"Your Excellency, my armor is still on, so I could not perform the full rites. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness..." Ye Jingyu stated with solemnity...

Hearing this, the several Young Masters couldn't help but roll their eyes in unison. When had this fellow ever performed full rites? Even Luo Ruofeng felt a pang of disdain. How dare this man speak of ceremony when he had never properly paid respects to his own father?

"Heh heh, General Ye needs no such formalities. This expedition against the Hu Kingdom is a service to the nation; where is the offense? Today, I personally host a farewell banquet here at the West Gate for General Ye. I wish General Ye unmatched victory and an early, triumphant return..." Luo Xiaofeng, however, paid it no mind...

"This subject will surely not fail the mission..."

Then, Luo Xiaofeng spoke a great deal more to dismiss formality, mostly making empty promises. As long as Ye Jingyu and his men returned, titles and wealth awaited them...

Finally, Luo Xiaofeng spoke with deep seriousness: "General Ye, war is a fearsome weapon. I hope you return safely..." For this talent, the first person in the history of the Dou Hun Continent to cultivate both Soul and Martial arts simultaneously, he truly did not wish to see him lost on the battlefield...

"Thank you for Your Majesty's great favor. This subject vows to return victorious..." Ye Jingyu declared with conviction...

"Good! Guards, bring the wine! Let us all toast the Iron Army's departure!" Luo Xiaofeng declared with sweeping grandeur...

Immediately, eunuchs brought forth the Imperial Wine, pouring it for the surrounding royalty and nobles, as well as the several Vice Generals following behind Ye Jingyu. Among the Young Masters, Luo Ling'er, dressed in a long white gown, suddenly stepped forward. After bowing to Luo Xiaofeng, she demurely said: "Father, General Ye is about to embark on a long campaign to the Western Frontier, an act to protect the nation and its people. This daughter wishes to personally pour the wine for General Ye, as repayment for his efforts for the country..."

"Good, good, good! It is rare for my daughter to show such consideration. Granted..." Luo Xiaofeng laughed heartily upon seeing Luo Ling'er intend to pour the wine for Ye Jingyu herself...

His eyes shone with undisguised delight, though one could not tell if it was genuine or what he truly thought...

"Thank you, Father..." Luo Ling'er returned the bow, then slowly approached Ye Jingyu. A young eunuch followed close behind, carrying a wine flask and two jade goblets on a tray...

Arriving before Ye Jingyu, Luo Ling'er looked up at his handsome face. Her clear, bright eyes were filled with concern...

The attendant eunuch respectfully presented the tray holding the wine flask to Luo Ling'er. She said nothing more, personally taking the flask and filling both jade cups. She then placed the flask back on the tray, picked up one of the cups with her delicate, pale, and smooth hand, and presented it personally to Ye Jingyu...

"General Ye, this expedition is fraught with extreme peril. Please be careful... You must return safely..." Luo Ling'er gazed into Ye Jingyu's dark eyes, speaking only these words. Yet, Ye Jingyu understood that within her heart lay countless unsaid things...

"The Princess's command, I dare not disobey..." Looking into Luo Ling'er's bright, liquid eyes, Ye Jingyu accepted the cup she offered...

"Cheers..." At this moment, Luo Xiaofeng declared heartily, shedding all the solemnity of a monarch, resembling instead a figure from the martial world...

"Cheers..." Everyone present raised their cups and drank without regard for ceremony...

Luo Ling'er, who rarely drank wine, lifted the other jade cup and drained it in one gulp...

Ye Jingyu naturally would not be outdone, emptying his cup in a single draft as well...

"Your subject now takes his leave..." After finishing the Imperial Wine, Ye Jingyu once more offered a cupped-fist salute to Luo Xiaofeng...

"Granted..." Luo Xiaofeng boomed...

Ye Jingyu said no more. He spared one look for Luo Ling'er, then turned and strode toward his waiting troops...

Watching his receding figure, countless crystalline tears involuntarily welled up in Luo Ling'er's eyes...

"Xiao Yezi, Ling'er... waits for you..." she whispered these words softly...

The sound was so faint that in the lively atmosphere, it was nearly impossible for others to hear. However, Ye Jingyu's body, walking forward, paused abruptly. Still, he did not stop, nor did he turn back, continuing his resolute march forward...

Everyone stood up, watching Ye Jingyu lead his more than ten thousand men away, their expressions varied...

The Eldest Young Master, Luo Haitian, his eyes filled with venomous resentment and a chilling glint, with a hint of smug satisfaction. The Second Young Master felt only jealousy—jealousy that he was not the one setting out. The Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Young Masters remained expressionless, as if this concerned them not at all. The Seventh Young Master, Luo Xiaoyuan, maintained his enigmatic smile...

Only in Luo Ruofeng's eyes was there deep worry, which intensified when he saw Luo Ling'er's small figure momentarily overlap with Ye Jingyu's tall frame...

"Jingyu, I hope you return soon..." Luo Ruofeng sighed heavily in his heart...

News of the Iron Army's departure swiftly spread to every corner of Yun Jing. At the Marquis of Baiyun's manor, Qin Yan stood silently in his private rear garden, dressed in a white long robe. As the Marquis, he was entitled to attend today's farewell, but due to his long-standing feud with Ye Jingyu, he had not gone, nor had Luo Xiaofeng invited him...

"My Lord, now that he has left Yun Jing, it will be difficult for us to act. What should we do?" At that moment, Miao, clad entirely in black, appeared silently behind Qin Yan, his voice utterly cold...

"It matters not. If we cannot handle him, someone else will surely find trouble for him. How is Xiao'er doing now?" Qin Yan responded calmly...

"The Young Marquis has fully recovered his former strength. Soon, he will be able to successfully break through the Innate Realm and enter the Grandmaster realm..." Miao reported flatly...

"Grandmaster, eh..." Upon hearing the term, Qin Yan showed no sign of joy. To reach the Grandmaster realm in one's twenties was undeniably the mark of a top-tier genius. However, Ye Jingyu's sudden rise had cast a shadow over even such brilliance. An eighteen-year-old Soul Condensation Master—that was an existence capable of directly confronting a Grandmaster, not to mention his formidable and exquisite blade skills...

"My Lord need not worry too much. The Young Marquis's potential has not been fully unleashed. With diligent guidance, the Grandmaster realm will far from be his limit. As for that brat Ye Jingyu, although he has a few tricks, the probability of him surviving this expedition is practically nil. Once he is dead, who will remain to obstruct the Young Marquis?" Sensing Qin Yan's apprehension, Miao spoke again...

"Perhaps..." Qin Yan uttered softly, turning his gaze toward the northwest...

Xiao Geng, I hope you do not disappoint me and the Eldest Young Master...