The main gate of the Qiao Family Mansion slowly opened, the thick lacquered wooden door sliding silently thanks to good lubrication. The view of the mansion came into sight beyond the gate.

Compared to the magnificent halls of Western nobility or the ancient and elegant castles, the Qiao Family Mansion belonged to the standard of Eastern gardens. Stepping through the gate behind her, the clamor of the city was immediately insulated, and the green ancient trees and rugged rockery hills made Aya briefly doubt if she was still in the city.

Although there was no ostentatious luxury on the surface, the transplanted ancient trees, natural rocks, and the vast land occupying a prime location in the city all represented the profound background of the Qiao Family.

"Indeed, a wealthy family..."

Aya murmured quietly as she followed behind Qiao Qiao. However, as a Dragon, she didn't covet these things at all, apologizing, but she had no interest in anything that wasn't shiny and dazzling.

After entering the garden, the attendants and guards who were leading the way and following them had silently disappeared at some point, leaving only Aya and the father-daughter duo ahead on the tranquil path.

Although she had a tough mouth, in reality, Qiao Qiao seemed quite afraid of her father—a middle-aged man who appeared rather conventional, following behind with a dejected look, his fearful demeanor making Aya almost unable to hold back a chuckle.

Passing through two intersections, the three arrived at a bamboo pavilion by the shore of an artificial lake within the bamboo forest. A kettle of boiling water bubbled on the stone table in the pavilion, alongside arranged tea sets.

"Um... Father, if you need to talk to Aya, shall I excuse myself?"

Qiao Qiao's expression was somewhat conflicted as he took a step back tentatively after folding his hands behind his back.

"Stay."

A plain statement made Qiao Qiao shiver, but he had no choice but to sit down obediently on a stone bench in the bamboo pavilion.

Meanwhile, Qiao Qiao's father walked over to the stone table, gesturing towards the stone bench opposite him, "Please, Miss Aya."

In standard Western Continent common language.

"Uh... alright." Aya unexpectedly felt a bit of pressure from him, not because he was particularly strong, but simply from the "aura" coming from his personality or way of handling things.

Perhaps it was due to encounters with important figures before, such as a certain king, a princess, and a certain abdicated dark lord, all of whom were not normal people, leading to a skewed perception in Aya's mind.

"Don't be nervous." Qiao Qiao's father poured the boiling water into the teapot using a cloth-wrapped handle, allowing the tea leaves to unfurl rapidly in the hot water, dyeing it a light color.

"My name is Qiao Sida." A cup of clear tea was pushed in front of Aya, "I have a general idea of what happened when Qiao Qiao ran to the slums, thank you for protecting her and bringing this girl back."

Qiao Sida's face revealed a faint smile, and he said somewhat apologetically, "I have troubled you, Mr. Aya."

Holy crap.

Aya was taken aback, and her fondness for Qiao Sida suddenly increased, amazed that she had encountered someone who could immediately discern her true gender. It was unbelievable, to be able to meet someone who could see through her gender just like that, I'm almost moved to tears!

"Wow... You really could tell..."

Qiao Qiao beside her couldn't help but be astonished as well.

"I'm sorry, during my time as an envoy visiting the Western Continent, I had the opportunity to interact with the Elf tribe, and encountered several Elves whose situations were similar to Mr. Aya's, such as His Majesty the Elf King. The first time I met them, I was surprised for quite a while."

"The Elf King huh..."

Aya recalled Coco's father who stood next to her despite being her dad, feeling at a loss for words.

"Let's not digress too much," Mr. Aya probably doesn't want to hear too many of my empty words of gratitude. I'll get straight to the point. I heard from the young lady that Your Excellency offered to help her on the condition of meeting the Star-Seeing Lord, is that correct?"

"Yes." Aya didn't beat around the bush either, this was his only way, and there was no room for hesitance. It was for this reason that when he saw a hint of hesitation in Mr. Qiao's expression, Aya felt a bit anxious: "Is it not possible?"

Instead of answering Aya directly, Mr. Qiao asked back, "I wonder if Your Excellency Aya minds me asking the purpose of your meeting with the Star-Seeing Lord. With your strength, meeting the Star-Seeing Lord is probably not for divination, right?"

"... Of course not." Aya hesitated for a moment, unsure how to explain the matter of the seal to Mr. Qiao, "Let me put it this way, I know the Star-Seeing Lord from the Milt Academy in the Western Continent. I came this time to ask for her help. If I tell her my name, she should be willing to meet me."

Perhaps? Selling Tiran a favor should make the Star-Seeing Lord willing to help, right? Besides, there seemed to be some secrets between her and Tiran that they didn't even know about, their relationship was not just about a client and a contractor.

"Milt Academy? My apologies."

As the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Qiao had some knowledge of Milt, and he now had a better understanding of Aya, who looked young but possessed formidable strength, "Your Excellency Aya, are you a student or a..."

"Teaching assistant... more or less." Aya pretended to cough a couple of times and brought out this set of excuses. Simplifying the teaching assistant role as assisting in experiments with materials, no problem.

