Chapter 4: The War Curtain Slowly Rising Amidst the Undercurrents
Since early this morning, Gupa had a very bad premonition. As an old general who had spent his whole life in the military, his premonitions, honed through countless battles, were usually extremely accurate and almost infallible. At this moment, he felt that inexplicable sense of hopelessness and depression he had experienced when, in his prime, he was unexpectedly routed by the enemy and suffered the greatest setback in his life. This made him feel a chill in his heart. "Could I be defeated by that woman today?" With such doubts, he stepped onto the battlefield, becoming increasingly cautious as he engaged in a battle of wits with the respected woman opposite him.
As in previous times, after rounds of back - and - forth fighting, both sides suffered casualties, and neither gained much of an advantage. "Is it not for this? Or is it because I'm getting old and my instincts are deteriorating?" It was only when Gupa led his troops back to the camp that he realized his premonition was correct, and his troubles were just beginning.
"Lord Gupa, you've had a hard time!" As soon as he entered the tent, a handsome and outstanding man greeted him. The man was around twenty - seven or twenty - eight years old. His well - fitting warrior's outfit perfectly showcased his lion - like robust figure. A man like him should be very popular, especially with that handsome smile on his face, which was enough to melt the hearts of any young girls longing for love.
Looking at this man who was very popular with women, the old general Gupa frowned and said bluntly, "Xiongdiao, what are you doing here?"
Xiongdiao smiled faintly and still said in his elegant manner, "Lord Gupa, you don't seem very welcome to my arrival! But I'm here on orders. I'm sorry to trouble you!"
"Knowing you'll cause trouble, you should stay away. What a nuisance!" Gupa muttered in his heart and couldn't help but retort, "Whose order is it? I don't think it's His Majesty the King. Was it sent by the Seventh Princess?"
Xiongdiao suddenly became solemn and said, "Lord Gupa, you seem very dissatisfied with this military operation. You only know to defend blindly and have been reluctant to fight a decisive battle with the Fast army. His Majesty the King doesn't want to see such a thing."
Seeing this guy bring up the King again, Gupa became even more annoyed. He said coldly, "Don't you know the strength of General Falling Star? The consequences of a rash attack would be disastrous."
"But no matter how powerful she is, she's just a woman. How can you boost the enemy's morale and undermine our own? The combat power of our Wu'an army is the best in the world, and we also have more troops than Fast..."
Listening to his baseless remarks lacking any military strategy, Gupa impatiently interrupted, "When two armies engage in battle, it's not like theorizing on paper. Victory doesn't come from just talking. The outcome of a war isn't determined by a comparison of numbers either. This is the first lesson of military strategy."
Hearing Gupa sarcastically imply that he didn't understand military strategy, Xiongdiao's face turned green because this hit his sore spot. He had risen rapidly in rank because of his excellent martial arts skills and handsome appearance, being favored by the Seventh Princess. However, coming from a humble background, he had never received formal military education, and it seemed he didn't have much talent for military strategy either. If he had a correct understanding of this, he might not be looked down upon by others. But he just liked to express his opinions on military strategy, causing the veteran generals in the court to look down on him, thinking that this man knew nothing about military strategy except for playing tricks.
"I'm here on the order of His Majesty. His Majesty requires us to launch a full - scale attack and strive to defeat the Fast army in one fell swoop..."
"It's not His Majesty's intention. It's your own idea, isn't it?"
"Why do you think so? This is too lacking in the consciousness of a subject!"
"As an old general from a military family that has served His Majesty for generations, I can naturally distinguish right from wrong. And I'm definitely more confident in the way of being a subject than some people!"
"Who are you talking about?"
"Only those with a guilty conscience would..."
"Dare you defy the King's order?!" Xiongdiao slapped the table and stood up, glaring angrily. Realizing that he had no chance of winning in a verbal argument with this old man, he immediately changed the topic and brought the conversation back to the main point.
"Oh, then tell me, how do we launch a full - scale attack? Just charge forward in formation?" Gupa asked indifferently, accurately hitting the opponent's weak point.
