Chapter 14: The Backbone of Great Yan

A Heavenly Secrets Pavilion disciple sped through the mountain forest.

He had just been making his routine patrol of the surrounding area, searching for any new intelligence.

Suddenly, he heard a tremendous roar coming from ahead. If he remembered correctly, that was where Starfall Lake was located.

Passing through the dense forest, his field of vision suddenly opened up.

"This... this..." The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion disciple stared ahead in shock.

The vast waters of Starfall Lake churned restlessly. Countless broken walls, rubble, and chunks of earth fell from the sky, crashing into the water.

And further away, a shattered island had appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the lake.

He could clearly see that on the ruined island's collapsed buildings, a plaque swayed precariously, ready to fall at any moment.

On the plaque, three blood-red characters were clearly inscribed.

Blood Cloud Tower!

Nearby, on the island completely submerged in the lake water, there was a protruding stone monument with extremely large characters carved on it.

Enforcing Justice for Heaven!

Next to it were two smaller characters, seemingly a signature, that read...

Yama!

"This is huge! Blood Cloud Tower has actually been destroyed!!!" The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion disciple couldn't help but cry out, then quickly turned to leave.

He needed to pass this intelligence up as quickly as possible to exchange for contribution points.

On Qingyan Mountain.

Xiao Tian had already mastered the ability to fly, bringing Zhong Ling down to land slowly.

After their outing, it was already approaching dusk.

As Zhong Ling landed, the Mountain Guardian Talisman on her body finally couldn't withstand any more and completely crumbled away.

"Come on, let's go home for dinner!" Xiao Tian waved his hand forward grandly, his face full of cheer.

His life as a prince was secure.

The bastards at Blood Cloud Tower who coveted the Great Yan Dynasty and forced him to take action had finally been destroyed.

"I wonder how many innocent people were saved because of me," Xiao Tian muttered as he walked along the mountain path, heading back.

His mood seemed exceptionally good.

Zhong Ling collected herself and obediently followed behind Xiao Tian, but she was very curious. "Prince, what did you mean by signing your name as Yama earlier?"

"A code name I used back in my homeland, nothing special." Xiao Tian answered casually, his demeanor relaxed.

"A code name? Does it have any special meaning?" Zhong Ling still didn't understand.

"In my homeland, there's a saying." Xiao Tian walked ahead with his back to Zhong Ling, but the words from his mouth made her blood run cold.

"If Yama decrees you die at midnight, who dares let you live until dawn?"

At this, Xiao Tian's footsteps suddenly stopped. He turned his head slightly, looking at Zhong Ling with cold indifference.

Zhong Ling felt as if she'd fallen into an ice cellar, her entire body freezing cold. She immediately stiffened in place.

"When we get back, don't speak carelessly. Understood?"

Zhong Ling shuddered, snapped her legs together, and quickly responded loudly, "Yes!"

"Good. Little children should obediently listen to adults." Xiao Tian's expression immediately softened as he reached out and ruffled Zhong Ling's hair.

Afterward, Xiao Tian clasped his hands behind his back and continued on his way at a leisurely pace, completely acting like a lord.

Zhong Ling reached up to fix her disheveled hair, pouting as she muttered, "I'm not that small..."

"Fine, you're very big." A teasing voice drifted back from ahead.

"..." Only then did Zhong Ling remember that the prince was a monster who could even hear the flow of blood in others.

Sticking out her tongue, Zhong Ling blushed and hurried to catch up.

After walking for a while, Xiao Tian led Zhong Ling back to their original temporary camp.

The group of female imperial guards had already packed everything up and sat quietly waiting.

When Xiao Tian and Zhong Ling returned, they immediately stood up and looked over.

"Found it, that was close! This is a token of love—if I'd lost it, I couldn't bear Her Majesty's wrath." Xiao Tian patted his chest with a look of lingering fear.

Beside him, Zhong Ling silently watched Xiao Tian's performance, his face showing no flush or breathlessness, giving no sign that he was spouting nonsense.

"Alright, let's go home for dinner!" Xiao Tian once again gave orders to the female imperial guards, taking the lead toward the path out of the mountains.

The other female guards quickly followed, surrounding Xiao Tian to prevent any accidents.

"This prince is too reckless." The female imperial guard commander walked behind, frowning as she looked at Xiao Tian's back. "Who knows if those Blood Cloud Tower scum still have accomplices nearby."

"Young General, forgive me for speaking out of turn, but you two running off like that earlier was too impulsive."

Sweat beaded on Zhong Ling's forehead as she carefully spoke up. "Sister Liu, nothing happened, so let's not talk about it anymore."

"Young General, I'm also a veteran under the General's command. I watched you grow up, so don't mind my nagging." The female guard commander shook her head. "You're not usually like this. Why did you go along with the prince's recklessness today?"

"Those beasts from Blood Cloud Tower have always acted without restraint. I don't care if something happens to the prince, but if anything happened to you, I'd have no way to explain it to your mother."

Zhong Ling swallowed. She really wanted to beg her to stop talking.

The prince could hear everything!

This Liu Yan had followed her mother into battle when she was young, earning considerable merit.

Zhong Ling was very close to Liu Yan. She was genuinely afraid that something she said would touch Xiao Tian's sore spot, and he'd suddenly slap her dead with a backhand.

However, Zhong Ling suddenly noticed that Liu Yan's hand gripping her waist sword was clenched extremely tight.

"..." Zhong Ling seemed to realize something and said softly, "Sister Liu, you... because we encountered Blood Cloud Tower assassins, you thought of him, didn't you?"

Liu Yan said nothing, her gaze somewhat gloomy. After a long while, she nodded lightly.

Zhong Ling took a deep breath and slowly spoke.

"Sister Liu, your fiancé was a hero. If he hadn't held off the Blood Cloud Tower assassins alone, the common people in that town would probably have been massacred."

"I heard Mother say that when Sister Liu led the troops to provide reinforcement, the blood-soaked man at the town entrance had already stopped breathing, yet he still stood there firmly."

"Even Her Majesty said he was the backbone of Great Yan!"

"Ah..." Liu Yan sighed, tears streaming down her face even as she wore a proud smile. "Young General, why are you suddenly bringing this up?"

"No reason..." Zhong Ling walked to Liu Yan's side, gently patting her back as she raised her head to silently gaze at the figure ahead.

She said these things only to let one person know the reason for Liu Yan's earlier emotional outburst.

At the same time, the female guards walking ahead beside Xiao Tian suddenly noticed that the prince was smiling very happily.

It seemed like something joyful had happened.

"Prince, is there some good news?" A young female guard nearby couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Hm?" Hearing the question, Xiao Tian casually glanced back at Liu Yan behind him, a smile playing at his lips. "I just feel like I did something very meaningful earlier."

"So, rest in peace..."

The female guards protecting Xiao Tian exchanged confused glances.

Why couldn't they quite understand what the prince was saying?