The news that Li Man'er had subdued the Iron Blood Battalion spread throughout the old city like wildfire.
Even the new city received the news, though they showed no particular reaction.
Feng Wuyun could hardly believe his ears upon hearing it.
What was a bolt from the blue, a summer thunderclap?
"She defeated all four of them by herself?"
"Yes," the guard relaying the message kept his head bowed low and whispered, "They all lost to her, in martial arts, weaponry, archery, and military strategy."
Feng Wuyun's face turned even paler with anger. His previous pain had subsided, but after hearing this, he felt a dull ache resurface in a certain spot.
"Summon Lu Fang."
"Yes."
Lu Fang arrived swiftly, as he had been waiting in an adjoining room in the courtyard. Hearing Feng Wuyun's summons, he dared not delay and came immediately.
"What's going on?" Feng Wuyun was prone to anger, often drawing his sword and attacking in the heat of battle.
However, when he was truly enraged, he would become unusually calm. Lu Fang, his confidant, knew this well.
Lu Fang bowed and said, "General, although Li Man'er is young, she is truly formidable. Her skills seem to have been honed since birth. We subordinates are indeed no match for her."
Feng Wuyun waved his hand impatiently. He had already heard the detailed account and had no desire to listen again.
"Where are the documents? Did you personally witness her writing them?"
Lu Fang quickly replied, "General, rest assured. The strategic deployment was written by her own hand, and everyone in the room saw it!"
"The documents?"
"Ah, here." Lu Fang quickly produced several sheets of paper he had kept close to his person and handed them over.
"Li Nian was a bit difficult to deal with and almost demanded these back. It took some effort on my part to secure these few pages," Lu Fang said, a hint of pride in his tone, though his honest demeanor masked it.
Feng Wuyun was no simple man. He had laid numerous traps for Li Man'er, the most critical being these few sheets of paper.
Regardless of her actual talent, once these documents were handed over, Li Man'er would be guilty of colluding with the enemy.
"Li Man'er is young and inexperienced, she didn't take them seriously," Lu Fang finished, expecting praise from Feng Wuyun. He thought he had handled the matter perfectly.
Unfortunately, after waiting for a long time, he received no praise. Looking up, he saw Feng Wuyun's face ashen, his nostrils flared, seeming twice their usual size.
"General..."
Why was he so angry?
Feng Wuyun flung the few sheets of paper at him and said fiercely, "No wonder she didn't care, didn't take them seriously. Look at what you brought back!"
Lu Fang was shocked. He quickly picked up the pages and examined them closely. The paper was bare; only faint, dried water stains remained, suggesting that words had once been written on them.
Now, where had the words gone? The paper was blank, as if mocking him for being a fool.
How could this be?
Lu Fang was dumbfounded, sweat beading on his forehead. His eyes darted around, unsure of what had gone wrong. However, he soon recalled something: Li Man'er had given him a meaningful glance as she was leaving. At the time, he hadn't thought much of it, but now he realized Li Man'er had known everything all along and had already set her plans in motion, waiting for him to fall into her trap!
But when had she tampered with them?
Lu Fang swallowed, his voice trembling, "General, our plan must have been discovered by Li Man'er. She must have done something to the paper, which is why the words disappeared."
"Did she bring her own paper and ink?"
Lu Fang shook his head blankly.
"Then did you see her tamper with them?"
Lu Fang shook his head again, thinking: Yes, they had provided all the writing materials. Li Man'er had no opportunity to perform such a sleight of hand in front of everyone.
"No, but when I offered to grind ink for her, the subordinate said it wasn't necessary. It was Li Nian who ground the ink for her. I don't know if it was her or Li Nian who tampered with them."
The words on the paper were gone, so it was definitely tampered with. She had been wary of them from the start. It was laughable that he had thought Li Man'er was foolish enough to entrust such important documents to others for safekeeping.
Now, he realized, he was the fool.
Feng Wuyun's face was ashen with anger, but he did not utter any harsh words.
Of his four top generals, Yang Yitian was just and honorable; Lu Liang was engrossed in weapon forging and not very useful; Zhang Jingfeng appeared dissolute but was loyal and had his principles.
Only Lu Fang, despite his honest appearance, harbored ambition. He focused solely on results, regardless of the means. It was only he who could handle important tasks for Feng Wuyun.
A superior must know how to manage his subordinates, needing both those with true talent and ability, as well as unscrupulous villains.
Lu Fang was a dog that Feng Wuyun kept. Certain things others couldn't do, Lu Fang could.
"Never mind. It was a desperate measure to begin with. I cannot neglect the nation and its people due to my personal grievances with her."
Lu Fang's eyes darted around, and he suddenly understood Feng Wuyun's implication.
If Li Man'er's manuscript were leaked, the repercussions would be significant. The current war had made people anxious, and any incident could lead to many deaths, potentially implicating themselves and drawing unwanted attention.
"However..." Feng Wuyun's eyebrows suddenly twitched, revealing a sinister smile. "Blades have no eyes, especially on the battlefield. Even if she's skilled, she's just a young girl, leading troops for the first time. Surely there will be slip-ups?"
Lu Fang immediately understood and said, "Naturally. Blades have no eyes. Minor injuries, or worse, death. What a pity..."
Meanwhile, Li Nian was muttering to Li Man'er, "Do you really want to move into the military camp?"
"Of course. Do you think I'm joking?"
"You child, don't you know that everyone there has their own agenda? None of them are good people."
Li Man'er replied, "I am the commander of the Iron Blood Battalion. How can I not be with my subordinates! Uncle Three, I'm fine, please don't worry! I think it would be better if you didn't attend the council and stayed to guard Qingyan. I would feel more at ease."
Li Nian knew he couldn't dissuade her. He suddenly asked, "Hey, what is that small pellet inside there?"
Small pellet?
Li Man'er giggled, "Uncle Three, do you think I don't know what kind of person that Lu fellow is? I'm guarding against him. That pellet is a good thing. The ink, it can only be seen within half an hour. After half an hour, there will be nothing left. So, what Lu Fang is holding now are just pieces of waste paper."
Li Nian gave her a thumbs-up, impressed.