"Of course not!" Xiongdiao thought to himself, "Here it comes! Fortunately, I was well - prepared before coming!" He said seriously, "When I came, Her Royal Highness the Princess once instructed..."
Gupa's heart tightened. That woman had the ability to make anyone not dare to underestimate her. He looked up at Xiongdiao and asked, "The Seventh Highness sent you to carry out her will, right?"
Xiongdiao smiled faintly and didn't answer this question, giving Gupa an unfathomable feeling.
The lights in the main tent of the Wu'an central army were on until late at night, and occasionally loud voices came from inside. The guards outside the tent knew that the newly arrived military envoy was discussing military affairs with the commander - in - chief. However, such a lively scene was rather rare.
After half a day of argument, Gupa and Xiongdiao finally reached an agreement. Xiongdiao would lead 80,000 troops as the flank to launch a surprise attack on the Fast army, while Gupa himself would lead the majority of the troops to launch a frontal attack in the front to attract the attention of the Fast army.
Xiongdiao, who had achieved his goal, swaggered out of the main tent. Gupa was left behind, sighing. He hoped that this guy wouldn't cause him too much trouble tomorrow. At this time, the two people with their own plans had no idea that the development of tomorrow would be completely different from their assumptions.
Returning to his sleeping tent, Gupa angrily threw his helmet aside. "This annoying guy!" From the beginning, he had opposed annexing the Great Lake area because it would break the balance in this region, arouse the dissatisfaction of Fast, and lead to the outbreak of a great war. At that time, Fast had many outstanding generals, and the probability of their side winning was not high. However, that woman in power was not satisfied with the current territory and was determined to take over the Great Lake area. She was indeed quite resourceful and managed to subdue the duke of the Great Lake area without using a single soldier. Unfortunately, Fast reacted quickly and took the lead in seizing this area by force. Now, the situation had evolved into this.
To be honest, Gupa didn't want to be the commander - in - chief of this operation because he opposed the military action in the Great Lake area. But there was no general in Wu'an who could compete with Luo Xingyao. In order to prevent the Wu'an army from suffering heavy losses, he had agreed. However, it seemed that his choice was wrong. That woman with an extreme desire for power didn't understand his good intentions at all and even sent such a man. "Does she think the chance of victory is great? Even if most of the elite troops of the whole country are mobilized, without a general who can rival the enemy's commander - in - chief, it's very difficult to win." Gupa knew that he was old now, and it was already very good that he could fight the opponent to a draw. Since that woman had taken power, she had been keen on using political tactics and had not paid attention to discovering outstanding generals, resulting in the lack of truly capable young talents in the country who could take on important responsibilities.
At this time, Gupa suddenly noticed a thick murderous aura in the tent. Reacting instinctively, honed through countless battles, he immediately drew his precious sword. Before he could cry out, three black - clothed figures suddenly appeared in the tent. Three equally black long swords exuded a fierce murderous aura, firmly enveloping him and making him breathless. At this time, the old general, sensing extreme danger, had no time to call for help. His body spun, and the precious sword in his hand danced around him, forming a series of sword mountains, blocking the three swords that were aimed at his vital parts.
The assassins, determined to kill the old man, didn't give Gupa a chance to catch his breath. Three swords, each containing terrifying internal energy and sword qi, stabbed at him like venomous snakes from the front, back, and side. Although they hadn't reached him yet, the fierce energy cut through the air around Gupa, making the old man feel as if he was in ice - cold water. Blocking the previous three swords had already consumed most of his energy. After all, time waits for no one. Gupa couldn't gather his energy as quickly as before. Although he tried his best to resist the enemy's attacks, the sword attacking from the side still wedged into his sword net from a strange angle. A strange cold current surged in from the struck area, making him unable to complete the second half of his move. The unfortunate old man could only watch helplessly as the two long swords from the front and back stabbed into his body.
