36: Forever and ever!

Shangguan Yuexi held Nangong Yu and smiled, "Yuer, are you hungry?"

Upon hearing this, Nangong Yu rubbed his little belly before looking up and saying, "Mother, Yuer is hungry!"

Seeing this, Shangguan Yuexi couldn't help but shake her head and chuckle; her precious son was still so cute!

She smiled and then said, "Alright, then Mother will take you to eat, how about that?"

"Okay!"

Nangong Yu nodded. Half a year had passed now, and he had long been able to eat other things.

Half a month ago, under the weaning process overseen by his mother, Shangguan Yuexi, he had already started drinking some Spirit Rice Porridge or Spirit Beast milk.

Of course, he could also eat the Spirit Rice Porridge with well-boiled, mushy Spirit Beast meat mixed in.

Shangguan Yuexi brought Nangong Yu to the kitchen of Shouxian Palace, intending to cook a bowl of Spirit Rice Porridge for him personally.

Nangong Yu watched from the side, a warm smile flashing in his eyes.

Having a mother is truly wonderful!

Before long, Shangguan Yuexi finished cooking the Spirit Rice Porridge and scooped out a bowl, saying, "Yuer, we need to wait a moment, okay? It will be fine once it cools down."

"Okay!"

Nangong Yu nodded again and returned to his mother's embrace, "Mother, are you unhappy today?"

Hearing this, Shangguan Yuexi was slightly taken aback, "Why would Yuer think that? As long as Mother sees Yuer, she is happy!"

Nangong Yu shook his head and, lying in her arms, said, "Mother was unhappy before; Yuer felt it."

Hearing this, Shangguan Yuexi was slightly taken aback, then couldn't help but kiss Nangong Yu.

Afterward, she smiled, "Yuer has learned to read the room, that's wonderful!"

Nangong Yu scratched his head and chuckled, looking silly and adorable.

Shangguan Yuexi smiled, thought about the previous matter, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Your Imperial Uncle has been preparing for half a year and issued an imperial decree today to begin the Northern Expedition!"

"Northern Expedition?"

Nangong Yu feigned confusion, but in reality, he had already learned of this news from the Ying Mei.

He had now summoned a total of three Divine Shadow Squads!

One of the Divine Shadow Squads, led by Tian Kui, had remained at the northern border to investigate the military situation of the Beichuan Empire, while occasionally selling information to the Zhenbei Army.

Each time, they earned anywhere from several hundred to a thousand Spirit Stones, and they split the spoils of war fifty-fifty!

Because of this, the Zhenbei Army won battle after battle, remaining invincible and conquering everything in its path.

Over the past half year, the Zhenbei Army had launched sporadic surprise attacks and always managed to retreat calmly, infuriating the Beichuan Empire's Southern Suppression General, Tuoba Hongwei.

As for the other two Divine Shadow Squads, led by Earth Leader and Earth Fiend, they had almost completely infiltrated the entire Qingyou Imperial City.

Over this period, they had obtained a significant amount of important intelligence.

Nangong Yu had long known about the Northern Expedition through the Ying Mei, so he didn't think much of it.

Seeing Nangong Yu's confusion, Shangguan Yuexi hesitated for a moment before saying, "When you were born, your father died in battle in the northern border. Your Imperial Uncle could not swallow this grievance and had already prepared for the Northern Expedition half a year ago. Now that everything is ready, he issued the decree today to launch the Northern Expedition!"

Hearing this, a trace of sadness flashed across Nangong Yu's little face, "Is what Second Brother Jinglin said true?"

Upon hearing these words, Shangguan Yuexi's expression changed slightly, "Yuer, what did Jinglin say to you?"

Nangong Yu's eyes turned slightly red, "He said Father is dead, and Yuer is a child without a father!"

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Yuexi's expression changed slightly, and she hugged Nangong Yu tightly.

She looked pained and comforted him, "It's alright, Yuer still has Mother. Don't be sad, don't be sad!"

Nangong Yu did not speak, his mood somewhat low.

Shangguan Yuexi felt even more heartache. She suddenly remembered that more than half a month ago, the four princes and princesses, including Nangong Jinglin, had all visited Shouxian Palace, and Yuer's mood had indeed seemed off during those two days.

