The grasslands were lush with green grass and fragrant wildflowers!
Everywhere you looked, it was a sea of green, brimming with vitality.
The sky seemed like a dome, covering the vast expanse!
In the July of the northern desert grasslands, the grass was beautiful yet melancholic.
On this vast grassland, the once numerous herds of cattle and sheep were nowhere to be seen, and the nomads playing the horsehead fiddle had vanished.
A war had brought the Barbarian tribes the bitter taste of conflict.
Once, they were the invaders, but now, the agony of being invaded had fallen upon them.
“Hyah!”
Warhorses galloped and neighed, a grand procession.
Oliver Sheng’s troops, laden with countless spoils and prisoners, were heading south.
With five to six million cattle and warhorses, their marching speed had significantly slowed.
On the way back, every soldier was filled with joy.
After this battle, their military merit would earn them many pills and silver.
The pills could be used for cultivation, enhancing their power, and the silver could be sent home to buy a few acres of good land, improving their family’s living conditions.
Each soldier would also receive a cow, which could be sent home to be used as farming labor.
Many soldiers were chatting and laughing, very happy and full of hope for the future.
“General, when do you think the imperial court will send our rewards for reclaiming the River West grasslands?” Wesley Hu asked eagerly.
They had reclaimed River West County, driven the Barbarians north, reached Shelechuan, and occupied the Moran grasslands south of the Sudden Desert.
The Moran grasslands were four to five times larger than the River West grasslands, so this was considered a significant expansion of territory.
With such tremendous merit, they were curious about how the imperial court would reward them.
“We’ll know when we get back. It should be soon!” Oliver Sheng also had a hint of anticipation, wondering what rewards the court would bestow.
The army, laden with spoils, slowly moved south.
“Hmm?”
Oliver Sheng raised an eyebrow, looking at the distant lakeside on the grasslands.
The small lake, like a sapphire embedded in the grasslands, was surrounded by blooming wildflowers, yellow and red flowers intermingling.
A figure in white sat by the lake, weaving a flower crown from the wildflowers.
“What’s wrong, General?” Wang Zhan asked.
Following closely beside Oliver Sheng, he naturally sensed the change in Oliver’s demeanor.
Oliver didn’t respond, and Wang Zhan followed his gaze, his expression changing instantly.
By the lakeside, wasn’t that the Martial Saint from the Dark Moon Palace?
Why was she here?!
Soon, Oliver’s subordinates also noticed the Divine Mother.
Sawyer Shangguan and Harrison Zhou ran over. “General, could she be here to cause trouble?”
Oliver shook his head. “I don’t know. Let’s go and see.”
Several subordinate generals followed Oliver, riding towards the lakeside.
“Are you waiting for me?” Oliver asked.
Looking at the Divine Mother of the Dark Moon Palace, who was sitting by the lake weaving a flower crown, she was the first Martial Saint he had encountered in this world.
She might not be able to harm him, but if she attacked his subordinates, they could be easily killed.
The Divine Mother looked up at Oliver, the breeze lifting her white hair. Her flawless beauty left Wesley Hu, Harrison Zhou, and the others in a daze.
Beautiful!
That was their first thought. She was like an ice goddess, not of this world, but a fairy from the heavens.
“Yes, I’m waiting for you. Lan Ying said you deceived me,” the Divine Mother said coldly.
After returning, Lan Ying had told her that there was no need to compensate so much, as Oliver and his men would have left the grasslands on their own.
“What, do you regret it?” Oliver became wary.
If she suddenly attacked, Wesley and the others might get hurt, killed by the power of a Martial Saint.
“No,” the Divine Mother shook her head.
She placed the flower crown on her head. “Does it look good?”
Oliver was puzzled by her actions. What was she trying to do?
Wesley and the others were completely mesmerized, staring blankly.
They had never seen such a stunning woman.
“Yes, it looks good!” Oliver nodded. She was indeed very beautiful.
But Oliver wouldn’t be swayed by her looks like Wesley and the others.
His Divine Soul, cultivated through the Visualize of Gods and Demons, was exceptionally strong, and his mind was incredibly steadfast.
“Thank you!”
“I want to go to the Central Plains with you. Lan Ying said I’ve been in seclusion for too long, and my cultivation hasn’t progressed. Maybe I need to go out and see the world to gain enlightenment and break through,” the Divine Mother said with clear eyes.
She had been taken in by her master at a young age and had rarely left the vicinity of the Dark Moon Palace. For nearly three hundred years, she had been cultivating in the palace on Tianyin Mountain.
Therefore, her nature was very pure, which was why Lan Ying said she had been deceived by Oliver.
She was inexperienced and didn’t understand the complexities of human nature.
With a Martial Saint backing the Barbarian tribes, the Wei army would inevitably retreat.
Even if the Barbarian tribes refused to compensate, Oliver couldn’t do anything to them without reaching the Martial Saint Realm himself.
And why go with Oliver? She didn’t know anyone else and had only fought with Oliver. Since Oliver was leading his army back to the Central Plains, she waited here for him.
“You want to go to the Central Plains with me?” Oliver’s expression was strange.
What was she thinking?
Weren’t they supposed to be enemies? It was already good enough that they weren’t fighting.
And now, the Divine Mother wanted to go to the Central Plains with him? Had she gone mad from cultivating on the mountain, pure as a blank sheet of paper?
“Why, can’t I?”
“You won’t suddenly attack me, will you?” Oliver asked.
The Divine Mother didn’t understand. “Why would I attack you? Didn’t we reach an agreement?”
Oliver: ……
Alright, maybe he was overthinking it. She was indeed very naive.
Just because they reached an agreement didn’t mean she couldn’t go back on it. Even signed treaties could be torn up.
“Alright then!” Oliver nodded in agreement.
After a short rest, the army continued their journey.
“Can I have a horse?” the Divine Mother asked.
“Sure.”
Oliver ordered his men to bring a white horse for the Divine Mother.
“Thank you. My name is Zixi, given by my master. What’s yours?” The Divine Mother seemed incapable of smiling, her face devoid of any emotion, cold and aloof.
“My name is Oliver Sheng,” Oliver replied.
“Oliver Sheng!”
Then, there was silence. Wesley and the others occasionally glanced at the Divine Mother.
Suddenly having an ice goddess in the army, and a Martial Saint at that, how could they suppress their curiosity?
Even if for no other reason, just looking at the Divine Mother made them feel happy. After all, everyone appreciates beauty.
As men, how could they resist looking at a peerless beauty right in front of them?
After a long while, the Divine Mother spoke. “Why are they all looking at me?”
A black line appeared on Oliver’s forehead. These guys were really not afraid of death. This was a Martial Saint. If they angered her, she could kill them with a slap.
“They admire you. There aren’t any female Martial Saints in the world,” Oliver lied.
“Oh!”
The Divine Mother then ignored them.
Wesley and the others no longer dared to steal glances, cold sweat dripping down their backs. The perception of a Martial Saint was too keen.
In the evening, the army stopped to rest again.
For dinner, they had roasted lamb. They roasted tens of thousands of sheep, the campfires blazing, and the aroma of lamb filling the air.
Oliver handed a golden roasted lamb leg to the Divine Mother. “Fairy Zixi, it’s time for dinner.”
The Divine Mother shook her head. “I don’t need ordinary food.”
She took out a pill and said, “I eat this to replenish my essence.”
Oliver silently took back the lamb leg. Alright, she was indeed a fairy who didn’t partake in earthly food. He had been too shallow.
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