Imperial Secrets - 10

page views:1 Publication date:2023-03-24

Jiang Hanqing was naturally delighted with this. So, led by Wu Sifei, Jiang Hanqing and Bai Yingjue embarked on the road to the mountain stronghold. Meanwhile, Wu Sifei's two apprentices were ordered to fetch the rest of the Jiang family to the mountain.

On the way, Wu Sifei told Jiang Hanqing, "More than a hundred years ago, when the Yin Clan was causing chaos in the world, our Wu family ancestors decided to find a place to take refuge. Later, by sheer chance, they discovered this excellent place in the mountains. From then on, our ancestors stayed here and built their home. Over the past hundred years, refugees from outside have continuously fled here to settle. Through everyone's long and painstaking efforts, we have finally achieved the prosperous scene you see today, Young Master Jiang.

At that time, to protect their home from bandits and rebel armies during the chaos, our ancestors initially built camps and trained militias here for self-defense. These defensive facilities were gradually built over the past hundred years."

Jiang Hanqing asked, "Judging from your tone, it seems the Yin Clan once attacked this place?"

Wu Sifei sighed and said, "That's a long story! Alas! " Originally, my Wu family was a prestigious righteous family, an enemy of the lewd sect for generations. A hundred years ago, when the lewd sect reached its peak, it naturally launched an attack on my Wu family, attempting to annihilate them. In that battle, my Wu family suffered heavy casualties, and the survivors fled in panic, only to be caught up and slaughtered by the lewd sect's pursuers.

Seeing that they were no match for their opponents, the leader of the lewd sect suddenly killed all his subordinates.

Only after everyone was stunned and pressed for answers did he reveal the reason. It turned out that one of the lewd sect's leaders' wives, before joining the sect and falling on hard times, had been rescued by my Wu family ancestor, and had never had the opportunity to repay the debt. Seeing the Wu family in distress, she couldn't bear to stand idly by, so she risked everything to send one of her trusted confidants—the lewd sect's expert—to find a way to save them. My ancestor, having suffered such a calamity, had long since become vengeful to the world... Disheartened by the constant fighting,

they realized that the members of the "Yinmen" (a sect associated with promiscuity) weren't inherently good or evil, despite their unethical behavior, and decided to withdraw from worldly affairs. With the help of a master from the Yinmen, they found this blessed land and settled down.

Everyone thought they would never have anything to do with the Yinmen again, but eighty years ago, something happened... Alas!

Jiang Hanqing feigned ignorance, looking surprised, and asked, "What happened again? Is it still related to the Yinmen?"

Wu Sifei nodded, "Yes! At that time, for some reason, the Yinmen suddenly had an internal conflict, resulting in heavy casualties. The remaining members were besieged by other factions and were doomed. At this time, the lady who had been saved by our Wu family and later saved the Wu family's fate found us. It turned out that her confidante, who had helped our ancestors find this place, returned home..." She drew a map showing the way to this place and told her the directions. Her confidante later died in the internal strife, and she herself was seriously injured. She found this place using the map. At that time, it was said that her husband, the sect leader, had died, and she had become a member of the Goddess Palace, an elder organization of the lewd sect. My ancestors saw her miserable state and, remembering her past act of saving the Wu family despite the danger, left her here to recuperate. My great-grandfather was just a child at the time, and he later told my grandfather and father about what happened. He said that the lady looked very beautiful when she arrived, but within a year she turned into an old woman, and the little power she had left after her injury gradually disappeared.”

Bai Yingjue remembered the story Jiang Hanqing had told her a few days ago and couldn’t help but interject, probing, “Was that lady the Lady Liao you just mentioned?”

"That's right! She is Madam Liao, her real name is Liao Haiming!"

Bai Yingjue thought to herself, "Qing'er was right the other day! Someone from the Divine Maiden Palace of the Xianzong Sect really did join the infighting!" She then asked, "What happened to her afterwards? You asked me earlier if I was her sister, and from your tone, it seems she's still alive, right?"

Wu Sifei sighed, "If she had died back then, none of this would have happened... Just when she was in despair and waiting to die, a beautiful young woman suddenly came to our mountain stronghold. She happened to be passing by and saw this stronghold, so she came up to visit. In the small area of the stronghold, she unintentionally saw Madam Liao, who had become an old woman, and suddenly sighed with a sense of injustice. She went over and talked to Madam Liao for a while. Later, Madam Liao knelt at her feet and begged her to save her life! Then this young woman took Madam Liao away! Since then, we have never seen Madam Liao again, and everyone thought she was dead. I only heard about this from my father and had no idea what she looked like! Who knew that she would suddenly reappear after thirty years...

"Alas! When she came to the stronghold, none of us recognized her." She introduced herself, and everyone in our Wu family had heard her story. My grandfather and father were astonished upon hearing it and immediately called out my great-grandfather, who was still alive at the time. He recognized her instantly; she was indeed Madam Liao from back then, and as young and beautiful as before she was injured. It seemed the woman who had taken her away had completely healed her wounds, restoring her powers and youth. She inquired about our family's current situation and expressed her gratitude for our kindness in taking her in, then politely took her leave.

"My great-grandfather always warned my family to respect Madam Liao, because her relationship with our family was so deep; we had all saved each other's lives. For the next thirty years, Madam Liao attended both my great-grandfather's and grandfather's funerals, and always treated us with utmost courtesy. Five years ago, Madam Liao suddenly sent someone to invite my father and me to join forces with the 'Yinmen' (a derogatory term for a brothel), saying that we should work together to seize power, and that the Wu family would receive a share if we succeeded.

Although my father was very polite to Madam Liao, he naturally hated the 'Yinmen' and refused the invitation on the spot. Afterwards, Madam Liao sent people to harass us every few days, sometimes threatening, sometimes bribing, which annoyed us greatly, but we endured it all.

Six months ago, my father passed away, and Madam Liao not only didn't attend the funeral, but continued to send people to harass us.

"Since then, I've taken some measures against their people, making them suffer a few times before they finally stopped coming." "Seeing the young master and his wife suddenly arrive here today, and the young master immediately saying he was looking for me, I thought it was someone sent by the Lustful Sect again, so I laughed... Later, when I discovered the wife's profound martial arts skills, I thought it was someone from the Lustful Sect coming for revenge. Shame on me! Shame on me!"

Amidst their laughter and conversation, they unknowingly arrived at the riverbank and stepped onto the wooden bridge.

Wu Sifei pointed to the rushing, turbulent river beneath his feet and exclaimed, "This river is called the Chenyu River, meaning that even a feather falling into its current would be swept away! How many lives were sacrificed to build these wooden bridges!" "

Passing through the bridge, the checkpoint is the gate in the stone wall. The massive gate is studded with copper nails and looks extremely heavy; it can only be opened by turning a winch on the wall.

Entering the gate, a winding mountain path leads uphill. Although the path isn't very wide, it's very well-maintained. Following the path uphill, there's a watchtower or checkpoint at regular intervals, heavily fortified.

Jiang Hanqing, looking at this meticulous arrangement, exclaimed, 'Senior Wu, the layout here is truly impregnable! Amazing! By the way! Were all the militia here trained by you yourself?'

Wu Sifei proudly replied, 'Hehe! Well, this mountain stronghold and those militia are probably the result of generations of painstaking effort by our Wu family! Of course, I've played a role in it in recent years! Hehe! Look at these arrangements; this is the result of a century of hard work! Countless bandits and robbers have tried to conquer this stronghold over the past hundred years, but all have failed. By the way!'" "To be honest, young master, two months ago our local militia attacked the army of the Qiu Te barbarians and even won a small victory!" Upon hearing this, Jiang Hanqing naturally feigned great admiration, showering Wu Sifei with praise, making Wu Sifei beam with delight. Once the topic turned to war, the two men couldn't stop talking, their words flowing freely. Wu Sifei felt increasingly compatible with Jiang Hanqing, as if they were kindred spirits who had known each other for a long time, and although he was still on horseback, he was already dancing with joy.

Bai Yingjue and Wu Yunliu became fast friends. Before long, Wu Yunliu was calling her "Sister Bai" repeatedly, being incredibly affectionate.

The four of them walked and talked, and although they were on horseback, it took them over an hour to finally see the stone fortress atop the mountain.

It was a massive stone fortress, perched atop the mountain ridge. It was already evening, and the fortress appeared even more majestic in the twilight.

At the end of the mountain path was a huge gate: Yin Gate. A large golden plaque hung above the gate, engraved with the three gleaming characters "Anping Village."

Wu Yunliu was already galloping ahead, calling back as she rushed towards the gate, "Sister Bai, hurry up! Look! This is our fortress, called Anping Village! Isn't it beautiful? Come on! Come on!"

Bai Yingjue was very fond of this innocent and adorable girl, and immediately spurred her horse forward with a charming laugh.

Upon entering the mountain stronghold, Wu Yunliu hurriedly led Bai Yingjue to pay respects to her mother. Wu Sifei, meanwhile, proudly showed Jiang Hanqing around the stronghold. After a tour, Jiang Hanqing discovered that although it was nominally just a mountain stronghold, its layout was more like a small town—truly small but complete.

He couldn't help but feel sincere admiration for the Wu family ancestors who had founded it.

Through casual conversations with Wu Sifei along the way, Jiang Hanqing had gained a certain understanding of the man's abilities.

In Jiang Hanqing's view, if Fan Hu was a rare military talent, then Wu Sifei was an even rarer commander-in-chief. Although theoretical knowledge didn't represent much practical ability, Wu Sifei had at least reached that level in theory. Moreover, judging from Wu Sifei's achievements in training the volunteer army and the results of the raid on the Qiu Te cavalry that night, Jiang Hanqing understood that this man was definitely not just an empty talker.

His desire to recruit Wu Sifei into his service grew even stronger.

After Jiang Hanqing finished touring the mountain stronghold and the banquet was about to begin, Lin Fengxian, Chen Bin, and the other four were led up the mountain by Wu Sifei's two apprentices.

Jiang Hanqing, noticing Li Feiluan was missing, paused for a moment and pulled Lin Fengxian aside to question him. Lin Fengxian then gave a pre-prepared excuse, saying that he and Li Feiluan had walked halfway up the mountain when he suddenly had a stomachache and went to relieve himself. When he returned, Li Feiluan was gone. He waited for a long time without seeing her and, not knowing where she had gone, had no choice but to give up.

Although Jiang Hanqing was furious and scolded Lin Fengxian for being stupid and careless, he didn't suspect Lin Fengxian of lying. After a while, as his anger subsided, Chen Bin and the others boldly approached and begged him to forgive Lin Fengxian. Wu Sifei, seeing this, also came forward to mediate. Jiang Hanqing went along with it and forgave Lin Fengxian, only telling him to be more careful in the future.

At the dinner table, Jiang Hanqing met Wu Sifei's wife, a beautiful woman named Liu Yun. She wore a pale yellow fur-trimmed pleated skirt, her eyes as clear as autumn water, and her face lightly powdered. What impressed Jiang Hanqing most was that she looked exactly like a larger version of his daughter. The first time Jiang Hanqing saw her, he thought to himself, "If I reduced her age by twenty years, she would look exactly like my daughter! Hehe!"

Liu Yun had already been chatting with Bai Yingjue for quite some time and seemed very familiar with her. The two had even exchanged age numbers; Bai Yingjue was actually a little older, so they addressed each other affectionately as "Sister Bai" and "Sister Liu." Wu Yun, who had previously called Bai Yingjue "Sister Bai," reluctantly started calling her "Aunt Bai," sitting there with a cute pout.

Wu Sifei was slightly taken aback when he heard that Bai Yingjue was older than his wife, but quickly accepted it. He thought, "This isn't surprising. Judging from that woman's appearance, I guessed she was older than Young Master Jiang, but I didn't expect her to be this much older. This Young Master Jiang can't be more than thirty, right? Marrying such an old woman! Oh! Right! Probably a concubine or something! Heh! I didn't expect Young Master Jiang to like older women."

At dinner, Wu Sifei and Jiang Hanqing's conversation gradually shifted from military strategy to the current state of the world, while Liu Yun and her daughter chatted animatedly with Bai Yingjue. The two women rarely ventured beyond their small area around the mountain stronghold, and they listened with rapt attention to Bai Yingjue's tales of the world's wonders, their eyes shining with fascination. They were filled with longing for what Bai Yingjue described.

Jiang Hanqing chatted with Wu Sifei for a while and discovered that Wu Sifei shared his opinions on many things. Overjoyed, he seized the opportunity to forcefully instill his theories in Wu Sifei, vehemently advocating that the emperor was incompetent and that a way to overthrow his corrupt rule needed to be found, and so on. At the same time, he naturally wouldn't forget to subtly discredit the other three families.

Wu Sifei, having already developed a certain liking for Jiang Hanqing, found that Jiang Hanqing shared many of his political views. Furthermore, he felt that the current emperor had been incompetent in recent years, and the Jiang family's reputation among the people had always been better than the other three families for various reasons. Therefore, listening to Jiang Hanqing's eloquent comments, he largely agreed.

However, when Jiang Hanqing hinted at recruiting him at the end, Wu Sifei hesitated for a long time before finally finding a way to decline the invitation. In truth, Wu Sifei was quite different from his ancestors in their indifference to fame and fortune. Although upright, he always held the belief that "a true man should be an outstanding person," a man who longed to leave his mark on history. He spent his days studying military strategy, training the volunteer army, and improving military equipment, all in the hope of finding an opportunity to serve his country and achieve heroic deeds.

Speaking of Wu Sifei, his political acumen was undeniably sharp. Based on various signs in recent years, he had long since concluded that the Great Xia Kingdom was on the verge of collapse. He was constantly calculating when the Great Xia Kingdom would fall and which power would emerge victorious. The Jiang family was precisely the one he had always favored most, which was the main reason why he immediately became extremely respectful upon learning Kang Hanqing's identity at the foot of the mountain. He was unwilling to offend someone who might one day become emperor.

Now, upon hearing Jiang Hanqing's invitation, he was naturally greatly tempted, thinking, "Young Master Jiang is a man of great talent and wisdom, truly capable of contending for supremacy. Judging from this, the rest of the Jiang family must be no less capable. Moreover, the Jiang family, the Duke of Zhenguo, has always enjoyed the best reputation among the common people, and its strength is second to none among the four great families of the empire. Now, with the powerful army led by the unparalleled general Yin Yufeng as their backing, their chances of success are truly great should the empire fall into internal strife in the future!"

However, after much deliberation, Wu Sifei decided to observe further: "Planning before acting is the only way to ensure absolute safety. The Jiang family seems powerful now, but who knows what they will be like in a few years? It would be unwise to bet everything so early! I'm not in a hurry; it's not too late to make a decision when the time is right!"

Based on this thought, he politely declined Jiang Hanqing's request: "Young Master Jiang, our Wu family has been living in seclusion here for nearly a hundred years, and..." Our ancestors had already decided to refrain from interfering in worldly affairs. So now...

this... this kind of thing is really not easy to decide in a short time! I think we should consider the young master's suggestion again and consult the opinions of other senior members of the family. This... after a while, when we have a result, I will send someone to inform the young master. I hope the young master will not be offended!"

Jiang Hanqing smiled and replied, "It's alright! It's alright! Senior Wu, please come down and think about it slowly! In short, the doors of my Jiang family are always open to you!"

In his heart, however, he thought, "That Wu Sifei is indeed not simple. He wants to delay and see how things develop! Humph! What a cunning old fox!"

The two of them then stopped mentioning the matter and instead drank, played drinking games, and had fun with the others at the table. The banquet lasted until Hai Shi (9-11 PM) before it ended. Seeing that it was getting late, Wu Sifei immediately began to arrange for the Jiang family members to rest in the guest room.

Madam Wu, Liu Yun, and her daughter, Wu Yunliu, insisted on sleeping with Bai Yingjue, saying that the mother and daughter wanted to have a private chat with her. Seeing this, Jiang Hanqing and Wu Sifei could only exchange bitter smiles, sighing helplessly. Although Bai Yingjue was extremely reluctant to leave Jiang Hanqing for the night, she couldn't resist Liu Yun's insistence, and since Jiang Hanqing didn't object, she reluctantly agreed, following Liu Yun and her daughter towards her bedroom. Watching

the three women's figures gradually disappear into the distance, Jiang Hanqing stood there thoughtfully for a while before following the servant to the bedroom assigned to him.

Chapter Twenty

-Nine: Incestuous Mother and Daughter.

Leaving the banquet hall, Bai Yingjue discovered that Liu Yun and her daughter hadn't led her to the bedroom they had visited before, but instead led her along a winding path towards a remote corner of the village.

