Episode 4: The King's Orders

Mengmeng was arranged to live alongside the queen. She spent her days wandering around the palace with the queen. The palace was adorned with exquisite carvings and luxurious decorations. There were also many gardens in the palace, complete with streams and lakes. The queen enjoyed admiring flowers, drinking tea, reading books, and dancing. Sometimes Mengmeng would even fly and dance with the palace orchestra, making the queen burst into laughter. Although she spent her days indulging in food and entertainment, Mengmeng's thoughts were with her parents. She imagined how her parents had never seen such a beautiful house, with so much delicious food and fun. It would be great if she could bring her parents here. However, it seemed that the queen had forgotten about Mengmeng's concerns.

One day, "General Wu," who had been fighting at the border, returned on horseback to report on the situation in the northwest. "General Wu" was the queen's nephew and one of the major generals who accompanied the king in battle. He said, "The king is in a very precarious situation. The "Rare Country" has colluded with rebellious forces within the border, and they are secretly bribing people around the king through these forces. It is said that the enemy knows about every battle plan the king comes up with in advance. Several major battles have ended in defeat, and the king is on the verge of collapse. However, if he were to retreat, it would be a great loss of face. Moreover, the loss of many elite troops has already occurred. If he retreats now, it will only accelerate the enemy's aggression, and there will be no peace in the future. Negotiating for peace is no use either, as the enemy demands outrageous terms, angering the king even more. He insists on defeating them. The biggest challenge now is not identifying the traitor but the fact that the enemy is occupying advantageous positions, shooting arrows at our soldiers from high mountain peaks. Our soldiers cannot climb up the mountains, and there is nowhere to hide in the northwest desert."

While massaging the queen's shoulders, Mengmeng replied, "Let me go, I have a way to make the enemy surrender."

The queen, surprised, said, "Mengmeng, what can you do? You're so small, and even though you can fly, it's still dangerous on the battlefield."

General Wu, however, excitedly said, "I have heard about the strange girl in our country who can fly. Today is the first time I have seen her in person, truly an honor." General Wu then bowed respectfully to Mengmeng. He went on to say, "In fact, all we need is someone to fly up to that mountain peak and set a fire. The northwest desert is dry and hot all year round, and all of the enemy's troops and supplies are concentrated on the mountain. If we can set fire to their supplies, they will surely panic and flee. In the desert, they would be like a tiger without claws, and even if they don't run away, they will starve to death.""Oh!" the queen said thoughtfully, and then she looked at Mengmeng with a smile. "Mengmeng, do you really have a plan to deal with the enemy? Have you thought it through?"

Mengmeng nodded and said seriously, "I will do my best to assist the king and General Wu in completing the mission. Although I may look small, I'm already 17 years old this year. I understand what it means to go to the battlefield and will be extremely cautious."

The queen said happily, "I'll be waiting for your good news. When you return from a victorious battle, I will immediately ask the king to receive your parents into the palace and allow them to live with you. And I will also grant you an official title. I hope you won't disappoint."

Mengmeng thanked the queen excitedly. She quickly packed her bags and hurried to the northwest desert with General Wu. Because Mengmeng could fly, she arrived at the military camp ahead of time. The king had already received news and knew that Mengmeng was coming. He quickly sent someone to welcome Mengmeng at the entrance of the desert town. Mengmeng saw the king and he appeared dignified. Mengmeng respectfully bowed to the king. The king carefully looked at Mengmeng and kindly said, "Please have a seat!"

The king smiled and said, "I heard that you can fly thousands of miles high. Is that true?"

Mengmeng immediately flew around the room and happily said, "Flying for me is as convenient as walking for everyone else, so of course it's true. I believe I can fly even higher, but there's no need for that."

The king laughed heartily after hearing this. He brought out a map and called the generals and Mengmeng to study the military situation together.

When the night was dark and the wind was high, the enemy, having relaxed their vigilance after consecutive victories, soldiers on the city wall were dozing off. Mengmeng had quietly flown up to the city wall. Following the instructions on the map, she quickly found the storage area for supplies. However, there were many soldiers guarding the warehouse. Mengmeng hid in a corner and observed the situation. She noticed a small window behind the warehouse that was just big enough for her to enter. Just 100 meters further in, there was a pile of supplies. She took out her magic wand, flew quickly to a bonfire near a city wall, ignited the magic wand, and chanted, "Hulalala, Hulalala, magic magic, make sure my plan to burn the supplies succeeds."

When Mengmeng flew into the small window and ignited the supplies, the dry and hot climate caused the supplies to burn rapidly. The soldiers panicked immediately. Mengmeng was afraid that everyone would hurry to put out the fire, so she flew up and shouted, "I am the 'Desert Deity.' Today, I'm here to exterminate you." After saying that, Mengmeng quickly spread the fire using her magic wand. The soldiers had already picked up their arrows, preparing to shoot at Mengmeng. Mengmeng quickly flew out of the window, narrowly escaping an arrow. She ascended vertically, realizing that her wings had infinite power. By the time the enemy understood what was happening, their supplies had already been consumed by the raging fire, and everyone was panicking and fleeing for their lives.

The king, considering the risk of casualties during a night pursuit and the exhaustion of his soldiers after continuous battles, decided not to pursue further.

The next day, the enemy sent people to negotiate peace and signed an agreement to never invade the border again. The king returned to the palace in a majestic manner. During the court meeting, in front of all the officials, the king praised Mengmeng greatly. He wanted to appoint Mengmeng as the "Grand General of the Kingdom." The king also said, "The queen mentioned that your parents have been ill for a long time. If you are willing to stay in the palace and serve the country, I will immediately send someone to bring your parents into the palace to live with you. I will also grant you an official title. I hope you will fulfill your mission."

Mengmeng was extremely happy and quickly expressed her gratitude. However, she said, "I don't want to be a Grand General of the Kingdom. I just want to be with my parents and the queen and king. If there is anything I can do, please just give me the order. After all, I am still young and have much to learn from everyone. I will be extremely grateful if you bring our parents here."

After hearing Mengmeng's words, the king burst into laughter. The officials also applauded.

However, Mengmeng's parents were still hiding in the deep mountains, never leaving their home. At the slightest movement or sound, they would be filled with fear and anxiety. Officer Ma and his men had long been searching for Mengmeng to no avail. Now filled with frustration and anger, he vowed to capture Mengmeng's parents as an outlet for his anger. However, when news of the victory spread throughout the beautiful town and everyone began to cheer, Officer Ma trembled in fear. He knew that the king would send people to take away Mengmeng's parents. After all, Officer Ma had locked Mengmeng and her family in prison. He was certain that the king would hold him accountable. What could he do then?

Thinking that it would be better to take matters into his own hands rather than wait for the king's orders to execute him, Officer Ma decided that he must capture Mengmeng's parents. Once Mengmeng came to save them, he could use them as leverage. If necessary, he could even eliminate Mengmeng's family. In short, Officer Ma didn't want to suffer any loss because of Mengmeng's affair.

Can Mengmeng successfully reunite with her parents? Find out in the next episode.