Imperial Secrets - 22

Jiang Hanqing breathed a sigh of relief and said happily, "That's good! I was worried that your power would be depleted too much, Palace Master! If that were the case, I would rather die than let your power be damaged!"

Having lived for decades, the Goddess Palace Master naturally didn't take Jiang Hanqing's words seriously. However, anyone would be happy to hear such kind words, and this Palace Master, who was actually incredibly lonely and isolated, was no exception.

Giving Jiang Hanqing a gentle smile, the Goddess Palace Master continued, "Later, when you use the Goddess's Joyful Union Technique, you must first arouse me. The more aroused you are, the better the effect of the technique will be. When we have intercourse, you must tightly lock your essence, no matter how excited you are, you must hold back. When I ejaculate, you must immediately reverse the flow of your technique, release your opening, and fiercely suck up the semen I release."

These words would surely amuse an ordinary person, perhaps even arousing lewd thoughts, but the two before them were completely different. The speaker was serious, and the listener was attentive; after all, the matter was of great importance, and they couldn't care less about anything else.

Jiang Hanqing, hearing her say that he must tightly lock his seminal vesicles, was unsure if there would be any problems if he didn't. After she finished speaking, he hurriedly asked, "What will happen if I don't tightly lock my seminal vesicles?"

The Goddess Palace Master was taken aback by his question, pondered for a moment, and then said awkwardly, "I really don't know! This method of transferring power has been used twice by our ancestors, and it was indeed successful. It's all recorded in the books. But they all say that the man must tightly lock his seminal vesicles, without explaining the specific reason. I guess the man will lose his energy, or even face life-threatening danger! Anyway, you must hold back later!"

Jiang Hanqing Hearing that there was a possibility of risking his life, Qing looked worried and smiled bitterly, "Can you really endure this? What if I really can't hold back? Can I pull it out?"

The Goddess Palace Master knew he was a little scared, so she immediately comforted him, "Where in the world is there such a good thing? To get such great benefits without taking any risks? Don't worry, if it really doesn't work, you can pull out your penis! This has happened before. It's recorded in books. But then, the woman can no longer use her powers. Because this 'Goddess Union Technique' can only be used once during male-female intercourse, and you must rest for three days before you can try again. Therefore, the entire power transfer process can only be completed in one go! Do you have any other questions?"

Jiang Hanqing thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "There shouldn't be any problems. Let's begin!"

The Goddess Palace Master beckoned to him and said, "Take off your clothes first!"

Jiang Hanqing was in no hurry to take off his clothes, but instead pounced on her, sniffing her neck, breasts, and waist like a wolf.

The Goddess Palace Mistress was tickled by his unexpected actions, and couldn't help but giggle.

"Oh! You... what are you doing? You're making me so uncomfortable! What do you want?"

she cried, quickly reaching out to press down Jiang Hanqing's head, which was moving around on her body, and said coquettishly, "You little devil, are you imitating a puppy? Why are you sniffing me like that? It's making me so itchy!"

Jiang Hanqing looked up at the beautiful woman with rosy cheeks and said smugly, "Didn't the Grand Palace Mistress want you to be my bride? Of course I want to smell the fragrance of my bride!"

Hearing him mention the Holy Mother Palace Mistress, the Goddess Palace Mistress felt a surge of annoyance and unconsciously curled her lips, coldly snorting, "Why should she want me to be your bride? Even if I were to be your..." "The bride, it's all just her own choice! What kind of person is she?"

Jiang Hanqing, being a clever man, laughed

heartily upon seeing this, "Yes! The Palace Master is right! The Palace Master is exceptionally intelligent, rarely seen in the world. She possesses the essence of heaven and earth, and the creation of the sun and moon..." Hearing Jiang Hanqing's torrent of flattery, the Goddess Palace Master's anger turned to joy, and she giggled, "Alright! Alright! Stop bragging. You're the one who's being flattered, but I'm embarrassed. If you keep going, I'll die of embarrassment."

