Chapter 153 Queen of Xinyue

It was intensely fiery indeed. Even though Lin Shu was enveloped in a layer of flame, it could not deter his steadfast and unyielding resolve.

The battle was fierce. Half an hour later, both of them quieted down in deep satisfaction.

"Young Master, let us never meet again from this day forth. Ling Ji will never yield her body to any man!"

Weak though she might be, she remained the proudest fire phoenix.

Having just finished, the alcohol completely worn off, Yan Ling Ji instantly regretted her actions.

A weak Lin Shu offered a bitter, contemplative smile. It seemed he already understood her intent.

As expected, she could never truly love him; this encounter was merely repayment for his assistance.

The passionate fires of battle having just subsided, the two put on their clothes and became indifferent strangers once more.

"Che Ling, take the Young Master back." Yan Ling Ji knew there was a carriage spirit within this vehicle.

[Understood!] Heart Shadow responded immediately.

Lin Shu nodded, allowing himself to float away and vanish.

After a brief wash, instead of returning to his room, he had the carriage ascend the mountain and lay down upon the grassy summit.

[Will you not rest for a while?!] Heart Shadow sighed softly.

An exhausted Lin Shu shook his head faintly.

"Heart Shadow, I was greedy once again. She has no intention whatsoever of staying with me! And once again, I have gone behind the backs of Yan Fei, Shao Shao, and the others!"

Once more straying behind the backs of his wives, Lin Shu felt a profound sense of guilt. Yet he simply could not resist! Moreover, it was a lingering regret: his dream lover from a past life would never truly belong to him.

[Mhm.] Heart Shadow sighed gently, understanding him completely.

Quietly watching the white clouds drift past, listening to the sounds of insects, birds, and the wind, he thought of his past and present lives, of Jingining and Yan Fei...

Gradually, Lin Shu drifted into a quiet slumber, his motionless form seeming to merge as one with the grand mountain.

While Lin Shu meditated in stillness, Shao Shao also carried little Yan'er out of the carriage to search for him, with Yan Fei following closely behind.

"Hmph! So he was just being lazy and sleeping!"

"Fourth Mother told me to come over and pull Daddy up."

At that moment, Shao Shao paused, a look of surprise crossing her face. She felt that her husband was acting very, very strangely.

"Little Yan'er, do not go over. Your daddy is in deep cultivation; we can just watch from here." Yan Fei was equally astonished, sensing an elusive and formless aura—resembling swords and sabers on one hand, yet wind and clouds on the other...

Little Yan'er nodded in a low voice: "Very well, let us not speak too loudly! This silly daddy must have been sneaking off to cultivate again!"

Fortunately, Heart Shadow had already cleared away all traces of scent, otherwise they would not have been so easily deceived.

This sleep of Lin Shu's lasted straight until hunger woke him up.

"Hmph! Daddy, you're finally awake." Little Yan'er hurried over at once.

Picking up the little girl and letting out a long breath, Lin Shu felt as though something within him had subtly changed.

"The sun has already set!" Lin Shu chuckled dryly, though fortunately, his previously hollowed-out physical frame had fully recovered.

"Yes, of course it has. Master's mother has already prepared dinner, and we've all been waiting for Daddy." For two whole hours, little Yan'er had gone nowhere else, keeping watch right by his side.

Glancing at the few figures near the carriage, Yan Ling Ji was no longer anywhere to be seen.

[Commander, she departed an hour ago and is now heading toward the dock to await the naval fleet.]

"Hmm!" Lin Shu smiled faintly. The past was too painful to look back upon, and upon reflection, it felt no more real than a fleeting dream.

***

As evening fell, not only Yan Ling Ji's entourage awaited at the dock, but Han Fei, Zhang Liang, and Wei Zhuang were also personally waiting by the waterfront.

With night's arrival, the pitch-black darkness turned the river water the color of thick ink.

They were not made to wait long before a beam of light pierced through the distance ahead.

Though the fleet of the steam era lacked electric searchlights, it possessed fire lamps.

Intense fires raged within large glass rings, and a circle of reflectors concentrated all the illumination directly ahead of the bows. While not as bright as electric light, it was sufficient to vaguely discern the surrounding hundred meters.

More than a dozen small paddle steamers scouted ahead and along both riverbanks on guard, eliminating any need to worry about delayed reactions.

Half of the Sea Spiders maintained internal heat, standing ready at any moment to plunge into the water and land for combat.

"They're coming!"

"Such speed!"

Beginning with a few points of light, dense torchlight gradually illuminated both banks of the vast river.

Drawing closer and closer, an endless fleet as massive as mountains slowly began to come to a halt.

At that moment, dozens of Sea Spiders plunged entirely into the river surface. Only after they confirmed safety would the ten thousand marines land.

"Tell them all to fall back," Han Fei said softly to those behind him.

As the two generals moved away, Zhang Liang smiled and said, "The Northern Navy is indeed rigorous!"

"Small vessels in the vanguard, followed by Sea Spiders securing both banks—the discipline of the Northern army is no weaker than Qin's!" Wei Zhuang conceded defeat.

Upon crawling ashore, the fire lamps of the Sea Spiders blazed to life.

