“If the Third Miss hadn't obtained this secret letter, you would probably still be kept in the dark, and we humble races would have had to take the fall for the Second Young Master!”
Saying this, Feifeier took a half-step forward, fully exuding the intimidating aura of someone borrowing a greater power.
“Thunder Eagle Chief, if you wish to use force against our clan, you had better first consider the dignity of the Third Miss, the Demon Princess! We have already presented the intelligence with both hands. As for the rest... surely we do not need to teach you what to do?”
The Thunder Eagle Chief broke out in a cold sweat.
After all that fuss, not only was the White Feather Clan not the culprit, but they were actually trusted informants sent by the Third Miss to sound the alarm for the First Young Master!
If he had impulsively slaughtered the White Feather Clan, it would have been equivalent to personally destroying the evidence of the conspiracy that the Third Miss wanted to deliver to the First Young Master!
He had brought over a thousand elites to level their village, only to end up punching cotton. Worse, he was now shackled with the heavy burden of being a victim in a civil war.
His chest was tight with pent-up frustration.
What was he to do with this raging fury?
What else could he do?! Swallow it!
How detestable! The Second Young Master!!
“That damned Second Young Master...”
“If we do not avenge this, our Thunder Eagle Clan is not fit to be eagles!!”
The Thunder Eagle Chief was so furious that all his feathers puffed up, and his body trembled violently.
He roared at the thousand bewildered guards behind him.
“Retreat, everyone!”
“Quickly, bring out our clan's precious magic stones and tributes as gifts! I will go to see the First Young Master overnight to expose the Second Young Master's heinous crimes!”
“Yes, Chief!”
Amidst a flurry of chaotic, fluttering noises, the thousand-strong Thunder Eagle force, which had arrived brimming with murderous intent, flew off in a rumbling rush toward the main city of the Black Bone Territory, carrying their raging anger and tributes. They were terrified that if they arrived too late, the Second Young Master would silence them.
Only when the aura of the Thunder Eagle Clan completely vanished into the horizon did Feifeier and Ninike exchange a glance, both letting out a sigh of relief at the same time.
“Let's go and report to Lady Qimeng.”
The two turned and walked through the village, entering a treehouse concealed by dense magic vines.
Inside the treehouse was a specially arranged alchemy laboratory.
Qimeng was currently concocting a potion.
Her slender, jade-like fingers shook the magic potion test tube in her hand.
“Lady Qimeng! Those foolish birds of the Thunder Eagle Clan were completely terrified out of their wits! They're crying and rushing to complain to the First Young Master!”
The moment Ninike entered, she couldn't contain her excitement. She bounced over to the alchemy table in a few strides and spat out the leftover sweet fruit pulp she had been chewing on.
“My Lady... your plan was absolutely brilliant! With the genuine secret letter from the Second Young Master that you brought, combined with the Third Miss's token, the Thunder Eagle Chief believed it completely!”
Feifeier also bowed respectfully to the mastermind behind the scenes.
“Reporting to Lady Qimeng, everything went exactly as you anticipated. Not only did the Thunder Eagle Clan not dare to touch us, but they have pinned this deep, blood feud entirely on the Second Young Master.”
“You did very well.”
Qimeng revealed a subtle smile, looking like someone who had planned everything flawlessly.
The essence of this grand performance lay in the blending of truth and lies.
The Thirteenth Demon Prince impersonated by Baikui was originally one of the Second Young Master's men, so the secret letter ordering him to eliminate the Extraordinary Rank combat forces under the First Young Master was naturally genuine, ironclad evidence.
Furthermore, the news of the real Third Miss Camilla's sudden death had already been covered up by Baikui at Qimeng's request.
Now, Camilla's former subordinates, who had been secretly gathered by the Corpse Princess, had delivered the real Third Miss's token overnight. Combined with the genuine civil war secret letter provided by Baikui, the two pieces of evidence corroborated each other perfectly. Even if the Black Bone Demon Marquis were to verify it himself, he wouldn't be able to find a single flaw!
