After shaving his head, Sol used the cover of the night to sneak back to his camp down east of Mount Hua, where his soldiers were stationed. There, he selected a hundred of his best personal troops, shared the plan with them, and had them shave their heads. That day, they stayed in the war tent rehearsing a new plan, quite different from what Sol had agreed on in the Emperor's camp.
There, he had agreed to launch the attack by dawn the next day. Using a cavalry troop, he was meant to attack Yao Gong's rear, break through, and enter the thick forest surrounding the base of the mountain. From there, he was expected to make his way to the foot of the mountain under heavy pursuit. If Yao Gong stuck to the plan, he was meant to survive the attack and be rescued at the foot of the mountain. However, Sol was very certain he wouldn't even make it to the foot of the mountain.
In fact, he suspected the old fox would set an ambush in the forest. When Sol and his wounded soldiers entered the forest, they would be besieged on all sides and killed. They could always hide his corpse and claim he reached the mountain. If there was no result or response from him after a while, everyone would simply assume his identity had been exposed amongst the monks and that he was killed. They would continue living as though his existence meant nothing.
"I'll admit. This will be a hassle." Sol rubbed his chin while pondering with a blank expression.
Standing before him and waiting quietly were three people desperately struggling to withhold their laughter. Sol was aware of this but chose to ignore them because these were Wang Yan's good friends. On the left was Ye Mei of the Ye family. Both their families had maintained a close relationship for several generations, and as such, Ye Mei and he had already been acquainted since they were kids.
At twenty-four, Mei was a beauty no one could resist. She had beautiful long hair that framed her delicate, pale face, smooth as jade. Large eyes, a small nose, and tiny lips brought innocence to her voluptuous frame. This beauty was head over heels for Wang Yan, yet he had never noticed, mostly because he didn't think much of her beyond casual friendship. Instead, he was bewitched by the beauty of Princess Yu, the third daughter of the emperor. The feeling was mutual, so Mei had refrained from making advances since then. But once or twice, her façade broke, exposing her longing for Wang Yan.
Her brother, Ye Bo, stood at the far right. He had a lanky frame with looks that matched his sister's beauty, making him one of the sought-after bachelors in the empire. He was extremely popular with women, but even more so for his immense knowledge of warfare and talent as a tactician. Unlike his sister, Bo wasn't a fighter, but he was still the brains behind Wang Yan's successful military career. This man was his best friend and right-hand man.
Finally, at the center was a seven-foot-tall monstrosity who was a die-hard fan of Wang Yan's father, Wang Chong. To show this, Jiju had never shaved his beard or cut his hair since he came into the Wang family. He was Yan's greatest spear, a simple-minded man who spoke little. Jiju was a circus freak Wang Yan had taken interest in due to his incredible strength. Under rigorous training, he had been molded into one of the most powerful fighters in the central plains, more renowned than Wang Yan himself, yet he never tried to outshine his master and chose to stay by his side as a loyal servant for the rest of his life.
Wang Yan's impression of these three was extremely high; that was why their actions didn't bother him. In fact, he was more interested in Mei…
'Girls back home don't come like this,' Sol inwardly sighed, though he maintained a calm exterior.
As a weird seventeen-year-old, he had never experienced the warmth of a woman. In fact, he felt uncomfortable around them because of his abusive mother. If he was going to give someone his first experience, shouldn't it be with someone as pretty as Ye Mei?
'Fuck it, even if I die in this test, I won't die a virgin!' Sol's resolve steeled.
He would be leaving tonight, so he had the entire day to get Mei, and this time, he wasn't going to waste it.
"So, when are we getting the full story of how and why you shaved your head?" Ye Bo struggled to speak with a straight face, while Mei and Jiju were already giggling, threatening to burst out laughing at any moment.
Rolling his eyes, Sol shared the plan, and within seconds, the jovial mood turned stern and cold. No one smiled, no one joked; they simply listened silently until he finished speaking.
"YOU MUST NOT CARRY OUT THIS PLAN, YOUNG MASTER!" Ye Bo rejected it immediately.
"Don't go," Jiju pleaded. His words lacked weight as usual, but Sol was already used to that.
"Lord Yao will definitely strike if given this opportunity. You must not throw your life away for this war!" Ye Mei protested.
To their concern, Sol casually waved it off and chuckled. Under their worried gazes, he picked up his cup and swallowed a mouthful of wine. His eyes shut tight, and a small smile spread across his lips.
'God, I'm from the future, and the people in the past are living a much better life. Mom, Dad, I hope I meet you in my next life so I can kill you again. You deprived me of far too much to be forgiven in one lifetime,' Sol cursed silently.
