"Palace master!"
"Our members are too far away. If we chase after them, we might be in danger."
"What a load of bull!" Clear Music threw a tantrum to a group of elders while she was on Yangzhou City's city walls. "We had twenty thousand of our own die when we surrounded that measly Mu Clan branch with more than sixty thousand people, and we even let a group of them escape. When this gets out, how will we face the people in the future?!"
A few of them braced their courage and continued to advise her. "But palace master, Happy will reach Yangzhou very soon. If we chase after the remnants out of the city, the headquarters will be in danger."
"Happy?"
But it would have been better if the elders did not mention that name, because once they did, Clear Music's expression changed, and she felt the anger in her chest churn. It was difficult for her to calm down. "It'll be good if he came!"
Clear Music had been frustrated that she had nowhere to vent her anger.
This time, even though her actions had been instigated by Dragon Sect and Class One Hall, causing her to wage full-on war with Mu Clan, Happy's fearless and harsh tactics had thrown her off guard, and it was hard for her to withstand his attacks.
Towering Palace lost dozens of branches at the south of the coastal area, and it was as if Happy cut off a large part of her flesh and blood from her body. Right now, her attack against Mu Clan's branch was also unsuccessful, and she was both afraid and hateful of Happy!
She wanted badly to swallow him whole!
Right now, when she heard that Happy was about to come to Yangzhou, she did not bother about anything else. Her first reaction was to mobilize all forces so that she can kill Happy and those remnants in Yangzhou.
When the elders heard it, they looked at each other in stunned silence.
'Do you really think Mu Clan is just an empty but beautiful vase?'
"Don't worry. Right now, Mu Clan's forces at the south are busy dealing with our old branches. The elites at Changjiang River Basin and the headquarters have to fend against Class One Hall marching south. The Yangzhou branch also lost a large group of elites. Right now, even if Happy fights against us, he will not be able to mobilize a lot of forces. Besides, based on reliable sources, he's currently coming here alone. He did not ask any of his other branches to mobilize their forces. Hmph!" Once she said this, Clear Music's tone changed. "We have our friends from Dragon Sect and Class One Hall helping. Are we to be worried that we can't even get rid of Happy?"
The group of Towering Palace elders sucked in a deep breath when they heard Clear Music's words, and their minds instantly began moving.
'If everything was just as Clear Music said… we might be able to fight this war.'
"Tell Grim Green and Vast Heaven that they are to bring some men to chase after Mu Clan's remaining forces!"
"Understood."
*****
[Wind Chimes died.]
[Feng Zhi died.]
[Silver Wolf is trapped.]
[Our branch in Yangzhou is destroyed.]
[Little North is trying to get out of the city with our remaining members. They're currently chased down by a large group of Towering Palace elites!]
[Thousands of our dead friends who are revived are surrounded in the different Guanlin Temples in Yangzhou. They can't leave the place and can only log off for the time being.]
The bad news that came one after another struck at the hot blood raging in Happy's chest. Gradually, it was as if there was a flame burning in him, but it slowly turned as cold as ice. The only thing that did not change was that Hoof Shadow's speed remained at the max.
'It's not far away now! I'm already very close to Yangzhou!
'If Hoof Shadows runs from night until day, I'll finally reach Yangzhou!'
"Hang in there!"
Another half an hour passed, and a messenger pigeon flew into the sky.
*****
Within a forest outside Yangzhou City was a graceful and pretty figure with a white veil over her face. She had her back turned toward Wu Kuo and the others while she slowly folded the letter in her hands.
"Lil' sis."
"Tower master, how is it?"
"What did he say in the letter?"
A few members asked eagerly.
That group of people were naturally the higher ups of Wind Assault Tower. This time, they came to Yangzhou for Mu Clan.
Phantasmal Shadow turned around slowly. Her emotions could not be seen through her white veil, but Wu Kuo and the others could still see the hint of joy in her eyes.
'We succeeded!'
"Mobilize our forces!" Phantasmal Shadow ordered quickly without hesitation. "We'll go to this place."
She pointed at the government-made road six miles away from Yangzhou City.
Right when she finished speaking, messenger pigeons flew out from Wu Kuo and the others' hands.
Then, Wu Kuo could not hold back the storm in his heart and continued asking, "What are his conditions?"
The others also stared at Phantasmal Shadow nervously. They wanted to know how negotiations went with Happy.
In truth, it was a pure gamble for Wind Assault Tower to come over this time!
Class One Hall had rebuilt their prestige, and Towering Palace worked together with Dragon Sect's elites to fight against Mu Clan. This caused Wind Assault Tower, which lived in a narrow space in Beijing and was one of the three great sects there, to be in a very awkward situation.
However, there were always some fortuitous events hidden in danger.
Phantasmal Shadow was very smart. Once Towering Palace and Class One Hall decided to work together, she immediately guessed that war might break out in Yangzhou. Then, based on her understanding and impression of Happy as well as his immediate reactions, she saw a chance for her to soar in this great danger.
Without hesitation, she mobilized two thousand elites from a few her branches, split them up into a few groups and drew close to Yangzhou City!
In the beginning, she could tell from Happy's actions that he did not have the intention to mobilize a large group of forces to fight against the two top-class sects, and she had been slightly disappointed, thinking that Happy was prepared to spare Towering Palace again.
But when the events at the south of the coastal area happened, the extraordinary actions and resolution Happy instantly showed allowed Phantasmal Shadow to regain her confidence, and she wrote a letter to Happy stating that she was willing to send forces to help him take down Towering Palace.
Phantasmal Shadow mentioned her battle plans in the letter at great length, and she even included an analysis of the situation in the Chinese world of martial artists.
She also mentioned the benefits Mu Clan will have after Happy took action against Towering Palace.
Toward the end, Phantasmal Shadow stated that Wind Assault Tower only wanted to take a few of the cities in the coastal area to expand their territory, and she was willing to become allies with Mu Clan forever. Besides, she mentioned that the headquarters of Wind Assault Tower will go through a change as well and will move to Yangzhou because of the matter with Class One Hall.
Wind Assault Tower did not show too much ambition, and it was perfectly reasonable for her to ask for a few cities in the coastal area, because she had to give up on the resources in Beijing.
*****
Phantasmal Shadow was very confident that if Happy headed to Yangzhou City alone, there was a high chance that he will not be able to destroy Towering Palace.
Because Class One Hall was ready for war, and it was difficult for Happy to mobilize forces and use up more of Mu Clan's manpower to increase the results of the war.
In her letter, Phantasmal Shadow used the simplest words and figures to set up a very favorable and beneficial future for Mu Clan!
They were also willing to offer two thousand elites from Wind Assault Tower to take down Towering Palace and destroy all the Towering Palace forces in the east of the coastal area!
Happy agreed to it.
But it was not only because Phantasmal Shadow had already reached Yangzhou with her two thousand men, which displayed her sincerity, or neither was it solely for the reasons she mentioned in her letter.
There was one more reason.
At the very end, Phantasmal Shadow mentioned the situation and layout in the Chinese world of martial artists right now, as well as the possibility of foreign organizations coming into China.
This one point alone allowed Happy to completely understand why Phantasmal Shadow was capable of standing on equal grounds with Class One Hall with only a small foundation of power in Happy's previous life!
He made his decision.
He will give Phantasmal Shadow a chance to shine in the light once more.