Chapter 208
Lin Wan looked down at her lap, her hands tightly folded over the wool blanket. "...Too many things," she whispered into the cold air.
Elsewhere within the fortress...
The morning military council was already well underway inside the grand central hall of the Supreme Citadel.
The massive stone room was cold and stark, dominated by a gigantic wooden tactical table carved in the likeness of the surrounding mountain ranges.
Standing around the table were the kingdom’s most prominent leaders: General Rowan, Minister Oren, Captain Rhys, Commander Felix, and several battle hardened senior officers clad in dark iron armor.
The heavy double doors of the hall swung open, and Cassian entered without any grand ceremony. His long black cloak swept behind him, its heavy silver fur collar framing his striking, sharp features.
Everyone in the room immediately straightened their posture and bowed deeply.
"My King."
Cassian walked to the head of the tactical table, his golden eyes cold and focused. He gave a single, sharp nod. "The morning reports."
General Rowan immediately stepped forward, pointing his hand toward the western edge of the carved map. "The western defensive line is fully completed, sire. We have doubled the number of archers along the high cliffs and fortified the lower mountain paths."
Commander Felix continued from the opposite side of the table. "The eastern defensive formations have also been strengthened. If any foreign forces attempt a flank through the narrow canyon, our spirit barriers will hold them at bay."
Minister Oren unfolded a long parchment scroll, his spectacles reflecting the dim torchlight along the stone walls. "Our grain reserves inside the lower Citadel remain completely stable. We have enough provisions stored to comfortably sustain both the civilian population and the military forces through a prolonged winter siege."
Cassian listened in silence, his expression unreadable as he took in every detail.
Then, he leaned forward slightly, resting both of his hands against the edge of the heavy wooden table. "What of the Silver Leopard Clan?"
Captain Rhys stepped forward to answer. "They still haven’t advanced, Your Majesty. There have been no sudden charges against our outer borders, no aggressive maneuvers, and no scouts attempting to infiltrate our perimeter."
General Rowan frowned deeply, his brow furrowing with deep suspicion. "It feels wrong, sire. It feels entirely unnatural for an invading force to sit so close to our borders without making a single aggressive move."
Cassian turned his golden gaze toward the veteran general. "Explain your thoughts, Rowan."
"They are waiting," General Rowan said plainly, resting a gauntleted hand against his sword hilt. "They have brought a massive force into the northern valley, yet they sit quietly in their tents. But what could they possibly be waiting for?"
No one in the room offered an immediate answer.
Commander Felix crossed his broad arms over his chest. "Perhaps Patriarch Wang is simply waiting to gather more reinforcements from the surrounding allied clans before launching a full assault."
Minister Oren immediately shook his head, looking up from his parchment. "That is unlikely. Our border spies have not reported any new allied armies moving through the northern passes. The Silver Leopard Clan stands alone in the valley."
General Rowan let out a deep, frustrated sigh. "Then I truly do not understand what Wang is trying to accomplish here."
Cassian remained entirely silent. Truth be told, the situation was perplexing, but he knew Patriarch Wang was not a man to act without a calculating purpose.
Captain Rhys suddenly stepped forward once again, looking slightly hesitant. "My King..."
Cassian looked up, his sharp eyes locking onto the young captain. "What is it, Rhys?"
"Our forward scouts reported another rather unusual occurrence near the outer border villages late yesterday evening," Rhys explained carefully.
Cassian’s eyebrows narrowed slightly. "Speak clearly."
"The Silver Leopard soldiers have not been raiding or burning the outlying settlements," Rhys revealed, his voice filled with genuine confusion. "Instead... they have actively begun helping the nearby villagers."
General Rowan’s jaw nearly dropped open in sheer disbelief. "What did you just say?"
Rhys nodded firmly to confirm his words. "It sounds unbelievable, General, but our scouts watched them with their own eyes. The Silver Leopard warriors have been helping the local farmers repair damaged timber houses that collapsed under the heavy snow.
They have been distributing their own army grain to starving families, and they are actively escorting civilian groups away from dangerous mountain paths where rockslides are common."
A sudden wave of quiet murmurs ripple through the high-ranking officers surrounding the table. They exchanged bewildered, uncertain glances with one another.
Commander Felix shook his head, utterly baffled. "That is... entirely unexpected for an opposing army."
Minister Oren looked deeply thoughtful, tapping his chin with his quill. "Perhaps it is a subtle tactical maneuver? By earning the goodwill of the border civilians, they are effectively preparing the battlefield and securing local support for when the actual invasion begins."