Jiang Hanqing noticed that she had changed her self-reference from "this palace" to "I," clearly getting into the mood, so he didn't delay any longer and began to remove the Goddess Palace Master's bright red palace robe.

In just a few moves, the Goddess Palace Master's palace robe was skillfully stripped off, leaving her only in a close-fitting bright red mandarin duck bodice and the red silk underpants he had seen earlier.

Following the instructions of the Goddess Palace Master, Jiang Hanqing freely touched, kissed, and caressed her body, employing every possible means of seduction. He would kiss her delicate neck, gently knead her breasts, lick her lower abdomen, and then suckle her genitals.

The Goddess Palace Master, long sexually frustrated, yearned for intimacy, yet outwardly maintained a facade of chastity and self-restraint. Now, being played with so skillfully by Jiang Hanqing, a master of the bedroom, she was like dry tinder meeting a raging fire, instantly igniting a blazing inferno.

She moaned and cried out, her hips twitching and legs flailing; in an instant, the Goddess Palace Master seemed like a completely different person. Not long ago, sitting outside, she was a celestial being, unmatched by any other beauty; now, she had become a seemingly wanton woman.

One hand grasped the Goddess Palace Master's high breasts, the other vigorously caressed her red silk undergarments, already soaked with her own fluids. Jiang Hanqing smugly admired the wanton behavior of the proud woman beneath him. "My darling...you're making me feel so uncomfortable! Haha...harder...ouch...it's so itchy! Your little glans is going to kill me!"

These lewd cries were precisely Jiang Hanqing's motivation. He pressed his chest against the Goddess Palace Mistress's lower abdomen, his despicable fingers gently swirling against her clitoris through her silk panties, while simultaneously turning his head to lightly lick her sensitive inner thighs with his tongue.

The Goddess Palace Mistress felt an itch originating from her inner thighs, and her whole body immediately trembled. She felt an indescribable heat and itchiness inside her body. She wanted to scratch, but didn't know where to scratch! She could only squint her eyes, her cheeks flushed, desperately calling out and screaming.

Her hands waved incessantly in the air, occasionally patting Jiang Hanqing's back, as if urging him to give her maximum pleasure; occasionally, she would pinch and knead her breasts to alleviate the unbearable itchiness within her body. Her legs, of course, weren't idle either, constantly contracting and kicking, as if only in this way could she feel some pleasure. Sometimes her legs would bend and close tightly, clamping Jiang Hanqing's head between them, while simultaneously thrusting her vulva upwards forcefully, as if she wanted to suck Jiang Hanqing's head into her fiery vaginal opening; other times she would suddenly straighten her legs, spreading them into a wide starfish shape. The feeling of her entire body tensing up after kicking her legs gave her a moment of relief from the unsatisfied pain, but what followed was even more painful torment. Jiang Hanqing only stopped when the Goddess Palace Mistress was flowing with lustful fluids. By then, her bright red silk underpants were so wet they could be wrung out.

Jiang Hanqing pressed his fingers against the Goddess Palace Mistress's crotch area and scraped it twice, the lustful fluids immediately wetting his fingers. Holding his finger up to the Goddess Palace Master, Jiang Hanqing said with a mocking expression, "Palace Master, look how much lustful fluid you have! You're really quite wanton today! Have you never felt so good in your life?"

In the past, the Goddess Palace Master would have been furious to hear Jiang Hanqing speak like this, but things were different today. The woman, who had long been prepared to please Jiang Hanqing, though somewhat displeased, outwardly feigned wantonness, giggling and scolding, "Oh! You heartless little devil! Why am I being played with like this by you? Isn't it all for you, you cruel little devil! And yet you mock me like this. You have no conscience!"

Amidst her scolding, Jiang Hanqing tore off her bright red embroidered bodice, revealing her pair of pink and full breasts. He flicked the erect, pink nipple at the tip of her breast with his fingertip. The Goddess Palace Master gasped, her body trembling violently. She frowned and said, "Ouch! You idiot, that hurts!"

