Battle Through the Heavens: Beauties Abound Starting with Yunlan and Her Disciples

221: Section 221Yue Mei spoke in a steady tone, introducing the detailed intelligence of the Meteorite Empire’s invading army to Yun Xiancheng one by one. She paused, her brows furrowed slightly, and continued,

”The Meteorite Empire has always been bellicose. But for some reason, their sudden invasion of our Snake-People Tribe this time seems far too strange. The reason behind it is truly baffling.”

Upon hearing this, the Medusa Protagonist waved her hand dismissively,

”Why look deeper? Just assume they do not wish for me to smoothly break through to the Dou Zong realm and have come to obstruct me.”

Her Majesty’s tone was nonchalant, clearly not taking the Meteorite Empire’s invasion to heart. She turned her head to look at Yun Xiancheng and continued,

”The soldiers of my Snake-People Tribe are mainly at the Dou Practitioner level. Great Dou Master experts can lead thousand-man squads. Our overall strength and quality are far inferior...”

”...to the elite legions of the Meteorite Empire.”

”If we prepare fully on our home turf and assemble over a hundred thousand troops, it shouldn’t be a problem,” Yue Mei added from the side.

”I thought the Snake-People Tribe could only muster ten thousand or so men at most; I didn’t expect you could gather over a hundred thousand. From this perspective, in terms of numbers, we actually...”

”...hold the advantage. Plus, this is a defensive war, so the geographical advantage is also on our side. Since the Protagonist trusts me so much and is willing to give me this chance to perform...”

”...then Yun Xiancheng will respectfully obey. What harm is there in taking on this heavy responsibility?”

Yun Xiancheng looked confident, his tone carrying a hint of heroic eagerness.

Seeing this, a flash of appreciation crossed Medusa’s beautiful eyes, and she nodded slightly,

”You have courage, very good. However, the chiefs of the Eight Great Tribes under my command are all untamed characters. They may not necessarily follow your orders easily... whether you can make them convinced will depend on your own ability.”

Her Majesty’s tone was calm but carried a hidden meaning, clearly reminding Yun Xiancheng that although the authority of command had been handed to him, whether he could truly grasp it...

...would depend on his own methods.

”Yue Mei, you brought the people here. For the coming days, you will be responsible for hosting them well,” Medusa suddenly changed the subject and ordered Yue Mei.

With these words, Her Majesty implied her intention to withdraw, unwilling to waste more words on this matter.

Yue Mei, being quick-witted, instantly understood Her Majesty’s meaning and hurriedly replied respectfully, ”Your subordinate understands. Please rest assured, Your Majesty. Yue Mei will certainly host Young Master Xiancheng and his party well and will not neglect them.”

Medusa nodded with satisfaction.

”In that case, I shall take my leave first.” After Her Majesty spoke, she prepared to rise and leave. Seeing this, Yun Xiancheng quickly cupped his hands and bowed, saying respectfully, ”Farewell, Protagonist.”

Afterward, Yun Xiancheng took Big Lion and Xiao Yan and followed Yue Mei out of the Snake-People Royal Palace. ”You thief of unknown origin, do you really have the ability to lead troops in battle?”

As soon as they left the palace hall, Yue Mei could not help but raise her eyebrows, questioning Yun Xiancheng with a tone of suspicion and scrutiny. Clearly, she still had doubts about Her Majesty handing command over to an outsider so easily.

Xiao Yan, standing aside, also looked at Yun Xiancheng with curiosity and asked softly, ”Senior brother, have you had experience leading troops before?” Hearing this, Yun Xiancheng gave a carefree laugh and shook his head slightly, saying in a relaxed tone,

”Experience leading troops? I truly have none. But then again, don’t I have Master and Senior Purple Wing to back me up?”

”Besides, the Snake-People Tribe has eight Dou King Experts presiding over it. On paper, our strength doesn’t seem weaker than the Meteorite...”

”...Empire’s invasion. It’s not impossible to face them head-on.”

”That may be so, but the other seven tribe chiefs might not necessarily follow you, kid,” Yue Mei said, still feeling uneasy.

His eyes darted around, and he suddenly reached out a somewhat flirtatious hand to pinch Yue Mei’s soft, delicate cheek. A playful smile curled on his lips as he teased,

”By those words, Chief... do you mean that you, Yue Mei, are willing to follow my orders?”

