Chapter Ninety: Tacit Understanding Thanks to Nine Mountain Mystic Purity, Xiang Yao, Jueze Daoist, One Person, and Quantum Information Entity.

Soon I will introduce you to several of my most capable deputies. They are all personal guards of the Xiao clan, so their character should be beyond question. If you have any plans, you may tell me first.

Hongyu Xiao still retained a little of the original owner's memories. From those memories, he understood that this military camp in the northwest was, in truth, the original owner's private army. These deputies had once been brothers who had fought and bled beside him.

By that measure, the original owner had indeed been a man of real ability—only his fate had been too poor, and he had died too soon.

"Brother Xiao, what is the camp most in need of right now?" Wang Keyue asked, though she already knew the answer.

"Winter grain and clothing. Little Moon... senior, do you have a way?" Hongyu Xiao looked at the old man before him, who carried himself with the air of an immortal, and found himself unable to call him by the name Little Moon.

"Ah! General Xiao, remember this well: this old man is now the one-hundred-and-twentieth generation successor of the Maoshan Taoist tradition, and this venerable elder is skilled in the art of boundless concealment!" With that, she winked at Hongyu Xiao, who could only roll his eyes in response. It was simply unbearable to look at—truly eye-searing.

Still, he had taken Wang Keyue's earlier words to heart, and more or less understood the girl's intentions. Though the method seemed somewhat immature and rough, with him covering for her from the side, there was no fear she might make a mistake.

At that moment, an announcement came from outside, cutting off their conversation. Hongyu Xiao shot Wang Keyue a look that said, "I understand," then straightened his posture and expression and had them brought in.

Three men entered. The one leading them had been the burly bearded giant who had blocked the pair outside the camp gate. So this man was also a deputy commander—truly, one could not judge a book by its cover.

The second man looked rather ordinary, plain and proper, around his forties, with a rigid and severe expression. At a glance one could tell he was conscientious and exacting, especially from the way he looked at Wang Keyue—with scrutiny and disdain.

Wang Keyue considered her disguise nearly flawless, so what exactly was this man scorning?

The last man entered more slowly. By the time the first two had finished bowing to Hongyu Xiao and taken their seats below, the third had only just arrived.

He was quite handsome, with the mildness and courtesy of a scholar in his brows and eyes, while his bronzed skin lent him a touch of the unruly sharpness of a martial man. The two contradictory temperaments on his body did not clash; instead, they complemented each other and made him seem all the more distinctive. Wang Keyue could not help looking at him a few more times.

Those few extra glances were, by strange coincidence, caught by Hongyu Xiao at her side. For some reason, a trace of irritation rose in him. This boy was not even half as handsome as he was, except that his bronzed skin made him stand out a little.

Hongyu Xiao glanced at his own skin. Although he had spent two days under the sun while riding earlier, the original body's skin would only redden in sunlight; it would not tan.

"During the days I was away from the army, what major matters have arisen in camp? Deputy Commander Li, you speak first." Relying on the original body's memories, Hongyu Xiao began his usual questioning.

"Reporting to the general: the Qianghu have lately been entering our territory with increasing frequency. Each time, they have been intercepted and wiped out by our Xiao clan's personal troops. However, a portion still manages to slip in secretly. It is said their commander is the Qianghu tribe's number one warrior, and this subordinate fears..." Deputy Commander Li, the bearded man, said.

When Hongyu Xiao heard this, he waved a hand to stop him, and the bearded deputy fell silent at once, waiting for his leader's rebuke.

"Hah! Is that all you've got? Some so-called number one warrior? He has already been cut down by me!" Hongyu Xiao narrowed his eyes, his tone icy.

The three men below immediately looked up at their commander with shining eyes, filled with admiration and curiosity.

Their leader had truly grown more and more domineering. How had they not noticed it before? In the past, their leader had indeed been ruthless, but that ruthlessness had only been a kind of surface display. Anyone could put on an act.

But now, after only a few months apart, had their leader encountered some sort of ordeal? How could he radiate such terrifyingly overbearing aura from the very marrow of his bones? Cough, cough—overbearing... tyrannical aura!

The three exchanged looks. They had each commanded different units before, and friction, rivalry, and conflict among them had been inevitable. Yet at this moment, they had developed an unprecedented understanding.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, according to the spies within the Great Qin court, the current emperor has suddenly fallen ill and has not attended court for several days. At present, the crown prince, only eight years old, is handling state affairs in his stead." The speaker was the deputy with the stiff face.

"Deputy Commander Fang, do not startle the snake. Send more people to investigate carefully. A man in his thirties does not die so easily—wouldn't that be doing him too much of a favor?" Hongyu Xiao had no reverence for such things and said exactly what he thought. After all, the persona he was currently playing was that of a male supporting villain: fearless of heaven or earth, ruthless and venomous, with a scheming and malicious heart.

Wang Keyue shot a sidelong glance at the man beside her, who was almost completely melting into his role and growing increasingly unrestrained, and felt somewhat speechless. "Ahem." She merely coughed twice in feigned fashion, intending to remind Hongyu Xiao to beware of ears through the walls.

Hongyu Xiao had still wanted to say something even more overwhelmingly domineering, but she cut him off and he swallowed it back down. To cover his embarrassment, he picked up the teacup beside him and took a couple of light sips.