Ye Longlin's words sent a chill through the Fourth Elder. He could discern the unspoken meaning behind Ye Longlin's statement and understood his attitude perfectly. This man intended to wipe out his entire family!
Within the inner court, no one dared to threaten an elder, yet Ye Longlin had done just that, openly and with impunity, while everyone else could only watch. In terms of identity and status, Ye Longlin, as the supreme commander of the military, held more power than them. After all, they were the decision-making body, and their power was divided among six individuals, making it impossible to compare with Ye Longlin.
"Fourth Elder, remember one thing."
"Dragon Pavilion is not a place for harboring corruption, nor is it a gathering spot for the weak. Dragon Pavilion has always represented strength, a sacred ground of the military! Any commander casually pulled from the Dragon Pavilion could replace the overall commander of any war zone, and any individual could assemble a force to advance directly to the front lines! We who are ready to lay down our lives on the front lines are not to be insulted by you. Even if Xuan Niao is currently imprisoned, I will still bring her out! My people in the Dragon Pavilion are to be judged only by the Dragon Pavilion, not by you. Do you understand? I am giving you one day. I want to see the person. If I don't see her, I will lead the soldiers of the Dragon Pavilion to ask you, Fourth Elder, is your neck harder, or is my saber harder!"
Ye Longlin gently patted the Fourth Elder's face, speaking with a smile. His tone was light, but within that lightness, the Fourth Elder sensed Ye Longlin's suppressed killing intent. If not for the fact that this was the inner court, his killing intent might have already been unleashed.
"Enough! Ye Longlin, this is the inner court."
The First Elder spoke up at this moment, his tone filled with helplessness. His temper had always been like this, never changing. People always said the Dragon Pavilion was protective of its own, and it wasn't a joke. The Dragon Pavilion was indeed protective.
"Heavenly King, shall we discuss how to handle this matter now?"
Qin Hanlie, not wanting Ye Longlin's arrival to create such a rift, cleared his throat and spoke. Ye Longlin, who now gave face to no one, slammed the table and declared, "Deploy some men to keep an eye on things. If the other side dares to attack, then our Dragon Pavilion is not to be trifled with!"
"Discuss? Is there any need for discussion? As long as they dare to attack, the Dragon Pavilion will be the first to respond... Fourth Elder, perhaps you'd like to experience military life?"
Dominating! Absolutely dominating! Never before had anyone been able to silence the elders in the inner court, at least not since the establishment of the Hall of Honor. Only Ye Longlin had achieved this!
"I won't go. Go easy on me..."
The Fourth Elder hadn't intended to respond, but Ye Longlin's hand gripped his shoulder. If he didn't speak, he felt his shoulder might be crushed by Ye Longlin!
Li Chengyan's mouth twitched, and he held his forehead, saying helplessly, "Alright, we old guys can't stand being tossed around by you like this."
"You were recalled because of He Tu and He Dao amassing troops. This matter is not as simple as it seems. Perhaps the Dark Hall has prepared for the next war of He Tu. If war doesn't break out soon, it won't be long. You should understand what this signifies."
Ye Longlin waved his hand. "You should discuss this with Marshal Qin. In about ten days, I will step down. Even if war breaks out then, it will have nothing to do with me. That will be your concern."
"I will remind you one last time: Xuan Niao, I want to see her by the day after tomorrow at the latest, otherwise, I will use my own methods to retrieve her."
After speaking, Ye Longlin gestured for Qin Hanlie to leave with him. Qin Hanlie could only follow Ye Longlin out of the inner court helplessly.
"Heavenly King, is there something you need?"
Seeing that he seemed to have something to say, Qin Hanlie asked.
Ye Longlin waved his hand. "In private, I am just a junior. There's no need for such a title. I wanted to ask, Marshal Qin, has your daughter truly died? Or do you have some plan? Or perhaps, do you know of the intelligence organization called Jiutian Yunxiao?"
Qin Hanlie remained silent for a moment. "Have you met my daughter?"
"He met me."
Qin Hanlie forced a bitter smile. "Heavenly King, please forgive me. She is my only daughter left. You know, I had two sons and one daughter, and now both sons are dead, leaving only this daughter. I just wished for her to live a peaceful life, but unfortunately, an accident still happened. If it weren't for this accident, I wouldn't have placed her in Jinling."
Ye Longlin was unconcerned. He looked at the scenery of the inner court and shook his head slightly. "You are the same kind of person as Marshal Lin. He also has only one daughter left. You are the ones who deserve respect. You have sacrificed everything for Great Xia, yet in the end, you can only remain in obscurity."
"Alas, it's the same in every position. Position and patriotism are two different concepts, aren't they? However, I still want to know, are you truly planning to retire?"
Qin Hanlie still found it hard to believe. Although he had little contact with Ye Longlin in reality, they had interacted many times before, and he knew what kind of person Ye Longlin was. To have reached his current position through his own efforts relied on more than just martial strength.
"Yes, you understand me. You know the conflict between me and the Ye family. If I remain in this position, it will make it difficult for the inner court and the Hall of Honor. The Ye family is, after all, just a family, and it's better to resolve this matter with this identity."
Qin Hanlie immediately understood his intention. If he were to deal with them in the capacity of a Five-Star Heavenly King, it would trigger a series of chain reactions, leading to many changes. Therefore, the best course of action was to leave his position, and then he could deal with them however he wished, and it would have nothing to do with the military.
"I understand. Rest assured, the military will always be your backing. However, the Ye family is not easy to deal with. They have been the head of the Ten Great Families for several consecutive years, and their strength is not as simple as it appears. There might be peerless experts. Although your cultivation has reached the peak, there is always someone better. If the Ye family were that easy to deal with, they wouldn't have been the head of the Ten Great Families for so long. It's not that easy to deal with them."
Ye Longlin narrowed his eyes and looked in the direction of the capital. "I know. I have it under control. However, when the time comes, I still hope you can keep the military in check."
Qin Hanlie nodded solemnly. "I understand what you mean. Rest assured."