The meeting concluded.
Ye Longlin and Qin Hanlie looked at the documents in their hands and exchanged smiles.
"Yuan Gang truly has the people's hearts. Out of fifty attendees, forty voted in favor. It seems this matter is basically settled."
These two documents required their signatures. After signing, they would be placed in an archive bag, sealed with the Dragon War King's seal, and then submitted.
Once sealed, any tampering would leave traces, serving as a deterrent.
"Aren't you indirectly praising yourself? Yuan Gang was brought up by you. After your abdication, Yuan Gang will become the second Dragon Pavilion Master. This is a good thing for you, at least you won't have to worry about anyone targeting you. With Yuan Gang holding down the capital, isn't this what you wanted?"
Ye Longlin grinned. "It's different. You know very well why I want Yuan Gang to succeed me as Dragon Pavilion Master. If the Dragon Pavilion falls into their hands, within a year, it will undergo a qualitative change and be ruined from top to bottom!
I don't want the brothers who followed me to die at the hands of their own people for some reason. I don't want them to die, but soldiers must always be prepared for death. I would rather they die on the battlefield; that's what it means to be a pure soldier."
Qin Hanlie sighed deeply, looking at the map of Great Xia before him. "Yes, the River Tu and its course are only two hundred kilometers from the north. These two hundred kilometers are our last line of defense. If they cross this line, only the Dragon Pavilion can lead the troops to battle."
This was Yuan Gang and Xuan Bird's plan, to use this pressure to keep him here. But he had already thought it through, and the contingency plans were mostly in place. Nothing would go wrong; he was very confident about this.
Although Yuan Gang had made a mistake in this matter, he could understand his intentions. This matter should remain buried in his heart; it was not necessary to speak of it, as the repercussions would be too significant, leading to many severe consequences.
He had only indulged in a selfish desire once in his many years of service.
That was all.
It wasn't just out of personal desire, but also to preserve the last pure land for the Dragon Pavilion.
The Dragon Pavilion should be a purely external force for combat.
Ye Longlin closed the pen cap and pushed the document towards him.
After Qin Hanlie signed and sealed it, he handed it back to Ye Longlin. Once the Dragon War King's seal was affixed, it was then handed to Qin Hanlie.
Subsequently, Qin Hanlie would hand it over to the Dragon Tooth, who would then deliver it to the Supreme.
Dragon Tooth was not a person's name, but the strongest assault unit composed of fifty members.
It was also the only organization in Great Xia that could be named as a combat unit, as their sole mission was to protect the Supreme's safety.
This was an assault unit consisting of thirty Middle-Grade Myriad Dragon Elephants, ten High-Grade Myriad Dragon Elephants, and ten Dao Realm cultivators.
With only fifty members, the entire Dragon Pavilion would be incapable of resisting them, although if the entire Dragon Pavilion were mobilized, they would also find it difficult to escape unscathed.
"I recall the easiest times, back when I was in the Dragon Tooth unit. We didn't have to worry about anything, just do our jobs and stand guard."
Ye Longlin reminisced about his days in the Dragon Tooth unit. Back then, he didn't have to think about anything; the boss was always there to handle things, and they just needed to do their assigned tasks.
Arrange routes, send people in advance to scout the most vulnerable ambush points, and then have the local military, the Zhenwu Division, or the Dragon Watch preemptively take up positions.
"A person who has no memories of the past is already dead."
"The fact that you can reminisce about past days means you are living too comfortably now. Would you consider withdrawing this document?"
Qin Hanlie laughed heartily. Even a casual joke like this revealed the camaraderie between them.
"Take a good look. In the future, when you come here, you might need to announce your arrival."
Qin Hanlie sighed, patted his shoulder, looking helpless.
He didn't want Ye Longlin to leave, but everyone had their own aspirations, and he couldn't impose his own desires on Ye Longlin.
As if remembering something, Ye Longlin suddenly said, "Your daughter is very good."
Hearing this abruptly, Qin Hanlie's eyes widened, and he uttered a rare expletive. "Damn it! Ye Longlin, you damn bastard, stop right there! What did you do to my daughter in Jinling? Speak clearly, damn it! Ye Longlin, you son of a bitch!"
Bystanders: "..."
Just as he was getting tired of chasing, Ye Longlin saw that he had stopped pursuing and continued, "I also agreed to several conditions with her."
"Damn it, Ye Longlin!! You stop right there!! I swear I won't shoot you!!"
This was considered retaliation for his earlier joke.
Qin Hanlie watched Ye Longlin's receding back, a warmth flowing through him, and he chuckled exasperatedly, "This kid, whoever says he doesn't play with power, I, Qin Hanlie, will twist off my head and use it as a ball for him to kick!"
As everyone knew, Qin Hanlie's family had all died. If a daughter suddenly appeared, it would be very strange, and they would likely investigate the person thoroughly. If a blood relationship were discovered, the lighter consequence would be showing no regard for the organization, and this matter would be kept secret.
A more serious consequence would be an issue with his personal conduct, making it truly difficult to retire peacefully.
Now, with people from the military slowly spreading rumors, by the time he retired in five years, his daughter's appearance would not be a significant problem.
Rumors, as they spread, often became the truth.
Meanwhile, standing under a tree, Ye Longlin had his hands behind his back.
The straight pine tree stood in the courtyard like a backbone, never bending, no matter how strong the wind or rain, it never showed any sign of bowing.
"Are you really planning to go? You should know that the people behind the Martial Arts Association want to test your strength. If you go and expose your power, the Ye family will have a plan to deal with you. This matter is not that simple; the Ye family is involved in too much."
Behind him, Li Chengdiao emerged and spoke slowly, with some concern.
Ye Longlin turned and asked with feigned curiosity, "Does the Ye family have top-tier Dao Realm cultivators?"
Li Chengdiao's eyes widened in disbelief. "You've broken through?"
Ye Longlin nodded slightly, placing a hand on the textured bark of the pine tree and gently shaking it. Pine needles fell in abundance.
As they fell before him, the needles all hovered in mid-air. With a gentle wave of his hand, the pine needles converged, eventually forming a single character.
Li Chengdiao's eyes widened, and he took a deep breath. "The Ye family is still somewhat of a challenge for you."