When the icy feeling enveloped Gupa's body and mind, in a blur, he heard a voice, "That's it. Take his head to see the Lion King!" "The Lion King?!" In an instant, a thought flashed through his mind: The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Perhaps this military operation was a mistake from the beginning. Before the bitter smile in his heart could fully form, endless darkness completely took over his body and mind.
In Langshan, fifty li away from Tianfeng Plain, a large army gathered. The 200,000 orc troops of the Yasu Kingdom were ready to set out. In the Yasu Kingdom, over 90% of the population belonged to the orc race. Yasu, a country founded by orcs, had always been a serious threat to the countries on the continent. As one of the three demonic races, although orcs were the lowest - level race, they were the most war - like. As long as they had the strength, they would go out to plunder. Yasu, located in the northwest of the continent, was mainly composed of four orc tribes: the Bear Tribe, the Leopard Tribe, the Lion Tribe, and the Wolf Tribe. For years, the four tribes had been constantly at war to contend for the throne and had no time to pay attention to the external environment. All this changed when Lette took power in the Lion Tribe. Under Lette's leadership, the Lion Tribe unified Yasu, and all four tribes submitted to the Lion Flag. Lette ascended the throne of Yasu and was known as Lion King Lette.
This large army was composed of the two major orc tribes, the Bear Tribe and the Leopard Tribe. There were 130,000 soldiers from the Bear Tribe, with Bu Ge, the first warrior of the tribe, as the main general. There were 70,000 soldiers from the Leopard Tribe, with Xiang Ling, a female general known as the "Three - Peerless Female General," as the main general. A military council was being held in the main tent of the camp.
As Bu Ge listened to the beautiful female general Xiang Ling's speech, his bear - like eyes lingered on her fit and alluring figure. Bu Ge, who considered himself a hero, had been pursuing Xiang Ling, which was well - known in the Yasu Kingdom. He even publicly declared, "Whoever dares to compete with me for Xiang Ling, I'll break their legs." This sentence scared off a large number of Xiang Ling's suitors. After all, Bu Ge had superb skills. Except for a few people in the country, no one was really his match.
At this time, the military council was coming to an end. Xiang Ling frowned and glared at Bu Ge, who had been staring at her, and asked, "Do you have anything else to say?"
Bu Ge quickly said, "Your order is my order. You have the final say!" After that, he also showed a smile he thought was suave.
Xiang Ling rolled her eyes at him in annoyance and scolded, "Don't try to be flattering!"
Bu Ge, who had been rebuffed, laughed foolishly a few times. The generals in the tent secretly laughed in their hearts but had to hold it in hard on the surface, pretending to be nonchalant. After all, it was not worth it to anger Bu Ge. If it were another woman, Bu Ge might have forced himself on her long ago, because the tradition of the orc race was that the strong had power. But Xiang Ling's strength was no less than his, so even if he was scolded by Xiang Ling, Bu Ge couldn't do anything about it. Gradually, Bu Ge got used to Xiang Ling's cold face. He even felt a special charm in being scolded by her. Bu Ge secretly comforted himself, "She doesn't scold others. It's said that love is shown through beating and scolding. This shows that she still has some feelings for me." With the belief of making a little progress every day, Bu Ge carried out his "pursuing Xiang Ling" plan.
Xiang Ling said coldly, "Alright! That's it. I'll deal with the Wu'an army. You're in charge of the Fast army."
Bu Ge thought for a while and said, "This isn't good. The Wu'an army has more troops. I should go. Your army is too small."
Xiang Ling pouted and said, "The combat power of our Leopard Tribe is far superior to that of your Bear Tribe. You'd better be careful of the Fast army. Their commander - in - chief is General Falling Star Luo Xingyao, known as the Beauty War God."
Bu Ge waved his thick - haired big hand and said nonchalantly, "Don't worry. Maybe she's already been killed. Besides, if she's still alive, I'd like to see how powerful this Luo Xingyao is." As he said this, Bu Ge grabbed the wine cup and drank it all in one gulp. Then he wiped his lips with the back of his hand and continued, "Beauty War God? I'll capture her and turn her into a Beauty War Slave!"
