[Fantasy] My World (Complete) - Chapter 32

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Chapter Two: The Miao People's Plight
- Money Makes the World Go Round. The five beautiful Miao girls arrived faster than I expected. I had only glanced at the Privy Council's intelligence report on Guihai City for a short while when they knocked and entered. Only five girls dressed in traditional Miao attire entered the detached house. In the hot southern weather, even in the first month of the lunar calendar, girls still wore silk clothes. These five beauties were even more scantily clad; besides their silver-adorned headdresses, they wore only tight-fitting, moon-white undergarments that not only outlined their curvaceous figures but also allowed me a clear view of the various colored bodices beneath.
Upon closer inspection, these five Miao girls were truly beautiful. Petite and with delicate, arched eyebrows and rosy cheeks, they were charming and alluring. Their large, bright eyes blinked, displaying a captivating allure.
Their skin wasn't snow-white but rather had a healthy rosy hue, a result of their life living in the mountains and frequently running and playing.
Beside the five Miao beauties' virginity marks, like Si Xiqiong, were various insect tattoos, looking strange yet alluring.
It's said that Miao women are passionate, but that passion only manifests when they love someone. Towards me, the man about to buy their virginity, these five beauties felt no affection whatsoever, only a touch of shyness, but mostly helplessness and sorrow. "Sir, we are here to serve you..." The
lead Miao girl, slightly older but no more than sixteen, stepped forward and gave a slight bow. As she bent slightly, her large breasts trembled within her bodice, stirring the heart. "Do you know how to massage?"
I asked, not rising from my seat, but observing them with interest.
"Yes!"
Without hesitation, the beauties answered in unison in low voices.
"Alright, take off your clothes and wait inside,"
I said, pointing to the passageway beside me.
The women exchanged glances, and the young beauty at the head of the group gritted her teeth and said, "Sir, I believe Mr. Wu has already told you about our situation."
"Yes."
"We...we need a lot of money, can you give it to us?"
the young beauty asked, her eyes fixed on me.
"Of course, otherwise why would I have called you here?" I smiled slightly. "What, you want money now?"
Brothel rules dictate that payment is only made to customers the next morning; prepayment is unheard of. Anyone who says that will offend someone, and no one will dare patronize the brothel again. I was teasing them as I spoke.
To my surprise, all five of them nodded in unison, "Yes."
I asked them, bewildered, "Don't you know the rules? We only pay afterward."
"No..."
the pretty girl said softly but firmly, "This is our first time. We need to get paid first before you can have us."
"But what if you take the money and then knock me unconscious and run away?"
"Absolutely not! We Miao girls always value our word, unlike you cunning people outside."
The pretty girl laughed sadly, "Don't worry, as long as you pay, we'll do whatever you want tonight... even... even if you want to touch my anus... that's fine too..."
Because these girls from other ethnic groups don't have many old scholars to teach them, they are very open about sex. As long as it's their beloved lover, they'll do whatever he wants. Not just their vaginas, but countless girls bravely offer their mouths and anuses as well, because this is how they show their love for their lovers. But there's a prerequisite: both parties must be in love. Now that they could say anything without any shame, one could imagine their determination to sacrifice everything to raise money. I immediately realized that I couldn't discuss this matter with them anymore. Otherwise, if they saw Si Xiqiong later, these little girls might secretly complain that the Holy Maiden's man was too lustful, not only wanting to possess all five of us but also taking over our beautiful backs... That would be terrible.
So, instead of jokingly asking them how much they wanted, I said directly, "Ahem, actually you've misunderstood... I'm not here to buy your virginity. I just want you to give me a massage and loosen up my muscles..."
As I spoke, I noticed that the beauties' delicate faces changed drastically. Their shy and sad gazes suddenly turned into fierce and angry expressions.
"What did you say? Say it again!"
The leader of the beauties pointed at me with her slender finger, exuding a dangerous aura, as if she would pounce on me and beat me up if I didn't answer correctly.
Not only her, but the other four beauties had the same expression. Combined with their petite figures, it added a unique kind of excitement. No wonder so many people enjoy the sadomasochistic pleasure of being a Miao ethnic minority girl sex slave—it's truly the thrill of conquering a little firecracker! I quickly waved my hand: "I didn't buy your virginity, I just wanted you to give me a massage, but that doesn't mean I won't pay! Don't get so worked up, okay?"
The beauties finally relaxed, but then they started chattering and attacking me.
"You...aren't we pretty enough?"
"Yeah, compared to the women here, we're much prettier."
"Or rather, is this man no good?"
"Hmm, maybe. He's probably just a pretty face, afraid we'll drain him dry."
The little firecracker was indeed a little firecracker; as soon as she heard I wasn't buying their virginity, she immediately launched into a sarcastic tirade against me. But their vocabulary wasn't as rich as ours, so their insults were always the same few phrases.
I also saw disappointment mixed with a hint of hope in their eyes. Perhaps these girls still hoped I would change my mind and buy their virginity!
"Stop!" I shouted, raising my hands high. "May I ask, ladies, how much do you need?"
"Five thousand gold coins!"
the leading beauty replied without hesitation. "So expensive?"
I exclaimed in surprise. Although they were all exceptionally beautiful, five thousand gold coins per person, just for their virginity, was far too expensive. "It's not that expensive..."
another girl with the most lively eyes quickly said, "There are five of us... whatever you do, we'll cooperate... didn't Sister Ru just say that tonight you can experience a total of fifteen caves? What more do you want..."
"At most, we'll take a loss and accompany you for three days and three nights, okay?" another girl, the shortest, chimed in. But her words were purely malicious, because in their minds, I was already a lustful youth, probably unable to withstand even one round before fainting, how could I possibly do it non-stop for three days and three nights?
However, after they said that, I understood a little: "You mean... five thousand gold coins for five people?"
"Of course... not a single penny less! Not less!"
a little beauty who looked the youngest firmly waved her fist. Oh, I see. The little beauties weren't asking for five thousand gold coins each, but five thousand gold coins in total. One thousand gold coins each to buy their virginity wasn't expensive, but it wasn't cheap either.
Finally, I realized that they were just quoting a random price. Firstly, they were taking advantage of my seemingly honest appearance, and secondly, the five thousand gold coins were probably the total amount of money they needed. Given the current rice shortage in the south, and in such a remote place as Guihai City, one gold coin could only buy about twenty catties of rice, so five thousand gold coins could only buy a maximum of one hundred thousand catties of grain.
I don't know how many people are in their tribe. 100,000 catties of grain seems like a lot, but it's only enough for 10,000 people for half a month. According to the shopkeeper, this disaster won't end in ten days or half a month, and this amount of grain probably won't be enough.
"Here's a silver note for five thousand gold coins."
After thinking for a moment, I took out a
silver note from my pocket and placed it on the table. The most refined and beautiful girl among the five women swiftly grabbed the silver note from the table. The five young beauties huddled together, and if the silver note weren't so small, their five charming faces would almost be pressed against it
. "Hmm, the silver note is real. I've seen this style before."
After some identification, with the girl with the most lively eyes nodding, the beauties happily handed the silver note to the leader. She then carefully folded it, put it in her soft bag, and then securely placed it close to her body. I really wanted to say that leaving them there wasn't very safe. If I, the young master, were to devour you later, would you still be able to receive my favor while fully clothed? However, I wouldn't say anything frivolous to these poor yet respectable little girls, especially after seeing the mixture of joy and sorrow in their eyes.
The proud Miao women, at least half of whom commit suicide after being captured, are willing to sell their most precious possessions for a better life for their people. Such sentiments are something I can't laugh at. Although I, Liu Ri, am not a good person, I know who deserves respect.
"Now that you've paid, sir, let us serve you!" Just then, the lead beauty finished speaking, and five snow-white undergarments fell to the ground. They were only wearing underpants and bodices, their ample breasts and buttocks barely concealed, as if they might burst out at any moment.
These little chili pepper beauties aren't just fiery in personality, they're fiery in figure too! I thought they were well-developed just now, but now I realize that "well-developed" doesn't even begin to describe it—they're absolutely amazing! "Wait, don't be in such a hurry,"
I frowned. "Let's talk for a bit first."
"Giggle..."
The petite, young girl giggled. "You Han people are so strange. You clearly want to fuck us, but you're always so hesitant. Just be straightforward...we're all yours for the next three days!"
Typical Miao girl, so bold.
Actually, she was quite generous; after receiving the money, she didn't go back on her word about only one day, but instead, as she had said, she would stay with me for three days and three nights. Hmm...but given your constitution, you'll probably only be left barely alive after three days and three nights of being fucked by me!
Thinking of this, I smiled and said, "You've misunderstood. I didn't mean that at all. I just want you to give me a massage, and then tell me about your Miao region."
The young girls looked at me with disbelief. "Really?"
"Of course!" I stretched. "Come on, start by massaging my shoulders!" "I'll do it, I'll do it..."
The most refined little beauty ran up and started pounding my back and shoulders with her little fists. She had a good amount of strength, but her technique was a little lacking. Meanwhile, the most lively-eyed beauty massaged my left hand, and the youngest little beauty massaged my right hand, letting me enjoy being served. At the same time, the faint fragrance of the three beauties blended together, wafting around my nose, which smelled very nice.
While vigorously massaging him, the most beautiful girl with the most lively eyes asked coquettishly, "Young Master, are we doing well?"
"Not bad!"
"Look, we're not only beautiful, but also beautiful virgins, and the Miao girls that you Han people love the most. Now, we can also massage you and serve you. Don't you think we're great?"
"Of course."
"Hmm, since that's the case, why don't you buy us... that way you can enjoy us for the rest of your life."
The beautiful girl continued to bewitch him, "We can do any kind of work, boil water, cook, clean. If you like, we can help you have a few chubby sons so that your family business can be passed down for generations."
"Alright, how many gold coins do I need to pay?"
"Not expensive, just 200,000 gold coins."
"Enough for the tribe to eat for several months?"
"Two months... uh!"
200,000 gold coins can buy about 4 million catties of grain. If it can only eat for two months, then their tribe should have about 300,000 people. A Miao tribe with 300,000 people is not small.
And they, from this large tribe, should have news of Si Xiqiong.
I finally got the information I wanted, but the girls' expressions darkened. All six small hands on my body stopped moving, and the three girls retreated back to where they had been standing.
"Who exactly are you?"
The little beauty in the lead looked at me with suspicion. "Why are you trying to find out about us?"
"Just curious."
I shrugged. "My beauties, you can't possibly say that I paid five thousand gold coins and I can't even chat with you, can you?"
"No way!" The shortest beauty shook her head. "You must have ill intentions towards us. You want to capture us, make us lead the way, and then capture our sisters? Dream on!"
"Yes! You dream on!"
The youngest beauty also shouted. "We have Gu on us. If you dare to do that, we'll die with you!"
I laughed when I heard that. Did they think I didn't know anything? The Gu worms on Miao women are usually only used for self-defense. They only transfer to the man during sexual intercourse and are not aggressive under normal circumstances.
Those kinds of Gu worms that can attack enemies should at least belong to the priests of their tribe. How could such young beauties possibly be priests?
Seeing that I wasn't afraid, the beauties were still a little flustered. They slowly gathered together, looking at me warily, but the atmosphere from before was long gone.
"Alright, I'm not playing with you anymore,"
I said calmly. "I never intended to buy your virginity. I just heard you're from Miao territory, so I wanted to ask you about someone."
"Who?"
the leading beauty asked warily.
"Si Xiqiong."
"Ah?"
The beauties' faces changed drastically. The shortest beauty was furious: "You...you really have bad intentions! How dare you make a move on the Holy Maiden...I, I'll fight you to the death..."
With that, she charged forward, baring her teeth and claws, but she didn't manage to hit anyone. Instead, I grabbed her and put her on the table, skillfully pulled off her underpants, revealing her high, plump buttocks, and slapped her a few times. The whole incident, from the moment it happened until I spanked the little beauty, took only a few breaths. By the time she realized what was happening and felt the burning pain on her buttocks, she burst into tears. The four beautiful girls in front of the table suddenly understood and rushed over, screaming, to rescue her.
None of the five beauties knew any martial arts, so their fate was predictable. On the large table in the room, five petite yet voluptuous bodies were laid side by side, all with their buttocks facing upwards, their five white buttocks simultaneously turning a fiery red.
