Blue Phoenix

by Tinalynge

  Being seated at the table, Hui Yue decided that instead of staring at an empty table he might as well cultivate, and his choice of action caused quite a few of the Saints to think highly of him. To be able to cultivate in a room filled with this many Saints, one could tell how strong his willpower was. Most Duke ranked experts would be uncomfortable being in a room with this many high ranked experts, yet here he was, a young man who had not broken into the King rank, doing just that. He managed to stabilize his mind enough to enter meditation. For him to reach such tranquility showed exactly what many of these experts needed to see, that he was not daunted by the pressure of higher ranked experts.

  While these experts were all feeling positive towards Hui Yue and his talents, not to mention the Art of War provided by the young man, there was still a fraction that was completely and utterly against the notion of waging war.

  “I understand that this young man is a god sent gift to us, and I have to admit that waging war is far more tempting now than it has ever been,” A woman said with a quiet, beautiful voice as she was the middle of a conversation about waging war in one of the many groups formed. “Although this is a hard decision, I still feel like we can not afford to risk this war. Although there is no Zhong Fai, which is an astonishing feat, there is no promise from An He that he will not appear. Four thousand years ago he appeared out of nowhere and oppressed us. Although he has been quiet for over a thousand years, I cannot help but feel that he is just waiting. Waiting for us to make a mistake so he can strike us down. So he can completely annihilate the beasts he did not annihilate before.”

  “Your words make sense,” A man said with a low and calm voice, yet his eyes were lit with a burning desire, and his voice slightly trembled as he continued to speak, “But remember, he had the choice to destroy us anytime during the last four thousand years, yet he has done nothing! Do not tell me that he is not aware of our current actions, that he does not know that we are planning a war! If he wished to save the human empire, he would already have appeared to destroy us. It is not something that would require a lot of effort on his part!”

  “What Lord Liu said is also correct,” The woman said again, her face slightly flustered, “But perhaps he is testing us. Perhaps, he wants to see whether or not we are greedy enough to wish for more land, and when we start our actions, he will cut us down.”

  “That is could be true,” The man nodded his head, but his eyes were feverish as he tried to convince everyone otherwise. “But he could be planning to kill us already. He could plan our deaths at any moment he wishes, why would he wait for us to start a war? It will inconvenience him when he is already able to destroy us. He showed no mercy four thousand years ago, for him to test us now given An He’s personality, I say that he would not wait but strike instantly. Because he has not struck us down yet, I cannot help but feel that he will not take action.”

  “Your logic is sound,” The woman sighed, “But there will always be a chance that An He will strike us down. And as long as there is a risk, I for one cannot take that chance. I have many beasts to look after. I cannot afford to risk their lives on something that isn’t guaranteed.”

  “Well, there is an easy solution,” Wan Qiao’s voice sounded throughout the entire library, and everyone quieted down as they looked at the beautiful woman who was smirking at the main table. Slowly everyone returned to their seats as they wondered what exactly Wan Qiao meant when she said that there was an easy solution.

  Seated in their chairs, not even the slight murmur could be heard as everyone looked to Wan Qiao. They felt that this was not an easy decision, so for her to claim that there was one, everyone was confused.

  “This is not an everyone goes to war, or no one goes to war situation.” Wan Qiao said with a gentle smile on her face, “We have sixty-four Saint ranked experts within this room, and that is far more Saints than the Siban Empire has. We can go to war with some of the Saints while others stay within Shenyuan and looks after our kingdom.”

  “It is natural not to leave with our entire force. If everyone was to leave, who would be left to protect our borders should another kingdom suddenly feel like attacking? Those who are against the war should be decided to be the ones staying behind and protecting our forest. An He would not destroy both the army who goes to war and the ones remaining behind. This way we can keep Shenyuan safe and ensure that some strong experts survive, should the worst case scenario turn out to be true.”

  Hearing her words everyone was taken aback as they understood the fundamental of what she said and how all of them were surprised that no one had thought about it previously. Having all of the lords leaving Shenyuan was definitely not an option, and the chance of An He taking revenge on the beasts who were within Shenyuan was very small. This way some of the lords would survive and be able to deal with their home. Thinking like this, all the lords felt an epiphany, and they could not help but all nod their heads.

  “I am not aware how many Saint leveled experts we need for the war,” Wan Qiao continued, “But that is something I will leave for Grand Marshall Hui Yue to decide. We might want to have many Saints with us, but we might not take all the ones who volunteer to go. However firstly, let us find now who would like to enter the war, and who would like to stay at Shenyuan. This way Hui Yue knows what he has to work with and also roughly the number of soldiers he will be dealing with.”

  Hearing this, a murmur appeared in the room and all slowly nodded their heads. Somewhere still slightly surprised from the simple solution while others already had their faces filled with grins and expectations.

  Doing a simple raising of hands, Hui Yue found that out of the sixty-four, fifty-nine were volunteering to invade while five were certain that they wished to stay within Shenyuan. One of these five was the woman who had spent a lot of time trying to convince the others that there was no way of knowing whether or not An He would participate.

  “Seeing the votes, the war will happen,” Wan Qiao said with a clear voice which cut through everything. Even those who had at first been against the war slowly nodded their heads. Their eyes had become feverish, and they seemed to be caught in the moment. They thought of the beasts going to war, of the people doing their best to improve the living quality of the many residents of Shenyuan.

  “There is one final thing I wish to make public tonight,” Wan Qiao continued, and everyone stilled. The conversation stopped, and they all looked at Wan Qiao with expectance and confusion in their eyes. They already agreed on going to war, what more was there for them to decide?

  “I have already named Hui Yue the Grand Marshall of our war; however, this is just my opinion. I think that no one will be capable of looking after the army and our troops better than he; however, we need to come to an agreement about this. Are we willing to take on Hui Yue and accept his conditions, or do we wish to do this on our own and hope for the least amount of casualties?”

  This question at first made all the lords mute. Not one said anything as complicated expressions were shown on their faces. All these lords knew that the man in question was nothing more than a Duke, yet at the same time, he had time and time again astonished them. Not only with his shocking intellect and the knowledge he had shared with them but also from his demeanor and ability to stay unfazed in front of any situation.

  However accepting Hui Yue as the Grand Marshall also meant accepting the conditions he set earlier, conditions which they did not wish for. After a moment, Lord Pan stood up and with a clear voice said “I accept Hui Yue as the Grand Marshall. Although I do not entirely agree with his conditions, I can accept them as his human part. Should the humans, however, cause trouble for us beasts, do not expect that we will treat them politely.”

  Hearing this, Hui Yue nodded and a “Naturally,” escaped his lips. His voice showed no emotions, nor could one tell he was under any pressure from the Saint, who had just spoken to him. Hearing this, one lord after another stood up, “Young Hui Yue is suited to be the Grand Marshall,” They al
l agreed. Wan Qiao was secretly elated and felt like jumping up and down in excitement as things were finally going the way that she had been dreaming for years. Ever since they had been forced back to Shenyuan, Wan Qiao wished that it was possible to fight back, to prove that the beasts had not been oppressed, yet she had to wait for four thousand years for it to happen. Now that it was occurring in front of her, she would do anything in her power for it to succeed.

  Eventually, every one of the sixty-four Saints around the table stood up. Some of them had bowed slightly towards Hui Yue while others had nodded their heads in approval as a show of respect. Although Hui Yue was not as strong as them, he had other merits which allowed for him to be treated with such respect from the highest group of beasts within Shenyuan.

  Seeing this, Hui Yue was quite surprised that everything went as smoothly as it had. He never expected that Wan Qiao would be able to convince so many at the start as she had, nor did he expect that the lords would actually approve of him.

  Smiling slightly, Hui Yue knew that now that this was settled, it was time for him to start his plan. His plan which included Li Meilin. A smile appeared on his face as he looked down the table, a feeling of success was rising in his chest, and a strange feeling of pride appeared within. To be trusted like this was a first in Hui Yue’s life, and he wished to prove that he was worth the respect.

  Ever so slowly, Hui Yue stood up, and a smile appeared on his face as he started speaking, “Everyone, I thank you for the honor you have shown me. I will retreat to my chambers for now, I need to do a lot of thinking, but I will call you all to an assembly soon. An assembly with all the information needed for us to begin the war.”

  Chapter 238 - Letting Her Go

  * * *

  Chapter 238: Letting Her Go

  As soon as Hui Yue had spoken, Wan Qiao officially ended the conclave, and all the lords returned to the residences which had been provided for them within the castle. Some were excited; others were exhausted. Some were looking forward to becoming a part of the army while others hoped to be given the simple task of being left at home to look after their country.

  The last people left in the library were Hui Yue, Wan Qiao, and Lord Pan. All three had smiles on their faces, and while Hui Yue’s smile seemed to convey a little more exhaustion than the other two’s, he was still very pleased with what had been accomplished.

  “I need you to provide something for me,” He said to Wan Qiao as he leaned back on the chair he was seated on resting against the chair with his eyes closed.

  “You told me to choose whom I want for the army, but I cannot make a decision unless you give me a list of every lord. I need to know which beast they are if they want to join the army or want to stay within shenyuan, and I need to know about their overall strength.”

  “Can you get those to me in a few days?” Hui Yue asked. “Also, I will need someone to fly Li Meilin back to her kingdom soon. I am going to go and have a talk with her about this war.”

  “So you truly plan on using this woman as a part of your plan?” Wan Qiao asked. She knew Hui Yue had mentioned it previously, but to actually do it was cruel because it left Li Meilin with no choice. Even if Li Meilin knew that she was stepping into a trap, she had no other option than to do what Hui Yue wanted of her. Following his plan was the only way she stood even the smallest chance of leaving Shenyuan alive. For her to rush home and warn the Siban Empire of the impending war, this would make Hui Yue the happiest. From Li Meilin’s point of view, rushing back was without a doubt the best option as well.

  Nodding his head, Hui Yue stood up and another bow towards the two Saints, Hui Yue left the room. He headed to find Li Meilin and speak with her about the war which was brewing. The news which the woman had already guessed but was not sure about.

