After a reluctant farewell with the Xiang Ren Sect, Wan Lei and the other four boarded a small flying ship and initiated a spatial jump, returning directly to the Five Elements Hall.
Wan Lei asked the three women for their opinions, as they were about to embark on a dangerous mission to rescue Wan Qianxin and the others. He wanted to know if they would join.
The three women's reaction was surprisingly unified: they absolutely had to go.
After all, they were all companions in the past, and now that their friends were in trouble, they couldn't stand idly by.
However, according to regulations, the three of them were not disciples of the Five Elements Hall and were not permitted to accompany the troops on an expedition. Furthermore, there wasn't enough time for Huofeng and Qingwu to undergo the assessment. Thus, Wan Lei took them to the administrative hall and first processed them as servants. They could undergo the assessment upon their return.
"It's only been half an hour. Should we report to the commander first?"
Wan Lei glanced at the giant battleships in the sky, roughly counting over a thousand.
This was his first time following the main force of the Five Elements Hall on an expedition. He imagined it would be different from the clashes between two factions in the Lei Feng Realm. After all, with so many advanced weapons in the Five Elements Hall, these ships alone could bombard the unlawful territories.
"Let's go. It's really slow for the Five Elements Hall to assemble their troops. It takes three hours. By the time the enemy attacks, all the good opportunities will be gone," Fang Xiaoyu muttered. After that, they headed towards the main battleship.
Upon reaching the cabin door and presenting their credentials, they smoothly entered the main battleship.
Walking along the corridor, they soon arrived at the command room.
In the command room, more than a dozen command personnel were already working in front of computer screens. Ten disciples of the Five Elements Hall stood on the open ground, presumably having received their assignments.
These disciples were overjoyed to see Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu, approaching them enthusiastically.
After all, the reputation of the strongest殿子 (Dianzi) of the Five Elements Hall preceded them.
Suddenly, a stern voice came from the front.
"The army has already assembled. We've been delayed this long waiting for you, and you still have the nerve to socialize here. Hmph."
Wan Lei and the others were stunned by the words. Even more bewildering was that the voice seemed to come from the supreme commander's seat in front, yet when they looked up, they could only see the back of the chair, not the person.
"Uh... didn't you say we were departing in three hours?" Wan Lei retorted.
"That was to give you three hours to prepare. The army only needs a quarter of an hour to assemble."
Wan Lei and the five exchanged glances. Judging by the tone, this commander was not someone easy to get along with.
The command seat slowly turned around, and everyone finally saw the appearance of the commander for this expedition.
It was a...
Fluffy, yellow-furred...
Squirrel?
It looked so cute.
(Squirrel appearance reference: the American movie Detective Pikachu)
The squirrel's expression was very serious and dignified. However, when it saw Fang Xiaoyu, its half-closed eyes suddenly widened, making it look even cuter.
"Pika pika."
After showing off its cuteness, the squirrel shot into Fang Xiaoyu's arms, rubbing against her comfortably, which startled Fang Xiaoyu.
At this moment, the dog, which had been on Wan Lei's shoulder, became unhappy. It directly jumped onto Fang Xiaoyu's shoulder, its small hind hooves kicking at the squirrel.
"Get down. Is this a place for you? Fang Xiaoyu's embrace is only for me. Get down, get down..."
However, the squirrel refused to budge and started fighting with the dog.
"Stop fighting, stop fighting."
Fang Xiaoyu held one in each hand, looking suspiciously at the two cute, yellow-furred little animals in her grasp.
"Do you know each other?"
The dog snorted, then looked at Wan Lei.
"Little Lei, do you remember the formation inheritance you received in the Lei Star Sea?"
Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu's eyes immediately widened. They had heard the dog constantly mention squirrels back then, saying that the formation inheritance was left by a squirrel.
Could it be this squirrel?
"Yes, it's me. Hurry up and kneel down and kowtow to acknowledge me as your master, and complete the master-acknowledging ceremony."
Although the squirrel was being held by the ears by Fang Xiaoyu in mid-air, its demeanor was strong.
Wan Lei had originally held immense respect for the senior who taught him the way of formations, as formations had been of great help throughout his life-or-death struggles.
He had planned to thank the senior in person if he ever met him in the Immortal Realm.
But now...
He had lost all respect.
His image had collapsed too quickly.
This was too cute, and yet so feisty.
"Uh... greetings, Senior?" Wan Lei said tentatively.
"Why is it a question? Hurry up and kneel down to acknowledge me as your master. Let me tell you, even Immortal Venerables treat me with courtesy, and the elders of the Holy Hall call me an elder." The squirrel said fiercely.
"Uh... really?" Wan Lei looked at the dog curiously for confirmation.
"Fake. His relationship with Immortal Venerable is like my relationship with you two," the dog said coldly.
"Oh, a pet." Wan Lei suddenly understood.
"You are the pet, and your whole family are pets."
"Dog-爷 (Ye) is not your pet, but you are Dog-爷's mount. You need to recognize your position!"
The two stopped fighting and instead started flailing their fists at Wan Lei. However, they were both held by Fang Xiaoyu, and their forelimbs were at most ten centimeters long, so they couldn't reach Wan Lei.
The ten disciples of the Five Elements Hall around them were stunned.
What was going on? Wan Lei knew this commander? This yellow-furred squirrel was the Immortal Venerable's pet?
Its status was too high.
"Haha, they are so funny." Fang Xiaoyu was amused by their anxious attempts to fight. Even Qingwu and Yuan Jun's eyes sparkled with adoration, as no girl could resist fluffy little animals.
Only Huofeng remained expressionless. As a demon, she wasn't interested in the young of other races; instead, she pondered how they could be cooked.
"Oh, right. Do you remember when you were struck by lightning when you first arrived in the Immortal Realm? It was this guy who did it!" the dog suddenly accused.
Upon hearing this, the squirrel's eyes widened, and it glared fiercely at the dog, its gaze a clear threat.
Are we still brothers? You betrayed me!
The dog returned a gaze, claiming Fang Xiaoyu's embrace for itself and telling the squirrel to back off.
Hearing this, Wan Lei immediately turned to the squirrel, his gaze extremely unfriendly.
He still remembered that on his first day in the Immortal Realm, he was a clueless novice and was then severely struck by heavenly tribulation by the mastermind behind the scenes, nearly losing his life.
So, it was you, you little brat.
Wan Lei rolled up his sleeves and raised his fist.
Today, he wasn't here to repay a favor, but for revenge!