Chapter 392: The Thirty-fifth Day in the Struggle for Supremacy World

Chapter 392: The 35th Day in a Hegemony-Building Novel

The maid steadied herself, lowered her voice, and said sternly to the young servant girl, "As for today's events, you saw nothing, heard nothing! If you dare leak a single word, you and I, along with our entire families, won't live to see another day! Understood?"

The young servant girl nodded frantically, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Go prepare things." The maid waved her hand, forcing herself to pull it together to arrange the bath, though her steps still faltered slightly.

The water was brought up quickly, and An Yi waved everyone away.

In the inner chamber, Bai Ji had risen, wrung out a warm cloth, and returned to the bedside, naturally moving to wipe An Yi down.

But An Yi took the cloth and leisurely wiped his own cheeks and neck, casting a glance at Bai Ji with lingering amusement in his eyes: "What, is Ruzhi going to attend to my changing and bathing as well?"

Bai Ji's ears flushed hot again at his gaze, but after their recent intimacy, that shyness had faded considerably. He said softly, "If Chuwei permits... I would be honored."

An Yi chuckled lightly, tossed the used cloth back into the basin, and stood up.

His sleeping robe shifted slightly with the movement, revealing a sliver of delicate collarbone and a hint of chest, upon which a few suspicious, faint reddish marks seemed to linger.

Bai Ji's gaze instantly locked onto that spot, his eyes narrowing.

But An Yi had already turned and walked toward the bath barrel behind the screen, his voice carrying a languid trailing note: "Then come, then."

Bai Ji's eyes followed his movement: "Alright."

An Yi said nothing more, only the soft rustle of clothing falling to the floor came, followed by the sound of stepping into the bath.

Bai Ji stood in place, listening to the water sounds, feeling the air thick with An Yi's unique scent and the warm, intimate fragrance lingering after their encounter. His heart felt utterly full, and he too walked behind the screen.

He was Chuwei's now, body and soul.

Just the thought of it made him tremble with excitement.

Chuwei... his Chuwei.

Comments section:

"!!!!!! What did I just see?! They actually finally did it!"

"Ah! Why the fade to black?! Can you write it out clearly? Where are the details? I'm asking you for the details! @Author, you're failing us! F*ck!"

"I'm a student! Show me the goods!"

"Wait! Holy crap! I think I got the dynamic backwards!"

"An Yi's languid, satisfied look... pant pant, a beautiful strong bottom is the absolute best!"

"Innocent An Yi getting hot and heavy~ (yellow bean heart eyes) (yellow bean heart eyes)"

"Bai Ji topped An Yi! He topped him! He actually did it! That's my Bai!"

"MC! MC! I take back everything I said before! You really came through!"

"Wait, I can't accept this... Why is the Lord the one getting f*cked! I don't accept it!"

"Wuwuwuwu! No! Why! Lord!"

"Gag gag gag~ No! @Author! I'm gonna get someone to f*cking kill you!"

"Why are you all freaking out? Isn't this a good thing? We're self-inserting as the male lead—isn't that better than being the bottom? Where's your straight guy backbone!"

"...I really can't hold it in anymore. You can all self-insert as the male lead, so why are you still pretending to be straight!"

"You don't get it, that's just how men are!"

"..."

An Yi narrowed his eyes, reaching up from the bath to touch Bai Ji's flushed face in front of him.

Oh, he was all for it.

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As for the matter between An Yi and Bai Ji, the guards and servants who knew were tight-lipped as tombs, while outsiders who didn't know only vaguely felt that the Lord trusted and relied on Mr. Bai more and more, and that Mr. Bai's complexion seemed much better than before. The shadow that had always hung over his brow had largely cleared—he was all smiles, day in and day out.

Dou Chuang also came to get in on the action, asking what amazing thing had happened to him to make him so cheerful.

Bai Ji smiled but said nothing.

Half a year later.

At a war council, Dou Chuang presented the latest intelligence from Diezhou, his face grim.

