Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty-Three: Lady Tian Tian

Very soon, they returned to the General's Mansion.

The Shilong Camp, built next to the General's Mansion, was already in sight.

"Father, I will accompany Brother Xu for a walk in Shilong Camp and settle them down. I'll return shortly," Shi Yun said, clearly unable to bear to look at the woman in men's clothing for too long.

"Alright, go quickly and come back quickly!" The General responded and then led the woman in men's clothing into the mansion to set up a banquet to entertain her.

The Shilong Camp was surrounded by a tall black wall with a massive iron gate that was open. On this iron gate, two fierce stone dragons were carved, with sharp claws and fangs, looking extremely ferocious!

Shi Yun led the way, passing through neatly arranged tents. Each section of the camp was five miles apart, and within this range, there were a hundred attendants, either practicing or patrolling.

These attendants were strong and robust, full of energy and vigor, each one a peak Human Realm cultivator, a person above others, a Myriad Year Realm.

Xu Daoyan was deeply impressed, never expecting that Shilong City would have such a powerful army. To reach the Human Realm, Myriad Year, one could only be an attendant!

As they entered Shilong Camp, several thoughts exchanged, clearly from significant figures within the Shilong Guard.

"An interesting little guy, he's already made a big name for himself in Shilong City."

"No wonder General Shi made an exception to bring him into Shilong Camp. He has a bright future. To have such physical strength and character at such a young age is truly rare!"

"Those hundred attendants are a bit weak. Their talent is limited, and it will be very difficult for them to reach the Myriad Year Realm."

"That depends on this young man's abilities. Who knows, he might do something even more surprising in the future!"

Shi Yun led Xu Daoyan and the hundred elite soldiers of Fenghua to a tent numbered ninety-nine and said, "Brother Xu, from today, this tent is yours. How you train your attendants is up to you. The Shilong Guard doesn't interfere with anything. You are currently at the peak of the middle rank of the third tier. Your monthly cultivation expenses are three hundred thousand gold, and for your attendants, it's three thousand gold. How you allocate it is up to you."

Xu Daoyan drew a sharp breath. This was a huge expense. Just for the hundred attendants, it would cost three million gold, plus his own three hundred thousand, totaling three million three hundred thousand.

The cultivation expenses would increase as his strength improved.

Maintaining an elite army was not easy and required a vast amount of resources.

As he finished speaking, Shi Yun took out three million three hundred thousand gold notes and handed them to Xu Daoyan, saying, "Although I dislike Tian Yu, he has a special status, so I still need to go through the motions and entertain him. Cultivate well, and I'll come back to see you in a few days!"

"Alright." Xu Daoyan took the gold notes and watched Shi Yun leave.

"Uncle Fenghua, distribute this money among the brothers. My share can also go to them." Xu Daoyan knew Fenghua was fair and didn't worry about any issues. "I will start cultivating now."

Fenghua took the money without saying much and left Shilong Camp with his men. They indeed needed to purchase supplies to improve their strength, otherwise, they would only hold Xu Daoyan back. Everyone remembered this day.

Xu Daoyan entered the tent.

On both sides, various weapons were placed, all of high quality, but they were military property and couldn't be sold.

A long table was set up with writing materials, and a tiger-patterned armchair.

Next to it, a stone bed lay quietly, with no other mysterious elements.

Xu Daoyan sat on the stone bed, and immediately, a vast amount of spiritual energy gathered from all directions: "It's an array, which can accelerate cultivation. The treatment in the Shilong Guard is indeed excellent!"

Every pore on his body greedily absorbed the spiritual energy, refining everything within him.

Xu Daoyan knew the importance of a strong physical body, so he took out a high-quality earth spirit stone and began to temper himself, striving to transform his sandy body into a stone body as soon as possible.

Inside the General's Mansion, at the banquet.

General Shi sat at the head of the table, the woman in men's clothing at the guest seat, and Shi Yun opposite her.

They sat cross-legged, a stone table in front of them with food, and a servant girl behind each, holding wine flasks to serve them.

"From what I know, Lord Tian Yu is already in his twenties, over nine feet tall, and has long reached the Human Immortal Realm. He must have reached an even higher realm by now. You don't seem to match the legendary Lord Tian Yu," General Shi said, holding a nightlight cup with red wine, looking at the woman with a gentle smile.

"Indeed, I can't hide anything from General Shi. Tian Yu is my seventh brother. I borrowed his military order to play with. I came uninvited, please bear with me," she smiled brightly, her beautiful eyes narrowing into crescents, looking mischievous.