Such a bold move naturally made Yue Mei blush to her ears in shy anger. She was just about to scold Yun Xiancheng for being a ”frivolous and rude thief.”

However, when she felt Big Lion’s half-smiling gaze from the side, she swallowed her words and could only glare fiercely at Yun Xiancheng as a warning.

”You little girl, you’re not bad. Your looks are fine, and you carry yourself well. If you perform well, I might let you be my husband’s... chambermaid,” Big Lion said lazily, her red lips parting slightly.

Hearing this, Xiao Yan covered her mouth and giggled, her eyes curving into crescents as she joined in with interest,

”Our family is indeed becoming more and more diverse. Senior brother, don’t you think?” Whether she performed well or not, in the end, it was the same fate of becoming a ”chambermaid!”

Listening to Big Lion’s matter-of-fact words and Xiao Yan’s teasing tone, Yue Mei could not help but grumble in her heart.

What in the world was this! When had she, the dignified chief of a Snake-People Tribe, fallen to the point of being someone’s chambermaid? And a chambermaid for a thief of unknown origin? This was simply preposterous!

If Xiao Yan and Big Lion knew her thoughts, they would probably laugh. In truth, they were doing it for her own good.

Because they had long felt that Medusa should become their sister.

And this snake girl would certainly not dare to call Medusa her sister, so she could only be a maid. Either way, she would be serving Yun Xiancheng.

141 Fighting a War on Paper

”No... I say, you people!”

Looking at the scene before her, Yue Mei felt the veins on her forehead throb, and her voice rose several decibels.

”Her Majesty clearly arranged excellent lodgings for you. Why are you still lingering in my small tent and refusing to leave?!”

Her gaze swept over the leisurely Yun Xiancheng, Yun Ziyi who was resting with her eyes closed, and the two little girls who were rummaging through her things and having a grand time in her tent. Her heart was filled with annoyance and confusion.

”Ahem,” Yun Xiancheng put down his teacup, a ”matter-of-fact” expression appearing on his face as he explained, ”Chief Yue Mei, do not misunderstand. We remain here, naturally, for... well, to better prepare for war.” Prepare for war?!

What commander prepares for war by running into the private tent of a female general under his command?! This was simply... simply outrageous! Too decadent!

Yue Mei felt her eyebrows twitch uncontrollably.

It was over! It seemed that in this war against the Meteorite Empire, their Snake-People Clan had already lost half the battle before it even started! To be stuck with such an ”unreliable” ally...

As if seeing through Yue Mei’s internal grumbling and despair, Yun Xiancheng quickly cleared his throat and put on a sincere expression, explaining,

”...Chief Yue Mei, actually, I personally... need your help.” ”Help?” Yue Mei looked at him suspiciously.

”It’s like this,” Yun Xiancheng said solemnly. ”Although my cultivation is decent, to tell you the truth, I have little experience in military formations and commanding battles. And you, Chief Yue Mei, are a veteran of many battles and must be very experienced. Therefore, I stay here precisely hoping to learn a thing or two from you, to cram at the last minute... oh no, to brush up on my knowledge of war.”

Cramming at the last minute?!

Hearing those words, Yue Mei’s heart went completely cold.

It was over, truly over! This time, the Snake-People Clan was probably doomed! To rely on such a ”layman” for help was worse than hoping for a meat pie to fall from the sky! She thought so, but she wouldn’t dare say it even if given a hundred times the courage. She could only force a smile that looked worse than crying.

Yun Xiancheng seemed not to notice Yue Mei’s internal collapse. He took out a finely crafted, simple sand table from his storage ring and placed it on the carpet.

He adjusted the modules representing mountains and rivers on the sand table to simulate the terrain around the Snake-People Tribe and the potential battle zones. He also took out several simple chess pieces of different colors and sizes to represent different military units.

”Come, Chief Yue Mei,” Yun Xiancheng pushed the purple pieces representing the Snake-People troops toward her while picking up the red pieces representing the enemy.

”Let us use this sand table as the battlefield and simulate a confrontation. I’ll take this chance to train my command skills.”

