Chapter 488 - 577

The winter night was serene, and the raging cold wind had stopped its arrogance.

Li Weiqiu received reports from the scouts ahead, indicating that several enemy forces were converging toward their direction.

Li Weiqiu dared not hesitate. Upon receiving the news, he immediately headed toward the commander’s tent.

"Is the General still not awake?" Seeing Gao Zheng standing guard about twenty steps outside the tent, Li Weiqiu asked.

Gao Zheng was about to respond when a strange and suppressed crying sound suddenly came from inside the commander’s tent.

Both Gao Zheng and Li Weiqiu were taken aback.

"The Princess’s cry?!" Li Weiqiu wanted to step forward to check, but Gao Zheng, who had been with Chen Mo for a long time, immediately realized what was happening and quickly stopped Li Weiqiu, saying:

"Where’s the crying sound from? General Li, you must have misheard."

"How could it be? Such a clear crying sound, how could I..." As the words reached his mouth, Li Weiqiu belatedly realized, and his eyes widened in surprise, blurting out, "No way?"

"Shush." Gao Zheng immediately gestured for silence.

Li Weiqiu raised a thumb and said, "But I have urgent matters to discuss with the General now... When will the General be finished?"

"At least half... an hour," Gao Zheng thought for a moment and replied.

"That long?"

"Forget it, let’s not talk about that. General Li, go inform General Dai and the others to meet in your tent first. As soon as the General is available, I’ll let him know immediately," Gao Zheng suggested.

"It can’t be helped."

...

Inside the now quiet commander’s tent, the chaotic noises had ceased.

Zhao Qianyi, with beads of sweat on her forehead and cheeks flushing red, moved off Chen Mo, glaring with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance at Chen Mo’s gentle smile. Despite living a military life for over ten years, she couldn’t help but show a bit of maidenly shyness, wanting to pull the blanket over herself, only to have Chen Mo snatch it away.

"You..." Zhao Qianyi gritted her teeth.

"I didn’t look carefully before. Let me appreciate it properly now," Chen Mo said with a smile.

Zhao Qianyi’s face was crimson with embarrassment.

Chen Mo continued saying teasing words, "Qianyi, are you tired?"

He noticed Zhao Qianyi really liked to be on top.

"Still talking..." Zhao Qianyi huffed, then looked down at her left chest, gently caressing it, and asked softly, "Will it scar?"

If it was before, Zhao Qianyi wouldn’t have cared much about it.

But now, she cared a little.

"Nope. With my skill, it definitely won’t scar," Chen Mo shamelessly boasted, making Zhao Qianyi wish she could bite him hard.

"It’s so late, you’re the commander of the army. So many things happened in these few days; surely there are lots of matters for you to handle. Go and check them quickly." Being older has its advantage; she wouldn’t always cling to you but let you handle your important business first.

"What about you?" Chen Mo asked, kissing her forehead as he got dressed.

"I want to... take a bath first." Saying this, Zhao Qianyi felt a bit shy. She hadn’t bathed for several days and had just done such things with Chen Mo.

"I’ll have the attendants prepare hot water for you."

"Alright."

Zhao Qianyi gently nodded and called out to Chen Mo as he was about to leave.

"What is it?"

"Clothes..." Zhao Qianyi whispered. Her clothes were all bloody, let alone that they were torn apart by Chen Mo earlier.

But there were no women in the military camp, where could they find women’s clothes? Chen Mo paused, thought for a moment, and said, "You can wear mine for now. Later, in other cities, let’s see if we can find some suitable for you."

As he spoke, Chen Mo handed a robe and inner garment to Zhao Qianyi.

Zhao Qianyi didn’t feel embarrassed, nodded, and said, "It’ll have to do."

...

Outside the commander’s tent.

Gao Zheng immediately stepped forward and respectfully said, "General, you’re awake?"

Chen Mo nodded and then asked, "During the time I was unconscious, who came by?"

"Generals Li and Dai all came by. By the way, General, just now General Li came by again, saying he had an urgent matter for you. I let General Li gather all the generals in General Li’s tent waiting for you," Gao Zheng replied.

Chen Mo nodded in satisfaction, patting Gao Zheng on the shoulder. Now, Gao Zheng was handling things more reliably, saving him the worry.

...

Inside Li Weiqiu’s tent.

Li Weiqiu’s urgent matter to report to Chen Mo was that several armies from the Desolate Kingdom were converging toward them, seemingly preparing for a decisive battle.

Chen Mo looked at the map, and ahead of them was Ling Zhi’s remnant army, stationed twenty miles away in Sa City.

Though a remnant army, they still had nearly a hundred thousand troops. Now, in the dark night and high winds, it wasn’t favorable for their march. Even with the assistance of the Red Cannon, it was impossible to capture Sa City before dawn, and once it wasn’t captured, all enemy reinforcements would have arrived.

Therefore, a night raid on Sa City is impossible tonight.

"If I’m not mistaken, the enemy intends to launch an all-out attack on us while I’m still injured. I must say, they’re good at seizing opportunities," Chen Mo slightly smirked. No doubt, this was Yue Yuxi’s idea. After all, when he left, he was in a state of weakness, seemingly severely injured.

However, Chen Mo only suffered minor injuries. Yue Yuxi’s strike didn’t hurt him much. His appearance was mainly due to excessive consumption, and the backlash from Heart Fire and the Red Dragon Demon Arm beginning to manifest.

But after dual cultivation with Zhao Qianyi, the Qilin Heart and Phoenix Qi’s assistance allowed his injuries to fully heal, and his True Qi to recover almost completely. Without serious external injuries, as long as he rested well tonight, he could return to his peak state.

After all, ten Golden Talents are no joke.

Li Weiqiu’s expression changed, and he asked, "General, what should we do now? Should we avoid battle for now, wait until you’re fully recovered, then engage them?"

Currently, in the army, only Chen Mo is a First Grade Martial Artist, counting the Princess, only two.

Once a large-scale battle ensues, a First Grade Martial Artist could tip the scales of the battle.

After all, during a large military melee, you can’t stop the battle array from targeting First Grade Martial Artists. Only First Grade Martial Artists can face each other.

If they didn’t have one, their main commanders would be targeted by the enemy’s First Grade Martial Artists and could die on the battlefield if they’re not careful.

If the commanders fell, the army would lose command, become leaderless, and their combat effectiveness greatly reduced.

"We have the Red Cannon, don’t we? We’ve all seen its power; even Innate Martial Artists wouldn’t dare take it head-on," Dai Xishan commented.

"The Red Cannon is too cumbersome. If the enemy’s Innate Martial Artists are prepared in advance, the Red Cannon would be hard to hit," Li Weiqiu pointed out.

If the commanders fell, the army would lose command, become leaderless, and their combat effectiveness greatly reduced.

"We have the Red Cannon, don’t we? We’ve all seen its power; even Innate Martial Artists wouldn’t dare take it head-on," Dai Xishan commented.

"The Red Cannon is too cumbersome. If the enemy’s Innate Martial Artists are prepared in advance, the Red Cannon would be hard to hit," Li Weiqiu pointed out.