Chapter Twenty-Six: Summary

"The Demon Finger of Xiao was indeed a deliberate loss," Ye Xin said slowly. "With Wei Juan's abilities, defeating Xiao is impossible. The fact that he managed to confront Xiao for over a year is already a miracle."

Xue Baiqi and Hao Fei listened with rapt attention.

"However, Wei Juan commands tens of thousands of soldiers. If Xiao wants to swallow up Wei Juan's army, he must pay a huge price. For a mere Wei Juan, he deems it unworthy," Ye Xin continued. "So, he loses once, lets Wei Juan see an opportunity, draws our Great Wei army into his territory, then burns the bridges behind us, ha… Four years ago, how hard did we struggle, how many died to escape? And at the same time, he sells out Zhuang Immortal—you heard it yourself, Zhuang’s Tiger Head Army was utterly routed. I’m certain Xiao’s Demon Army’s so-called heavy losses are all an act; Zhuang Immortal is the one truly ruined. With Zhuang’s power diminished, at least within the army, no one can challenge Xiao’s authority anymore. Lastly, perhaps he's always regarded me, Ye Xin, as his greatest threat—he pretends defeat, lets Ironheart Sage grow arrogant, and strikes against the Ye family, ensuring the Sirius Legion never rises again. Count it up… three birds with one stone!"

"What a poisonous scheme!" Hao Fei murmured. "The most brilliant strategist of the Nine Kingdoms, his reputation is well deserved…"

"And what about you, sir?" Xue Baiqi smiled. Ye Xin’s insight and calm demeanor clearly meant he had a plan.

"Heh… The master is the greatest strategist under heaven!" Hao Fei laughed.

"Heaven? There are so many talented and extraordinary people in the world; I wouldn't dare claim that title. But against Xiao, I have some confidence," Ye Xin replied.

"What exactly should we do?" Xue Baiqi asked.

"We don't need to do anything," Ye Xin smiled, a strange expression on his face. "Just wait for news of Wei Juan's defeat."

"Wei Juan will lose?" Hao Fei was stunned.

"Of course. If Wei Juan doesn't lose, wouldn't I die in Nine Cauldrons City?" Ye Xin said. "Whether he wants to lose or not, he must! Ha… I only settled you here in Nine Cauldrons City, but where are they?"

"I see…" Xue Baiqi’s eyes brightened.

"I remember last time I spoke very plainly with Xiao, and yet he broke his word and tried to kill me…" Ye Xin sneered. "Such people, unless slapped hard, never learn. Fine, this time I’ll let him taste something harsher!"

"Sir, if you want Wei Juan to lose, you need Xiao’s cooperation. What if Xiao still wants Wei Juan to win?" Xue Baiqi asked.

"That’s a clever question," Ye Xin said coolly. "If not Xiao, then Zhuang Immortal. Zhuang has suffered terribly, like a gambler with nothing left to lose. If I give him a chance, he’ll stake everything he has."

Outside, cheers rang out again. The news of Wei Juan’s victory was like a stimulant, sending the students’ morale soaring.

Xue Baiqi’s eyes showed a trace of pity—indeed, these were just pitiable children. They could never imagine the true masters of the battlefield were right here in this carriage.

Xue Baiqi believed that since Ye Xin said Wei Juan would lose, it would happen. The current jubilant cheers were nothing but a foolish joke; soon, they would be wailing instead.

With Ye Xin’s methods, there were countless ways to deal with Wei Juan. Xiao and Wei Juan were neither his first nor his last opponents; Xue Baiqi had witnessed miracle after miracle unfold before his eyes.

Suddenly, a tremor stirred in Xue Baiqi’s heart, and he glanced at Ye Xin. Sometimes this man’s heart was as hard as iron—though Wei Juan deserved death, the tens of thousands of soldiers were innocent, and soon they would lie dead across the fields. Yet Ye Xin’s gaze remained utterly calm, as if unaware that the demise of so many lives was intimately connected to him. At other times, his heart softened—towards Ye Ling, Deng Qiaoying, Mister Ghost, and the brothers of the Heavenly Sin Battalion, he was gentle, even laughing and joking.

No point in thinking too much. Xue Baiqi shook his head. The saying goes, “for one general’s success, ten thousand bones wither.” Perhaps it was precisely Ye Xin’s nature that allowed him to repeatedly pull them from desperate straits. After all, he too was a beneficiary, hardly qualified to question.

"Wei Juan is mediocre," Hao Fei said. "He’s already forgotten the bloody lesson of the Sirius Legion four years ago!"

"You’re wrong again," Ye Xin replied. "Wei Juan does have some talent. But… Xiao has seen right through him. This move is too vicious—even if Wei Juan hesitates, he has no choice but to continue."