The little firecrackers, their pressure points sealed, were completely unable to move. Filled with shame and anger, their screams, cries of pain, and curses mingled together, all in Miao language, filling the room with a captivating, almost melodious, exotic cadence.
"Ah, let me go..."
"I'm going to kill you, you bastard..."
"Oh, it hurts... ah... stop hitting me..."
"..."
To be honest, whether it's the "Beautiful Girl Sex Slave Group" or my other wives, I always make them lie together like this to appreciate the spectacular beauty. But these five petite and charming Miao girls don't belong to me, and this feeling is mixed with a bit of excitement. I enjoyed their shouts for a while until they realized that shouting was useless and stopped, then I stood in front of them with a smile.
The five little firecracker beauties lying there glared at me hatefully, gritting their teeth and remaining silent. If they could, they would have already cut me into a thousand pieces.
"How dare you look at me like that?"
I pinched the leader of the beauties. "Didn't you say I could do whatever I wanted with you for the next three days? I haven't even slept with you yet, and you're already acting like this just from flirting? You have no professional ethics!"
"Our bodies are yours, but don't ask irrelevant questions!"
The leader of the beauties wanted to raise her head, but couldn't. "Anyone who wants to harm our Miao people will never have a good ending. Remember that!"
"Yes... Ah!"
The most lively-eyed Little Chili was about to agree when suddenly a simple, ancient-looking jade pendant appeared before her, startling her. But in the blink of an eye, she saw the patterns and Miao characters carved on it, and her big eyes widened. "This is:..."
"Still not clear?"
I placed the jade pendants in front of them one by one, causing the beauties to be horrified.
"You, where did you get this jade pendant?"
The leader of the beauties screamed. If I remembered correctly, she had been very elegant before.
"It was given to me by my concubine,"
I said with a smile. "How about it, doesn't it look familiar?"
"Bragging!"
"Bullshit!"
"How could the Holy Maiden be your concubine?"
The women condemned me one after another, their faces full of indignation. I remained unmoved and said, "Whether Si Xiqiong is my concubine or not is not important. What's most important is that I've heard this jade pendant has a special meaning for you Miao people, isn't that right?"
Although the Miao girl is fiery, she is also very straightforward and would never lie through her teeth. The leading beauty hesitated for a moment, then softly replied, "Yes."
"Then, can you answer my question now?"
"Yes..."
Looking at the five beauties practically gritting their teeth, I felt a surge of satisfaction. "Since that's the case, why hasn't anyone answered my question yet?"
"What do you want to know about the Holy Maiden?"
"Tell me everything you know."
"Hmm..."
The girl with the most lively eyes chimed in, "The Holy Maiden lives on Si Xin Cliff and never goes out. We don't know the specifics."
She certainly wasn't making things up, but she definitely wasn't telling the whole story. I didn't expect that the jade token given to me by Si Xiqiong would make them submit; that was clearly unrealistic. After a moment's hesitation, I asked again, "Are you all from the eleventh cave of the Nanhua Mountains?"
The youngest beauty exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? You know quite a lot!" Unless you frequently travel through Miao territory, you wouldn't be very familiar with the distribution of tribes within Miao territory, let alone be able to pinpoint specific information like the Nanhua Mountains and the eleventh cave.
I spread my hands: "I've already told you, I'm Si Xiqiong's man, but you just wouldn't believe me."
"Nonsense!" the refined beauty said indignantly, "Holy Maiden... how could the Holy Maiden have a man? And you, you lecherous devil! How dare you... how dare you insult us like this... you're not a good person at all..."
As the saying goes, it's common for patrons to forget their clients after they've taken their money, but it's not uncommon for prostitutes to forget their clients after taking their money.
At least these five beauties in front of me were like that. Just now they were crying and begging me to buy their virginity, but when I actually did it, they looked reluctant. It seems they were just all talk and no action; they were actually still virgins.
I didn't bother arguing with them: "Even if you don't believe me, this jade pendant should belong to Si Xiqiong, right? Since she gave me this jade pendant, shouldn't you trust me a little and tell me about the situation in the eleventh cave of the Nanhua Mountains? Maybe I can help your Miao people!"
The girls were silent for a moment, then started discussing in a language I couldn't understand. After some arguing, they finally reached a consensus. The first thing the leading beauty said was, "Put us down first before you talk!" "Okay!" I waved my hand, and the pressure points of the five girls were released. Freed, they quickly pulled up their underpants, but I could see their private parts clearly, including the lush green hair of some of the girls.
The Miao girls weren't too particular about Han customs, prioritizing putting on their pants as soon as possible. As for me seeing their private parts, that was unavoidable. Besides, seeing didn't mean I could eat them; it was better than lying there with their bare buttocks exposed, right?
I noticed that the first thing the leading beauty did after putting on her underpants was to touch her chest, where a small pouch held five thousand gold coins. When she found it, her expression relaxed considerably.
Seeing that I made no further move, the five beauties lined up and began to tell me about the difficulties Miao Qiang was facing.
The disaster in Miao territory had actually begun in the latter half of last year. Since September, Miao Qiang, which was usually mild and rainy, hadn't received a single drop of rain, severely impacting the autumn harvest. And that wasn't all. When people had managed to endure until December through their accumulated resources and patience, a sudden and continuous heavy snowfall blocked almost all the roads in the mountains. Flowers, trees, animals, and livestock were all destroyed, completely severing the livelihoods of the Miao people.
The Miao region has always been poor; just managing to get through the autumn was already a struggle. Then
, heavy snow blocked the mountains, forcing each tribe to fight its own battle, desperately trying to buy food to survive the crisis. Some Miao tribes sold their treasured herbs and gold and jade artifacts; others sent their able-bodied men out to work; and many more were forced to send their young women to brothels to sell their bodies for food.
Herbs and gold and jade artifacts were limited, and outside merchants would often set the purchase price at rock-bottom prices and then sell them at exorbitant prices.
Working for the able-bodied was even cheaper; they toiled away, yet the food they brought back wasn't even enough to feed their own families, let alone help others in their tribe.
Therefore, the best way to earn money was still through brothels. Capitalizing on the people's fondness for the Miao girls' fiery personalities, and with brothel owners hesitant to exploit them too much, thousands of Miao girls left the mountains in all directions to earn a living. Guihai City was undoubtedly one of the most important places in the area. The city boasted over thirty brothels, each employing anywhere from ten to several dozen Miao women. The inns outside the city also attracted numerous Miao beauties through their own methods. This led to an unprecedented boom in Guihai City's brothel industry. Almost every enthusiast tried to sample all the Miao beauties in every brothel, with countless men boasting of being "hundred-woman killers." The Miao beauties were indeed alluring, possessing captivating and charming appearances. Furthermore, their deliberate attempts to please, a stark contrast to their previous refusal to cooperate, provided immense pleasure to the many lecherous men, resulting in an increasing number of people becoming obsessed with their bodies.
Because a large amount of grain was transported back to Miaoqiang, these five young beauties, considered top-tier among Miao women, were immediately tempted and secretly ran away, wanting to earn enough rice for the elderly and children of their tribe to survive through their own efforts.

In Chapter Three, the Holy Maiden Appears
, the girls revealed their names.
The leading beauty was named Qianru, the girl with the most lively eyes was Han Dan, the youngest was named Leman, the shortest was Zhu Han, and the quiet beauty was Bai Rong.
They didn't hide the fact that they had run away, and they were the daughters of five chieftains from the eleven villages, their status undeniably noble.
"You... I mean, how will the people of the tribe view these girls after they return?"
I asked hesitantly.
As far as I know, women who come from brothels generally don't have a good ending. Once they grow old and lose their beauty, they are thrown into the cold palace, living like slaves.
This was a wealthy family; normally, ordinary families would never accept prostitutes.
Even if the Miao people were incredibly generous, wouldn't they still have some reservations about these girls who had been "tasted by a thousand men and slept with by ten thousand"? Even though they were doing it for the survival of the tribe.
"Tch, of course we respect them!"
Leman rolled her eyes at me. "We're heroes, you know. When we get back, all the men will be vying to marry us..."
"Huh?"
I was greatly surprised and laughed at the same time.
The Miao people's culture and education were indeed different. Damn, girls like these, even though they weren't virgins anymore, were undoubtedly more precious than those grumpy young ladies from wealthy families!
However, I also remembered something: "When Si Xiqiong returned to Miao territory, didn't she bring back a lot of gold notes? At least a million gold coins. Logically speaking, your eleven villages in the Nanhua Mountains shouldn't need that much money, right?"
Han Dan was surprised to hear this: "Now I'm starting to believe that you know the Holy Maiden. You even know about this."
I sighed slightly: "Little Han Dan, aren't you being silly? That money was a gift I gave her. Besides that, one of my wives also gave her a lot of gold and silver jewelry."
Zhu Han chuckled: "Yes, the Holy Maiden also had quite a lot of gold and silver jewelry, but she sold it all."
Seeing my puzzled expression, Bai Rong felt very satisfied, but couldn't help but sigh: "Alas, it's all our chief village leader Lu Haqi's fault, who is also the Holy Maiden's father! During the drought in September, the Holy Maiden used gold notes to buy a lot of grain and meat from Guihai City. Later, several neighboring tribal alliances found out and came to ask for help."
"The chieftain thought we were all of the same Miao lineage, so he lent them 800,000 gold coins. But unexpectedly, after the drought came a snowstorm. The chieftain didn't leave any emergency funds. Now, asking those tribes to repay is impossible. If the Holy Maiden hadn't sold all the gold and silver jewelry she brought back, we would have collapsed long ago."
I nodded and said, "This is a typical case of sacrificing oneself to benefit others."
The five women were furious upon hearing this, glaring at me angrily and saying fiercely, "Get out..."
These little peppers are really spicy. They were the ones who started cursing Luhaqi, but I couldn't accept expressing the same sentiment. They really have character!
Qianru pursed her lips: "The Holy Maiden originally wanted to go down the mountain again to borrow money from friends, but unfortunately, the High Priest's illness has relapsed in the past few months, and she can't get away at all. Therefore, we decided to make some contributions for the elders and folks of the Eleventh Cave."
"Ah, could it be... that friend of the Holy Maiden is you?"
Leman suddenly jumped up and pointed at me.
"Little Leman, I feel sorry for your slow realization."
I spread my hands. "I already said that."
"Pah..."
The little girl wrinkled her delicate nose in disdain, which warmed my heart. Don't underestimate her because of her age; she's quite edible!
"Actually, the Holy Maiden didn't know we came out this time, or that the other sisters came out before us..."
Just as I was lost in thought, Zhu Han threw out another surprising piece of news.
"She didn't know?"
"That's right!" Han Dan pouted. "Do you think the Holy Maiden, with her compassionate yet rigid personality, would agree... would agree to us doing this kind of thing?"
I thought about it and realized she was right. Miao girls are mostly passionate and fiery, but Si Xiqiong wasn't one of them. Quiet and elegant, she was like a lady from a wealthy family in the capital. If she knew that her people were making money for the tribe through this, she would definitely not agree.
Suddenly realizing what was happening, I said softly, "I understand now. You must have escaped while Si Xiqiong was focused on taking care of her mother on Sixin Cliff."
"You're not entirely stupid..."
Han Dan smiled proudly, his eyes showing a hint of aptitude.
It seems the disaster isn't just affecting the Han Chinese in the south!
Because of two major calamities over several months, the livelihoods of tens of millions in Miao territory are in dire straits. Fortunately, they aren't considered barbaric; if it were the grassland barbarians, hundreds of thousands, even millions, would have already invaded.
Leaving aside the instability this hardship would bring to my Liufeng Kingdom, I simply cannot stand idly by, given that they are Si Xiqiong's people. Yes! It's fine if we haven't encountered them, but if we do and do nothing, it's against my conscience, and I'll lose face when I see Si Xiqiong again. Besides several hundred thousand taels of loose change, I also have a massive sum of 750 million gold coins; a small amount would be enough to support the Miao people of the Nanhua Mountains in Si Xiqiong's territory.
Seeing me lost in thought, the young beauties tried several times to call out to me, but Qianru shook her head to stop them. She knew this man must be thinking about something, perhaps related to the perilous situation their clan was in.
