Mission: Seduce the Master!

The initial disturbances had subsided, which was a relief. At the very least, the soldiers had stopped openly fighting with each other, and the number of fights had decreased by almost 90%.

Of course, despite the promising start, Xie Qing did not harbor any false hopes that things would remain this way forever. On the contrary, it was not impossible that, figuratively speaking, in a month or two, conflicts would start again.

Where there are people, there is war. Therefore, the best way to occupy the soldiers and prevent them from engaging in meaningless actions.

"What… send them to the front lines? But…"

General Liu Hao, after listening to Xie Qing's proposal, could not help but frown. Undoubtedly, this method was the best – the soldiers would be exhausted and would not have time for personal conflicts.

But now the situation on the front lines was already complicated, and sending more soldiers could only make the situation worse. Moreover, most of the people in Zhang Mei's squad were oriented more towards support rather than direct combat. Therefore, Liu Hao resisted a little.

"I am not insisting on this, I repeat again," Xie Qing said calmly while playing mahjong, humming happily to himself. He looked at Liu Hao, who was standing at attention, and added: "So the choice is yours. I know that sending them to the front lines is like giving the enemy a juicy steak, but I have no other thoughts. That is why I am not insisting, but proposing. Are my explanations clear to you?"

"Yes, sir… but in my humble opinion, there is no point in sending a support squad to such a critical area where their help is not needed at all," Liu Hao replied, puzzled.

"It is up to you, sir. I may seem like a very smart person, but in matters of war, I defer to you. Therefore, the final word will be yours in this situation," Xie Qing explained slowly and calmly, lowering his gaze to the game and continuing to play. In passing, he added to his thought: "However, I do not think leaving them here is a smart idea.

There are some areas that require attention, and I have marked them on the map. You can check for yourself."

"What? Uh… yeah... y-yes, sir!"

Liu Hao, although confused about which areas Xie Qing was referring to, rushed to the strategic map and…

"Hm? This..."

He indeed saw markers with added explanations, quite detailed ones. The man blinked and then began to read.

[Devil Ancestor Canyon – a place where, according to legends, the Devil Ancestor, the first devil cultivator, was sealed. Although these are legends and their truth has not been proven, the fact that there is an abundance of devil qi there is alarming. Recommended actions – purify the devil qi using high-quality Yang Qi]

"This… oh..."

Liu Hao let out an admiring sigh. As a general, he valued information the most, and considering that Xie Qing had been on a mission in this area for about four years, he knew everything very well.

And the canyon he noted indeed existed. However, this was not the end, and other areas were also listed.

[Abyss River – located in '…' and appears to be an ordinary river, but with black water. If a normal person drinks this water, they will instantly die from organ failure, but for devil cultivators, it is like divine dew. It has strong healing properties, which, however, have a drawback – they lead to severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, depression…]

And then another.

[Jueming Mountain Range – at first glance, a completely arid and lifeless area, of no use. However, in reality, the highest mountain in this mountain range is a dormant volcano, in the crater of which, after eruptions, a special type of obsidian appears - Qi Concentration Obsidian. According to my observations, it absorbs surrounding Qi, purifies it, and then makes it possible to absorb.

After the cultivator absorbs the energy, the obsidian cracks and turns into dust. Also, new types of flowers grow here, which can grow in arid conditions…]

The more Liu Hao read, the more he admired Xie Qing's analysis, which had managed to find out about all these places. Moreover, most of the notes emphasized beneficial resources and even critically important, supplying devil cultivators' bases and natural sources.

This information alone could become decisive in a war of attrition, when the enemy's resources become depleted and, due to the inability to replenish them, significant changes occur in the enemy's composition.

Realizing all these facts, Liu Hao's hand trembled with excitement, and his teeth chattered.

"Sir… Xie Qing. Can I take this plan to the other generals?" Liu Hao asked with a trembling voice.

"As you wish, it doesn't matter to me," Xie Qing casually waved his hand and continued playing.

"T-thank you, sir!"

Liu Hao bowed deeply and then rushed out of the tent, flying away. Xie Qing only gave a brief glance and then, shaking his head, returned to the game.

***

"Ho-o-o…"

Zhang Mei was sitting in her office when she suddenly received a copy of the map with Xie Qing's notes. She was impressed by the details, and there were many strategic points.

"I underestimated him. I must admit, his skills are good. If it were Xu Mei, she wouldn't even bother to make a deep analysis of the enemy," Zhang Mei thought.

Although it may not sound like it, her praise was of the highest order, especially if she was comparing someone to Xu Mei.

…She herself did not fully realize that for her, Xu Mei had become something like an "ideal," so she unconsciously compared others to her. But we will return to this later.

After carefully reading all the notes, the woman sincerely sighed in admiration. Here was all the information they needed for the next two years, which could significantly change the situation.

"Hm… we can't leave him without a reward, right?" Zhang Mei thought, tapping on the table: "We need to think of something."

Zhang Mei's character was such that she preferred to pay off all debts immediately to feel good. Most of all, she hated unpaid help, which in the end turns out to be very much "paid."

Therefore, she racked her brain over what would please this guy? However, she had no ideas, as if everything that could suit him – he already had.

For some reason, during her thoughts, Zhang Mei recalled the incident at the hot springs where she had exposed her body.

"N-no, no, no! Damn it, no!"

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Ahem… what were we talking about?

Zhang Mei began to bang her head on the table, her face turning as red as a tomato. The memories of that day made her shudder, and the forgotten feeling of shame returned with renewed force.

At that time, she was a bit out of her mind. A strange heat, probably due to the hot springs, muddled her head and thoughts, leading her to take such a bold step.

"I won't! I won't do that again. It was so embarrassing that I wanted to die!" she pleaded desperately: "Maybe I'm just going crazy from loneliness, right? Sigh!"

Zhang Mei disappointedly bit her lip, imagining what the Master's reaction would be if she saw her current state. To behave so desperately out of loneliness…

The woman blushed deeply and ignored the slight heat below her abdomen. She covered her red face.

"How embarrassing…"

***

Xie Qing cracked his neck, watching as Zhang Mei's squad step by step moved towards their designated locations. The decision had been made to seize control of important strategic points, and for this, formations would also be needed.

As a result, seeing the recently full camp now half-empty was indeed unusual.

"Lady Zhang, your actions are truly wise. I can assure you that by capturing these points, we will be able to make a huge leap towards victory," Xie Qing said and looked at the woman beside him.

Due to her height of 169 centimeters, she looked very petite and cute next to Xie Qing, like a doll.

Blinking her eyelashes, Zhang Mei rolled her eyes.

"Flattery won't help you. I am still not pleased that you decided to execute the violators without my permission."

"Don't be a grump. In such situations, one must show firmness to prevent such things from happening again. If you cut a weed in half, it will still grow back over time. Don't you agree?" Xie Qing replied calmly, without flinching.

"I can't argue with that."

Zhang Mei sighed. Her face became complex as she sank into thought. And then…

"…reward."

Her soft voice was heard by Xie Qing, though he only caught one word. The man politely bowed his head and then politely asked.

"I'm sorry, I was distracted and didn't hear you. Could you repeat that?"

Zhang Mei wrinkled her nose, and the tips of her ears turned red. Then, with a much louder voice, she said.

"What reward do you need?"

"Hm?"