Commander’s Tent.
Dongfang Liuli slowly put down a letter from the Alliance Leader of the Shizong Alliance, her beautiful eyes turning to Meng Qingzhou, who sat upright like a pine tree, meticulously wiping his Cicada Song sword with silk.
“The Alliance Leader Hai Lantian received my declaration of war and replied, outlining the stakes of this battle. At the end, he added a suggestion: let the forces above the Morning Glow Realm from both sides engage in a duel to determine the victor.”
“Hai Lantian seems unwilling to cause unnecessary bloodshed and the tragic deaths of innocent soldiers. Thus, he proposes a strategic duel between the high-level forces, with the winner taking all resources, including the opponent’s territory and people.”
“But there is one condition: the winner must not harm the civilians and must treat them equally…”
Meng Qingzhou frowned in thought.
He didn’t believe Hai Lantian was a simple good person. How could a pure-hearted man secure the position of Alliance Leader of the Shizong Alliance, which was composed of hundreds of factions?
“Don’t trust it completely.” Meng Qingzhou analyzed calmly after some thought:
“Hai Lantian has three main objectives with this move.”
“First, Great Jin severely lacks high-end combat power. Above the Morning Glow Realm, there are only you, me, perhaps the Guardian Beast, Wang Xianjia, and Li Guanyan. From Hai Lantian’s perspective, the odds of winning are very high.”
“Second, the Shizong Alliance is internally divided, with each faction scheming against the others. Even in the face of a great war, they are likely calculating their own interests. A fair duel would force them to unite under the banner of righteousness, quickly forming a cohesive force.”
“Third, Hai Lantian seems aware that a hidden force is stirring up trouble behind the Wilderness. He doesn’t want the war to drag on, allowing others to benefit from the chaos.”
A brief letter, no more than a hundred words, contained so much meaning.
Su Qingqiu, who was pretending to be a maid, silently marveled.
Even Wu Die, playing the mute girl, couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up. As expected of the Empress’ Husband, skilled in both literature and martial arts, with such a sharp mind.
Dongfang Liuli frowned and said, “So, Hai Lantian harbors ill intentions. This invitation is disadvantageous to us?”
From any angle, the duel offers no benefits to Great Jin but many advantages to the Shizong Alliance.
However, Dongfang Liuli thought of Prime Minister Jiang Canghai, far away in the Western Buddhist Kingdom.
A million-strong army was trapped, facing imminent disaster.
Jiang Canghai, with his wisdom, must have already figured out the reasons behind their siege without slaughter. It was all to force the Empress to make a choice.
Either sacrifice the million-strong army and the Prime Minister, or take a slim chance at victory with a blitzkrieg to end the chaos, despite the risk of national ruin if they fail.
Given Jiang Canghai’s character, he would surely sacrifice himself, perishing together with the Buddhist Kingdom.
Therefore, the Shizong Alliance must be dealt with quickly!
A duel is undoubtedly the best choice, but also the worst…
Moreover, Dongfang Liuli’s days were numbered, her health deteriorating daily, although her strength continued to grow.
“It’s not entirely disadvantageous. Hai Lantian couldn’t have predicted that I am invincible below the Sky-Reaching Realm.”
Meng Qingzhou stood up, facing north, his voice calm yet filled with dominance:
“We accept the duel.”
“In this battle, the Space-Time Sword Saint alone is enough for Great Jin!”
“Your Majesty, let me present you with a grand gift, wrapping up the Shizong Alliance as an early celebration for your fourth anniversary on the throne.”
Hearing this, Dongfang Liuli immediately objected firmly, “No! Qingzhou, I know you’re strong, but the Shizong Alliance has thousands of years of heritage. Who knows how many Morning Glow Realm experts they have, or how many are half-step Sky-Reaching? You might win one or two battles, but what about a hundred or a thousand? The sheer exhaustion from their endless attacks could defeat you. I won’t allow it!”
“In this battle, I will go with you. We will face it together!”
With that, Dongfang Liuli, fearing Meng Qingzhou’s stubbornness, quickly wrote a reply and handed it to Su Qingqiu, who was playing the mute maid. “Give this to the Shizong Alliance’s envoy! Hurry.”
Su Qingqiu nodded silently, holding the letter, her heart pounding as she brushed past Meng Qingzhou.
“Familiar scent.” Meng Qingzhou turned his head, a faint, ambiguous smile on his lips.
Silly girl, spraying such a strong perfume, thinking the Master wouldn’t notice.
The naive fairy truly lived up to her nickname, not as clever as Liuli.
Dongfang Liuli knew how to use great divine powers to mask her scent, change her voice, and alter all her behaviors.
Wu Die must be here too, and that foolish dog, is it here as well?
Meng Qingzhou’s Sword Sense quietly extended, finally detecting a hidden but immensely ancient aura in an empty tent.
As expected, Big Yellow Dog had followed.
“Very well, then let me and Your Majesty face the gods and demons of the heavens together.” Meng Qingzhou said with a calm smile.
Dongfang Liuli finally breathed a sigh of relief, secretly patting her chest in relief, “It’s settled then.”
“Everyone else, leave. Meng Qin, stay and guard. I need to cultivate.”
Wu Die and the other maids bowed slightly and left the tent.
For a moment, only Meng Qingzhou and the Empress remained in the commander’s tent, facing each other, less than three meters apart.
One sat cross-legged, eyes closed in cultivation, while the other wiped his sword, quietly probing the entire camp.
Meng Qingzhou exhaled, still unable to fully process everything even after three or four days.
Since becoming the Empress’ personal guard, he no longer resisted this so-called evil female antagonist and began to view her normally.
Gradually, he noticed something odd, not because Dongfang Liuli slipped up or showed any obvious flaws.
But from the little details in daily life, like her tone of voice, which was exactly like his wife’s!
And the Empress’ unconditional trust, a sincere trust he had only felt from his wife.
Three days ago, he finally mustered the courage to test his theory.
At that time, he asked the Empress why she wasn’t curious about how he had risen from an unknown soldier to a renowned Sword Saint in just three years.
The Empress’ answer was: not curious.
Recalling this, Meng Qingzhou couldn’t help but laugh, shaking his head slightly.
“Silly wife, you might have gotten used to it and let your guard down, forgetting that the only one who knew Meng Qingzhou was a mere mortal three years ago was the chivalrous girl in the mountain temple on that rainy night.”
“What did I do to deserve marrying you? It is my greatest fortune in three lifetimes.”
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