Chapter 432: Dire Developments (1/2)

”The Yao Clan? Ling Xue!”

She was worried for her, this enemy turned friend. Although the clan themselves were in a questionable relationship with her, she could not ignore such news.

Ming Yue's face turned to one of surprise as she looked at Zi Jing.

He was quiet and his face dark.

The others were silent, looking to him for a response.

”Let's return first. All of you need some rest after this ordeal, which includes you and you.”

He gazed at Ya Lang and Ming Yue before walking off, leading everyone back to the camp. It was quiet, very quiet. No one spoke during the entire trip. What could they say? Their victory in the south was eclipsed by the defeat in the north.

By the time they returned, it was night and the camp was silent. There were a few patrols marching about but most were asleep.

”Alright, spend the next few days recovering. I will send another group to retrieve the lizard corpses. You are dismissed.”

As everyone scattered apart, Zi Jing walked up to the two Jadewood Sect disciples.

”You two need to come with me. We have to discuss with your senior sister about what happened.”

The pair looked at each other, overcome with shame and embarrassment. They nodded to followed him to the Commander's tent. There, Yu Zhen was busy looking at a pile of documents, she looked up to see Zi Jing before seeing the two behind him.

”Ah, so there you two are. There's going to be a lot to explain”, she told them.

Jian Yi entered soon after, immediately looking at them.

”Yu Qiu, Ting Hua, where were you two? Everyone looked all over the camp! What happened?”

She gave them both a stern look before turning to Commander Zi Jing.

”I apologize for any trouble they may have caused.”

She quickly lowered her head, asking for forgiveness. However, Zi Jing wasn't going to be so merciful.

”Trouble? These two thought it'd be fun to follow us on the mission! Do you have any idea how much danger they were in? No, do you know how idiotic it was to follow us?!”

After shouting at her, he glared at the two disciples, who stood there silently, fully acknowledging their mistake.

”After what my men told me, I couldn't believe it. You two, led by that little fox, all the way to the bunker. If Ming Yue was not there, neither of you would be standing here. Instead, you'd be inside the stomachs of those Vore Demons! Is that how you want your life to end? Both of you may just be disciples but neither of you are children! This isn't home anymore, this is a war. If you think of this as an adventure then you're better off getting out of here.”

After lecturing them, he sighed and then faced Jian Yi.

”Take them back and discipline them properly, you may leave”, he said.

The trio was quiet as they turned and left the camp.

Zi Jing watched them go before looking around for a seat. Finding one, he dropped down and leaned his head over. Every bit of exhaustion and stress revealed themselves as this genius slouched, massaging the bridge of his nose.

”Hah, it really is one thing after another. We win on one end only to lose in another”, he muttered.

Yu Zhen looked at him before standing up, stepping away from the various files on the war table.

”I take it the operation was a success”, she asked.

He straightened himself up to face her and nodded.

”We or rather, Ming Yue was able to kill them all. We've also dealt with their pets too, so we'll need to deal with that. For now, I'd say that we're safe but with what has happened up north, I'm not so sure.”

Yu Zhen looked down at the ground, crossing her arms and leaning against the war table.

”There isn't much we can offer, not when we're stretched this thinly. Gao Ri and Nie Xia will send aid to Du Xiu and the North Fort. As for us, we have to focus on setting a foothold here. Not to mention, we have other experts”, she replied.

”You mean those Jadewood Sect Disciples or Ming Yue?” he asked.