Jiang Hanqing said dismissively, "Does it hurt? No! You're not a slut like you, it's not like you've never been with someone before! What's there to hurt?"

Such disrespectful words were particularly grating to the Goddess Palace Master, but she didn't lash out at Jiang Hanqing, who had humiliated her. Instead, she blamed everything on the Holy Mother Palace Master: "That old hag is the one who caused me this humiliation! I swear I will not rest until I avenge this!"

But to get revenge, she needed to win over the future sect leader before her; and to win him over and please him, she had to endure even greater humiliation. Suffering new humiliation only fueled her hatred for the Holy Mother Palace Master and her desire for reward. What would be the outcome of this cycle? The Goddess Palace Master had never considered it. Jiang Hanqing tentatively cursed the Goddess Palace Master a couple of times, and seeing no extreme reaction from her, he gradually relaxed. However, he didn't intend to provoke her too much today; after all, things must be done step by step, one cannot rush it! Jiang Hanqing understood this principle.

The Goddess Palace Master, however, waited anxiously for Jiang Hanqing's next move. She nervously speculated in her mind.

"Will he say anything even more nasty? Or will he torture me in some way?"

Although the Goddess Palace Master herself never enjoyed sadomasochism, it didn't mean she was unaware of the secrets involved. After all, she had been a member of the Hidden Sect of the Holy Gate for decades; even if she hadn't experienced it herself, she had seen it all. Besides, sadomasochism was commonplace within the Hidden Sect.

The Goddess Palace Master was extremely conflicted at this moment. Various cruel images involuntarily surfaced in her mind—the methods that men commonly used to sexually abuse women, as she knew them.

She was a little worried that Jiang Hanqing would further humiliate her with words, and she was even more worried that Jiang Hanqing would torture her with cruel actions. But what she feared most was that in that situation, she would lose control of her disgust and turn against Jiang Hanqing on the spot. Yet, besides tension and a slight fear, she seemed to feel an unusual excitement from this agonizing wait. Every nerve in her body seemed to be taut, and every inch of her skin had become sensitive as a result. Her heart pounded in her throat, her fingers gripped the sheets tightly, and cold sweat poured from her pores. This was a strange feeling she had never experienced before!

"No! I've felt this before! It was..."

The Goddess Palace Master suddenly recalled events from decades ago. Back then, she was a young girl, innocent and waiting for the first man to enter her body. That man was her husband, the then-Sect Master of the Hidden Sect, the most important man in her life.

The Goddess Palace Master was lost in thought, time seemingly freezing. The memory seemed to be brought into reality, and the Goddess Palace Master felt as if she had returned to that moment when she waited for her beloved man to take her virginity. She activated the "Goddess's Joyful Union Technique," closed her eyes, and choked out, "Husband, love me!"

In that moment, she unconsciously regarded Jiang Hanqing as her long-deceased husband, as the love of her life! At this moment, she had only one thought in her mind: she wanted this young man to possess her body, she wanted to make him her husband, and she wanted to melt this man with the love she had kept hidden in her heart for so many years.

Hearing the Goddess Palace Mistress's passionate call, Jiang Hanqing no longer hesitated.

He climbed onto her and lightly licked her lips with his tongue. The Goddess Palace Mistress had already forgotten everything else, only caring about enjoying the blissful feeling before her. She parted her

lips slightly and sucked Jiang Hanqing's tongue into her mouth, swirling and intertwining it. The stimulation from their tongues touching made her drool with excitement.

Jiang Hanqing was also excited, and hoping to quickly increase his power, he no longer hesitated.

He roughly tore at her thin silk underwear into several tattered strips. After stripping the Goddess Palace Mistress completely naked, Jiang Hanqing forcefully turned her body around, spreading her thighs and aligning her vulva with his penis.

