"Stand up, Kuangren."
Li Tianyue helped her nephew up.
Gazing at Dongfang Liancheng, whose expression was filled with guilt, she let out a sigh.
In the end, she hadn't managed to keep this from her clansmen.
Then again, she certainly couldn't have kept it from the Old Ancestor; she just hadn't expected to be found out this quickly.
"Old General Dongfang, my nephew has a bit of a temper. I hope you will not take offense." Li Tianyue's tone was gentle, yet it carried a trace of coldness.
Dongfang Liancheng looked as though he wished to speak, but stopped himself.
Li Tianyue said no more and led Li Kuangren away.
Once outside the hall, Li Kuangren kept his head lowered.
He had taken over the duties of the Prefecture Master of Azure Cloud Prefecture, yet he had been completely oblivious to the bullying his aunt was enduring on the Duskwild Prefecture battlefront.
Seeing her nephew in such a state, Li Tianyue spoke softly,
"Kuangren, you are not to blame for this. I had originally planned that if the situation remained like this for another few years, I would submit a petition to the Crown Prince to resign my post and head to Shadowfell Prefecture. I simply didn't expect you to come here."
"Aunt, are you really going to keep risking your life for them?" Li Kuangren asked through gritted teeth.
"Even if you go to Shadowfell Prefecture, people like them are all the same.
Do you think there is any sentiment or loyalty to be found with them?
All they do is weigh the pros and cons!
Our Azure Cloud Prefecture is powerful now, and we have our own army as well."
"Forget it. Let's not talk about this." Li Tianyue did not answer his question.
Instead, she smiled and asked, "Regarding your arrival this time—I received the letter as well. You are going to persuade the Fourth Prince to sue for peace. Have you made preparations?"
"Mn." Seeing that his Aunt did not explain her reasons, Li Kuangren did not dare to probe further.
He replied, "I have prepared an argument. Since the Crown Prince came to us for help, considering the kindness he has shown our family over these years, I must give it my best shot."
"I fear it will not be easy."
Clad in armor, Li Tianyue truly lived up to her reputation as the third-ranked Peerless Fairy. Her every step exuded a valiant and heroic beauty.
Passing soldiers would cast glances her way, only to lower their heads in deep inadequacy.
However, Li Tianyue was long accustomed to such gazes. Ignoring the bystanders, she asked in a grave tone, "Did you tell anyone that you are here to negotiate for peace?"
"No. The Crown Prince personally came to our Merit Grotto-Heaven to seek out Xinnian.
Since it was a secret discussion, I naturally wouldn't dare breathe a word to anyone else," Li Kuangren replied, though he looked quite puzzled.
"But why do you say it won't be easy, Aunt?"
"That is good."
Li Tianyue scanned their surroundings.
"The reason this mission will be difficult is that the Crown Prince has sent envoys to sue for peace more than once, yet without exception, the conflict only intensified each time.
Look around this camp—how many outsiders are here? They do not wish for the war to end."
Li Kuangren's expression changed. "They don't wish for it?"
"Mn." Li Tianyue continued, "Those who come here fall into one of three categories. The first consists of cultivators who were conscripted in the normal fashion."
"The second consists of cultivators who have been discarded by the major sects and clans.
Whenever these individuals die in battle, the Dynasty is required to issue death compensation to the organizations they hail from."
"The final category consists of disciples from the great clans and major sects.
They come not only to gain experience, but also because returning from the battlefield grants them personal honor and brings them immense benefits.
Furthermore, the factions backing them have long since secretly agreed upon 'price tags' with the Ministry of War in the Imperial Capital.
To secure enough troops to withstand the Fourth Prince, the Imperial Capital had no choice but to submit to these terms."
"For the sake of this war, regions everywhere are frantically training troops and excavating mineral resources.
These resources end up on the battlefield, only to be salvaged and eventually vanish without a trace, likely flowing back into the Dynasty via the black market.
Many sects and clans are silently growing stronger, while others are withering away."
Li Kuangren was in disbelief. "What?!!"
"This war is no longer the pure defense of our homeland, it started out as.
The people of this world hustle shamelessly like flies and dogs, chasing nothing but fame and profit."
Li Tianyue sighed.
"By now, the web of entangled interests has grown too vast, far exceeding the expectations of either the Dynasty or Fourth Prince."
"Fourth Prince controls the Twelve Prefectures, yet he has fallen into the exact same predicament.
If either side wishes to stop, they will have to pay an enormous price.
Think about it: if Fourth Prince wanted to call a ceasefire, the clans and sects backing him would suddenly lose these benefits, and their support for him would vanish.
We face the same situation here.
The only possible outcome remaining is a struggle to the death—either we die, or they do."
"Every single one of them believes they can grow stronger and survive until the very end."
Li Kuangren remained in a state of disbelief.
He seemed to gaze past this battlefield—which had endured over three hundred years of war and claimed countless lives—and see a series of shadowy figures in the background, laughing with greed.
They emerged one after another, waiting for the moment they could step to the forefront of the piles of corpses, just so they could become the largest shadow of them all.
This was a war that could not be stopped, for hidden behind it were masters pulling the strings of their marionettes.
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