Yue Mei looked at the professional-looking sand table and pieces. Although her heart was still full of doubt, things had come to this, and she could only steel herself. She took a deep breath and reminded him, ”Young Master Yun, I must state this beforehand. This sand table simulation is, after all, just Fighting a War on Paper. Compared to the rapidly changing...”

”...real battlefield, it is far from enough. You must not view it as the entirety of war.”

Even though she said that, she still perked up a bit. After all, this concerned the fate of the entire Snake-People Clan. She wanted to see just how capable this young master was, given that both Her Majesty and that mysterious purple-haired senior held him in such high regard.

On the sand table, the purple pieces representing the main force of one hundred thousand Snake-People under Yun Xiancheng’s command had already been scattered and routed by the forty thousand ”enemy” red pieces commanded by Yue Mei.

The scene was truly... helpless and miserable to behold. Yun Xiancheng had thrown away his armor and was practically being ground into the dirt.

Although she had achieved an easy ”victory,” Yue Mei’s current mood was more bitter than if she had eaten yellow lotus; she couldn’t feel happy at all.

She looked at Yun Xiancheng across from her, who was closing his eyes in deep thought, his fingers still unconsciously moving over the sand table as if seriously summarizing the reasons for his failure, and she couldn’t help but swallow hard.

With this level of skill...

Could it be... is their Snake-People Clan really going to be completely finished this time?!

Just as Yue Mei was feeling discouraged, a burst of giggling and playing came from the other side of the tent.

It turned out to be Little Lion and Qing Lin. These two little girls couldn’t stay idle for a moment and were rummaging through Yue Mei’s tent. They actually managed to find some... well, rather private ”small toys.”

It was an oddly shaped object made of unknown material that seemed like it could... vibrate. ”?! Where... where did you find this?!”

Yue Mei’s sharp eyes immediately spotted the ”small toy” in Little Lion’s hand that made her face flush with embarrassment. In an instant, her pretty face turned as red as a ripe apple!

She ”slid” over to the two little girls almost instantly, hurriedly snatching the toy from their hands and stuffing it into her bosom like a thief hiding loot.

”You children! You’re not allowed to play with such things!” Yue Mei scolded in a low, embarrassed voice.

”Oh.” Little Lion blinked her innocent big eyes and tilted her head curiously, asking, ”But why is this thing cylindrical? It’s slippery and it even makes a sound.”

She paused and, in an innocent yet playful tone, continued to press, ”Snake sister, what do you usually... play with this for?”

”Pfft—!”

Yue Mei felt a rush of blood go straight to her head, nearly fainting on the spot from shame.

This little girl! Does she really not understand, or is she just pretending?! To ask so bluntly!

”Um... cough cough... this... this is... it’s used to assist in cultivation! Yes! For cultivation!” Yue Mei stammered, making up a clumsy excuse to try and brush it off.

Little did she know that in this small tent, if one were to speak of true ”purity,” she, the chief of the Charming Snake Tribe, probably ranked the highest... ”Alright, stop messing around.” Just as Yue Mei was in an awkward bind, Yun Xiancheng opened his eyes at the right time, breaking the awkward situation.

He glanced at the snake woman whose face was so red it looked like it might bleed, then at the two little ones who were full of curiosity and mischievous smiles. Hearing this, Yue Mei felt as if she had been granted a grand pardon and gave Yun Xiancheng a grateful look for bailing her out.

She quickly composed herself, hiding the troublesome ”small toy” inside her inner garments. Then, taking a deep breath, she ”slid” back to the sand table and resumed the deduction with Yun Xiancheng.

This time, Yue Mei clearly felt that Yun Xiancheng’s command seemed... to be getting somewhere?

Although it was still a bit unrefined, at least it was no longer as helpless and disorganized as before. His troop deployments began to show some basic logic and strategy, and occasionally, he even executed maneuvers that made her eyes light up.

For example, right now, Yun Xiancheng actually caught her in a moment of carelessness and successfully surrounded one of her flank detachments! He’s improving so fast!

Yue Mei was secretly surprised, but the battle situation changed in an instant. She had no time to overthink and immediately focused her mind, starting to think about how to break the current predicament and organize a counterattack.

This sand table deduction lasted for a full hour. In the end, Yun Xiancheng still finished in defeat.

However, compared to the first total rout, Yue Mei’s victory this time was not easy. She had even lost nearly half of her ”forces” before finally achieving a difficult win.

