Chapter 220
Wang reached down and calmly rolled up the broad leather map, securing it with a thin strap. "If Cassian truly wanted to trap us or catch us off guard... he would have launched an all-out assault while our forces were still tired and marching through the narrow mountain pass hours ago. The fact that he held his army back proves he is waiting to see what our true intentions are."
The old elder slowly lowered his head, unable to find a logical argument against the Patriarch’s calm reasoning.
Wei Xiang finally stepped closer to the wooden table, his dark eyes searching Wang’s face. "What exactly did you write in that personal letter you handed to the messenger, Wang? You refused to show any of us before he rode off."
Every captain and elder in the tent instantly turned their attention toward the Patriarch, waiting intently for his response.
Wang remained completely quiet for several moments, his handsome face solemn. When he finally spoke, his deep voice carried an incredible weight. "I formally requested a private, direct meeting between the leaders of both sides."
The crowded command tent fell into an absolute, stunned silence.
Captain Bren looked thoroughly shocked, his jaw dropping slightly. "A private meeting? Just... only you and the Manticore King?"
Wang nodded calmly. "Yes. Just the two of us."
"With no supporting armies surrounding you?" another elder asked frantically. "No protective generals? No hidden shadow guards stationed nearby?"
"No armies. No generals. No weapons," Wang confirmed steadily.
Wei Xiang’s dark expression instantly hardened into one of intense anger and disbelief. "That is utterly insane, Wang! That is a suicide mission!"
"It is a necessary risk," Wang corrected him quietly.
"Cassian could easily have his guards surround you and throw you into his deepest dungeon the second you step out into the open!" Wei Xiang argued passionately, leaning heavily over the table. "He could easily order his men to kill you where you stand and leave our army without a leader!"
"He certainly has the power to do all of those things," Wang agreed smoothly, remaining completely unbothered by Wei Xiang’s heated outburst.
Wei Xiang’s hands clenched into tight fists at his sides, his blue lightning energy faintly crackling beneath his skin. "Then why in the world would you ever agree to put yourself in such a dangerous, foolish position?!"
Wang slowly lifted his head, his golden eyes meeting Wei Xiang’s fiery gaze with an unshakeable, profound calm. "Because there are over twenty thousand brave warriors standing right behind me in this camp, Wei Xiang. Thousands of young men and women who have families waiting for them back home. If a single honest conversation between two leaders can keep those thousands of people alive and whole... then my life is a very small price to risk."
The profound, selfless words hung heavily inside the frosty air of the tent.
No one dared to speak a word of argument.
The elders who had been grumbling moments ago slowly lowered their heads in deep, overwhelming shame. The battle captains looked at their Patriarch with eyes filled with immense reverence.
Wei Xiang stood completely frozen, staring at Wang in stunned quietness. For the very first time since he had met the powerful leopard leader... he truly, deeply understood why the entire Silver Leopard Clan followed this man into the jaw of death without a single second of hesitation or doubt.
Raw, brute physical strength alone could never command such unyielding loyalty from thousands of proud warriors. True character, unselfish honor, and deep wisdom did.
After a long silence, Wang turned his full body toward the young Roc warrior. "If
Cassian formally agrees to my condition for a private parley... I will ride out to the designated meeting ground entirely alone."
Wei Xiang immediately snapped out of his thoughts, shaking his head firmly. "No.
Absolutely not. I am not letting you go out there completely by yourself."
"Wei Xiang—"
"I am coming with you as your personal guard," Wei Xiang stated stubbornly, crossing his arms tightly over his broad chest. "Try to stop me and I’ll just fly above you in the clouds anyway."
Wang looked at him with a gentle, serious expression. "You cannot come with me, Wei Xiang. You need to stay here in the camp."
"Give me one good reason why I should stay behind!" Wei Xiang demanded angrily.
"Because you are her family," Wang said softly.
Wei Xiang completely froze in his tracks, his dark eyes widening in confusion. "What?"
Wang continued in a calm, steady voice that reached every corner of the quiet tent. "If something unexpected happens to me out there on that field... if Cassian breaks his word and takes my life or imprisons me... you will be the only one left who possesses the strength and determination to lead these warriors, break through those walls, and bring Lin Wan safely back home."
