Chapter 150: Severely Underestimating Someone

"What did he say?"
Xu Zhe asked very directly, indicating that he had no interest in guessing.
"He said..." Chu Xiaotong paused with a deliberately mischievous look before continuing, "If I kill him, a few lords from afar will not let us off."
Lords from afar?
Xu Zhe frowned. Why did that title sound somewhat cringe-worthy no matter how he heard it?
However, the word "afar" was quite interesting, and there were "a few" of them. Could this be interpreted to mean that there was more than one person who came from the Azure Firmament Realm?
"Since he said that, you still killed him? Someone whom an Essence Tribulation-stage Demon King of the same realm as you refers to as a lord probably isn't simple," Xu Zhe asked with a smile.
"So when he used those words to threaten me, I didn't kill him right away. Instead, I asked him who these so-called lords were, and where this 'afar' was."
"Did he answer you?"
"He said I wasn't worthy of knowing. Could an old lady like me tolerate that?"
"Understood. Well done," Xu Zhe replied with a smile.
At that moment, he hesitated briefly over whether he should mention the Azure Firmament Realm to Chu Xiaotong.
After thinking better of it, he decided against it. After all, he still couldn't be certain those people had come from the Azure Firmament Realm, and their actions were very strange. Since they had the ability to make the demon army submit, and even a late-stage Essence Tribulation Demon King respectfully addressed them as lords, why were they being so mysterious?
What was their purpose in using the demon army to attack the Southern Heaven Continent?
If they truly possessed strength transcending the Essence Tribulation stage, they could have simply taken the Southern Heaven Continent with a flick of their fingers; why go to such elaborate lengths to wage war?
The crucial point was that after losing the battle in the end, they just turned tail and fled directly?
That didn't look anything like the behavior of beings transcending the Essence Tribulation stage.
Even on the battlefield, he had already displayed the intermediate combat formation, which the enemy must have noticed, and yet they still sent people to capture him.
That raised the problem again: why didn't they come themselves?
Therefore, all of this gave the impression that the enemy's personal strength might not be all that formidable.
The contradiction, however, lay in the fact that if their strength was insufficient, how could they make the demons bow down and follow them with such blind devotion?
Xu Zhe could never quite figure out what was really going on behind all this.
Unfortunately, they failed to capture a Demon King-level opponent alive in this battle.
The Tiger-headed Demon King had already been slain by Chu Xiaotong's avatar two days ago.
Lan Zhen's fate was even more tragic. Xu Zhe had originally intended to spare his life and interrogate him, but Lan Zhen was beaten to ashes by Deputy General Liu to pay homage to the millions of comrades who died in the first two battles.
Aside from the old Demon King killed by Chu Xiaotong's true form, almost no other Demon Kings had shown their faces.
According to Chu Xiaotong, this was also a strange matter.
Logically speaking, the demon army had arrived aggressively this time, yet fewer Demon Kings participated than in the previous two instances. Perhaps some other conspiracy was brewing.
Of course, it was also possible that the demons had become arrogant after two major victories, assuming that casually sending two or three Demon Kings would be enough to take down the Vermilion Bird Army, though that possibility was rather slim.
"By the way, what were you running off so far for? I almost couldn't find you just now," Chu Xiaotong asked via voice transmission.
"Oh, nothing. Just taking a stroll," Xu Zhe answered perfunctorily.
"What kind of stroll? Looking for your good big brother?" Chu Xiaotong teased with a laugh. But it was clear that little Zhe had yet another little secret.
"Aren't you my good big brother, Big Brother Tong?"
"No, no, no. I can't afford to be called your big brother anymore. You'd better hurry back; those little brats in the army are looking everywhere for you."
"What are they looking for me for? I don't drink. Besides, Qin Wurong and Jiang Zhiying... I feel like there's something a bit off about the two of them; they might be interested in me. You have to help me fend them off."
"I think you're the one who's off. What are you letting your imagination run wild about all day? You made a massive contribution in this battle, and everyone witnessed it. I can even assign you the position of military advisor, and later we can demand a bunch of heavenly treasures from the Four Continents Council."
"I'm really not imagining things. Trust me, I have way too much experience with this sort of thing."
...
The two of them bantered back and forth casually like this, and Xu Zhe soon returned to the third defense zone.
After the demon army retreated, the Vermilion Bird Army did not pursue them too far. They had already returned in triumph and were clearing the battlefield.
Xu Zhe's appearance immediately drew cheers and swarms of adoring soldiers.
The strong were naturally welcomed, especially in the army. Someone like Xu Zhe, who single-handedly turned the entire battle around and subverted everyone's imagination, was a prime example.
This was enough for the numerous officers and soldiers of the Vermilion Bird Army to overlook his realm of cultivation and feel a heartfelt sense of reverence and admiration for him.
"Heavenly Prodigy Xu is truly worthy of the title. You are the most admirable prodigy we have ever seen, apart from General Chu," a battalion commander appeared before Xu Zhe, cupping his fists in praise.
Even though he was at the Soul Formation stage, two major realms higher than Xu Zhe's cultivation, his face was filled with utter respect.
"Might to Heavenly Prodigy Xu!"
