After a night of urgent travel, the group from Shrek finally arrived near the military camp of the Western Legion of the Star Luo Empire.
As they descended from the sky, their arrival immediately triggered alarms from the nearby sentries. Within less than a minute, a squad of soldiers clad in standard-issue armor of the Star Luo Empire rushed to confront them. Leading them was an elderly man with a stern face, seven soul rings—three yellow, two purple, and two black—floating around him. He was actually a Soul Sage.
Upon seeing this man, Dai Yueheng immediately stepped forward to speak with him. This Soul Sage was not only a noble with the title of Viscount but also a vassal of the White Tiger Duke's household. His name was Du Leisi.
"Young Master, why are you here?" Du Leisi was clearly surprised to find the eldest son of the White Tiger Duke among this group of mostly young students. From their appearance and age, he could already guess their identities.
"Uncle Du, these are my fellow students from Shrek Academy. I've already sent word to Father. Is he around?" Dai Yueheng smiled as he asked.
"Yes. The Marshal is currently in the camp and should be doing his morning drills. I'll take you to him at once," Du Leisi replied.
"Great. But we'd like to rest a bit first," Dai Yueheng added.
After a short rest, under Du Leisi's guidance, the group entered the military camp. As Zhu Ziyang looked over the vast and orderly layout of the Western Legion, deep thought filled his expression. The Western Legion, also known as the White Tiger Legion, was fifty thousand strong—a force considered one of the elite on the continent. But how long could such a traditional army withstand the soul tool legions of the Sun Moon Empire?
Soon, the group arrived at the Marshal's main tent and met the White Tiger Duke, Dai Hao.
Dai Hao was indeed a veteran general. His entire demeanor exuded a fierce military aura, his voice sonorous and powerful. Even the inner court disciples of Shrek found themselves slightly in awe of his presence. Yet Zhu Ziyang was surprised to notice that the moment Huo Yuhao saw Dai Hao, his breath instantly lost control. His usually calm eyes turned bloodshot, and had it not been for Wang Dong seizing his arm quickly, Huo Yuhao might've exploded on the spot.
'Tsk tsk, still just a kid,' Zhu Ziyang clicked his tongue inwardly. This only confirmed his suspicion further—Huo Yuhao must be an illegitimate child Dai Hao left behind.
"Welcome, Teacher Wang Yan, and all the outstanding students of Shrek Academy!" Dai Hao greeted with a hearty smile, his voice thunderous.
"Greetings, Your Grace," Wang Yan responded as the group's nominal leader. He kept his tone polite but composed.
Although Dai Hao held the title of Duke—second only to the emperors of the four nations—among Shrek's inner court disciples, titles held far less weight than power. The proud mindset of "cloaked in white, proud above princes" was deeply ingrained in all of them.
The White Tiger Duke shook Wang Yan's hand and said, "Please, come into the marshal's tent. Allow me to show you proper hospitality."
Wang Yan politely declined, shaking his head. "Your Grace, there's no need for formalities. We are here simply to complete a mission. Please just provide us with the intelligence. We wouldn't want to trouble you further."
A flicker of surprise flashed in Dai Hao's eyes, but he didn't insist. He said directly, "Very well. Du, handle our esteemed guests. Let Xu Yi handle the intel briefing with the Shrek team."
"As you command!" Du Leisi responded with a bow.
"Everyone, I wish you success. Until we meet again," said Dai Hao before turning and leaving.
Du Leisi then led the Shrek group to another large tent.
"Uncle Du, why didn't Father have you handle the intel handover directly? Why leave it to someone else?" Dai Yueheng asked, voicing a question on everyone's mind. Wang Yan, Ma Xiaotao, and Zhu Ziyang all looked at Du Leisi with keen interest. Zhu Ziyang had long sensed something was fishy here.
Du Leisi gave a bitter smile. "Truth be told, the Marshal didn't intend to bother Shrek Academy at all. This entire matter was initiated by Xu Yi. It was he who requested Shrek Academy's assistance, so naturally, the Marshal left the briefing to him."
