Chapter 165: An illusion! It must be an illusion!

He Yun fell silent. If Lin Xiao had simply told him this himself, he certainly would not have believed it.

He even suspected he would have marched right over and slapped him across the face.

Yet now the facts were laid out right before him, and even if he was unwilling to admit it, he had no choice but to accept reality.

The only reason he had invited Lin Xiao to join the military in the first place was out of respect for Shano.

How could anyone who was capable of making Shano hand over a Spirit-Infused Bomb possibly be an ordinary person?

Yet now he felt he might have severely underestimated Lin Xiao. Putting everything else aside, the few individuals he had just laid eyes on were all legendary figures within the military—every single one of them was someone he had to look up to.

And yet, all of those people stood on equal footing with Lin Xiao.

What kind of death wish must he have had to actually expect Lin Xiao to call him "Uncle"?

Fortunately, Lin Xiao had directly cleared the air.

Just the thought of Lin Xiao actually accepting that title made him break out in a cold sweat. If those older uncles and superiors ever found out later, they probably would have marched straight over and paddled his backside.

The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed!

He had originally thought he was already overestimating Lin Xiao, but now it was clear that his imagination fell far short.

A young man valued so highly by so many veteran commanders could not possibly be ordinary—even a fool could figure that much out.

At this thought, a smile quickly bloomed across He Yun's face.

"Little Uncle, it seems I was blind and failed to recognize Mount Tai."

Lin Xiao gave He Yun a somewhat surprised look. Bringing up Shano initially was only meant to clear up any unnecessary misunderstandings.

He hadn't genuinely expected He Yun to call him "Little Uncle."

After all, the man was his superior officer. He hadn't anticipated that He Yun would be willing to cast his pride aside to this extent, starting to address him as "Little Uncle" before he had even said anything.

True to form, anyone who could climb to such a high position at this age was certainly no mediocrity.

At the very least, his skin was truly thick enough.

He rolled out that "Little Uncle" address with such natural ease.

"You're too polite, Commander. I had no other choice. If I had actually agreed to let you be my uncle, you should know what the consequences would be."

"Little Uncle, please don't say that! How could I fail to understand your good intentions? Since there are no outsiders here, stop calling me Commander—I can't bear it."

After declining a few times, Lin Xiao ultimately couldn't wear down He Yun's persistence and could only reluctantly agree.

He only agreed on the condition that He Yun maintained his dignity and address when outsiders were present.

Lin Xiao also found himself in a bit of a dilemma, unsure of how he ought to address He Yun.

If he called him Commander, He Yun stubbornly refused to accept it.

And "Big Nephew" was simply something he couldn't bring himself to say aloud.

He Yun was still perceptive enough to instantly grasp Lin Xiao's hesitation.

"Little Uncle, whenever we're alone, just call me Little He."

Lin Xiao sighed inwardly, realizing this was the only way.

Ah!

Sometimes having a high seniority really felt quite wonderful.

Hehehe!

"Little He, let's skip the useless pleasantries. Tell me, what was the real reason you had me summoned here this time?"

Truth be told, the feeling was actually quite exhilarating!

"Well, mostly I just wanted to meet my Little Uncle. Ever since I heard about your exploits from Zi Shu, I've had this desire."

"Cut the nonsense and get to the point."

"Little Uncle is truly as discerning as ever; I knew I couldn't pull the wool over your eyes. Originally, I just intended to give you an empty nominal title, but then I thought better of it, realizing that would be an utter waste. So, I pulled a few strings and assigned some people to your command. Of course, I didn't mean anything by it—I just thought that whenever Little Uncle has some free time, you could come over and whip these brats into shape. If you're truly too busy, I certainly won't force you."

Lin Xiao couldn't help rolling his eyes. He finally understood what was going on.

He Yun was trying to trick him.

When roping him into the camp, the man had painted a pretty picture, saying he could come and go as he pleased, and that it didn't matter if he didn't show up at all.

Yet was that really the case?

Even though He Yun phrased it tactfully, Lin Xiao still read between the lines.

The man had already dug a pit for him long ago. Once he gradually grew accustomed to this place, extricating himself later wouldn't be so easy.

"I say, Little He, that wasn't very honorable of you!"

"Little Uncle, you must understand my difficult position. For a talent like yours, employing some unorthodox methods is necessary. Of course, now that I know your true background, I certainly wouldn't treat you like that anymore."

Lin Xiao didn't even know what to say. Compared to these crafty old veterans, he still had a lot to learn.

Fortunately, his backing was solid enough; otherwise, he might really have been taken for a ride by He Yun.

"Alright, since we're already here, let's go take a look."

A smile immediately bloomed on He Yun's face. What he feared most was Lin Xiao treating this as a mere nominal post.

Now that Lin Xiao had agreed, things would be much easier to handle.

As long as Lin Xiao was willing to mentor those fellows under his command, everything was fine.

Suddenly, he felt that having such a Little Uncle might not be a bad thing after all.

Before stepping outside, Lin Xiao altered his appearance once again.

Although He Yun knew his true identity, the others did not.

He had no desire to let Zi Shu and the others learn his real identity right now. After all, he still had to deal with Luo Yao in the future. If someone accidentally leaked who he was, his future trips to the mystic realms might not be quite so peaceful.

Seeing Lin Xiao change his visage in the blink of an eye, He Yun felt another wave of amazement.

If his own soldiers could learn tricks like this, carrying out missions would become infinitely more convenient.

Lin Xiao easily guessed what He Yun was thinking.

"Don't get any wild ideas; this sort of thing depends heavily on talent. I can teach them some basic disguise techniques, and that should be more than enough for their needs. Also, keep my identity strictly confidential—especially from Zi Shu and the others."

"Rest assured, my lips are sealed."

When the two stepped out of the barracks, they found Zi Shu still waiting outside.

Seeing them emerge, Zi Shu immediately hurried forward.

"Commander, Hai Zhu, have you finished your talk?"

He Yun and Lin Xiao had already agreed that whenever outsiders were present, He Yun's dignity had to be maintained.

"Ah, Zi Shu, we're done talking. Li... Hai Zhu is planning to go inspect his troops, and I'd like to tag along. Come with us."

He Yun had almost slipped up and blurted out "Little Uncle," but managed to slam on the brakes just in time.

Zi Shu gave He Yun a rather perplexed look.

What has gotten into the Commander?

Why does he feel a bit strange?

And what on earth is "Little Hai Zhu"?

Lin Xiao paid no mind to what either of them was thinking.

"Big Brother Zi Shu, you know the way around here, so lead the Commander and me over. I'd like to see just how capable my soldiers really are."

Hearing Lin Xiao address Zi Shu as "Big Brother," He Yun felt his stomach churn.

Damn it! What rank are you, Zi Shu?

I have to call this man Little Uncle, yet you actually had the nerve to let him call you Big Brother?

It seemed he would have to find an opportunity to make things difficult for him.

Otherwise, he would never get over this mental hurdle!

Zi Shu didn't sense anything amiss, merely casting another puzzled glance at He Yun.

What is going on here?

Why does it feel like the Commander's gaze carries a hint of murderous intent?

I didn't do anything wrong, did I?

And why do the Commander and Hai Zhu's interactions feel so weird?

How should he put it? The Commander seemed to be acting remarkably cautious.

It was almost as if he held a trace of reverence toward Hai Zhu.

An illusion! It had to be an illusion!

He must be overthinking things.