Chapter 2482: Chapter 2482
After Ye Liuyun had gone far away, Xiao Mulin was finally released by his subordinates.
Seeing the devastating state of the herb fields, he couldn’t just let it slide. Cursing Xiao Muhong for going too far, he immediately ordered a flying vessel to be prepared so he could return to the royal capital and lodge a formal complaint.
Over at the mining district, once Xiao Muhong confirmed that Ye Liuyun had truly left, he prepared to depart as well. Before leaving, he instructed Xiao Mukun to remain vigilant.
But Xiao Mukun stopped him, demanding, "You can leave, but are you taking the ore reserves back to the capital too?"
"What ore reserves?" Xiao Muhong was baffled by the question.
"The reserves I had—didn’t you take them all? I clearly handed over those ten storage rings to you! That was half the mine’s stockpile!" Xiao Mukun shot back, suspicion creeping into his voice.
"Don’t spout nonsense! When did I ever ask you for the ore reserves?" Xiao Muhong grew even more confused.
He even began to suspect that Xiao Mukun was deliberately framing him.
"You took them and now you’re denying it? Are you trying to embezzle the dynasty’s resources?" Xiao Mukun, in turn, accused Xiao Muhong of scheming to pocket the reserves for himself.
"Seems to me you’re the one who sold off the stockpile and lined your own pockets! And now you’re pinning it on me?" Xiao Muhong fired back, refusing to take the blame for something he hadn’t done.
The argument escalated until the two ended up dragging each other all the way back to the royal capital, determined to have the Sacred King settle the dispute.
Just as they reached the palace gates—before they could even step inside—Xiao Mulin arrived as well. Without hesitation, he seized Xiao Muhong and insisted on hauling him before the Sacred King.
It was only then that Xiao Muhong realized he might have been set up.
And as it turned out, the missing ores and medicinal herbs were precisely the resources Ye Liuyun needed after abducting the blacksmiths and alchemists.
When the Sacred King learned that vast quantities of resources had vanished, he flew into a rage, berating all three men without mercy.
"Father, this must be Ye Liuyun’s doing! That scoundrel impersonated me to swindle our resources. His methods are utterly despicable!" Xiao Muhong explained indignantly.
"What good does realizing it now do? The resources are already gone!" the Sacred King snapped. "I warned you he was our enemy, yet you remained careless. Clearly, you’re no match for him!"
"Forget it. From now on, stay out of this matter. I’ll have your younger brother Xiao Mu’an handle it instead."
The Sacred King’s words weren’t entirely spoken in anger. He recognized that while Xiao Muhong was steady, he lacked strategic cunning. Against an unpredictable opponent like Ye Liuyun, he was at a constant disadvantage.
Though resentment burned within him, Xiao Muhong dared not argue further while his father was furious. He could only acquiesce for now.
The Sacred King surveyed his three sons before him. They were all his flesh and blood, and after reprimanding them, he sternly ordered them to keep silent about the incident to avoid bringing shame upon the royal family.
He then summoned the Third Prince, Xiao Mu’an. Right there, he instructed Xiao Muhong to brief his younger brother on the entire plan and handed over all the communication talismans to Xiao Mu’an.
Xiao Mu’an had always been notorious for his ruthless cunning. The Sacred King was deploying him precisely to fight fire with fire.
Immediately, Xiao Mu’an had Xiao Muhong contact Ye Liuyun to inform him of the change in liaison.
"What’s this? You got replaced?" Ye Liuyun asked bluntly, not bothering to hide his glee. He’d already guessed the truth—that Xiao Muhong had been punished by the Sacred King after their scheme was exposed.
"This is merely a royal reassignment," Xiao Muhong replied through gritted teeth, suppressing his fury.
But after that single taunt, Ye Liuyun ignored him completely, leaving Xiao Muhong humiliated and fuming.
Xiao Mu’an then took over the communication talisman and relayed to Ye Liuyun the numbers of the alien fleet.
Essentially, the alien forces had tripled since last time, making it clear they were determined to succeed this round.
This information proved valuable to Ye Liuyun, who immediately grew intrigued. At the very least, he thought, this Xiao Mu’an seemed far more capable than his elder brother.
He was also curious to see what other tricks Xiao Mu’an had up his sleeve.
"We plan to deploy two million troops on Satellite Island for the battle while continuing to recruit another five million as reserves. How many forces will Mr. Ye contribute?" Xiao Mu’an asked directly, his gaze fixed on Ye Liuyun.
Truth be told, Xiao Mu’an had no idea how many troops the Sacred Dynasty would send. He was merely throwing out a number to test Ye Liuyun’s reaction.
Ye Liuyun chuckled in response. "The alien fleet last time had two hundred thousand soldiers. This time, with triple the numbers, we’re looking at six hundred thousand. If you station another two million on Satellite Island, are you planning to pack the place so full of soldiers they won’t even have room to stand?"
He knew the island’s capacity like the back of his hand—there was no way it could accommodate that many troops.
Xiao Mu’an quickly countered, "Of course, we’ll be expanding Satellite Island first!"
"Then let’s revisit this after your expansion. I’ll wait and see how things develop," Ye Liuyun replied coolly.
Xiao Mu’an pressed on, "I suggest you dispatch your Falcons early to intercept the alien fleet. That way, we can prevent their entire force from landing on the island."
"I have the Falcons, sure," Ye Liuyun said, crossing his arms, "but no fuel to sustain them in battle. They won’t last long without resources."
If the Sacred Dynasty was willing to provide supplies, he wouldn’t mind sending the Falcons to intercept—after all, they’d be fighting the same enemy.
Xiao Mu’an narrowed his eyes. "Mr. Ye, isn’t it a bit premature to demand resources before even formally allying with us?"
Ye Liuyun shot back without hesitation, "And wasn’t it you who asked me to commit troops first? If you can make such a request, why shouldn’t I ask for what I need?"
Their verbal sparring pleased Xiao Qitian Dynasty Dynasty Dynasty immensely. Compared to Xiao Muhong, Xiao Mu’an was far more adept at handling someone as shrewd as Ye Liuyun.
Though neither side managed to sway the other, one thing became clear—Ye Liuyun was willing to join the fight. He just needed the terms to be in his favor.
Xiao Mu’an also needed time to consider his next steps, so he didn’t continue the conversation with Ye Liuyun.
"Huh? This guy’s got some tricks up his sleeve! Now he’s playing hard to get!"
Ye Liuyun suddenly stopped receiving replies and noticed a distinct shift in the other party’s demeanor.
But since the initiative was now in his hands, he wasn’t in any hurry.
With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the communication talisman into his Interspatial Ring and returned to his cultivation session on the Profound Void Stone.
Meanwhile, inspired by his exchange with Ye Liuyun, Xiao Mu’an immediately proposed expanding the satellite islands.
"Liu Kui is already handling the arrangements. You don’t need to worry about military logistics—just focus on dealing with Ye Liuyun," Xiao Qitian Dynasty Dynasty Dynasty reminded him, warning against meddling in affairs beyond his scope.
"Understood! But Father, as you can see, without sufficient intelligence, I can’t even hold a proper conversation with him. After all, this man has experience fighting against the otherworldly races." Xiao Mu’an complied but still pressed his case.
Xiao Qitian Dynasty Dynasty Dynasty pondered for a moment and conceded the point—Ye Liuyun was indeed a tough opponent. So he issued orders to Grand Commander Liu Kui, granting Xiao Mu’an unrestricted access to the latest battlefield intelligence.
