Chapter 966: A Figure

General-in-chief Nage was ashamed to tell others his title. In the past, people had called him "Chief" or his full name, which sounded casual and cordial, especially when he was drinking with his brethren. But because of an order from Luo Ningcha, he had to promote himself from the Chief of the Iron Mountain Army to the General-in-chief of the Iron Mountain Army, which was a position several ranks higher.

Every time there was a visitor, Luo Ningcha would always claim in a complacent tone, "The Central Plains has a General-in-chief. Well, so does the Iron Mountain. Look at him. Isn't he mighty and awe-inspiring?"

On an occasion like this, Nage had to take a couple of steps in front of the visitor with his head up and his chest thrown out. He seemed like a peacock that had been summoned by its mate as he displayed his dramatic, gilded armor that had an unduly long feather that hindered him from entering and exiting tents.

His brethren joked about this, but they themselves also had titles like "General," "Captain," or something like that. So it was just the pot calling the kettle black. What scared Nage the most was when he had to receive visitors from the Central Plains, who would always burst into laughter and refrain from commenting; however, this kind of response only made his face blush even more.

Pang Jing, the Governor of the Western Regions, was an exception. The moment he entered the military camp and saw Nage walking towards him head-on, he paused and let out a cheer. "What a mighty General-in-chief of the Iron Mountain Army. Don't get too close to me. You make me ashamed of my unseemliness."

Nage was in his late forties. His most striking feature was his tall physique, which had not been very obvious when the Big Head God had been still alive. But now, he stood out like a crane in a flock of fowls wherever he went. In fact, he had been appointed as vice-leader by the Big Head God and Luo Ningcha successively, and one of the most important reasons for which was his height, and it was relatively more so in Luo Ningcha's case.

As tall as he was, Nage had a mild face. His eyes were always curved, which was getting more obvious as he grew older, making it seem like he was always smiling.

He was indeed a pushover. During robberies, he always allowed the victims to keep some money so that they could get home. Sometimes, he would even sincerely remind them, "Don't take this road again. It's not safe. Taking a detour would be a better choice. After all, getting home safe is the most important thing."

If someone tried to resist, then he would kill them quickly and cleanly as a matter of principle. He wouldn't taunt nor torture them.

Nage's biggest hobby was drinking and roughhousing with his brethren and making fun of each other, regardless of their rank. As a result, he immediately had a favorable impression of Pang Jing. It wasn't just because of this Central Plainsman's compliments, though, but rather because of his casual, informal manner. It made him feel like this man was the kind of man that he could be friends with.

He had met the Dragon King before, and he had felt uneasy during every one of his meetings with the Dragon King. After every meeting, he would always feel like it was very lucky of him to have not joined the Dragon Army. He couldn't bear to stand primly besides a master whose face was always cold. He had heard that the Dragon King barely drank, which was even more unbearable for him.

Nage burst into laughter, the upright feather on his helmet tilting back. "That's not true. You must be teasing me secretly."

Pang Jing walked over, stood beside Nage, raised his head, put his right hand to his eyebrow, and said in a dramatic tone, "My joke has to be as light as a feather to be able to waft into your ears. Tsk, tsk, General-in-chief, do your brethren know what you look like?"

Nage laughed even more delightedly. As tall as he was, people didn't need to raise their heads to see his face, but he liked this kind of joke. He gave Pang Jing a casual slap on the shoulder and found that this official from the Central Plains had a very steady footing, so he held up his thumb and paid him a compliment. "Do you practice kung fu? Good for you."

Affected by their conversation, the soldiers of the Iron Mountain all relaxed and cordially greeted Pang Jing's attendants . The orderly ranks instantly revealed their true colors. Nage had to open his arms and urge his guest to enter the main tent.

Upon hearing the commotion outside, Luo Ningcha was confused. When the General-in-chief and the visitor walked inside with their arms around each other's shoulders like two drunken drinking buddies, she became even unhappier, but she still wanted to give Pang Jing a good impression of herself. So, she straightened her clothes, sat properly with her upper body slightly tilting to one side, but refrained from speaking immediately.

