Lord Zhou straightened his body, trying to be sharp. Was it to cause trouble for Xiao Man? To make her unhappy before leaving? Or to make one last effort to see if the Emperor would agree to the marriage alliance with Xiao Man?
"My lord, are you still going to propose to marry Xiao Man as queen?" Lord Zhou gestured towards where Xiao Man was.
Qu Yang felt a mouthful of blood lodge in his throat, unable to swallow or spit it out. He only wished for death after thinking of marrying her. Their survival from her was uncertain, and yet you were thinking of marrying her as queen!
"Lord Zhou, is your head merely decorative, only for looking?" Qu Yang gritted his teeth. How could His Majesty have chosen such an idiot to accompany him to Yusheng? "We are trying to avoid her, and you want to provoke her? Are you tired of your head staying firmly on your neck?"
Lord Zhou touched his own head. If not to propose to Princess Yongning, then what was the point of being sharp? Was it to bother the Emperor of Yusheng at the right time?
Lord Zhou quickly said, "My lord, rest assured, this subordinate understands."
Understands what? Qu Yang looked at Lord Zhou's confident expression, feeling his liver, heart, and lungs ache. He truly feared this person might do something irrational, dragging him down with him!
"Your Majesty of Yu, I hear that your country's Prince Qin is most skilled in marching and breaking formations, while Commander Xiao excels at leading and arranging troops. I wonder, who is stronger between the two?" Yao Ran asked the old emperor, a smile on his face. "Why doesn't Your Majesty let Prince Qin lead his men to break the formation, and let us witness Prince Qin's demeanor? How about it?"
The old emperor merely smiled, not in a hurry to agree. After all, this was a situation where both sides could lose. If Xiao Man won, Prince Qin's reputation would undoubtedly suffer. If Prince Qin won, the Xiao family's prestige would plummet to the bottom. No matter who won or lost, it was he who would ultimately lose.
"If Minister Yao wishes to learn, why not bring your men to learn? First, learn Commander Xiao's troop arrangement, and then learn Prince Qin's marching and formation breaking."
Yao Ran's expression remained unchanged. "Your Majesty, how about this: let Lord Qu lead his men to learn Commander Xiao's troop arrangement, while I lead my men to learn Prince Qin's marching and formation breaking."
"Excellent. I wonder what Lord Qu thinks of this?"
Qu Yang rose. "I have long heard of the Xiao family's formidable military formations. To have the opportunity to personally learn today is my honor."
"In that case, it is settled." The old emperor smiled heartily. "Fourth Brother, Yongning, you are not to disgrace me."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The two replied in unison.
Since Prince Qin's Silver Armor Army had not been brought, Xiao Man divided half of the Shen Du Camp soldiers to Nangong Yu. They each occupied half the field. Yao Ran personally led his team to confront Prince Qin, while Qu Yang led his men to break Xiao Man's military formation.
The old emperor watched as the formations on the field constantly changed. Yao Ran's men were also elites. Although not numerous, their formations were exquisite, and Nangong Yu's men were unable to break through for a time, instead being trapped within the formation by Yao Ran's forces.
As Nangong Yu and his men were trapped, a dagger suddenly struck from the side, aiming for Nangong Yu's vital point. Nangong Yu, startled, dodged the attack by shifting his body. Unexpectedly, another sharp blade came from another direction. Nangong Yu had only brought men to break formations and was not armed. He found it difficult to cope.
"Your Highness, are they trying to take advantage of the chaos to kill you?" Si Chen, who had been following Nangong Yu, was also stunned by the sudden turn of events.
"Break the formation quickly."
"Yes, everyone, follow me to break the formation." Si Chen called out, but heard no reply. He turned to find that the men behind them had vanished, leaving only himself and Prince Qin.
"Your Highness, our men are gone!"
Nangong Yu's brow furrowed. He suspected that their men hadn't disappeared, but rather that there had only ever been the two of them. This was a trap, a setup to lure him in!
Nangong Yu wore a bitter smile. "You still don't trust me, after all."
"Your Highness, what are you saying?" Si Chen asked while guarding against any potential cold blades, fearing that a single misstep would lead them into the hands of the Blue Moon envoys.
"Protect yourself, I'm going to break the formation." With that, Nangong Yu quickly charged into the center of the formation. If his guess was correct, Xiao Man would surely be waiting for him at the formation's core!
Xiao Man's military formation clashed with the Blue Moon's formation and then separated, as if nothing had happened. Xiao Man seized the opportunity to enter the Blue Moon's formation. Outsiders could not see what was happening inside, nor could they know what had become of Nangong Yu and Xiao Man.
Nangong Yu broke into the center of the formation and indeed found Xiao Man. Nangong Yu gave a bitter smile. "You still don't trust me, after all."
Xiao Man kicked a sword at Nangong Yu's feet, then drew her own sword and pointed it at him. "Face the facts, what is there for you to argue?"
Nangong Yu was speechless. Yes, facing the facts, what was there for him to argue? But he did not want to fulfill the intentions of the person behind this. "Xiao Man, listen to me, this whole thing was a setup from the beginning..."
Before Nangong Yu could finish speaking, Xiao Man had already charged forward with her sword, each move sharp and swift, carrying a chilling killing intent, as if she truly wanted to fight Nangong Yu to the death. Nangong Yu had no choice but to draw his sword and meet her.
"Calm down!"
"I am always calm. You are the one who is not calm!" Xiao Man's eyes were filled with ice, showing no hint of emotional fluctuation.
Nangong Yu blocked Xiao Man's sword. "This is his scheme. He wants us to turn against each other..."
Xiao Man released her grip, her sword spinning 360 degrees before returning to her hand. Without hesitation, she swung her sword towards Nangong Yu's neck. Nangong Yu parried Xiao Man's attack with his sword, and a powerful surge of energy spread out, sending those around them flying.
Those watching intently were suddenly surprised as the people on the field were sent flying. When they saw Prince Qin and Xiao Man fighting, their confusion deepened. They looked towards the Emperor, wondering what play this was.
Yao Ran retreated repeatedly. Fortunately, she had retreated quickly, or she would have been injured by their clash of energies.
"Fourth Brother, Yongning, what are you doing?" The old emperor stood up and rebuked.
However, the two on the field were fighting as if their lives depended on it, neither yielding. Nangong Yu did not attack proactively, only defending, while Xiao Man only attacked and never defended. Her fierce demeanor made it seem as though Nangong Yu was her mortal enemy. Nangong Yu appeared particularly disheveled under Xiao Man's fierce assault.
"You truly intend to kill me!" Nangong Yu looked at Xiao Man in disbelief. Xiao Man truly intended to kill him!
"You deserve to die!" A dagger appeared in Xiao Man's left hand and struck directly at Nangong Yu's vital point. Nangong Yu gave a bitter smile, closed his eyes, and made no move to dodge.
"Stop her quickly!" The old emperor immediately ordered.