"Anyway, in that case, can you pass a message for me? At least let the Star-Seeing Lord know that I wish to meet her." Aya asked hopefully.

However, Mr. Qiao's expression once again revealed a hint of difficulty.

"Passing a message is certainly not a problem, but the Star-Seeing Lord is unlikely to have time to read or reply in the short term."

"What's going on?" Aya was taken aback, he had considered the possibility of the other party not willing to help, but what was the reason for the Star-Seeing Lord not having time to meet him?

"Unfortunately, I am unable to disclose the details regarding this matter."

Old Qiao picked up his tea cup and took a sip, "But I am happy to send someone to deliver a message to the Star-Seeing Lord. If luck is on your side, the Star-Seeing Lord may agree to meet with Your Excellency Aya after reading the letter. Until then, please be our guest here. In return for your help to the young lady, the Qiao family will do its best to accommodate you."

"Oh... Stay here?"

...

Yanmen Pass Fortress, officers' dormitory, Tiran and the others' room.

Although Xiang Ling had tried to persuade her, Tiran sternly refused the invitation to share the room with her. Jokingly, if she were to be attacked at night... Well, on the other hand, Xiang Ling, apart from the opening thunderbolt proposal, was top-notch in appearance and character, akin to a spirited lady, so maybe it wouldn't be a loss to stay with her.

Ahem, what am I thinking!

In any case, the Princess directly chose to share a dorm room with Mimi and the others – although it couldn't be called squeezing, the room for four was spacious enough. After all, Chirp was small enough to share a bed with someone else.

However, Mimi was very happy to let Chirp sleep in one bed while she snuggled close to the Princess, or perhaps all three squeezed into one bed, with the joy of both hugging the Princess and cuddling Chirp on both sides.

Just thinking about that scene made Mimi feel her heart beat faster, possibly leading to high blood pressure. Three people, herself and the Princess, along with little Chirp, felt like a family...

Alas! How fortunate!

Observing the calm expression on Mimi's face as she tapped her cheek repeatedly, Tiran raised an eyebrow. After spending so much time with Mimi day in and day out, she could almost predict what her chief maid was thinking. Indeed, it would be best for Chirp to sleep with her.

"Why are you like this..." Mimi groaned in pain and collapsed onto the bed, facing upwards.

Just as Mimi was still hesitant about the bed arrangements, there was a sudden, urgent ringing of bells outside the door, followed by a flurry of footsteps and loud shouts.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

"Everyone assemble! Move your men to the designated positions and execute Plan A!"

"Second Regiment of the Cavalry, assemble in the field! Assumption must be complete within the time it takes an incense stick to burn!"

Upon hearing the sudden chaos outside the door, a few people in the room hesitated. What was going on?

...

"Confirmed that the Grassland vanguard has reached twenty miles outside the border, with a force exceeding ten thousand, estimated total forces surpassing one hundred thousand."

On top of Yanmen Gate's tower, the scout reported loudly to Xiang Ling, with over a dozen senior military officials silently awaiting orders behind him.

Almost everyone wore a serious expression. Such a large-scale attack, even in the increasingly active Yanmen Gate, was rare. One hundred thousand cavalry from the grasslands was not a small number. Reaching this scale must involve the participation of the Golden Tent Court--in terms of significance, it was equivalent to a full-scale invasion by a neighboring country, not a mere skirmish.

"Determine the direction of their march. The Grassland people do not plan to attack Yanmen Gate head-on, but rather to split their forces and attempt to bypass and directly invade the hinterland. Approximately thirty thousand in the west and seventy thousand in the east."

Indeed, the Grassland people were not fools. Yanmen Gate was not a dilapidated city that crumbled at the slightest touch. Its gates could not be pulled open by sheer force of horses, but were built with the painstaking effort of generations, a solid iron barrier. Even if they had a large number, relying solely on cavalry would not allow them to capture it.

The Grassland people had a character akin to jackals, swarming over their prey and scattering when faced with a difficult challenge. They would not waste time on a tough nut to crack, so bypassing the fortress to directly raid the inland was completely in line with their character.

However, such a maneuver posed a challenge for Yanmen Gate. Small bands of Grassland cavalry could be blocked by deploying cavalry around the fortress's center. But with one hundred thousand cavalry invading, it was impossible for the gate, with a force of only fifty thousand, to rely solely on the city's cavalry to stop them.

But leaving the city? Anyone with common sense knew that infantry against cavalry was a one-sided slaughter.

Xiang Ling gazed into the distance. Although the Grassland army was not yet visible, one could imagine the battlefield shrouded in dust clouds and dark clouds looming overhead.

Fortunately, Yanmen Gate was not part of normal circumstances.

"Officers, heed my command!"

"The left flank army and Jiangdong Army will assemble and engage the enemy forces from the east outside the city. The right flank army will defend Yanmen Gate, with approval to use the war arsenal, ensuring not a single Grassland person passes."

"As for the west…"

Xiang Ling tapped his sword hilt.