You Are Destined to Be a Master

With all orders given, the great army was ready to march.

However, the people around were all puzzled. They didn't understand why a mere Ye Fan was worth Ren Tianye making such a massive commotion, even abandoning the defense of Yunji City just to hunt him down.

Only Ren Tianye himself understood.

Yunji City would not be lost, and even if it were, he would still have a chance to make a comeback. But if Ye Fan escaped and returned for revenge later, he would be in massive trouble.

After all, this kind of person could summon a thawing river or a meteor strike at any moment; there was simply no reasoning with him.

Soon, the army was fully assembled.

Just as they were about to set off, Su Jin appeared out of nowhere and dropped to her knees before Ren Tianye's horse with a heavy thud. "Great General, my second sister has committed such a grave mistake, and our Su Manor cannot escape the blame."

"I only hope the Great General can give our Su Manor a chance and allow me to accompany you in pursuit of my second sister."

Su Jin spoke with earnest sincerity.

Ren Tianye frowned slightly.

A marching army would not easily bring women along, especially since this was a forced march. However... this involved Ye Fan!

What if Ye Fan ran away?

What if he ran to a place where he couldn't be hunted down?

If Su Jin was there, she might be able to find Su Xiu, giving them an extra option.

He then said, "Wang Ming!"

"Your subordinate is here."

"I order you to take a hundred men and travel with Su Jin. You may move freely, but you must stay near the main army. As soon as you discover any trace of Ye Fan or Su Xiu, you must report back immediately."

"Yes, sir!"

Having finished his orders, Ren Tianye waved his large hand.

The grand army of over three thousand men immediately marched out of Yunji City in a mighty procession, heading straight for Qiniu Town!

...

When the morning light broke brightly and a touch of red painted the horizon, Ye Fan's group caught sight of Qiniu Town, and a smile appeared on Su Xiu's face.

Once they reached Qiniu Town, they would be safe, wouldn't they?

With her Brother Ye Fan and his master, they could finally be safe and sound.

Looking up, however, she saw that people had already come out to receive them in the distance. But it wasn't just a hundred or so people; it was a dense crowd of thousands.

As they drew closer, the sight became clearer.

A look of astonishment appeared on Su Xiu's face.

Those thousands of men were all burly and robust. At a glance, they were clearly not to be trifled with, looking more like well-trained soldiers.

"Brother Ye Fan, wh-why are there so many people?"

"Hahaha..." Ye Fan laughed heartily. "These are the three thousand soldiers I have stationed in Qiniu Town. All of them were personally trained by my master, and every single one is an elite."

"Even compared to the former Chifeng Army, they are not inferior in the slightest!"

Three thousand soldiers?

Su Xiu was somewhat shocked.

Ever since taking a beating in Yunji City, she had gradually developed a concept of heavy military power, knowing that if one had troops under their command, they could run rampant without restraint, just like Ren Tianye.

However, she never expected that her Brother Ye Fan also had a heavy army stationed in Qiniu Town!

Three thousand men!

And all of them elites.

It was just that...

Looking closely, she felt a bit bewildered. "Brother Ye Fan, why aren't any of them wearing armor or holding weapons?"

"Shouldn't soldiers be clad in heavy armor and wielding long weapons?"

This was Su Xiu's stereotyped impression.

She used the image of the soldiers in Yunji City as the universal standard for evaluating all troops.

But facing this question, the smile on Ye Fan's lips became even harder to suppress. "Sister Xiu, this is exactly where my brilliance lies."

"There are three thousand soldiers stationed in Qiniu Town, yet no weapons or armor are distributed to them. Their drills consist of moving goods and organizing granaries. This way, the eight hundred thousand shi of grain I have hidden in Qiniu Town is perfectly concealed from the public eye!"

Su Xiu's eyes lit up, and she said with admiration, "Brother Ye Fan, you're amazing!"

Ye Fan smiled and didn't reply.

But the expression on his face already showed his smugness.

