"Disgusting."

"I feel sick at the smell of blood, and you bloody drink it!"

"If someone's good-looking, it's called flirting; if they're ugly, it's called harassment."

"You're such a damn insult to me!"

A Ming took half a step back,

bent down,

lowered his arm,

full of etiquette,

and said:

"Farewell, my Third Master."

With that,

A Ming straightened up, turned around, and walked out.

Xue Three pointed at A Ming's back and said:

"I thought you'd vanish in a blood mist after finishing your act, but turns out you still have to use your legs."

A Ming waved a hand dismissively, ignoring Xue Three.

Xue Three slid sideways, disappearing into a shadow, advancing towards the camp ahead.

...

Inside the tent,

the Third Prince of the Naman Tribe was sitting in the tent, enjoying the fragrance of red sleeves, reading at night.

No special meaning,

because the Third Prince was indeed reading.

The woman serving beside him, dressed in a red skirt, with a beautiful face and exquisite accessories, was surnamed Wu and called Madam Wu.

She came from a noble family in Jin land, well-read and courteous, and her husband was originally a county magistrate in the area.

After the wild people entered the pass, the magistrate defended the city, died when it fell, and Madam Wu was captured and turned into a slave. When she was being sold into the Snow Sea, she was bought by the Third Prince of the Naman Tribe for fifty sheep and made his concubine.

The Third Prince had a calm demeanor, and unlike other wild people, he loved poetry and books.

As the head of the Naman Tribe - also the Third Prince's father - put it,

even he, as the father, hadn't expected to raise such a type.

If not for some facial features of the Third Prince closely resembling his father's, the King of Naman would really suspect that a scholar had cuckolded him at some point.

The Third Prince's reading wasn't just for display; he even wrote poetry, and he was quite good at it.

When the King of the wild people rose, he praised him as the literary star of the Snow Sea, a potential prime minister.

This was both a compliment and an attempt to win him over.

But the Naman Tribe chose to watch and didn't make a move.

The Third Prince tried earnestly to persuade his father to send troops to assist the King of the wild people, but he never succeeded.

Later, as the King of the wild was defeated, the main forces nearly completely wiped out in Jin land, the Naman King reproached his son, saying he couldn't discern the depths.

Several brothers of the Third Prince and the elders of the tribe all praised the Naman King's far-reaching vision.

Later, with the assimilation of the Anyang Tribe by the Naman Tribe, the Third Prince was assigned by his father to oversee the Anyang Tribe's pastures.

The Anyang Tribe was too close to the Naman Tribe, and a truly valued prince would be assigned a distant pasture to allow ample space to develop and grow the tribe. In contrast, the Third Prince was effectively under house arrest under the eye of the Naman King, helping with "pasturing."

"Your Highness, would you like some soup?"

"I'm not hungry. By the way, I've told you not to call me Your Highness, just call me by my name."

Originally, there was only one King of the wild in the Snow Sea. His father was the head of the Naman Tribe. Later, a prince from the Yan State arrived in the Snow Sea, bringing an edict, conferring his father the title of a king.

His father thus declared himself king, and they were all referred to as princes.

The father was very pleased with this and held a grand feast for three days.

The Third Prince, however, couldn't find joy in it, for the Yan people hadn't given anything of value. The Naman Tribe and the other Snow Sea tribes hadn't gained a single sheep, horse, or slave, allowing Snow Sea Pass to be occupied by the Yan people. This later led to the wild people's main army being trapped south of the Snow Sea Pass, unable to return to the Snow Sea, and ultimately annihilated by the Yan people.

"Your Highness has an exalted status; I dare not be presumptuous."

"Ha, don't say such things. I'm just a wild man from the Snow Sea."

The Third Prince put down the book in his hand, shook his head, then called in a subordinate waiting outside. After the subordinate came in and prostrated, he asked:

"Have the envoys from Komeng and other tribes arrived?"

"Third Prince, they have. They passed through before nightfall and should have reached the King's Tent by now."

"Hmm, understood. You may go."

"Yes, Prince."

"Alas."

The Third Prince sighed.

"Your Highness, the envoys from those tribes have arrived, why sigh?"

"Even if the envoys have arrived, what difference does it make? Lord Pingye of the Yan people at Snow Sea Pass has already declared to attack our Naman Tribe. If our Naman Tribe cannot swiftly assemble our warriors and those of allied tribes, how can we fend off the Yan people's cavalry?"

At this,

the Third Prince couldn't help but touch his forehead, lamenting:

"Especially since, upon receiving this news, the father king has not made a resolute decision to trade pasture cattle and sheep for Komeng and other tribes to swiftly send troops to assist, yet he still hopes to unite multiple tribes to jointly pressure the Yan people, hoping to resolve this conflict without the use of force.

Father, he really is..."

The following words were left unspoken by the Third Prince. Having admired Zhuxia culture since childhood, he understood the principle that a son shouldn't speak of his father's faults.

"Your Highness, do you truly believe the Yan people will attack so quickly?"

"The Yan people's style has always been swift and decisive. Observing the conduct of Lord Pingye at Snow Sea Pass, daring to lead a small group deep into enemy territory for a surprise attack on Snow Sea Pass, furthermore, he's young.

If this person acts, it's either not acted upon or done cleanly and efficiently; it will never just be empty words.

However, there should be limited forces at Snow Sea Pass. If father king could promptly gather allied troops, perhaps there might still be a chance for a turnaround.

If the worst comes..."

The Third Prince looked at Madam Wu, reaching out to hold her hand, and said: