Two days later, several more teams entered the pass, all carrying personal letters from Ke Erqin.
However, the conditions in the letters were bizarre, with each claiming to be a brother, friend, or comrade-in-arms of Ke Erqin.
Although the reasons were far-fetched, the official seal stamped on the paper was undeniable.
This forced them to believe, and they let everyone in.
Chong Dang stood on the observation tower in Weiyuan Mansion, seeing everything clearly.
He smiled slightly, beckoned the messenger who had delivered the letters earlier, and said, "A'tai, it's time for us to leave."
"Leave today?"
"Yes, leave today."
"Then I'll go inform General Ke."
"I'll go with you."
The two went downstairs together and entered the main hall of Weiyuan Mansion. Ke Erqin was leisurely sipping tea and reading.
"General, I have been troubling you for many days. I will depart today."
Hearing the voice, he looked up and saw Chong Dang and his household servant standing before him.
"Why are you in such a hurry, sir?"
Chong Dang explained, "I need to go to Chengdu to arrange for my family's accommodation."
Ke Erqin thought about it and found his reasoning plausible, so he agreed.
"Since you are leaving, sir, I will escort you."
"You don't need to, General. Once I leave Weiyuan Mansion, I will get into the carriage waiting outside."
"Then I will escort you to the gate."
"Thank you, General."
Afterward, Ke Erqin escorted Chong Dang to the mansion gate. A'tai had already gone ahead to fetch the carriage.
Ke Erqin bid farewell with some reluctance, "Sir, who knows when we will meet again after you leave."
Chong Dang smiled slightly and replied.
"I am now residing in the Western Purple Kingdom. If you miss me, General, you can come find me after you return to Chengdu. We will drink to our hearts' content then."
"Alright, we will meet again in Chengdu."
"Meet again in Chengdu."
As they were speaking, a shout of "Yuh!" was heard, and A'tai drove the carriage to the front.
"Master, please get in the carriage."
"Alright." He turned around and bowed to Ke Erqin, "General, take care. I'm leaving."
"Please take care as well, sir."
After they bid each other farewell, Chong Dang stepped into the carriage, driven by A'tai, and departed.
Although they both spoke of meeting again, neither of them knew if it would truly happen.
Soon, the news of several teams successfully entering the country was quickly relayed back to Nanhai City by scouts.
I anxiously asked Lin'er, "Now that they have all entered, should we also make a move?"
Lin'er smiled slightly and replied, "Demon King, we will lead the army to the Western Purple Kingdom tomorrow."
"Really!" I thought we would have to wait a few more days.
He explained.
"Tomorrow, we will dispatch troops from Nanhai City to create a stir. At that time, the ruler of the Western Purple Kingdom will surely send troops to reinforce them, allowing Liu Shinian and the others to successfully enter the capital of the Western Purple Kingdom."
"A good plan."
He continued, "Then, twenty thousand elite troops will attack the thinly defended capital, and our main army will advance afterward, allowing us to take the Western Purple Kingdom in one fell swoop."
"Good, let's do it. We march tomorrow."
"Yes."
Lin'er immediately passed down the message. The troops remaining in Nanhai City numbered over 170,000. This time, only 100,000 troops would be taken.
Instantly, the entire royal palace was in an uproar, with everyone filled with anticipation.
However, only Helian's face was filled with worry.
At night, with a gentle breeze, Helian waited until very late to see me return.
"Demon King, are you going on this expedition too?" she asked as soon as she saw me.
"Yes, I told you. I have to go on this attack on the Western Purple Kingdom."
She looked a little dejected. She took a peace charm she had embroidered from her waist and handed it to me.
"Demon King, I know you will not be in any danger, and you will successfully conquer the Western Purple Kingdom.
But I still hope you can be safe and sound. This peace charm is something I embroidered myself, and I hope it can bring you some good luck."
I took the peace charm and looked at it carefully. The crimson background, embroidered with the words "Peace" in golden thread, was so striking and special.
At the bottom, a few jewels were used as pendants, showing how much effort she had put into making it.
I took it with one hand and thanked her, "Thank you, you did a great job."
Then, in front of her, I hung it around my neck.
Helian smiled shyly, her eyes filled with joy.
At this moment, two people rarely seen appeared: Yue Yao and Liu Mei.
"Muye, you're back," Liu Mei greeted.
"Demon King," Yue Yao also said.
"Why are you still awake so late? What are you here for?" I asked, feeling a bit confused.
Bi Yueyao pointed at Helian and said, "We're here to invite Helian to play."
"When did you become so close?"
"We've always been close."
"Helian, you go. You guys go play. I need to get some sleep early."
"Sleep, sleep."
With that, they pulled Helian away. Helian, however, had no idea about their decision.
Yue Yao said to her, "Tonight is our girls' night. We must have a good drink."
"That's right, that's right," Liu Mei agreed.
They then went to the garden, where a few small dishes and several jars of good wine had been placed in the pavilion in advance.
The two pulled her to sit, and Liu Mei, with great generosity, was the first to open the wine and pour for them.
Helian laughed, "You've let yourselves go without any restraint."
Yue Yao waved her hand, "Ah, who says only men can drink? We girls can too."
Liu Mei raised her wine glass and invited them, "Come, come, cheers!" After speaking, she took a big gulp.
Helian asked casually, looking a bit puzzled, "I don't see you drinking much usually. What's the matter today?"
After drinking two bowls, Liu Mei began to confide in her.
"I've never been apart from my Ninth Brother for so long. Before, no matter where he went, I could find him. But now, even though I know where he's going, I can't go find him."
Yue Yao also drank a large bowl and then confided.
"My Liu Gege, I don't know if he truly likes me. I always feel like he's playing hot and cold with me."
Liu Mei drank another bowl, reached over Helian, put her hand on Yue Yao's shoulder, and laughed.
"Hahaha, anyone with eyes can see that your Liu Gege has feelings for Muye, even if he hasn't said anything."
Upon hearing this, Yue Yao's heart clenched, and she couldn't help but feel sad.
"Then, then, what am I?"
Helian quickly comforted her.
"Yue Yao, I can see that Young Master Liu has feelings for you.
I think his feelings for the Demon King are out of friendship, after all, they have been through so much together.
If you had gone through a lot with him, he would also keep you in his heart."
Yue Yao asked her with some grievance.
"Then what should I do?"
Liu Mei interjected.
"What else can you do but pester him? Don't worry, Muye will never be with him.
Muye, as a heroic woman, looks more like a valiant man. If I didn't have my Ninth Brother, I might have fallen for her too."
Helian's heart skipped a beat upon hearing her words, and her mind began to wander.
"If the Demon King were a man, and if she didn't mind me, I... what am I thinking?"
She shook her head and quickly drank a large bowl of wine.
Yue Yao looked at her and couldn't help but laugh.
"Hahaha, that's great! I didn't expect you could drink such a large bowl."
Helian replied to her.
"You're both drinking, why can't I?"
With that, she refilled her wine and drank heartily. Seeing her drinking with such enthusiasm.
Yue Yao also shouted.
"Sister Liu, look, Helian is drinking too. Come, let's drink too."
"Drink."
The two then poured their wine and drank heartily.
After a while, the effects of the alcohol began to take hold, and the three looked at each other, seeing double.
Under the influence of alcohol, Liu Mei put her arm around Helian's shoulder again and teased her.
"I see you following Muye around all day, and the way you look at her is full of ambiguous affection. Tell me, do you like her?"
Helian's mind was now a mess. She didn't care what she could or couldn't say and blurted it out.
"I don't know why, but I just like her. And you know, if she were a man, I would make her fall at my feet."
Yue Yao, swaying, came closer and put her arm on Helian's left shoulder, laughing.
"I didn't realize you had such unique thoughts. But honestly, the Demon King is indeed no less than a man, and far superior to men.
If she were really a man, I would be the first to go for her."
"I'll be second," Liu Mei chimed in.
"I'll be third," Helian declared.
Afterward, the three burst into laughter, then helped each other up, singing nonsensical songs and swaying back to their lodgings.
At this moment, I, sleeping in my chambers, suddenly felt a chill in my dream.
Then, a cold wind blew from somewhere, tickling my sensitive nose. I let out a big sneeze without warning, "Achoo!"
It startled me awake from my dream. I mumbled groggily.
"Who's talking about me behind my back?" After saying that, I fell back into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Lin'er personally waited outside the sleeping chambers. I woke up from my dream but couldn't find Helian.
I figured she must have been out playing with the other two all night and didn't come back.
Remembering that the army was to march to the Western Purple Kingdom today, I hurriedly got up, put on my clothes, and as soon as I opened the door, I saw Lin'er standing outside.
"Elder, why are you here?"
I asked, wondering when he had arrived.
