Before leaving, Jun Wu Yi reluctantly bade farewell to Wan Wu Yan, the General of the Southern Frontier. The two men had instantly connected, feeling like old friends.

"General San Jun’s kindness is appreciated by this humble one, Wu Yan. However, for many years, the people of the Southern Frontier and I, Wan Mou, have shared every joy and sorrow, navigating storms together; they are no different from my own family! I truly cannot bear to leave. Furthermore, if I were to depart, what if another tyrant came to impose excessive levies? Would that not doom the elders of the South? Wu Yan would rather guard the South until death!" Wan Wu Yan unhesitatingly rejected Jun Wu Yi’s suggestion that he would petition for Wan Wu Yan’s transfer after returning.

"If that is the case," Jun Wu Yi replied, "I shall not press the matter. Should any changes be proposed for your post in the capital, Wu Yi will exert every effort to preserve General Wan’s position here in the Southern Frontier!" Jun Wu Yi clasped his fists heavily and bowed deeply.

"Thank you, General San Jun, for understanding!" Wan Wu Yan was overjoyed and bowed low to the ground.

He straightened up and stated solemnly, "It is regrettable that I cannot accompany the General as he sweeps across the realm, but I have no regrets. I only wish that the General’s magnificent reputation will spread, that wherever his blade points, he achieves crushing victories, building the General’s peerless renown and the eternal hegemony of our Tian Xiang! General, take care. We shall meet again!"

The two men offered deep bows and parted with lingering reluctance. The sound of hooves rose like a whirlwind, slow at first, then quickening. Gradually, they formed a torrent of steel, military banners snapping fiercely in the howling autumn wind, surging mightily northward.

The Tian Xiang Grand Army traveled across the main roads like a long dragon, moving swiftly, their formation exceptionally neat, returning in triumph.

In this Southern Frontier campaign, the regular troops had suffered absolutely no losses! This caused immense, unexpected elation among the soldiers, who had fully prepared for bloodshed, sacrifice, and perhaps even annihilation.

Before setting out, everyone knew this expedition was essentially a suicide mission. Although the iron-blooded life of a soldier demanded absolute obedience and a readiness to face death, every person possessed an instinct for self-preservation. No matter how strong or valiant, a shadow of impending death and the end of manhood lingered. For this venture, if the nest were overturned, how could any egg remain whole? If ten parts of the army managed to return even one and a half, that would be considered fortunate.

Yet, no one anticipated that under the immense, devastating pressure of the Xuan Beast Tide, no major casualties had occurred. They hadn't even been given a chance to engage the enemy line; not so much as a scratch had been sustained. The whole affair ended anticlimactically, with them simply marching back to court—it was almost as if they had taken a sightseeing trip. Everyone felt as if they had awakened from a nightmare, naturally filled with jubilation, and their steps on the road home were remarkably light!

And those young masters from noble houses who had been specifically named by their families and the Emperor felt an unusual sense of having narrowly escaped death. The entire expedition had cost only a few bodyguards their lives; these scions had essentially just toured, and furthermore, they had done so with considerable claimed merit.

Once this thought began to spread, the surviving family guards from the original three hundred who went to battle became intensely dissatisfied. There had been absolutely no official recognition from the families or the court, yet Young Master Jun had personally given each of them one hundred taels of silver! As for the fallen brothers, the Jun family had made promises dependent on their actions upon returning to the capital.

After all, we went entirely for you lot! Otherwise, who would come to this godforsaken place to die? Didn't everyone want to comfortably sleep with their wives at home?

The young masters they loyally served were treated with less regard than a stranger from another family!

Truly, there was a gulf between people!

But these negative emotions were completely invisible to the young lords who were in a state of extreme excitement; even if they noticed, they wouldn't care.

After all, every one of them had grown up spoiled by luxury and excessive self-regard. Knowing this expedition was a journey with nine parts death to one part life, every one of them inwardly harbored deep resentment and grievance: Why should their brothers enjoy life comfortably at home while they were sent out to court death? Were they not all born of mothers and fathers? Were they mere straw, while the others were precious gold?

Putting aside other matters, news had arrived from the capital days ago, reporting that intense undercurrents were swirling within every clan as they vied for the position of family heir. There were even rumors that those who went on the expedition had already been written off, perhaps not even nominated.

If one or two said something false, what about a hundred? Now, almost everyone in the capital said the same thing—what could they do about it?!

This filled the young masters who participated in the campaign with extreme fury!

Why?

By what right?

You useless lot stay comfortably at home waiting to inherit the patriarch position, while we risk our lives fighting and facing immense dangers, only to have our nominations revoked?

You are useless, but we are the heroes!

The glory before our eyes was all exchanged for our lives! Uh, well, even if we didn't reach the battlefield, that was because we weren't given the chance, not because we didn't try! Yes, regardless, we reached the theater of war and participated in this campaign at the cost of our lives!

We were there! This is unequivocally battlefield merit!

Thus, on the journey back, the young scions were like fighting cocks, more spirited than when they left! The light in everyone’s eyes was one of resolute, unwavering fighting intent. The target of this intent was naturally the brothers sitting comfortably at home, enjoying the spoils. They shared a common enemy, gritting their teeth and sharpening their knives!

