Xiao Lin and Mu Chen had barely led their thirty Da Dou Shi away from the Jia Ma Empire's military camp when Xiao Lin suddenly came to a halt. When Xiao Lin stopped, the Da Dou Shi behind them kept their mouths shut; they didn't have the status to question him.
Mu Chen, however, did.
"What's wrong, Brother Xiao?" Mu Chen asked immediately upon seeing Xiao Lin stop.
For a split second, he even wondered if Xiao Lin was planning to desert. But as soon as he thought of Xiao Lin's relationship with Nalan Jie—and combined that with what he'd learned of Xiao Lin's character over the past few days—he instantly tossed that thought aside.
Xiao Lin didn't answer right away. Instead, he glanced at the thirty Da Dou Shi they were leading, then pulled Mu Chen aside, away from the group. Seeing this, Mu Chen's gaze narrowed; he guessed that Xiao Lin might have some alternative ideas.
After ordering the thirty Da Dou Shi to stand by on high alert, the two walked to a spot a short distance away. At this distance, the Da Dou Shi naturally wouldn't be able to overhear their conversation.
"Brother Mu, regarding the rescue of Nalan Jie and the others, I have some thoughts. I hope you can cooperate with me," Xiao Lin said, looking at Mu Chen with a solemn expression.
"Brother Xiao, what are you saying? This mission is led by you in the first place. Whatever arrangements you have, just say the word. Besides, I said it before—if you need help with anything, you only need to ask!"
Seeing Xiao Lin's gravity, Mu Chen's expression turned equally serious.
After all, if this mission went south, it would be easy to lose their lives. For the sake of their own survival, their actions really did need to be properly planned. In fact, even if Xiao Lin hadn't spoken up, Mu Chen would have suggested discussing a rescue plan himself.
Xiao Lin bringing it up now aligned perfectly with Mu Chen's thoughts.
"Before I get to the arrangements, Brother Mu, I actually have a question for you."
"A question for me?" Xiao Lin's opening left Mu Chen a bit dazed.
Weren't they supposed to be talking about how to save Nalan Jie? Why had it turned into a Q&A session?
"That's right, Brother Mu. What I actually want to ask is... don't you think the Great Marshal is acting a bit strange?"
In order to get Mu Chen to cooperate with his plan, Xiao Lin had no choice but to voice the suspicions in his heart. Upon hearing this, Mu Chen indeed began to frown. He started to reflect on the series of events that had occurred since they met Great Marshal Mo Ya.
Was it strange? Certainly!
However, in Mu Chen's view, this was at most an internal struggle within the Jia Ma Empire. In recent years, as the new generation—Xiao Lin, Nalan Jie, and Mu Chen—began to distinguish themselves and show extraordinary cultivation talent.
Many in the Imperial Capital had been discussing privately that in the near future, the Xiao, Nalan, and Mu Clans were very likely to become new Dou Wang clans. If that happened, the landscape of the capital would undoubtedly undergo a shift.
As an old-money Dou Wang clan, the Yinter Clan could no longer compete with the Mittel Clan, which had become a Dou Huang clan, let alone compare to the Jia Ma Imperial Family or the Yun Lan Sect.
If three new Dou Wang clans appeared in the capital now, it would undoubtedly damage the Yinter Clan's interests. The Imperial Capital was only so big; if these three clans wanted to develop, wouldn't they have to carve out pieces of the Yinter Clan's pie?
Therefore, as the pillar of the Yinter Clan and the Empire's Great Marshal, it wasn't hard for Mu Chen to understand why Mo Ya would suppress and target them. Even the other generals in the commander's tent earlier could see it.
But so what if they saw it?
The mission Great Marshal Mo Ya assigned them was technically flawless.
Furthermore, Mu Chen believed that even if the mission failed, while the Da Dou Shi below them might die, heirs of clans like themselves would most likely be used as bargaining chips by the Chu Yun Empire to trade with the Jia Ma Empire.
This applied not just to Xiao Lin and Mu Chen, but also to the trapped Nalan Jie.
Such things had happened countless times during the wars between the Jia Ma and Chu Yun Empires in previous years. It wasn't just these two countries; the same logic applied to wars between other nations as well.
In a war, unless you are 100% certain you can erase the opponent from the map, both sides generally avoid actions that create blood feuds that can never be resolved.
After all, if you capture my people today, I might capture yours tomorrow.
Thus, after capturing someone of status, the situation usually ended with one side paying a price to ransom them back. As for this kind of internal clan infighting, as long as it didn't cross a certain line.
The Jia Ma Imperial Family generally wouldn't interfere. If they managed every little thing, with so many clans existing in such a vast empire, the Imperial Family would work themselves to death.
Consequently, Mu Chen subconsciously assumed that Great Marshal Mo Ya's "strangeness" was simply because he didn't want to see new Dou Wang clans rise and affect the Yinter Clan's interests.
Or rather, this was precisely the illusion that Great Marshal Yinter Mo Ya had deliberately cultivated!
After Mu Chen voiced his thoughts, Xiao Lin simply shook his head slowly. His Heaven Realm soul power naturally granted Xiao Lin incredibly sharp observational skills.
While he couldn't be 100% certain that Great Marshal Mo Ya had other schemes, he was reasonably confident that the man's motives weren't limited to the internal power struggle Mu Chen described.
The water here was very deep...
Therefore, he had to verify his theory. To do that, he needed Mu Chen to provide cover for him.
"Brother Mu, do you trust me?" Xiao Lin suddenly stared at Mu Chen and asked cryptically.
"I do!" After a second of hesitation, Mu Chen gave his answer.
"Good. In that case, Brother Mu, I need to go verify a suspicion that concerns the success or failure of our mission. I need you to cover for me; I want to leave the team for a period of time."
Xiao Lin then quietly whispered his plan to Mu Chen.
"This... how is this possible? That's too crazy! You have to realize, the Great Marshal has served the Jia Ma Empire for decades. How could he possibly do such a thing?"
Once Xiao Lin finished explaining his suspicion and plan, Mu Chen's head shook like a rattle. He could believe that Great Marshal Mo Ya was engaging in internal politics to suppress the Mu, Nalan, and Xiao Clans.
But to say the man had betrayed the Empire?
Mu Chen felt that was a complete fantasy, utterly unbelievable. It was no wonder he was reacting this way.