Chapter 16

"Poison Wolf" Brian is an elegant man, at least he considers himself to be one. The first quality an elegant person needs to possess is to maintain elegance in everything they do, no matter how dirty or vulgar the task may be. Only by doing so can one truly become an elegant person; otherwise, they are merely an elegant shell.

Brian is very satisfied with his current life. As a direct descendant of the Lance family and a noble of the Auckland Empire, he has an inexhaustible fortune and an army ready to fight and die for him. His father is the military chief of the family, and his younger brother is a vanguard in the army. He goes to war elegantly, pillaging and plundering, and in his free time, he attends banquets with other noble young men and women, sharing insights on how to be an elegant and spoiled aristocrat. It's a truly comfortable life.

Despite his father, Wolf, always being resentful that Brian did not become the head of the Lance family, Brian himself has little attachment to the matter. In his view, becoming the head of the family means having to consider too many things. Maintaining elegance in that position is too difficult, and sometimes, to balance various interests, one must sacrifice their elegance. So, he leaves such matters to Trevor, as the title of family head is just a nominal position.

The only thing Brian is dissatisfied with in his current life is his nickname, "Poison Wolf." It sounds terrible. Compared to his younger brother Chris, the "Silver Wolf," which has a graceful ring to it, what's so special about "Poison Wolf"? Just because he burned and looted a few villages in the Qingyang territory, killed a few civilians, and maintained an elegant demeanor while doing so, how did he become "poisonous"? He can't understand the thoughts and aesthetics of the common people.

The elegant Lord Poison Wolf sat in a luxurious chair, calmly opening the military reports sent from the front lines. The first one reported the discovery of a rich iron mine in a region bordering the Qingyang territory. This was good news. If developed, it would not only secure weapons for the Lance Province army but also bring significant benefits from the royal family if reported to the empire.

The second report stated that the Qingyang territory also had its eyes on the iron mine. To incorporate this area into their territory, they had squeezed out two thousand elite soldiers from the already tight front lines, led by the lord of Qingyang, Zhao Zheng. The Lance Province had also dispatched two thousand troops, led by his father, Wolf, with his younger brother Chris as the vanguard.

There was nothing wrong with this report. Brian smiled lightly. Zhao Zheng was indeed a talent, but why hadn't he noticed his military prowess before? Now, his reputation even surpasses his own and is almost on par with his father, Wolf. However, in such a straightforward and brutal confrontation, no matter how capable Zhao Zheng is, he would be no match for Chris. Compared to Wolf, Zhao Zheng is still too inexperienced and not seasoned enough.

The third report, Brian elegantly took a sip of the tea beside him and opened the third and final one, which was also the most recent. In his view, this report should have been a victory bulletin, detailing how the Lance Province army had driven back the Qingyang army, the number of enemies killed, captured, and the commanders slain. However, after reading just a few lines, Brian's expression changed. He stood up abruptly, not even reacting to the teacup shattering on the ground.

"General! What's the matter?" The guard, who rushed in at the sound of the shattered teacup, saw a Brian very different from his usual elegant self—pale and sweating. Brian seemed not to hear the guard's question and instead asked, "When was the latest military report delivered? Who delivered it? Was their identity verified? What happened to that person afterward?"

Without a pause, the guard, who was clearly not an ordinary soldier, immediately replied, "Report, General. The military report was delivered in the evening, but it wasn't delivered by a person. It was our trained flower-crested jay. The markings on the jay confirm it is from the Lance Province. The jay is still in the camp."

After hearing the guard's response, Brian's gaze returned to the military report in his hand. It read in Auckland language: "Today, our army faced off against the Qingyang army at the border. Suddenly, a young man from Tianhua appeared between the two armies. This young man was incredibly strong and skilled in martial arts. After appearing, he began to attack our army, killing dozens of soldiers. He then confronted the vanguard, Chris. Chris was no match and was killed by the young man. The Qingyang army then charged, causing our front lines to collapse and our rear lines to fall into chaos. General Wolf ordered a retreat. In this battle, we lost hundreds of soldiers and had nearly a thousand captured."

"Chris!"

Brian clutched the paper tightly, muttering his brother's name. His face grew paler, and his eyes turned red. He never imagined that the experienced Chris would be killed by a young man whose name wasn't even mentioned in the report. This was a great disgrace for the Silver Wolf. Although he had no particular feelings about losing territory, suffering defeat, and the loss and capture of so many soldiers, his brother's death made him lose his usual elegance.

"Revenge! Yes, I must take revenge for Chris! No matter who killed him, I will make that person suffer! You, go and release the flower-crested jay that delivered the military report and add a reply. The content of the reply should inquire about the identity of the young man from Tianhua who killed Chris. Gather all the information about that person, and if possible, get a portrait. I will investigate, and I will find out everything about him, not just him, but his entire family will pay for Chris's death!"

With red eyes, Brian gritted his teeth and issued the order. The guard, clearly afraid of Brian's current state, which was very different from his usual elegant demeanor, immediately turned and left the tent to carry out the order. Inside the tent, Brian gradually regained his composure and his usual elegance, but the murderous intent in his eyes could not be concealed.

"Whoever you are, I will make you know that when the Poison Wolf is enraged, blood will flow for a thousand miles!"