The soldiers had no choice but to raise their bows and arrows again, aiming at Ye Lingyue and the others.

Suddenly, a sound of neat and orderly footsteps was heard, nearly two thousand soldiers of the Tiger Wolf Army poured out like a flood.

They struck swiftly, restraining the soldiers who held bows and arrows.

"Tiger Wolf Army! Even you dare to rebel, I, your general, command you all to fall back, otherwise, you will all be dealt with by military law."

Hong Fang was astonished; upon hearing the terrible news of Nie Fengxing, the morale of the entire Tiger Wolf Army had disintegrated, and they had fallen into disorder. Yet in just one night, they had once again become the strictly disciplined Tiger Wolf Army.

All of this... Hong Fang's pupils shrank slightly, his gaze falling on Ye Lingyue.

It was her, all of this was instigated by Ye Lingyue.

In just one night, these Tiger Wolf Army soldiers had become so obedient to Ye Lingyue; where did this fourteen-year-old girl get such tremendous audacity from?

"Very well, Ye Lingyue, you truly have some tricks up your sleeve. You will regret what you have done today. A mere two thousand soldiers, do you think they can really stop me and the Fourth Prince?" Hong Fang and Xia Houhong's hundred personal soldiers drew their weapons in unison, each with a fierce glint in their eyes.

"Two thousand soldiers can't restrain you, but what if a few more were added?" Ye Lingyue cracked a big smile.

A few more?

Hong Fang and Xia Houhong were shocked once again, could it be that Ye Lingyue had reinforcements?

Boom, boom, boom—

The ground began to shake, and the soldiers turned pale with fright, all looking towards the front.

On the plain ahead, a massive creature appeared—a giant elephant like a small mountain, stepping towards the village.

With every step the Purple Micro Alabaster Elephant took, Hong Fang and Xia Houhong's faces grew uglier.

Arriving beside the village, the Purple Micro Alabaster Elephant raised its head, spraying out a mist of water vapor, extinguishing the fire on the soldiers' arrows.

Faced with such a colossal creature, Hong Fang and Xia Houhong's personal soldiers were as if they had seen a ghost, all of them were pale as death, wishing they had been born with a couple more legs to run as far away as possible.

Even if Hong Fang and Xia Houhong decreed military law punishment, nobody cared to heed their words and provoke this terrifying monster.

A Ninth-grade Spiritual Elephant, such creatures that should have been extinct from the mainland, where did Ye Lingyue find it from?

Hong Fang and Xia Houhong both took in a sharp breath.

They might not necessarily lose against the Purple Micro Alabaster Elephant, but if they fought hard and exhausted their strength, facing the Ninth-grade Peak Double-headed Python later, they would certainly be defeated.

After struggling internally, Hong Fang and Xia Houhong had no choice but to compromise, pulling long faces, they retreated to one side with the escort of their personal soldiers.

"Someone come, lift the prohibition at the village entrance, Chen Zhong, choose a hundred soldiers to enter the village with me." Ye Lingyue signaled to Aguduo with her eyes; understanding her intent, he leaped onto the Purple Micro Alabaster Elephant, keeping watch over Hong Fang and Xia Houhong from the side.

Ye Lingyue and Chen Zhong, among others, rushed into the village.

The smell of burning oil still hung in the village air. Following the sound of crying, Ye Lingyue found all the villagers hiding in the village temple.

The sudden arrival of the soldiers scared the villagers witless.

"Sir, please spare us, we haven't been bewitched by an Evil Technique."

"Don't worry, we are soldiers of General Hu, not here to kill you. Where is your village chief? I have something to ask him," Ye Lingyue said, feeling even more sympathetic towards the villagers and harbouring increased hatred for Hong Fang and Xia Houhong.

Lan Cai'er hurried forward, joining a few soldiers in comforting the frightened children and elderly.

Hearing that they were soldiers of the Tiger Wolf Army, a slightly plump middle-aged woman stepped forward from among the villagers.

The villagers had all heard of the Tiger Wolf Army. When the village was attacked by beasts the previous night, they had alerted Qi City, but no one came to their rescue until a patrol of the Tiger Wolf Army noticed something amiss and urgently informed the Vanguard Camp.

It was the soldiers of the Tiger Wolf Army who had arrived first.

"Miss, I am the village chief's wife. My husband has contracted a strange illness and cannot come out to meet guests."

As the middle-aged woman spoke, she wiped away her tears. Beside her, a seven or eight-year-old boy looked up at Ye Lingyue and the soldiers of the Tiger Wolf Army with wide eyes.

"Lady, I am an Alchemist from the Alchemist Mansion. What kind of sickness does the village chief have, and where is he? Take me to see him at once," Ye Lingyue said, immediately realizing that the chief's illness was likely the one mentioned earlier by the soldiers and also the one that had led a sick villager to attack Ye Huangyu.

After devouring Nie Fengxing and Ye Huangyu, the Spiritual Beasts that had attacked the village the previous night, led by the Double-headed Python, quickly disappeared without a trace. However, the villagers who suddenly fell ill were still in the village.

The village was not wealthy, and there were few Alchemists and doctors in the city. The villagers, unable to afford medical treatment, could only resort to home remedies.

To prevent the sick from harming others or the livestock in the village, the Village Chief's wife gathered some strong young villagers to quarantine those who were ill.

Leading Ye Lingyue and the soldiers down a dirt road, the village chief's wife stopped in front of a house plastered with yellow mud.

The house's doors and windows had been sealed with bricks, tiles, and wooden strips, yet the sound of animalistic roaring could still be heard inside, accompanied by occasional thuds and banging.

"My husband was fine the day before yesterday, but yesterday, someone in the village became ill. He knew some medical skills, so he took some herbs to visit the sick. Little did we know, he suddenly went mad on his way there," said the village chief's wife, her eyes red and voice low.

She too was very scared at the time, but then she thought about what her husband had said before: that a serious illness must be quarantined immediately to avoid infecting others in the village. Braving the pain, she found someone to lock up the village chief.

"Mama, when can Daddy come out? I miss Daddy," said the seven or eight-year-old boy, with an air of naivety, gazing up eagerly at his mother.

The sight moved even the soldiers, accustomed to the life and death of the battlefield, to tear up.

"Princess Ye, please try to save the village chief. Seeing these children reminds me of my own back home," said Chen Zhong huskily, his eyes reddening.

"First, we need to identify the cause of the illness. Jin Wu Old Monster, you and a few other Alchemists stay on guard. We'll open the door first and see what disease the village chief actually has," Ye Lingyue frowned, thinking that based on the village chief's wife's account, the chief's sickness was inexplicable and potentially contagious.

Several villagers have also fallen ill after inadvertently coming into contact with the first villager who became sick.

A few soldiers stepped forward and with several punches, the sealed door was suddenly broken open, creating a large hole.