Inside the tent, Han Yue poked her head out from the bedding with sleepy eyes. To be fair, the girl had quite striking features.
True to her name, Han Yue was a great beauty. Just waking up, she gave a yawn and muttered to herself:
"Does this Lin Chong have any tact at all? Disturbing my sleep every single morning. Once I get up, I'll make you a squad leader!"
Indeed, Leader Han possessed formidable combat strength and administrative skill, with only one terrible habit: she loved to sleep. Yet Lin Chong, constantly trying to impress her, kept waking Han Yue up. That was how he had been demoted from general to platoon leader, and then down to corporal, completely oblivious as to why.
Only after finishing her muttering did Han Yue quickly dress and adjust her armor. Before long, a dashing beauty of fine appearance emerged. She was tall and stunning, except for one thing—her chest seemed rather flat, not the least bit proud.
Once dressed, she turned her back to the tent flap and said coldly:
"Come in."
Outside, upon hearing this, Lin Chong hurriedly pulled Li Lanhao into the tent. Li Lanhao felt a bit dazed. Who would have thought the military leader was a woman? And her voice was quite pleasant, too!
Li Lanhao followed Lin Chong into the tent and caught sight of a perfect high ponytail from behind. The woman was about the same height as Lin Chong, the top of her head reaching around Li Lanhao's eyes and brows.
Li Lanhao cupped his fists in salute and said, "Greetings, Leader Han." Meanwhile, Lin Chong ducked behind Li Lanhao the moment he stepped inside and kept quiet, making it clear that he was somewhat afraid of Han Yue.
Hearing a strange man's voice that was both youthful and robust, Han Yue's mind went blank for a moment as she pondered and turned around to look.
Thump, thump-thump.
The moment Han Yue saw Li Lanhao clearly, her heart fluttered for some reason, sending ripples across her calm, twenty-six-year-old heart.
As someone in the military, Han Yue had seen countless men, but the Black Flag Army under her command was mostly made up of middle-aged uncles in their forties. Now, a youth handsome enough to take one's breath away had arrived, and Han Yue could not help but feel a strange stirring in her heart.
Li Lanhao felt a bit embarrassed under Han Yue's gaze; after all, he was a twenty-year-old youth who could not handle a beauty looking him up and down.
"Ahem, ahem, Leader Han."
Li Lanhao coughed twice and spoke up. Beside him, Lin Chong also felt that Han Yue staring continuously at Li Lanhao compromised her dignity. Stepping out from behind Li Lanhao, Lin Chong spoke:
"Leader, I've asked around. Brother Lanhao crossed deep into the Snowy Wasteland all by himself. Your subordinate believes he might know something about that red pillar of light from over a month ago..."
Han Yue had been staring blankly at Li Lanhao, and Lin Chong's sudden appearance gave her a slight start, making her think she had seen a ghost in broad daylight.
"Lin Chong, sneaking around playing ghost in broad daylight—demoted to squad leader as of today. Dismissed."
Lin Chong's eyes went wide round. How on earth did he get demoted again?! Li Lanhao found it somewhat amusing, but since Brother Chong had been demoted on his account, he quickly offered an explanation:
"Leader Han, it was I who rudely disturbed you. Please don't make things difficult for Brother Chong."
Upon hearing this, Han Yue thought it made complete sense. Besides, if she let this indescribably handsome man think she was petty over such a small matter, wouldn't her image be completely ruined? Moreover, this young man walking out of the Snowy Wasteland alone commanded even greater admiration and fascination. No matter what, she had to keep him in the army today.
"I certainly must save face for Brother Lanhao. Come, come, sit inside."
Han Yue gestured for Li Lanhao to be seated, the dashing demeanor of a leader completely vanishing. At this, Lin Chong was dumbfounded. That wasn't right! Usually Leader Han was aloof and cold; she had never been this enthusiastic before. Had the sun risen in the west?
Li Lanhao stood on ceremony no longer. He took two steps forward, just about to find a chair, when he was drawn to another sight. Behind a half-obscured folding screen, a pile of bedding was in such complete disarray it looked at first glance like a pigsty. Li Lanhao froze in place, bewildered.
