As the sun rose in the east, the previous night had passed in complete silence, with nothing apparently amiss, and the brothers stationed at the Southern Barbarian Fort all breathed a sigh of relief.

Inside the fort, in a large chamber, a tall, heavyset man sat up from his bed, and beside him a striking, beautiful woman sat up as well.

“Fort Master, you’re awake. Let this servant help you dress.”

“Mm.” The man nodded, his voice low and resonant.

The woman had just gotten out of bed when a knocking sound came from outside the door.

“Fort Master.” A man’s voice came from outside.

“What is it?” the fort master responded coldly.

“Fort Master, something serious has happened—there are several thousand troops camped right outside our main gate.” The man outside answered.

The fort master took the robe handed to him by the woman, draped it over his shoulders, and strode out.

In the main hall of the Southern Barbarian Fort, several tall, sturdy men were already waiting, and quite a few others stood outside as well.

The fort master arrived with an imposing air, and everyone immediately stepped aside to clear his path.

The fort master flicked his robe and sat down in the main seat.

Those in the hall bent at the waist and cupped their hands, saying, “Fort Master.”

“What exactly happened?” the fort master asked coldly, looking at the two men standing at the front.

“Fort Master, last night around midnight, several thousand troops came and set up camp outside our fort.” The man standing in the middle cupped his hands and glanced back.

“Captain of the South Gate, why don’t you explain the situation.”

The tall, dark, burly man who had gone out to meet Feng Jiu’er’s group the night before was none other than the South Gate captain of the Southern Barbarian Fort. He cupped his hands and stepped forward.

“Fort Master.”

“What happened? Who exactly is so bold?” the fort master’s voice was deep and heavy.

The Black Canyon hadn’t known much peace these recent years; large and small battles over territory were hard to avoid.

But for several thousand troops to suddenly show up all at once—that wasn’t something that happened often.

It didn’t look like a good sign.

“Reporting to the fort master.” The man looked at the fort master and cupped his hands again. “The leader on the other side is a beautiful young woman, who looks no older than eighteen.”

“A young woman not even eighteen?” The fort master’s thick brows furrowed. “Who is she? Do you know?”

“She said her name is Feng Jiu’er. Beyond that, I don’t know.” the man answered.

The fort master narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, “What else did she say? Report everything, one by one!”

The man glanced at the fort master again, then lowered his head.

“Reporting to the fort master. That woman said she wanted to come in and get a feel for the geography of the Southern Barbarian Fort, and if…”

“If what?” the fort master’s voice grew even colder.

“If the environment is good, she intends to settle down in the Black Canyon, and even…”

The man swallowed hard with a gulp and dropped to his knees.

“What that woman meant was, if the Black Canyon suits her, she intends to unify the entire Black Canyon—she wants to become the ruler of the Black Canyon.”

“Feng Jiu’er?” The fort master’s brows furrowed tightly as he glanced outside.

With a loud “Crack,” he slammed his fist down on a piece of wood.

“What kind of woman dares to be so brazen? Has she got more nerve than sense, or does she have some grudge against me personally?”

“Fort Master.” The kneeling man raised his eyes and said in a low voice, “From what I could tell, she wasn’t joking.”

“That woman is extremely beautiful, small and delicate, yet she carries a commanding presence that’s impossible to overlook.”

“We… we didn’t cross swords with her directly, but Big Blade couldn’t even withstand three of her subordinate’s moves, so I could only bring the brothers back.”

“Fortunately, we still have the stone forest formation that’s never once been broken, guarding the way—they can’t get in.”

“Is she really that beautiful?” the fort master suddenly asked, looking at the man, a flicker of pleased interest crossing his half-narrowed eyes.

“Yes.” The man met his gaze and nodded. “Extremely beautiful—the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

“Beautiful and young?” the fort master raised an eyebrow and continued questioning.

“Yes.” The man nodded again. “Truly, a peerless beauty, breathtaking enough to topple a city.”

Just as the man expected the fort master to fly into a rage, the fort master instead threw his head back and laughed loudly.

“Hahaha… such a bold little girl, with such an audacious idea. Not bad, not bad at all!”

The fort master lowered his head to look at everyone, the smile still lingering on his lips.

“You all left the young lady out there in the cold all night, and you still haven’t gone to invite her in!”

“Fort Master.” Everyone looked at the fort master together, utterly unable to understand his change of attitude.

The man kneeling on the ground cupped his hands and said, “Fort Master, that woman’s martial skill doesn’t seem weak at all. Are you sure you really want to invite her in?”

“If she has ill intentions…”

“Does our Southern Barbarian Fort really mean to say we can’t even handle one girl?” the fort master’s tone grew heavier again.

“No!” The man shook his head. “Fort Master, that’s not what I meant, it’s only…”

“Just go invite her in.” The fort master waved his hand. “Though, I only have a taste for beauties. Anyone else who’s of no consequence, I have no interest in welcoming.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the fort master looked outward, his thick brows furrowing, his thick fingers running along his beard.

Seeing that the kneeling man still hadn’t risen, he lowered his eyes, his expression turning grave.

“What’s going on? Didn’t I just tell you to go bring the beauty in?”

“Fort Master.” The man crawled up timidly from the ground. “Fort Master, there’s one more thing I need to report.”

“Speak!” the fort master stared at the man, coldly throwing out a single word.

“Yes.” The man nodded. “The truth is, last night, after I heard that woman speak such arrogant words, I also teased her, suggesting she come into the fort and become the fort master’s wife.”

“Reporting to the fort master!” The man raised his eyes and cupped his hands again. “It was only because that woman truly looked like an immortal beauty that I dared to make such an arrangement on your behalf.”

“Once you see her, Fort Master, I’m sure you’ll like her too. It’s just unfortunate…”

“Unfortunate, what?” the fort master asked, frowning.

“That woman said she’d already turned down the young master of the Zhao Family Stronghold himself, so there was no way she’d ever look twice at you, Fort Master.”

“She said the purpose of her visit this time had two reasons. First, she wanted to come in and see the geography of our Southern Barbarian Fort, and she absolutely wouldn’t harm anyone.”

“Second, if our Southern Barbarian Fort were willing to submit…”

“No, not submit—she only said, if we were willing to join her in carving out a future together, she’d consider sharing the same pot of rice with us.”

“Not bad! Not bad at all!” Hearing the man’s words, the fort master laughed once more.

It seemed he was now quite looking forward to meeting this woman he hadn’t yet laid eyes on.

“Bring her in. Let’s have a good talk. Who knows—maybe she just doesn’t fancy those inexperienced young lads, and is particularly fond of someone mature and steady like me.”

The fort master waved his hand with a smile and said, “Quick! Go invite her in. I want to have a good, long chat with her.”

“How about that.” Suddenly, a woman’s voice rang out.

A woman dressed in black descended lightly from the beam above, landing weightlessly before everyone present.

Beside her, two more figures dropped down, one on each side.

Three people clad entirely in black appeared in the main hall without making a sound.

In an instant, everyone in the hall stood frozen in shock, utterly unable to comprehend what was happening.