The group exchanged glances, unsure what to make of it.
"General Du, who exactly is this Xu Yi to have such influence over a military decision?" Zhu Ziyang asked. His instincts were telling him this Xu Yi had ulterior motives.
How could a fifty-thousand-strong army be unable to deal with a band of robbers? What kind of robbers could only be dealt with by calling in Shrek Academy? Was this just a cover for something more sinister?
Du Leisi hesitated, then finally spoke. "Xu Yi is both our quartermaster and intelligence officer. He's also connected to the royal family. I suspect he pushed for Shrek's involvement because he's afraid the military's internal investigators will discover evidence of his illegal dealings."
"What?" Zhu Ziyang and the others couldn't hide their disbelief. Their eyes questioned whether Du Leisi was serious.
"This is known only to the Marshal and a few trusted officers," Du Leisi said with a bitter smile. "Xu Yi's supply caravans were raided by the very bandits we're now dealing with. If we used our own troops to wipe them out, we might find those stolen supplies, which would be damning evidence."
"So, the army's refusal to act wasn't due to fear of the Sun Moon Empire's forces?" Zhu Ziyang pressed.
"Not entirely," Du Leisi replied. "The Marshal did send two units, but they were annihilated. He then planned to send his personal guard, but Xu Yi strongly opposed it and instead contacted your academy for help.
"The Marshal found this suspicious and ordered an investigation, which is how we discovered Xu Yi has been selling military supplies. But… since he's tied to the royal family, we lack the evidence to bring him down."
"So, you're using us as pawns?" Ma Xiaotao's face flushed with anger, her beautiful eyes burning with fury. Had Zhu Ziyang not held her back, she would've acted on the spot.
"So the reason you're telling us all this… is that you want us to help you find proof of Xu Yi's crimes?" Zhu Ziyang asked directly.
Du Leisi hesitated again, then said with shame, "No. I want you to destroy any potential evidence."
"Why?" Dai Yueheng was stunned. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard, anger rising in his expression.
The others were equally puzzled. Normally, they'd expect to help uncover the evidence and bring Xu Yi to justice. Why destroy it?
Only Zhu Ziyang and Wang Yan showed signs of contemplation. Clearly, the White Tiger Duke wasn't just some brute who only knew warfare.
"Young Master… this is the Marshal's order," Du Leisi said helplessly, looking at Dai Yueheng.
At this, Dai Yueheng deflated. He wanted to ask more, but before he could, the tent's entrance opened and someone walked in.
It was Xu Yi.
A man in his thirties dressed in military uniform, he had a dignified and upright appearance—someone who looked every bit like a model officer. It was hard to imagine that he could be involved in something as corrupt as black market dealings.
Du Leisi's expression turned sour the moment he saw Xu Yi enter. He said to the group, "Everyone, Marquis Xu will now brief you on the mission."
Without waiting for any response, Du Leisi promptly left the tent.
Xu Yi watched him go, a smirk forming at the corner of his mouth. He turned to the Shrek group with a smile and said, "Welcome, everyone from Shrek Academy. I'm Xu Yi. Let's skip the formalities and get straight to the intel you need."
The students from Shrek weren't fond of him. Even before meeting him, the impression had already soured, and now his eagerness to dump information on them only confirmed their suspicions—he seemed desperate to erase evidence.
Zhu Ziyang observed Xu Yi carefully. He activated his "Righteous Radiance Heart," the ultimate manifestation of pure light, to probe Xu Yi's aura. What he found shocked him—Xu Yi's heart was steeped in darkness, even emitting a faint black miasma.
Such hostility? Such evil?
'Why would someone so invested in hiding evidence greet us with nothing but malice? Shouldn't he be grateful?' Zhu Ziyang thought, his guard instantly rising.
Could it be… that Xu Yi has more to hide than just stolen supplies?
(End of Chapter)
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