Before the establishment of the New World, every old noble family preserved and taught the Old Rulebook, an ancient collection of ethical principles passed down through generations.
It was not a book of laws, but a code of honor that defined the ideals of nobility. How one should uphold integrity, bear responsibility, and earn the trust of others.
Every heir of a old noble house was raised with its teachings, and following them was considered the mark of a truly honorable noble.
Among its most revered principles was the Right of the Sword, which held that anyone who demanded another's execution should personally wield the blade accepting full moral responsibility for the judgment they had passed.
Another was the orths these old nobles follow. Thus according to the Old Rules, highest expression of trust and sincerity, is in which one placed their own life on the line as a guarantee of their word.
No spoken promise carried greater weight than an oath sworn upon one's own life. When Luo He's grandfather defeated the Great Jian Dynasty.
He unified the continent, and established the New World. The Old Rulebook ceased to be the guiding ethical code of the old nobility.
The new noble families, who rose to prominence under the new order, no longer studied its teachings. However, the surviving old noble houses continued to preserve the Old Rulebook.
They considered it as a symbol of their heritage and honor, believing its principles embodied the true spirit of nobility.
Because of this, Luo He is able to invoke its teachings when dealing with the old noble families, knowing they still regard its code with the highest respect, even if the New World no longer does.
Luo He had no reverence for the Old Rulebook. He had studied it in his youth, as any well-educated noble would, but only to understand the minds of those who still believed in it.
To him, honor was a luxury, not a virtue. Principles were useful only insofar as they could be exploited. He was more of a ruthless pragmatist.
Luo He wielded every tool at his disposal without shame, deception, manipulation, psychological pressure, calculated negotiation, or outright intimidation.
If a man's sense of honor could be used against him, Luo He would use it. If an ancient oath could force a concession, he would invoke it without believing a single word of it himself.
The Old Rulebook was never his creed. It was another weapon in his arsenal. Among the old nobility, many saw him as dishonorable, even contemptible.
Yet while proud nobles clung to ideals that often led them to ruin, Luo He endured by adapting to every circumstance without hesitation.
In his eyes, history rarely remembered the honorable dead for long. It was the survivors who reshaped the world.
Gin Wenyuan looked deeply into Luo He's eyes, searching for the slightest trace of hesitation. He found none.
Before the old patriarch could answer, Gin Xuexin hurried forward.
Her hands immediately grasped Luo He's sleeves, her eyes already glistening with tears. "No..." Her voice trembled.
"Please don't say such things. I don't care whether Grandfather approves."
"I don't care whether you win. I only want you to come back alive." As emotion overwhelmed her, she instinctively began to lower herself to her knees.
Before she could, Luo He gently caught her wrists and lifted her back onto her feet. "Don't ever kneel Infront of me."
His voice was quiet, but firm.
"Never in your life." He smiled faintly. "You are not beneath me. You stand beside me." The simple words caused Gin Xuexin's tears to flow even more
freely as she buried her face against his shoulder.
Across the tent, Gin Wenyuan watched the scene without interruption. That single gesture spoke louder than any oath. The young man before him did not seek blind obedience.
He sought an equal. After what felt like an eternity, the old patriarch finally exhaled.
"Very well." His voice was steady. "I shall lend you the cavalry." His sharp gaze remained fixed upon Luo He.
"Now go. Show me that your confidence is not empty. And return alive. Only then..." A faint smile appeared on the old patriarch's weathered face. "...shall we consider of marriage."
Day Four: The Chosen Escort
After Patriarch Gin finally recognized Luo He, he personally led him away from the gathering.
Gin Xuexin immediately walked to Luo He's side, wrapping both hands around his arm as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Her grandfather cast her a stern, warning glance, but she merely lowered her head, her cheeks flushing crimson, refusing to let go of Luo He's hand.
Luo He only smiled, proudly allowing her to cling to him as they followed the patriarch. Outside the main tent, the patriarch introduced Luo He to the man he trusted above all others.
His closest confidant and right-hand man. The moment they met, Luo He silently examined him. Second-Level Transcendent. Low-Level Green Bloodline.