"I've heard that Meng Changjun has a youngest daughter, in her early teens, beautiful and wise, clever and mischievous. She has been taught by Confucian scholar Meng Ziyang and is a disciple of Gao Ziqi. Military strategist Chu Lan also loves her and has taught her 'Ten-Face Ambush' and 'Bawang Unarmored.' Even the princes of the Nine States Divine Dynasty envy her treatment..." General Shi spoke calmly, looking at her and smiling, "Am I right, Lady Tian Tian?"

"Everyone says General Shi is wise and brave, and today I see it's true. Your information is indeed accurate!" Tian Tian smiled brightly, her manners elegant, and she bowed.

You see, Shilong City is a border town, and its generals are no less capable than those in the core cities.

"Where, where. Lady Tian Tian's visit is an honor. Today's banquet is to welcome you. Stay as long as you like, and I'll pretend not to see you," General Shi smiled, the situation clear.

After a warm welcome, General Shi didn't stay long. After the banquet, he said to Shi Yun, "Lady Tian Tian, if she needs anything, you must help her these few days!"

"I don't want to. She has hands and feet; does she need me to accompany her?" Shi Yun rolled his eyes. The two thousand lashes Xu Daoyan received were all due to Tian Tian.

Initially, he thought she was on an official mission, so he was cautious. Now, knowing that the military order was stolen and everything was her own decision, he wasn't afraid anymore. He would even dare to report to Youzhou!

If he wanted to, he could also report to Meng Changjun, accusing Tian Tian of impersonating Tian Yu, spreading false military orders, and hindering military affairs. A thorough investigation would be enough to make Tian Tian suffer.

The military laws of the Nine States Divine Dynasty were extremely strict. Otherwise, Xu Daoyan wouldn't have been given two thousand lashes, and Shi Yun would have been helpless.

General Shi didn't pay much attention, walking away on his own. He saw this as a child's tantrum and didn't intervene.

"Shi Yun, you don't have to hate me so much, do you?" Tian Tian knew Shi Yun was not easy to provoke. If he reported her to Youzhou, it would be hard for her to run away again, so she didn't act too arrogantly.

"If you want me not to hate you, go apologize to my brother Xu. That will make us even. He's in tent ninety-nine. You decide what to do," Shi Yun said and turned to leave.

Tian Tian, who had never been provoked in Youzhou, was a beloved and sought-after figure. Few dared to treat her like Shi Yun, who had the audacity to speak to her this way.

"Well, it's my fault. Forget it. If I hadn't interfered, Xu Daoyan would have been better off, right?" Tian Tian felt uncomfortable but remembered how determined Xu Daoyan looked when he was being beaten. "Fine, I'll be magnanimous and go see that guy."

Outwardly, Tian Tian still pretended to be Tian Yu, and there was nowhere in Shilong City she couldn't go.

Night had fallen, and Shilong Camp was quiet.

Xu Daoyan sat on the stone bed, tempering his muscles countless times, finally reaching the peak of the sandy body, with his strength greatly increased.

He suddenly opened his eyes and said, "Who's there?"

"Who else but me?" Tian Tian entered Xu Daoyan's tent without announcing herself.

"Lord Tian Yu!" Xu Daoyan didn't dare to be disrespectful, quickly standing up and bowing. After all, he was the son of Meng Changjun, on an official mission, and offending him would be bad for Shi Yun.

"Are your wounds still painful?" Tian Tian looked at Xu Daoyan, who was bare-chested, with a bronze-colored, muscular body, his injuries long healed, leaving no scars.

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Tian Yu. I'm fine now. If there's nothing else, please leave. I need to cultivate and can't entertain you," Xu Daoyan said, focused on cultivation and not wanting to be disturbed.

"Xu Daoyan, you give me the cold shoulder as soon as I enter. Since you want to cultivate, I won't let you!" Tian Tian was unhappy but didn't say it. In Youzhou, everyone wanted her to stay, but here, she was given the cold shoulder.

"General Shi said I could pick a few Shilong Guards to protect me. Since you're healed, come with me. Put on some clothes before we leave!" Tian Tian glanced at Xu Daoyan's tattered clothes, took out a set of black brocade clothes from her spatial ring, and threw them to Xu Daoyan, then walked out of the camp on her own.

Xu Daoyan took the black brocade clothes, feeling troubled. Knowing he had no choice, he put them on, wondering what Lord Tian was up to!

Since he had joined the army, even General Shi was under Lord Tian's jurisdiction, so he had to obey. Otherwise, he might not even be able to stay in the army!