Although they were willing to sacrifice themselves for the elders and children of their clan, if there were any other way, who would want to ruin their own purity?
After a moment of silence, I looked up and asked, "Do you know who owns the most grain in Guihai City?"
"Of course, it's Zhang Xiaofeng, the prefect of Guangming County,"
Bai Rong answered without hesitation. "He owns one of the three largest grain merchants in the city, one through his concubine, and one through his brother. Add to that the grain stored in the official granaries, and he has at least tens of millions of catties of grain." "
But this Zhang Xiaofeng is a truly greedy and insatiable official!"
Le Man waved her small fist. "Last September, a gold coin could buy twenty catties of grain, but now it only buys ten. It's even worse than bandit robbery!"
I frowned. I knew that grain was ridiculously expensive in the south, but Guihai City was a place with access to overseas merchants. Through the secret agents of the Privy Council, I knew that places like Jieluo Island had very high grain yields. Although they were far from the amount I wanted, they were more than enough to supply Guihai City. Zhang Xiaofeng had arbitrarily doubled the price of grain; the profit from that was indeed, as Le Man said, even more lucrative than robbery. However, I miscalculated earlier. Since the price of grain has doubled, the population of the eleven villages in the Southern Flower Mountains of Miao territory is only 150,000. That's really low!
When I told them about my mistake, the beauties burst into laughter: "Idiot, you really did miscalculate... but not too much, but too little... our total population is 600,000!" "600,000?"
I asked, puzzled, "Two million catties of grain, enough to feed 600,000 people for two months? That's only half an ounce of rice per person per day. Are you kidding me?"
"Young Master, you truly don't understand the hardships of ordinary people!"
Zhu Han smiled faintly, a hint of sorrow in her smile. "In Miao territory, we still have plenty of edible wild vegetables, grasses, tree bark, and other things. We mix them with the rice and cook them together, just enough to meet our basic needs each day. At this point, how can we possibly have enough to eat? Half an ounce of rice is barely enough."
Hearing her say that, I finally understood. Yes, they were all refugees; what more could they ask for than enough to eat?
The people of Miao territory were different from the refugees who had to migrate. The Miao people could stay in caves or bamboo houses after eating, doing nothing to conserve their energy.
The refugees, however, were different. They had to walk dozens of miles of mountain roads every day, traversing mountains and rivers frequently. Under these circumstances, without providing them with enough to eat, probably very few would be able to reach the Northwest safely.
"I'll solve the food problem for you."
After thinking it over, I returned to reality. "Wait for my good news."
"Ah, really? Thank you so much!" the girls exclaimed with surprise. "I'm not doing this for you little brats; it's for Si Xiqiong."
I smiled and said, "I can only stay in Guihai City for three days. Do you have any way to get Si Xiqiong here within three days? I want to see her."
"Three days? Impossible!" Qianru shook her head firmly. "From the Nanhua Mountains to Guihai City, there are dozens of mountains in between, all of them dangerous and uninhabitable. It would take at least ten days to get there... Besides, even if we use a flying eagle to send a message, it would still take a day. If you want to see the Holy Maiden in three days, she'd have to fly over on a flying eagle."
"That's a real shame."
I shrugged, my disappointment evident in my eyes. "Young master, do you really think you can win our Holy Maiden's heart with just this grain?"
Han Dan's eyes gleamed. "How could that be... How about we just give it to you... You've already given us so much!"
The other four beauties nodded in agreement. If I gave them grain worth 200,000 gold coins without asking for anything in return, it would make them uneasy. They knew the cunning of outsiders and understood that there was no such thing as getting something for nothing. It was better to pay the price first, so they would feel more at ease when they received the grain.
They had originally planned to stay in Guihai City until spring, except for the huge sum of 5,000 gold coins they would receive from selling their first night, and then earn as much as they could. But now, they only needed to serve one person, letting him possess all five of them. That feeling immediately made them much more relaxed, and the look in their eyes began to show kindness, or at least the resentment had lessened considerably.
"You guys?"
I sized up the scantily clad Miao girls. "Let them develop for a few more years before you talk!"
"Go to hell..."
the beauties retorted in a chattering voice.
After a burst of laughter and banter, I left the five beauties in the small building and came out myself. The inn was quite large, but I hadn't walked far when the innkeeper, Wu Zheng, appeared out of nowhere beside me.
"Young man, you finished so quickly?"
Wu Zheng looked me up and down. "These five are truly alluring young girls. I never expected they would submit to your whip. I'm truly impressed!"
"Haha, Mr. Wu, you're too kind. Since they were just virgins, they were much easier to deal with."
I laughed heartily. "However, deflowering them is quite tiring. I'll have to eat some tiger penis to replenish myself later."
"Tiger penis?"
Wu Zheng smiled. "Although Guihai City is a small place, it still has some treasures. I happen to have two at home. If you like them, take them for two thousand gold coins."
One thousand gold coins for a tiger penis is indeed not expensive. My father once bought a few for about five thousand gold coins each. If it were in the capital, it would cost at least ten thousand gold coins each. Guihai City is located near the vast mountains of Miao territory, and there are always large and small merchant caravans coming from overseas. It's not surprising that there are quite a few tiger penises there. I thought for a moment and handed Wu Zheng two silver notes worth five thousand gold coins each: "Here's ten thousand gold coins. Take the tiger penis to the small building for me later. Consider the rest as a thank you for finding such a fine Miao girl, and also the commission I'll give you for helping them."
Wu Zheng took it, beaming from ear to ear: "How could I accept this? You're too kind, young brother!" Though he said it politely, Wu Zheng actually put the silver notes into his pocket with lightning speed.
After a pause, Wu Zheng suddenly sighed: "Young brother, you're really lucky. It won't be easy to find such high-quality Miao virgins again!"
I thought he was reminding me that finding a few more Miao virgins would cost even more money, so I smiled and remained silent.
Wu Zheng, the shrewd innkeeper, could easily see through my thoughts. He quickly waved his hand and said, "Young man, I didn't mean to raise the price... You don't know, do you? Soon, the brothels in Guihai City will no longer have Miao girls!"
I was taken aback: "Why?" "Hey, I have inside information. Just at noon, the Holy Maiden of the Nanhua Mountains in Miao territory arrived in Guihai City, demanding that our Prefect release all the Miao girls to go home."
"The Holy Maiden of the Nanhua Mountains?"
"Yes, oh, by the way, young man, you might not know, but this Holy Maiden is extraordinary. Not only is she incredibly beautiful, but she's also the daughter of the chieftain of the Nanhua Mountains area, deeply loved by the Miao people." "
But why can the Miao Holy Maiden command the Prefect? Are the Miao people so powerful that they can make the Prefect release Guihai City's cash cow?"
"Hehe, that's a long story."
Wu Zheng touched the silver notes in his pocket, looked around, and then said, "Never mind, you're not a local, and you're about to travel far away again, so it's okay for me to tell you. Just don't tell anyone else."
"Okay."
I smiled faintly. You're willing to tell me your secret, probably because of my generosity.
Wu Zheng glanced around again to make sure no one was eavesdropping, then whispered, "Even if the Miao Holy Maiden is incredibly beautiful, our Prefect wouldn't be interested. He might even take her as a concubine... But this Holy Maiden is different. She's the concubine of Lord Lanting! Lord Lanting, you know him, right?"
"Lord Lanting?"
I feigned surprise. "Could it be that hero of the Empire, Empress Ren's nephew, the Emperor's most trusted Duke?"
"Yes! That's him!"
Wu Zheng was also full of admiration. "Don't underestimate Lord Lanting just because he's young. He's a ruthless killer on the desert grasslands. Hundreds of thousands of grassland barbarians have died under his iron cavalry, and he even wiped out their stronghold once." "
I've heard of Lord Lanting's bravery, but how is the Miao Holy Maiden related to him?"
I asked casually.
"Haha, you didn't know that, did you?"
Wu Zheng's gossipy enthusiasm made me feel like I was back in the capital, because only the people of the capital truly love gossiping and hearing all sorts of rumors.
"Not only is Lord Lanting invincible on the battlefield, but he's also incredibly charming and amorous. Lolis, mature women, mothers and daughters, sisters, beauties from all races… he's taken them all into his household. So what if he has a Southern Frontier Saintess as a concubine?"
"Uh…"
"Don't ask me who spread the rumor. I, your young master, am extremely self-disciplined. How could I be so lustful?
At least I haven't succeeded with Si Xiqiong yet!
" "What? You don't believe me?"
Wu Zheng, seeing my indifference, felt a surge of indignation: "Let me tell you, although I've never left Guihai City, there are plenty of merchants coming and going here. My information is far more advanced than yours. Lanting Gong is definitely such a dashing and romantic super warrior!" "I didn't say I didn't believe you."
I laughed: "Innkeeper, do I need a travel permit to enter the city from here?"
"Of course."
Wu Zheng pulled out a wooden plaque from his pocket. The front was decorated with some patterns, and the back had the words "Tongfu," the name of this inn: "Here, young brother, take this plaque. Just show it when you enter and exit the city gates. If you encounter any trouble, don't forget to mention my name!"
"Alright!" I nodded, took the wooden plaque, and turned to leave.
To be honest, I wasn't surprised at all that Si Xiqiong had come to Guihai City demanding the release of her people. Given the kind nature of this beautiful young woman, unless she was unaware, once she found out, she certainly wouldn't allow the Miao girls to mistreat her like this; taking them home would be perfectly reasonable.
However, I still had a doubt. I had told Si Xiqiong my identity, including the identities of Ren Lanting and Liu Ri, and told her to come find me in Wushuang County.
But would my words be enough to convince Zhang Xiaofeng?
Besides the gold notes and jewelry, I hadn't yet... And give her something to prove my identity—but then again, besides a Heavenly Dragon Gold Token and the waist token of the Imperial Guard Commander, I don't really have much to prove my identity. The Silver Tiger Legion's tiger tally and legion commander's token are still in Xiliang City!
Zhang Xiaofeng's ability to stay in the godforsaken Guangming County and live so comfortably means he's not a fool. Without concrete evidence, I'm worried he might do something to harm Si Xiqiong.
You see, Si Xiqiong is the third most beautiful woman in the martial arts world; few men can resist her.
The Prefect's fondness for women is common knowledge in Guangming County!
He'd better not try anything with my woman. Otherwise, young master, I'll show you what it means to wish you were dead!

Chapter Four: Crisis Descends.
Guihai City isn't very large, and the houses are very densely packed. Although the streets have been widened, they can still only accommodate four horses abreast. Even at night, Guihai City is still very lively, brightly lit everywhere. Casinos, brothels, inns, restaurants, theaters… the streets are teeming with people, bustling with activity. According to reports from the Privy Council's spies, of Guihai City's 50,000 inhabitants, less than 10,000 are elderly, women, or children; the rest are all able-bodied young adults.
This is because major merchant caravans in Guihai City have established their own shops and divided up their own territories. The caravan was mostly sent with guards, managers, and laborers; why would they send the elderly and children? The more than ten thousand elderly, women
, and children were the original inhabitants of Guihai City. Because they were stationed in this godforsaken place, the caravan members were treated very well, and coupled with a culture of comparison, large sums of money were spent, resulting in over five thousand courtesans in Guihai City—a significant proportion of the population.
Lively places inevitably lead to disputes, so the soldiers of Guihai City, part of the "Iron Wolf Legion," patrolled the streets regularly. Any disputes or fights were immediately arrested and imprisoned, with the punishment depending on the severity, ranging from severe punishment to expulsion from Guihai City. This iron-fisted style of the garrison meant that the people of Guihai City usually preferred intellectual contests to physical ones. There were many ways to engage in intellectual contests: cockfighting, cricket fighting, drinking contests… even contests of endurance with courtesans in bed were common. Surrounding the city garrison and the garrison general's residence, Guihai City was divided into two bustling areas, one to the east and one to the west. However, Zhang Xiaofeng, being both the prefect and the city garrison commander, was treated with deference by the garrison general, Ye Jingke, who only oversaw city defense and security. This pleased Zhang Xiaofeng, who was generous to the "Iron Wolf Legion," even reducing the number of yamen runners.
At this moment, the city garrison was still brightly lit. Inside, a small hall was filled with loud laughter and chatter.