The young Roc warrior felt his throat tighten painfully. He clenched his jaw tightly, his fists trembling at his sides. "I don’t want that terrible responsibility, Wang. Don’t throw that weight onto my shoulders."
A tiny, faint smile touched the corners of Wang’s lips as he looked at the stubborn young man. "I know you don’t want it, Wei Xiang. But I am giving it to you regardless, because I trust you completely with her life."
Wei Xiang was forced to look away, turning his head toward the fabric wall of the tent to hide the sudden emotion rising in his eyes.
He let out a harsh, irritated breath. "...You really are an insufferable man, you know that? You always decide every major thing entirely by yourself without consulting anyone else."
Wang let out a low, quiet chuckle. "I have been told that exact same thing by Lin Wan on many occasions."
Despite the overwhelming tension of the moment, Wei Xiang couldn’t help letting out a short, quiet laugh of his own. "Well... you thoroughly deserve her scolding then."
"I probably do," Wang agreed softly.
With those few honest words, the suffocating tension inside the command tent eased considerably, leaving behind a quiet sense of shared purpose and deep mutual respect.
Meanwhile, back inside the Supreme Citadel...
Lin Wan sat quietly beneath the tall crystal window in her inner chamber. The aged leather book Cassian had given her rested flat on her lap, but her eyes weren’t focused on the faded black text written across the parchment. Her complex thoughts were miles away, drifting out over the cold snowy valley plain.
Sister Yun stood near the side table, gently setting down a fresh tray of warm herbal tea. She looked over at Lin Wan’s still figure and smiled knowingly. "My Lady... you have been staring at that exact same page for over twenty minutes now."
Lin Wan blinked, snapping out of her deep trance. She looked down at the open book in her lap. "Ah... have I really?"
The older woman walked over, her soft face filled with deep motherly understanding. "You haven’t turned a single page since His Majesty left the balcony, Lady Lin."
Lin Wan let out a long, quiet sigh, closing the heavy book gently and setting it aside on the side table. "My mind just refuses to stay still today, Sister Yun. No matter how hard I try to distract myself with reading, my thoughts keep drifting outside."
"You are worried about what is happening beyond the walls," Sister Yun stated gently, sitting down on the small wooden stool beside her.
Lin Wan looked down at her hands, her voice barely a whisper. "Yes. I am terrified of today."
Sister Yun poured a warm cup of herbal tea and carefully placed it into Lin Wan’s cold hands. "Are you worried about the grand battle that might happen tomorrow?"
Lin Wan slowly shook her head, her dark eyes filled with a profound, emotional sorrow. "No... I am far more worried about what is happening right now, today."
She turned her head to look out the frosted glass window, looking toward the faint white banner fluttering in the distant valley. "If Wang truly sent a messenger carrying a white flag to meet with Cassian... I know exactly why he did it."
Sister Yun remained completely quiet, listening patiently.
"He is going to try with everything he has to stop this war before it even begins," Lin Wan said, her voice trembling slightly with overwhelming emotion. "He is going to risk his own life to prevent bloodshed... because that is simply the kind of man he is."
A sad, tender smile touched her lips as a tear gathered in the corner of her dark eye. "He always... always carries far too much heavy weight on his own shoulders without complaining to anyone."
Sister Yun reached out and gently covered Lin Wan’s trembling hands with her own warm palm. "And what about you, my sweet Lady? You have been doing the exact same thing ever since you arrived in this strange world."
Lin Wan lowered her tear-stained face, her heart aching with a bitter truth. "I suppose... I suppose I have been doing the exact same foolish thing."
Neither woman spoke another word in the cozy, warm room. They sat quietly together, listening to the bitter winter wind howl against the stone walls outside.
Outside the grand fortress...
The cold mountain wind carried clouds of fresh, white powder across the high palace roofs and down into the deep stone canyons below.
Far beyond the main outer gates of the Supreme Citadel...
A lone, brave rider dressed in simple leather armor approached the heavy iron gates beneath a broad white banner fluttering proudly in the wind.
The hardened Manticore archers stationed high along the grand battlements watched his every single movement with sharp, intense eyes, their heavy bows drawn tight, yet keeping their arrows pointed toward the grey sky.
Word of the rider’s arrival quickly spread like wildfire through the ranks of both massive armies.
The historic first meeting between the ruthless Manticore King... and the honorable Silver Leopard Patriarch... was finally about to begin.