Captain Bren stepped closer, his hand resting on his sword hilt. "What if their patrol units attempt to attack our outer flanks to provoke us again?"
Wang answered with complete composure. "Ignore them entirely. Our primary objective has not changed in the slightest."
He paused, his voice carrying a deep, quiet power. "Nothing else in this realm matters."
Every soldier standing near him knew exactly what he meant.
Lin Wan.
She was the only reason they were marching into the heart of danger.
...
Later that afternoon...
The Silver Leopard army brought its forward march to a temporary halt along the banks of a wide, frozen river.
Warriors immediately went to work setting up temporary shelters to block the biting wind, while others gathered dry firewood from the nearby treeline. Healers moved efficiently between the units, checking on soldiers who had suffered minor frostbite or fatigue during the swift trek.