He rubbed the head of his penis against her moist labia a few times, and once it was completely wet with her juices, Jiang Hanqing mounted her and thrust forward. With a soft "plop," his hot, thick penis entered the Goddess Palace Mistress's body.

The Goddess Palace Mistress, who had completely lowered her guard with her eyes closed, cried out in excitement as the huge penis suddenly entered her itchy vagina.

Her full buttocks lifted slightly off the bed and swayed incessantly. The Goddess Palace Mistress opened her eyes and looked at the handsome man riding on her, her eyes filled with fiery passion. Her juices flowed uncontrollably from her vagina, dripping down her thighs and onto the bed.

Her breasts swayed with her movements, and waves of pleasure inside her vagina sent the Goddess Palace Mistress soaring to one peak after another. Finally, she couldn't help but cry out,

"Dear brother, harder! It feels so good!... Harder! Fuck me to death!... Haha!"

As she became more aroused, the effects of the Goddess's Harmony Technique within her intensified. Jiang Hanqing felt her fiery vagina acting like a whirlpool, constantly drawing his penis in, giving him a thrilling feeling of impending ejaculation. Remembering the Goddess Palace Mistress's instructions to guard his essence, Jiang Hanqing dared not be careless. He

quickly activated the basic technique of the Sacred Sect's internal energy, "Nine Heavens Gang," focusing his vital energy on his dantian, constricting his internal force, and tightly closing his seminal vesicle. Simultaneously, he accelerated his thrusting into the woman's vagina, hoping to make her ejaculate as quickly as possible.

However, after only one small cycle of the "Nine Heavens Gang" technique, Jiang Hanqing realized something was wrong.

Perhaps due to the shared nature of their internal energy cultivation techniques, the mutual attraction between them caused the suction force generated by the "Goddess's Joyful Union Technique" within the Goddess Palace Mistress's vagina to intensify after Jiang Hanqing's "Nine Heavens Gang" energy was fully activated. His own energy, seemingly influenced by this suction, began to gather in his lower abdomen. Jiang Hanqing tried desperately to control this phenomenon, but his skill level was insufficient to manage the flow of his internal energy. As a result, the energy in his lower body grew stronger, while the attraction from the Goddess Palace Mistress's side also intensified. Jiang Hanqing was terrified and completely at a loss.

The Goddess Palace Mistress also realized that things were not going according to plan. She clearly felt a powerful attraction miraculously forming between her and Jiang Hanqing's lower bodies. Under the pull of Jiang Hanqing's energy, a force was clearly gathering deep within her uterus. This gathering energy swirled like a whirlwind within her uterus, accelerating rapidly and forming a vortex that continuously drew everything around it in. The remaining energy in her meridians was drawn by the vortex, flowing continuously towards her uterus.

The Goddess Palace Master had never encountered such a situation during her past training. Naturally, she was secretly alarmed and hurriedly tried to calm her mind and control the flow of her energy. However, Jiang Hanqing's penis kept thrusting into her sensitive, burning vagina, making it impossible for her to calmly suppress the energy within her.

The Goddess Palace Master wanted to call out to stop Jiang Hanqing, but suddenly felt that the flow of energy within her body had changed due to the influence of Jiang Hanqing's energy. The swirling energy flow suddenly made a 180-degree turn, completely reversing its direction. At the same time, a large amount of energy surged in her uterus, making it seem as if it might burst at any moment.

The Goddess Palace Master cried out in alarm, no longer caring about anything else, and reached out to push Jiang Hanqing away from her. But with this exertion, the energy flow within her body, which had just changed direction, immediately reversed its original direction. This completely disrupted the energy flow gathered within the Goddess Palace Mistress's womb, causing it to surge and collide in all directions. The scattered energy flow wandered throughout the Goddess Palace Mistress's meridians.