"Awesome, Heavenly Prodigy Xu!"
"Heavenly Prodigy Xu is number one under heaven, peerless through the ages!"
The remaining soldiers all raised their arms and shouted, creating an extremely sensational scene.
With a modest smile, Xu Zhe cupped his fists in thanks to the crowd and continued on his way toward the camp.
Just then, Qin Wurong suddenly appeared. Her eyes were sparkling as if shimmering with light, and she gazed intently at Xu Zhe.
"Xu Zhe, you're not bad at all," a smile appeared on her face.
Oh, great. It's over. Big Brother Tong didn't help me block her after all.
"Cough..." Xu Zhe felt a faint tingling on his scalp. He smiled stiffly, nodded, and was about to speak.
"Would you care to spar with me?" Qin Wurong suddenly asked.
"Ah?" Xu Zhe was taken aback.
Huh? She just came to challenge him to a sparring match?
Such passionate eyes, such affectionate smiles, and she just came to invite him to spar?
That shouldn't be right. Could it really be that I was overthinking things?
While Xu Zhe was in a daze, another red figure flashed before his eyes—none other than Chu Xiaotong.
"Little Zhe, what are you standing there stunned for? Answer her," Chu Xiaotong made no effort to conceal the mockery on her face, clearly laughing at Xu Zhe's earlier wishful thinking.
"Uh..." Xu Zhe instantly felt a moment of awkwardness.
"General Chu has arrived just in time." Qin Wurong turned around, bowed to Chu Xiaotong, and said loudly, "I earnestly request General Chu to act as a witness. This subordinate, Qin Wurong, wishes to spar with Heavenly Prodigy Xu. If this subordinate is defeated, I will marry Heavenly Prodigy Xu."
"Oh?" Xu Zhe's eyebrows immediately shot up.
I'm back in the game.
Just as I thought, I hadn't guessed wrong. This woman was indeed interested in me; I had sensed it long ago.
"???"
Chu Xiaotong looked bewildered, her large eyes wide as copper bells in sheer disbelief.
Many soldiers present had also heard Qin Wurong's bold declaration and began to applaud and jeer heartily.
"Good!"
"Commander Qin is a hero among women!"
"This move right here is a free delivery."
"How can it be a free delivery? If Commander Qin and Heavenly Prodigy Xu can make a match of it, then Heavenly Prodigy Xu will be our Vermilion Bird Army's son-in-law. From now on, it'll be hard for us to ever taste defeat."
"Hah, I love what Old Li has to say."
The crowd's jeers grew louder and louder.
Qin Wurong showed not a shred of shyness as she looked frankly at Xu Zhe, her expression practically screaming, "I fancy you, and you're mine now."
"Hold on, I object to this matter."
Suddenly, a voice interrupted the scene.
Everyone was startled and turned to look.
Gu Jia'er came running over in a huff, her chest heaving, and planted herself directly in front of Qin Wurong.
"Xu Zhe is a heavenly prodigy, and everyone has witnessed his potential. Right now, his heart is wholly set on the Dao; he has no mind whatsoever for the affairs of the mortal world. Commander Qin, are you trying to hold him back?" she asked with righteous indignation.
"Sect Master Gu, Heavenly Prodigy Xu is the man I have chosen. If I become cultivation partners with him, I will only seek the Dao alongside him. How could that be holding him back?" Qin Wurong's expression immediately darkened.
"This old lady says it's holding him back, so it's holding him back. You're still young and don't understand," Gu Jia'er refused to budge an inch.
"Hh, Sect Master Gu is certainly domineering, but our Vermilion Bird Army is not afraid. Besides, this is a matter between myself and Heavenly Prodigy Xu. Please do not interfere, Sect Master Gu."
"Fine, I won't interfere. Then ask Xu Zhe and see what he—huh? Where's Xu Zhe?"
"Eh? Where's the heavenly prodigy?"
At that moment, the crowd realized that one of the protagonists of this conflict had disappeared at some point.
Only a few minor soldiers hiding in a corner were trembling.
Not only did they know when the heavenly prodigy had vanished, but they had also seen him being carried away by General Chu.
No, that didn't look like being taken away; it looked more like being snatched away, hauled directly over the shoulder and run off with.
Oh boy, this was getting a bit extraordinary.
But they didn't dare say it, nor could they say it.
The few of them exchanged glances, silently asking each other with tacit understanding:
Will we be silenced for this?
...
Meanwhile, in the general's tent.
Chu Xiaotong tossed Xu Zhe onto the bed with a heave.
"Clap, clap, clap..."
She brushed her hands together and said self-righteously, "Speak, how are you going to thank me for saving you from that scene just now?"
"I didn't ask you to save me," Xu Zhe rolled his eyes speechlessly.
Chu Xiaotong was severely underestimating people.
How many scenes like that had he, Xu Zhe, not witnessed?
Naive!
Yet by dragging him away like that without so much as a parting word, the other party might still think he was just being shy. If she still harbored thoughts, that would truly be disastrous.
At this thought, Xu Zhe suddenly felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles, thorns on his back, and a fishbone stuck in his throat.
No way, I have to write a rejection letter and have someone deliver it right away!
...