Many children, many blessings; a stunningly beautiful wife is given to you right from the start.

Wenruo's cloudy old eyes scanned Lin Mo back and forth.

That look in his eyes was so complex.

Lin Mo suppressed his anger and finally waved his hand impatiently, not wanting to get entangled with him anymore.

"Come out with me."

Lin Mo stepped forward, grabbed Wen Ruo's wrist, and led her outside.

"Hey, Young Master Lin, slow down, these old bones of mine..."

"Hurry up, don't disturb your princess's rest. I have something to ask you."

Lin Mo said without turning his head.

Wenruo was half-dragged, half-pulled out of the bedroom by Lin Mo, and glanced at Xia Man'er.

I saw that she was indeed sleeping peacefully and breathing steadily.

Besides, both of them were fully clothed, and the time was short, so it's probably true that...nothing really happened, right?

While Wenruo was thinking, Lin Mo pulled her straight to the study.

The study was brightly lit by candlelight.

A huge sand table occupies half of the study.

On the sand table, mountains, rivers, cities, and even passes and strategic points are all clearly visible.

This is the complete map of the entire Great Xia territory.

Wenruo's gaze was immediately drawn to the sand table.

As a strategist, he had an instinctive sensitivity to these kinds of things.

At a glance, he could tell that the sand table was far more detailed than the one in the Miao King's Palace.

Lin Mo ignored his surprise and walked straight to the sand table, picking up a small black flag representing the army.

The flag depicts a ferocious wolf's head.

"The West Wind Heavy Armor Battalion, the trump card of King Xia Yuan of Qi."

Lin Mo's voice rang out in the quiet study, his emotions unreadable.

He held the small flag and moved slowly across the sand table, eventually stopping in front of a pass at the southernmost tip of the northern border.

"The scouts reported this morning that in two days, the Qi King's army will arrive at Blackwater Pass."

Lin Mo planted the small flag on the sand table and turned to look at Wen Ruo.

"Mr. Wen is a smart man, so I won't beat around the bush with you."

Wenruo quietly clenched his fist in his sleeve; he knew the main topic was about to be discussed.

"Please speak freely, young master."

"King of Miao, Xia Xiong."

Lin Mo's fingers traced the area surrounded by the Hundred Thousand Mountains of Southern Xinjiang on the sand table. "What is he thinking?"

Lin Mo looked into Wen Ruo's eyes.

Wenruo's eyelids twitched, but her face remained calm.

"Young master, you are overthinking it. My lord is far away in the southern borderlands; what thoughts could he possibly have?"

"It's just about protecting our own little piece of land and ensuring that our millions of people in southern Xinjiang can live and work in peace and contentment."

"Oh?"

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow.

"What are the Miao King's thoughts on the eagle messenger of the Third Prince Xia Jie?"

"What did the letter say? Would you like me to repeat it for Mr. Wen?"

Wenruo's expression froze for a moment.

He coughed lightly and continued to play dumb.

"Ahem, young master, what the letter says is not important. What is important is that the prince is currently... concerned about the safety of the princess and has no other thoughts."

"Alright."

Lin Mo waved his hand, interrupting him.

"Stop with this nonsense, it's pointless."

He walked around the sand table and stood in front of Wenruo, bringing the two closer together.

"I'm asking you this simply to find out your attitude."

"It doesn't matter if you don't tell me."

Lin Mo stared at Wen Ruo, a feeling that sent chills down Wen Ruo's spine.

"I just want to tell you that I don't care what the Miao King thinks, and I have no intention of letting others help me."

"To put it bluntly, I don't even consider the mere King of Qi a threat."

"Even if Xia Jie brings the Sea King of the Eastern Region over to join him in attacking me, this traitor, I don't care."

Lin Mo's words shocked Wen Ruo.

Where does this young man get the confidence to say such things?

"The reason I asked you this is because of Man'er."

Lin Mo pointed in the direction of his bedroom.

"No matter what, I've known her for a while."

"She's come back to me now, and she's even foolishly given me nine boxes of 'dowry.' I have to remember this favor."

"I, Lin Mo, do not want to be an ungrateful person."

Lin Mo returned to the sand table, his gaze falling once again on the land of southern Xinjiang.

"Therefore, I do not want to be enemies with the Miao King."

"Let's make this clear today, Mr. Wen. Listen carefully and take every word back to your lord."

"I can overlook the fact that he lied to Man'er about me being dead, and I can also overlook the fact that you forced your way into my city lord's mansion today."

"I only have one request."

Lin Mo pressed his fingers heavily on the sand table, where the capital city was located.

"Don't choose the wrong side."

"I don't care what Xia Xiong is thinking, as long as he dares to send a single soldier to help Xia Jie fight me."

Lin Mo looked at Wen Ruo and grinned.

"Then don't blame me, the 'son-in-law,' for being ruthless and leading troops south to personally pay a visit to his 'father-in-law.'"

That's all I have to say.

Lin Mo put his hands in his pockets, turned around, and walked out of the study.

"Whether they are friend or foe, let the Miao King choose for himself."

"Oh, right."

As he reached the door, Lin Mo stopped and turned back to add a sentence.

"I will send someone to return your guards to you unharmed first thing tomorrow morning."

"You can take them away at any time."

"Of course, whether or not you want to bring your princess along is up to you."

After saying that, Lin Mo left.

In the study, only Wenruo remained, standing in front of the huge sand table.

He stared at the black wolf flag representing the Qi King's army on the sand table, then at the capital city that Lin Mo had just pointed to, his mind in turmoil.

He originally thought that Lin Mo kept the princess to force the Southern Frontier to take sides, form an alliance with him, and jointly fight against the imperial court.

But now it seems that's not the case at all.

They seemed to completely disregard the 300,000-strong army in southern Xinjiang.

His words were not an attempt to seek allies, but rather a... warning.

A warning was issued to southern Xinjiang: do not get involved, do not interfere with his affairs.

Just how arrogant and conceited is this?

Wenruo couldn't understand it.

What secret trump card does Lin Mo hold that no one knows about?

He thought of the shadowy figure that appeared out of nowhere during the day, and of the 103 Baiyue assassins who were silently taken down.

Then I recalled Lin Mo's calm demeanor when he spoke of the Qi King's army pressing in.

A sense of dread, as if he were peering into an abyss, gradually rose from the depths of his heart.

This Lin Mo...

This northern border...

What exactly happened?