Miss Fairy, Please Hear Me Out

Jiang He merely waved a hand, every inch the serene grandmaster, and gestured for her to sit. “My disciple completed only half of the design before leaving to travel the world. Time was pressing, and even after taking over the work myself, I was unable to finish engraving it completely. The formation patterns remain unstable, so Your Highness must exercise extreme caution when using them on campaign.”

Xu Yuan listened from the side while pouring himself tea, his expression growing rather strange. Weapons. Those carriages outside contained weapons. A new kind of weapon, and an exceptionally powerful one at that.

Judging from what Jiang He had said, however, this thing had also been designed by Xu Xinyao.

That did not sound right. Although Xu Xinyao was a genius in the art of formations, she had always devoted her talents to improving the lives of ordinary people. That meant production formations, wide-area defensive formations, and all manner of practical designs.

Weapons are the one thing she rarely touches. At that thought, Xu Yuan abruptly cut in. “Hey, Old Jiang. Does Xinyao know you’re using something she designed for military purposes?”

Jiang He, who had been explaining the finer details of operating the devices to Li Qingyan, suddenly fell silent.

One look at his reaction gave Xu Yuan his answer. Well, there it is. Cat’s out of the bag.

It seemed another of Xu Xinyao’s inventions had been secretly turned from a plowshare into a sword by her master, Jiang He.

For a time, the three people in the pavilion fell into an abrupt silence because of Xu Yuan’s question.

When someone had been struck in a truly tender place, they did not shout or rage.

Jiang He lowered his eyes, his aged face seeming to grow older still.

Li Qingyan did not know the story behind it, so she wisely refrained from speaking.

Xu Yuan, meanwhile, could only sigh inwardly. No wonder his little sister had chosen to leave the Institute of Applied Research and travel abroad. Every time she invented something, someone found a way to turn it into a weapon.

Given her temperament, Jiang He’s actions as her teacher were more than enough to shatter her Dao Heart. That was probably why Xu Xinyao had refused to contact him all this time.

After a long silence, Jiang He’s expression turned complicated. In the end, he ignored Xu Yuan’s question and continued, “Please, have a seat, Your Highness. Were this old man given another month, I should be able to perfect the device completely.”

Li Qingyan smoothed the skirt beneath her and sat down, shaking her head. “The war in the northern frontier is too urgent. We cannot delay any longer. The fact that Elder Jiang managed to complete these at all has already exceeded my expectations. I only wish to know how effective they are.”

Jiang He pointed toward the sky, his expression still conflicted. “During the initial test, its area of effect exceeded the entire Imperial Capital.”

“Pfft—” Xu Yuan spat out his tea, spraying it across the table. It can cover the entire Imperial Capital? What is this, a three-stage thermonuclear bomb?

Li Qingyan and Jiang He both turned to look at him.

Xu Yuan wiped the corner of his mouth and asked tentatively, “What exactly… are you two talking about?”

With a weapon like that, what was even the point of fighting the sects? Military formations might be able to withstand one blast, but could they withstand ten? They could simply clear the way with nukes and bomb their way straight through.

“A Cloud Qi Bomb,” Li Qingyan answered simply.

Jiang He sighed and explained in a low voice, “There is no need to be so shocked. When I said it could cover the Imperial Capital, I was not referring to its destructive power. Xinyao originally developed the Cloud Qi Bomb to deal with torrential rain and catastrophic flooding.”

Hearing this, Xu Yuan wiped the spilled tea from the table with a handkerchief, much of his astonishment fading.

Aside from the threat posed by demonic beasts, the Great Flame Empire also suffered natural disasters much like those of ancient times in his previous world. Some provinces, prefectures, and counties would endure months of unbroken rain and devastating floods.

Even with all the advanced technology of his previous life, agriculture still depended heavily on the weather. During a drought, water could at least be diverted from elsewhere. But when floods came, there was often nothing to be done. Entire harvests could be wiped out.

At that thought, Xu Yuan asked, “So this thing is meant to target the clouds?”

Jiang He nodded and motioned for the guards to bring over a square chest, roughly a meter in both length and width. When they opened it, a round purple crystal was revealed within, pulsing with waves of source qi.

“Once detonated, this device generates tremendous wind pressure, instantly scattering the clouds across the sky. During the original test, merely one-quarter of its full charge was enough to cover the entire Imperial Capital.”

Xu Yuan glanced at the sleeve crossbow strapped to his wrist. “Xinyao’s talent for formations truly is something seen only once in 1,000 years. What a pity…”

His little sister’s idea had been sound. Clouds laden with moisture would not simply disappear. Even if scattered, they would eventually gather again. Still, dispersing them could greatly reduce and spread out the rainfall.

After Jiang He’s military modifications, however, the Cloud Qi Bomb had become perfectly suited to operations in the northern frontier.

The entire region was now frozen for thousands of miles, and the barbarians had launched a massive counteroffensive, taking advantage of both the blizzards and their own superior adaptation to the harsh conditions.

If Marquis Wucheng and Zong Qingsheng used these weapons properly, they might well deliver a killing blow to the northern barbarians. It seemed the Emperor and that old father of his truly intended to settle the war in the north before the Heavenwatch Pavilion’s delegation reached the Imperial Capital.

Xu Yuan did not interrupt the discussion that followed.

Jiang He carefully explained to Li Qingyan how to activate the Cloud Qi Bombs, along with the various precautions she needed to observe.

About a quarter of an hour later, Li Qingyan slowly rose to her feet. “You have my thanks, Elder Jiang. The next time I return to the capital, I will certainly visit you and express my gratitude properly.”

Jiang He stood as well. “This old man merely wishes to contribute what little he can to the war in the north. The barbarians have plagued us for a thousand years, and countless soldiers have died along that frontier. May the Ninth Princess return victorious from this campaign.”

Listening from the side, Xu Yuan sensed something odd in those words. Li Qingyan is going back to the northern frontier?

Just then, Li Qingyan met his gaze and smiled softly. “My Prince Consort, would you be willing to accompany me to the north?”

There it was. She had been waiting to spring this on him.

Xu Yuan did not answer immediately. He knew Li Qingyan had not brought him here merely to ask his opinion.

The fact that she had deliberately shown him all this meant the matter had likely already been decided.

After a moment’s thought, Xu Yuan asked, “Just the two of us?”

“Of course not.” Li Qingyan shook her head and glanced in the direction of the Imperial Palace. “My second and third brothers will be coming as well.”

Xu Yuan’s fist tightened slightly. That Li Yaoxuan is ruthless indeed.

The Third Prince was the Crown Prince’s full brother and could easily be called the Crown Prince Faction’s right-hand man.

The Second Prince, meanwhile, was the Crown Prince’s greatest rival in the struggle for succession.

The Emperor was raising the stakes. Not against the sects, but against the Chancellor’s Manor. If he was sending his own children to the front lines, then the Chancellor’s Manor would have to send one of theirs as well.

Their old friendship and the ideals they had once shared might have been moving once. But after the passage of time, the shifting of human hearts, and the pressure of approaching death, such things were no longer worth much.

Li Yaoxuan did not want promises. He wanted something tangible. You value your family, Xu Yinhe? Then send one of them to the front and prove where the Chancellor’s Manor stands in the war for the northern frontier.

Though Xu Yuan cursed inwardly, he still asked tentatively, “Princess, considering my cultivation… could I perhaps stay behind?”

“Your eldest brother is the heir to the Chancellor’s Manor. He presumably cannot leave.” Li Qingyan raised a hand and gently stroked Xu Yuan’s cheek, her phoenix eyes softening. “Do not worry. I will protect you well.”

…Or would she?