After a night of rapid travel, the Shrek group arrived near the Western Army Camp of the Star Luo Empire.
They descended from the sky, and the enormous noise immediately alerted the camp's watch. Within a minute, a group of soldiers wearing the Star Luo Empire's standard armor arrived to meet them. The leader was an elderly man with a stern expression, floating with three yellow, two purple, and two black soul rings—a Soul Sage.
Seeing the Soul Sage, Dai Yaoheng immediately stepped forward, as the man, Du Lei, was a Viscount of the Star Luo Empire and a servant of the White Tiger Duke's household.
"Young master, what are you doing here?" Du Lei was surprised to see the young master of the White Tiger Duke's estate among the group. Looking at the others, who appeared to be mostly under twenty, he began to guess their identities.
"Du Lao, these are my classmates from Shrek Academy," Dai Yaoheng explained with a smile. "I've already sent a letter to my father. Is he around?"
"Mm! The Marshal should be in the camp at this time, probably in the middle of his morning exercises. I'll take you to see him," Du Lei responded.
"Okay!" Dai Yaoheng said. "But we'll need to rest for a bit first."
After resting, they were led into the Western Army Camp by Du Lei. Zhu Ziyang looked at the sprawling military base and pondered. The Western Army, known as the White Tiger Legion, numbered around five hundred thousand. It was one of the strongest elite armies on the continent. However, how long could such a traditional army withstand the Soul Engineer Corps of the Sun Moon Empire?
When they arrived at the Marshal's tent, they met Dai Hao, the White Tiger Duke.
Dai Hao exuded the iron-blooded aura typical of a seasoned general. His voice was firm and commanding. Even the elite disciples from Shrek's inner court were impressed by his presence. However, what surprised Zhu Ziyang was the rare loss of control in Huo Yuhao's aura. His lowered eyes were faintly red, and if it weren't for Wang Dong's timely intervention, Huo Yuhao might have erupted in anger right there.
"Ah, the little brat's still a child…" Zhu Ziyang thought, shaking his head inwardly. He was becoming increasingly convinced that Huo Yuhao was, in fact, Dai Hao's son from an affair.
"Welcome, Teacher Wang Yan, and all the talented students of Shrek Academy!" Dai Hao greeted them with a hearty smile, stepping forward.
"Greetings, Your Grace the Duke," Wang Yan, as the official leader of the group, responded respectfully. He wasn't overly submissive, but he addressed Dai Hao with the necessary formalities.
Despite the Duke's high position, his title was much less persuasive when compared to the strength held by the inner disciples of Shrek Academy. In their eyes, the White-robed Proud Duke title didn't mean much.
Dai Hao shook hands with Wang Yan and said, "Please, come inside and let's chat. I'd like to extend my hospitality to all of you."
Wang Yan shook his head. "No need to be so formal, Your Grace. We're here to complete our mission. We just need information from your men. You are busy with your duties, so we won't trouble you."
Dai Hao's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, but he didn't press further. "In that case, Du Lei, please see to our guests. Let Xu Yi handle the information exchange with the Shrek Academy team."
"Yes, Your Grace!" Du Lei responded respectfully.
"Good luck, and we shall meet again soon!" Dai Hao said, turning to leave.
Under Du Lei's guidance, the Shrek team entered another large tent.
"Du Lei, why didn't my father have you personally handle the information exchange with us? Why send someone else?" Dai Yaoheng asked, his curiosity piqued. Wang Yan, Ma Xiaotao, and Zhu Ziyang also looked at Du Lei. Zhu Ziyang couldn't shake the feeling that something about this situation didn't add up.
"Well…" Du Lei hesitated and let out a bitter smile. "Marshal Hao never intended to trouble Shrek Academy. Xu Yi has always been in charge of this matter from the start. It was Xu Yi's decision to ask for Shrek's help, so it only made sense for him to handle the exchange."
"I see…" the group looked at each other, unsure how to respond.