Bai Yingjue asked curiously, "Sister Liu, weren't we going to your bedroom? How did we end up here?"

Liu Yun, who was walking in front, turned around and smiled at her, neither confirming nor denying.

Wu Yunliu, walking beside Bai Yingjue, smiled innocently and said, "Yes! My mother has several bedrooms. Two are shared with my father. The one we're currently using is for my mother alone, and my father never goes there. We can chat there slowly without being disturbed!"

Looking at the little girl's innocent smile, Bai Yingjue had no more doubts. She nodded and didn't ask any more questions, simply following behind the two.

The three of them wandered through the woods, turning this way and that for quite some time before finally arriving at a small house tucked away in a dark corner. The rooms surrounding the small house were dilapidated, resembling storage warehouses. Bai Yingjue was wondering why Liu Yun would set up a bedroom here when Liu Yun opened the door and said, "Sister Bai, we've arrived! This is one of my bedrooms. Although it's a bit secluded and simple, it's very quiet and perfect for being alone, so I built a bedroom here. Come in! Come in quickly!" Bai Yingjue was relieved and stepped into the room.

Although the room was relatively small, it was tidy and clean. There weren't many things in the room, just an embroidered bed, an eight-immortal table, a few stools, a desk and a grand chair by the window; on the eight-immortal table was a neat set of vermilion tea.

Liu Yun gently pulled Bai Yingjue to sit on the bed, and Wu Yunliu locked the door tightly from the inside when she came in. "Liu'er, quickly make a cup of tea for Aunt Bai! It's cold on this mountain in winter, a little tea will warm you up!" Liu Yun said softly. Wu Yunliu immediately and obediently agreed, turning around to take a small stove from the corner of the wall, then taking out the tea set to boil water and brew tea. Meanwhile, Liu Yun continued to pull Bai Yingjue along, asking her to tell her stories about the outside world. Not long after, Wu Yunliu's tea was ready and brought up.

"Aunt Bai, please try my tea!"

Seeing Wu Yunliu's expectant gaze, Bai Yingjue smiled slightly and said, "Alright! I'll try Liu'er's cooking!" Saying this, she picked up the teacup and took a small sip. With her eyes closed, she savored the taste for a moment and said, "The tea is indeed excellent! It's fragrant upon entry and has a long-lasting aftertaste! However... the tea has a slightly fishy smell at the end. I wonder why?"

Liu Yun frowned at Wu Yunliu and said, "Liu'er, is it because you didn't wash your teacup properly? Or did you choose the wrong water?"

Wu Yunliu looked disappointed and said, "Is that so? Then... Aunt Bai, don't drink it! I'll make something else!"

Seeing her pitiful appearance, Bai Yingjue couldn't bear to disappoint her and quickly said, "It's alright! It's not bad! I'll drink it!" After saying that, she raised her cup and drank the rest of the tea in one gulp.

Wu Yunliu said happily, "Is it really delicious? Aunt Bai, you're not lying to me, are you? It's delicious, then drink some more!"

She happily poured another cup for Bai Yingjue. Bai Yingjue frowned slightly, but seeing Wu Yunliu's joyful eyes, she had no choice but to drink it down in one gulp. After two cups of tea, Bai Yingjue felt noticeably warmer. Just as she was about to speak, she noticed Liu Yun and her daughter staring at her with expectant eyes, which struck her as odd. Looking at the mother and daughter, who resembled sisters, and then at herself, she saw nothing amiss. Just as she was about to ask, she suddenly felt a surge of warmth in her lower abdomen, followed by dizziness.

"Oh no! There's something wrong with the tea!" The thought had barely formed in her mind when she felt the world go dark and collapsed into her chair.

"Ugh!" Bai Yingjue groaned, slowly waking from her slumber. Still feeling dizzy, she tried to stretch her limbs, but heard the rattling of chains, and found herself bound and unable to move. Startled

awake, she shook her head violently to dispel the lingering dizziness. Opening her eyes and looking around, she was shocked by her surroundings.

She found herself no longer in the room where she had fainted. Now she was in a room with no windows except for an iron door. The room was dimly lit by only a few small candles. The gray stone walls were covered with all sorts of strange objects—whips, clamps, chains, and others she had no idea what they were or what their purpose was.

In the center of the room were several tables and long benches, as well as some objects that looked like butcher's cutting boards. Her arms were stretched horizontally, her legs spread wide, and her hands and feet were shackled and chained to the wall. This was why she had been unable to move her limbs earlier.

Her outer garment had been removed at some point, and now she was only wearing that lewd leather outfit. Looking down at her leather clothes, Bai Yingjue suddenly felt a burning sensation in her lower body, a surge of heat rising from her lower abdomen and spreading throughout her body, while her uterus and vagina felt itchy. She couldn't help but groan at the uncomfortable feeling.

With a groan, the iron door creaked open, and a cold laugh rang out from outside.

"Hehe! You're awake?"

A figure appeared in the doorway—undoubtedly Wu Yunliu, with her innocent-looking face. She swaggered in, stood in front of Bai Yingjue, and shook her head, saying, "Aunt Bai, oh dear! I never imagined you were such a slut! Look at what you're wearing underneath!"

She then flicked Bai Yingjue's nipple through her leather jacket, her face still bearing that sweet, innocent smile.

"Little girl, you…" Bai Yingjue glared angrily at the girl, wondering what her purpose was.

Seeing Bai Yingjue's face turn ashen with anger, Wu Yunliu covered her mouth and chuckled, "Aunt Bai, don't be angry! Let me tell you what happened! Hehe! At first, I thought your makeup was so heavy, making you look like a vulgar prostitute, which didn't suit your status! Later, while we were chatting, I accidentally touched your chest and found something hard on your breast. I wondered if it was a nipple ring! Hehe! And you're so much older than Young Master Jiang, how could you possibly be his wife? I secretly discussed it with my mother, wondering if Young Master Jiang had some special sexual preferences? And you just happen to be the woman he likes best in that regard? So I decided to seduce you and see. I didn't expect you to be such a lewd woman, not only wearing nipple rings, but also such a provocative leather outfit under your clothes!"

Hearing Wu Yunliu's words, Bai Yingjue felt both ashamed and angry. Her body trembled slightly, causing the iron chains on her hands and feet to clang.

"You...you...let me go!"

Wu Yunliu gently patted Bai Yingjue's cheek and chuckled, "Oh dear! Auntie's angry? Hehe! Don't be afraid! There's nothing shameful about it! I like playing like this too! Think about it, if I didn't like this, how could I have guessed your secret so easily? And I wouldn't have dared to bewitch you so easily. Don't worry, we won't make things difficult for you! We're just playing with you! Tomorrow we'll return you to Young Master Jiang unharmed!"

Hearing Wu Yunliu's words, Bai Yingjue could hardly believe her ears. How could a girl who looked so innocent...

Seeing Bai Yingjue's astonished expression, Wu Yunliu proudly tilted her head back and suddenly shouted, "Come in, you slut! Play with our beautiful Aunt Bai!"

When Bai Yingjue turned her gaze to the door, wanting to see who it was, she was horrified to find that the person who entered was none other than Wu Yunliu's beautiful mother, Liu Yun.

Liu Yun was still wearing the same pale yellow fur coat she had worn before, but her face, which had previously been lightly made up, was now heavily made up. The smile on her face, covered with thick makeup, was so lewd; it was hard to imagine that not long ago this woman had given the impression of being so elegant.

Seeing Bai Yingjue's astonished gaze, Wu Yunliu said smugly, "You wouldn't believe it, would you? My mother, who usually seems so noble and elegant, is actually just as slutty and wanton as you!"

Turning to her mother, she roared, "Come here right now, you slut!"

Her teeth-gritting expression and cruel words didn't sound like she was speaking to her own mother at all. Her cold demeanor at this moment made it impossible to reconcile her with the innocent and romantic girl she once was.

However, Liu Yun immediately obeyed her daughter's command. She swayed her slender waist and swayed her full hips as she walked to her daughter Wu Yunliu's side.

Wu Yunliu pulled her mother close, gently caressing her breasts through her clothes, and lightly licking her face with her tongue.

Liu Yunliu closed her eyes in ecstasy, enjoying the feeling of her daughter playing with her breasts, letting out soft moans.

Bai Yingjue stared blankly at this lewd scene before her, unable to believe it was real. For her, homosexuality was already unacceptable, yet now a mother and daughter were performing a lewd act right before her eyes. This was something she had never even dreamed of, but it was truly happening.

Wu Yunliu's tongue stretched out, leaving wet streaks on her mother's powdered face. Her hands caressed her mother's breasts with gentle strokes, as if caressing an infant. While playing with her mother's body, her eyes were fixed on Bai Yingjue's sexy form, her gaze filled with a wild, lustful light.

Being stared at so intensely by a woman for the first time, with her own clothes so provocative, Bai Yingjue's body was stimulated by a perverse pleasure. Her face flushed crimson, and the sultry heat that had been lingering in her womb since waking up became even more pronounced, leaving wet patches on the crotch of her leather pants.

Wu Yunliu chuckled twice, looking at Bai Yingjue's genitals, and whispered in her mother's ear, "Mom, look at that slut! She's already getting wet! Isn't she just as filthy as you!" She then grabbed her mother's breasts and squeezed them hard.

Being insulted by her own daughter in such a way, even after repeated experiences, would have the same intense aphrodisiac effect on a mother who enjoys masochism. Driven by passion, Liu Yun shook her head, her cherry-like lips slightly parted as she breathed heavily, her gaze towards Bai Yingjue becoming slightly misty. Judging from her mother

's expression, Wu Yunliu realized she was gradually entering a masochistic state, and a lewd smile appeared on her lips. Her hands, which had been playing with her mother's breasts, began to increase their pressure; even through the thick clothing, she could still feel the alluring elasticity of her mother's breasts.

“Aunt Bai, look! My mom is such a slut, with such big breasts and a sexy ass! My dad has lost interest in playing with her anymore, saying he practices martial arts and doesn't get close to women! Sigh! Isn't that strange? No wonder this slut has become so wanton!”

Wu Yunliu spoke to Bai Yingjue while her eyes were fixed on her mother's face. She squeezed her mother's breasts harder and harder, as if she wanted to crush and tear her mother's hands apart. Liu Yunliu's clothes were crumpled and out of shape from her hands. But Liu Yunliu only became more excited. She tilted her head back slightly, resting on her daughter's shoulder; her eyes were closed, and her mouth was wide open as she breathed heavily. Her body leaned softly against her daughter, the itchy sensation between her legs stimulating her to constantly move her legs, occasionally squeezing her thighs together tightly, trying to soothe the itch in her genitals. As her thighs twisted and swayed, her knees bent and straightened intermittently, causing her body to rub against her daughter's. Although her face was covered in thick powder, Bai Yingjue could imagine from her wanton appearance that her complexion must be very flushed.

Looking at her mother's lewd appearance, Wu Yunliu felt a surge of incestuous excitement at being violated by her daughter.

"Mom, does this feel good to you? Humph, you're such a shameless slut! How can you do this to your father who loves you so much?"

With each curse, Wu Yunliu's actions of ravaging her mother's breasts became almost frantic.

Her hands gripped her mother's breasts harder and harder, finally clenching her teeth and using almost all her strength.

At this moment, Liu Yun seemed unable to withstand her daughter's rough treatment; a look of pain appeared on her face, and she began to struggle, trying to break free from her daughter's embrace.

Wu Yunliu's hands finally left her mother's full breasts, and instead, she struck her mother's high buttocks heavily with her palm.

"Slut! Take off your clothes and let Aunt Bai see what a wanton woman you are! Ah! Take them off! Take them off now!"

Amidst the curses, Wu Yunliu's hand slapped her mother's face hard. Liu Yun cried out in pain, "No! Please, don't hit my face! Your father will find out tomorrow morning!"

"Pah! A lowly woman like you deserves to be discovered by your father and hanged on the gallows! Stop talking nonsense and quickly take off your pretentious clothes so this wanton woman can see your despicable attire and understand that you are a woman even more despicable than her!"

Although she didn't know how many times she had experienced such humiliation, the thought of her usually dignified and graceful self being humiliated by her own daughter in front of outsiders made Liu Yunliu's body tremble with excitement. She cried and pleaded, "Liu'er, don't say that to your mother! I'll take off my clothes right now, but please don't scold me! I have no choice!"

Hearing her mother's pitiful pleas, Wu Yunliu's cruel desire intensified. She grabbed her mother's hair and shook it violently, shouting, "You slut! No choice? Will you die without a man? You slut! If you hadn't seduced your own daughter, would I be like this!"

Her hair was being violently shaken, making Liu Yunliu feel as if her scalp was being torn apart. Yet, she felt a strange excitement; being abused by her daughter was the most effective way for her to satisfy her burning lust over the past three years.

Three years ago, Liu Yunliu herself couldn't bear the torment of her lust and seduced her daughter, who was just beginning to experience romantic feelings, into a lesbian relationship. This perverse and incestuous relationship with her mother eventually became unbearable for the young Wu Yunliu, causing her to gradually lose her mind and become addicted to abusing her mother. It seemed that Liu Yunliu also had a natural masochistic streak; she quickly became accustomed to the painful pleasure of being abused by her daughter.

Bai Yingjue, watching the perverse mother-daughter lewd act before her, had forgotten her initial anger, humiliation, and fear. Now, all she felt was the cruel pleasure that only those who were addicted to sadomasochism could understand. Looking at the cruel and lewd scene before her, she even fantasized about Jiang Hanqing humiliating his mother, Yin Yufeng. Her body, thoroughly trained by Jiang Hanqing, was filled with anticipation for such sadomasochistic acts; she even began to crave being ravaged by Wu Yunliu, who was still just a girl.

At this moment, she truly understood why Jiang Hanqing had said that even the most intelligent people ultimately joined the ranks of the lewd. For someone addicted to the pleasure of mother-daughter incest and sadomasochism, that illicit pleasure was an irresistible temptation.

A burning passion raged within Bai Yingjue's body. The aching sensation in her lower body was pushing her to the brink of madness. Her body trembled and swayed slightly, her genitals twisting desperately, the wetness on her vulva becoming increasingly pronounced. An unusual dryness on her lips made her involuntarily lick them.

At this moment, Liu Yun began to slowly remove her fur coat. Bai Yingjue was surprised to find that beneath the coat, this seemingly dignified chieftain's wife was also wearing a thin red fur coat that reached her waist, just like herself. However, unlike her own coat, Liu Yun's coat had two holes at the chest, through which a pair of full breasts peeked out. When Liu Yun completely unbuttoned the fur coat and abruptly pulled it off, her lower body appeared before Bai Yingjue's eyes—a shimmering silver sight.

Bai Yingjue looked closely and realized that Liu Yun was wearing a triangular silver chastity belt. This chastity belt was clearly tailor-made for Liu Yun, as it fit her lower body perfectly. It tightly bound her genitals, exposing most of her plump buttocks. The keyhole of the lewd chastity belt was prominently positioned low on Liu Yun's genitals.

Her buttocks were covered with red whip marks and handprints, clearly left by her daughter's abuse. From this, Bai Yingjue could imagine how commonplace it was for her body to endure her daughter's cruel manipulation.

Wu Yunliu embraced her mother from behind, gently fondling her mother's exposed breasts, saying, "You slut! Look at you, if I didn't put this chastity belt on you, wouldn't you be even more slutty?"

Bai Yingjue stared dumbfounded at the chastity belt on Liu Yun's lower body. She simply couldn't believe that anyone could endure the cold and terrifying feeling of having such a metal object bound to their genitals in such cold weather. Wu

Yunliu pinched and twisted her mother's already engorged and hard nipple with her fingers, asking, "Mom, tell Aunt Bai, what does it feel like to wear these pants?" Liu

Yun sobbed softly, "No... how could Mom... say something so shameful!" Wu Yunliu suddenly increased the pressure on her mother's nipple, and Liu Yun screamed, crying even harder.

Wu Yunliu gently flicked the chastity belt across her mother's anus with her finger. A crisp "clang" rang in her ears.

"Mom, do you want me to take it off for you? That way your cunt can enjoy the pleasure of being played with!" The daughter teased her mother, stroking the cold metal chastity belt against her vulva.

"Yes! Please... take it off for Mom!"

As if seeing the dawn of victory, Liu Yun suddenly became energetic.

She knew that once these pants were removed, her vagina could be played with, and she could then achieve true satisfaction. A burning desire made her legs tremble nervously, even her breasts quivered slightly.

Wu Yunliu sneered, slapping her mother's thigh.

