Chapter 15: The Transformation of the Eastern Lord and the Moon Goddess

When the little one awoke, even the usually impassive face of Jingni was lit with a smile.
“Deputy Commander Halong, you take command. Watch over them and make sure they don’t collapse the bridge!”
“At your command, Grand Commander.” Halong, standing ten meters away, immediately clenched his fist in salute.
Impatient, Jingni made a few light leaps to Lin Shu’s side.
“Husband, let me hold you.”
Lin Shu smiled secretly and nodded with composure. “Don’t be hasty, my dear. Once we’re back in the carriage, I’ll let you hold me all you wish.”
Jingni’s cheeks flushed as she scooped up little Yaner. “Hmph, who wants to hold you?”
Just then, Dongjun, the Moon Goddess, who had come over to see the baby, could only stop helplessly. These two were at it again, tangled up in their affection. Would they ever stop?
As they paused, Jingni, her face aglow with warmth, approached the Dongjun sisters as well. Such an adorable little one deserved to be shared with her sisters.
“Oh, those rosy cheeks, she’s so cute!” Even the ever-composed Moon Goddess revealed a girlish side.
“That little face is as beautiful as her mother’s,” Dongjun Yanfei exclaimed, her eyes wide with a hint of envy.
Now, Dongjun was only nineteen, not yet the mature and cunning woman she would become, and the eighteen-year-old Moon Goddess too had yet to acquire her future cool detachment.
Listening to the two young beauties laughing with the child, Lin Shu’s opinion of them softened somewhat.
“Indeed, no one is born ruthless and cold. Of course, neither is anyone born innately kind.”
Once the army had crossed, the carriage retrieved the wooden bridge, unwilling to waste it since it would be needed again.
The carriage set off once more, leading the twenty-thousand-strong army onward.
After taking in the scenery from atop the carriage, Lin Shu decided to return to the compartment. Thinking of the two sisters sitting quietly on either side, he couldn’t help but call out,
“Yanfei, Moon Goddess, come inside the carriage.” With that, Lin Shu had Heartshadow stow his writing desk back into the inner space, and brought out another mattress, along with pillows and quilts.
His home only had two sets of bedding, left at his mother’s insistence before she moved to his elder brother’s house, so she could stay over occasionally. His mother was elderly now, and with him living alone, it wasn’t convenient to care for her; it was better for her to live with his elder brother’s family.
In the past two years, his mother had developed dementia, and lately, she didn’t even recognize him. Perhaps it was for the best—there was no going back.
“Thank you, Northern King. You may simply call me Yanfei, or Xiao Yue,” the Moon Goddess replied. In her eyes, Lin Shu was already comparable to the sovereigns of Yan and Han, a man worthy of her respect.

