All the women turned towards the direction of the voice and saw the groom himself, Rocky, approaching Isis.
"You can't just pop out of nowhere! You almost scared me to death," Isis said with a playful tone. She was trying to mask the fact that she was feeling flustered at the thought of Rocky's eyes looking at her with admiration. He was staring at her so blatantly that Isis almost felt embarrassed in front of the maids.
"Mr. Bai, get out of here please. You're not supposed to see the bride before the wedding, remember? It's a tradition!" Sue shouted as she rushed towards Rocky and pushed him out of the door.
Rocky shrugged and did as ordered. He proceeded to return to his room to continue cultivation but a guard stopped him in his tracks.
"Commander Rocky! I am so glad to bump into you! The Commander in Chief asked me to look for you. Come, let's go to him," the guard stated carefully not sound disrespectful.
"Alright, let's go." Rocky followed the guard towards the conference hall.
A full conference hall welcomed Rocky. In the middle, Lance was seated with Allen, head of Elite Regiment. Beside him, a familiar bald man sat. It was the second chair of Elite Regiment, Sheehan. However, there was still an unfamiliar middle-aged man to the left of Lance. And the uniformed commanders did not look like members of the Crimson Dragon Army. Rocky stared at the middle-aged man across the room. He could tell that he was a cultivator of the Supernal Stage or at least a man of special position.
As soon as Rocky stepped in, all the people in the room turned to look at him. Instantly, Rocky felt vulnerable. He could tell that there was tension in the room and that the people were not looking at him pleasantly. Sheehan, especially, stared at Rocky almost angrily. Rocky figured that he must have known that the Sea Blue Magic Jade was in his pockets. But that wasn't too likely. Rocky never mentioned the Sea Blue Magic Jade to anyone. He knew that the mere possession of such rare treasure would make him lots of enemies.
"Commander in Chief," Rocky addressed Lance with a curt bow.
"Is this your future son-in-law? He looks quite dashing, if I may say so myself!" th
contemplative. He knew he needed to expect the worst from Buff.
"We need to get Buff on our side. He has powerful military skills. He could be helpful to us," Lance weighted his words.
"How does he fare compared to you?" Rocky asked bluntly.
"That's not an easy thing to measure. In the military, each one has their own strengths and weaknesses. Buff is good at fast attacks. He can mobilize his soldiers efficiently, as if they have four legs. They can also be sneaky. He had already defeated quite a few well-known commanders of foreign countries. Don't treat him lightly," Lance reminded.
"Oh, I won't," Rocky replied with a nod.
"You're a great man, Rocky. But try to be a little modest. At the end of the day, you're the one leading the army," Lance added.
"If I may ask again, are you really sure of handing over the leadership to me? I do hope you have thought this through," Rocky asked earnestly.
"Of course I have considered this well. I will not just allow Isis to marry you based on my own hasty decisions," Lance affirmed.
Rocky smiled. He was convinced that Lance expected highly of him. Losing against the Timber Deity Empire meant that Lance would also lose dignity.
"Allen, your job is to assist Rocky from now on. Please don't let me down." Lance turned to Allen and ordered him.
"I won't let you down," Allen said to Lance. "Commander Rocky, I look forward to helping you out." Allen got up and walked towards Rocky.