"You slut, you get this horny the moment I say I'm going to take this off: spread your legs, or how am I supposed to take it off!"

Liu Yun obediently spread her legs and stood up, her gaze fixed on Bai Yingjue, who was watching with bulging eyes. Her eyes were full of smugness, as if to say, "You bitch, are you jealous? Hehe! I'm having a good time! You can just stand there watching!"

Wu Yunliu took out a small key, squatted down in front of her mother, and gently inserted the key into the lock on her mother's vulva. With a forceful slam, the key snapped, and the chastity belt split in two, falling into Wu Yunliu's hands. Bai Yingjue then saw Liu Yun's vulva for the first time; the pubic hair had been shaved clean. Bai Yingjue couldn't help but think, "If Liu Yun isn't a 'white tiger,' then it must be that girl Wu Yunliu who did it!"

At this moment, Wu Yunliu took the chastity belt her mother had taken off and looked at it. She could clearly see some traces of vaginal fluid covering her mother's genitals.

"You slut, look at your vaginal fluid! Ugh! A dog can't change its nature! Even with this chastity belt on, you're still so despicable! If you didn't wear it, I don't know how many men you'd sleep with! I really can't do anything with a slut like you!"

Wu Yunliu cursed, grabbing her mother's labia and pulling hard. Suddenly, Liu Yun pounced on her daughter, hugging her and kissing her forcefully.

"Mommy's a slut! Good Liu'er, come on, punish Mommy's cunt! Mommy's cunt hasn't had anything inserted into it all day!"

Wu Yunliu sneered and roughly pushed her mother to the ground. But Liu Yun, lying on the ground, raised her buttocks high towards her daughter, as if begging her daughter to play with her genitals.

Wu Yunliu, laughing loudly, stepped on her mother's buttocks as she watched her mother sprawled on the ground like a female dog. The mud from her shoe immediately left a clear imprint on Wu Yunliu's buttocks.

"Aunt Bai, aren't you incredibly horny too? Haha! I forgot to tell you, besides the sleeping pills, the tea you drank also contained a small amount of aphrodisiac. Don't you feel unbearably itchy in your vagina now? If you can't hold back, just beg me, and I'll have this sow lick you!"

Bai Yingjue finally understood why her vagina felt so itchy tonight—it was because she had been drugged with aphrodisiacs. But not knowing this was better; once she knew, Bai Yingjue felt an even greater itch in her uterus and vagina, and couldn't help but moan softly. Wu Yunliu ignored the tormented Bai Yingjue and turned to take off all her clothes.

Bai Yingjue couldn't help but scrutinize the girl's body with a critical eye. Her body was already quite mature; her breasts and buttocks were full. The shape and color of her vulva looked incredibly alluring, and it seemed to have been relatively untouched. After undressing, Wu Yunliu walked to the wall and took something down. Bai Yingjue saw it was a pair of black briefs, but a wooden stick was attached to the crotch, resembling an erect penis.

Putting on the briefs, Wu Yunliu approached her mother, who was still lying on the ground, watching her actions with burning eyes. The wooden penis erect on the briefs swayed with her movements, seemingly flaunting its power to her mother.

Wu Yunliu reveled in her mother's pained expression, excitedly thrusting her lower body, cursing, "Slut! Feeling good now? Hmm? Speak up! You bitch! Is it good?"

Grabbing her mother's disheveled hair, she pulled hard, her beautiful face now filled with a cruel smile. Two veins bulged on her temples, and her clenched teeth made it seem as if she were torturing not her own mother, but a completely unrelated prostitute. Bai Yingjue stared blankly at the scene of her daughter cruelly toying with her mother. She knew that such a scene would undoubtedly be one she would face at any time in the future. She knew that her beloved would only be more cruel to her mother. Looking at this lewd scene, she felt she was about to succumb to the stimulation of her perverse sexual desires. She couldn't imagine what it would feel like to witness Jiang Hanqing humiliating Yin Yufeng.

Wu Yunliu, who was roughly penetrating her mother's vagina, felt even more smug seeing Bai Yingjue staring at them in a daze. She forcefully pulled her mother's hair with one hand and repeatedly slapped her mother's buttocks with the other. Liu Yunliu's buttocks already had many old bruises, which became even redder, like a monkey's bottom, under her daughter's continuous blows. However, the burning sensation on her buttocks only satisfied her masochistic desires. Every time her daughter's hand struck her buttocks, she would let out a soft moan and shake her buttocks vigorously. Although

it was winter and she was naked, Liu Yun's head was covered in sweat. The beads of sweat running down her cheeks made her powdered face slippery.

"You slut, crawl over there! Quick! Crawl over there and lick Aunt Bai's cunt! Look, she can't hold back anymore!" Wu Yunliu ordered her mother triumphantly, watching Bai Yingjue, who was already struggling to endure it and desperately rubbing her buttocks against the wall

. Urged on by her daughter, Liu Yunliu crawled slowly towards Bai Yingjue on the ground like a female dog. Bai Yingjue watched the mother and daughter crawling towards her, feeling extremely nervous. Having never engaged in lesbian relationships before, it seemed she was doomed today! Thinking this, her heart raced, and her lower body became increasingly itchy. Liu Yunliu painstakingly crawled to Bai Yingjue's crotch and then deliberately tilted her head back, pressing her face against Bai Yingjue's genitals.

Bai Yingjue had been wearing the leather jacket she was wearing for over a month under Jiang Hanqing's coercion, and had never changed it because Jiang Hanqing had told her that it was impossible to find a new leather jacket on the journey. By this time, the leather jacket was completely soaked with Bai Yingjue's body odor, especially around her genitals. After a month, the mixture of sweat, vaginal fluid, and urine had created an unbearable smell. So when Liu Yun's face touched it, she was immediately hit with an unbearable stench. She almost vomited on the spot from the disgusting smell and quickly turned her face away.

Wu Yunliu, seeing her mother's disheveled state, asked in surprise, "What? Mom, is it that smelly there?"

Bai Yingjue naturally knew how strong the stench of her leather jacket had become after wearing it for so long, because Jiang Hanqing would sniff her genitals every night before going to bed, then exclaim in horror at how smelly they were before finally falling asleep. Seeing Liu Yun's unbearable reaction to the stench of her genitals, Bai Yingjue blushed with shame. Liu

Yun took two heavy breaths, then spat and said, "You...how come you smell so bad down there? How long has it been since you changed your pants?"

Hearing her mother's words, Wu Yunliu suddenly realized, "My God! Aunt Bai, you must have worn these clothes for a long time without changing them?"

Bai Yingjue blushed and stammered, "This...no...no! Only...only...one month...that's all."

She became increasingly embarrassed, her voice gradually becoming barely audible.

Wu Yunliu laughed loudly, pulling the wooden penis out of her mother's vagina. She walked up to Bai Yingjue and suddenly grabbed her genitals, squeezing them forcefully, cursing, "You slut! You haven't changed your clothes for a month! You filthy sow!"

Bai Yingjue's itchy genitals were being squeezed and played with by Wu Yunliu. At first, it felt somewhat comfortable as the itching gradually subsided. But slowly, she realized something was wrong; Wu Yunliu's grip on her genitals was getting stronger and stronger, showing no sign of stopping. Bai Yingjue's genitals gradually began to ache. She trembled in terror, pleading with Wu Yunliu, "Liu'er, no! Auntie's so scared! Waaah... It hurts! It really hurts!... Waaah..."

Finally unable to bear the pain, Bai Yingjue sobbed, begging the cruel girl for sympathy.

As Wu Yunliu's hand, which had been simply applying pressure, began to rub against her vulva, Bai Yingjue felt as if her pubic hair was being rubbed off. She cried out to the cruel woman before her, tears streaming down her face.

Wu Yunliu forcefully grabbed her mother's hair, pulling her face close to Bai Yingjue's genitals, and then shoved it down hard.

"You slut! Lick this whore's pants! Even if they stink, you have to lick them! Do you hear me!"

As she gave the order, Wu Yunliu kicked her mother's buttocks twice, causing her to grimace in pain.

Forced by her daughter, Liu Yun reluctantly pressed her lips to Bai Yingjue's genitals.

The strong stench made her feel nauseous, but she forced herself to endure it and tried licking the crotch of Bai Yingjue's now-blackened leather pants. A sour taste entered Liu Yun's taste buds, stimulating her nausea and causing her to gag again. However, she gradually got used to the filthy smell, carefully licking Bai Yingjue's dirty crotch, even turning the leather inside out to lick the accumulated grime. Reveling in the pleasure of being humiliated, she revealed a lewd smile with satisfaction.

Bai Yingjue had never experienced anything like this before. Although she had tried many different things with Jiang Hanqing recently, that was serving her beloved man, and it was completely different from doing this with two newly acquainted women. Before today, under Jiang Hanqing's tutelage, Bai Yingjue had developed a strong liking for being abused, but she had never had any interest in abusing others, not even wanting to think about it. But

now, looking at the beautiful young woman kneeling before her, licking her crotch with a satisfied, lewd expression, and recalling her noble and elegant demeanor when she met her earlier that day, Bai Yingjue suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of triumph. She felt that making this woman lick her foul-smelling crotch was the perfect way to humiliate her.

Witnessing the stark contrast of a woman's transformation from nobility to depravity made her suddenly understand the pleasure Jiang Hanqing experienced when he trained her. To train a seemingly unapproachable, beautiful woman into an obedient sex slave through various means, and then to humiliate her using every method she could think of—what an alluring feeling! The pleasure of being abused is the complete opposite. The transformation from an elegant woman to a submissive sex slave, subjected to various humiliating methods, often ignites a base desire within, leading to a sense of self-destruction and a growing craving for further humiliation.

Suddenly understanding the true meaning of sadomasochism and being abused, Bai Yingjue, watching the woman diligently licking her crotch, felt a sudden urge to humiliate this beautiful woman as well. However, her hands and feet were bound, leaving her only able to rub her crotch against Liu Yun's mouth, nose, and face.

Imagining herself assisting Jiang Hanqing in humiliating Yin Yufeng, Bai Yingjue felt an unprecedented anticipation for this. She longed to fly to Yin Yufeng's tent with Jiang Hanyin immediately and subject her to all sorts of humiliation in front of Jiang Hanqing.

Watching Bai Yingjue wriggle her hips against her mother's face in ecstasy, Wu Yunliu laughed, "Oh dear! Aunt Bai, it seems Young Master Jiang has really trained you well! Hehe! You're already so horny after just a few moments! Alright! Today, I'll give you a good time!"

Wu Yunliu brought her face close to Bai Yingjue's head, gently licking her earlobe with her tongue, occasionally sucking on it and giggling, while her hands squeezed and twisted her breasts. Bai Yingjue's body, which had never been played with by another woman before, seemed unable to withstand such stimulation and trembled even more violently.

Turning around, Wu Yunliu found a pair of scissors and cut two holes in Bai Yingjue's leather jacket at the breast area, revealing her two full breasts. Looking at the glittering nipple rings on Bai Yingjue's nipples, Wu Yunliu flicked her nipples hard with her fingers while giggling, "Aunt Bai, these nipple rings must have been put on by Young Master Jiang, right?" Bai

Yingjue blushed and turned her head away, not answering her question. Although she had already fallen into the trap of this mother and daughter, she was truly unwilling to submit to such a young girl.

Seeing that Bai Yingjue refused to answer her question, Wu Yunliu's smile turned cold. She reached out and pinched Bai Yingjue's nipple rings, suddenly pulling them cruelly. Watching Bai Yingjue gasp in pain, she chuckled softly, "Does wearing these things really feel that good? Hehe! Mom, do you want me to get you a pair like these too?"

Liu Yun, who was busy licking Bai Yingjue's crotch, did not answer her daughter's question, but only hummed softly through her nose, seemingly indicating her agreement with her daughter's statement.

"You're so cheap! You want it, but I won't give it to you! I'll play with you later, you slut!" Wu Yunliu cursed

, kicking her mother's buttocks hard again. Then she turned and went to the wall to take down a thin iron chain with two clips attached to both ends. Swinging the chain in her hand, Wu Yunliu walked up to Bai Yingjue, cupped one of her breasts, and gently hefted it a couple of times, laughing, "Aunt Bai, your breasts are really big! Hehe! Quite heavy!" She

gently pinched and played with Bai Yingjue's engorged nipple for a moment. Under Bai Yingjue's fearful yet expectant gaze, Wu Yunliu clipped one end of the chain onto Bai Yingjue's nipple. Bai Yingjue trembled slightly, barely managing to utter a sound, before the other end of the chain clipped her other nipple. When Wu Yunliu released her grip, the chain slid down, dangling in the air. Its weight fell entirely on Bai Yingjue's nipples, which were clamped between the iron clamps. This immediately pulled Bai Yingjue's nipples noticeably downwards, and her breasts drooped down as well.

Bai Yingjue stared blankly at the little girl before her. She couldn't comprehend how a girl so pure and lovely during the day could become so cruel and terrifying at night, inflicting such obscene humiliation on her, who was older than her mother. But she quickly realized that none of this mattered; even the girl's own mother was now subject to her manipulation. Thinking this, an uncontrollable pleasure of humiliation surged through her, clouding her senses and temporarily making her forget the pain in her nipples.

Wu Yunliu watched Bai Yingjue staring blankly at her, and the props she had added to Bai Yingjue's nipples didn't seem to have the desired effect. Frustrated, she frowned and slapped Bai Yingjue's breasts hard, cursing, "You slut! Do you often get played with like this by Young Master Jiang?! Damn! You don't even react to this! You're a sow, worse than a prostitute!"

Bai Yingjue's full breasts trembled violently under the slaps. Her red areolas and nipples, and the iron chain hanging from them, swayed incessantly, dazzling in the dim candlelight.

The burning sensation pulled Bai Yingjue back to the painful reality, and she screamed in pain. But the girl's cruel actions didn't stop because of Bai Yingjue's cries. Conversely, Bai Yingjue's painful screams and the "slap slap" sounds of her hands hitting her breasts only drove the cruel girl even more mad. She grabbed the swaying breasts in front of her and twisted them violently, turning Bai Yingjue's poor breasts a horrifying purple.

Seeing Bai Yingjue crying in pain, Wu Yunliu smiled triumphantly and kicked her mother's plump buttocks hard while she was squatting on the ground, shouting angrily, "You bitch! Get out of here and open the hidden door! Tonight, you two will have your fill of pleasure!" Liu

Yun covered her buttocks, looking at Wu Yunliu in terror and crying, "Liu'er, no! Waaah... Please spare your mother tonight! I won't go! I don't want that rotten thing behind the hidden wall... Waaah..."

Bai Yingjue, still crying in pain, looked at Liu Yun's terrified face and became even more frightened. She didn't know what was hidden behind the hidden wall that the mother and daughter were talking about, that made Liu Yun so scared at the mere mention of it.

Liu Yun took a forked leather whip from the wall and lashed it mercilessly across her mother's naked body, cursing incessantly, "You sow! Every time I call you, you pretend like this! And what's the result... um... in the end you always drool with pleasure... I call you... did you see that!... you slut... if you don't go, I'll whip your cunt raw!"

The whip relentlessly lashed Liu Yun's buttocks. She cried and struggled to crawl to her daughter's feet, reaching out to hug her daughter's thigh and pleading, "Liu'er, no matter what I say, I can't go! Please, forgive me! I'll let you do whatever you want, but please don't let me go there again!"

Liu Yun looked at her weeping and pleading mother with a cold smile, her face contorted with rage. She lashed the whip across her mother's body with one hand and grabbed her hair with the other, dragging her to a corner of the room.

Tortured by her daughter's hair, Liu Yun crawled on the ground, her body lashed with a torn leather whip. Despite this immense pain, her vagina released pleasurable fluids.

Since her husband abstained from women due to his martial arts practice, Liu Yun had only been able to satisfy her needs through masturbation. This prolonged period of depression had led her to develop this perverse desire; she craved the humiliation of others. Later, through a series of coincidences, she began a lesbian relationship with her daughter. She discovered that being played with by her daughter was the most pleasurable thing for her, so she began to actively solicit her daughter's abuse. However, she didn't expect that as her daughter gradually began to enjoy the cruel pleasure of abusing her mother, she would be subjected to increasingly cruel abuse. Her daughter even devised various methods that terrified her. Many times, she felt that her daughter no longer treated her as a human being, but as a sex toy. Yet, it was this cruel humiliation that allowed her to reach orgasm through a shameful pleasure.

"Liu'er...please...spare your mother...mother...can't take it anymore...no..."