Lin Shu nodded lightly, then drew Jingni into the carriage with him.
At this moment, the carriage had been divided into two halves, separated by a thick, sound-dampening curtain.
The curtain was half drawn. Seeing the two mattresses, Dongjun felt Lin Shu’s goodwill. “Thank you, Lord Lin.”
“No need for courtesy. Once Shaoshao arrives, you’ll be free to return. For now, let’s keep things this way.” He was compelled to detain these sisters; otherwise, there was no way to convince the Young Mistress to leave the Yin-Yang Clan.
Dongjun nodded with a smile, though there was no joy in her heart. She was as beautiful as Jingni, but this lecherous king seemed eager to send her away. Was he blind?
The Moon Goddess had begun to believe that Shaoming was truly Lin Shu’s kin. In any case, it was her own clan who was at fault first. “Lord Lin, the journey north is long. A round trip will take at least two or three months. In this time, may my sister and I serve at your side?”
Dongjun’s face brightened; she had no wish to remain cooped up in the carriage.
Lin Shu glanced at the Moon Goddess, then lowered his eyes, remaining silent. He dared not let the two leave—one order from the Eastern Emperor, and they’d be gone in an instant. The Young Mistress was too important; even Donghuang Taiyi would not let her go easily.
“Lord Lin, we can take turns going out. Rest assured, I, Yanfei, will obey your commands.” As she spoke, Dongjun raised her hand in a graceful salute.
The Moon Goddess also paid her respects. “Please be at ease, Northern King. If we cannot bring Xiaoyi back, I am willing to remain here in your service.”
At this, Lin Shu was tempted. These two beauties were true masters.
Jingni laughed. “Husband, the two sisters are close; they’d never leave alone. Besides, both are rare treasures of the age—they would never break their word.”
“Very well. Then, during these days, I’ll trouble you two heroines to assist my lady.” Without further hesitation, Lin Shu agreed.
The sisters were delighted and saluted once more.
“Thank you, Lord Lin.”
The Moon Goddess smiled at Jingni. “We’ll be in your care these days, sister.”
“No, it is I who must rely on you,” Jingni replied. She had witnessed the astonishing power of the Yin-Yang Clan’s illusions and soul arts.
Heading east, they soon began to subdue scattered minor tribes one by one.
Whether these tribes truly submitted or not, the carriage could always discern; those chieftains who merely feigned loyalty were given to the carriage to consume.
Seeing the carriage devour several chieftains and elders, Dongjun and the Moon Goddess were deeply shocked. Such terrifying means were not within the reach of the Daoist Celestial Sect.
Previously, they had suspected that Lin Shu was supported by the Daoists.

To the north, beyond the Eastern Sea, lay forests, plains, and ranges both great and small, making the wild tribes there quite scattered.
Though their settlements were dispersed, in order to resist the Donghu tribes, they had formed two major alliances, one in the north and one in the south.
“Husband, these are all tribes of the Southern Alliance. If not for Sister Yanfei, I’d have struggled to understand their language!” Jingni admitted, vexed that even the Donghu tongue was of little use here.
These tribes were of a different stock than those around Beihai Lake, even their appearances somewhat distinct.
The Eastern Sea tribes were not as tall as the snowland folk, but bulkier than the snowland warriors—who was the fiercer, it was hard to say.
With richer wildlife and fish, and more beasts of prey, the Eastern Sea tribes were by no means weak in population or strength.
Seeing Dongjun praised by the king, the Moon Goddess refused to be outdone. “Lord Lin, these tribes are too widely scattered. Why not compel them to gather first, then strike them down? Though this plan carries some risk.”
Her suggestion immediately clarified Lin Shu’s thoughts. “Excellent! Moon Goddess, your plan is sound. Here’s what we’ll do: you and Jingni, with the newly recruited warriors and ten thousand cavalry, go ahead and notify them. Tell them that my fifty-thousand-strong snowland army will soon challenge them in battle.”
“As you command, my king.” Delighted by her first mission, the Moon Goddess exchanged a smile with Dongjun.
With a sigh, Yanfei grew anxious.
The Southern Alliance of the Eastern Sea tribes had a fair number of cavalry. Sending ten thousand ahead would both intimidate the southern tribes and make Jingni’s words credible. The claim of fifty thousand troops would force them to muster all their strength.
Impetuous as ever, Jingni quickly set out with the Moon Goddess and ten thousand cavalry after a brief discussion.
With the cavalry in motion, Lin Shu’s carriage began seeking out nearby tribes, dispatching ten thousand infantry to subdue them.
The Eastern Sea tribes were still in the Stone Age. Conquering them was easy; finding them in the deep mountains and forests, however, took time. Fortunately, by following their tracks, they could be located, otherwise, it would be impossible to conquer the southern tribes within the year.
Night fell. Lin Shu slept peacefully, but Dongjun found it hard to rest. What she had seen and heard in recent days left her shaken and full of doubts.
Staring at the curtain, she could not resist lifting a corner. In the next moment, an invisible force pushed her away.
“I meant no harm. I only wanted to see little Yan’er.” Instantly, the invisible force vanished. This sense of powerlessness left Dongjun devoid of her former confidence as a master.