Shadow Snake nodded slightly, looking around, her voice a bit lighter than usual: "Thank you."

Just two words, but they carried a softness that had never been there before.

Tie Dun scratched his head, looking incredulous: "You actually know how to smile? I thought you only had that one expression on your face."

Shadow Snake glanced at him, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly. She didn't speak, but her eyes held a hint of playful mockery.

Tie Dun was stunned by her look. He shrank his neck and muttered, "Fine, better not smile then. It's even scarier when you do..."

Lin Feng waited for the laughter to die down before continuing, "One more thing. Don't call her Shadow Snake anymore. Use her real name, Jiang Yelan. Or Ye Lan, either is fine."

"Jiang Yelan..." Zhao Hu repeated it once and nodded. "A good name."

Tie Dun scratched his head: "Ye Lan? Which 'Lan'?"

"The 'Lan' in 'waves'," Jiang Yelan said calmly.

Tie Dun gave a cheeky grin: "Sister Ye Lan, please look out for me from now on."

Jiang Yelan looked at him, her lips curling slightly: "Make sure you can hold your shield steady first."

Tie Dun was taken aback, then grinned broadly: "Understood! Since Sister Ye Lan has spoken, I'll go back and practice hard!"

Wang Wu and Arrow Eye also offered their congratulations, while A Wang and Scarface Liu came over to say a few words.

Jiang Yelan responded to each of them. She spoke much more than usual; though still brief, every word carried a sense of warmth.

Lin Feng sat in the main seat, watching this scene, a smile slowly tugging at his lips.

Zhao Hu was steady and reliable; with him around, the team wouldn't fall into chaos. Tie Dun might be reckless, but he never flinched when charging into battle.

As for Jiang Yelan, she was the blade hidden in the shadows, the spike driven into the enemy's heart.

Lin Feng pulled back his thoughts and raised a hand to signal for silence.

"Alright, let's get down to business."

Everyone immediately straightened up, and the Council Hall returned to silence.

Lin Feng looked at Su Yurou: "Yu Rou, after changing class to Yellow Turban Ritualist, what skills do you have?"

Su Yurou stood up, her face filled with uncontrollable excitement.

"There are two main skills." Her voice was faster than usual, tinged with joy. "The first is Blessing of All Living Beings. It consumes one hundred mana to apply a status to one hundred allies, lasting for thirty minutes.

The effect is that when the blessed person's health drops below one hundred points and they aren't killed in a single blow, it immediately triggers recovery, restoring health based on my intelligence bonus. The same target can trigger this at most once every two minutes."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Tie Dun swallowed hard: "So you're saying the people with the blessing basically get an extra life?"

"It's not an extra life," Zhao Hu corrected him, though his voice was also tight. "It's automatic healing when at low health. If coordinated well, one °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° person could trigger it several times."

Lin Feng nodded. He knew all too well how annoying this skill was.

Yesterday at the stronghold, how many times had those Yellow Turban Army soldiers been saved by this skill?

What should have been a one-shot kill often required two or three extra hits.

If not for his speed and agility, he would have been worn down long ago.

"And the second one?" he asked.

Su Yurou took a deep breath, the smile on her face deepening: "The second one is called Misfortune Transfer.

It has a sixty-second cooldown and can transfer the damage taken by one friendly unit to another friendly unit."

The hall fell silent once more.

Zhao Hu's brow furrowed: "Transfer to another ally? Then the person it's transferred to..."

"That's why I need to make a judgment," Su Yurou took over, her expression becoming serious. "Who should bear the damage, and who can bear the damage.

Used well, it can save key people. Used poorly, it could mean killing someone else."

Lin Feng looked at her, a flash of approval in his eyes. She hadn't let the power of the skill go to her head; instead, she immediately thought of the responsibility and consequences. This was exactly the kind of person he needed.

"Good." He nodded. "Blessing of All Living Beings combined with Misfortune Transfer—these two skills will at least double our team's survivability."

Everyone nodded, their faces filled with excitement. Tie Dun laughed even louder: "From now on, I'll charge at the front. With Sister Yu Rou backing me up, who could even scratch me?"

There was another round of laughter.

Lin Feng waited for the laughter to subside, his expression turning serious.

"Alright. There's one more thing."

He stood up and walked to the map hanging on the wall. It was a map of the Canglang Plain and its surrounding areas, marked with Beacon Fire Town, Qingmu County, Heiyan Town, and Hupan Village.

"You all saw the Blood Moon last night." His voice wasn't loud, but it made everyone's heart sink.

The hall went quiet. No one spoke, but everyone's face turned grave. That Blood Moon was no illusion.

"I don't know what it means," Lin Feng continued, "but I'm uneasy.

Coupled with our first cooperation with the Crescent Moon Territory, we need to make preparations in advance, just in case."

He turned to face the group.

"Next, I will recruit another hundred professional soldiers."

Lin Feng looked at Jiang Yelan again: "Ye Lan, the Nightmare Tide is in ten days. Once you reach level 19, don't rush to change classes yet."

Jiang Yelan nodded slightly, listening intently.

"Take one hundred Infantry and thirty Crossbowmen to defend Heiyan Town."

A flash of surprise crossed Jiang Yelan's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. She nodded: "Yes."

Lin Feng then looked at Meng Yi: "Meng Yi, you take Bai Yi and the other six Centurions, along with Zhao Hu, Su Yurou, Wang Wu, Arrow Eye, A Wang, and Scarface Liu. Take two hundred Infantry and forty Crossbowmen to Qingmu County."

Meng Yi cupped his fists: "Understood."

Zhao Hu and the others also responded in unison.

Lin Feng continued: "As for Hupan Village, send fifty Infantry there. The remaining forces will stay to defend Beacon Fire Town."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone: "For the next ten days, you are free to arrange your own schedules.

Those who need to train, continue training. Those who need to rest, rest well. In ten days, I want to see everyone ready."

Everyone responded in unison.

Lin Feng nodded: "Meeting adjourned."

Everyone stood up. Zhao Hu and Meng Yi huddled together, discussing something in low voices.

A Wang and Scarface Liu followed behind Su Yurou like two silent bodyguards.

Su Yurou walked up to Jiang Yelan and said something with a smile.

Jiang Yelan's lips curled slightly as she replied.

The two walked out of the hall side by side, the sunlight falling on them, their shadows overlapping.

Lin Feng stood before the map, watching the others disperse.

Ten days later, the Nightmare Tide.

He would show everyone the power of Beacon Fire Town.