Because Guihai City was located in the south of Liufeng Kingdom, even in the first month of the lunar calendar, the weather wasn't too cold, fitting the crisp autumn atmosphere of the inland regions.
However, as mentioned earlier, Guangming County was teeming with mosquitoes, and Guihai City was no exception. Whether in the inn or on the streets, I could smell the burning of "trumpet grass"—a local plant that smelled unpleasant when burned, but was very effective at repelling mosquitoes.
A stove was burning trumpet grass in the small hall, so the doors and windows weren't closed. Two servants stood at the door, but there was no other guard. I swiftly flew into the hall through a higher window and landed on a beam. Three men sat on one side, accompanied by several maids. Each table was laden with various braised dishes and wine. Judging from their flushed faces, the banquet had been going on for quite some time.
The man in the middle was about forty years old, tall and handsome, but his eyes were too narrow, and his every glance gave the impression that he was plotting something. I recognized this face from the Privy Council's records; it was Zhang Xiaofeng, the prefect of Guangming County. Zhang Xiaofeng's patron
in the court was the Tang King, but he had been framed by the Zhennan King's faction and demoted from the dignified position of Vice Minister of Justice to prefect of Guangming County… Although the official rank was the same, both being third-rank officials, everyone knew the difference between a Vice Minister of Justice and a prefect of the worst place in Liufeng Kingdom.
Zhang Xiaofeng had been serving in Guangming County for six or seven years. During this time, he had never requested a transfer from the court. Others were happy to let him occupy the worst position, avoiding a terrible transfer later, so they allowed him to cause trouble. Even when he occasionally got into trouble, many people spoke well of him.
The Privy Council did report his life as a local tyrant to Emperor Kangzong, but Kangzong, seeing that Guangming County had been relatively stable in recent years without major unrest, and that Zhang Xiaofeng had never failed to pay his dues, didn't bother with it further. After all, Kangzong was the ruler of the country, and had many worries. Thus, through these various coincidences, Zhang Xiaofeng's life in Guangming County became increasingly comfortable, as evidenced by the occasional satisfaction in his eyes. Sitting to Zhang Xiaofeng's left was a middle-aged man dressed in a scholar's robe. Thin and unremarkable, he frequently took advantage of the young women serving drinks, emitting unpleasant laughter, resembling a lecherous pickpocket. But anyone who underestimates him because of this would be in big trouble. This middle-aged man is named Qian Zhongji. He loves money the most and is most skilled at using all sorts of schemes and tricks to harm people. Those who offend him are lucky to end up with their families destroyed and their wives and children torn apart. Therefore, he is the most hated person in Guihai City and even Guangming County.
To Zhang Xiaofeng's right is a cold-looking man dressed in a tight-fitting outfit. This man is named Sun Shu. He looks about thirty years old, but he is actually over fifty. His skills are unfathomable. He is Zhang Xiaofeng's number one bodyguard and has killed dozens of enemies who attacked him. His greatest hobby is torturing beautiful women, and he seems to have a yin-yang replenishment technique, which is why he can maintain the appearance of someone in his thirties.
As for Zhang Xiaofeng's hobbies, they are almost the same as mine. He likes beautiful women and money, but he also has one more thing: power. It is said that in this prefect's mansion, there are at least more than twenty races and more than a hundred beauties of all kinds, more than even the Supreme Emperor Kangzong of Liufeng Kingdom. Speaking of which, Emperor Kangzong was truly a good emperor. He only had a few dozen women, was not extravagant in his daily life, was relatively kind, valued talented people, and kept away from treacherous ministers. This is probably why Liufeng Kingdom has been able to survive the constant natural and man-made disasters of the past few decades!
"My lord, what do we do next?"
Qian Zhongji asked with a smile. It seemed that their conversation had been going on for some time.
"Hmph! How dare you! You actually dare to counterfeit the Heavenly Dragon Gold Medal! This is a capital offense punishable by confiscation of your property and extermination of your entire clan!"
Zhang Xiaofeng roared, but his face held a smile.
"Indeed,"
Sun Shu said coldly, "Unless she willingly becomes the Prefect's concubine, we will definitely petition the Emperor to send troops to besiege the Nanhua Mountain Range!"
"Hehe, you're really too violent. Si Xiqiong is a delicate and stunning beauty!" Zhang Xiaofeng laughed and scolded, "But let me make this clear first, after I've had my fill, I can't give her to you. If you abuse her to death, the Miao people will definitely come after me!" "Brother Sun, that's just your bad habit! Women are good for playing with, why insist on killing them in the end? It's such a waste!"
Qian Zhongji also laughed. A flash of annoyance crossed Sun Shu's face, but he quickly suppressed it: "My lord, don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Si Xiqiong's reputation in Miao territory is too high; it's not suitable to give her to a subordinate. It would be best if she were your concubine. Perhaps we could even gain Miao territory's support and help you rise to a higher position!"
Zhang Xiaofeng saw Sun Shu's dissatisfaction with Qian Zhongji, but he remained silent. It was easier for him to control his two subordinates if they were scheming against each other. If they were united, he would have to consider what they were doing behind his back. "Thinking about this before the matter is even finished is a bit premature."
Zhang Xiaofeng suppressed his thoughts and said calmly, "Putting aside her fake Heavenly Dragon Gold Token, Si Xiqiong herself is extremely powerful. She has several powerful Gu worms on her body, and whether she can remove them is a question. Furthermore, her natal Gu worm is controlled by her will. If she's not careful, I'll die because of her!"
"My lord, don't worry, I already have a plan."
Qian Zhongji smiled coldly, "We can..."
"Hahaha! Old Qian, you're really incredibly wicked! You even came up with such a method!"
Hearing his description, Zhang Xiaofeng laughed loudly, "Not bad, not bad. Although it will cost a bit more, it's worth it to completely bind the Southern Barbarians of the Nanhua Mountains to me!"
"Congratulations, my lord! Congratulations, my lord! From now on, you might even be able to take over the Central Government again!"
Qian Zhongji quickly flattered him. "Hehe, don't worry, as long as I have power and influence, you will all enjoy wealth and luxury!"
Zhang Xiaofeng laughed. "Come, let's drink first. After the Holy Maiden finishes her meditation, we'll confront her!"
I shook my head, a murderous intent rising within me.
To try and harm my woman was unforgivable!
But no matter how down on his luck Zhang Xiaofeng was, no matter how neglected Guangming County was, I couldn't simply execute the head of a county.
More importantly, if I used the Heavenly Dragon Gold Token to kill Zhang Xiaofeng, everyone would know I was here. My trip to the Great Yuan Kingdom to buy grain was a secret matter, and I couldn't let anyone know. The safety and lives of tens of millions of refugees were far more important than Zhang Xiaofeng.
Taking a deep breath and thinking for a moment, I left the small hall again and headed out of the mansion. The bright lights of Lu Hai City saved me the trouble of finding a place. Following the map marked by the Privy Council, I arrived at a small casino in no time.
It's called a small casino, but in reality, it's only three stories high, each floor no more than twenty meters long and wide. Yet, it's incredibly stylish, completely devoid of the hustle and bustle of other places. At every table, everyone is impeccably dressed, playing dice, dominoes, or roulette. The dealers are all voluptuous beauties, and the female attendants moving around are also dressed in elegant clothes, not relying on revealing clothing to attract customers. However, those familiar with casinos know that, apart from the dealers, these beauties can all be taken home for their own enjoyment. While the price is high, these specially trained female attendants are skilled in various techniques, far superior to the vulgar women outside.
Moreover, the dealers here are absolutely upright, refraining from underhanded tactics, and also prohibiting others from cheating at the tables. Therefore, this small casino attracts some moderate middle-class businessmen and landowners.
As soon as I stepped inside, a tall, alluring woman greeted me: "Young master, is this your first time here?"
I had no time for pleasantries and blurted out, "He San's mother is ill, I've come to inform her."
The woman raised an eyebrow and asked in a low voice, "How many bowls of rice did she eat?"
"Not many, twelve chickens and twelve ducks,"
I replied expertly.
"Oh, young master, please come this way!"
The woman nodded and gestured. Following her, I passed through two curtained areas and entered a small room. Then, the woman gently knocked on a wall in the room. After a moment, a section of the wall rose, revealing a square hole and the head of a cold-looking man: "What is it?"
"Reporting to you, sir, someone from the capital has arrived,"
the woman said respectfully.
The cold-faced man turned to look at me, his eyes suddenly lighting up: "Ah, sir, please wait a moment!" The alluring woman was startled, and when she turned to look at me again, she noticed a gold token in my hand with a large "Secret" written on it.
The alluring woman was merely an outer member of the Privy Council, only knowing that her master was a servant of a high-ranking official in the capital, completely unaware that she served a secret organization feared and hated by everyone! The Privy Council.
However, having arrived here, her mission was complete. As the wall opened completely, I instantly disappeared from the room.
Behind the wall was a small room. After the cold-faced man closed the wall, he tapped a few times at the corner of the wall, and a tunnel appeared. Following him through the brightly lit tunnel for a while, I soon found myself in a large hall at least thirty meters long and wide. I don't know how he transmitted the information, but when I arrived, a burly man with an ordinary appearance and a composed demeanor was already standing in the elegantly decorated yet luxurious hall. "This subordinate, Li Xiong, Deputy Commander of the Southern District of the Privy Council, greets Your Excellency!"
Upon seeing the gold token I presented, the burly man hurriedly bowed. "No need for formalities, Lord Li!"
I said calmly, "I am Mi Beiming, and I have important matters to discuss with Your Excellency."
"Ah, it's Lord Mi! What brings you here?"
Li Xiong's eyes showed even greater respect.
The commanders and deputy commanders of the Privy Council would return to the capital once a year and receive information from various regions every month, so even though Li Xiong was in the remote Guangming County, he knew who Mi Beiming was.
Mi Beiming was the third son in his family, and his father was Mi Shaoci, one of the two trusted generals of the Prince of Zhennan, originally a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Justice.
Of course, this was not the reason why Li Xiong respected Mi Beiming. The Privy Council was loyal to the Emperor and was an absolute enemy of the Prince of Zhennan's forces. They were already being lenient by not resorting to underhanded tactics against Mi Beiming, so why would they show him respect?
The reason Li Xiong was so respectful was that after returning to the capital from the Great Yuan Kingdom last year, Mi Beiming had gained the favor of Lord Lanting, who transferred him from the Ministry of Justice to the Privy Council, making him one of the twelve Grand Privy Councilors. He was responsible for overseeing the work of the Privy Council throughout the country, wielding life-and-death power over his subordinates—a position
of great power and influence. For a member of the Zhennan Prince's lineage to hold such a position, there was no other explanation than that he was Lord Lanting's confidant. And who was Lord Lanting? The Empress's nephew, a direct descendant of the royal family!
In response to his respect, I nodded slightly: "You know about the arrival of Princess Si Xiqiong of the Southern Flower Mountains in Guihai City, don't you?"
"I know... but after much investigation, I discovered that this Holy Maiden doesn't seem to be His Highness's confidante as she claims, so I didn't offer her any protection!" Li Xiong was an astute man; from my respectful address to Si Xiqiong alone, he understood the higher-ups' approval of the Miao Holy Maiden, his tone tinged with a hint of self-reproach.
"Although the Heavenly Dragon Gold Token in Her Highness's possession isn't genuine, she truly is His Highness Lanting's betrothed wife,"
I said calmly. "That's why I rushed here."
"Ah!" Li Xiong timely feigned surprise, simultaneously exclaiming in shock and fear, "My lord, you... what evidence do you have for this? ...Please don't misunderstand, I'm not doubting you. This matter is of utmost importance, and I dare not act rashly!"
"Alright, put away your worries."
I pulled out an official document from my robes and handed it over. Li Xiong opened it and saw that there was no calligraphy on it, only a large gold seal. The seal was engraved with the words "Silver Tiger Legion Commander's Seal," the genuine seal of the commander of the "Silver Tiger Legion," one of the four major legions. Who is the current commander of the "Silver Tiger Legion"? The Duke of Lanting, Ren Lanting!
Seeing that Mi Beiming could produce such a blank document, Li Xiong had no more doubts and bowed, saying, "I will obey your orders, sir."
I said gently, "Half an hour later, I want to see you appear at the Prefectural Governor's Mansion with experts from the Privy Council, and request to see Her Highness the Holy Maiden from Zhang Xiaofeng. As for the rest, just act according to the circumstances!"
