Chapter 138: Secretly Returning to Qingyun

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. The entire Martial Guards army broke camp and marched toward Sword Gate Pass in Guangyuan Prefecture, located a thousand miles away. Fang Xian, however, did not ride a horse; instead, he burrowed into the Grand Princess's carriage.

Princess Wu Qingluan's carriage was drawn by eight horses, offering an exceptionally smooth ride. The interior was spacious, resembling a small, luxurious room complete with a sleeping couch and a low table.

Wu Lanxin and Wu Lanxiang drove the carriage themselves, guarded by three thousand elite personal troops. Naturally, no one dared to disturb them. Thus, apart from studying martial arts, the two women played table tennis day and night, as this dual cultivation allowed them to advance their martial prowess at an even faster pace.

Half a month later, the large army entered the borders of Guangyuan Prefecture. From here, it was just over three hundred miles to the Green Cloud Stronghold, and a similar distance to Guangyuan City, the prefecture capital.

"Tonight, I will make a trip back to the stronghold. With the Fire King's stamina, we can arrive by the early hours of the morning. After a delay of a day or two, I will proceed directly to the outskirts of Guangyuan City to rendezvous with you." Fang Xian informed Wu Qingluan of his plans, and she raised no objections.

"If you see Sister Hongxiu and Sister Fengling, pamper them well. You've been away for months, and they must miss you to distraction. Also, these are the welcome gifts I've prepared for them; take them along with you."

Knowing that she was a latecomer, Wu Qingluan had never expected to monopolize Fang Xian. A man as extraordinary as Fang Xian could never be exclusively possessed by any single woman.

Therefore, she maintained a clear perspective of her position, keeping a humble profile and preparing gifts for the three sisters she had yet to meet. Only Zhu Shimei had recently returned to the Daoist Sect, so her gift had to be left behind for now.

"Rest assured, they are sensible women and won't be jealous of you," Fang Xian said with a smile.

After dark, Fang Xian quietly departed the encampment with the Fire King, then broke into a full sprint toward the Green Cloud Stronghold. Relying on the Fire King's formidable endurance, they bypassed the official roads altogether, advancing in a straight line directly through dense forests and scaling mountain ridges. They even swam across the Huai River, arriving outside the Green Cloud Stronghold by the dead of night.

"Roar..."

A low growl echoed from the woods. Recognizing it as the Tiger King, Fang Xian entered the dense forest with the Fire King. Sure enough, he saw the Tiger King bounding forward to greet them. It obediently lowered its head before Fang Xian, proactively nudging it forward to wait for his caress.

"Tiger King, this is your companion, the Fire King. You've worked hard patrolling the mountain forests these past few days. Here is your reward." Fang Xian stroked the Tiger King's head before feeding it a Blood Condensation Pill.

The Tiger King had been consuming Blood Condensation Pills for about half a year now and had essentially digested and absorbed their medicinal potency. It was at least twice as fierce as an ordinary adult tiger, rivaling a typical Earth Realm grandmaster, and had successfully subdued all kinds of ferocious beasts in the surrounding mountains over this period.

Feeding it another Blood Condensation Pill might help it break through its racial limitations. In the future, once the Tiger King underwent its metamorphosis, it might even possess strength surpassing that of an Earth Realm grandmaster.

Similarly, the Fire King and the Falcon King would likely break through their racial limits and attain greater power after consuming their second Blood Condensation Pill.

Not only that, but Fang Xian also intended to contract pets for Ye Hongxiu, Feng Ling, and Zhu Shimei in the future, ensuring that each of them would have a loyal bodyguard by her side.

"Take the Fire King deep into the forest, but don't wander too far. Tomorrow I have business in the back mountains and will come looking for you," Fang Xian instructed them, then vanished in a flash, quietly returning to the stronghold.

At midnight, Ye Hongxiu was already fast asleep. Yet, when a sudden breeze swept through the room, she snapped awake with heightened vigilance, instinctively reaching out to grip the sword hilt beneath her pillow.

However, a heavy body instantly pinned her down, and a strong, powerful hand pressed against her wrist. A familiar aura washed over her, and warm breath brushed against her ear as a voice murmured, "My wife, it's me."

In an instant, Ye Hongxiu's body softened. Soon after, the bed began to rock, and the sounds of table tennis commenced. However, Fang Xian enveloped the entire bed with his inner Qi, sealing it so that not a single sound leaked outside.

Although Fang Xian was not yet an Earth Realm grandmaster, the unique properties of his mysterious energy had long allowed him to project his inner Qi outward. Granted, the projection range was still limited—currently only reaching about two meters—which was slightly inferior to an Earth Realm grandmaster.

The next morning, when Ye Qingyun saw Fang Xian and Ye Hongxiu arriving together for breakfast, he showed not the slightest surprise. Having sensed Fang Xian's return in the middle of the night, Fang Xian had deliberately revealed his aura to let him know he was back.

"How many days can you stay?" Ye Qingyun asked. Both he and Ye Hongxiu were aware that Fang Xian was headed to Sword Gate Pass to serve as the military commander.

"Two days," Fang Xian replied. He had also budgeted an additional day to visit Flying Phoenix Ridge to see Feng Ling and her child, Feng Jiutian. According to Feng Ling's recent letters, Feng Jiutian had been constantly asking for his father.

However, now that the little tiger kept him company, Feng Jiutian had grown much more cheerful, and his health was gradually returning to normal. He simply missed his father dearly.

"Sword Gate Pass is only about five hundred miles from the stronghold. You can come back often when you have time," Ye Qingyun nodded and said.

"I will. How is the construction progress of the mountain base coming along?" Fang Xian had been away from the stronghold for about four or five months. According to their previous plans, the construction of the mountain base should be nearing completion.

"It's just about finished. Across our three strongholds, we've relocated around thirty thousand people inside. Most of them are the original elders, while a portion were selected from the refugees of other strongholds who surrendered to us later—they are all quite obedient. Do you want to go take a look?" Ye Qingyun asked.

"Not for now. I anticipate that a war will break out in Guangyuan Prefecture within six months, and hostilities may similarly erupt in Kaiyang Prefecture and Qingyang Prefecture. Have the various strongholds heighten their vigilance; hostile armies might target the strongholds. Everyone can transport valuable supplies into the mountains in advance. By then, there may be even more refugees, so take in as many as the stronghold can accommodate," Fang Xian discussed future prospects.

"If there really is a war, wouldn't Sword Gate Pass be in grave danger? Why don't you just return to the stronghold?" Ye Hongxiu asked with concern.

"I cannot leave just yet. I promised to help Wu Qingdi hold Sword Gate Pass for at least three months, and I must fulfill that promise. After that, I will owe him nothing. Moreover, I plan to bring a batch of people from the stronghold into the army for training to help me gain control of the troops. In the future, I might even have the opportunity to pull this army into the stronghold," Fang Xian explained.

"Over the past few months, more than twenty First-Rate martial artists have emerged across the three strongholds. We can dispatch them to assist you in controlling the army," Ye Qingyun said. The three major strongholds were now bound like lips and teeth, with their leaders constantly communicating on various matters, so he was well aware of the situation.

"Alright, with Daqi and the others included, we'll have twenty or thirty First-Rate experts—far superior to any other army. In that case, Father, please invite Stronghold Master Zhu over tonight. As for Chief Feng, I will go visit her in person tomorrow before I leave," Fang Xian nodded in agreement.