"How so?" Hao Fei asked, puzzled.

"Imagine a pair of devoted lovers, separated by disaster, then reunited by chance years later. How could they restrain their emotions?" Ye Xin spoke softly. "Wei Juan has waited twenty years for this day—twenty years. He knew he couldn’t compete with my father, so he refused to become a pawn, withdrew to the mountains, watching as my father grew stronger, eventually provoking Ironheart Sage’s suspicion. Then he reemerged, reclaiming all he once possessed."

"After succeeding, Wei Juan's mission is to prove himself—to show he’s stronger and more capable than my father, to show that in the past twenty years, the people of Great Wei and the lord Ironheart Sage were blind to abandon him for my father," Ye Xin continued. "So, he desperately needs a glorious victory! Xiao saw this and deliberately lost to Wei Juan. I don't yet know what happened over there, but Xiao’s preparations must be careful and flawless, using a series of small setbacks to inflate Wei Juan’s confidence."

"Confidence…" Ye Xin sighed. "It’s good, but overconfidence leads to fatal mistakes. Wei Juan thinks he’s winning, but doesn’t know how terrifying Xiao truly is! That man… his intelligence is almost supernatural. I doubt anyone can deceive him—certainly no one in the Nine Kingdoms. There are only two ways to deal with Xiao: one is to fight him openly like my father, giving him no loopholes; the other is to avoid playing his game, and use the larger environment to suppress him."

"Sir, even you can’t win?" Xue Baiqi asked.

"I cannot," Ye Xin replied. "That’s why, last time I met him, every word I spoke was truthful, with no hidden intentions."

"I still don’t quite understand," Hao Fei said.

"Simply put, you can compete with Xiao in strategy, but never in tactics. You can’t beat him at that game. In my eyes, Xiao is a beast—cunning as a fox or jackal, strong as a lion or tiger. If I charged at him with my fists, I’d die. So I avoid him: dig a pit here today, set a snare there tomorrow, weave a net on a treetop the next day. Even if he sees, he won’t know my purpose. When we finally clash, all my preparations will turn into killing blows at the critical moment," Ye Xin smiled. "Perhaps due to his background, his grasp of the larger picture is weak—that’s his fatal flaw."

Xue Baiqi and Hao Fei fell silent, a subtle anticipation in their hearts. They knew, sooner or later, Ye Xin and Xiao would face off—a true clash of dragons and tigers!

"By the way, if you have time, look into Feng Qishan for me. He’s rather odd," Ye Xin said.

"Dean Feng Qishan?" Hao Fei was surprised.

"That’s him," Ye Xin glanced outside through the curtain. "I should go out now. Wait here, don’t wander. If Ironman Hao loses his mind, I’ll count on you to guard me."

"Don’t worry," Hao Fei replied.

Ye Xin slipped out of the carriage and immediately saw Ye Ling surrounded by several girls, chatting intimately. He hesitated, quickly drew back his foot, and closed the door behind him.

"What’s wrong, sir?" Xue Baiqi asked, puzzled.

"Who is that woman?" Ye Xin whispered.

"Which one?" Xue Baiqi peeked through the crack.

"The one holding Ye Ling’s hand," Ye Xin said.

"Haha… Sir, you do have sharp eyes," Xue Baiqi chuckled. "That’s Wen Rong—the acknowledged ‘first flower’ of the Dragon Soaring Martial Academy."

"First this, first that—it’s all childish games, aren’t you tired of it?" Ye Xin scoffed. "Her surname isn’t Zong?"

"Why would she be Zong?" Xue Baiqi looked puzzled. "Sir, have you met her?"

"More than met—almost killed her…" Ye Xin replied. "Fortunately, she agreed to cooperate with me in the end."

The one holding Ye Ling’s hand turned out to be the woman who guarded the Fruit of Infant Transformation in the ancient forest. Her beauty was secondary; it was her effortless composure and calm that left a lasting impression. No matter how many people were around, her presence always drew the eye.

"Sir, you must be joking," Xue Baiqi said in astonishment. "If you really harmed her, half the city would come after you… Even Third Prince Iron Lantern would turn against you."

"That doesn’t scare me. Once I kill Ironheart Sage, even more will want my head," Ye Xin paused, then slipped out of the carriage again.

Ye Ling spotted Ye Xin and waved, calling, "Brother! Over here!"

Ye Xin grinned and walked over, but suddenly noticed Wen Rong’s eyes flickering with suspicion. He immediately began to reflect—did he reveal any flaw before? Had Wen Rong recognized him as the Black Robe?

With guilt in his heart, he became more sensitive. No matter how skilled Ye Xin was in psychology, he was not immune. He avoided Wen Rong’s gaze and focused only on Ye Ling.