Upon seeing the figure of his Mistress on the other side of the screen, Nage immediately withdrew his smile, let go of Pang Jing, let out two coughs, and respectfully said, "Madam, the Governor of the Western Regions, the Hu-Pacifying General, Lord Pang has arrived."

The troops of the Iron Mountain Army were supposed to call Luo Ningcha 'Lady' when there were no outsiders present, and 'Madam' when there were. Nage had only managed to get used to this after making several mistakes.

"General has traveled a long way to be here. Please pardon me for not being able to welcome you myself." A tender voice slowly wafted over from behind the screen, as if the speaker was a noble widow, but it was also tinged with the timidity of a teenage girl. Nage couldn't help praise her secretly, feeling that his Mistress was indeed no common woman.

Pang Jing also seemed to be fascinated by the graceful figure on the other side of the screen and the voice that had seemingly come from a fairy's mouth. He watched transfixed with amazement for a while before saying in a serious tone, "Please pardon me, Madam Luo."

"For what, General?" Luo Ningcha asked in dismay.

"I have traveled thousands of miles from the Central Plains to Jade City and met many people, but I have forgotten to visit the most important one. It's as if I entered a treasure vault but fixed my eyes on merely gold and silver, ignoring the most precious treasure. I'm as blind as a bat and too vulgar to be endured. This is my sin, and it's beyond atonement."

He dared to be so flippant during his first meeting with the Mistress. The handmaids felt that this Central Plains man was too bold. Luo Ningcha was born with the ability to handle compliments of all kinds, so instead of responding right away, she instead remained silent for quite a while. It seemed as if she had become angry, but it also seemed as if she had accepted the compliment.

Like how all other men would have reacted, Pang Jing showed panic and uneasiness. He cupped his hands before his chest and said, "Please pardon me for my momentary gaffe and nonsense. That was really... Alas. I have lost."

"What do you mean, General?"

"I encountered Prince Xiao on my way to Jade City. He told me that there was a fairy-like woman in Jade City, and that anybody who saw her would immediately feel like they had entered the Immortal's World. I teased him and said 'Impossible' three times in a row. The reason why I didn't visit Madam earlier was actually because I didn't want Prince Xiao to be smug. I thought that a month's preparation would be enough. But unexpectedly, I still couldn't retain my composure."

"General is flattering me. I'm sure that I don't deserve that compliment. Besides, you haven't even seen me yet." Luo Ningcha's tone didn't change much, but her not being angry was synonymous with encouragement.

Pang Jing cupped his hands before his chest and bowed deeply. "The fragrance of famous flowers is impressive, and it leaves traces wherever it wafts. How could a mere screen conceal Madam's beauty? I have to beg Madam's pardon again. I wish that the screen could be removed so that I can get a glimpse of your face. This is all I ask."

"You don't sound like Prince Xiao's friend, General."

"Prince Xiao deliberately dared me on this. He ordered me to wait for at least a month before visiting Madam. I don't really need this kind of friend. Besides, his position in the Central Plains is at stake... "

"What?" Luo Ningcha exclaimed in shock. This time she didn't try to pretend, but her voice was still pleasant.

Pang Jing hurriedly shot his hand to his mouth. "Oh. What is wrong with me today? Don't worry about it, Madam. That was me talking nonsense."

Luo Ningcha let out a cough and with that, those handmaids took the hint and immediately left. They had sore waists and legs and really didn't want to move another screendoor.

Nage was a little hesitant. He felt unwanted but also didn't want his Mistress to be alone with this Central Plains man during their first meeting. Luo Ningcha also seemed to have her own plans, saying, "The General-in-chief will stay here. He's the core of the Iron Mountain Army as well as the man that I trust the most."

Nage immediately threw out his chest, thinking, 'If only Mistress always talked in this pleasant manner.'

Luo Ningcha rose from the couch, slowly walked out from behind the screen, but only revealed half of her body. Her eyes were looking down, like a small deer leaving its birthplace for the first time.

Pang Jing stared fixedly at the most famous beauty in Jade City, his face as pale as that of the Dragon King, remaining silent for quite a while.