Although she said no, her lower body was filled with anticipation for the more cruel humiliation to come, and the lustful fluid flowing from her vagina showed how excited she was.

"Slut, you still dare to say no, look, your lustful fluid is flowing out! You whore...doing this to you, you can still get aroused...sigh...how could I have a mother like you...tell me..."

Wu Yunliu bent down and reached out to touch her mother's genitals. When she pulled her hand back, a sticky line of fluid could be clearly seen hanging on her fingers.

Cursing, Wu Yunliu lashed the leather whip in her hand hard on her mother's exposed vulva.

The intense pain from her labia finally made Liu Yunliu unable to bear it anymore. She cried and crawled to a corner of the room. Bai Yingjue saw that she seemed to press a switch in the corner, and with a creaking sound, a wall on the side slowly opened.

Looking at what was behind the wall, Bai Yingjue felt like she was about to faint on the spot, closing her eyes and daring not to look any further.

Chapter Thirty: The Saintess Appears

Chapter Thirty: The Saintess Appears

As the hidden wall gradually opened, what appeared before Bai Yingjue was a prison cell separated by iron bars. Because the room was very dark, it seemed to be about the same size as this one, and there were two prisoners locked in the cell.

What truly shocked Bai Yingjue was that these two prisoners were completely naked, and their genitals were clearly visible. As the hidden wall gradually opened, the two prisoners' eyes were fixed on the woman in this room, and they looked like they were about to drool.

Seeing Wu Yunliu's fierce gaze directed at her, Bai Yingjue's body trembled slightly. The scene before her made her clearly know what kind of fate she was about to suffer.

When the hidden door was fully opened, the two prisoners in the next cell pounced on the iron cage, looking at this side and letting out a low growl, gripping the iron bars with both hands and shaking them violently, as if they wanted to break them immediately.

Wu Yunliu chuckled softly, "Aunt Bai, look at those two men in the cage, aren't they strong enough? Haha! Want to taste them?"

Bai Yingjue ignored Wu Yunliu, turning her head away without a word, but her heart was filled with fear: "Am I really going to be violated by these two prisoners? No! If that really happens, how can I face Qing'er!"

Fear gripped Bai Yingjue's teeth, her face turning ashen, her body trembling slightly.

Liu Yun, who had opened the hidden wall, crouched in the corner, her body trembling slightly, nervously watching her daughter's movements.

Wu Yunliu glanced at Liu Yun disdainfully and said harshly, "Mom! Aren't you going to crawl over and enjoy it yourself? Do you expect your daughter to beg you? Hmm!"

After saying this, she picked up the whip and swung it fiercely in the air to show her determination.

Liu Yun sobbed and looked at her daughter with grievance, not daring to disobey her daughter's order, and turned to crawl towards the iron cage next door.

Seeing her mother crawling over there, Wu Yunliu turned to look at Bai Yingjue, who was looking to the side, and sneered, "What? Don't want to watch? Humph! Just wait, I'll let you try it later! Haha! A slut like you will definitely become addicted after tasting them! Look at my mother, that slut, saying no, but she can't help but want to enjoy it again! Look how round this sow's ass is!" Upon hearing this, Bai Yingjue turned to look at Liu Yun.

Sure enough, Liu Yun, who was just crying, was now swaying her high buttocks and slowly crawling towards the iron cage. Judging from the swaying of her buttocks, she was obviously in a very excited state. From Bai Yingjue's angle, she could even see the secretions on her vulva.

When Liu Yun climbed to the edge of the iron cage, the two prisoners laughed excitedly, reaching out to grope her body through the bars.

Liu Yun leaned against the cage, enjoying the sensation, letting out soft moans, only occasionally letting out a muffled groan when the prisoners hurt her. The two prisoners had clearly been locked up here for a long time without bathing; their filthy hands left dark marks as they groped Liu Yun.

Seeing this scene, and unable to believe that Liu Yun would actually be willing to be played with by these two prisoners, Bai Yingjue felt a wave of nausea and turned away, unwilling to watch the farce unfold.

But Wu Yunliu's whip immediately lashed Bai Yingjue's genitals, the cold curses echoing in the empty room.

"You slut! Look carefully! You'll be enjoying this kind of pleasure soon! If you don't look, I'll whip your cunt raw!"

Imagining her miserable state being played with by these two lowly prisoners, Bai Yingjue felt a surge of shame for betraying Jiang Hanqing. Unable to bear the humiliation before her any longer, a surge of anger erupted, and she shouted fiercely, "Kill me! I won't submit to you! If you give me my freedom, I'll kill you immediately!"

Wu Yunliu had never expected that the masochistic woman who had just submitted to her tyranny would suddenly show resistance and utter such cruel words. Caught off guard, she was stunned.

It took Wu Yunliu a while to recover from her shock. She stared at Bai Yingjue with a thoughtful look, lightly tapping the leather whip on her knee, muttering, "You're going to kill me? You're going to kill me?"

Meanwhile, Liu Yun was lying on the ground with her buttocks raised towards the iron cage. Her chosen spot was clearly calculated; it was just the right distance from the iron cage, allowing the two prisoners behind the bars to reach her vulva but not penetrate her. The two prisoners, seeing her vulva so close yet unable to penetrate, were frantic with worry. Meanwhile, Liu Yun chuckled smugly, completely oblivious to what was happening between Wu Yunliu and Bai Yingjue.

Wu Yunliu muttered to herself for a while, then suddenly snapped out of it, lashing Bai Yingjue with a whip and shouting, "You bitch! Have you forgotten you're in my hands? You even tried to kill me! Bah!"

The intense pain caused Bai Yingjue's body to twitch slightly, but she still gritted her teeth and said, "Little brat! You're arrogant now! You'll regret it tomorrow!"

Wu Yunliu stared at her with wide eyes, then kicked Bai Yingjue hard in the stomach. As Bai Yingjue bent over in pain, Wu Yunliu grabbed her long hair and yanked it forcefully, pulling her face up.

"Hmph! Why are you doing this? Weren't you having fun just now? Why are you acting like this now?"

Although Wu Yunliu's actions were still rough, her tone clearly showed she was somewhat guilty about Bai Yingjue's current attitude.

Bai Yingjue raised her head and glared at her angrily, saying, "You can play with me! But you absolutely cannot let those two prisoners touch me! This body belongs to Han Qing! If you let them touch me, I'll never let you go, even if it kills me!"

Wu Yunliu glanced at Bai Yingjue sideways, seemingly understanding, and said, "Is that so? Why should a woman as slutty as you care about this?"

Even so, Wu Yunliu didn't want to push Bai Yingjue too far. If she really angered such a skilled woman, she wouldn't be able to handle her, and besides, she couldn't really do anything to Bai Yingjue. Seeing that Bai Yingjue ignored her, Wu Yunliu didn't ask any more questions. She simply turned to Liu Yun and said, "You slut! Looks like Aunt Bai can't keep you company! Go play by yourself!"

Liu Yun, who was teasing the two prisoners and giggling, immediately turned pale upon hearing her daughter's order.

"Can't I not? These two guys will hurt Mommy a lot!"

Looking at her pitiful mother, Wu Yunliu's cold expression didn't soften at all.

"No! They have to penetrate your cunt! Do you hear me? You're not going over there after hearing your master's order? Do you want to be whipped?"

Liu Yun looked at the leather whip in her daughter's hand, and her body trembled slightly as if she had been whipped.

Knowing that if she insisted any longer, what would follow would be a barrage of merciless whipping, Liu Yun had no choice but to turn and lean against the iron bars.

Before Liu Yun's body could get close to the iron bars, the two prisoners inside suddenly grabbed her body and dragged her away roughly. Her fair, delicate body slammed heavily against the iron bars, causing Liu Yun to scream in pain.

The two lustful men immediately began to ravage her full flesh, their teeth clenched as if they wanted to tear her body apart.

Liu Yun's body writhed helplessly under the men's violent hands, like a willow catkin in a storm. The pain on her face was proof enough of the agony she was suffering.

Wu Yunliu stood smugly to the side, watching her mother's ordeal, while explaining to Bai Yingjue,

"Aunt Bai! Do you know how these two houses and these two prisoners came to be?"

Bai Yingjue, who had been watching intently, drawn by Liu Yun's screams, paid no attention to Wu Yunliu's words, simply shaking her head blankly.

Wu Yunliu didn't care, chuckled smugly twice, and continued, "Let me tell you! These two rooms were originally an underground prison used to hold serious criminals when the mountain stronghold was first established! Later, by my grandfather's time, too many people died here, and somehow people in the stronghold started to say that it was haunted! My grandfather was frightened and ordered it sealed off. A couple of years ago, when I had nothing to do, I wandered around the stronghold and actually found this place. Hehe! There are no ghosts here! I really don't know what the people were thinking back then, leaving such a good house empty! So I started using it! Haha! My father was going to execute two prisoners, and I insisted on doing it myself. My father even praised me for being brave! I said I would take them out to be executed, and I fooled the old man and locked them up here! Hehe! This has become a good place for my mother, this slut, to enjoy herself! Of course, the old man has no idea!"

As she spoke, the two prisoners had already turned Liu Yunliu's body around, making her snow-white buttocks stick up against the iron bars, and then one of them started having sex with her through the iron bars.

Liu Yun was extremely satisfied, and her expression became joyful. She twisted her waist, shook her head, and swayed her hips, letting out lewd moans.

Seeing Liu Yun's satisfied expression, Bai Yingjue's lower body began to itch. She squeezed her thighs tightly and twisted back and forth. At this moment, Bai Yingjue wished that Jiang Hanqing would appear beside her immediately and insert his huge penis into her hot vagina.

Although her thighs were tightly clenched, and her labia were experiencing a little pleasure from the friction, the itching sensation deeper inside grew stronger. Bai Yingjue quickly felt that the area between her thighs was already wet. She pressed her thighs together even tighter, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her face. Her rosy lips parted slightly, and she began to breathe softly.

Wu Yunliu glanced disdainfully at Bai Yingjue, who was beginning to show signs of arousal, and gave a soft hum, but made no other move. She was waiting for Bai Yingjue to give in and ask to be played with.

At this moment, the prisoner who was penetrating Liu Yunliu's vagina began to become increasingly rough, his thick penis thrusting in and out of Liu Yunliu's vagina. The slapping sounds of flesh colliding clearly echoed in both rooms. Along with the thrusting, the prisoner's fingers also began to probe Liu Yunliu's anus.

At the same time, someone else nearby was not idle either. He slapped Liu Yun's buttocks while simultaneously pinching and kneading her breasts, spitting on her occasionally.

Liu Yun's brows furrowed tightly, veins bulging on her forehead. The initial look of enjoyment had completely vanished; it was clear the two prisoners' brutal manipulation was taking its toll.

Liu Yun's vagina was tight, and the man's merciless and rough penetration from behind naturally caused her some pain. However, the real cause of her pain was the man's probing and inserting into her anus.

The prisoner's fingers were inserted almost to the root of her anus, digging and rotating inside. Worst of all, he would occasionally rub his thumb against her anus, the force so intense it seemed he wanted to tear it apart. The other man's slaps on her buttocks were even more brutal. Each slap made Liu Yun sink, leaving a red handprint on her once-white buttocks. In a short while, Liu Yun's entire buttocks became red and swollen.

After thrusting in and out of Liu Yun's vagina for a while, the prisoner suddenly pulled out his penis, placed the glans against the slightly open anus that had been played with by his fingers, and forcefully pushed it deep into Liu Yun's anus. Liu

Yun had just managed to open her mouth to catch her breath and let out a soft moan when the prisoner began to thrust forcefully in and out of her anus.

With each in and out of his penis, Liu Yun's anal sphincter twitched constantly, and soon a thick, white secretion flowed from her anus.

Judging from Liu Yun's face full of pleasure, she was clearly already used to this kind of intense intercourse.

At this moment, another prisoner squatted between the legs of the man who was busy thrusting into Liu Yun's anus, pressed his face against the iron bars, and licked Liu Yun's vagina right in front of him.

He pinched Liu Yun's labia with his fingers and forcefully pried them open, exposing the red vaginal walls inside, and then used his teeth to bite and gently tear the flesh. The pain caused Liu Yun to scream loudly, but each time she screamed, a heavy slap landed on her buttocks. The two prisoners continued to hurl insults at her: "Bitch! Enjoying it?"

"You filthy whore, come and get fucked! Humph! That little bitch is so smart, she never comes! If she dares to come, I'll fuck her to death!"

"Haha! The men of your Wu family lock us up here, and you, the Wu family's woman, are still being fucked by us!"

"You Wu family whore, I could fuck you as many times as I wanted!"

"Hahaha! We have another whore here today, will she come over later so we can have some fun with her?"

"Yeah! Look at that slut, she's drooling over there!"

While the two prisoners were busy toying with Liu Yun, they also noticed Bai Yingjue, who was appearing there for the first time. While toying with Liu Yun, they didn't forget to tease Bai Yingjue, who was watching intently. Hearing

the two prisoners' insulting words, Bai Yingjue's vagina immediately overflowed with lustful fluid. Just moments before, she had sworn she would rather die than let those two prisoners touch her body, but now, deep down, she began to hesitate. The burning sensation in her womb made her crave the two men before her…

Wu Yunliu, watching Bai Yingjue's writhing body, knew what she was thinking. She gently walked over and embraced her, saying, "Aunt Bai, do you want it? Do you want theirs?"

As she spoke, she reached out and gently kneaded Bai Yingjue's breasts.

Bai Yingjue struggled and whispered, "No! I don't want theirs! I don't want them!"

Although she said this, her body began to involuntarily writhe, a clear sign of arousal.

Wu Yunliu gently reached down to Bai Yingjue's lower body, stroking her. Having learned from her earlier experience, she wasn't in a hurry to force Bai Yingjue, but simply continued to tease her.

Watching Liu Yun enjoy the man's company while she could only find solace in a young girl, Bai Yingjue was secretly tempted. However, having acted so intensely earlier, she couldn't easily give in now and could only grit her teeth and endure. Just

as Bai Yingjue and Wu Yunliu were captivated by the lewd scene before them, a sword suddenly appeared from behind Wu Yunliu. A flash of silver light, two clanging sounds, and the shackles binding Bai Yingjue's hands and feet were cleaved open.

Both Wu Yunliu and Bai Yingjue were startled and quickly turned to look in the direction of the sword's light. A handsome man with a cold smile stood not far behind Wu Yunliu; it was clearly Jiang Hanqing, who should have been in bed long ago. He held a sword in one hand and a woman's garment in the other, looking at Wu Yunliu with disdain.

Upon seeing him, Bai Yingjue was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Qing, you're here!"

Suddenly realizing that her shameful state of being toyed with had been witnessed by Jiang Hanqing, which might lead him to look down on her, she choked on her words and couldn't speak.

Wu Yunliu was stunned, wondering why Jiang Hanqing would appear at this time.

Meanwhile, Liu Yun also noticed the sudden change. Seeing Jiang Hanqing looking at her naked body with a mocking gaze, and remembering that a young man had seen her in such a lewd state, Liu Yun screamed in embarrassment, quickly breaking free from the two prisoners' grasp, and ran to a dark corner, crouching down and tightly crossing her arms to try and cover her exposed breasts.

Jiang Hanqing tossed the woman's clothes to Bai Yingjue, then pointed his sword at Wu Yunliu and sneered, "Hmph! I've long suspected that you and your mother have been acting suspiciously, always clinging to my woman! Hehe! I secretly followed you, wanting to see what tricks you were up to? Turns out you were after my woman! Hmph! You're really overestimating yourselves! Judging from your appearance, you won't be able to cause any trouble for a while, but I, the young master, have to suffer here with you. I can't wait any longer! I'm really sorry to interrupt your good time."

Bai Yingjue, who had hurriedly put on her clothes after regaining her freedom, also stood beside Jiang Hanqing, anxiously observing Jiang Hanqing's expression while glaring fiercely at Wu Yunliu.

Wu Yunliu glanced blankly at Jiang Hanqing for a couple of seconds, then suddenly chuckled coldly, saying, "I've already overestimated myself! What can you do about it? Do you think you can kill me? Haha! Let's see how you escape Anping Mountain Village then! Even if you're the young master of the Jiang family, you'll probably still face certain death!"

Jiang Hanqing smiled slightly, "I'm afraid your father won't let you off easily if he sees you and your mother

in such a shameful state!" Hearing Jiang Hanqing's words, Liu Yunliu, huddled in the corner, couldn't help but tremble slightly. She was clearly afraid, thinking about the terrible fate her husband might face if he found out about her and her daughter's shameful affair.