"Don't worry. I wouldn't go there if I wasn't confident in succeeding," Sol said with a confident smile.
No one knew better than him what this body was capable of. What Wang Yan lacked was mind and ruthlessness. Now that he possessed both body and mind, how could he lose to a cross-dresser minister?
In his world, Yao Gong would be in prison unless he was an ascendant; only then would the government overlook it. Earth 5580 was based on World War I-era America, where homosexuality was illegal at the time.
"Instead of whining, why don't you help me set up my plans? I can't go around looking like this," Sol said to Ye Bo.
Ye Bo, Ye Mei, and Jiju watched Wang Yan in astonishment. In terms of mannerisms and the way he spoke, Yan was a different person now. There were still traces of his old self in his actions, gestures, and words, but they were faint, completely overshadowed by something they couldn't recognize. Their lord had changed completely. He was never the type to come up with plots; he left such things to Ye Bo. Yet now, he was creating elaborate plans on his own.
"Brother…" Ye Bo hesitated. "You are acting a bit unusual today. Are you running a fever?"
The room fell silent after those words left Ye Bo's mouth, and he immediately realized his mistake. Without holding back, he fell to one knee with his fists cupped and pleaded, "Forgive this ignorant servant for speaking out of line!"
"I APOLOGIZE ON MY BROTHER'S BEHALF!" Ye Mei fell to her knees as well.
Sol observed them silently before shifting his attention to Jiju. The barbarian stared at him intently, without restraint. This didn't surprise Sol. If these people didn't notice a change, how could they be Wang Yan's friends? At a time like this, when anyone else would panic, he was calm and even slightly amused. He didn't see this as a problem, but as an opportunity to regain their trust and hopefully score a point in Mei's good book.
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm fine. In fact, I would say I feel much better," Sol said, wearing a distant gaze and a small smile.
"I didn't do this to gain merit or to impress His Majesty. I did it because I felt like doing it. I did it because I'm curious about Shi Ming. I want to know what kind of man the great monk is, the one who single-handedly held back an army of fifty thousand."
Sol's distant gaze sharpened, his voice turning passionate and heavy. His words carried weight because they were half true. Every sacrifice he made to get here was for the sake of his freedom—the freedom to live and act as he wished.
"Am I wrong for following my heart?" Sol's voice cracked, and so did the hearts of his subordinates.
Seeing their reserved commander finally pouring out his passion, Ye Bo, Ye Mei, and Jiju were moved beyond words. They had served Yan since he was little, and they felt deeply ashamed that they had never once noticed his true heart's desire. How could they consider themselves loyal subordinates?
"FORGIVE THIS IGNORANT SERVANT FOR NOT NOTICING YOUR PAINS!" the trio shouted in unison.
With their heads bowed, Sol had no reason to keep up his façade. His sorrowful expression slowly emptied as he watched them bare their hearts. Through Wang Yan's memories, he had come to understand a world where loyalty meant everything. In just a few decades of life, Wang Yan had seen people die for their masters, and on several occasions, he had watched his subordinates sacrifice themselves for him. This outcome was within Sol's expectations. Though he considered these three friends, their relationship was no different from that between servants and lords—except both sides held each other's best interests at heart, forming a beautiful bond he couldn't help but envy.
'They don't build humans like this in my world,' Sol sighed.
He doubted he would ever be able to form such a bond back home.
"Then repent for your mistake by carrying out my order. Prepare twenty-five of our best horses. Keep them fed and saddled for tonight!" he ordered.
"Yes, yes, my lord!" they chorused.
Under his gaze, all three rose to their feet and left the tent, except for Mei, whom he asked to stay behind.
"Is there a problem?" Ye Mei asked, her eyes still burning with emotion from Sol's earlier speech.
It hurt her deeply—how could she claim to love him when she had failed to notice his pain?
Sol swallowed hard, shut his eyes, and inhaled deeply.
Huff.
Exhaling loudly, he rose to his feet and said, "I want to start living a life of purpose. One worth living…"
As he spoke, he walked around the table and approached her. Mei was confused, her heart pounding as her thoughts raced. Within seconds, Sol stood before her, looking into her eyes. Gently, he placed his hands on her shoulders and said—
"I can't see such a life without you."
Buzz.
Mei's breath caught, her heart skipping a beat as she grabbed Sol's collar and pulled him in, her warm lips pressing against his. She held his face tightly, her tongue wreaking havoc in his mouth.
Now that Wang Yan had taken the initiative to confess, she wouldn't hesitate to make him hers before they returned to the capital, where Princess Yu would be waiting. She hadn't fought back then because it had been Wang Yan's choice. Now that Yan had chosen her, she was willing to go to any length to keep him.