Highly satisfied with his reaction, Luo Ningcha retreated behind the screen again and said, "I'm only a weak woman who has inherited command of this Iron Mountain Army. It's really been difficult for me to live in these troubled times. If General knows some inside information, then please tell me, lest I be blindsided by misfortune."

Pang Jing clenched his teeth, as if making an extremely difficult choice. "How can I say 'no' to Madam? Actually, there's no need for Madam to worry too much about Prince Xiao. His Highness is an uncle of the incumbent Emperor who trusts him very much. It's very likely that he will escape from the jaws of danger."

"It does no harm for me to take precautions. Besides, I also want to know if there's anything that I can do for Prince Xiao."

"Well... All right. Actually I'm not supposed to disclose this... "

"General-in-chief, block your ears," Luo Ningcha ordered.

Nage was stunned. He had just thought that the Mistress was a sophisticated talker when she suddenly requested him to do such an embarrassing thing. He would rather leave the tent than block his ears and stand to the side like a servant.

"You misunderstood, Madam. I can tell that General-in-chief is a man of discretion at first sight."

But Luo Ningcha had already made up her mind. She repeated, "Block your ears."

Nage had no choice but to follow the order. There was no handkerchief or something like that on him, so he tore a strip of cloth off of his coat armor, halved it, and stuffed the two pieces into his ears. Then he let out two coughs and found that the cloth did partially block the transmission of sound, so he nodded.

"Now you can talk, General Pang." Luo Ningcha was too concerned to keep pretending, so her voice had returned to normal, which was somewhat like the voice of a spoiled, imperious woman.

It seemed as if Pang Jing didn't notice the change. The look on his face was faintly solemn. "It was still because of the battle in Thousand Horsemen Pass."

"What about it?"

"Rumor says that Prince Xiao submitted a fraudulent claim of military exploits, that the Central Plains army under his command actually suffered a crushing defeat, and that it was the Dragon King who defeated the Norlanders and then gave all the credit to Prince Xiao."

"The defeat of the Central Plains army was a part of the plan formulated in advance by Prince Xiao and the Dragon King. There's no doubt about it."

"You're right, Madam. But there are many rival factions with the Imperial Court of the Central Plains. Prince Xiao's enemies have been trying to find his flaws regardless of the cost to them."

"The Emperor trusts Prince Xiao very much. What does he have to worry about?"

"The Dragon King is not necessarily going to keep this a secret forever. The Emperor's trust in Prince Xiao is the very reason why he will be extremely angry if he finds out that Prince Xiao submitted a fraudulent claim of military exploits."

"Ha-ha. Nobody can make the Dragon King talk." Luo Ningcha was very sure of this.

"Of course the secret is safe with the Dragon King. But what about his subordinates? Is every one of them trustworthy? The envoy and vice envoy sent here by the Central Plains to investigate military exploits were killed consecutively, which surely has aroused suspicion of the Imperial Court. Besides, the Second Consort of the Norland has made an accusation. It will only take a little bit of proof to put Prince Xiao in danger."

Luo Ningcha kept silent for a while, "What about you? Are you a friend of an enemy of Prince Xiao's?"

"One should wholeheartedly serve the man who pays his wages. I'm neither Prince Xiao's friend nor his enemy. I won't fabricate anything when there is no evidence, but neither will I cover anything up when there is. If Lady Luo wants to do something for Prince Xiao, then you should remind the Dragon King to keep an eye on his subordinates since Prince Xiao's enemies will make extremely tempting promises to them. I'm sure that it won't be easy for them to say no."

Luo Ningcha didn't realize that she had already spilled the beans. She remained silent for an extra while and then asked, "Like what?"

"The Central Plains' strategies for dealing with the Western Regions will never change. They will support several Western-Regions forces at the same time. When Prince Xiao is in power, he will naturally support the man he likes. Prince Xiao's enemies will do the same."

Luo Ningcha was swayed. She knew everything, but unfortunately, she had no solid proof. Suddenly, she instinctively became suspicious. Pang Jing seemed to have been hypnotized by her before he even saw her face. So why had he instantly become so composed?