Boom! Boom!

Four Sea Spiders advanced step by step, causing even Wushuang Ghost to tense up involuntarily.

These giant mechanical beasts, measuring seven to eight meters in length, three meters in height, and four meters in width, made even the towering physique of Wushuang Ghost seem insignificant.

"So these are the Northern military's mechanical beasts! The Chu army did not lose unjustly!" Han Fei had previously assumed these mechanical beasts were merely slow, bulky behemoths!

Under the firelight, the identities of the two factions were immediately apparent.

"You go pay respects to the Duke of Han; I shall go pay respects to the Lord of the Six Swords!"

The Yanhuang Six Swords! These were the personal swordsmen of the Great King!

Stopping some tens of meters away, the two leading Sea Spiders halted.

"Greetings to the six Lords." The minor commander stepped forward briskly.

Zhen Gang nodded faintly. "Have the flagship dock; we shall meet with Commander Qiu and Department Head Jing Ke first."

"Understood!" The minor commander immediately trotted back, and one of the Sea Spiders turned and departed at speed.

After the vanguard Sea Spiders halted two miles out, the main fleet began moving toward the dock.

"Then let the Duke of Han and the others come over as well!" Since the Six Swords were boarding, Jing Ke knew that the Queen of New Yue had already arrived.

Yan Ling Ji had not expected Han Fei to board the ship with them, but it happened to be convenient, as half of the Yue people in Korea were stationed within his camp.

Dozens of Yue swordsmen also boarded the vessel, while the naval soldiers and guards on the dock acted as though they saw nothing at all.

Through this single detail, Han Fei had already deduced many things. It seemed the Yue people could no longer be retained!

As the party boarded the vessel, Qiu Ji and Jing Ke stepped forward to welcome them.

Glancing at the woman in red standing before the Six Swords, Qiu Ji hurriedly lowered his head!

"Truly bewitching! No wonder the Great King—" Jing Ke shook his head with a smile, instantly enlightened.

"Greetings, Queen of New Yue."

"Greetings, Duke of Han."

The Queen of New Yue! Wei Zhuang furrowed his brow. It seemed this Young Master Lin indeed had secrets!

"Greetings, Commander Qiu, Department Head Jing Ke!" After a momentary pause, Yan Ling Ji could not help suppressing a smile.

*Slippery Commander* and *Boozy Department Head*—these were the descriptions Lin Shu had used when introducing the two.

After the Queen returned the courtesy, it was Han Fei's turn to bow in return.

"Does Brother Jing still remember?"

"Haha! Of course I remember! Queen, Duke, please come aboard first!" Laughing heartily, Jing Ke did not forget that there was serious business at hand.

Han Fei felt reassured as well; this month, he would no longer need to pay Zinu for wine!

The captain's command room had now been prepared with two rows of seats. The twin girls accompanied Lady Yan, while Zhen Gang and his companions toured the ship to inspect the gun ports.

Having never had the opportunity to examine them closely before, they took the chance to wander about.

Even Commander Qiu's accent would occasionally slip, but the minor conference was naturally presided over by Jing Ke.

"The Great King has already issued an order to rebuild New Yue for the Yue people, and has promulgated an alliance decree: Han, Wei, Chu, and Qi shall deliver no fewer than two hundred thousand former Yue subjects to the Queen of New Yue."

Yan Ling Ji looked toward Han Fei, curious to see how this man would react.

"Department Head Jing Ke, the Yue people in Han, Wei, and Qi combined number at most one hundred thousand, which should not be too difficult to mobilize. But what if the King of Chu delays?"

This was Han Fei's probing test.

Jing Ke smiled bitterly and shook his head; there were some things he truly did not wish to voice aloud.

"Duke of Han, in truth, the navy also hopes that Chu will refuse once again, so that we may use the opportunity of moving south to train our troops and recruit Chu sailors," Qiu Ji said with a smile, speaking entirely the truth.

Alas! Han Fei sighed. Now he understood completely!

"Queen Yan, you may send men tomorrow to take charge of the Yue subjects, numbering twenty-six thousand and some odd."

Yan Ling Ji nodded, rising to return the bow. "On behalf of the Yue people, I offer my profound thanks to the Duke for his prior care."

"Queen, this was merely what my state of Han ought to have done." Han Fei also stood up to return the courtesy. For some reason, he felt that Yan Ling Ji had changed immensely over the course of half a day.

As the two sat back down, the quiet Wu Song strode into the room.

"Queen Yan, three thousand marine infantry and twenty units of Sea Spiders have completed assembly, awaiting the Queen to take command."

What! Zhang Liang's eyes widened in astonishment! Setting aside three thousand elite troops, those twenty Sea Spiders alone were enough to breach the outer walls of Xinzheng!

Yan Ling Ji had come primarily to see Jing Ke and receive the marine troops, and she was eager to inspect them firsthand.

"Queen Yan, Jing Ke shall await Your Majesty's grand arrival at the dock tomorrow." Jing Ke was eager to slip away as well, intending to get thoroughly drunk with Han Fei.

"Very well!" Yan Ling Ji stood up. Since her audience with the King of Han had already been arranged, there was no need for her to linger further.