"Yes! This subordinate will certainly not disappoint you,"
Li Xiong replied knowingly.
The same situation occurred a short while later at the residence of Ye Jingke, the garrison general of the "Iron Wolf Legion"...

Chapter Five: From Tears to Smile
, in a small, independent courtyard on the east side of the Prefectural Governor's Mansion. At the entrance to the courtyard stood four burly Miao men, their waists strapped with curved Miao knives, their sharp eyes revealing them as warriors who had seen much bloodshed. Inside the courtyard were at least ten warriors, and a dozen or so beautiful Miao girls
, each as lovely as a flower. The most beautiful of all was a stunningly beautiful girl standing by the window, her brows furrowed. She wasn't veiled, revealing a face of breathtaking beauty, her skin fair and smooth, possessing an ethereal quality. Standing there quietly, she was like a pure, enchanting orchid in a secluded valley, inspiring a desire to protect her.
Behind her stood two other beautiful Miao girls, their faces also showing worry and tension.
Duo Jiao'er, one of Si Xiqiong's two personal maids, was still trying to persuade the Holy Maiden: "Miss, you should leave quietly by yourself. I don't think Zhang Xiaofeng has said a single honest word. Even when you brought up Ren Lanting, he didn't really listen. If this continues, he'll find out our weakness sooner or later, and then you won't be able to leave even if you want to."
"If I leave, what will happen to you and Brother Asong?" Si Xiqiong sighed softly
. "If I leave, what will happen to the sisters in Guihai City?" "Don't worry,"
another personal maid, Mu Liu'er, said. "We have our own natal Gu, they won't dare to do anything to us. As long as you find Lord Lanting, all the problems will be solved!" "
Find him?"
Si Xiqiong smiled bitterly. "You all know he's in the far north of the northwest. It will take at least one or two months for him to come and go. By then, our people will have starved to death, and the sisters will suffer even more... I have no choice!" "No matter what, your safety is our greatest hope."
Duo Jiao'er gritted her teeth and, taking advantage of Si Xiqiong's inattention, reached out her slender hand and pointed at her back.
Duo Jiao'er's kung fu was not high, so with a gust of wind, Si Xiqiong had already spun to the other side of the room in a flash, and asked in a daze, "Jiao'er, what are you doing?"
"Miss, we are ready. Brother Asong and the others will create chaos in the mansion in a while, and then we will send you out."
Mu Liu'er said softly, "Don't waste our efforts!"
"Ah... no!" Si Xiqiong was so shocked that her beautiful face turned pale: "Absolutely not! With me here, they won't dare to do anything to everyone. If I leave, Zhang Xiaofeng will definitely take his anger out on everyone... no, you... oh!"
Before Si Xiqiong could finish speaking, two loyal maids fell to the ground, and before she could finish her cry, she was horrified to find that she could not only not speak, but also could not move. Besides, a kind-looking young man appeared silently before her, his expression grim as he looked at her. The beautiful young woman was immediately terrified. After all, she was only a nineteen-year-old girl, pampered and protected all the time; she had never encountered such a crisis before.
"Even if... even if this villain takes my virginity... I will order Xiao Chan'er to kill him!... But, Liu Ri... since I cannot give you my virginity, then we can only meet again in the next life..."
Thoughts raced through the young woman's mind, a mixture of sadness, grief, and anger.
Suddenly, Si Xiqiong felt a lightness in her body, and was horrified to find that the man had lifted her up, placed her on a large armchair, and then flipped her over, making her lie face down on his lap. Then, her long skirt and underpants were removed.
Si Xiqiong was so horrified that she almost fainted; if she could have screamed, she would have done so.
"Slap, slap..."
The terrible thing she expected didn't happen, but a heavy slap landed on the beautiful girl's buttocks. The powerful slap echoed crisply in the room, and with each slap, the girl's round, fleshy buttocks trembled. Pain and humiliation instantly surged into the girl's heart, and tears immediately flowed. "I'm hitting you for disobeying! I'm hitting you for acting rashly! You don't respect me at all! Do you think you can just come here? If I don't hit you, you'll really turn the world upside down!"
Suddenly, the beautiful girl, filled with grief and indignation, heard a familiar voice. Si Xiqiong was startled, and upon listening more closely, her face instantly changed from fear to ecstatic joy. Yes! It was his voice... Of course, I knew Si Xiqiong could recognize my voice, so after giving her a good spanking, I picked her up and made her sit on my lap, facing me.
I had returned to my original form by now. It's hard to describe Si Xiqiong's expression; her face was streaked with tears, filled with grievance and unease, yet a delighted smile peeked through her eyes. Her gaze was filled with deep affection, expressing a love as vast as the sea. I couldn't resist the urge to spank her pert bottom again, but after thinking it over, I decided to let her go and released her paralysis and speech-impairing acupoints.
"Waaah..."
The stunningly beautiful saintess whimpered, collapsing into my arms and clinging tightly to me with her small hands. "You bad boy... Waaah... Why did you take so long to come..."
I was both amused and exasperated, stroking the little beauty's incredibly firm buttocks and gently scolding, "You dare say that? If I hadn't happened to come here, I would have lost one of my wives! Don't you think you deserve a beating?"
"Yes..."
Si Xiqiong moaned softly, "But I had no choice... Husband... Good brother... Please help us..."
The beautiful girl spoke with an irresistible charm and coquettishness, almost making me think it was Xiaoyu using her seductive arts.
"Slap!"
Another slap landed on Si Xiqiong's beautiful buttocks. She was a martial artist, and knowing that I was the one who slapped her, the slap was more of a psychological embarrassment than a real pain. However, she still cooperated with a soft moan, her flushed face pressed against mine.
"You weren't this coquettish before, it's like you've become a different person?"
I whispered in her ear, "Let me check if this is really my little Qiong'er."
As I spoke, I slipped my hand inside Si Xiqiong's blouse, my fingers landing on one of her smooth, high breasts.
"Oh..."
Si Xiqiong's body trembled. She didn't try to stop me, but her beautiful eyes were full of pleading: "Brother...don't do this...there are so many people in the village..."
I knew it wasn't the right time. After kneading her adorable breasts a few times, I withdrew my hand, then cupped her cheeks in my arms. As our eyes met, I pressed my lips to hers.
"Mmm...mmm..."
The little beauty panted softly as she received my kiss. Her tongue, surprisingly bold, intertwined with mine, offering its fragrance... This Miao holy maiden, having survived a calamity, expressed her joy and her longing for her lover in this way. After a while, I finally released the breathless beauty. I patted her shoulder to help her catch her breath. Once Si Xiqiong had recovered, I said softly, "Brother was originally going to the Great Yuan Kingdom on business, but we were passing through Guihai City. If it weren't for meeting Qianru, Han Dan, and the other four from your clan, we would have missed each other! You're such a worry!"
"Brother, don't be angry..."
Si Xiqiong sensed the annoyance in my voice and quickly patted my chest with her small hand. "I knew you would come to save me in my most dangerous moment. This proves that Heaven wants Qiong'er to marry you, doesn't it?"
I smiled and tapped her nose. "You certainly know how to talk!"
"That's how it is... Fate is such a magical thing..."
Si Xiqiong murmured dreamily, "Even just now, I didn't give up hope. I knew that with my brother here, he would definitely protect me... and you really came... Qiong'er is so happy..."
Looking at her expression, which was a mixture of joy and fear, I felt a surge of affection for her. This little girl was too kind and innocent; she could easily be taken advantage of outside of Miao territory. But if she weren't so pure, I wouldn't like her so much! After a pause, seeing that I wasn't angry, Si Xiqiong suddenly gritted her teeth: "Hmph! Those five little girls, Qianru and the others, I didn't know that the South Flower Mountain Range was almost in chaos because of their disappearance! One of my most important purposes in coming out this time was to bring them back, but I didn't expect you to solve my problem ahead of time, brother!"
"Don't blame them!" I sighed: "They are so young, yet they made such a great sacrifice for the people of Miaojiang. Not just anyone could do that!"
"Ah?"
The little beauty exclaimed, her face turning pale: "Could it be...could it be...they've already..."
"Not yet."
I knew what she was worried about, and I smiled calmly: "They wanted to sell me their virginity for five thousand gold coins, and then they wanted to rob me of one hundred thousand gold coins. If it weren't for you, I might have eaten these little devils!"
"Pfft..."
Si Xiqiong laughed, her face streaked with tears, extremely charming.
As soon as I said that, she understood, of course, that the few fearless little girls hadn't been eaten yet.
This was incredibly fortunate; if they had ended up like prostitutes, she wouldn't have been able to face the five chieftains. After laughing, a sorrowful look returned to the beautiful girl's face. She buried her head in my shoulder and sobbed, "Brother...we've suffered so much...why is God punishing our Miao people like this? We've always been law-abiding and haven't done anything wrong!"
"It's not just you who are suffering,"
I said, stroking her hair. I told her about the disaster affecting tens of millions of people in the south, and the humiliation suffered by Xiliang City and even the Northwest... Later, the sorrow on Si Xiqiong's face disappeared, replaced by sympathy for the people of these places.
She was a kind-hearted girl, so it wasn't surprising that she felt such empathy.
But because of this, her worries were relieved, which was a good thing.
"Hehe...it seems Heaven really sent your brother here at Qiong'er's most critical moment!"
Knowing I was going to the Great Yuan Kingdom to buy grain, Si Xiqiong's eyes lit up, and she started to rack her brains: "Brother...Miao Jiang is also short of grain...could you...bring some back for us when you buy grain?"
"You little rascal!"
I laughed: "You've become cunning after going back! Tell me, how much do you want?"
The Miao Jiang Holy Maiden wiggled her pert bottom and said reluctantly: "Hmm...no...let me think...if possible, I want 20 million catties of grain."
According to the five beauties, each person in the eleventh cave of the Nanhua Mountains needs at least half an ounce of rice per day, and the 20 million catties of grain that Si Xiqiong mentioned is enough for them to eat for twenty months.
But thinking about it carefully, since Si Xiqiong was just joking with me, she certainly wouldn't be calculating in the most economical way like the beauties. However, no matter how you calculate it, 20 million catties of grain is enough for their needs for three months, and this can only be bought for one million gold coins in other counties.
"How about this?"
I thought for a moment, looking at Si Xiqiong's somewhat nervous eyes, and said, "I'll get you 20 million catties of grain in Guihai City first, so that the people of the Eleven Caves can get through this difficult time. In addition, I'll also prepare 100 million catties of grain for you when I buy it in the Great Yuan Kingdom this time. Anyway, it's only five million gold coins. I've already bought so much for others, so I should do something for my wife!"
"Ahem..."
The stunningly beautiful girl was overjoyed and hugged me, kissing me on the face several times. The fragrance was intoxicating, and naturally, it led to a passionate kiss between the little beauty and me.
"Brother...you're so kind..." Ji Siqiong was so excited she didn't know what to say, repeating the same phrase over and over. It took a while for her excitement to subside. "But...can I share some of these 20 million catties of grain with other Miao tribes?"
After her initial excitement, Siqiong suddenly asked timidly, "Many surrounding tribes are also starving. Without outside help, they probably won't last three months."
"We can't even take care of ourselves, let alone others,"
I muttered. "We might not be able to manage on our own, but I have you! Of course, Xiaoqiong's husband can solve all the problems!"
Siqiong wiggled her pert bottom like a playful child, rubbing against me affectionately. "Hmm...please...husband..."
"Anyway, the grain is for you. How you distribute it is your own business!"
After being shaken so hard my neck almost broke, I had no choice but to agree.
"Yay..."
Si Xiqiong laughed joyfully, her smile pure and innocent yet charming, a stark contrast to her earlier sorrow...
Just then, a commotion arose outside.
The Miao Saintess frowned slightly; with her keen hearing, she couldn't possibly fail to recognize that the Prefect's Office had come to her door. "Hmph!"
I snorted coldly, whispering in the beautiful girl's ear. "Good, good..."
The beautiful girl nodded repeatedly, raising her eyebrows and clenching her fists, saying, "Brother, Zhang Xiaofeng and his two men are truly despicable! They must be taught a lesson!"

Chapter Six: A Sudden Turn
"What are you doing? Are you trying to rebel?"