Walking a few more steps, a person stepped out of the formation not far away and walked over. It was an old man with completely white hair and beard, his face covered in wrinkles, yet he was hale and hearty. His eyes flashed like lightning, and hanging on his horse was a pair of drum-like golden hammers that looked incredibly heavy.

"It's my master, Xiang Gui!"

After Ye Fan whispered the reminder, he led Su Xiu forward to greet him.

"Master, how could I dare trouble you to come and receive me personally?"

Xiang Gui rolled his eyes at Ye Fan. "Hmph, you sneaked off to that dangerous place, Yunji City, behind my back. How could I be at ease?"

"If you hadn't returned today, I would have damn well slaughtered my way into Yunji City. I'd like to ask the defending general of Yunji City just how much nerve he has to dare block my disciple!"

"Is he tired of living?"

"Or is his entire extended family tired of living?"

Ye Fan quickly smiled apologetically. "Master, look, aren't I perfectly fine? Besides..."

"I also rescued Xiu."

"Xiu, quickly greet Master."

Facing Ye Fan's master, Su Xiu felt a wave of nervousness, much like a new bride meeting her husband's elders. She was quite shy, but she tried hard to suppress her emotions and present a poised and elegant demeanor.

"Xiu greets Master."

"You are Su Xiu?" Xiang Gui's face showed no expression; instead, it was somewhat cold. "You do have some beauty. I suppose I can't blame my disciple for being infatuated with you."

"Master, you flatter me. Xiu has but an ordinary appearance. It is my blessing to receive Brother Ye Fan's favor."

"At least you have some self-awareness and know you aren't worthy of my disciple!" As Xiang Gui spoke, he stepped closer to Su Xiu.

Just as Su Xiu was wondering what Xiang Gui was about to do, she saw a hand reach out, and immediately after...

A loud slap echoed.

It struck directly across Su Xiu's face.

Su Xiu stumbled and was slapped right off her horse. Her face burned with a fiery pain, and she was left utterly bewildered.

Reaching up to cover her face, tears welled in her eyes as she said in astonishment, "Master, y-you..."

"Hmph! You shameless wench! Seducing my disciple into braving a perilous place for your sake, what do you think you are?"

"How dare you make my disciple take such risks?"

"A single strand of his hair is ten thousand times more important than you, do you know that?"

As if his anger still couldn't be quelled, Xiang Gui's chest heaved as he furiously scolded, "My disciple's life is more precious than heaven and earth. It's a good thing nothing went wrong today."

"Otherwise, you, your Su family, the entire Yunji City, and even the entire Northern Frontier would all be buried alongside my disciple!"

His voice rolled like thunder, echoing for three thousand miles.

It shocked Su Xiu's mind into a complete blank.

Ye Fan hurriedly dismounted and softly comforted Su Xiu, "Xiu, don't take offense. I am Master's lifeblood. He cannot allow me to suffer even the slightest harm, which is why he acted this way."

"Don't take it to heart."

"Once I have a good talk with him, I believe my master won't make things difficult. After all, he dotes on me. As long as I pester him enough about what I want to do, he will definitely agree."

Su Xiu sobbed and didn't answer. She only felt a surge of grievance in her heart, like a surging river that could not be dispelled.

She had been pampered since childhood, raised as a delicate princess, and had never suffered the slightest grievance. When her father was alive, he couldn't bear to lay a finger on her, and after his passing, her second uncle had also doted on her greatly.

But in these short few days, she had first been hung on the city wall by Ren Tianye, put on display for the whole city to see like a brothel woman, leaving her disheartened and in despair.

She had finally waited for her beloved Brother Ye Fan to arrive. They were meant to be deeply in love and stay by each other's side for a lifetime. Yet, she had merely gone to meet Ye Fan's master, and upon their very first encounter, she was greeted with quite a generous gift.

That slap was vicious and heavy. In a split second, agonizing pain coursed through her entire body, making her wish for death in that very moment!

But what exactly had she done wrong?

All she wanted was her love. Why must the heavens toy with her so cruelly, refusing to grant her a life of peace and stability?!

...