Thinking about it now, she feared that Nangong Jinglin had said something improper that Yuer had overheard.

Thinking of this, Shangguan Yuexi couldn't help but feel some self-reproach; she should have discovered it sooner.

She hugged Nangong Yu tightly and softly comforted him, "Yuer, don't be sad. You still have Mother, and Mother will stay with you forever!"

Nangong Yu looked up slightly, "Really? Mother is not allowed to lie to Yuer!"

Shangguan Yuexi nodded and said with a firm expression, "Really, Mother won't lie to Yuer!"

Hearing this, Nangong Yu finally revealed a smile. He reached out to hook his arms around Shangguan Yuexi's neck, his childish voice emerging with a hint of firmness.

"I want Mother to stay with Yuer, forever and ever!"

Seeing Nangong Yu smile, Shangguan Yuexi finally breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Alright, forever and ever!"

She understood in her heart that Nangong Yu was still young, and having never met Nangong Aochen, his reliance on him was not strong.

Actually, he was still easy to coax right now!

But if Nangong Yu grew a bit older, he might not be as easy to coax.

Or perhaps when he grew older and more sensible, he might not need to be coaxed at all.

She smiled slightly, looked at the Spirit Rice Porridge on the table, and said, "Yuer, it's ready. Mother will feed you the Spirit Rice Porridge, okay?"

"Okay!"

Shangguan Yuexi held Nangong Yu and sat down on the steps outside the house. She brought over the Spirit Rice Porridge, blew on it to cool it down a little, and then fed it to Nangong Yu one small spoonful at a time.

Nangong Yu's eyes held a smile, and he did not refuse this warmth of familial affection.

...

Outside the Qingyou Imperial City, at the Empire's drill grounds.

Nangong Aotian, wearing an imperial crown and a golden yellow dragon robe, ascended the reviewing stand with great majesty.

Below the reviewing stand, dozens of extraordinary martial generals looked on with solemn gazes and serious expressions.

Behind them, exactly two hundred thousand soldiers were lined up neatly. They wore armor, held weapons, and had cold gazes.

It was not hard to see that these soldiers seemed to be organized into legions based on their cultivation level, such as the legion composed of Body Tempering Realm Cultivators, the legion composed of Spirit Absorption Realm Cultivators...

...and the legion composed of Nascent Soul Transformation Realm Cultivators!

However, the higher the cultivation level, the smaller the number of soldiers in the legion. The Nascent Soul Transformation Realm legion numbered only three thousand, exactly the same as the Zhenbei Army.

Nangong Aotian looked down at the soldiers below, his gaze revealing majesty and coldness.

He raised the command flag in his hand and waved it forcefully, his majestic voice echoing throughout the entire drill ground, "Soldiers, I believe you all know the reason I am here today, and that is the Northern Expedition!"

"Half a year ago, the Beichuan Empire openly tore up the peace treaty. Tuoba Saye led his army to launch a night raid on Zhenshan Pass, ambushed the Prince of Zhenbei, and cruelly slaughtered the soldiers guarding the pass."

"Afterward, they even pursued him to Beiji City, cruelly murdering the Prince of Zhenbei and thousands of soldiers and civilians in Beiji City. Their crimes are heinous!"

"The Prince of Zhenbei was loyal to the monarch and the country his entire life. It was he who guarded the northern border of our Qingyou Empire for decades, sparing our Qingyou Empire from the aggression of the Beichuan Empire. His passing is a loss to the Empire. Those soldiers who died in battle alongside him are also heroes of our Qingyou Empire; they defended the dignity and honor of the Empire with their lives."

"Now, the national hatred and family vendetta remain unavenged. The enemy is still at large, constantly testing our bottom line, their wolfish ambitions clearly exposed."

"Today, I am here to decide to launch the Northern Expedition to avenge the Prince of Zhenbei and the thousands of soldiers!"

"Warriors of the Empire, your blood flows with an unyielding will. Let us march north against the Beichuan Empire and turn their world upside down!"

As Nangong Aotian's command flag fell, the drums began to beat, and the soldiers started to shout in unison.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

This sound pierced the heavens, echoing over the entire drill ground and spreading throughout the entire Imperial City.