Far stronger than the patriarch himself.
Although Patriarch Gin possessed a High-Level Red Bloodline. And he stood among the greatest Grandmasters alive.
Yet he had never crossed into the Transcendent realm. His right-hand man, however, had already taken that step. The patriarch spoke without hesitation.
"This man will accompany you. He will observe you personally and judge whether you are worthy of becoming my grandson-in-law." He said firmly.
Originally, he had intended to assign Luo He ten thousand elite cavalry. Instead, after witnessing Luo He's character firsthand, he changed his mind.
He entrusted Luo He with 12,500 of the Gin Family's finest cavalry, nearly the entirety of his standing army, including his personal Transcendent, and the strongest cavalry regiment under his command.
Although the Gin Family possessed nearly five hundred thousand soldiers in name, most served throughout the realm. Doing various things.
As regional garrisons, retainers, or mercenary forces. Only fifteen thousand formed the family's permanent standing army. Which is more practical.
By handing Luo He twelve thousand five hundred of those soldiers, Patriarch Gin had demonstrated a level of trust few men would ever receive.
Before departing, Luo He returned to Xuexin. Without the slightest concern for those watching, he embraced her. "I'm terribly sorry, wifey." He said.
"If circumstances weren't so urgent, I would've slept tonight with you as well."
The entire Gin Family fell silent. Xuexin's face instantly turned scarlet.
Her embarrassment spreading from her cheeks to the tips of her ears. Luo He simply laughed before taking both of her hands. "I'll come back."
"I always come back. My wives know that better than anyone." He said proudly. He then gently kissed her forehead before mounting the magnificent black warhorse gifted by her grandfather.
His Black Cloud Shuttle, carefully wrapped in cloth, hung from the saddle.
Although Luo He disliked horses, he mounted without complaint for this once.
Moments later, twelve thousand five hundred elite cavalry thundered across the plains behind him as he departed from the remote borderlands.
These were located between the Wu Kingdom, the Yue Kingdom and Chu Kingdom, where the elusive warlord awaited.
Day Four: The Memorial
While Luo He rode toward his next objective, Jin Mulan spent the entire fourth day dealing with the aftermath of the previous battle.
Nearly ten thousand soldiers had perished. Throughout the day, Gin soldiers searched every corner of the battlefield.
Retrieving bodies from the shallow moat surrounding the mansion. And gathering the dead who lay all over the place. The dead were gathered into enormous funerals pyres.
She dismantled yesterday's remaining structures, sand barricades, and she gathered all available iron bolts and renewable resources from the battlefield.
Fish oil was poured over the piles. As evening fell, hundreds of fires were lit.
Thousands upon thousands of fallen warriors were cremated together.
This was for preventing disease from spreading across the battlefield. Even the enemy observed the solemn duty in silence.
Under a banner of truce, they tried to approach, intending to offer assistance.
A massive ballista bolt slammed into the ground before them.
"We need no help." The warning was unmistakable. The opposing army withdrew respectfully, watching from afar as Jin Mulan honored both friend and foe alike. It earned her genuine respect.
Not a single battle was fought that day.
The fourth day belonged entirely to the dead at the Jin estate.
Day Four: The Siege
As night descended, another battlefield reached its turning point. Princess Ning Luo stood atop the walls of the imperial capital.
During the previous days, the armies of Wu had continued gathering from every prefecture under their control. Now, alongside the Crown Prince of Yue, they finally arrived.
Three hundred thousand soldiers surrounded the capital by nightfall. The siege had begun. Yet no great assault followed.
Confident in their overwhelming numbers, the allied commanders chose to rest their troops rather than waste lives in a night time attack.
The Yue capital remained surrounded in complete silence. The true battle would begin with the dawn of the fifth day.
Meanwhile, Luo He never slowed his advance. Ignoring fatigue, he urged both himself and his cavalry forward throughout the entire night.
Driving the twelve thousand five hundred elite horsemen at relentless speed toward the Gin Mansion, determined to reach his destination before anyone else could react.