Her voice was not loud, but it caused the two people at each other’s throats to fall silent instantly.
Bai Li looked at the battle map, his expression incredibly serious.
“I’ll stay in the main tent to help you organize intelligence and relay commands. For the ambush at East City, we can use Illusion Art to deceive the enemy army and make them think we’re launching a frontal assault. Then, we can have the Dragon Race flank them from the side while the Vampires pin them down from the front. This way, we can crush the ambush while minimizing casualties. Do you think it’s feasible?”
The tent fell into a sudden silence.
Baining was stunned for a moment before a flash of joy crossed her eyes.
“This strategy is even more stable and thorough than my original plan.”
Longjiu couldn’t help but ruffle Bai Li’s hair, her tone full of praise.
“I didn’t realize you knew so much about military strategy and troop deployment.”
Bai Li’s cheeks flushed slightly, and he laughed somewhat sheepishly.
“I was once a human Grand Magister, after all. I have at least some tactical sense.”
Just then, a loud announcement came from a guard outside the tent.
“Lord Baining! The Succubus Queen, Lady Ziya, has arrived with 500 illusionists! They are waiting outside the camp!”
“Let her in immediately,” Baining ordered.
The tent flap was gently lifted, and Ziya stepped inside.
She wore a flowing, light purple dress, and a gentle mist of Illusion Art swirled around her.
In her hand, she held a parchment scroll, clearly prepared with illusion deployment plans.
As soon as she entered, her gaze locked onto Bai Li.
She walked quickly to his side, placed the scroll on the table, and gently took his hand.
Her soft, sweet voice was enough to melt anyone’s heart.
“Father! I’ve finally arrived!”
This tender voice happened to dissipate the tense atmosphere in the tent.
Bai Li felt a surge of warmth in his heart as he led her to the battle map.
“Ziya, you’ve come at the perfect time. The humans have set up 30,000 ambushers in Blackstone Canyon, and we plan to use illusions to deceive them. Do you think this method will work?”
Ziya glanced down at the map, then looked at the general slumped on the floor, a confident smile playing on her lips.
“Of course it will! The illusionists I brought can set up the Heavenly Net Illusion Array. Everything the enemy sees will be a lie, while in reality, the Dragon Race…”
She paused and looked at Longjiu and Baining.
Her tone was gentle, yet it carried an unmistakable edge.
“However, the illusions require a specific person to coordinate the relay of false intelligence. This person must be someone I arrange personally. Also, I will use a Nine-fold Illusion Barrier to firmly protect Father’s safety. Even human Anti-magic Arrows won’t be able to harm him in the slightest!”
“The barrier must be set up inside the main tent,” Longjiu emphasized immediately.
“I want to be able to see him at all times.”
“I will be stationed here to command, and my personal guards will be outside the barrier. It will be double protection, foolproof,” Baining added quickly.
Ziya watched the two of them protect him so intensely and nodded slightly.
“Fine. But while the Illusion Art is active, no one is allowed to enter or leave the barrier without permission, lest they disrupt the array.”
With that, the three of them finally reached an agreement.
Baining turned toward the bound general, her voice as indifferent as water.
“One last question. Besides the ambush, what other hidden moves did Sok give you in his secret orders?”
The general’s face was as white as paper.
He slumped on the ground, his voice trembling as he confessed.
“There… there’s more. If the ambush fails, we are to set fire to the East City granaries. Even if you take the city, you won’t get any supplies…”
“Too late.”
Baining stood up and picked up a wax-sealed letter from the table, her tone carrying the calm of someone who had already won.
“Your lieutenant already revealed the location of the granaries. My people have already taken control of the East City granaries.”
The general’s face turned ashen, and he completely lost the strength to resist, unable to say another word.
Bai Li tilted his head curiously and looked at Baining.
“By the way, don’t you Vampires feed on blood? Why do you need granaries for supplies?”
Baining explained helplessly, “The humans developed a Body-Exploding Pill. If they die after taking it, their corpses explode into nothingness within moments, making it impossible to feed. So, we try to capture as many living prisoners as possible and use grain to appease and supply them, reducing unnecessary casualties.”
“I see!”
Bai Li realized the truth, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
This way, casualties would be greatly reduced, which was exactly what he hoped for.
Baining waved her hand.
“Take him away.”
The guards immediately stepped forward, unchained the despondent general, and led him out.
Everyone in the tent turned their gaze back to the map, as if they could already see the silhouette of victory.
Bai Li looked at the map and sighed softly.
“This way, we should be able to avoid more casualties.”
“Naturally,” Ziya said, sitting by his side and gently patting the back of his hand to comfort him.
“With us here, we will never let you see the world ravaged by war again.”
Longjiu leaned against Bai Li’s shoulder and whispered into his ear, her voice full of longing.
“Once we take East City and if the peace talks succeed, we’ll go back to the Dragon Palace. I’ll build you the most beautiful palace in the world, belonging only to the two of us.”
Baining immediately refused to be outdone.
“After the war, Bai Li should stay with the Vampires. East City has picturesque scenery. I will accompany you to see all the flowers.”
Ziya also leaned in with a smile.
“Father should come back to the Dream Demon Kingdom with me. I’ll create an everlasting Dreamland oil painting for you. It’s more comfortable than anywhere else.”
The three of them began to argue quietly about Bai Li’s whereabouts after the war.
There was no true hostility, only tender doting and expectation.
The scene was both heartwarming and amusing.
Bai Li looked at the three arguing women, his eyes filled with warmth.
He reached out and squeezed their hands in his, his smile clean and gentle.
“After the war, I want to rebuild the burned villages first. Then I’ll go to the Dragon Palace to see the palace, go to the Vampires to see the roses, and go to the Dream Demon Kingdom to see the Dreamland paintings. I don’t want to be apart from any of you. You are all the most important people in my life.”
Longjiu, Baining, and Ziya looked at each other, the possessiveness in their eyes gradually turning into endless tenderness.
Longjiu spoke first.
“Fine, whatever you say.”
Baining and Ziya followed with a nod, speaking in unison.
“Whatever you say!”
—
Outside the tent, the sun was setting, and the blood-red afterglow washed over the Vampire camp, staining half the sky.
In the distance, the Dragon Knight Order had finished assembling, their dragon roars shaking the heavens.
The Vampire soldiers were ready to move, their fighting spirit high.
The Succubus illusionists were quietly setting up their arrays as mist began to spread.
The war had not yet ended, but the dawn of victory had already illuminated the entire land.
Inside the tent, four hands were tightly overlapped.
The heat of the Dragon Race, the coldness of the Vampires, and the softness of the Succubus intertwined with Bai Li’s warmth.
It became the most tender and strongest bond on this war-torn continent.
Bai Li leaned between the three of them, his heart full of hope for peace.
He did not know that whether the war ended or not, their obsession with him would only deepen.
That tender shackle would only wrap tighter and tighter.
But at this moment, he only knew that as long as they were there, he had nothing to fear.
As for Longjiu, Baining, and Ziya, as they looked at the person they held as their most precious treasure, the same unspoken thought resided in their hearts.
The world could be settled, and the Demon Race could be at peace, but Bai Li… he could only ever belong to them.
This gentle and sweet struggle had only just begun.