Chapter 114: Dragon Knight (1)

“Forget it, we’ll learn it later. For you, it’s really just a moment’s effort,” Ye Chengtian said, somewhat speechless. No one could be blamed for the situation anyway.

Besides, there was no time to deal with this now. They couldn’t expect Ye Lang to learn it while on the run. Judging by the circumstances, Ye Lang probably didn’t see the need to learn it either. Trying to convince him would likely take until next year without success.

“We’ll deal with it later! Sister, move a bit further back! Mom, Grandma, come over here too!” Ye Lang put down the binoculars and called out.

“What’s going on?” Ye Lanyu, who was already nearby, quickly moved to the back position. Long Anqi and Ruan Lian’er also arrived swiftly.

“Grandma, use your magic to create a patch of water on the ground behind us. Mom and sister, you freeze the water—make the area as large as possible, but be careful not to let anyone notice!” Ye Lang instructed.

Everyone immediately understood his plan—to freeze the ground behind them, creating chaos for the pursuing troops and hindering their chase. The method was simple but practical.

However, Ye Lanyu was a bit puzzled. “Why does Grandma have to do it? We can freeze the ground ourselves directly.”

“That’s to maximize the area. How much can you manage alone, silly sister!” Ye Lang retorted bluntly.

“How dare you call me silly! Let’s see if I’ll let you off!” Ye Lanyu threatened with a small fist.

“I don’t want to argue!” Ye Lang wisely chose to stay silent.

After a grunt from Ye Lanyu, she cooperated with their mother and grandmother to freeze a large area of ground behind them. Following Ye Lang’s instructions, they created long strips of frozen ground at intervals, some quite narrow, and towards the rear, they scattered patches randomly to confuse their pursuers.

The goal was to baffle those behind them, buying as much time as possible and hopefully wearing them down.

The plan worked. The pursuing forces were thrown into disarray, struggling over the frozen terrain. It took a long time to deal with the ice, and they had to use fire magic to clear paths, which left the ground wet and problematic.

By then, Ye Lang and his group had long since shaken off their pursuers. But the area was still within the Sky Sovereign Empire’s territory, and while the rear pursuit was gone, a large ambush force awaited ahead.

If they were blocked by that force, the pursuers behind would catch up again. Ye Lang and his group found themselves in a difficult predicament, facing a tough choice.

“Our group is too large as it is. It’s better to split up and head to the Vermilion Bird Empire to regroup,” Ye Chengtian suggested.

“That might be good, but splitting up weakens our strength. It might make it even harder to escape!” Ye Lang hesitated.

If only the Ye family’s elite warriors were involved, splitting up would be ideal. But there were many others fleeing with them, some weak, even ordinary civilians. Splitting up would surely lead to more than half being caught.

Sometimes sacrifices must be made for the greater good, but now wasn’t the time for that.

“So what do you suggest we do?” Ye Chengtian asked. Everyone present had faith in Ye Lang’s ability to lead them safely, a confidence well-earned on this journey.

Though they worried Ye Lang might slip up at crucial moments, so far he had not shown any sign of faltering.

“Keep running. Sometimes having a large group is an advantage—it lets others know where we’re headed,” Ye Lang said with a smile.

“?? Knowing our destination is an advantage?” Everyone was puzzled; it sounded like a disadvantage.

“They’ll know where we’re going, but not our next moves. We’ll have chances to shake them off!” Ye Lang explained, grinning.

His words enlightened some of the seasoned strategists present. They were experts in military tactics and could quickly devise plans once given a nudge.

“So what’s the plan?” Ye Chengtian smiled, though his smile was of relief, different from Ye Lang’s carefree grin.

“I don’t know!” Ye Lang answered bluntly.

“Don’t know? What do you mean?” Ye Chengtian was momentarily stunned; his smile faded.

“Nothing, I just don’t know! You all should figure this out. I’m unfamiliar with the Empire’s troop placements and can’t devise countermeasures!” Ye Lang said, munching on Zhen Xiaoyan’s pastry with a carefree air.

The group was speechless.

What could they say? At a time like this, he was still so casual, claiming ignorance. But his suggestion was interesting and unexpected.

In truth, Ye Lang had no choice. He was unfamiliar with these matters, didn’t even know the roads. The people present were power players within the Empire, well aware of everything. The principle of knowing your enemy to win every battle was universally understood.

“Now is the time to rely on all of us. Are we really going to depend solely on Ye Lang?” Ye Yi looked at his son and grandchildren. He didn’t hope for just one genius among them; he wished for every one of his descendants to possess exceptional talent.

This was the moment to awaken their potential. Even if some cost had to be paid, if they grew stronger, it would be worthwhile.

“Thirteen just reminded me of something. I’ve thought up a strategy. If used well, we can pass through smoothly!” The third eldest of the Ye family spoke up.

He was a military prodigy, renowned for his tactical brilliance, and commanded a major legion of the Sky Sovereign Empire at thirty-three years old.

“Tell us!” Ye Yi said simply.

“We start by…” The third Ye began outlining his plan. Ye Lang was even more convinced his decision was right—had he devised the plan himself, he could never have come up with anything so clever in such a short time.

The strategies were intricately linked, exploiting certain unique aspects of the Empire’s current situation, even enabling them to enlist the Empire’s own troops to assist.

No matter how quickly news traveled, there was always a buffer period and moments of confusion that could be manipulated to achieve deeper goals.

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