Han Yue caught sight of this exact scene. *Swish!* Overwhelmed with shame, she wished she could tear her face off and tuck it into her blouse. She had been careless! Freshly woken, radiating lingering warmth, how could she let him see her messy bedding?!
"Ahem, ahem. Brother Lanhao, think nothing of it. I just woke up and haven't had time to tidy up yet. Now then, Lin Chong, why aren't you hurrying off to arrange breakfast? Oh, and Leader gives you another chance—your post as platoon leader is restored."
Han Yue had no choice but to change the subject to ease the awkwardness. Young as he was, Li Lanhao could read the room well enough; he immediately turned and sat upright in his chair, acting as if he had seen nothing at all.
Hearing this, Lin Chong's heart blossomed with joy. Brother Lanhao truly was his lucky star! He simply had to muster twelve hundred percent of his sincerity to prepare a lavish breakfast for the Leader and Brother Lanhao. Cupping his fists in salute, he withdrew.
Han Yue had intended to sit on her own throne, but reasoning that Li Lanhao was not her subordinate, there was no need for that. Sharing a table for breakfast would be much nicer, wouldn't it?
Han Yue casually grabbed the corner of the table with one hand and lifted it right in front of Li Lanhao, leaving him somewhat surprised—it seemed this tall, slender female leader had some real skill. She pulled up a chair and sat facing Li Lanhao.
"Brother Lanhao, no need for formalities. Let's address each other as brother and sister."
"Alright, then I won't be overly polite. I'll call you Sister Han. By the way, there were no troops stationed at the edge of the Snowy Wasteland when I arrived. Has something major happened?"
"Major isn't quite the word. It's just that red pillar of light that descended from the heavens over a month ago. I led the Black Flag Army to camp here, but a month has passed with no unusual activity, and I was just hoping to ask if you discovered anything strange in the Snowy Wasteland."
"How should I put it? The Snowy Wasteland certainly has some peculiar places. For instance, deep within the wasteland, snow-capped mountains pierce the clouds, there's a misty plain where you lose all sense of direction, and then there's the Frigid Ice Lake..."
Once the conversation turned to his two months of experiences in the Snowy Wasteland, Li Lanhao's floodgates were thoroughly opened. Sitting across from Han Yue, he launched into a lengthy discourse, to which Han Yue listened with rapt attention. The two of them chatted and laughed; anyone unaware would have thought a handsome man and a gorgeous woman were flirting.
***
Meanwhile, deep in the Snowy Wasteland, the Blood Demon Empress was not nearly as fortunate. After eating a meal of raw Ice Ling Fish slices, she never got a second portion of food and was forced to go hungry once more. Wusha's internal injuries had only recovered by a tiny fraction.
*Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle...*
Wusha's stomach protested the entire way. Holding her spear in one hand and clutching her stomach with the other, she stumbled forward. It could be said that Wusha did not stop to rest for even a single second—marching day and night without stopping.
Despair, sorrow, and helplessness—a complex mix of emotions weighed heavily on her heart, making it hard to breathe. Yet what could she do? Helpless, Wusha narrowed her phoenix eyes and muttered coldly:
"For over a full month, this Empress has walked more than three thousand miles. But where on earth is the border of the Snowy Wasteland? Alas! If my magic weren't completely sealed, three thousand miles would have been crossed in the blink of an eye. Could it really be that I, the dignified Blood Demon Empress, am destined to starve to death in this boundless wasteland and leave my bones in a foreign land?"
*Thud, thud, gurgle-gurgle...*
Suddenly, strange noises came from behind her. Wusha looked back, but there was nothing in the snow except a single line of her own footprints. She muttered to herself, feeling both suspicious and expectant:
"You've been tracking me for a day and a night. Whoever you are, I only hope you show up soon so I can fill my stomach."
The Blood Demon Empress was truly starved out of her mind; at this point, Wusha figured she could eat just about any kind of meat. Casting one more glance behind her, she resumed her march forward, believing that every step she took brought her one step closer to hope.