Sun Shu coldly glanced at the Miao warriors blocking Zhang Xiaofeng's path, a palpable pressure emanating from them. Although the Miao warriors were weaker than him, their loyalty remained unchanged, and they firmly held the entrance, preventing them from advancing an inch.
"Your Excellency, without Her Highness the Holy Maiden's permission, you cannot trespass. Otherwise, don't blame us Miao warriors for being impolite!"
the leading guard, Asong, shouted. He was the most burly of the Miao warriors, two heads taller than Zhang Xiaofeng, and his piercing gaze gave him a truly imposing presence.
Zhang Xiaofeng glanced at the sharp Miao swords on the Miao warriors' bodies, then at the trusted guards beside him, and said coldly, "What do you mean by this? This is the Guangming County Prefectural Governor's Mansion. Even your Holy Maiden has to beg me, and you dare to stop me? After I turn and leave, don't even think about getting a single grain of food from me! You'd better think this through!" A-Song's expression turned bitter, but he still said, "I'm sorry, Prefectural Governor, Her Highness the Holy Maiden is currently meditating. Wouldn't it be better to discuss this during the day?"
Qian Zhongji chuckled, "Our Prefectural Governor originally devised a plan to help the people of the Nanhua Mountains overcome their difficulties, but if you don't have the sincerity to discuss this, then forget it. Anyway, it's not us who will starve to death."
"You!"
A-Song glared angrily at Qian Zhongji. This lewd middle-aged man was extremely vicious. It seemed he was the one who discovered the Holy Maiden's golden token was fake. How could anyone not hate him for ruining Her Highness's grand plan like this! "Brother A-Song...please invite the Prefect in. Tea is served in the living room."
Suddenly, a clear, gentle voice came from the small building, startling A-Song and the other Miao warriors, followed by deep helplessness.
Zhang Xiaofeng, however, was overjoyed: 'Hmph, as long as I control the lifeline of food, do you think I can't do what I want with you?' A moment later, when Zhang Xiaofeng and the others were seated in the living room on the first floor, Si Xiqiong, veiled, gracefully descended the stairs. However, behind her were no longer Duo Jiao'er and Mu Liu'er, but a young man with a thick face. A-Song's heart immediately skipped a beat, and his eyes immediately turned to Si Xiqiong. When he saw Si Xiqiong's clear and peaceful eyes, he refrained from asking any questions. Not only A-Song was suspicious, but the other Miao warriors and maids were also puzzled by this. However, seeing that I was just standing respectfully behind Si Xiqiong's chair, and that Her Highness the Holy Maiden had not used any Gu worms to convey the message that she was under control, they could only pretend to be nonchalant and stand aside. Zhang Xiaofeng, Qian Zhongji, and Sun Shu were equally puzzled. Previously, when Si Xiqiong spoke with Zhang Xiaofeng, she was always accompanied by two charming young women. Why were they different this time?
Sun Shu's eyes darted around. He hadn't forgotten that Zhang Xiaofeng had promised these two pretty girls to him. He had always been fond of beautiful and charming Miao girls like Si Xiqiong, and had already tortured and killed several of them.
Seeing Sun Shu's sinister gaze, Asong couldn't help but want to draw his sword and kill this beast!
In Zhang Xiaofeng's prefectural residence, it wasn't just Sun Shu who had Miao beauties in his room; Qian Zhongji and Zhang Xiaofeng also had them. Their women hadn't been tortured and killed, so after they arrived at the prefectural residence that afternoon, several Miao beauties conveyed the message to them through their maids.
If it weren't for needing their help, Si Xiqiong would have already used Xiao Chan'er to kill Sun Shu.
As for now…
Si Xiqiong's fear and unease had long since vanished. With her lover's support, today was truly a day of revenge! Thinking of this, Si Xiqiong spoke calmly, "Lord Zhang, you came so late at night, have you thought it through?"
"Of course!"
Zhang Xiaofeng had remained silent, wanting to gain the upper hand in terms of momentum. He smiled and put down his teacup, "Miss Si, I have thought it through, but the solution I offer is not what you requested before!" "Oh?"
Si Xiqiong said coldly, "You really have a lot of nerve! You don't even respect Lord Lanting, daring to disobey his wishes!"
"Hahaha..."
Zhang Xiaofeng laughed loudly, stopping after a long while, "Miss Si, let's not beat around the bush. Since you've come to save your people, let's not talk nonsense! If it really is a command from His Highness Lord Lanting, how dare I disobey? But the question is, is there such a command?"
"Of course there is!" Si Xiqiong took out a palm-sized, gleaming gold plaque engraved with a mighty celestial dragon from her bosom and waved it at them.
"Heh!" Ji Qian Zhongji sneered, "Miss Si, you'd better think this through. If it's a counterfeit of the Emperor's sacred object, it won't just be a matter of you being unlucky. Your parents and even the hundreds of thousands of people in your Miaoqiang Nanhua Mountain Range will all pay a heavy price!"
Si Xiqiong's eyes dimmed, seemingly out of fear. She didn't even hold onto the gold medal properly, and with a "clang," it fell onto the round, high stool next to her chair. Zhang Xiaofeng and the others didn't even glance at the gold medal, all wearing smug smiles, thinking they had grasped Si Xiqiong's weakness. "Alright, Zhongji, don't frighten Miss Si!"
Zhang Xiaofeng first pretended to reprimand his subordinates, then turned his head and smiled, "I've never even heard of the gold medal, Miss Si, don't you think so?"
The Miaoqiang Holy Maiden remained silent.
Her silence didn't mean others would let her off the hook. Zhang Xiaofeng continued, "I just went back and asked my subordinates. Given this natural disaster and man-made calamity, our Guihai City warehouses don't have much grain. But for your request, Holy Maiden, I can allocate five million catties of grain so that the Miao people in the Nanhua Mountains can have enough to eat for the time being."
"What are your conditions?"
Si Xiqiong asked, unmoved.
"Haha, don't put it so harshly, Miss Si,"
Qian Zhongji said with a sly smile. "Actually, there are no conditions. This suggestion is a good thing for both you and our lord... As long as you are willing to marry our prefect, not only will five million catties of grain be sent out tonight, but after the wedding, a second batch of thirty million catties of grain will be transported to the Nanhua Mountains. That should be enough for you, right?" "
Not only that, Xiqiong, we'll be family from now on. If there's any famine in the Nanhua Mountains, I, as the son-in-law, can't just ignore it, can I?" Zhang Xiaofeng patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, as long as I'm here, the six hundred thousand elders and folks of the eleven caves of the Nanhua Mountains won't go hungry or cold!"
"Bullshit!"
Asong couldn't stand it anymore and pointed at Zhang Xiaofeng, cursing angrily, "Who do you think you are? You're old enough to be our Holy Maiden's uncle, and you still have such filthy thoughts? Are all Han people this shameless?"
"Hmph!"
Sun Shu snorted coldly at Asong, the sound wave striking Asong directly. Suddenly, the tall, burly man shuddered, blood gushing from his ears and nose—a truly frightening sight.
"Ah, Brother Asong..."
Several Miao maids rushed forward to support the unsteady Asong, while five or six Miao warriors standing at the door drew their gleaming Miao swords with a clang, pointing them at Zhang Xiaofeng and his companions.
As the prefect, Zhang Xiaofeng was not afraid of this. He smiled disdainfully, picked up his tea again, and slowly sipped it in silence.
The prefect was confident; these Miao warriors, though fierce-looking, were no match for Sun Shu. With such a master at his disposal, what did he have to fear?
Furthermore, for Si Xiqiong, the most important thing was the food that could help hundreds of thousands of her people survive the crisis. She would never turn against him over this matter; otherwise, where would she find so much food...?
Was she really going to go to Lord Lanting? Hahaha...
"Stop! Get out of my way!"
Just as Zhang Xiaofeng expected, Si Xiqiong frowned and reluctantly stopped her men.
The Holy Maiden held a highly revered position in Miao territory, let alone a stunningly beautiful girl like Si Xiqiong. She was being groomed as the successor to the First High Priest of Miao Qiang, and the people of the Nanhua Mountains dared not offend her in the slightest. Hearing this, even though they were unwilling, several Miao warriors sheathed their Miao swords and walked behind Asong, who had already taken his place.
"Aren't you really afraid that Lanting will cause you trouble once he finds out?"
Si Xiqiong's brows furrowed with worry and anger. "Even if you don't believe in the Heavenly Dragon Golden Token, you should know that I am indeed his betrothed!"
"Heh!"
Zhang Xiaofeng laughed happily again. He didn't need to speak; his disdainful gaze said it all. If the person sitting before him was indeed Lanting Gong's fiancée, Zhang Xiaofeng would gladly kneel down and kiss her shoes.
The problem was that Zhang Xiaofeng had thoroughly researched this newly risen court official. Lanting Gong had never even been to Miao territory, so how could he possibly know Si Xiqiong? Even if she knew Si Xiqiong, given Lan Ting Gong's noble status, how could Empress Ren possibly allow him to marry a Miao woman? Furthermore, this Miao holy maiden claimed to be Lan Ting Gong's fiancée, yet she couldn't produce a single token of her affection. Even more ridiculous, the last thing she produced was a Heavenly Dragon Gold Token! A Heavenly Dragon Gold Token? Zhang Xiaofeng didn't need Qian Zhongji to verify; he was certain it wasn't genuine.
The reason was simple: what was a Heavenly Dragon Gold Token? It was the Emperor's token! Representing supreme power!
Even if Lan Ting Gong possessed it, he wouldn't dare give it away so easily, let alone to a woman!
Therefore, Zhang Xiaofeng concluded that Si Xiqiong might have met Lan Ting Gong, but she was definitely not his woman; she was merely using his name to intimidate him. With a little effort, he could win over this legendary beauty!
Thinking of the powerful Miao forces behind her, and the countless mountain treasures, exotic flowers, and rare herbs… Zhang Xiaofeng's smile deepened.
"Boom!"
A sudden, deafening roar echoed through the prefectural governor's mansion, startling the smug Zhang Xiaofeng. "Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Three synchronized shouts resounded throughout the mansion, nearly deafening even the governor himself, deep within.
Zhang Xiaofeng's face paled. He abruptly stood up, panicking, "Have the pirates attacked again? Quick! Sun Shu, escort me out!"
The reason he said the pirates had attacked "again" was because five years ago, while the garrison was training in Miao territory, a group of Japanese pirates, disguised as merchant ships, stormed into Guihai City, burning, killing, and looting, even capturing the prefectural governor's mansion. Zhang Xiaofeng was terrified and nearly captured. It was then that Zhang
Xiaofeng hired the infamous Sun Shu as his personal bodyguard, precisely to guard against such large-scale disturbances.
After the shouts subsided, the commotion grew louder, and Qian Zhongji, also frightened, retreated behind Zhang Xiaofeng, ready to flee at any moment.
Miao warriors and maids surrounded Si Xiqiong, awaiting her orders.
Aside from Si Xiqiong and myself, who remained unmoved, Sun Shu, after a brief moment of panic, was the first to regain his composure: "Don't panic, this voice doesn't sound like pirates, it sounds like... the garrison!"
"Why would the garrison come to my residence shouting and killing?"
Zhang Xiaofeng roared, "Quick, it'll be too late if we don't leave now!"
In this critical moment, he forgot about the Miao holy maiden he had always coveted; at this time, his own life was more important. Before Sun Shu could speak, a servant stumbled in, rushing into the small building, panting, "Reporting, sir! The 'Iron Wolf Legion' has arrived! They're menacing and armed. We just asked them a few questions, and they arrested Steward Xue! You must make a decision quickly!"
"Oh? It really is the 'Iron Wolf Legion'?"
Zhang Xiaofeng's heart immediately calmed down.
He feared Japanese pirates and other pirates, but he was absolutely not afraid of the "Iron Wolf Legion." Unless it was a rebellion, how could Ye Jingke dare to kill a high-ranking official of the first or second rank?
"There must be some misunderstanding!"
Zhang Xiaofeng muttered to himself, "I'll go ask Ye Jingke. Humph! He actually dared to lead troops to trespass into my prefectural governor's mansion. He has no respect for the laws of the court!"
