Su Yuehua glanced back at her with a calm gaze, but Feng Qingyan immediately shrunk her neck and swallowed the rest of her words.

Su Yuehua turned back and said with a smile to Zhao Hu, "This girl is just like this. Please don't mind her, Captain Zhao."

Zhao Hu laughed heartily and waved his hand. "I don't mind at all! She's got character, I like it!"

Feng Qingyan muttered something softly in the back but was silenced by a look from Feng Qingshuang.

Shi Pojun stood expressionless as if he hadn't heard anything. In the corner, Lin Anye didn't # Nоvеlight # even lift his head.

Zhao Hu finished laughing, stepped aside slightly, and pointed to Su Yurou sitting next to him. "This is the healer of our team, Su Yurou. She's level 20 and can use group healing. With her around, the brothers of Crescent Moon Territory will suffer fewer casualties."

The Council Hall fell silent for a moment.

Feng Qingyan's eyes widened, and even Feng Qingshuang looked over slightly.

Shi Pojun's brow twitched, and Lin Anye, in the corner, looked up for the first time. His gaze from beneath his hood rested on Su Yurou for a moment.

The smile on Su Yuehua's face remained unchanged, but her finger paused briefly on her teacup.

Group healing—that was a skill only rare healer classes possessed.

In the entire Yuehua Guild, there were only two healers in total, and they were both of common classes.

This quiet-looking young girl was actually a rare class.

"Miss Su, my apologies." Su Yuehua's voice was as gentle as ever, but there was an added sense of gravity in her tone. "With you here, we feel much more reassured."

Su Yurou bowed slightly and said with a faint smile, "President Su is too polite. We are all people of Great Xia; it's only right that we help each other."

Feng Qingyan opened her mouth to say something but closed it again after Feng Qingshuang pulled on her sleeve.

She sized up Su Yurou again, the contempt in her gaze gone, replaced by a serious, scrutinizing look.

A rare healer class meant that Beacon Fire Territory's strength was much greater than she had imagined.

Zhao Hu noted the reactions of the people from Crescent Moon Territory but said nothing more.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and continued, "On our side, we have nine hundred County Soldiers plus two hundred and forty Beacon Guards, making a total of one thousand one hundred and forty men as a reserve force. Whichever section of the wall is under pressure, we'll reinforce it."

Su Yuehua nodded, stood up, and walked to the map hanging on the wall.

The terrain, walls, gates, and arrow towers of Qingmu County were all clearly marked.

She pointed to the West Gate and said, "Our main force is positioned at the West Gate. This is the direction from which the Nightmare Tide has attacked in the past."

Zhao Hu also stood up, walked to the map, and looked at the marker. Outside the West Gate was a flat area suitable for a large army to deploy.

"No problem." Zhao Hu nodded. "The reserve force will be stationed under the West Gate wall, ready to step up whenever needed."

The two discussed more details: how the wounded would be settled, how messages would be transmitted, and how the reserves would be deployed.

Every point was stated clearly without any ambiguity.

Su Yuehua spoke gently but logically, with every sentence hitting the mark.

Zhao Hu didn't say much, but every word was crisp and decisive, without any hesitation.

Feng Qingyan listened impatiently from the side, wanting to interject several times, but was held back by Feng Qingshuang.

Shi Pojun remained expressionless throughout, only nodding occasionally.

Lin Anye leaned in the corner as if asleep, but every time Zhao Hu mentioned troop movements, his hood would twitch slightly.

Half an hour later, all the details were finalized. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Su Yuehua and Zhao Hu sat back down and picked up their teacups.

"Then it's settled." Zhao Hu put down his teacup and stood up.

"Captain Zhao, thank you for your hard work." Su Yuehua also stood up and bowed slightly.

Zhao Hu waved his hand. "Hard work? It's all in the line of duty. Once this battle is over, I'll treat you all to a drink."

Feng Qingyan whispered from behind, "I want the best kind."

Zhao Hu laughed heartily. "No problem!"