Although the Goddess Palace Master had never tried using the "Goddess's Joyful Union Technique" and the "Nine Heavens Divine Strength" in combination to transfer power, the books passed down from previous generations contained detailed records of this extraordinary event. Each step was meticulously described, along with the expected reactions from both parties. The Goddess Palace Master had already thoroughly analyzed these records and was intimately familiar with the process. However, today's situation was completely beyond her expectations.

Turbulent energy flowed and collided throughout her meridians, and the Goddess Palace Master was in so much pain that she couldn't speak, yet her mind remained clear. Logically, with the power within her meridians so scattered, the energy that had previously gathered in her uterus should also be chaotic. But this was not the case. Although her uterus was also filled with scattered energy, the swirling power that had gathered at its center remained completely unaffected, instead growing stronger.

The Goddess Palace Master had already sensed that this power seemed to be summoned by the power gathered in Jiang Hanqing's lower body, constantly draining her life potential to strengthen itself. She knew that if this trend continued, her power might completely dissipate.

The Goddess Palace Master's true age was already a hundred years old, and the fact that she could maintain the appearance of someone under thirty was entirely due to the miraculous effects of the Goddess's Joyful Union Technique. Once an ordinary person's power dissipated, they would simply become a cripple, but for someone like her, once her power dissipated, there was only the path of death!

But now she could do nothing but wait for death to come, yet her mind was so clear that she could even feel the direction of every stream of energy within her body. This was what truly tormented her!

Under normal circumstances, the "Goddess's Joyful Union Technique" should have played an absolutely dominant role in this power transmission process, guiding the relatively weaker "Nine Heavens Gang" to gradually and slowly accept the power. However, the current situation clearly shows that Jiang Hanqing, using the "Nine Heavens Gang," has taken the lead from the very beginning. From the moment the "Nine Heavens Gang" began operating, it attempted to control and guide the "Goddess's Joyful Union Technique" within her body. But Jiang Hanqing's power was insufficient, so she couldn't control the flow of the power, leaving her internal energy in a chaotic state. The Goddess Palace Master was certain that Jiang Hanqing's internal energy was surging like hers, and his life was hanging by a thread.

"Why? Why is Jiang Hanqing's weak power controlling me? Why is this happening? What's wrong with this kid? Did he suffer a qi deviation during practice? No! Absolutely not! The Nine Heavens Gang is merely a basic technique of our sect; it has no ability to transmit power, let alone guide the power of the "Goddess's Joyful Union Technique," which is hundreds of times more profound. Yet, it's clearly his "Nine Heavens Gang" controlling my power! What's going on?" Meanwhile, Jiang Hanqing was also facing a helpless situation. He had stopped thrusting and tried to pull his penis out of the Goddess Palace Mistress's body, but the immense attraction held their genitals tightly together. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pull his penis out of her vagina.

Jiang Hanqing looked at the Goddess Palace Mistress in panic, hoping she could help him, but he saw that she was also terrified, covered in cold sweat, and staring at him with despair in her eyes. Jiang Hanqing could even see the corners of her mouth twitching, but she couldn't utter a single word. Seeing the Goddess Palace Mistress's

panicked and helpless expression, Jiang Hanqing knew that there was no way to save her today, so he closed his eyes and waited for death.

"It's over! It's over! Those two old hags didn't even understand what was going on, yet they tried to transfer their power! Now look what's happened! They've ruined my life."

The two of them remained locked in a daze, unable to move, while the power in their lower bodies continued to gather, growing stronger and more ferocious.

After an unknown amount of time, the combined power within their bodies finally succumbed to the pull of each other, and with a resounding boom, they both surged outwards.

The two immense forces collided violently at the point where the penis and vagina were joined. The surging energy surged through their meridians, overwhelming them both. Unable to withstand the impact, they screamed in agony and instantly fainted.