Lin'er smiled slightly and explained.
"I arrived early this morning. I calculated the time. If you overslept, I would have come in to wake you myself."
I smiled awkwardly and joked.
"Today, Helian was supposed to wake me up. But she went out to play last night and hasn't returned. If I had truly overslept,
you coming to wake me would have meant seeing my unformed sleeping posture."
"The Demon King is as humorous as ever. I have already sent people to lead the army outside the city. Demon King, let's go quickly."
"Alright."
I followed him and quickly arrived at the palace gate, where I saw four elders, Zuo Men, Ku Dinghai, and two young attendants, Xiao Si, holding horses.
"Demon King, you're here," the four elders said in unison.
"Elders, you don't need to see me off. Please return."
"Demon King, travel safely."
"Alright, you all take care of yourselves too."
With that, I mounted a horse with Lin'er, and under the farewell gaze of the four elders, we galloped towards the south city gate.
At this moment, the city gate was wide open, and outside, ten thousand soldiers had already gathered.
However, strangely, the twelve people at the forefront were dressed identically to Liu Shinian and his twelve men.
And the twenty-four people behind them were dressed as the mountain lords of the Twenty-Four Mountains.
I was a bit puzzled. Lin'er leaned in and whispered to me.
"Demon King, this is a feint. If the enemy scouts don't see all our forces, Liu Shinian and the others might have their identities exposed."
Hearing his explanation, I nodded with satisfaction and then addressed the army.
"For this expedition to the Western Purple Kingdom, there is only victory, no defeat. We must let the people of the Western Purple Kingdom see how brave our Black Mountain Army is, and let them see what true fear is."
"Long live the Demon King! Long live the Demon King!"
"Good, march!"
With a single command, the vast army, like a well-disciplined iron wedge, marched towards the Western Purple Kingdom.
Meanwhile, in the Nanhai Royal Palace, Helian, Yue Yao, and Liu Mei were lying on someone's large bed.
When she slowly woke up, she remembered that the army was to march to the Western Purple Kingdom today. Her heart suddenly tensed. She hurriedly got up, hoping to catch up and see the Demon King off.
However, before she could reach the palace gate, someone called out to her, "Helian, where are you going?"
She turned around and saw Zuo Men standing outside.
"General, I'm going to see the Demon King off."
"See the Demon King off?" Zuo Men looked confused, but he still told her the truth, "The Demon King left long ago."
"What? So soon?"
"Left early this morning. Now, General Ku Dinghai and I need to lead the remaining soldiers to guard the city gates."
After speaking, he turned to find Ku Dinghai.
Helian looked incredulous. She turned around, her eyes welling up with tears, unable to say goodbye.
She suddenly remembered the peace charm she had given him. The Demon King had accepted it, which brought her some comfort.
She clasped her hands together and prayed to heaven.
"Heaven, please protect the Demon King and keep him safe."
At this moment, a red figure suddenly appeared on the roof behind her. Helian's prayer was carried to his ears by the wind.
Liu Xiang smiled slightly, looked at the devoutly praying girl, and said softly.
"Don't worry, I will ensure she is safe and sound."
With that, he smiled triumphantly and fanned himself as he departed.
The scouts ambushing near the Western Purple Kingdom immediately relayed this important news back to the Western Purple Kingdom.
It was then handed over to Wei Youji, the acting official of the Western Purple Kingdom, Grand Protector Wei.
To ensure the accuracy of the information, it was written into letters and uploaded one by one during transmission.
When it reached the Grand Protector, he was handling state affairs in the Xilin Royal Palace of the Western Purple Kingdom.
Upon receiving the letter, he opened it and broke out in a cold sweat. The letter stated:
The Ten Thousand Demon King has dispatched an army of 100,000 to the Western Purple Kingdom.
Their contingent includes the twelve Star Generals recently appointed and the twenty-four Mountain Lords.
In the past few days, we have also seen people continuously leaving Nanhai City, heading to unknown destinations.
Grand Protector Wei immediately wrote a letter and dispatched the city guard general, Wang Shenji, with thirty thousand elite troops to reinforce the border.
He also wrote a letter to his cousin, Wen Yuan, asking him to lead twenty thousand soldiers to reinforce.
In the letter, he specifically emphasized, "When you go, you can only defend the city and fight. Do not engage them in direct confrontation."
It seemed that Grand Protector Wei had realized that the Black Mountain Army was coming with great force and was well-prepared.