowed in salute.

Realizing what was happening, the others quickly straightened up and offered a unified bow.

With no other choice, Wan Feiliang had to swallow his rising fury. After casting one last vicious glare at Ye Liuyun, he whipped around and turned his attention toward the Northern Commander-in-Chief.

To Ye Liuyun, such threatening glares from Wan Feiliang were completely harmless.

He merely shrugged, unbothered in the slightest.

Instead, his curiosity was piqued by the newly emerged Northern Commander-in-Chief, and he joined the crowd in looking over while mentally appraising him.

"Target: Lei Zheng.

Realm: Early Xiantian stage.

Talent Traits: Tiger-Eyed Aspect (Blue), Thick-Skinned (Blue), Bloodthirst Perception (Blue)."

"Tiger-Eyed Aspect (Blue): Eyes like a fierce tiger, capable of exerting intense psychological pressure on opponents simply through a gaze."

"Thick-Skinned (Blue): Naturally rugged skin with exceptional defensive capabilities."

"Bloodthirst Perception (Blue): Able to keenly perceive others' murderous intent and insightfully detect danger."

Three blue-tier talents—not bad at all.

Moreover, these three traits fit Ye Liuyun's understanding of a military general quite well.

The early Xiantian realm?

This Northern Commander-in-Chief Lei Zheng didn't seem to have any intention of concealing his internal energy. With Ye Liuyun's current mid-Xiantian cultivation, he could acutely sense that while the opponent's Xiantian internal energy was formidable,

it possessed a slightly fluctuating and unstable quality.

He must have broken through to the Xiantian realm not too long ago.

...

Lei Zheng remained silent. He walked to the front of the crowd, hands clasped behind his back.

With tiger-like eyes wide open, he swept his gaze across the assembled men without uttering a single word.