His words sounded self-important. Si Xiqiong's eyes revealed a faint smile as she watched Zhang Xiaofeng and his companions talk, as if watching a play. Zhang
Xiaofeng glanced at her hesitantly, then focused his attention on the potential crisis. Just as he reached the entrance of the small building, Zhang Xiaofeng saw a group of people approaching. Dozens of fully armored "Iron Wolf Legion" warriors surrounded two people. One was imposing with a flowing beard, and although he was in his forties and his eyes weren't exactly piercing, they were still very sharp; the other was strong, with an ordinary appearance, and dressed in a scholar's robe that looked somewhat incongruous.
Zhang Xiaofeng recognized the person in front of him as Ye Jingke, the garrison general of the "Iron Wolf Legion," but he didn't recognize the person next to him... Who was this person who could walk alongside Ye Jingke and come to the prefectural governor's mansion to cause trouble?
"Halt!"
At Zhang Xiaofeng's signal, Sun Shu stepped forward and said, "General Ye, what brings you here with such a large group of men so late at night?"
"Clang!"
Ye Jingke didn't speak, but dozens of soldiers in front of him had already drawn their longswords, all pointing them at Zhang Xiaofeng and his companions. Although the fully armed soldiers didn't know martial arts, their uniform aura had already overwhelmed Sun Shu. Not only did Zhang Xiaofeng take a step back in fear, but even Sun Shu felt his scalp tingle. No matter how bold Sun Shu was, he wouldn't dare to attack the "Iron Wolf Legion," one of the four major legions of Liufeng Kingdom. Otherwise, even with Zhang Xiaofeng protecting him, there would be no place for him in the world. "W-what are you doing?" Zhang Xiaofeng stammered, "General Ye, you...you are a general of our empire! How can you be so lawless?"
Ye Jingke glanced at him sternly, "Lord Zhang, I received intelligence that someone intends to harm the wife of the Duke of Lanting. I have led my soldiers here to protect her. You'd better step aside, or I may recognize you, but my men's swords won't!"
Zhang Xiaofeng suddenly realized why Si Xiqiong hadn't lost her composure despite his pressure; why, even in such a terrifying atmosphere, he had panicked while the Miao Holy Maiden remained calm and unmoved!
It turned out she had reinforcements!
But...Ye Jingke probably doesn't know you're an imposter, does he?
The prefect chuckled to himself, thinking, "Well, now you've deceived Ye Jingke too. If you don't throw yourself into my arms, who else will protect you?" "Ah, so General Ye is here to see Miss Si!" Zhang Xiaofeng pretended to realize something, slapped his forehead, and stepped aside, saying, "She's inside, General Ye, please!"
"Hmm..."
Ye Jingke responded, not even glancing at Zhang Xiaofeng and the other two, and strode into the small building. As for the men he brought, apart from the ordinary-looking burly man who followed Ye Jingke inside, they all immediately occupied all the strategic positions, making Zhang Xiaofeng shake his head. What a reckless brute! He doesn't even understand the situation before coming here to interrogate us. I'll see how you get out of this mess later!
Thinking of the ridiculous scene that might appear later, Zhang Xiaofeng quickened his pace, following closely behind Ye Jingke, and rushed into the hall of the small building.
Ye Jingke stood not far from Si Xiqiong, not saying a word, quietly observing Si Xiqiong. When his eyes fell on the gold medal on the round high stool beside her, his gaze involuntarily sharpened.
The burly man in the paper shirt also spotted the gold medal at the same time. Even with his deep cunning, he couldn't help but gasp: "Good heavens, it really is!"
Seeing that they were both silent, Zhang Xiaofeng's eyes darted around: "General Ye..."
"This humble servant, Ye Jingke, General of the 'Iron Wolf Legion,' wishes His Majesty a long life!" "This humble servant, Li Xiong, Deputy Commander of the Southern District of the Privy Council, wishes His Majesty a long life!"
Before Zhang Xiaofeng could even utter his divisive words, Ye Jingke and the burly man in the scholar's robe knelt down in Si Xiqiong's direction, their heads practically touching the ground in utmost respect. Zhang Xiaofeng, Qian Zhongji, and Sun Shu were terrified, their clothes instantly soaked with sweat.
The Emperor?
The Emperor has arrived!
Zhang Xiaofeng had been repeatedly unconscious and waking up, yet he had managed to remain standing throughout—a true miracle!
But Zhang Xiaofeng was, after all, a third-rank official, a regional warlord! Well, although this lord is a bit too lowly, he has still seen the Emperor before. He absolutely cannot mistake Emperor Kangzong's appearance. Besides that calm and kind-hearted young Han Chinese man, who else in this room is Han Chinese? Let alone the Emperor. Since it's not the Emperor here, then… The Prefect suddenly thought of something. He glanced at Si Xiqiong's side, where the gleaming gold plaque was shining brightly in the candlelight!
"Hahaha…"
Zhang Xiaofeng suddenly burst into laughter, laughing so hard that tears streamed down his face. He had no composure whatsoever, acting as if he had gone mad.
"Enough!"
Ye Jingke suddenly straightened up from the ground, turned his head to look at him and said, "Lord Zhang, how dare you! Not only do you not pay your respects to the 'Heavenly Dragon Gold Medal,' but you also show contempt and rudeness. Do you think this general can't kill you?"
"Haha! General Ye, you misunderstand!"
Zhang Xiaofeng laughed and stepped forward, wanting to help Ye Jingke and Li Xiong up: "That gold medal is fake! I've wanted to tell you for a long time that this Miao Qiang Saintess, Miss Si Xiqiong, is impersonating our Lord Lanting's fiancée and committing fraud in Guihai City. I was just about to arrest and convict her!"
"Fake?"
Si Xiqiong, who had been silent all along, suddenly laughed coldly. She threw the "Heavenly Dragon Gold Medal" to the ground: "Open your dog eyes and see clearly!" Upon seeing this, Li Xiong was greatly alarmed. He swiftly reached out from his kneeling position and grasped the "Heavenly Dragon Gold Medal" in both hands. He looked it over, then turned it over to examine it again. Suddenly, he held the medal high, bowed his head again, and said in a trembling voice, "Miss, please don't be angry! If the medal is damaged in the slightest, we will all be executed!"
His action prompted Ye Jingke to examine the medal once more. Several important, hidden features confirmed that it was indeed the genuine "Heavenly Dragon Gold Medal." "Slap!"
Ye Jingke slapped Zhang Xiaofeng across the face, sending him tumbling through the air before he fell to the ground. "You scoundrel! Disrespecting the Emperor is a capital offense!" Ye Jingke stood up, drew his long sword, and held it to Zhang Xiaofeng's neck, roaring, "Come on, drag him out!" "No! No!"
The terrified Sun Shu and Qian Zhongji naturally wouldn't speak up for Zhang Xiaofeng. The prefect, in the face of death, suddenly unleashed his strength, grabbing Ye Jingke's leg: "General Ye, look closely! It's really fake! How could she possibly have the 'Heavenly Dragon Gold Medal'... And Lord Li, you can't be fooled!" "Insolence!"
Following the principle of "might as well kick him while he's safe," Li Xiong respectfully returned the "Heavenly Dragon Gold Medal" to Si Xiqiong, then turned and kicked him against the wall.
The pampered Zhang Xiaofeng's head slammed against the hard wall, creating a large bump. The Miao people watching were thrilled: This bastard! He deserved this punishment!
"Didn't you hear what Miss Si said? Crawl over here and open your eyes wide!"
Ye Jingke said coldly, "Lord Zhang, don't blame me for not giving you a chance!" Zhang Xiaofeng was in pain all over, but he couldn't believe it, so he struggled to his feet and rushed to Si Xiqiong in a few steps. He stared wide-eyed at the gold medal in Si Xiqiong's hand.
The side that was most visible was engraved with the four large characters "As if I were here in person." These four characters were written by Emperor Kangzong himself, and in the indentation in the middle, a very precious purple gold was added during the refining process. When viewed up close, the four characters had a purple-gold light, as if they were about to leap out of the gold medal.
Just seeing this feature, Zhang Xiaofeng completely collapsed.
The authenticity of the "Heavenly Dragon Gold Medal" was beyond doubt!
But... this was clearly not the one he had seen before!
How could it suddenly become real?
The prefect felt that if he couldn't figure this out, he would die with regrets.

Chapter Seven: The Matter is Settled .
"Sun Shu, a notorious bandit, has committed countless evils and raped numerous women. By order of Lady Si, the fiancée of Lord Lanting, he is to be executed immediately!"
Amidst the chaos, a clear voice rang out. Sun Shu had just realized they were talking about him, and instinctively lifted his feet to flee when he felt a gust of wind, a dark shadow appear above his head, and then a sharp pain in his forehead, followed by unconsciousness.
Seeing Sun Shu, whose martial arts skills rivaled those of top masters, killed by this kind young man before he could even react, everyone on both sides, except for Si Xiqiong, felt a chill.
"Lord Mi actually possesses such martial arts skills? No wonder His Highness sent him to protect Lady Si..." Li Xiong and Ye Jingke thought to themselves.
"Damn it, thank goodness I didn't use force, otherwise I would definitely be the one dead..." The prefect, lying on the ground, was once again drenched in sweat.
Qian Zhongji watched as Sun Shu, though not bleeding, lay limp on the ground like a snake. His heart froze, overwhelmed by boundless fear! Even without martial arts skills, this cunning strategist knew Sun Shu's bones were shattered, hence his state.
The only ones overjoyed were the Miao warriors and maids. Only now did they truly believe the Holy Maiden hadn't lied; she was indeed the fiancée of Lord Lanting. That explained why so many protected her, and why Zhang Xiaofeng was so terrified he couldn't even stand… But how could the Holy Maiden be Lord Lanting's fiancée? The High Priest and the Chief of the Caves seemed unaware, didn't they? Regardless of what others thought, after killing Sun Shu, I nonchalantly returned to Si Xiqiong's back. But now, no one dared treat me like I didn't exist. Under my secret telepathic guidance, Si Xiqiong calmly spoke: "Lord Zhang, rise and speak!"
"This humble servant... dares not! This humble servant deserves to die!"
Zhang Xiaofeng didn't dare to raise his head, kowtowing repeatedly, not caring even if his head was covered in blood.
No matter how many doubts he had before, now that the "Heavenly Dragon Gold Medal" was real, and Ye Jingke and that Privy Council spy were real, there was no longer any room for him to question.
"You know you deserve to die, huh?"
Si Xiqiong chuckled: "But don't worry, you won't die now... but when I return to the capital another day, I will tell Lanting what you told me this afternoon and evening."
"Ah?"
The prefect was so frightened that he lost his soul. He had long heard of Lanting's domineering nature, including daring to scold his master, Prince Tang, at the palace banquet this year. This was not something that could be done by someone who controlled 500,000 troops; it clearly proved that he was the general that the emperor had put forward to fight against the princes! He could even curse the Tang Emperor, so why wouldn't he dare kill the governor of a mere impoverished prefecture?
Zhang Xiaofeng, accustomed to a life of luxury, had long lost his ambition, only hoping to amass a fortune after decades of official service and return to his hometown as a wealthy man. He never imagined that now, for the sake of a stunning beauty, he had finally offended someone he shouldn't have, his life in danger. How could he possibly have a happy life in the future?
"Miss Si! Miss Si!"
When Zhang Xiaofeng raised his head, his face was covered in blood: "Please spare my life! I beg you! I was blind and didn't recognize your worth! You...you...oh, tomorrow, no, immediately, immediately I will have the warehouse transport 50 million catties of grain to the Nanhua Mountains, and all the Miao girls in Guihai City, all of them, all of them, will go back with it!"
"50 million catties of grain?"
This time, Si Xiqiong didn't need me to teach her, she looked at him with a half-smile: "Didn't you say that the warehouse was short of grain and couldn't give it to me? You even wanted me to..."
"No, no, I misremembered just now, it's 80 million catties of grain!"
Zhang Xiaofeng said, trembling with fear. How could he dare let Si Xiqiong say the second half of the sentence? What a joke, the commander of the secret agents was standing next to him. If he recorded it and sent it to the capital, even without Lord Lanting causing trouble for him, other people who wanted to curry favor would kill him! "One hundred million catties of grain!"