When the deduction ended, Yue Mei looked at Yun Xiancheng. Although he had ”lost” again, his face bore an expression of reflection and satisfaction. The despair and confusion in her heart had quietly dissipated.

In its place was an indescribable excitement and... hope! Perhaps... perhaps their Snake-People Clan really won’t be finished this time!

This young master, who looked excessively young, was indeed a novice in military command, but his terrifying learning ability and speed of progress gave her a glimpse of the possibility of turning the tide of the war!

142 What is the taste of a snake woman like?

Yun Xiancheng and Yue Mei were essentially awake all night, deducing the battle situation.

The other Young ladies gathered together to practice. By cultivating together, even though they lacked Yun Xiancheng as the central hub to provide for them, it was still much faster than practicing alone.

This is the power of numbers.

How can one person’s cultivation compare to us practicing together?

When the first light of dawn appeared on the eastern horizon, the final sand table deduction finally came to an end.

”Whew.” Yue Mei let out a long sigh of relief. Looking at the battle situation on the sand table where her side had suffered significant losses but ultimately succeeded in crushing the enemy, her weary

face finally showed a trace of heartfelt relief.

She nodded, her voice slightly hoarse but full of affirmation:

”In a situation where no Dou Huang expert directly intervenes in the battlefield, with your command just now, Young Master, it is enough to lead our clan’s main force to defeat the invading enemies.”

”Furthermore, the casualty ratio... has been controlled within an acceptable range.”

She looked up at Yun Xiancheng, who also had a face full of fatigue but whose eyes remained clear. Her tone was full of admiration: ”You... you really learn fast. In just one night, you’re practically a different person.”

This proud chief of the Charming Snake Tribe was now completely convinced of Yun Xiancheng’s talent and learning ability in military command. ”Practical knowledge is always shallow; one must experience things personally to truly understand them.”

Yun Xiancheng rubbed his throbbing temples. There wasn’t much joy of victory on his face. He knew well that there was a huge chasm between a sand table deduction and a real battlefield.

On the sand table, those pieces representing thousands of troops would execute his every command one hundred percent, following orders strictly without deviation. But once on a real battlefield, the situation would become a hundred times more complex.

Morale, terrain, weather, the personal abilities of generals, the execution of soldiers, and even various sudden accidents on the battlefield... every link could affect the course of the battle.

It was no easy task to make tens of thousands of troops execute tactical intentions as precisely as an extension of one’s own arm. Especially...

Yun Xiancheng calculated silently in his heart.

Although the Eight Great Tribes of the Snake-People Clan nominally honored Queen Medusa, the chiefs of each tribe were all unruly and powerful Dou King Experts.

Wanting these ”mountain kings,” who were used to acting on their own, to completely follow the command of someone like him—whose cultivation was only that of a Six-Star Great Dou Master and who was also a human ”outsider”—was definitely not an easy job.

To be sure, having Yun Ziyi, a Dou Huang expert, step forward to intimidate them with absolute strength was the simplest and most direct way. But in that case, those Snake-People Clan Chiefs would only fear and respect Yun Ziyi, not him, Yun Xiancheng.

Moreover... if he wanted that proud Queen Medusa to truly look at him in a new light, or even... develop different feelings, it was best to rely on his own strength and wisdom to win respect and recognition fairly and squarely.

Since he couldn’t rely on absolute overwhelming strength, then... perhaps he could take a gamble with the ”armchair general” skills he had practiced all night?

After all, in history, that man Zhao Kuo, though an armchair general, could still organize hundreds of thousands of people for reckless charges. Although he met Bai Qi and died miserably, becoming a laughingstock, it was impossible for an enemy of that level to appear against him.

Well, as long as he wasn’t as rigid and dogmatic as Zhao Kuo and remained flexible, there should... still be room to maneuver!

Having made his decision, Yun Xiancheng looked up at Yue Mei and asked, ”According to our previous agreement, the chiefs of the other seven tribes should also be arriving at the Holy City one after another today, right?”

”Yes, Young Master.” Yue Mei nodded, confirming, ”According to Her Majesty’s orders, before noon today, all eight tribal chiefs must all”

be present to discuss the grand plan for resisting the enemy.”