Wu Yunliu coldly scrutinized Jiang Hanqing for a long time. Although she didn't say anything, her subsequent words revealed her inner weakness.

"Since everyone's ended up in the same bad way, let's just pretend this never happened!"

Jiang Hanqing laughed. "Do you think things can end so easily? Heh heh!"

Jiang Hanqing chuckled coldly, carrying a long sword, pacing back and forth in the room, his eyes darting around, his gaze constantly shifting between the naked bodies of the Wu mother and daughter.

For a moment, the room was silent, save for the breathing of a few people and the sound of his pacing.

Bai Yingjue, seeing Jiang Hanqing's expression and actions, could easily understand what he was planning. She sighed inwardly, thinking, "Qing'er really is a lecher! He's already set his sights on this mother and daughter!"

Liu Yun felt Jiang Hanqing's blatant gaze on her, burying her head even lower, wishing the ground would immediately turn into a hole she could hide in.

Wu Yunliu's bright eyes also followed Jiang Hanqing's movements, a smile gradually appearing on her lips; clearly, she too had seen through Jiang Hanqing's intentions. She seemed completely unafraid, chuckling softly as she began to sway her hips gently, her alluring expression seemingly beckoning Jiang Hanqing to pounce on her. However,

Jiang Hanqing, who had been pacing the room for a while, leering at the mother and daughter, suddenly stopped, lost in thought, upon seeing Wu Yunliu's swaying movements. A moment later, as if suddenly remembering something, he trembled violently, his face turning ashen. He stared intently at Wu Yunliu, saying each word clearly, "Miss Wu, let's pretend today's events never happened. From now on, we'll keep to ourselves and go our separate ways!"

Bai Yingjue and Wu Yunliu had both expected Jiang Hanqing to demand that the mother and daughter submit to him, but they hadn't anticipated his swift change, abandoning his previously blatant desire in the blink of an eye. The two women were stunned, speechless with disbelief.

"Ying, let's go!" Jiang Hanqing ignored their reactions, simply calling to Bai Yingjue before turning and walking outside without a moment's hesitation.

Bai Yingjue, naturally, didn't dare delay and quickly followed.

On the way, Jiang Hanqing kept a tense expression and didn't turn back to speak to Bai Yingjue, focusing only on hurrying along. Bai Yingjue, following behind him, was naturally uneasy and very worried. She didn't know what Jiang Hanqing was thinking, but she figured he was angry with her.

She wanted to call out to him and explain, but she didn't dare to speak, and could only follow closely behind.

The two of them hurried along in silence until they returned to Jiang Hanqing's room and sat down, without exchanging a single word.

After sitting there in silence for a while, Jiang Hanqing finally spoke, "Ying, I was originally planning to teach those two women a lesson, but... did you notice my change?"

Bai Yingjue breathed a sigh of relief when she heard him speak to her. Judging from Jiang Hanqing's tone, he didn't seem angry with her, and she was overjoyed, quickly replying,

"You seemed quite interested in those two women at first, but then you suddenly changed your mind, as if you discovered something. Is that right?"

Jiang Hanqing nodded, sighed, and murmured, "Yes! Ah! I really didn't expect it! I never expected... to run into them here... Ah!"

Bai Yingjue was greatly puzzled and couldn't help but ask, "Qing, what is it? Judging from your expression, this matter isn't simple!"

Jiang Hanqing sat there quietly, not answering Bai Yingjue's question. He looked up, staring blankly at the ceiling, his face alternating between pale and flushed, looking very strange. Bai Yingjue had been inseparable from him for some time now, but she had never seen him with such an expression before.

"Qing, what's making you so worried? You look terrible! You need to take care of yourself! If anything's wrong, just say it! Don't keep it bottled up inside, or you'll ruin your health. We still have a long way to go back to the capital," Bai Yingjue said, unable to resist patting his shoulder. To her surprise, Jiang Hanqing jumped up as if struck by lightning, staring at her.

Startled by his action, Bai Yingjue hadn't even had time to react before Jiang Hanqing grabbed her shoulder tightly, his voice trembling, "What did you say? The capital? Yes! The capital! They must have people in the palace too! We need to get back to the capital quickly and find out what's going on!" As he spoke, he began to shake Bai Yingjue's shoulder violently, the force so great that Bai Yingjue couldn't help but frown.

Gently stroking Jiang Hanqing's face, Bai Yingjue comforted him tenderly, "Qing, what exactly happened that made you so anxious? What do we need to investigate when we get back? Can't you just tell me?"

Jiang Hanqing seemed to calm down a little at this point. He sat back down and remained silent for a while before looking up at Bai Yingjue and saying, "Actually, it's nothing. I just suddenly realized that Wu Yunliu belongs to a secret sect. And when you mentioned the capital, I suddenly realized that their influence might have expanded there as well! We need to go back and take precautions!"

Bai Yingjue looked at him suspiciously for a moment and said, "What kind of secret sect is this? Secret? You call it secret? Is it even more secretive than your own Holy Sect Hidden Sect?"

Jiang Hanqing nodded with a wry smile and said, "You could say that! This sect is truly more mysterious than us! It's called the Holy Maidens!"

"What? There's actually such a sect in the world? How come I've never even heard of it?" Bai Yingjue couldn't believe that there was a sect more mysterious than the Yin Sect, one she had never even heard of, and couldn't help but exclaim.

Jiang Hanqing noticed Bai Yingjue's surprised expression, knowing that her curiosity had been piqued again and she wouldn't give up until she got to the bottom of it. He shook his head with a wry smile and, no longer hiding anything, began to recount what he knew to Bai Yingjue.

Two hundred years ago, the Yin Sect's power had reached its zenith after nearly three hundred years of development. The Xian and Yin Sects were also evenly matched in power. Although they secretly fought fiercely, they outwardly maintained a facade of non-aggression, never showing any signs of a complete break.

However, as the Yin Sect's power expanded, something unexpected happened.

At that time, there was a member of the Yin Sect's Holy Mother Palace named Liu Xin, the mother of the previous sect leader. She was always reclusive. Since the death of her sect leader son, she rarely spoke to anyone except for occasional contact with the then Holy Mother Palace Master, and was extremely unwilling to even interact with other Holy Mothers. Because of the exceptional status of the members of the Holy Mother Palace, although she was quite aloof, as long as she didn't provoke others, no one dared to bother her. Therefore, for twenty years after her son's death, everything remained peaceful. However, when the successor to her son passed away and a new sect leader ascended the throne, a sudden and unexpected event caused a dramatic change.

This Holy Mother, named Liu Xin, was known for her extravagant lifestyle. Her spending in just a few months was enough to sustain a large branch of the Hidden Sect for two years. In comparison, her expenses alone were equivalent to the combined expenses of five other Holy Mothers. While her son was the sect leader, this was naturally not a problem. The sect leader who succeeded her son was also a former subordinate whom her son had personally promoted. Now that he had become the sect leader, out of gratitude, he naturally had no complaints about his former superior's mother's extravagant spending.

But the newly appointed sect leader is different! This sect leader is named Wu Jun, and before taking office, he was the head of the Hidden Sect in charge of finances. Wu Jun had always been extremely dissatisfied with Liu Xin's extravagant spending, believing her money was outrageous and completely disregarded the sect's interests. He had raised this issue with the previous sect leader several times, but the sect leader ultimately said nothing, and the matter was dropped. He knew the sect leader was grateful for Liu Xin's son's promotion when he was sect leader and didn't want to make a fuss, so he, of course, had no choice but to remain silent and let Liu Xin continue her reckless behavior. But now everything was different. Now that he, Wu Jun, was the sect leader, he naturally had to find a way to restrain her and prevent her from continuing her reckless spending of the sect's resources.

Since there had never been any precedent for restricting the use of the Holy Mother Flower within the sect, taking action now, according to the Hidden Sect's custom, naturally required the Holy Mother Palace Master's consent. Therefore, Wu Jun went to plead with the Holy Mother Palace Master for her approval. The Palace Master had always disliked Liu Xin's aloof personality and had long wanted to teach this unruly woman a lesson. Hearing Wu Jun's words, she found them quite reasonable, and having already heard about Liu Xin's extravagant spending, she believed Wu Jun was truly acting in the best interests of the Hidden Sect. She immediately agreed to his request to restrict Liu Xin's spending. After a casual discussion, the two decided to cut Liu Xin's allowance by 70%. Upon hearing

this, Liu Xin was naturally furious and immediately went to argue with the Palace Master, claiming that restricting the Holy Mother's expenses violated the sect's rules. The Palace Master, of course, argued firmly and refused to budge. The two quickly parted on bad terms, and Liu Xin's allowance was ultimately cut.

After this incident, Liu Xin completely severed ties with the Palace Master and no longer concerned herself with sect affairs. This should have been fine, at least nothing else would have happened.

Unfortunately, ten years after this incident, the Hidden Sect Master suddenly encountered an unprecedented and thorny problem.

It turned out that in the past, all female members of the Hidden Sect joined because a male member of their family had joined, mostly the mothers, wives, and daughters of male members. But this time, a young woman had voluntarily requested to join, claiming she had made her mother her sex slave, perfectly meeting the sect's membership requirements. While members of the Hidden Sect were not unfamiliar with homosexuality, such a case—a woman actively requesting to join after having a sexual relationship with her mother—was truly unprecedented in its two-hundred-year history. The local branch leader couldn't decide on this matter and reported it upwards. The matter was reported level by level, each level unable to make a decision. Finally, this seemingly minor matter reached the sect leader, Wu Jun.

Wu Jun, a man who strictly adhered to ancestral rules, was naturally dumbfounded by this extraordinary event and didn't know what to do. In desperation, he sought advice from the Palace Master of the Holy Mother Palace.

The Palace Master, also finding this unprecedented situation difficult to handle, convened all the members of the Holy Mother Palace for discussion. Although they hadn't been in contact with Liu Xin for many years, considering she was a member of the Holy Mother Palace, it was still appropriate to invite her to such matters involving sect rules. Therefore, the Palace Master sent someone to invite Liu Xin.

There were five people in the Holy Mother Palace at the time, including Liu Xin and the Palace Master.

During the meeting, the five split into two factions: three, including the Palace Master, felt that this unprecedented situation was difficult to handle, and since the Hidden Sect didn't lack women, they thought it best to refuse the girl's request. Liu Xin and another person argued that the original rule only stipulated that members must rape their own mothers, but it didn't explicitly state whether the member should be male or female. Now that the girl had done so, they shouldn't be refused; otherwise, it would make the Hidden Sect seem untrustworthy.

The group argued for a long time without reaching a conclusion, growing increasingly angry, and finally, they started arguing. At this moment, Liu Xin's resentment, accumulated over ten years, finally erupted. Caught completely off guard, she suddenly attacked, killing the Palace Master on the spot. Two other Holy Mothers who disagreed with her were also severely injured. Only one, who initially shared her views, survived.

After this atrocity, Liu Xin vanished, declaring her withdrawal from the Hidden Sect. Upon

learning of this, the Hidden Sect Master, Wu Jun, was furious and immediately ordered all members to hunt down Liu Xin at all costs. However, Liu Xin, being a Holy Mother, possessed formidable martial arts skills. Although Hidden Sect experts repeatedly tracked her, they were powerless to harm her, and many were killed by her. During this time, the two injured Holy Mothers succumbed to their injuries and died.

Afterwards, the Hidden Sect dispatched large groups of experts to search for Liu Xin on several occasions, but ultimately to no avail. After that, there was no further news from Liu Xin, and the Hidden Sect members gradually forgot about the matter.

Fifteen years later, Wu Jun was suddenly murdered on the road, along with more than ten top-tier Hidden Sect fighters. All their injuries indicated that their deaths were caused by the martial arts of the Yin Sect itself.

This immediately caused a huge uproar within the Hidden Sect, with almost everyone assuming without hesitation that the Manifest Sect had launched a major attack! Without further hesitation, an order was given, and the Hidden Sect's attack on the Manifest Sect began immediately. Thus

began a bloody and brutal struggle, with the disciples of both the Hidden and Manifest Sects completely tearing away their last veneer of peace. Whenever the two sides clashed, it was a bloody battle to the death, with organized large-scale duels occurring almost daily. In just a few months, most of the experts on both sides were killed or wounded.

Just when both factions within the Yin Sect were severely weakened and preparing to cease hostilities and negotiate, a group of mysterious women suddenly appeared and began a merciless massacre of the Yin Sect members from both the Manifest and Hidden Sects. For a time, the other sects outside the Yin Cult cheered, believing that a righteous organization had finally appeared to help them eradicate the Yin Cult.

However, people soon discovered that the martial arts used by this group of women who claimed to belong to the "Holy Maiden Sect" were exactly the same as those of the Yin Cult. Amidst their fear, they gradually realized that this suddenly appearing sect's principles were identical to those of the Yin Cult. The only difference was that, in addition to the Yin Cult's rule that members must commit adultery with their own mothers before joining, the Holy Maidens also added the condition that members must be women. All the evidence pointed to this mysterious all-female gang as merely another branch of the Yin Cult.

Later, someone somehow discovered that the leader of this Holy Maiden Sect was none other than Liu Xin, the very same Liu Xin who had betrayed the Yin Cult's Hidden Sect.

The Hidden Sect members suddenly realized that the true culprit behind the murder of their sect leader, Wu Jun, was the traitorous Holy Mother Liu Xin, whom everyone had almost forgotten.

But by then, it was too late. The Holy Maiden Sect had already grown in power and was fully capable of rivaling both the Hidden and Manifest Sects. The split between the Hidden Sect and the Manifest Sect was an indisputable fact, and the two sects were never able to reconcile.

In the following decades, these three factions, all branches of the erotic world, fought each other, from the martial arts world to the imperial court, from the position of martial arts leader to the throne of the empire, engaging in brutal struggles.

In the court struggles, both the Hidden and Manifest Sects used methods to seduce members of the royal family and noble ministers. The Holy Maidens employed a completely similar method, but because their sect consisted entirely of women, they focused solely on attracting female members of noble families to join, using their influence within the court to counterbalance the power of the Hidden and Manifest Sects.

At one point, the Holy Maidens sect, led by Liu Xin, even successfully lured the Empress and Princess into their ranks, nearly seizing power through them. Unfortunately, at the crucial moment of success, the old witch Liu Xin suddenly died. Her death almost destroyed half of the empire she had painstakingly built. Before her body had even grown cold, her disciples had already begun vying for power. A series of infighting ensued, coupled with the all-out attack from the Hidden and Manifest Sects, and in less than a year, the Holy Maiden Sect was severely weakened and temporarily disappeared.

However, the Holy Maidens did not completely disappear. For the next hundred years, they would reappear almost every twenty years to cause trouble. Each time, they used methods of infiltrating royal and noble women to carry out their schemes, persisting despite repeated setbacks. Because they later mainly plotted within noble families and were not as well-known as the Yin Sect and the two major sects, their existence was gradually forgotten except by high-ranking members of the Hidden and Manifest Sects. Eighty

years ago, when the Hidden and Manifest Sects of the Yin Sect were locked in a bloody battle, the Holy Maiden Sect was nowhere to be found. Both sects suffered near-total casualties, their power shrinking to an all-time low, struggling even for survival, let alone having the ability to contend for the world. As a result, the remnants of the two sects were busy trying to survive, hiding themselves deep within, not even fully aware of their own situation, let alone the current state of the Holy Maiden Sect.

Under these circumstances, Jiang Hanqing's understanding of the Holy Maiden Sect was limited to the stories her master had told her.

After listening to Jiang Hanqing's story about the Holy Maidens, Bai Yingjue couldn't help but ask, "Then how do you know that Wu Yunliu is one of the Holy Maidens?"

Jiang Hanqing replied, "When I was considering whether to subdue her and her mother, Wu Yunliu actually swayed her hips and used her seductive skills to try and seduce me. The seductive skills she used are unique to the Holy Sect, and only the Holy Mothers of the sect know how to use them. Of course, she isn't one of the Holy Mothers, yet she knows such a move. There's only one possibility: she's a disciple of the Holy Maiden Sect. When Liu Xin defected from the Holy Mother Palace, she passed on many of the Holy Mother Palace martial arts she had learned to her disciples. This seductive skill should have been passed down among the Holy Maidens at that time, and this Wu Yunliu also raped her own mother, which fits the rules of the Holy Maiden Sect!"

Bai Yingjue found Jiang Hanqing's explanation very reasonable and nodded repeatedly. However, she still didn't understand why Jiang Hanqing seemed so nervous after learning that Wu Yunliu was one of the Holy Maidens. After thinking for a moment, Bai Yingjue raised this question to Jiang Hanqing.