  Looking around, Hui Yue could not find Li Meilin. He started to become confused about where the woman was hiding only to find that no matter how much he looked, he was not capable of finding the woman. Sighing Hui Yue felt a headache coming his way as he imagined various scenarios the woman could be undertaking to return to her kingdom. Perhaps she had already left the city and was on her way back; perhaps she was in town getting information. No matter what, Hui Yue had no idea where the woman was. He started to feel slightly annoyed that she had not just stayed put waiting for him to tell her that war was coming, and then help him find a way for her to return to her home. Hopefully, this was something he could still accomplish without her knowing that Hui Yue intentionally made her return.

  Hui Yue was waiting in front of Li Meilin’s room, his body leaning against the wall as his mood was turning more and more foul the longer he waited. Finally, as the last rays of sunshine were vanishing, Li Meilin appeared at her door. Her hair was damp and her skin red. It was clear that she had taken a bath somewhere, but as for what she was doing before that, Hui Yue had no idea.

  Looking at each other, Li Meilin was taken aback as she saw the young man waiting for her, and she instantly became alert and slightly defensive. So far, each time Hui Yue had been with her, the young man was dismissive and clearly hostile, yet here he was waiting for her with a grim look on his face. This was something which instantly made Li Meilin feel uncomfortable. She was ready for a showdown between the two humans within Shenyuan.

  “What are you doing here?” Li Meilin asked with a hostile air to her voice. Although she previously had been trying to get close to Hui Yue, it had not worked very well. When she learned that the man did not put her in his eyes, she decided to get information other ways.

  “I don’t like you,” Hui Yue stated with a bland voice, something which made Li Meilin snort in contempt. She already knew this. “I don’t like you, but you are the only other human within Shenyuan,” Hui Yue continued as his words made Li Meilin both apprehensive but also worried. For Hui Yue to wish to speak with her because she was human meant that something bad was going on.

  “Aren’t you going to invite me inside?” Hui Yue asked sourly as he looked around him, watching for guards or other beasts coming his way, “This is not something we should be talking about here outside the room.”

  Hearing this suggestion, Li Meilin nodded her head. Although she was slightly apprehensive, she was getting more and more worried. For Hui Yue to treat her the way he was, clearly something was very wrong, something where he had no other option than to come and find her.

  Opening the door, Li Meilin gestured for Hui Yue to follow her, and the young man quickly followed as the two of them sat down within the room, neither saying anything. Li Meilin was waiting as Hui Yue looked as though he was in a tough position. He looked like he was considering how to inform the woman next to him about the information he had obtained.

  “As you might know, I am half human, half beast,” Hui Yue said, this was the explanation he used for his human shape and his scent of a human which was impossible to hide. “I am living as a human as much as I am as a beast,” He continued. He stressed the fact that he wanted Li Meilin to know that he was as human as much as he was beast, and the reason he was speaking with her was because of his human side.

  “Today I overheard something I am quite certain that I should not have,” He began before he paused slightly. The pause causing Li Meilin’s heart to beat erratically and her worry to grow further.

  “I walked in on Wan Qiao and Lord Pan. The two of them were speaking about war. It seems that they are planning on waging war with the outside world. I did not hear which one of the kingdoms they will attack but no matter which kingdom they attack, we are all in trouble. I am from Taiyang while you are from Siban. No matter which kingdom they attack, there will be trouble.”

  Hearing these words the world seemed to collapse in front of Li Meilin’s eyes. Her entire world spun around for a moment. She quickly sat down, and had a hand supporting her head as she closed her eyes and forced the nauseating feeling down. Her eyes slowly opened once more, and they turned dark with determination.

  “What do you plan to
do about this?” She asked Hui Yue, but the young man shook his head with a sad expression. “I am going to stay here until I reach the King rank, but I am going to try and speak with Wan Qiao and see if I can convince her to let you leave. However, if I succeed you have to swear that you will tell the Taiyang kingdom about the danger,” Hui Yue said, his eyes serious as he looked at Li Meilin.

  The woman was quiet for quite some time as she considered whether or not to listen to the young man, but deep inside she was grateful that he had told her, that he was even willing to find a way for her to exit Shenyuan. If he truly managed to find a way to allow her to leave, then she would definitely do as he requested and tell the Taiyang Kingdom about the danger. Although she could not afford to pay any attention to other kingdoms preparations for war, she could at least warn them for the sake of this young man.

  “How will you convince Wan Qiao to allow me to leave this place?” Li Meilin asked curiously as she looked at the young man in front of her. Hui Yue was quiet for some time, gnawing on his lip as though he was contemplating multiple options, and eventually he opened his mouth to say, “I think I am going to tell her about you constantly sneaking around and getting more and more information. That I heard about the war and would suggest that you get moved before you get hold of the news as it will make it harder for them to take over a prepared kingdom.” Hui Yue said with a decisive voice. He slowly nodded his head as if this was the best idea he could come up with, and even Li Meilin nodded in agreement thinking that this was the best, and most likely only way for her to leave Shenyuan.