Ye Shikai and Shangguan Jian exchanged a look. A moment ago they had still been wondering where Mi Wen would place the supply and logistics base; they really hadn’t expected her to choose Wu County. But this wasn’t surprising either: to the north of Wu County were mountains the Qin Army couldn’t possibly cross to launch a surprise attack, and the place was close to the border between the two counties, which was convenient for transport.

"So, you want me to be the head of the transport corps?" Ye Shikai teased.

"Of course not. I know what you’re capable of. If I only had you in charge of transporting grain and armaments, wouldn’t that be a gross waste of talent?" Mi Wen stepped forward, leaned her head in close to Ye Shikai’s ear and spoke softly. The posture was rather "ambiguous"; Shangguan Jian gave a couple of light coughs and turned his head away.

"Logistical supply is by no means a small matter. If the brothers on the front can’t fill their bellies and don’t have warm clothes, who would still have the heart to fight a war?" Ye Shikai waved his hand. Once a major battle broke out, the total on both sides would be no less than two or three hundred thousand men; just the rebel army alone had over a hundred thousand. How much food did they eat up in a day? If the supply was cut off, those hundred thousand men would fall apart like crumbling earth.

Especially in an era of cold steel, the more men you had, the better your odds of victory often were. But the prerequisite for commanding so many troops was sufficient logistical support.

Mi Wen’s point was not to belittle the importance of logistics. But Ye Shikai was a General who commanded hundreds of thousands; he ought to be leading armies in attack, while the logistics could be left to other Generals.

"Grain and armaments will be sent into Wu County one batch after another. You two must pay attention."

"Of course." Ye Shikai nodded.

"By the way, now that tens of thousands of troops have all arrived in Southern County, when are we going to move?" Ye Shikai asked. Up to now, Mi Wen had only ordered him to lead his forces to Wu County, but had given no further instructions.

"No need to rush. I estimate that in another three days most of the provisions will have reached Wu County. Once they’ve arrived, I’ll have someone notify you to come to Jiangling to attend a council of war. For these few days, you can stay here and help me guard this grain and these armaments."

"All right, no problem."

In the mountains.

"The mountains and waters here really are beautiful; this is indeed a scenic spot." Mi Wen and Ye Shikai had come into the mountains next to Wu County. Spring water flowed down from above; a cool breeze blew past, bracing and refreshing.

"Pity that this place might soon be ravaged by war," Ye Shikai said lightly.

"The flames of war may destroy this scenery, but in less than twenty years it will return to what it was. Only with long-term peace and stability can these landscapes endure for a thousand years. If war never ends, that’s the greatest tragedy."

The implication of Mi Wen’s words was that fighting a war for twenty years was still better than letting the flames of war continue indefinitely; better a short pain than a long one.

"Come with me." Mi Wen said softly.

"Hey, where are you taking me?"

Mi Wen led Ye Shikai to a bamboo grove. There was hardly anyone around. A cool breeze swept through and the bamboo rustled with a "sasha" sound.

"What is it? Do you have something to say?" Ye Shikai asked in return.

"The great war hasn’t started yet. While we still have some free time, how about we cross blades a bit?" Mi Wen spread her palm and, in the blink of an eye, was holding a Longsword. The two of them were over ten paces apart, yet Ye Shikai could already feel a powerful energy. Clearly, this was a famed sword.

"You’re sure?"

"Of course. Last time you defeated my personal guards, but that doesn’t mean I acknowledge your strength." Seeing Ye Shikai still hesitant, Mi Wen shifted her tone. "Relax, this really will be just to the point this time. I won’t actually hurt you."

"All right then, I’ll keep you company."

Ye Shikai drew a metal sword from his Storage Ring. Mi Wen leapt forward, thrusting with her blade. Ye Shikai stepped back, raised his hand and swung his sword, deflecting her strike.

"It really is a famed sword."

The moment the two blades met, Ye Shikai felt a tremendous surge of energy; his whole arm trembled.

"What’s wrong? Is that all you’ve got?"

"Haha, I’m just afraid that if I really go at it, you’ll lose in a rather ugly fashion," Ye Shikai laughed.

"Good. Then I’ll see just what you can do. Come on, attack boldly."

"Then watch closely." Ye Shikai channeled the Inner God Scripture. This was a manual he’d obtained from Xiang Qi; it could greatly boost his Inner Strength in a short time, allowing him to seek a swift victory and crush the opponent in a single move.

In the blink of an eye, Ye Shikai suddenly vanished from where he stood. Mi Wen’s heart lurched; she instinctively raised her guard.

"Take this!"

Bang.

In just one exchange, Mi Wen felt that powerful force. Ye Shikai’s movement technique and speed were far beyond what she’d imagined. She had no preparation at all in that instant and was caught off guard, stumbling back several steps. Suddenly, she felt a large hand supporting her waist.

"Who’s there?" Mi Wen shouted, turning and swinging her sword, only to cut through empty air.

"You lost."

A faint voice sounded by her ear. Mi Wen looked down and saw a sharp blade resting against her neck; Ye Shikai had appeared behind her like a Ghost.

"Well? I stopped short, didn’t I? You’ve lost now." Ye Shikai sheathed his Longsword. This move could be considered an open "sneak attack," relying entirely on speed—closing in before the opponent had time to react and "settling" it in one strike.

"Not bad, you really do have some skill. Such speed in a movement technique is truly rare." Mi Wen wasn’t angry. Instead she clapped her hands lightly and smiled faintly.

"You’re very strong too." Ye Shikai returned the compliment. If they were to clash head-on, he might not even be her match—unless... he drew the You Xi Sword or the Netherworld Blade as his weapon. But both of those were "killing tools"; unless it was the most dangerous moment, he absolutely could not use them.

"Well, are we going to keep fighting?" Ye Shikai asked back.

"Sure, come again."

"No." Ye Shikai’s face suddenly changed. With a flash of his body, he charged straight at Mi Wen.

"What?"

Slash.

Mi Wen turned her head. Ye Shikai was already behind her, and on the ground lay the corpse of a man in black.

"What’s going on?" Seeing the scene before her, Mi Wen couldn’t help but feel a jolt of shock.

"Looks like we’ve got an assassin. His movement technique is fast—he’s a cultivator too." Ye Shikai wiped the blood from his blade, his expression grim. This bamboo grove was rarely visited, and cultivators were uncommon. How could one just happen to appear here? The only possibility was that he’d come to assassinate Mi Wen.

"Be careful. Someone’s here to kill you." Ye Shikai moved Mi Wen behind him, speaking coldly. Mi Wen also realized the danger. The two of them stood back to back, while all around the bamboo grove many people were watching them from the dark.

"The mist in this bamboo forest is thick. Be extremely careful."