Jiang Hanqing said, "When I discovered that Wu Yunliu was actually a member of the Saintess Sect, I was quite surprised, because I never imagined that this legendary sect still existed. After the initial surprise, I was even more worried about what kind of conspiracy they might be plotting! Think about it, was it just a coincidence that Wu Yunliu became a member of the Saintess Sect? To recruit members into a heavily guarded camp like Anping Mountain Village, run by a powerful family, how much effort would the Saintess Sect have to expend? If they didn't have their eyes on the Wu family and Anping Mountain Village, would the Saintess Sect go to such lengths? Clearly, the Saintess Sect is trying to control Anping Mountain Village and its formidable militia through internal family intrigue."

Bai Yingjue asked in surprise, "So you mean the Saintess Sect has started another conspiracy to seize power?" Jiang Hanqing

sneered, "What's so strange about that! Since our Hidden Sect can start acting, others can too." "Of course! Look at what's been happening lately, the Xianzong sect is clearly starting to stir things up everywhere. It seems the Holy Maiden Sect is going to make a big splash this time too! The world is once again at a crossroads! Heh heh!"

Jiang Hanqing chuckled twice and continued, "When you mentioned returning to the capital, I suddenly remembered something my master said: 'The Holy Maiden Sect never overlooks the inner palace when they plot!' I believe this time will be no exception. Since the Holy Maiden Sect has already expanded to this remote Anping mountain stronghold, how could they let go of the palace, which they've always valued? They must have already planted the seeds for their further expansion within the palace! We must go back and dig out those seeds!"

He paused, then added, "There might even be a whole bunch of seeds! If we don't find them, we might not even know how we died!"

Bai Yingjue looked at Jiang Hanqing's handsome face, his expression resolute, and couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration. She nodded repeatedly, "Yes! We must go back and find them!"

"But... we know perfectly well that Wu Yunliu is one of the Holy Maidens' people, are we just going to let her go like this? What if she becomes our enemy in the future?" Bai Yingjue was clearly not happy with Jiang Hanqing's decision to let Wu Yunliu go so easily.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Hanqing burst into laughter, saying, "That's just womanly thinking!"

Bai Yingjue couldn't help but retort, "What's so funny about other people's thoughts! Why are you laughing so happily?"

"Wu Yunliu is just a pawn of the Holy Maiden Sect. It will take a long time for her to play her role. What's there to fear? If we eliminate her now, not only will we alert them, but if her father gets angry, we might not even be able to escape unscathed! The best course of action now is to pretend we know nothing, stay for another day or two, and then head back to the capital as soon as possible! As long as we know that the Holy Maiden Sect has begun to take action, and we keep a close eye on things, it won't be easy for them to harm us! Hmph! Besides, neither the Holy Maiden Sect nor the Manifest Sect probably know that I, Jiang, am actually the young sect master of the Hidden Sect! Haha! Just for that, I'll make them suffer in the future!"

Thinking of this, Jiang Hanqing couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Bai Yingjue was about to say something more, but Jiang Hanqing impatiently said, "Alright! Stop asking! I was watching you two messing around from the sidelines, and I'm already burning with desire! What more do you want to ask? Hurry up and cool off for your master!"

Without another word to Bai Yingjue, he grabbed her and climbed onto the bed for their lovemaking.

Chapter 31

An Encounter with the Imperial Concubine

The next morning, when Jiang Hanqing and Bai Yingjue saw Liu Yun and her daughter again, all four of them looked normal. Bai Yingjue and the Wu family mother and daughter were still chatting and laughing as they had the day before, everything seemed normal, as if nothing had happened the previous night.

Wu Sifei naturally didn't notice anything amiss. Throughout breakfast, he pestered Jiang Hanqing to discuss world affairs, constantly asking her questions. Jiang Hanqing naturally understood that Wu Sifei was doing this partly to test her abilities, and partly to learn more about the internal workings of the court. Jiang Hanqing had long seen through Wu Sifei's ambition; he was no ordinary man. He firmly believed that once the time was right, he could persuade this cunning old fox to come out of seclusion and assist him in his quest for supremacy. Therefore, he answered Wu Sifei's questions without reservation, primarily to enhance the reputation of his Jiang family.

While talking to Wu Sifei, Jiang Hanqing secretly observed Wu Yunliu's expression. Being wary, he quickly discovered that Wu Yunliu was eavesdropping on their conversation. Especially when he discussed matters of the court or hinted at recruitment, Wu Yunliu became particularly vigilant.

Jiang Hanqing knew perfectly well that the Holy Maiden Sect had instructed Wu Yunliu to do this. Having nothing to fear, he pretended not to notice her eavesdropping and ignored her, continuing his casual conversation with Wu Sifei. After

breakfast, Wu Sifei led Jiang Hanqing to watch the volunteer army's training.

Today's training was clearly arranged by Wu Sifei specifically for Jiang Hanqing. Nearly ten thousand volunteers were divided into two teams in the valley at the foot of the mountain, conducting formation warfare training. Their imposing presence was truly remarkable, a sight rarely seen in volunteer army training.

Guided by bugles and war drums, these volunteers, dressed in ordinary peasant clothes, moved with the precision and speed of well-trained veterans, changing formations with remarkable speed and accuracy, demonstrating an extremely high level of military training.

Jiang Hanqing knew that Wu Sifei was deliberately displaying his strength to further elevate his standing in her eyes, while also increasing his bargaining power for potential future allegiance.

Although she knew it was a deliberate act by Wu Sifei, looking at the troops before her, Jiang Hanqing still greatly admired the volunteer army trained by Wu Sifei and was deeply impressed by their fighting prowess.

After the training, Wu Sifei showed Jiang Hanqing the terrain and defensive layout surrounding the valley, further enhancing Jiang Hanqing's understanding of the Wu family kingdom.

Through years of meticulous management by the Wu family, the valley and surrounding mountains were impregnable. Every arrangement adhered to military principles, with sentry posts and watchtowers at every strategic point, making it a veritable small, iron-clad kingdom. No wonder, despite its remote location, it had attracted the attention of both the Xianzong and the Saintess Sect.

After a day of touring, Jiang Hanqing felt the trip had been worthwhile and repeatedly thanked heaven. If it weren't for the journey east to Qiu Te and the unexpected encounter with Wu Sifei's volunteer army raiding Qiu Te's forces, he wouldn't have wanted to meet this extraordinary figure, let alone learn about the powerful strength hidden behind him. Although he hadn't yet convinced him to join him, he had at least left a deep impression, which would make future actions much easier. Having

achieved his goal of meeting Wu Sifei and learning about his situation, Jiang Hanqing decided not to linger and planned to return to the capital early the next morning.

That evening, Jiang Hanqing told Wu Sifei that there was an urgent matter at home that required his return, and he would be leaving early the following morning.

Upon hearing that he was leaving, Wu Sifei did not try to stop him, but simply asked how he planned to travel.

"Basically, I plan to return the same way I came. I intend to cross the northern mountains, then follow the official road west to the fork in the road, and then return to Yong'an Prefecture via Pingyang City," Jiang Hanqing answered truthfully.

Wu Sifei laughed heartily for a while, then said he wanted to show Jiang Hanqing something before he departed.

Jiang Hanqing originally wanted to rest early so he could travel early the next morning, but seeing Wu Sifei's mysterious demeanor, he couldn't help but feel curious and decided to see what this "something" was.

The two left the banquet hall, and Wu Sifei led him to a watchtower at the corner of the mountain stronghold. Jiang Hanqing was naturally puzzled, wondering what it was and why it was placed in the watchtower. Curious, he followed along.

Once he climbed the watchtower, Jiang Hanqing understood what Wu Sifei wanted him to see.

Standing atop this watchtower on the hilltop, looking westward, one could clearly see a winding path stretching endlessly westward along the ravine, all the way to the unseen westernmost point. Wu

Sifei lightly stroked his mustache, pointed to the path stretching westward, and smiled, “Young Master Jiang, do you know that the official road you usually take isn’t actually the shortest route to the capital? Because a section of it was originally carved into a large arc northward along the mountainside to make it smoother. Even traveling on horseback, it would take about twenty to twenty-five days to reach the capital via the northern official road. But this path leads to Annam, a major town southeast of the capital. It’s almost a straight line to Annam, and then you can head northwest along the official road directly to the capital, saving about five or six days compared to the usual northern route! Moreover, there are no dangerous obstacles along the way, so there’s no fear of bandits or thugs!” Jiang

Hanqing was overjoyed upon hearing this; his greatest desire now was to return to the capital as soon as possible. This shortcut allowed him to reach the capital five or six days earlier than usual. Although the journey would undoubtedly be arduous, it was undoubtedly great news for him, who was in a hurry.

Originally, Jiang Hanqing planned to return to the capital along the official road, and perhaps visit Fan Hu and Sun Xianghe along the way to bring them under his command. However, for him, returning to the capital quickly to participate in the court's power struggle was of paramount importance. For this reason, upon learning of this shortcut, he decided almost without hesitation to take it back to the capital. The task of investigating Fan Hu and the others naturally fell to Chen Bin. Fortunately, he had always admired Chen Bin's competence and had no worries about entrusting him with the task.

Back in his room, Jiang Hanqing gathered his men, explained the situation, and then assigned tasks. The group split into two groups. Chen

Bin, Jiang Wuxiong, and Li Kebiao returned via the same route they had taken to search for Fan Hu and Sun Xianghe. The time required was not a concern, as long as they could completely subdue them. Jiang Hanqing also reminded Chen Bin to thoroughly investigate the background of the man named Liu Rui in Pingyang City before returning to the capital.

The remaining members, Lin Fengxian, Jiang Longxiang, and Bai Yingjue, naturally went with Jiang Hanqing.

They would quickly return to the capital following the path pointed out by Wu Sifei.

The next morning, after bidding farewell to Wu Sifei, the Jiang family members split into two groups and embarked on their journeys home, following the route agreed upon the previous night.

The shortcut taken by Jiang Hanqing and his group, while lacking any dangerous sections, was extremely arduous, with many parts hardly qualifying as paths. However, the Jiang family members were experienced travelers accustomed to long journeys and mountain trails, so the arduousness wasn't a major problem. After

a grueling journey, braving thorns and brambles, and traveling day and night, the Jiang family finally reached the outskirts of An'nan City, a major town southeast of the capital, at dusk seven days later.

This day was December 12th.

An'nan City was located over 800 li southeast of Yong'an Prefecture, the first major city encountered after departing from the imperial capital and the first fortified city in the empire's southward expansion.

Before Jiang Hanqing and his group even reached the walls of An'nan City, they could see a large army stationed outside the city, numbering at least 200,000, judging from the size of the camp. A large blue flag fluttered high above the city walls, seemingly embroidered with a large character, but due to the distance, the character could not be clearly discerned.

Jiang Hanqing stared at the flag, momentarily stunned, and involuntarily stopped his horse.

Bai Yingjue and the others, who were urging their horses onward, were caught off guard by his sudden stop and rushed ahead. Realizing something was amiss, the three quickly turned their horses around and galloped back to Jiang Hanqing's side. Bai

Yingjue asked with concern, "Qing, what happened?"

"Do you know what's special about that flag?" Jiang Hanqing asked, pointing to the blue flag on the city wall in the distance.

Bai Yingjue stared blankly for a moment, only able to discern that it appeared to be a military flag. She couldn't see anything special about it compared to ordinary military flags, so she shook her head and said, "It looks like a military flag, is there anything special about it?" Jiang

Hanqing said, "According to imperial law, military flags are not allowed to be flown above city walls under normal circumstances! Only when an imperial marshal or higher-ranking military commander is stationed in the city is it permitted to fly that commander's flag!"

Bai Yingjue suddenly realized, "Oh! So the military flag on Annam City is the flag of some imperial marshal?" Jiang

Hanqing nodded and said, "That's right! I know the owner of this flag, but she..." "He shouldn't be in An'nan City!"

Bai Yingjue asked doubtfully, "You know this person? Who is he?"

Jiang Hanqing chuckled, "You really don't care about national affairs! The empire only has two Grand Marshals, three Marshals... oh, no, only two Marshals left. Li Jixing has already gone to the Yellow Springs to become a Marshal. I already said he's an Imperial Marshal, and you still can't guess who it is?"

Bai Yingjue looked thoughtful, and after a long while, she said, "I know the Grand Marshals, one is your mother, and the other is Shi Yanying. I'm not so sure about the other two Marshals."

Jiang Hanqing smiled and shook his head without saying anything more. He gently spurred his horse and continued forward.

Bai Yingjue, Lin Fengxian, and Jiang Longxiang quickly followed behind him.

After traveling for a while, when they were almost at the city walls, they finally saw a large character embroidered in white thread on the blue marshal's flag on the city wall—"Consort."

Bai Yingjue suddenly realized and said, "So it's Fei Qingsi! I've heard of this woman!" Jiang

Hanqing nodded and said, "That's right! It's her! And the other one is my sworn sister, Xi Sili! Haha!" As

he spoke, Jiang Hanqing suddenly burst into laughter, as if he had thought of something.

Bai Yingjue was puzzled as to why he suddenly burst into laughter. She asked, bewildered, "I met Xiaoli at your mother's place. She's a very nice girl! So she's an Imperial Marshal? I never would have guessed! But what's so funny about that?" Jiang

Hanqing stopped laughing and sighed, "I'm laughing because with Li Jixing's death, the remaining four Imperial Marshals and above are all women. Alas! Such an embarrassing thing has never happened in the history of the Empire! The Empire is so weak in women; how can it not be laughable!"

Bai Yingjue then understood why Jiang Hanqing had suddenly laughed. It was because he was thinking of this incident. She was about to say something when Jiang Hanqing continued, "Before I left the capital, wasn't Fei Qingsi the commander of the Southern Army dealing with the Southern Barbarians? How come after only two months of fighting, she's come to this far north to rest?"

Bai Yingjue naturally couldn't answer the question Jiang Hanqing posed. She could only shake her head blankly, indicating she didn't know. Jiang

Hanqing asked Bai Yingjue these questions not necessarily to get an answer, but simply because he had thought of it and it came to mind naturally.

He initially thought that Fei Qingsi's retreat from the southern border to this place was likely related to the Imperial army's defeat in their expedition against Qiut. He thought perhaps the Emperor had summoned her back to avenge the Qiut people. However, he quickly realized his judgment was wrong. He had set off for home the day after the Qiut defeated the Imperial army; the court should have only just learned of the defeat. How could they have had time to notify Fei Qingsi to return to Annam in time? Normally, this would take at least two months.

But if it wasn't for the above reason, why was Fei Qingsi in Annam? Jiang Hanqing pondered this, but couldn't find a solution. He increasingly felt that Fei Qingsi's return to Annam was definitely not ordinary and resolved to investigate thoroughly. "

Let's go into the city and meet Fei Qingsi. Let's see why she's here, and whether the Emperor has some kind of conspiracy,"

Bai Yingjue suddenly interjected. "I heard Fei Qingsi is a beauty?" Her tone was full of jealousy, showing that she was quite suspicious of Jiang Hanqing's true intentions in being so eager to see Fei Qingsi.

Jiang Hanqing laughed, "Haha! That's true! She's a great beauty!"

After saying that, he made a face at Bai Yingjue, ignored her reaction, and spurred his warhorse towards An'nan City.

Although An'nan City was the most important town south of the capital, its reputation didn't live up to its name; its scale wasn't as large as people imagined.

The city walls were only about ten li in circumference, and the walls were no more than four zhang high. Apart from the barbican outside the south gate, the other city gates didn't even have barbicans, and there were very few arrow towers visible on the ten-li-long city wall. Compared to Yong'an Prefecture and Sunset City, it was really nothing.

But that was understandable. The empire's economy has always been led by the west, followed by the north, then the east, while the south has always lagged behind. An'nan City, in the south of the empire, could already be considered a large city.

The four of them rode to the east gate of An'nan City, preparing to cross the drawbridge and enter the city. Several cavalrymen in bright armor rushed towards them. The lead officer drew his sword and waved it at the Jiang family, shouting, "Marshal Fei Qingsi has ordered: all those wishing to enter the city must disarm and dismount before being allowed passage. Those who disobey will be arrested!"

