In the Tuling Tuo Army camp!
Ever since Gui Qinshao’s assassination attempt on Zhi Li, Ling Ao seemed to have become a different person.
The previously formidable Ling Ao, like an unsheathed sword—arrogant and cold—now seemed completely broken, his spirit entirely gone, spending his days in silence.
And after he took on the role of the Dragon Guard Army’s thirty-thousand-strong cavalry captain, things did not go smoothly.
He simply couldn’t command the proud and fierce soldiers beneath him; the officers of the thirty-thousand-strong cavalry disregarded him entirely, giving him no authority.
At first, Ling Ao responded with anger and rage, but after being repeatedly undermined, he became utterly powerless.
After the Gui Qinshao incident, Ling Ao became like a mere portrait in the Dragon Guard Army.
Previously, as Zhi Li’s attendant, he could stay by the Prince’s side all the time. Now, he hardly had the chance to meet with Zhi Li.
This time, as Tuling Tuo led a two-hundred-thousand-strong army to attack Tianshui City, Ling Ao, as the captain of the thirty-thousand-strong cavalry, was counted among the upper echelons, but he was ignorant of external affairs as if everyone acted as if he did not exist.
Marquis Jianyong’s son, Jian Ning, another young captain of the ten-thousand-strong cavalry in the Tuling Tuo Army, was unquestionably Zhi Li’s confidant.
The person who sent the secret letter to Zhi Li was none other than Jian Ning.
Speaking of which, Jian Ning had some unsettled scores with Suo Lun; in an attempt to suppress Suo Lun, Jian Ning even poisoned his wife, Niya, to lure Suo Lun to his mansion and tried to take him down. However, Suo Lun outwitted the trap and saved Niya’s life.
After that incident, Niya openly divorced Jian Ning, severing their marital ties completely.
Later on, Jian Ning spread rumors everywhere about Niya’s affair with Suo Lun, as though their divorce was entirely due to Suo Lun’s interference as a third party.
Such shamelessness was unparalleled; for the sake of power and wealth, he tried to offer his wife Niya to Zhi Li to be violated; later, to ingratiate himself with Zhi Ning and deal with Suo Lun, he even poisoned his wife, yet he directed all the blame towards Suo Lun and Niya.
To avoid suspicion, Tutor Niya did not return to Suo Lun’s side but instead continued to go to the Dragon Temple’s Northern Cultivation Institute. As a Medical Daoist Monk, she cared for children in the orphanage and engaged in the most sacred work, leading a fulfilling life.
As captains of the same Dragon Guard Army, Jian Ning was undoubtedly much more cunning than Ling Ao. After several years of management, although he couldn’t say he had completely taken control of his troops, he had become a firm foothold for Zhi Li, deeply embedded within Tuling Tuo’s territory.
When Ling Ao first entered the Dragon Guard Army as Zhi Li’s close attendant, his relationship with Jian Ning was very good, even deliberately getting close and seeking his favor.
But after the Gui Qinshao incident, Jian Ning became completely distant towards Ling Ao, ignoring him even upon crossing paths.
So, this short month felt unbearably long for Ling Ao.
As a ten-thousand-strong cavalry captain, he owned a private tent. At this moment, he was lying in bed, staring blankly at the tent ceiling.
A breeze stirred, and a tall figure walked in.
It was Duke Tuling Tuo?!
Ling Ao stood up in shock, stammering, "Foster father... Commander!"
Previously, during the honeymoon phase of relations between Gui Xingfu, Tuling Tuo, and Zhi Li, Tuling Tuo thought highly of Ling Ao and took him as his foster son.
However, since Gui Qinshao’s assassination attempt on Zhi Li, Tuling Tuo had become completely indifferent towards Ling Ao.
Throughout the month of marching, Duke Tuling Tuo had not summoned Ling Ao even once. He never expected him to take the initiative to visit, leaving Ling Ao at a loss.
Duke Tuling Tuo sat down imposingly and said, "Ling Ao, Gui Qinshao has been rescued by Suo Lun."
Ling Ao was startled and said, "Isn’t Suo Lun dead?"
Tuling Tuo shook his head and replied, "Many people wish him dead, but he’s not. Over half a month ago, he led an attack on Prince Zhi Li’s mansion and rescued Gui Qinshao."
Upon hearing this, Ling Ao’s feelings were incredibly complex.
Gui Qinshao had been rescued, something that should have made him happy, but her rescuer was Suo Lun, the greatest enemy of his life.
Ling Ao wasn’t completely ignorant of the feelings between Gui Qinshao and Suo Lun; he had merely been deluding himself until now.
As a husband, he had let his wife fall into Zhi Li’s clutches, while Suo Lun, an outsider, risked everything to rescue Gui Qinshao, an irony most cruel.
Tuling Tuo continued, "Suo Lun has also taken Linhai City by force. Gui Xingfu and his three sons have all been captured."
Ling Ao’s expression changed drastically!
How was this possible?
He knew well that his father-in-law, Gui Xingfu, commanding forty thousand naval forces to attack Chaos Stone Island, was bound for certain victory. How could they possibly have lost?
Moreover, all four of them were captured? How could that be?
Tuling Tuo went on, "Not only that, Suo Lun also defeated Duke Zhi Wei’s one hundred fifty thousand troops and publicly executed him. Your father-in-law has completely surrendered to Suo Lun, broken with Zhi Li, and exposed the scandal that Zhi Li attempted to take liberties with Gui Qinshao and was stabbed instead."
At this, Ling Ao was utterly dumbfounded!
Each piece of news was like a bolt of lightning.
Suo Lun not only defeated Gui Xingfu but also vanquished Zhi Wei’s one hundred fifty thousand troops?
And he executed Duke Zhi Wei publicly?
Did he have the courage of wild beasts?
Who was Zhi Wei? The King’s brother, a top-tier noble of the kingdom.