Si Xiqiong held up a jade-like finger. "Plus five thousand fat pigs and eight thousand fat sheep. Furthermore, if even one of our Miao women is secretly harbored, you'll lose a finger; if there are eleven, you can commit suicide! If you want to hide, your family's property will be confiscated and your entire clan exterminated in an instant."
She was determined. Having her lover's support, she decided to help all the Miao tribes she could. They all shared the same origin, so naturally they should look after each other.
"Hiss..."
Si Xiqiong's outrageous demands made Li Xiong and Ye Jingke gasp. Having lived in Guihai City for a long time, they were very familiar with the situation.
One hundred million catties of grain wasn't a big problem; many merchant ships carried extra grain, which could be traded.
The key was the five thousand fat pigs and eight thousand fat sheep—how could they just hand them over like that?
Zhang Xiaofeng was on the verge of tears. If this was considered reckless, then what was? Life in Guihai City was certainly comfortable. Thanks to its thriving commerce, the catering and entertainment industries were booming, resulting in an abundance of beautiful women and meat, making life quite good even during famine years. However, let alone a total of 13,000 head of livestock, even if halved to 6,500 fat pigs and sheep, it would be impossible to gather them all in a short time!
After all, Guihai City and its surrounding areas had a population of only a little over 100,000; there simply weren't enough people to raise that many livestock!
But the Prefect also knew how deeply he had offended the fiancée of the Duke of Lanting. If it weren't for his role in supplying food, Ye Jingke's sword would probably have slit his throat… The charge was simple: attempting to forcibly take the fiancée of the Duke of Lanting! No man could tolerate this; even if he were killed, it would be in vain, and His Highness the Prince of Tang wouldn't stand up for him.
Faced with an absolute disadvantage, Zhang Xiaofeng had no bargaining power whatsoever, nor did he even consider bargaining. Having served as an official for nearly twenty years, he knew that his only way out was to unconditionally satisfy this young lady's demands, even if it meant going bankrupt. As long as he was alive and held his official position, he would eventually recover.
Amidst everyone's astonishment, the prefect pleaded, "There's no problem with the grain, and there's no problem with the Miao girls... Miss Si, but Guihai City doesn't have that many pigs and sheep. Could you give me a thousand fat pigs and a thousand fat sheep first, and then distribute the rest over three months? Please, I will do my best to handle it!"
Si Xiqiong was secretly delighted, but outwardly she frowned and looked at him without saying a word. In the silence, Zhang Xiaofeng was the most distressed. His mind raced with anxiety, and he quickly said, "Miss Si, please feel free to make any other requests you may have. I will do my best to fulfill them!" Si Xiqiong said calmly, "If it's three months, then add another 30 million catties of grain, 2,000 fat sheep, and 1,000 fat pigs."
"Uh..."
Zhang Xiaofeng suddenly realized that this beautiful young woman was actually much like the wicked landlady in his village when he was a child—both were determined to squeeze every last drop of profit from the poor farmers.
But he was at her mercy; what could he do if he refused?
"Alright, this humble servant will certainly do his best and not disappoint Miss Si!"
the prefect said helplessly.
"Oh, right, Lord Zhang,"
Si Xiqiong added, "you'll have to pay for this yourself. If I hear you dare to impose it on the people, then I'm sorry."
"Yes, sir. Don't worry, I've always loved the people like my own children and won't cause them any trouble."
Si Xiqiong had even anticipated his final plan. Zhang Xiaofeng was now more like a sore thumb than a grimace. Seeing Zhang Xiaofeng almost crying with distress, Ye Jingke, who was usually oppressed by him, was secretly delighted: 'This girl is really something! She should really squeeze this corrupt official Zhang Xiaofeng dry!' "Alright, you can leave now! There's no need to transport it now. Get ready, I'll leave with the caravan tomorrow at noon."
Si Xiqiong waved her hand. "Qian Zhongji, stay here."
"Huh?"
The cunning, lewd man almost fell to the ground. He subconsciously looked at Zhang Xiaofeng, but the prefect didn't even glance at him. After respectfully kneeling and bowing, she turned and left. If it weren't for the need to maintain proper etiquette, Zhang Xiaofeng would probably have already run out the door and escaped this hell.
"You stand there and wait!"
Si Xiqiong ordered Qian Zhongji without any politeness. Qian Zhongji lowered his head, like a humble servant, and stood behind the Miao warriors. Moreover, he was quite sensible, knowing that he had offended Her Highness the Holy Maiden too deeply, so he simply knelt down there, with an expression of honest repentance.
At this moment, the people outside, under Ye Jingke's orders, dragged Sun Shu's corpse out. This scene made Qian Zhongji's face even more sorrowful.
After that, Si Xiqiong stood up, removed her veil, and revealed a stunningly beautiful and pure face. No matter how indifferent Ye Jingke was to women, or how cunning Li Xiong was, they couldn't help but hold their breath, staring blankly at Si Xiqiong's exquisite beauty, speechless for a long time. "Xiqiong greets you two gentlemen,"
the Miao saintess said, placing her right hand on her chest and bowing to the two men. "If it weren't for your arrival tonight, who knows what kind of humiliation Xiqiong might have suffered… On behalf of the many people of Miao, I thank you both for your kind assistance!"
Ye Jingke and Li Xiong felt their faces burning. They knew about the Miao people's disaster, but before this, they had no intention of helping them, as it was not their responsibility. They
had originally thought that the ruthless fiancée of the powerful Lanting Duke would treat them as harshly as she had treated Zhang Xiaofeng, but instead, she smiled and thanked them, which lifted their hearts from hell to paradise.
This was true grace!
The two admired her inwardly, thinking, "No wonder the Lanting Guild likes her; she possesses not only stunning beauty but also such excellent manners and magnanimity." "Miss Si, your words make me feel ashamed,"
Ye Jingke said, cupping his hands. "Miss Si, please entrust the escort tomorrow noon to our army. I will personally lead a thousand elite soldiers to escort you along the way, preventing any losses… Not only that, but from now on, our 'Iron Wolf Legion' will handle all the transport of grain and livestock." The
"Iron Wolf Legion" is on duty throughout the land, and it has ten thousand elite soldiers stationed in Guihai City. Ye Jingke dispatched one-tenth of its elite troops with just a word—a truly generous gesture.
It wasn't that he didn't want to send more; it was simply that the escorts also consumed provisions. If more people went, more food would be consumed, and they might end up eating half the grain before even reaching the Nanhua Mountains—that would be truly heartbreaking.
Moreover, once you enter the Miao region's 100,000 Mountains, apart from some wild animal groups, there are hardly any large bandit groups. This is the Miao people's domain, and Han bandits simply cannot survive in the 100,000 Mountains.
"Thank you, General Ye."
Si Xiqiong smiled and bowed again. "With your and the 'Iron Wolf Legion' escorting us, everything is truly foolproof."
Seeing Ye Jingke trying to curry favor, Li Xiong naturally didn't want to be outdone. "Miss Si, rest assured, apart from Guihai City, I will also send all the Miao girls from other parts of Guangming County back to the Nanhua Mountains within ten days, leaving no one behind." "
In that case, Xiqiong thanks Lord Li as well."
Si Xiqiong bowed for the third time. "You're too kind."
Li Xiong hesitated for a moment, glanced at Ye Jingke, and then spoke softly, "Miss Si, may I ask... has His Highness arrived in Guihai City?"
I felt a surge of displeasure: "Damn it, I'm not even eighteen yet, how dare you address me like that?" Si Xiqiong also chuckled, her exquisite posture causing the two important figures from Guihai City to quickly lower their heads, not daring to show any impoliteness.
"Lan Ting didn't come,"
Si Xiqiong said softly. "However, I went to the capital once before coming here. You two should know that Lan Ting is still in the capital awaiting the Emperor and Empress's instruction, right?" "
Yes, Miss Si, you've really worked hard,"
the two quickly replied. They knew some things about the court, and the gossip in the capital was widespread. Lan Ting had returned to the capital with the momentum of the great victory in the Northwest, and his courage in speaking up for the Emperor at the palace banquet was a significant contribution. It
wasn't even the first month of the lunar calendar yet, so it was reasonable for Lan Ting to still be in the capital.
Considering the journey from Nanqiang to the capital at full speed, it would only take twenty days for a round trip, not too far. Despite their flattery, Li Xiong was actually somewhat skeptical. Even if Lan Ting doted on you, he wouldn't so rashly let you run around alone with the "Heavenly Dragon Gold Token," would he? However, Li Xiong dared not ask this question aloud. Since Si Xiqiong had already said so, asking again would clearly imply that he suspected her of lying, essentially exposing her to her face—a highly undesirable act that could easily offend Si Xiqiong and the Lanting Duke behind her.
After another round of pleasantries, Li Xiong and Ye Jingke took their leave. However, Ye Jingke left behind the twenty-odd soldiers he had brought, ordering them to guard Si Xiqiong closely. In my opinion, this was completely unnecessary. Not to mention my presence, even Zhang Xiaofeng was terrified. Even if he had several lives, he wouldn't dare to harm Si Xiqiong again.
Now, the only outsider left was Qian Zhongji, who was still kneeling to the side.
Si Xiqiong had no good temper with him because he was the one who saw through the little girl's forged "Heavenly Dragon Gold Medal," almost putting her in danger. This grudge couldn't be forgotten.
Since Si Xiqiong ignored him, I had to teach him a lesson: "Mr. Qian."
Qian Zhongji trembled, humbly raising his head: "My lord, I am unworthy of such a title. I was blinded by greed and dared to doubt Miss Si; I deserve to die!"
"You know it!"
I smiled: "Your worthless life should have gone to hell with Sun Shu long ago, but my young lady is merciful and will give you a chance."
"Oh!"
Qian Zhongji kowtowed repeatedly with ecstatic joy: "Thank you, my lord! Thank you, Miss Si! From now on, I will be Miss Si's loyal servant; I will do whatever you want!" "What is the reputation of Miao herbs and local specialties, such as Panax notoginseng, Gastrodia elata, honeysuckle, Pu'er tea, and Pengdahai, among others?" "
My lord, these things are very popular overseas. Merchants from overseas islands buy them in large quantities every time."
"What is the difference between the purchase and sale prices for merchants in your Guangming County?"
"Uh... I haven't done the exact calculations, but based on my estimate, the profit could be ten times."
Qian Zhongji vaguely understood what I wanted him to do. With his life in our hands, he spoke frankly and without any concealment. The Miao Qiang people, including Si Xiqiong, who were just listening to our conversation, were astonished. They knew that selling Miao goods to Han Chinese outside the Miao region would definitely make them money, but they never expected to make so much! Ten times the profit!
It's easy to imagine how much these cunning Han Chinese exploited the Miao people during their daily transactions!
"If the Miao people were to establish a chamber of commerce, and you were to oversee the initial stages, could you guarantee you'd teach them how to do business with overseas merchants?"
"Yes!"
Qian Zhongji was overjoyed, never expecting this. "For me, dealing with people is incredibly easy. They only need to learn from me for a few months, and I guarantee they'll be able to handle buying and selling Miao goods with ease, at prices much higher than they are now."
"Very good. My young lady will send someone to find you soon. If you do well on this task, then we can call it even."
Saying this, I looked at him coldly, my true energy pressing down on him so hard he could barely breathe. "However, if you don't satisfy us, I think the fish and shrimp on the beach wouldn't mind having more food."
"I wouldn't dare! I will absolutely do my utmost to assist Miss Si. Just watch my performance!"
Qian Zhongji hadn't dared to stand up until now, when he bowed his head again, showing humility and submission. In reality, anyone with a brain would know that once he offended the powerful Lan Ting Gong, he would have nowhere to go in the world except to try his best to please Lan Yizheng Gong's fiancée. Moreover, Qian Zhongji had thought further ahead; if he could gain Lan Yizheng Gong's support through this, he would be set for life! Therefore, Qian Zhongji had every reason to comply with my orders, rather than just going through the motions. The reason
I asked Qian Zhongji to do this was because he was inherently cunning and adept at understanding people's hearts. The business world is always like a battlefield. If Qian Zhongji could teach these skills to the kind and honest Miao Qiang people, it would greatly benefit the future development of Miao Qiang's business group. As for
whether I was afraid of Qian Zhongji's double-dealing… humph! If he dared to go against me, he would be a joke! Even if I didn't say a word, countless people would swarm in and kill him!

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