"General Du Lei, who exactly is Xu Yi, to have such influence over the Marshal's decisions?" Zhu Ziyang asked, his tone more pointed. Perhaps his suspicion was growing, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Xu Yi had an agenda.
Five hundred thousand troops in the Western Army—weren't they enough to deal with a small band of bandits? What kind of bandits could be so formidable that they required Shrek Academy's involvement? Or was it all a cover for something more sinister?
"About that…" Du Lei seemed reluctant, but after a long pause, he spoke. "Xu Yi is our quartermaster and intelligence officer. He's also part of the royal family. I suspect the reason he insisted on asking for Shrek Academy's help is because he's afraid the military inspection team might discover the evidence of his illegal trade of military supplies."
"What?!" Zhu Ziyang and the others couldn't hide their disbelief. They exchanged doubtful looks, wondering if Du Lei was joking.
"This matter is known only to the Marshal and a few of us," Du Lei explained, his face showing signs of distress. "The merchant convoy Xu Yi uses to sell military supplies was recently raided by these bandits. If we send the military after them, they'll likely discover the evidence of his illegal dealings."
"So you're not sending the military after the bandits because of the Sun Moon Empire's military, but because you're covering up Xu Yi's crimes?" Zhu Ziyang pressed, piecing together the true reason.
"Well, not entirely…" Du Lei hesitated. "The Marshal did send two units to eliminate the bandits, but they were all wiped out. Initially, the Marshal wanted to send his personal guards, but Xu Yi stopped him. He persuaded the Marshal to request help from Shrek Academy."
The group stood still, absorbing Du Lei's words.
"In the end, Xu Yi's illegal actions were discovered, but because he's a member of the royal family, the Marshal can't act against him without concrete evidence."
"So, we're being used as pawns?" Ma Xiaotao asked, her face flushed with anger. Her eyes burned with fury, and if it weren't for Zhu Ziyang holding her back, she might have attacked Du Lei on the spot.
"So, the reason you're telling us all this is because you want us to find evidence of Xu Yi's illegal dealings?" Zhu Ziyang asked, his voice steady, despite the strange feeling creeping up on him.
Du Lei fell silent for a moment, a hint of shame crossing his face. "No, I hope you can destroy any potential evidence."
"Why?" Dai Yaoheng's body tensed, his gaze fixed on Du Lei in disbelief. "What do you mean? We should be finding evidence to punish Xu Yi, not destroying it."
The others looked just as confused, unable to understand why Du Lei was asking them to destroy the evidence instead of gathering it.
Only Zhu Ziyang and Wang Yan exchanged knowing glances. They were beginning to understand that this White Tiger Duke wasn't just a simple general after all.
"This is the Marshal's order," Du Lei said, seeing Dai Yaoheng's fiery anger. "It's his wish."
Dai Yaoheng slumped, deflated. He opened his mouth to ask more questions, but before he could speak, someone else entered the tent.
It was Xu Yi, a man in his thirties, dressed in military attire with a stern yet upright expression. He didn't look like the kind of person who would be involved in such shady dealings.
When Du Lei saw Xu Yi, his face darkened. He turned to the Shrek group and said, "Please, Xu Marquis will now take over the task of providing you with the information."
Without waiting for anyone to respond, Du Lei quickly left.
Xu Yi looked at Du Lei's retreating back with a smile, then turned to the Shrek group, his expression full of warmth. "Welcome, students from Shrek Academy. My name is Xu Yi, and I won't waste time with pleasantries. Let me tell you the details of the intelligence you seek."
The Shrek team was taken aback by Xu Yi's demeanor. They had been led to believe that he was a key player in the scheme, and his actions seemed like he was eager to cover up something.
Zhu Ziyang activated his Radiant Heart of Virtue, probing Xu Yi's attitude towards them. What surprised him was that Xu Yi's heart was filled with malice.
Zhu Ziyang felt an unsettling wave of suspicion. Why wasn't Xu Yi happy to see them? After all, they were there to clean up his mess.
Could Xu Yi be hiding something even more sinister beneath the surface?
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