Before losing consciousness, perhaps in a final, fleeting moment of lucidity before death, the Goddess Palace Master suddenly understood something. A voice screamed in her mind: "This isn't the real 'Nine Heavens Gang'! This is the method of 'Cloud Waves and Rivers'! Wang Mingsi! It was that brat Wang Mingsi who did this! This is a trap derived from 'Cloud Waves and Rivers'!" The moment this

thought crossed her mind, a tremendous force struck, and the Goddess Palace Master's vision went completely black; she instantly knew nothing more…

Chapter Seventy: Mysterious and Baffling

. A cup of fragrant tea had been brewed until it was as bland as plain water, devoid of any aroma, yet the Holy Mother Palace Master still hadn't seen Jiang Hanqing and the Goddess Palace Master leave.

Her impatience gradually turned to worry, and the Holy Mother Palace Master finally couldn't suppress her growing anxiety any longer. She decided to go inside and see what those two were up to, why they hadn't come out after all this time.

Hurriedly entering the inner room, she was less than five or six zhang away from the Goddess Palace Master's room, but she still hadn't heard a sound from inside. Logically, if two people were doing something inside, there should at least be some panting or groaning sounds, but why was it so quiet now? Were they not inside?

"How could this be? Could they have gone mad from their cultivation?"

In that instant, the Holy Mother Palace Master cried out, "Not good!" With a leap, she reached the door of the room. No longer hesitant to knock, she cleaved the door open with a single blow. But the deathly silent room remained unresponsive. She

rushed into the inner bedroom, only to find a naked man and woman lying on the bed. The man's penis was still inserted into the woman's vagina. It was clearly Jiang Hanqing and the Goddess Palace Master. Seeing their motionless state, she couldn't tell if they were dead or alive.

The Holy Mother Palace Master hurriedly rushed to the bedside and checked their breathing; they were still faintly breathing. The Holy Mother Palace Master breathed a slight sigh of relief, her voice trembling as she said, "Thank heavens! It seems there's still hope!"

After taking the pulses of the two men for a while, she sensed that their internal energy was surging and churning, splitting into several large streams that were flowing chaotically and disorderly through their meridians—clearly signs of qi deviation.

"These two practiced according to the methods left by their predecessors, how could they suddenly go into qi deviation?"

Although the Holy Mother Palace Master had this question in her mind, saving lives was the priority, and she had no time to ponder it. She quickly climbed onto the bed, lifted the two unconscious men, and helped them sit cross-legged, shoulder to shoulder, side by side.

Sitting behind them, she placed her palms on their backs and immediately began to use her internal energy to save them. She attempted to use her powerful internal energy to suppress their scattered internal energy and guide it back to normal. However, the moment her power flowed from her palm into the bodies of the two people before her, the Holy Mother Palace Master was taken aback. The situation before her was far more complex than she had imagined.

The true energy entering Jiang Hanqing and the Goddess Palace Master's bodies not only failed to suppress the chaotic true energy within them as the Holy Mother Palace Master had initially hoped, but was instead drawn in by their auras, gradually becoming disordered as well.

Greatly alarmed, the Holy Mother Palace Master hurriedly increased her inner strength, hoping to suppress the rampant true energy within the two individuals who had gone mad.

However, as her inner strength increased, the backlash from the out-of-control true energy within Jiang Hanqing and the Goddess Palace Master became even more rapid.

Before the Holy Mother Palace Master could react further, several scattered streams of true energy rapidly flowed from Jiang Hanqing and the Goddess Palace Master through her palms. The true energy emanating from the Goddess Palace Master and the Holy Mother Palace Master's internal force repelled each other, colliding, surging, and expanding within the Holy Mother Palace Master's meridians. Jiang Hanqing's true energy, however, behaved in the exact opposite way, seemingly attracting the Holy Mother Palace Master's internal force with a peculiar force, constantly drawing her energy towards him.

In an instant, the Holy Mother Palace Master's meridians were thrown into turmoil by the two's internal forces. One side of her body throbbed with pain from the surging true energy, while the other side was weak and sore from the leakage of true energy. The Holy Mother Palace Master had never encountered such a strange phenomenon since she began practicing, and she was filled with horror.