Everyone else laughed too. Even the corners of Feng Qingshuang's mouth curled up slightly.

The meeting ended.

Zhao Hu led everyone out of the Council Hall. Liu Ming was already waiting at the door to take them to their lodgings.

Su Yuehua stood on the steps, watching them walk away.

Feng Qingyan leaned in close to her and lowered her voice. "Sister Su, is that Su Yurou really a rare healer class?"

Su Yuehua didn't answer, merely watching the receding backs of Zhao Hu and the others with a deep gaze.

Feng Qingyan waited for a while without getting an answer, then turned to ask Feng Qingshuang, "Sister, how many trump cards do you think Beacon Fire Territory still has?"

Feng Qingshuang didn't speak. She gripped her staff, her knuckles turning slightly white.

Su Yuehua finally spoke, her voice very soft. "No matter how many trump cards they have, at least for now, they are our allies. That is enough."

Feng Qingyan curled her lip and stopped questioning.

Su Yuehua turned and walked toward the West Gate, her footsteps still very light, like a leaf falling onto the water's surface.

Feng Qingshuang followed behind her, Feng Qingyan followed her sister, and Shi Pojun walked at the very back carrying his shield.

Lin Anye had already disappeared at some unknown point.

Afternoon in Qingmu County became quiet.

From the distant walls came the shouts of sentries changing shifts. On the streets, a few children were chasing a cat, their laughter carrying far. Everything seemed normal.

But everyone knew that this silence wouldn't last for long.

...

The lodgings Liu Ming arranged were in the east of the city, not far from the East Gate. It was a row of newly cleaned-up courtyards with blue bricks and gray tiles, and the yards were swept clean.

Zhao Hu pushed the door open. In the center of the yard stood a stone table and several bamboo chairs. In the corner grew a cluster of emerald bamboo that rustled when the wind blew.

Tie Dun was the first to rush in, heading straight for the main room. "This room is the biggest, it's mine!"

A Wang chased after him. "Why do you get the biggest one? Even by seniority, it wouldn't be your turn!"

"I have a big appetite! If I don't sleep well, I won't have the strength to fight!"

"When have you ever not eaten your fill?"

The two jostled at the door. Zhao Hu didn't mind them and chose a quiet small room in the west wing.

Su Yurou lived in the east wing. Pushing open the window, she could see the cluster of emerald bamboo. She stood by the window for a while, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.

Arrow Eye and Wang Wu lived in the side courtyard to the south. As soon as they put down their luggage, they began checking their equipment.

Meng Yi didn't enter the courtyard. He settled the two hundred Infantry and forty Crossbowmen in the open space in the east of the city, set up simple tents, and arranged the sentry rotations before walking around the city wall alone, carrying his halberd.

Tie Dun and A Wang argued for a long time until finally, Liu Ming stepped in and assigned each of them a room of roughly the same size.

Tie Dun lay on the bedboards, rubbing his stomach. "It would be great if we could have another meal of braised pork tonight."

A Wang heard him from his own room and cursed through the wall, "Are you here to fight or to eat?"

Tie Dun replied matter-of-factly, "Both!"

...

West Gate Relay Station.

Feng Qingyan leaned her staff against the head of the bed, rolled onto the bed, and stared at the ceiling in a daze.

Feng Qingshuang sat by the window, opening a yellowed book and reading quietly.

Shi Pojun leaned his tower shield by the door and sat on the threshold himself.

Su Yuehua stood in the courtyard and looked up at the sky.

The sun was moving west, and the light grew soft, dyeing her white robes with a faint golden layer.

She closed her eyes, hands clasped in front of her chest, her lips moving slightly as if she were praying.

The wind blew past her, and the bamboo leaves in the yard rustled.

Feng Qingyan poked her head out of the room, saw Su Yuehua's appearance, and pulled her head back in, whispering to Feng Qingshuang, "Sister, Sister Su is praying again."

Feng Qingshuang turned a page of her book without looking up. "Let her have some peace."

Feng Qingyan stuck out her tongue and stopped talking.