Bai Yingjue snorted coldly, dissatisfied, "So domineering? Isn't that even more powerful than Yong'an Prefecture!" Lin

Fengxian and Jiang Longxiang were even more indignant, their right hands already on their sword hilts, glancing at Jiang Hanqing, waiting for his order to draw their swords and teach these ignorant fools a lesson. Jiang

Hanqing glanced at his men, signaling them not to act rashly, and cupped his hands to the soldiers who approached, saying, "I wonder why Marshal Fei Qingsi issued this order?" The

leading officer glared at Jiang Hanqing and said impatiently, "The Marshal has her reasons, what does it have to do with me? You lot, stop your nonsense, dismount and hand over your weapons, and I'll let you into the city." Lin

Fengxian, who had been fuming for a while, could no longer hold back and snorted, "What if we don't hand them over?"

The officer rolled his eyes and roared, "Military orders are absolute! If you dare to disobey, don't blame us for being impolite!" As he spoke, his sword began to flash in front of his chest. The soldiers behind him immediately released their reins and assumed a charging stance.

Lin Fengxian and Jiang Longxiang were about to draw their swords when Jiang Hanqing gently waved his hand to stop them. He chuckled lightly, seemingly unconcerned, and said, "General, don't be in such a hurry! If I were to say that I've met your commander a few times before, would you perhaps make an exception?"

The officer scrutinized him carefully for a moment, then firmly replied, "The commander's decree states that no one is exempt, regardless of who they are! There's no need for further discussion! It's pointless!" Jiang

Hanqing nodded in approval, "Good! Strict discipline! Truly worthy of being Fei Qingsi's subordinate!" Turning to look at Bai Yingjue and the others behind him, who were still defiant, he said sternly, "Dismount and enter the city! Hand over all the weapons!"

He then jumped off his horse first, unsheathed his sword, and handed it without hesitation to the officer in charge.

This sword was a birthday gift from his aunt, Crown Princess Yin Yuji, on his tenth birthday. Named "Snow Pine," it was one of the empire's ten most famous swords, a treasure bestowed upon him by Emperor Wuming upon Yin Yuji's marriage to Crown Prince Yisheng. It was only after obtaining the emperor's personal consent that it was presented to Jiang Hanqing. The sword's extraordinary nature was evident even from its simple, antique scabbard.

The officer, already suspicious after hearing Jiang Hanqing mention several encounters with Fei Qingsi and observing his noble bearing and calm demeanor (which suggested he wasn't lying), was now even more convinced of Jiang Hanqing's extraordinary background. He was at a loss, unsure whether to accept the sword or not, frozen in place.

A lowly soldier behind him, oblivious to his superior's reaction, reached out to take the sword from Jiang Hanqing's hand. The

officer, startled, slapped the soldier's hand away and yelled, "What are you doing!" Turning to Jiang Hanqing, he respectfully asked, "What is your surname, young master? Is your visit specifically to pay respects to the Commander-in-Chief?" Jiang

Hanqing smiled and replied, "You needn't ask my surname! Just take my sword! Military orders are absolute; there's no room for leniency!"

The officer bowed and said, "Your sword is so valuable, how could I dare accept it? Please keep it for yourself! However, if you are allowed to enter the city like this, I cannot bear the consequences if the Commander-in-Chief blames you later. Please wait here a moment while I send a soldier to consult with the master before making a decision!" He then

gave a few instructions to a soldier behind him, who nodded repeatedly and hurriedly turned and rode into the city. Jiang

Hanqing naturally knew that although the officer had sensed his extraordinary background, he wasn't sure if Jiang Hanqing truly knew Fei Qingsi, hence his tactic. He smiled helplessly and stood aside, quietly waiting for the messenger's return.

About an incense stick's time later, the soldier who had gone in to deliver the message returned, followed by a formidable troop of heavily armored cavalry.

"The commander requests this young master's presence at the commander's residence!" The soldier ran forward, dismounted, and saluted Jiang Hanqing.

Behind him, the heavy cavalry circled around Jiang Hanqing and his companions, blocking their retreat. Their posture clearly indicated they would attack at any moment if Jiang Hanqing and his group refused.

"Please mount your horse and enter the city, young master!" The officer bowed and stepped aside, signaling his men to clear the way.

Jiang Hanqing, naturally fearless, obeyed, mounted his horse, and, led by the messenger soldier, headed into the city. Bai Yingjue and the others followed closely behind, and behind them was the heavily armed cavalry, as if facing a formidable enemy. Upon

entering the city, Jiang Hanqing noticed the eerie atmosphere. Aside from the occasional troop of cavalry galloping by, the streets were practically deserted. Every house was closed, and even the shops were deserted. Looking at the desolate scene, Jiang Hanqing couldn't help but mutter to himself, "What on earth is Fei Qingsi up to? How can she make such a large city so lifeless? Has something happened?"

Thinking this, they unknowingly arrived at Fei Qingsi's mansion. Countless armored guards stood in formation at the gate, each holding a weapon, vigilantly watching every passerby on the street. Behind the guards was a squad of archers who, seeing Jiang Hanqing and his group approach, aimed at them from afar, clearly ready to fire at the slightest movement.

Seeing this scene, the Jiang family members naturally understood that something extremely important must have happened in An'nan City, and it must have developed to the point of threatening the safety of the legion commander, Fei Qingsi. As soon as Jiang

Hanqing and his companions dismounted, a squad of guards surrounded them. The officer in charge stopped about two zhang away from the Jiang family members and demanded that they throw their weapons to the ground. Although his words were polite, his tone was serious and earnest. He was slightly hunched over, his hand gripping his sword hilt tightly, his eyes warily fixed on Jiang Hanqing, like a leopard poised to pounce.

Jiang Hanqing, of course, wouldn't do anything foolish at this moment, and immediately obediently unfastened his sword and threw it to the ground. Bai Yingyu and the others naturally followed suit, surrendering their weapons.

After the four of them had thrown their weapons to the ground, several guards rushed over, picked them up, and quickly retreated to the side. Seeing that the four members of the Jiang family had disarmed themselves, the armored guards' expressions softened slightly. The leading officer even bowed to Jiang Hanqing and then gestured for them to enter through the door. Surrounded

by a large contingent of armored warriors, the four members of the Jiang family slowly entered Fei Qingsi's mansion.

After entering through the main gate, the corridors were lined with guards every three steps and sentries every five, all standing solemnly in armor. Squads of patrolling soldiers roamed the courtyards.

After being led to an open courtyard in the front yard, Jiang Hanqing and the others were ordered to remain still, told to wait there for notification to receive them inside.

Around the courtyard, countless archers and spearmen watched their every move with bated breath, their bows fully drawn and aimed at them. Seeing the soldiers' tense expressions, Jiang Hanqing and the others dared not make a single movement, fearing that any careless action would be misinterpreted and lead to a hail of arrows—a truly unpleasant experience. "

Damn it! What is that bitch Fei Qingsi up to, making everyone so panicked! If some idiot gets too nervous and shoots an arrow at me, I'll be riddled with arrows! Ugh! Why isn't that bitch showing up yet? She's really trying to kill me!" Jiang Hanqing couldn't help but curse Fei Qingsi inwardly. After waiting for

what felt like an incense stick's time in this suffocating atmosphere, a man who appeared to be a general finally emerged and questioned Jiang Hanqing's origins: "Where are you from? What are your names? Do you really know the Commander-in-Chief?" His tone was extremely rude, as if he were interrogating a criminal. Jiang

Hanqing suppressed his anger and answered as calmly as possible, "We came from the capital. We happened to pass by and saw Fei Qingsi's banner. Remembering that we had met her a few times in the capital, we decided to pay her a visit. Unexpectedly… Hmph! You only need to tell Fei Qingsi that a man surnamed Jiang from the capital wants to see her, and she'll know who I am!"

The general, hearing Jiang Hanqing's arrogant tone, felt a little flustered. Unsure of his background, he sized him up for a while before deciding to report to his commander. He said to Jiang Hanqing, "Your surname is Jiang? Alright! Wait a moment, I'll go report to the commander. Hey! Don't move! In a critical moment, these brothers will not hesitate to shoot arrows!"

Before Jiang Hanqing could say anything more, the general quickly turned and ran away.

Under the watchful eyes of the surrounding crowd, they waited for about two incense sticks' time, but no new information arrived. Under immense pressure, Jiang Hanyin was already drenched in sweat from tension. Having grown up on the battlefield alongside his mother, he was accustomed to the bloody scenes of battle, but standing for such a long time in front of hundreds of powerful crossbows ready to fire at any moment was a painful ordeal he had never experienced before.

Jiang Hanqing glanced at the three people beside him. Lin Fengxian and Jiang Longxiang were even worse off; their clothes were almost soaked with sweat, and their breathing was rapid. Only Bai Yingjue seemed fearless, able to calmly close her eyes and rest even amidst such formidable enemies, seemingly unconcerned about the danger before her.

"Aunt Ying is indeed extraordinary, truly worthy of the woman I chose! Excellent! My judgment is indeed sound!" Jiang Hanqing couldn't help but praise his own judgment in his heart at this moment.

After waiting for an unknown amount of time, finally a woman's voice rang out. "

Oh! It really is Young Master Jiang! You mustn't be rude, get out of the way!"

The voice was clear and melodious, like a nightingale's song. To Lin Fengxian and Jiang Longxiang, who were on the verge of a mental breakdown, it was like heavenly music.

Jiang Hanqing breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the voice. He recognized it almost instantly—it was Fei Qingsi's voice.

"Thank goodness, she's finally here!" Seeing the archers around him finally relax their taut bowstrings at Fei Qingsi's voice, Jiang Hanqing felt an unprecedented sense of relief. Only then did he notice that the archers were actually even more tense than they were; each of them had a pool of sweat on their feet. Jiang Hanqing couldn't help but feel incredibly lucky. He knew, of course, that if even one archer had succumbed to the pressure and released an arrow, the four of them would have been turned into mincemeat.

At this moment, Fei Qingsi appeared before everyone. Jiang Hanqing carefully examined her appearance. She hadn't changed much compared to four years ago, except that she seemed much more mature. Fei

Qingsi wore a light green floral dress with a jade belt around her waist. She looked nothing like a female commander, but rather like a refined young lady embroidering in her own courtyard. Her smiling demeanor was completely different from the tense expressions of her soldiers.

Apart from Jiang Hanqing, Bai Yingjue, Lin Fengxian, and the others were seeing this renowned female general, following in the footsteps of Yin Yufeng and Shi Yanying, for the first time, and were naturally very curious, scrutinizing her closely.

Fei Qingsi appeared very serene, her hair simply styled in a bun. Her fair, full face had a pair of adorable dimples on her cheeks, and above her proudly upright nose were a pair of seemingly expressive phoenix eyes, their dark pupils darting around with a lively and intelligent quality. With

a faint smile on her face, Fei Qingsi gracefully approached Jiang Hanqing, bowed, and said, "Qingsi did not expect Young Master Jiang to arrive. I am so sorry for not greeting you sooner! I hope you will forgive me!"

Jiang Hanqing laughed heartily and said, "If Qingsi hadn't come out sooner, I would have been scared to death by your men."

Fei Qingsi gently covered her mouth and smiled, "Oh dear! Is Young Master blaming Qingsi? Alright! Qingsi apologizes to Young Master! Please forgive me this time!" Fei Qingsi

spoke with a gentle and lovely demeanor, her smile captivating and alluring.

"Haha! I was just saying, Qingsi, why take it so seriously?"

Bai Yingjue, watching from the side, felt quite uncomfortable. From Jiang and Fei's conversation and expressions, she could tell that their relationship was quite close, and she couldn't help but wonder if they had ever had a past relationship. More importantly, the beauty of Fei Qingsi before her was incredibly striking. The moment Bai Yingjue saw her face, the phrase "stunningly beautiful" immediately came to mind! Especially the ethereal and noble aura Fei Qingsi exuded, further enhancing her unparalleled beauty. Among all the women Bai Yingjue had ever seen, only Yin Yufeng could rival her. Fei

Qingsi seemed to sense the hostile gaze directed at her by Bai Yingjue and turned her attention to her. She curiously looked Bai Yingjue up and down for a moment, then glanced at Jiang Hanqing, a slight smile appearing on her red lips, as if to say she understood the relationship between Bai Yingjue and Jiang Hanqing.

Bai Yingjue, however, felt a sense of crisis and unconsciously leaned into Jiang Hanqing's arms, looking at Fei Qingsi with a defiant gaze.

Jiang Hanqing had always harbored unusual feelings for Fei Qingsi, practically drooling over this beauty, the only one he had seen besides his mother. However, he had never been able to figure out what Fei Qingsi truly felt for him. Seeing Bai Yingjue's actions, he made no attempt to stop her. He wanted to test Fei Qingsi's reaction to gauge his own importance in her eyes.

However, Fei Qingsi's reaction undoubtedly disappointed Jiang Hanqing. She merely smiled slightly at Bai Yingjue's provocation, offering no further reaction, revealing that Jiang Hanqing held no place in her heart.

Jiang Hanqing was deeply disappointed, but outwardly feigned nonchalance, saying, "I took a long leave of absence these past two months, traveling throughout the country to broaden my horizons. My leave is almost over, and I'm preparing to return north to the capital. Today, I happened to pass by An'nan City and saw Qing Si's banner, so I thought I'd come in for a visit. But I didn't expect… Has something serious happened to Qing Si?" Fei

Qing Si ignored his question, changing the subject, "Young Master Jiang, this is your first time visiting Qing Si's place, so I, Qing Si, will naturally extend the utmost hospitality! It's dinner time now, and a simple meal has been prepared for you inside. Please, Young Master Jiang!" She then

turned and gestured for him to enter. Seeing that she was unwilling to answer his questions, Jiang

Hanqing could not press further and could only bow and say, "Excuse me!"

The group, led by Fei Qingsi, then headed towards Weijin. Although the number of armored guards deployed along the way had decreased, they were still visible everywhere.

At the banquet, Fei Qingsi symbolically drank a cup of wine with Jiang Hanqing, touched her chopsticks once, and then ate no more. Although her expression remained calm, it was clear that she was hiding something.

Jiang Hanqing kept trying to probe her with conversation, hoping to elicit some information.

However, whenever he brought up this topic, Fei Qingsi would smile slightly and immediately change the subject, clearly indicating that she didn't want Jiang Hanqing to interfere in her affairs. But

the more she acted this way, the more Jiang Hanqing felt there was something amiss, and the stronger his desire to know the truth became. "

Qingsi! What exactly happened here? Why won't you tell me? What do you mean? What are you hiding from me? Tell me!" Knowing that

Fei Qingsi was determined not to tell him, and that continuing to pester her would be pointless, Jiang Hanqing couldn't help but lose her temper and directly questioned Fei Qingsi.

Seeing Jiang Hanqing's appearance, Fei Qingsi's face also darkened. She stood up abruptly, her eyebrows raised, glaring at Jiang Hanqing. Her previous gentle and docile demeanor was nowhere to be found now; it was as if she had suddenly become a different person. Fei Qingsi

stood there without saying a word, only glaring fiercely at Jiang Hanqing. Jiang Hanqing did not back down either, meeting her gaze fearlessly. The atmosphere in the entire room seemed to freeze for a moment, filled with a sense of impending conflict. The two stared at each other for a long time before Fei

Qingsi finally spoke angrily, "Young Master Jiang, I treat you with great respect because you are the son of Marshal Feng and the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo. Don't think you can bully me, Fei Qingsi, as if you should know everything about me! You need to understand that some things I don't let you know are for your own good! Don't be so clever and try to interfere! You'll only suffer in the end!" Jiang

Hanqing had never been criticized like this before, let alone lectured by a woman not much older than himself. He was so angry that he couldn't speak, pointing at Fei Qingsi and saying, "You...you..."

Actually, if Fei Qingsi were a man, Jiang Hanqing would never have uttered those harsh words. The reason he spoke like that was because, in his heart, he had never really taken women seriously. Even a woman as powerful as his mother was nothing more than a plaything in his bed. As for Fei Qingsi, he often thought about how to win her over, never considering that she was a marshal of the empire. Influenced by his long-term tendency to think this way, he naturally forgot the other person's identity when he spoke, treating her as if he were talking to one of his own women, and involuntarily said the wrong thing. What surprised him even more was Fei Qingsi's strong reaction, completely embarrassing him.

Fei Qingsi coldly looked at Jiang Hanqing and said, "I think Young Master Jiang is used to being flattered at home, no wonder he doesn't respect anyone! Hmph, let me tell you, you won't leave my mansion today without apologizing! I, Fei Qingsi, fear neither heaven nor earth, even if General Feng himself came, I wouldn't easily forgive you! Besides, I'm in the right! Hmph! Guards!"

As she spoke, the guards waiting outside the room swarmed in, swords drawn, surrounding all four members of the Jiang family.

