Qinfeng lay on a large stone, chewing on a stem of grass, murmuring to himself, "The Lady Inspector, the beautiful lady, has finally won." "Of course I've won," Qingya's voice chimed in. He immediately sat up, looking at her with a cheerful smile and said, "Well, that's just speculation. Since it's a battle, either you win or you lose—there's really only those two outcomes." "What do you hope for then?" the lady blinked her large eyes. He spoke with conviction, "I'd certainly like you to lose—then I'd feel better. But, after all, the Magian chieftain is both my enemy and my rival. So, considering all that, I still hope you win. From your expression, though—I can't quite put it into words..." As he spoke, he trailed off. If Qingya had won, why didn't she have a single smile on her face? Could it be that she'd lost? If so, how could she have returned unscathed, especially when she didn't possess a tool like Xiao Ding, who could enable swift escape? No, when she left, she was wearing a golden-yellow imperial robe—now she's in a pale purple one, and her hairstyle has changed too. The more details he notices, the more uneasy he feels. Has he really lost? The beautiful监察使's face darkened. "Qin, if you dare say I've lost, we'll never finish this." "I haven't said that yet," he quickly clarified, but then added, "Yet I still can't see how you've won—what's the reason for that?" The woman's expression grew even more subdued. "I'd like to correct one thing you said earlier. You mentioned that a fight usually ends in one of two outcomes—either a win or a loss. Actually, what I meant to say is that there's a third possibility." Qin was taken aback. "A third outcome? How could that be possible?" "Qingya arched an eyebrow: 'How could it be impossible? We simply can't settle for a draw—after all, I fought that man for three hundred rounds. At first, I held a complete advantage, but then he turned the tide. Later, I regained the upper hand, and eventually, we ended up in a balanced contest. That's when I returned.' He looked at her with a look of disbelief, thinking that, given her nature, she would never leave without a clear winner. 'Don't you believe me?' she said, adopting a serious expression—she'd be ready to give him a good punch if he still doubted it. Qin Shao quickly nodded: 'I believe you, absolutely. How could I not? Though we didn't secure a decisive victory, you certainly didn't lose either—your efforts were truly commendable. Shall we take some pills?' Originally, Qingya had intended to shake her head, but upon seeing the small bottle he produced, she found herself nodding instead. After all, who could resist such excellent medicine? The ingredients were all rare, first-rate herbs—something few people could ignore." He handed over the bottle and added, "I suggest you go rest in the small pavilion—it will help you recover faster." Qingya suddenly stepped back, her face full of alertness, eyes narrowed. "You must have some hidden plan, don't you? I can easily enter, but I'm not sure I'll find it easy to get out." "Uh." Kindness treated as something far less than it was, Qin Shao shrugged, spread his hands out, and made a helpless gesture. The idea of not winning or losing, in truth, was simply her making herself look good—changing clothes and hairstyle, and now you're daring to claim you haven't been hit at all. Well, everyone values their dignity. Who else is as straightforward as Qin Shao? He simply admits defeat when he loses, with nothing to hide. The beautiful Commissioner chose a nearby stone, swallowed several pills, and began to meditate. Qin Shao, on the other hand, simply flew straight into the small pavilion. Though Qingya refused several times, she kept insisting whenever her mind suddenly changed—mainly because she wanted to check things out, otherwise the lotus would be exposed. Three young women were diligently refining their abilities, absorbing energy from the lotus blooms and making rapid progress. …… The Plenary Session of the Central Military Commission of the Chinese State. Wei Qingtian sat in the main seat, flanked on both sides by three military magnates of similar age. Today’s topic was how to extend aid to other nations. Someone proposed to embody Mao Zedong’s spirit of selfless dedication, offering unconditional assistance to countries currently suffering severe hardships, and helping them drive out the demonic forces. Others argued that there is no such thing as a free lunch—despite the United States’ military aid during World War II, which was provided under a lend-lease arrangement, repayment was expected afterward. Of course, there were exceptions. For instance, the Chairman received substantial military assistance, yet ultimately lost his throne—what could he repay it with? Thus, that aid became the meat in a soup that served as a dog’s meal. After listening to everyone's remarks, the elder said, "We cannot offer unconditional assistance. After all, those weapons are the hard-won achievements of our national military engineers—giving them away absolutely isn't an option. Even if we sell them, we must secure agreements stipulating that no one may replicate them without our explicit permission." One of the senior figures remarked, "That seems unfair, especially now that we're in a crisis and our production capacity is limited. For the sake of humanity's future, I believe we can be flexible on replication—meaning we don't strictly prohibit it, even if we don't formally endorse it. What do you think?" The elder scoffed, "Absolutely not. Any country receiving new weapons must clearly state this in writing in their contracts. It's true that our current adversaries are the magical races, but once we defeat them, who can guarantee that those very same nations won't turn around and target us next?" Several of the senior figures nodded in agreement with his viewpoint. Wei Qingtian signed the meeting minutes first, then said, "Issue orders to all major defense enterprises to accelerate the production of new weapons and to carry out upgrades without delay." At once, China became a top priority for countries around the world, all of whom leveraged their networks and connections with one goal in mind: increasing their orders. Among these, the leading powers—led by the United States and the United Kingdom—along with several well-funded Middle Eastern nations were particularly active. The Americans stated that they have always championed world peace, even though no magical races had yet appeared on their soil. Nevertheless, it was essential to equip the largest number of new weapons—both to preempt a potential magical invasion and to support allied nations abroad. They not only presented this rationale openly but also promoted it with great visibility. For this reason, Wei Qingtian slammed his desk: "You're so capable—why are you still focusing on our weapons? Just go straight and attack the magical race instead. Drop all negotiations with nations where the war hasn't spread yet. If you want our weapons, go seek them from the magical race. As long as they cause trouble in your countries, we will absolutely sell you our weapons. And as for the countries that previously maintained strict weapon embargoes on China—even if the magical race emerges, they must wait until the very end of the queue." The U.S. ambassador was completely stunned. For decades, the Americans had consistently championed their unwavering support for the weapon embargo on China.