Chapter 110: The Pinky Promise

Xiao Hongyu was suddenly stunned by his own thought, staring blankly at the blonde girl before him. Ah! It’s over! It’s over! Just quietly looking at her made his heart race a little faster!

He turned his head away, silently chanting a calming mantra in his mind as he patiently awaited Wang Keyue’s answer.

“Brother Xiao, I accept your proposal. Likewise, as a return and in gratitude, I promise that once our mission is successfully completed, I will make sure to bring you safely back to your homeland!” Wang Keyue said resolutely, her eyes shining with determination as she stared unwaveringly at Xiao Hongyu.

Xiao Hongyu, who had been calming his irregular heartbeat with the mantra, suddenly felt it pounding rapidly again.

This little blonde girl was truly perplexing!

Looking at the girl’s radiant smile before him, he seemed to see through her face into the soul of a small child—the figure of a trembling girl clutching him tightly beneath a cliff, filled with fear.

“Brother Xiao…” Seeing no response, Wang Keyue waved her hand in front of him.

Xiao Hongyu reflexively grabbed the small hand swinging before him, then immediately flung it away as if it were a burning coal, realizing he had overreacted and feeling foolish enough to question his own sanity.

Wang Keyue giggled, seized his retreating hand, and linked her little pinky with his big palm’s pinky.

“A promise is a promise—let’s pinky swear!” she said with a smile.

“Alright! Pinky swear, hang yourself, never change for a hundred years!” Xiao Hongyu and Wang Keyue said in unison, then exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.

After discussing for a while, they idly played a few rounds of Gomoku and checkers.

Finally, just as they were about to mold in the car, the camp came into view.

To avoid trouble, the two decided to stow away the flying vehicle nearby and ride horses back to the camp. Naturally, Wang Keyue donned her mask, instantly transforming into the appearance of Master Jiu Shan Xuan Qing.

Their sudden departure and arrival caused quite a headache for the three deputy generals in the camp.

Inside the main tent, the three deputies looked at Wang Keyue with profound reverence. To them, this master was not only a celestial being but also the lifesaving benefactor of the entire Xiao family military camp.

In just a few days, they had truly understood the miraculous help bestowed by this celestial benefactor.

A mere handful of small food portions could sustain a person full and energetic for an entire day.

“Deputy General Bai, how are the injured recovering?” Xiao Hongyu asked.

Deputy General Bai snapped back to attention, stood respectfully, clasped his fists, and replied, “Reporting to General, of the over five hundred wounded, only eleven seriously injured did not survive due to the severity of their conditions. The rest are all in recovery. We owe much of this to the elder’s assistance.” Bai did not forget to express his gratitude.

“And what about the matter we mentioned before, about sending them back to their sects? Have you inquired about that?” Xiao Hongyu asked.

“Rest assured, General. Due to physical limitations, nearly all the seriously injured are unable to return to the camp. They have expressed their willingness to follow the celestial elder back to their sects and serve there. They are now awaiting the signing of relevant contracts with the elder,” Bai answered.

Wang Keyue and Xiao Hongyu had anticipated this response, but hearing everyone’s agreement still brought them great joy.

“Reporting, General, yesterday during patrol, our troops discovered another Qiang-Hu tribe unit sneaking into our border, but this time their target seems to be the Qin capital,” Deputy General Fang began his report, showing no intention of hiding anything from Wang Keyue.

In his heart, since this elder was the general’s master, they were family.

“Have you identified their numbers and leader?” Xiao Hongyu asked, a sly glint flashing in his eyes.

“About fifty or sixty people. The leader is still unknown. Our men are tracking them. General, do you think we should report this?” Fang asked.

“No need. Just keep a distance and follow them closely. Don’t act rashly!” Xiao Hongyu clearly had his own plans.

Wang Keyue wasn’t interested in such schemes—she preferred to focus on her own tasks.

After the meeting, Wang Keyue and Xiao Hongyu went straight to the medical tent area, where conditions had improved dramatically since their last visit.

Everyone was energetic, smiles could be seen on nearly every face, and the hygiene was much better.

Under the sunlight, blankets, quilts, and clothes were all hanging out to dry. Apart from the scent of herbs, the blood and decay smells were gone. Wang Keyue nodded in satisfaction.

When the injured and doctors saw Wang Keyue and General Xiao arrive, they greeted them with bows and cheers. Amid many admiring glances, Wang Keyue walked directly into the largest tent.

Inside, it was packed with people kneeling closely together. All of them looked up at Wang Keyue with eyes full of loyalty, unblinking.

The contract signing proceeded smoothly. While everyone signed, Wang Keyue selected about 180 people—the lightly injured ones. Although some had physical disabilities—missing left hands, blind in one eye, without ears, and so forth—their overall strength was largely unimpaired.

After the system’s brief assessment, all these individuals were rated above 10 points in comprehensive strength. They were all newly inducted into Wang Keyue’s personal guard unit. At the moment they joined, the system’s mechanical voice chimed:

“Ding dong! Congratulations to user 9538 of the system for completing the temporary mission of forming a 100-person small battle squad. Rewards granted: 10,000 gold coins; 10 tons each of essential supplies (including rice, flour, oil, grain, pork, etc.); two sets of specialized training grounds; two sets of city walls; one passenger flying ship.”

Faced with these rewards, especially the last one, Wang Keyue’s expression could no longer stay composed and serene—she was beyond calm now.

She needed to let loose and laugh heartily.

Thus, in front of everyone, the previously ethereal and otherworldly master suddenly turned into a laughing maniac. “Wahaha!”

General Bai trembled in shock from the laughter. “Elder… elder… what happened to you?”

Xiao Hongyu’s mouth twitched, guessing the girl must have received some great treasure and couldn’t contain her excitement.

“The master is probably delighted by the arrival of such promising recruits!” he had to defend his master from the side.

“Hahaha, I am truly happy!” Wang Keyue struggled to control her urge to reward the troops lavishly.

Le Wen