Bai Yingjue sat at the table, her face calm and silent, simply watching Jiang Hanqing, awaiting his instructions. She was filled with strong confidence, waiting only for Jiang Hanqing's order to rush forward and capture Fei Qingsi as a hostage.

Jiang Hanqing looked at the guards in front of and behind him, knowing that if he didn't back down today, he might really be in deep trouble. He forcibly suppressed his anger, cupped his hands, and bowed, saying, "Qingsi, why are you so angry! I misspoke just now, I had no other intention than to show concern for you! I hope you

can forgive me!" Fei Qingsi was actually quite wary of Jiang Hanqing, knowing that the power behind him was too great for her to handle easily. Her actions just now were merely a moment of anger; she felt Jiang Hanqing hadn't given her enough face, and coupled with recent troubles, she was too upset to swallow her anger. Now that Jiang Hanqing had given her face and apologized, she felt it would be too late to not take this opportunity to back down. She waved her hand, dismissing her guards.

After they sat down again, the atmosphere remained awkward; neither side knew what to say. After

a long pause, Jiang Hanqing spoke first, "Since Qingsi is unwilling to discuss what happened here, I won't press further! I apologize again for my impulsive actions just now!" He

then downed the wine in his glass in one gulp.

Fei Qingsi hesitated for a long time. She had initially been extremely reluctant to tell Jiang Hanqing about this matter, to avoid getting involved with the Jiang family and complicating things further. But now, she realized that she had no choice but to rely on the Jiang family's power; perhaps there was still hope of resolving the situation.

Frowning slightly, Fei Qingsi sighed softly, "Alas! I originally didn't intend to tell Young Master Jiang about this... but since he cares so much about me, it would be unfair to him if I kept it a secret! The story begins four years ago..." Four

years ago, after Yin Yufeng left the capital, the Emperor, disregarding the objections of many ministers, approved the plan for Duke Dingguo, Wang Mingde, to launch a major southern expedition, appointing his heir, Wang Siting, as commander of the southern army, with Fei Qingsi as his deputy, to attack the southern barbarians.

Wang Siting was a typical rich kid, utterly lacking in talent and ability. Although nominally the army commander, he spent his days drinking and having fun, leaving all military matters to Fei Qingsi. Fortunately, he didn't interfere; under Fei Qingsi's command, the imperial army was invincible, achieving victory after victory. However, when reporting to the court, Wang Siting claimed all the credit for himself, omitting a single word about Fei Qingsi's contributions. Unaware of the truth, Emperor Wuming believed Wang Siting was indeed a peerless general, as his father had claimed, and showered him with praise.

Meanwhile, Wang Siting, within the army, harbored a deep lust for the beautiful Consort Qingsi, constantly plotting to seduce this proud young female general. However, Consort Qingsi was wary of his lecherous nature, so Wang Siting could only watch helplessly from the sidelines.

This situation continued for over two years, with the Southern Army's continuous victories pushing the empire's borders southward by nearly a thousand li. At this point, Emperor Wuming suddenly began to feel uneasy. He thought, "The Wang family's son is such a formidable warrior, and now he commands such a large Southern Army; isn't this a great threat to my rule?" Emperor Wuming quickly devised a solution. With a decree, the Southern Army was split into two. The First Southern Army would continue to be commanded by Wang Siting, while the Second Southern Army would be commanded by Consort Qingsi. Knowing

his son was a good-for-nothing, Wang Mingde was naturally terrified upon hearing the news and repeatedly submitted memorials to the emperor opposing it. However, the more he objected, the more the emperor felt his actions were incredibly brilliant, believing he had struck at Wang Mingde's weak point. The emperor's decree was quickly executed, and the Southern Army Corps was thus divided into two independent new corps. Consort Qingsi was thus successfully freed from Wang Siting's repulsive and shameless entanglement.

In the following year, the Second Southern Army Corps, led by Consort Qingsi, continued to achieve continuous victories, while Wang Siting's First Southern Army Corps suffered repeated defeats.

At this point, Emperor Wuming finally understood: the previous victories were due to Consort Qingsi, the Imperial Marshal, not Wang Siting, the heir to the Duke of Dingguo; Wang Siting had simply appropriated others' military achievements.

After severely reprimanding Duke Wang Mingde, Emperor Wuming announced the removal of Wang Siting from his command and the reunification of the Southern Army Corps, placing it under the unified command of Consort Qingsi. Although Wang

Siting outwardly obeyed the emperor's decree, announcing the complete transfer of command of the Southern First Army Corps, he secretly devised every means to sabotage Fei Qingsi. He instructed his trusted generals to attack Fei Qingsi's military tactics, refuse to carry out her orders, ignore her personnel changes, and even send back the officers Fei Qingsi sent to take over the troops. Fei Qingsi's army was also intercepted when attempting to pass through the areas previously occupied by the First Army Corps soldiers.

Left with no other option, Fei Qingsi reported these matters to the court, but Wang Mingde intercepted them en route. The emperor and the court remained unaware of this, believing that command of the entire Southern Army Corps had indeed been transferred to Fei Qingsi.

While opposing Fei Qingsi, Wang Siting also frequently sent people to harass her, demanding that she agree to marry him. He claimed that if Fei Qingsi agreed to marry him, he would hand over all military power to her. Fei Qingsi resolutely rejected Wang Siting's inappropriate advances.

In the past year, Wang Siting seemed to have gone mad, frequently sending men to attack Fei Qingsi's army and even attempting to kidnap her. Furthermore, a large number of skilled warriors from the Wang family were dispatched to the southern border to provide support, emboldening Wang Siting and making his actions increasingly outrageous.

Two months ago, coinciding with the invasion of the Qiu Te people, Wang Siting issued Fei Qingsi an ultimatum, demanding that she either immediately agree to marry him or immediately relinquish her military power, or else he would treat her ruthlessly.

Fei Qingsi repeatedly reported the situation to the court, but each report went unanswered. She naturally understood that these reports were suppressed by the Wang family through various means, and perhaps those in the court were completely unaware of their existence.

Having no other choice, considering the immense power of the Wang family and knowing she could not confront Wang Siting, Fei Qingsi decided to flee. Using the pretext of returning home to defend the emperor and repel the Qiu Te barbarian army, she hastily mobilized her troops back to the country, hoping to rid herself of Wang Siting's harassment before making further plans.

However, Wang Siting was not relentless, sending his own troops to pursue her and dispatching numerous family assassins to assassinate Fei Qingsi along the way, declaring that if he couldn't win her heart, he would take her head.

Fei Qingsi, unable to endure it any longer, launched a fierce counterattack against Wang Siting's pursuing army. This gave Wang Mingde another pretext; more than ten days earlier, he had reported to the emperor at court that Fei Qingsi had attacked an army loyal to the emperor and had led her troops back north without prior notice, seemingly preparing a rebellion. The aging and senile Emperor Wuming immediately believed this, ordering his troops along the route to ambush Fei Qingsi's rebel army and offering a reward for her capture. Furthermore, the garrison troops in the capital region and the Imperial Guards stationed in the city were placed on full alert to prevent a surprise attack on the capital by Fei Qingsi's rebel army.

Fei Qingsi had been resting and camping three hundred li south of Annam City when she received a secret message from a friend in the capital four days prior. Knowing the emperor's incompetence and that such matters were difficult to explain, Fei Qingsi resolutely decided to immediately seize Annam City, a major southern city of the empire, to secure a foothold before considering how to clear her name.

After a night of forced march, Fei Qingsi's southern army arrived in Annam City the day before yesterday morning. They quickly dispersed the small number of defending troops and captured the city, then immediately began to deploy defenses to prepare for an attack by the imperial army.

Although she had already ordered her troops to prepare for battle, considering the enemy's absence and the need to avoid disturbing the people, Fei Qingsi did not take any measures to restrict the movement of civilians, not even limiting their entry and exit from the city. Unexpectedly

, just one day before Jiang Hanqing and his group arrived in An'nan City, an incident occurred where assassins infiltrated Fei Qingsi's temporary command post with the intent to kill her. There were four assassins in total, each possessing exceptional martial arts skills. Disguised as ordinary soldiers, they entered the command post with ease, but were eventually discovered by the armored guards when they attempted to force their way into an area reserved for imperial guards. Fei Qingsi's elite guards paid a heavy price to kill the four assassins. Learning from this incident, Fei Qingsi immediately ordered a ban on anyone riding horses or carrying weapons into the city, and imposed a citywide martial law, prohibiting anyone from walking freely on the streets. Security within the command post was also significantly increased. This explains the special treatment Jiang Hanqing and his group received after arriving in An'nan City.

Hearing Fei Qingsi recount the entire incident, Jiang Hanqing was secretly astonished. It turned out that half of the Southern Army Corps had been under the control of the Wang family, and the imperial court was completely unaware of this, even the Jiang family was kept in the dark. What alarmed Jiang Hanqing even more was why the Wang family was so eager to seize control of Fei Qingsi's army, even resorting to such drastic measures. What was the Wang family's true purpose?

A bold conjecture suddenly appeared deep within Jiang Hanqing's mind: "Could it be that the Wang family wants to…"

Chapter 32 In Annan City

Chapter 32 In Annan City

Why was the Wang family so eager to seize control of the southern army? Why were they so ruthless and willing to pay any price for this goal? Suddenly realizing that the Wang family's actions might be preparations for their own rebellion, Jiang Hanqing broke out in a cold sweat.

For centuries, the four great families had been locked in a power struggle, plotting rebellions multiple times, but for various reasons, none had materialized. In recent years, the Jiang and Wang families had grown increasingly powerful, each secretly plotting to seize final victory.

Comparatively, the Jiang family was perhaps slightly stronger than the Wang family, so they didn't pay much attention to the Wang family, focusing primarily on dealing with the emperor. Even Jiang Hanqing and his father hadn't truly regarded the Wang family seriously.

It was only now that Jiang Hanqing suddenly realized how ambitious and treacherous the Wang family truly was. He and his father had underestimated them, thinking they were just a group of wealthy young men incompetent. But judging from the incident with Fei Qingsi, Wang Mingde was clearly actively preparing for a rebellion, and the situation was extremely critical. Jiang Hanqing understood that this discovery might have saved his family from annihilation.

At this time, among the four great families, the Zou family of the Duke of Jingguo was undoubtedly the weakest. Apart from their stronghold in Pingyang City and its surrounding territories, they no longer held much influence anywhere else in the empire. They also had the fewest members in the court, partly due to their small family size and a severe shortage of capable individuals, and partly due to the pitifully small number of their factions, rendering their influence on politics virtually zero. Therefore, among the four great families, the Zou family was actually the most undeserving of its reputation. The Li family

of the Duke of Anguo had similar power in the court to the Zou family, but they possessed vast territories in the north of the empire. These areas were known for their fierce and warlike people, providing excellent resources for recruiting family warriors. Thus, compared to the Zou family, the Li family's strength should not be underestimated. Furthermore, the Duchess of Anguo, Shi Yanying, was an undefeated general of the empire, on par with Yin Yufeng, wielding immeasurable influence within the empire.

Although rumors circulated that she was at odds with her husband, Duke Anguo, Li Zhiqiang, these were merely speculations and not reliable evidence. Every faction calculating the Li family's strength would include Shi Yanying and her "Flying Eagle Legion."

As for the Wang family, the Duke of Dingguo, they were the leading family among the four great families at the founding of the dynasty, the foundation upon which successive emperors relied. For this reason, their fiefdom was located near the capital. This geographical advantage gave the Wang family unimaginable advantages. If the Wang family were to rise up, capturing the capital would be incredibly easy.

As the leading family among the four great families, the Wang family naturally possessed the strongest power and the most followers in the court, wielding influence over politics far exceeding that of the other three families. However, the Wang family had a major flaw: a lack of renowned generals throughout history. This resulted in a relatively weak influence within the imperial army. If it weren't for their strong influence in the court and their consistent cultivation and recruitment of loyal followers within the army, the Wang family would have long lost the power to contend for the throne. Furthermore, due to the proximity of the Wang family's fiefdom to the capital, successive emperors imposed various restrictions on the Wang family's recruitment of family troops and warriors to minimize their impact on the capital's security. Thus, the Wang family's armed forces were actually relatively weak in the eyes of the Jiang family.

As for the current situation of the Jiang family, the Duke of Zhenguo, it can be said to be at its zenith. The Jiang family was truly the youngest among the four great families. Popular descriptions of the four great families have always been "The four great families of the empire: Wang, Li, Zou, Jiang." This was actually the initial ranking of the four great families. It can be seen that the Jiang family was at the very bottom at that time.

The Jiang family's fiefdom was thus located in the most remote and chaotic western region. At that time, among the four directions of the empire—east, south, west, and north—the western border was the most troubled; almost everyone within the empire would frown at the mention of the Western Regions. In the imperial edict to the Jiang family, the emperor told them that their fiefdom was the smallest among the four families, and if they wanted to acquire more land, they should fight with the barbarians of the Western Regions.

In their fiefdoms near the Western Regions, the Jiang family was harassed by the barbarians of the Western Regions almost every year. In the early stages, the losses were devastating, and their fiefdom shrank daily, making expansion out of the question. However, it was precisely this harsh environment that instilled a strong sense of crisis in the Jiang family members, and the arduous struggle against the Western Regions barbarians honed their talents. After the initial decades of hardship, the Jiang family gradually turned the tide, gaining the upper hand in the fight against the barbarians. In the following centuries, countless strategists and generals emerged from the Jiang family. Their prestige and influence within the army grew steadily, and their fiefdom expanded westward with each victory in the Western Regions war. Today, their fiefdom is the largest among the four great families of the empire, almost equal to the combined fiefdoms of the other three. Moreover, these lands are rich in resources and the people are prosperous—truly a rare and fertile land bestowed by heaven. Due to the Jiang family's strategic location, they frequently faced fierce incursions from the Western Regions barbarians. Furthermore, their remoteness from the capital and lack of public attention made their military strength the most formidable among the four great families. In reality, among the four great families, only the Jiang family's private army can rival the regular army.

In the last two decades, the Jiang family's influence within the empire has surpassed that of the Wang family, seemingly rising to the top of the four great families. The marriage of Jiang Haoyu and Yin Yufeng further united the Jiang family with the empire's premier military family—the Yin family. This naturally brought control over the invincible "Yufeng Legion" and the vast territory of the Western Protectorate, even bringing the empire's second-largest city—Sunset City—under their sphere of influence. However, compared to the Wang family, the Jiang family's number of supporters in the court is far inferior, so in the current situation, the Jiang family cannot yet overpower the Wang family in court. However, with such strong backing, this is believed to be only a matter of time.

The current court struggle is essentially a duel between the Jiang and Wang families. A saying circulating among the common people aptly reflects the balance of power between the two: "The Jiang family has many fierce generals, while half the court officials are from the Wang family."

Judging from the current situation, it's clear that the Wang family themselves understands that their control over the army is far inferior to that of the Jiang family, and therefore hopes to seize control of the Empire's third largest army—the Southern Army. While this army is weaker than the "Jade Phoenix Army" actually controlled by the Jiang family and the "Flying Eagle Army" hidden behind the Li family, it can still greatly compensate for the Wang family's past shortcomings.

Jiang Hanqing was quite surprised that the Wang family had managed to suppress all the unfavorable reports from the Southern Army for the past two years, while his own family remained unaware of this.

"It seems our family's power in the court is still far behind the Wang family's! When I return, I must work with my father to find a solution as soon as possible. Otherwise, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Thinking this, Jiang Hanqing continued to ponder the meaning behind the Wang family's actions.

Jiang Hanqing wasn't surprised by the Wang family's attempt to control the army. However, the hasty nature of their measures made him secretly suspicious. Even if they were preparing for a rebellion, why take such a risky approach as forcing Fei Qingsi? Unless a rebellion was already imminent!

Jiang Hanqing's heart skipped a beat at this thought, and he quickly looked up at Fei Qingsi, trying to glean her opinion on the matter from her expression. However, the composed Fei Qingsi presented him with that same unreadable smiling face.

Noticing Jiang Hanqing's gaze, Fei Qingsi's eyes flickered slightly, and she chuckled, "Young Master Jiang, do you have any ideas about this matter?" Jiang

Hanqing inwardly cursed, "That brat dares to play tricks on me!" His face, of course, showed no displeasure, and he replied with a smile, "Well… regarding this matter… I haven't quite figured it out yet, but I think the Wang family won't let you off easily, Qingsi. Qingsi, you'd better be very careful!"

Fei Qingsi hadn't really understood Jiang Hanqing. Although she had met him a few times before, it was always as a formality.

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