479: Chapter 479 Nothing Matters

Even General Cao Wang, who had seen his share of grand scenes, was like this, so the newly promoted officers of the Azure Dragon Guard beside him naturally didn't dare to even breathe loudly!

What a joke! From several hundred feet away, they hadn't even seen clearly how this woman had arrived!

If they were to start a fight, they wouldn't even know how they died!

"Are you the Vanguard General?"

After a moment of silence, the woman asked.

Faced with the blunt question, General Cao Wang didn't lose his temper either. He cupped his fists and said, "I am Cao Wang, General of the Vanguard Battalion of the Azure Dragon Guard. May I ask who you are, heroine...?"

"General Cao Wang? The one from the Battle of Jingtian?"

General Cao Wang was stunned. Was his fame known even to peerless experts in the martial world?

Feeling a bit of pride, General Cao Wang stood tall and puffed out his chest.

"Correct, that is indeed me!"

Xiao Qingxuan's beautiful eyes flickered, and a playful smile appeared at the corners of her mouth.

"So you are that Cao Wang..."

Xiao Qingxuan remembered that her husband quite liked this fellow, saying he looked like a bear but had a very sharp mind and knew when to yield and when to stand firm.

"Huh?"

General Cao Wang was bewildered. What did she mean? Was there another Cao Wang?

"Don't go any further. It wouldn't be good to disturb the people of Niutou County."

Xiao Qingxuan said, "I will go have a good talk with your Commander Jiang and Prince Qing. You all should prepare to withdraw your troops."

General Cao Wang and the rest were all dumbfounded. Withdraw the troops just like that?

Even if your martial arts are high, isn't your tone a bit too arrogant!?

"Heroine, may I ask your honorable name? Do you perhaps know our Commander Jiang?"

General Cao Wang needed to find out clearly; otherwise, he might lose his head.

Xiao Qingxuan raised a hand and made a sweeping motion in front of her...

"Rumble, rumble, rumble!..."

The rapidly condensing water vapor turned into an ice wall several feet high, frightening the warhorses into retreating again.

General Cao Wang and the others were dumbstruck, unable to believe what they were seeing!

"My name is Xiao Qingxuan, and I am the Princess Consort of Zhenbei."

After saying this, the woman leaped and flew toward the rear of the Azure Dragon Guard.

Everywhere she passed, the helmets, armor, and quivers of the Azure Dragon Guard below were covered in a layer of frost!

Every member of the Azure Dragon Guard shivered from the cold, as if they had suddenly fallen from spring back into the dead of winter!

A moment later, Xiao Qingxuan's figure had already vanished!

"General Cao... what... what should we do?"

Once they regained their senses, the officers of the vanguard were all terrified, their hearts still pounding.

Who could have imagined that the Princess Consort of Zhenbei, the widely discussed former Empress of the fallen Western Shu, was a peerless expert?!

If she had harbored any killing intent just now, these people would likely have been frozen into ice sculptures!

Without a doubt, Xiao Qingxuan's stance just now had proven that the Zhenbei Army refused to accept the "assistance" of the Qing Kings Army.

If they continued forward, they would be making an enemy of the Prince of Zhenbei!

After his expression changed several times, General Cao Wang steeled himself and slapped his thigh, saying:

"What are you all still standing there for!? This Princess Consort of Zhenbei is going to assassinate the Prince! Of course, we must go back to protect the Prince!!"

The group of officers heard this and suddenly realized!

That's right, the Azure Dragon Guard prioritizes protecting Prince Qing; there's nothing wrong with that!

Could it be that knowing the Prince is in trouble, they still wouldn't go to the rescue? That would be disloyalty!

No wonder they say General Cao Wang is a talent!

"The Prince is in danger! Hurry and protect the Prince!"

The group of vanguard troops immediately turned their horses around and chased after the main army in the rear.

Meanwhile.

Over ten miles away.

Dressed in mystic grade armor, Prince Qing rode a white warhorse, with Official Luo Wenfeng accompanying him.

"Mr. Luo, why haven't you said a word the whole way?" Li Siqing asked.

"My Prince, what do you wish for this old man to say?" Official Luo Wenfeng asked back with a smile.

"This Prince can see that you have been preoccupied since returning from Baishui Prefecture."

Li Siqing laughed and said, "Do you think this Prince's deployment of troops this time was reckless?"

A look of struggle appeared in Official Luo Wenfeng's eyes as he said, "My Prince, I was entrusted by Her Majesty to assist you with all my heart, so that one day you may rule the world."

"I understand that with the momentum of the Prince of Zhenbei, if we wait until the Khitan are wiped out, we will have no further opportunities."