It was easy to imagine that once this group returned to Tian Xiang, they would descend like a pack of rabid, blood-crazed wolves upon those vying for the position of junior patriarch, initiating a merciless class struggle! They would unleash a fight for power that would not cease until one side was dead!

But they were completely unaware that the news of the army’s safe return and triumphant march back caused genuine panic and anxiety among those who remained behind in the capital. This was because the rumors had not yet subsided; people were still proclaiming that those who participated in the expedition, having earned military merit and honor, were now the most suitable heirs upon their return. Regardless of whether they had actually fought, simply having risked their lives and possessed the merit of participation was enough to tip the scales.

Therefore, those who stayed behind in the capital were all standing ready, alert and waiting! They were bracing themselves for the return of those damned, yet frustratingly alive, brothers. What faced them was inevitably going to be a fierce clash, an "internal war" engulfing the family and the martial world!

Both sides were fully prepared, separated by ten thousand miles, yet their battle lines were already drawn. You are prepared? Well, so am I! Who fears whom?

Of course, there were exceptions to this general trend; not all the noble youths felt this way. For example, the Dugu family, the Li family, and the true beneficiaries of this great war—the Jun family!

However, from Third Master Jun Wu Yi downwards, everyone in the Jun household felt heavy-hearted, even more so than the ambitious young scions eager for power.

The matter between Jun Mo Xie and Guan Qing Han came at a truly terrible time!

Upon his return, Jun Mo Xie would inevitably face a tidal wave of gossip and attack; in Jun Wu Yi’s estimation, this assault would be a raging, unstoppable surge!

Young Master Jun was already notorious throughout Tian Xiang City as a dissolute wastrel. At the last Golden Autumn Scholars’ Banquet, this fellow had deeply offended those great Confucian scholars and esteemed literati. One must remember that those scholars held immense influence in court, and many censors and admonishing officials were their former students.

The Eldest Young Master now held a military post, and spending nights and days consorting with women in the barracks was a grave taboo, one that could easily lead to his dismissal. Even though this great war had concluded, it would be hard to defend himself. Furthermore, Guan Qing Han and Dugu Xiao Yi were civilians outside the military. By strict military law, not only Jun Mo Xie but even the Commander-in-Chief, Jun Wu Yi, would struggle to escape censure.

Not to mention that in this era, the separation between men and women was exceptionally severe; Jun Mo Xie’s actions were tantamount to a junior insulting his sister-in-law—an offense against heaven and reason! With such powerful justifications, how could the opposing faction allow Jun Mo Xie an easy time? Coupled with the fact that the Jun family was a pillar of the military, always at odds with these civil officials due to the established rivalry between martial and literary factions, this presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for attack. No one knew how this matter would unfold, but the prognosis was far from optimistic!

One more point: Jun Wu Yi was certain the scandal had already reached the capital. Although he had issued a gag order, the army contained numerous imperial spies and informants from various families. How could they possibly heed his military command in private? He assumed they had already prepared their offensive.

Therefore, Jun Wu Yi, who should have been basking in glory, was deeply worried, his brow constantly furrowed throughout the journey. His nephew, though immensely talented, how could he calmly face the venomous gossip of the entire world? And how could the fragile Guan Qing Han withstand the countless raging storms?

If the enemies of the Jun family in court and the world attacked in concert, the hatred accumulated over several generations could be described as unfathomably deep. No one would let such a golden opportunity pass! The more Jun Wu Yi contemplated it, the more insurmountable this hurdle seemed.

Conversely, Jun Mo Xie remained leisurely and carefree throughout the journey, even more composed than when they set out. He seemed entirely unconcerned with the impending, overwhelming public relations offensive. He was lighter in spirit than anyone else. Before even departing, he had already dismissed the remaining members of the Remnant Sky Soul Squad.

Young Master Jun’s objective was simple: From Tian Nan to Tian Xiang, you will take a different route than the one we used coming here. Address any bandits or brigands you encounter; act on your own initiative, leave none alive. Kill as many as you can, but do not kill the innocent indiscriminately! Before I return to Tian Xiang, you will complete this sweep and then return!

Then the Young Master Jun left without a single attendant behind, simply lingering near the main column. By day, he would flirt lightly with Guan Qing Han, engage in witty banter with Dugu Xiao Yi, or perhaps hang around the center of the troops, sharing dirty jokes with the veterans. But once night fell, he vanished; no one knew what mischief the young man was up to after dark.

The march proceeded without any major incident. Any oddity consisted of the fact that over this period, many weapons belonging to the private militias and bodyguards of various noble families were stolen night after night. Even stranger, before and after the theft, there was no trace left—it was as if they had evaporated into thin air, vanishing without a sound. However, since these weapons were not under the army's unified control, their loss, while recorded daily, did not constitute a major military incident. If the army’s own ordnance had been stolen, it would have been a grave matter.

But even with guards filing reports every day, weapons were stolen nightly regardless of how strict or diligent the guard duty was. All defensive measures proved useless; not a single shadow of a thief was seen!

As time passed, people finally resigned themselves to fate: Damn it, steal if you want to steal. We can’t catch the culprit anyway, as long as they don't take my head. Everything else is whatever; they aren't divine artifacts.

Very good, very powerful… On the thirteenth of this month, during the seventh major update, I was savagely struck down! I am quite depressed.