Liu Yan stood dazed at the entrance of the Imperial Garden, as if in a dream.

The deputy commander had just informed her that the Bloodcloud Pavilion branch within the Great Yan Dynasty had been destroyed?

In the past, the Bloodcloud Pavilion branch in the Great Yan Dynasty had always been a thorn in the side of the Empress, a constant source of irritation.

The Emperor had made many attempts but had never been able to locate the branch.

The only thing that could be done was to suppress it forcefully, making the assassins of the Bloodcloud Pavilion branch too afraid to show themselves openly, forcing them to act cautiously.

Even so, it was a bitter struggle.

Her own husband had died tragically, attacked by Bloodcloud Pavilion assassins while protecting the people.

Now, this great vendetta had been avenged in such an inexplicable way, and naturally, Liu Yan was happy.

But...

"Is the news true?" Liu Yan restrained her smile, her expression grave.

The deputy commander nodded, "Absolutely true, it's urgent intelligence. Someone saw the branch shatter and fall from the sky, crashing into Luyang Mountain."

Following this, the deputy commander explained some specific details of the intelligence.

"A small island resembling a spiritual artifact, an aerial pavilion, fell?" Upon hearing the specific intelligence, Liu Yan suddenly understood, "No wonder the Emperor could never find the Bloodcloud Pavilion Headquarters."

Floating in the air, the headquarters could move at any time, constantly changing locations, making it naturally difficult to find.

"Commander, you casually mentioned it before, and it actually came true," the female guard at the entrance suddenly spoke up.

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"Hmm?" Liu Yan looked at her, puzzled.

"Commander, don't you remember? On Qingyan Mountain, you said it would be great if one day the Bloodcloud Pavilion offended a strong enemy and got destroyed," said the female guard who had once accompanied Xiao Tian to Qingyan Mountain.

Liu Yan's expression froze, becoming increasingly strange, "I just... said it casually, who knew it would be so accurate?"

"What's going on?" At this moment, the curious Zhong Ling also walked over.

Seeing Zhong Ling approach, the deputy commander cupped his hands, "Young General, the Bloodcloud Pavilion branch has been destroyed!"

"Hmm, and then?" Zhong Ling nodded calmly.

Suddenly, the air seemed to fall silent.

Liu Yan looked at Zhong Ling, "Young General, aren't you even a little surprised?"

"..." Zhong Ling's expression stiffened, then she immediately reacted, exclaiming, "The Bloodcloud Pavilion branch has been destroyed, this is great news, I just didn't react at first."

By the lake, Xiao Tian, who was watching the scene, smirked and muttered, "This kid is too fake."

Xiao Tian was worried that with Zhong Ling's poor acting skills, she'd be exposed in no time.

Zhong Ling's clumsy acting didn't arouse suspicion from Liu Yan and the others.

At this moment, Liu Yan was worried about other issues, "Under normal circumstances, this would indeed be good news, but it's hard to say now."

Zhong Ling was puzzled, "Why, Sister Liu, your husband's revenge has been taken, why isn't this good news?"

Liu Yan's expression turned serious as she looked at Zhong Ling, "Young General, although we don't know who destroyed the Bloodcloud Pavilion branch, it happened on the Great Yan Dynasty's territory."

"What if the Bloodcloud Pavilion Headquarters retaliates against the Great Yan Dynasty?"

"The Emperor is currently leading the army personally, and the Great Yan Dynasty cannot withstand retaliation from the Bloodcloud Pavilion Headquarters."

"And in the worst-case scenario, the King of Assassins from the Southern Wastelands might personally cause trouble at the Northern Battlefield..."

As she spoke, Liu Yan noticed that the Young General in front of her was actually smiling?

From what she knew, Zhong Ling should be worried, eager to go to the Northern Frontier to report to Great General Zhong Lishuang and discuss countermeasures.

Now, she was smiling?

"Young General, what are you smiling about?" Liu Yan couldn't understand and couldn't help but ask, her tone even tinged with disappointment.

At a critical moment for the Great Yan Dynasty, how could Zhong Ling smile?

Had Zhong Ling already fallen for Xiao Tian's charm and succumbed prematurely?

"Huh?" Zhong Ling finally reacted, seeing Liu Yan's expression, and then noticed the strange looks from the deputy commander and the two female guards at the gate, she suddenly realized.

She knew the Bloodcloud Pavilion Headquarters had already been destroyed, the King of Assassins had been dragged out from under the bed by Xiao Tian and killed.

But the others didn't know!

"Actually, the Blood..." Zhong Ling had just started to speak when Xiao Tian, whose expression had already changed, jumped out from the side.

With a wave of his hand, he slapped Zhong Ling on the head.

Slap!

The slap was loud.

It left Liu Yan and the others stunned.

Zhong Ling was slow to react, staring blankly at Xiao Tian, and only when the sharp pain hit did she cover the back of her head with both hands, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I heard everything clearly from the side, the country is in danger, and you're still joking around, what kind of behavior is that?" Xiao Tian reprimanded sternly, pointing at Zhong Ling, "If you make a mistake, stand up straight when you're punished, and don't cry."

"Hold it back!"

Zhong Ling, frightened by Xiao Tian's fierce demeanor, shivered, her delicate nose twitching, and she actually held back her tears.

Only then did she realize she had almost let something slip.

"Commander Liu, she's just a child, don't take it to heart, she doesn't mean any harm," Xiao Tian then turned to the nearly petrified Liu Yan, apologetically speaking.

"I... this..." Liu Yan's mind went blank, unable to speak.

"Commander Liu, the Great Yan Dynasty is prosperous, no matter what difficulties arise, they will surely turn danger into safety, don't worry too much," Xiao Tian continued, comforting her.

"Your Highness, it's just..." Liu Yan glanced at Zhong Ling, about to say something, but Xiao Tian interrupted her again.

Xiao Tian, with a serious face, assured Liu Yan, "Commander Liu, I'll educate Zhong Ling properly later, if you have other matters, feel free to attend to them."

After speaking, Xiao Tian nodded to Liu Yan and then, with a hint of irritation, called out to Zhong Ling, "Follow me!"

"Oh..." Zhong Ling, holding her head, obediently followed behind Xiao Tian, walking along the ornamental lake in the Imperial Garden to the other side.

Until the two of them walked away, Liu Yan hadn't recovered.

"Commander, if I remember correctly, you watched the Young General grow up, right?" The deputy commander, also with a strange expression, spoke slowly.

Liu Yan nodded absentmindedly, "I watched the Young General grow up..."

"How come it seemed like the Prince was acting like the Young General's father just now, and we became outsiders?" The deputy commander, with a peculiar tone, felt something was off, "The Young General has only known the Prince for less than two days."

The female guard nearby also spoke in surprise, "And the Young General is so obedient in front of the Prince?"

For a moment, they all looked ahead.

In the distance, Xiao Tian and Zhong Ling could be seen standing face to face.

Prince Xiao Tian seemed to be scolding something.

And Zhong Ling, like a well-behaved child, stood there with her head down, silently enduring it.

"The problem... is more serious than I imagined," Liu Yan's tone was filled with fear as she spoke to the deputy commander beside her, "Quickly write a letter to the Great General, and inform Minister Zhong."

"...Understood."