Of course, Qimeng hadn't initially planned things to this exact degree.
Her original intention was merely to present the Third Miss's Black Demon Token to intimidate the Thunder Eagle Clan, forcing them to retreat while she looked for opportunities to slowly chip away at their strength.
Yet, the gears of fate turned far too smoothly.
The Second Young Master just had to deliver such a perfect, ready-made weapon into their hands at this exact moment.
With various coincidences intertwining and stacking up, the Thunder Eagle Clan's hatred had been completely redirected.
“The show of the First Young Master and the Second Young Master fighting like dogs will soon begin.”
Qimeng set down the magic potion test tube and commanded, “Feifeier, deactivate the 【Demon-Concealing Ointment】. Notify the entire clan. While the main force of the Thunder Eagle Clan is busy arguing in the main city, we will go tonight and completely uproot their vacant territory!”
It went without saying which was easier to conquer: a fortified castle defended by its chief, or an leaderless, empty nest.
Furthermore, the Thunder Eagle Chief had just taken a thousand elites with him.
Tonight, the Thunder Eagle headquarters would be a delicious treat completely stripped of its defenses!
Late at night.
High up in the Wind-Thunder Mountains.
The Thunder Eagle Castle sat at the summit of a sheer cliff. Standing on the city walls, one could overlook the entire forest.
For the vast majority of land-dwelling races that relied on their feet, this nearly vertical cliff was an insurmountable natural barrier.
But for the White Feather Clan, whose members all possessed wings, such a height was as laughable as a tiny hill.
“Is everyone ready? Tonight is our White Feather Clan's turn to rise!”
Ninike excitedly flapped her pure white wings, holding the wind magic longbow in her hand. Her small face was filled with anticipation, her eyes shining brightly.
“Calm down a little, Ninike. If you make too much of a ruckus and disrupt the plan, let's see how you explain it to Lady Qimeng.”
Feifeier scolded her in words, but her beautiful eyes were already burning with an irrepressible fire of revenge.
“Attack!”
Tonight, the White Feather Clan mobilized their entire force!
Meanwhile, Qimeng floated at the very rear of the group, acting as their backup and anchor.
“Hmm... I can't let too many of these little bird girls die. After all, they are all my high-quality labor and private property. If I lose even one or two, it would be a huge loss for me.”
Qimeng's way of climbing the mountain was crude; stepping on the vines growing out of the cliffside, she consumed a Lightweight Fruit and leaped lightly all the way to the top of the mountain.
Standing at the peak, she rubbed her delicate cheeks and took a breath of air. A rich scent of Wind-Thunder mana rushed into her nose.
“The scent of mana drifting from here... why does it smell so delicious? I might as well look for a late-night snack while I'm at it.”
The forces left behind to guard the Thunder Eagle Castle were actually not weak.
There was a basic defense force of two thousand guards, as well as the Grand Elder who remained behind, and another guardian protecting the Wind-Thunder Magic Marrow. These two were both genuine High-tier Extraordinary Rank powerhouses!
Previously, Ninike and the others had been able to succeed repeatedly only because they had utilized the luring and ambush tactics provided by Qimeng, carrying out tactical group beatings and stealth attacks.
Now, facing a heavily fortified headquarters, relying solely on the bird girls' basic strength to head-on clash yielded indeed very little advantage.
This was the fundamental reason why Qimeng had personally tagged along to join the fun and harvest some spoils on the side.
“Everyone, drink the special magic potion bestowed by Lady Qimeng!”
With Feifeier's sharp command, hundreds of White Feather warriors uncorked their vials and drank down the Tree Court's specially supplied strengthening potion!
Boom!
An unparalleled wind magic power erupted from around the bird girls!
“Whoa! Such incredible power! I feel like I can punch ten fat Thunder Eagles into the sky right now!”
Ninike felt incredibly comfortable, all her feathers standing on end as her small face filled with pure bliss.
Rate on N.U.