All the generals under him laughed lewdly and started flattering him one after another. Xiang Ling looked at these lecherous guys in disgust, slapped the table, and scolded coquettishly, "That's enough! Everyone, get ready to set out!"
After leaving the main tent, Bu Ge walked a few steps. Seeing that Xiang Ling, surrounded by several Leopard generals, had gone far away, he called his subordinate generals to a stop. "Well, you guys go and get ready first. I need to relax."
The rough - looking faces of the several Bear generals beside him showed understanding smiles. Bu Ge patted one of the generals on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Do a good job. You guys can also have a taste later!"
"Thank you, Lord!" Several Bear generals responded excitedly.
Bu Ge strode to a heavily - guarded leather tent. The Bear soldiers on guard immediately raised their guns to salute him. Nodding slightly, Bu Ge lifted the closed tent door and walked in. Soon, the sounds of a woman's crying, pleading, struggling, and Bu Ge's rough laughter came from inside. The Bear soldiers standing at the tent door listened enviously to the sounds inside, knowing that their general was enjoying a human beauty inside. Thinking that they would also have the opportunity to taste the taste of human women during this military operation in the Great Lake area, they couldn't wait to set out immediately.
"General, the troops are ready!" Three Bear generals entered the tent to report to their general. "Please give the order to set out!"
"Before we set out, let's have some fun first!" Bu Ge, feeling satisfied, generously let his subordinates have a taste first.
After venting their animal desires, the Bear generals left the woman, who was like a broken toy, and left the tent. They led the Bear soldiers out with high spirits. They expected more victories and to plunder more women. With such goals in mind, the 130,000 Bear soldiers set foot on an unknown journey. At this moment, they were full of confidence. The human soldiers were no match for them in their eyes, which had been clearly proven in previous plunders of the Great Lake area. Although they were facing a powerful legion this time, the orcs were also mobilizing such a large army for the first time. Thinking of the upcoming great war, the war - loving blood in the orcs began to boil. At five o'clock in the morning, Luo Xingyao began to hold a military roll - call in the tent. Liu Yimeng, who had arrived at the tent early, asked with concern about the incident last night and pleaded guilty to Luo Xingyao.
Luo Xingyao waved her hand and said, "Sister Meng, it doesn't matter. I'm fine. Thanks to..." At the thought of Long Aotian, Luo Xingyao's heart skipped a beat. After thinking all night, she had made a decision. But it was undeniable that this man with a not - so - good reputation held an extremely important place in her heart.
Liu Yimeng looked at Luo Xingyao in surprise as her pretty face suddenly turned red. She pressed, "Thanks to whom?"
Recalling her peeping behavior last night, Luo Xingyao's face was already blushing. Pushed by Liu Yimeng, she stammered, "It's... that... that is... that... Ye... Aotian..."
Luo Xingyao thought Liu Yimeng would be very angry when she heard Long Aotian's name. Unexpectedly, as soon as Liu Yimeng heard the name, her face also turned slightly red, and there was a hint of spring in her brows.
Perhaps because women in love are very sensitive, both Luo Xingyao and Liu Yimeng vaguely felt that something was strange about each other.
Luo Xingyao said in an inquiring tone, "Sister Meng, I want to promote him to a thousand - rider commander."
"Ah! That's great!" Liu Yimeng exclaimed in delight. Only when she noticed Luo Xingyao looking at her with a strange expression did she realize she had let the cat out of the bag. She quickly raised a jade - like hand to cover her cherry - like small mouth.
Luo Xingyao seemed to understand something. "Could it be that you..."
Liu Yimeng's face turned even redder. "Sister Xingyao, you..."
Luo Xingyao looked at Liu Yimeng in disbelief. After a long while, she let out a breath and said, "I never thought, we sisters... Ah..." Luo Xingyao stopped her words in time, realizing her slip - up.