"My Lord, urgent dispatch from Diezhou. Among the five original factions in Diezhou, the strongest, Du Yu, set a trap and killed Zhou Meng seven days ago, absorbing his forces. Through successive threats and bribes, he forced the remaining three factions to either surrender or flee. Now, Du Yu has essentially unified Diezhou, with a claimed force of two hundred thousand, and is rapidly consolidating internally. His rise is meteoric."

Diezhou, located south of the three prefectures and bordering Zhaozhou, was rugged and mountainous, with a fierce, warlike people, having long been in a state of chaotic fragmentation.

An Yi had previously wiped out those who had taken advantage of the chaos to seize key strategic points there, and had been looking for an opportunity to move into Diezhou.

Now, Du Yu's sudden rise and unification of Diezhou was undoubtedly a major wildcard.

Han Fu frowned deeply: "Du Yu is said to come from humble origins, but he's fierce in battle and quite strategic—no mere musclehead like Ke Quan. After unifying Diezhou, his next target will most likely be heading north to contend with our three prefectures. How can we let someone else sleep soundly right beside our bed?"

Mao Hua was itching for a fight: "Who's afraid of him! Our troops are elite and our granaries are full. We can strike while he's still finding his footing and take Diezhou in one fell swoop! To nip the problem in the bud!"

Han Fu shook his head: "General Mao, your valor is praiseworthy, but Du Yu has just won a victory and their morale is at its peak. Moreover, Diezhou's terrain is complex—a natural fortress. If we launch a hasty campaign, even if we win, it will be a pyrrhic victory, squandering our resources while letting other powers swoop in and reap the spoils."

The debate continued among everyone.

An Yi listened quietly, his fingers drumming absently on the table.

One of the generals frowned: "So we just don't fight?"

An Shu turned to look at him: "It's not about whether to fight, but how to fight."

Her big brother had long had his eyes on Diezhou—now that the chance was here, how could he possibly pass it up?

Dou Chuang stroked his beard and said with a knowing grin: "Du Yu suddenly snatched up a whole prefecture. He looks strong on the surface, but he's sitting on a powder keg."

Everyone's gaze turned to him, and An Yi's eyes crinkled slightly as he let out a soft laugh.

Bai Ji rose, walked to the massive hanging map, and tapped his finger on Diezhou's location: "Mr. Dou is absolutely right!"

"First, Du Yu unified through schemes and deceit—his tactics were less than honorable. Those who surrendered may not be truly loyal at heart. Internal factions are numerous and contradictions remain unresolved. Second, Diezhou has suffered years of continuous warfare, and the people's livelihoods are in ruin. Du Yu suddenly expanded his army to two hundred thousand... but his actual combat-ready troops number only seventy or eighty thousand, and the strain on supplies and logistics is immense. Third, and most importantly..."

His fingertip traced south and southwest of Diezhou: "According to reports, Yan Huai to the south and Shi Liao to the southwest also covet Diezhou. Du Yu's sudden rise has already put both on alert."

Dou Chuang chuckled: "Exactly so."

He paused, looked at An Yi, his eyes gleaming with calculation: "My Lord, this is not the time for a forceful assault, but it is the perfect opportunity to divide and weaken, to profit from the chaos."

An Yi met his gaze, a slight curve at the corner of his mouth: "Mr. Dou, please elaborate."

Dou Chuang, confident and methodical, laid it out piece by piece: "First, we can send people to contact the surrendered generals under Du Yu, promising high positions and generous rewards to incite defection and internal strife. Second, we can reach out to local strongmen and aristocratic families in Diezhou who are dissatisfied with Du Yu, secretly supporting their resistance to distract his attention. Third, we can send envoys to Yan Huai in the south and Shi Liao in the southwest, offering goodwill while subtly provoking them—hinting that Du Yu's ambitions will inevitably threaten them next, pressuring them to move against Du Yu. Neither is powerful, but both are easily led, and we can create a three-way containment."

He concluded: "Once internal chaos brews and external pressure mounts, when he's stretched thin trying to cope, our army strikes. By then, Yan Huai and Shi Liao... will make our task twice as easy."