"Therefore, this old man completely understands why the Prince chose to raise troops and enter Cang Province at this time."

"Even if there is only a ten percent chance, it is better than living with regret for the rest of your life."

Li Siqing nodded. "Mister understands me. What this Prince is fighting for is this one breath of indignation!"

"Mister knows what this Prince has experienced since childhood. Because my mother's family was weak and poor, and because this Prince was young, which of those elder brothers ever took me seriously?"

"If it weren't for the secret support of Mister and Master, this Prince might have found it difficult to arrive at my fief alive."

"For so many years, this Prince has hidden my edge and restrained my light, diligently acting as a good younger brother who doesn't fight or grab."

"While resisting the Western Qiang, I also increased the population of the four impoverished western provinces by hundreds of thousands. The Qing Kings Army can even stand as equals with Prince Bai's forces!"

"With great difficulty, I waited for the Decree of Reducing Fiefs, waited for the defeat of that arrogant Prince Bai, and the death of that favored son of heaven, the Prince of Yan..."

"But now you tell me to hand over everything I have to a scholar who came out of nowhere to join the army halfway through..."

"Then what was the point of this Prince's more than thirty years of enduring humiliation and meticulous planning!? Was it all just to pave the way for him!?"

Hearing these heartfelt words from Prince Qing, Official Luo Wenfeng's eyes also glistened with a hint of moisture.

Born into the imperial family, some things are destined to be carried.

"My Prince, I know the unwillingness in your heart, which is why I did not dissuade you."

"Now rumors are spreading throughout the Northern Border that you are colluding with the Khitan. This is equivalent to a complete falling out."

"I, Luo Wenfeng, an old man, have already prepared to advance and retreat with the Prince. It's just..."

Official Luo Wenfeng glanced at the front of the army.

"Are you worried that there is a problem with my Master?" Li Siqing asked.

"My Prince, since Commander Jiang returned from healing his injuries this time, I've felt something is a bit strange. And after hearing the tone of the Princess Consort of Zhenbei in Baishui Prefecture, I feel even more..."

"I know. He is not my Master. My Master is dead, killed by Lin Xiao," Prince Qing said calmly.

Official Luo Wenfeng was startled. "My Prince... you knew all along?!"

Li Siqing nodded.

"Then who is he?"

"I don't know. He only said he wants to destroy the Prince of Zhenbei and the Zhenbei Army."

Li Siqing's eyes were cold as he said, "Mr. Luo, although he is not my Master, as long as he can carve out a path for this Prince, I am willing to take this gamble!"

"But..."

Official Luo Wenfeng was about to say that the other party might ultimately harm Prince Qing, but he held back.

As things stood, Li Siqing only had Lin Xiao in his sights. As long as he could eliminate Lin Xiao, nothing else mattered!

At the front of the formation, Jiang Wanli glanced back, his expression calm as if he knew nothing.

Just then, a figure suddenly flew over from ahead.

The scouts didn't even have time to return and report because that person was much faster than a horse.

"Commander! There's a martial arts expert!"

"Form the formation!!"

On the Tianwu Continent, encountering experts on the battlefield was not a rare occurrence, so the Azure Dragon Guard reacted quickly.

But before the army could form up, Xiao Qingxuan had already arrived two or three hundred feet in front of the army!

"Release arrows!!—"

The generals in the front row were pale with fright and hurriedly gave the order.

A dense shower of arrows whistled through the air!

But before they could reach Xiao Qingxuan, they were blocked by a pale blue true qi.

With "clanging" sounds, the arrowheads seemed to have fallen onto hard, cold ice.

Xiao Qingxuan tapped her foot, and an ice pillar suddenly rose from the ground, spreading out ice ridges like a crystal jade tree of ice!

The woman landed lightly atop the ice tree amidst the vast white mist, looking down at the vast army of tens of thousands before her.

Surrounded by ice mist, the wind blew the woman's hair. Her white dress was as pure as snow, and her bright eyes shimmered with a hint of icy blue.

A naturally cold and noble aura made the thousands of soldiers in front hold their breath in tension, not daring to advance rashly!

Xiao Qingxuan pondered for a moment, then spoke in a calm, composed, yet highly penetrating voice:

"I am Xiao Qingxuan, the Princess Consort of Zhenbei. The Prince has not yet returned from fighting the Khitan, leaving me to guard the Northern Border."

"Li Siqing, you have colluded with the Khitan people, intending to launch a pincer attack and take advantage of the situation to set foot in the Northern Border. You are shameless!"

"However, my Prince is magnanimous. Considering your years of service in governing the Western Territory and that this is your first offense, I give you the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to withdraw your troops immediately!"

"Otherwise, today shall be the day you die!!"