Liu Yimeng, ashamed and embarrassed, didn't catch what Luo Xingyao said clearly. She summoned up her courage and said, "Sister Xingyao, don't laugh at me. I've fallen in love with him." At this point, Liu Yimeng looked up at Luo Xingyao, who was like a sister and a teacher to her. "Sister Xingyao, don't be angry! Maybe you think I'm cheap for falling in love with such a person. But actually, he's a good man, and I feel so happy!" After saying that, Liu Yimeng looked at Luo Xingyao timidly, like a child who had done something wrong.
Luo Xingyao lovingly embraced Liu Yimeng and whispered in her ear, "Silly sister, how could I be angry? I'm more than happy. Come on, tell me, does he treat you well?"
Liu Yimeng nodded vigorously.
"Have you and him already..." Luo Xingyao suddenly asked in a low voice.
Liu Yimeng nodded in understanding and whispered, "Sister Xingyao, it's so comfortable."
Luo Xingyao teased, "You're so shameless."
Liu Yimeng whispered a few more words, and the two burst into laughter. Thinking of Long Aotian holding the naked Liu Yimeng, Luo Xingyao felt a rush of heat all over her body. "If it were me..." Such a thought popped into her mind. "Ah! I'm going crazy. Why would I think like this?"
Liu Yimeng kept praising how good Long Aotian was. Luo Xingyao listened, feeling both envious and admiring, and couldn't help saying, "Yes! He is really good!"
At this time, Liu Yimeng, who had regained her usual intelligence, sensitively noticed Luo Xingyao's unusual behavior. She grinned and said, "Sister, do you also like him?"
Luo Xingyao's face flushed red. She forcefully retorted, "Who would like him?"
"Which him?" Liu Yimeng elongated the last syllable.
Luo Xingyao knew she had made a slip - up but still tried to argue. Liu Yimeng whispered in her ear, "Sister Xingyao, he's really amazing in bed! You'll definitely love him to death."
Luo Xingyao was both ashamed and angry. "You little rascal, how could you say such things?"
Just as the two were fooling around, the bugles sounded in unison, and the generals began to enter the tent. Luo Xingyao adjusted her clothes and composed herself, preparing for today's battle deployment. Liu Yimeng happily went to summon Long Aotian to the tent. Originally, this was the job of a messenger, but Liu Yimeng was so happy that she couldn't wait to see Long Aotian and tell him the good news.
When Liu Yimeng arrived at Long Aotian's tent, Long Aotian was still sleeping soundly, hugging Ayu in his arms. Only Ayu opened her beautiful eyes wide, carefully looking at the man who had possessed her body and become her master. The events of last night were vivid in her mind. Ayu still felt a faint burning pain between her legs, and her heart was filled with mixed emotions. However, she was very happy that her seal had been broken, and she was deeply grateful to Long Aotian.
As she watched, Ayu's beautiful eyes gradually filled with a thousand tender feelings and ten - thousand kinds of gratitude. For many years, she knew that she had extraordinary abilities in her body. But no matter how the people of the Dark Clan trained, they had never been able to use them. They had always been waiting for someone who could break the seal on them. Ayu was considered the most talented among her clansmen. She became a Demon Swordmaster at a young age, but compared to the abilities they inherently possessed, there was still a big difference.
Experiencing the huge energy in her body for the first time, Ayu was like a child who had obtained a long - desired toy, playing with it tirelessly. Ayu felt that she could clearly sense the situation outside the tent, the movement of people and horses. She could see everything within a radius of fifty feet around. This was the "Eagle Eye of Darkness." Ayu knew that as she continued to develop, the range would become even larger.
Suddenly, Ayu alertly "saw" a beautiful female general hurrying towards this tent. When Liu Yimeng lifted the tent door and entered the tent, she was shocked to see a beautiful naked woman leap up from the bed and look at her warily. Liu Yimeng was greatly alarmed and screamed, "Aotian!"
Long Aotian lazily got up from the bed and said, "Meng'er, what's the matter?"