Cassian slowly shook his head, his deep voice slicing cleanly through the room’s hushed chatter. "No. That is not his strategy."
Everyone in the council hall immediately turned their eyes toward their Sovereign.
"They are not preparing a battlefield," Cassian stated smoothly, his golden eyes burning with a cold, clear clarity. "They are simply protecting innocent civilians from the harsh reality of this winter."
The entire room fell into a profound, heavy silence.
General Rowan looked deeply confused, his mind struggling to reconcile the King’s words with basic military logic. "My King... if Wang truly intends to attack this Citadel and wage war against us... why on earth would he waste his army’s valuable energy and supplies helping our subjects?"
Cassian turned his gaze away from the table, looking out through the high arched window toward the snow-covered mountains towering in the distance.
"...Because he does not view those innocent civilians as his enemy," Cassian answered softly.
No one dared to speak a single word after hearing those profound words leave the King’s lips.
For the very first time since the Silver Leopard banners had appeared on the horizon, several of the hardened military commanders inside the room began to quietly question whether this impending war truly needed to happen at all.
Far beyond the high walls of the Citadel...
The Silver Leopard camp was enjoying another calm, peaceful morning amidst the snowy valley.
Loud, cheerful laughter echoed from the edge of a nearby mountain village, where several young children were playfully chasing each other through the soft drifts.
A short distance away, a dozen physically imposing Silver Leopard warriors were working together with local builders to repair a heavy, collapsed wooden bridge that spanned a frozen stream.
Wei Xiang stood near the bank of the river, effortlessly lifting massive, frosted timber logs onto his broad shoulder and placing them precisely where the builders needed them, moving as though the heavy wood weighed nothing at all.
An elderly villager walked over, bowing his head with deep, tearful gratitude. "Thank you so much, young master. Without this bridge, our village would have been completely cut off from the lower valley trade roads for the rest of the winter."
Wei Xiang offered a bright, friendly smile, wiping a bit of sweat from his forehead despite the biting cold. "There is no need for such formal thanks, Old Sir. We are only passing through these lands, and we have plenty of strong hands to spare while we rest."
Another old woman shuffled over from her nearby cottage, carrying a woven straw basket covered with a clean cloth. "You young men have been working hard out here in the cold all morning without taking a single break. Please, you must at least take these."
She pulled back the cloth, revealing several freshly baked, steaming hot wheat cakes that smelled divine.
Wei Xiang quickly waved both of his hands in front of him, trying to politely refuse the gift. "Ah, no, Auntie, you really should keep those for your own family. Our army camp has plenty of food supplies."
The old woman stubborn pushed the basket straight into his chest, glaring at him with warm, feisty eyes. "Nonsense! I raised three strong sons of my own, young man. I know exactly what tired, hungry young men look like, and you look like you need to eat!"
Several nearby Silver Leopard warriors broke out into hearty, boisterous laughter at Wei Xiang’s sudden embarrassment.
Wei Xiang rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, accepting the warm basket with a soft smile. "...Thank you, Auntie. We will make sure to share them all."
As the soldiers and villagers laughed and worked together beneath the morning sun...
No one noticed the solitary figure standing quietly on the crest of a nearby snowy hill.
Wang stood tall against the winter wind, his long silver-embroidered cloak fluttering gently around his boots as he quietly watched the cheerful scene unfolding in the valley below.
Beside him, Elder Mo stood with his hands folded neatly behind his back, a gentle, contented smile resting on his aged face. "The soldiers seem much happier today, Patriarch. Working alongside the locals has lifted their spirits considerably."
Wang gave a slow, quiet nod. "They needed something meaningful to focus their energy on besides the anxiety of waiting for orders."
Elder Mo looked up at the young Patriarch, his tone laced with quiet amusement. "Do you think Lady Lin would approve of our soldiers spending their mornings building bridges and eating wheat cakes?"
A faint, genuine smile finally appeared on Wang’s usually stoic and calm face, softening the sharp, regal lines of his features. "...She would probably tell them that they should eat a full meal before doing heavy labor in the cold."
The two men stood quietly together on the hill, watching the peaceful village below.
Neither of them realized that far away, inside the dark stone walls of the Supreme Citadel...
Lin Wan had just finished carefully folding her new silk robes and placing them inside her chamber cabinet.
Without either of them ever knowing it...
The gentle, caring thoughts crossing Wang’s mind at that very moment...
Were almost entirely identical to the thoughts occupying hers.