Liu Yimeng was both ashamed and angry. "What's going on? Where did she come from?"
Long Aotian walked naked to Liu Yimeng. A strong masculine aura made Liu Yimeng's body go weak, and she could barely stand. Long Aotian hugged Liu Yimeng, gently nibbled on her delicate little ear, and said, "She's my newly - acquired woman. What do you think?"
Liu Yimeng leaned weakly in Long Aotian's arms and said, "Aotian, it's illegal to hide a woman in the military camp. Don't you know that?" After a pause, she said with infinite shyness, "You could come to me."
Long Aotian was deeply touched by Liu Yimeng's deep love for him. He kissed her hair deeply and said, "Silly girl, the general has approved it."
Only then did the big stone in Liu Yimeng's heart drop. She pouted her red lips and complained, "Aotian, why didn't you say so earlier?"
Long Aotian said, "You came in and started blaming me. When did I have a chance to say?"
Liu Yimeng was extremely shy and buried her head in Long Aotian's broad chest.
Long Aotian pulled Liu Yimeng to Ayu, who had a complex expression. "Come on, you two get to know each other."
After Long Aotian's introduction, Liu Yimeng generously took Ayu's hand and smiled, saying, "Sister Ayu, I'm sorry for the scene just now."
Seeing this, Ayu also put down her vigilant expression and smiled. "Miss..."
Liu Yimeng interrupted Ayu, "Sister Ayu, you're being too polite."
Long Aotian also put his arm around Ayu's slender waist and said, "You're my personal maid. Just call her Sister Meng."
Liu Yimeng happily said, "Finally, someone calls me sister. It's so nice."
Ayu felt Liu Yimeng's sincerity and gently called out, "Sister Meng!" Liu Yimeng happily responded. The two looked at each other and smiled, and the atmosphere was extremely friendly.
Seeing the harmonious relationship between the two women, Long Aotian was so excited that his blood boiled, feeling extremely proud. He reached out with both hands, one on each woman, and hugged Liu Yimeng and Ayu around the waist. Amid the two women's coquettish cries, the three of them fell onto the narrow bed.
Ayu's body was burning hot, and her infinitely charming naked body couldn't help but twist, rubbing against Long Aotian's strong body. Although Liu Yimeng was very shy about this first three - person encounter, under Long Aotian's deliberate caresses, and with the spring - filled atmosphere in the tent, her delicate body began to heat up, and her two jade - like hands couldn't help but caress Long Aotian's body.
Just as Long Aotian was about to enjoy the double pleasure with high spirits, the last bit of rationality made Liu Yimeng remember the purpose of her visit. She managed to raise her head and said, "Aotian, Sister Xingyao asked you to go to the main tent."
Hearing this, Long Aotian didn't even raise his head and said, "I'm not qualified to enter the main tent."
"You're going to be promoted to a thousand - rider commander!" Liu Yimeng's jade - like hand gently stroked Long Aotian's strong body.
"Even a thousand - rider commander isn't qualified to enter the central military tent!" Long Aotian still didn't look up. Indeed, only a ten - thousand - rider commander could attend the military council.
Liu Yimeng half - annoyed, forcefully grabbed Long Aotian's aroused part and said coquettishly, "How dare you disobey the military order."
Long Aotian let out a cry of pain and finally raised his head from Ayu's chest. On Ayu's crystal - clear and jade - like breasts, there were traces of kisses and bites everywhere.
"It hurts! Be careful, or I'll spank your cute little butt until it blooms." These words made Liu Yimeng's whole body go limp. She couldn't help but think of the wonderful feeling she had with Long Aotian yesterday. Her heart fluttered again.
Liu Yimeng tried to calm herself down and said seriously, "Aotian, Sister Xingyao summoned you for an important matter. You'd better go quickly!"
Since the military order was hard to disobey, Long Aotian could only suppress the desire in his heart. With the help of the two women, he put on his clothes. Naturally, during this period, he also took the opportunity to touch and caress the two women.