Although the energy within the Holy Mother's meridians was constantly clashing and surging, threatening to follow in the footsteps of the two before her who had suffered from qi deviation, she, almost unable to move, still did not give up hope for a final struggle. In the Holy Mother's mind, her power far surpassed that of Jiang Hanqing and the Goddess Palace Master. If she could break free from physical contact with them, sever the source of the chaos, and then return to regulating her internal energy, everything would be a piece of cake.

However, when the Holy Mother tried to remove her hands, she was horrified to find that her palms were as if glued to Jiang Hanqing and the Goddess Palace Master's backs, unable to move an inch.

An unprecedented fear filled the Holy Mother's heart, and she struggled a few more times. But not only could she not break free, her internal energy became even more turbulent and chaotic with her struggles.

This mutation of internal energy was so rapid, like a river bursting its banks, unstoppable. Before the Holy Mother could react, her internal energy was already nearly completely out of control. The surging true energy violently pounded against the Holy Mother Palace Master's meridians, as if to mercilessly tear her body to pieces.

The Holy Mother Palace Master mustered her last strength to try and guide the chaotic true energy back on track, but the even more violent backlash of the mutated true energy rendered her completely powerless to resist. With a scream, her vision went black, and she collapsed unconscious.

For a moment, the three people in the room lay there motionless, as if dead.

After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Hanqing awoke from the darkness. Her whole body ached, her ears were ringing, and her head felt like it was about to explode. She pounded her buzzing head a few times, struggling to sit up and forcefully opening her eyes to look around.

When Jiang Hanqing saw that the two Palace Masters had collapsed beside her, she was shocked.

"How…the two Palace Masters…what…what happened? They're not dead, are they?"

Seeing the two Palace Masters still lying there unresponsive, Jiang Hanqing couldn't help but feel worried. Although he was deeply wary of both palace masters, he needed their support to fight against the Wang family in the current situation, and he didn't want his backers to fall at this critical juncture.

Checking their breathing, and finding they were still breathing, Jiang Hanqing breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness... thank goodness... they're still alive! But what just happened?"

Jiang Hanqing tried to recall what had happened before he lost consciousness, but even a slight effort to think caused his still-throbbing head to feel as if it were about to split open. A flash of stars appeared before his eyes, and Jiang Hanqing lost consciousness again.

Suddenly, he was pulled from his sleep by the sounds of fighting and killing. Interspersed among the shouts were the screams of dying people, and he vaguely heard a woman's voice screaming shrilly: "So it's you vile people! How dare you..."

The voice was filled with fear and resentment.

In a daze, Jiang Hanqing felt the voice was very familiar, but when he tried to concentrate and identify who it belonged to, he felt a wave of dizziness.

When he came to his senses again, his mind was a complete blank. After a while of being lost in thought, he gradually regained his senses. As soon as he regained consciousness, Jiang Hanqing remembered the scream he had just heard, and he immediately realized that the scream was clearly made by that old harlot, the Holy Mother Palace Master.

At this thought, although Jiang Hanqing's head was still buzzing and his thoughts were like a tangled mess, he immediately realized something was wrong.

"That was the Holy Mother Palace Master's scream of terror? How could that be?"

For the Holy Mother Palace Master, with her unparalleled martial arts skills, to be so terrified, wouldn't that mean the situation she was facing was extremely critical? What could have made her so abnormal? As he thought about it, Jiang Hanqing suddenly felt his body sway. He suddenly realized that something was wrong.

"Huh! Wasn't I unconscious in bed? Why is there a blue sky above me instead of that dark roof?"

Jiang Hanqing, whose reactions were sluggish after his serious injuries, suddenly realized he was lying on a stretcher, being carried by two burly men running down a wide street.

Turning his head painfully to his right, Jiang Hanqing took a deep breath. About three or four zhang away to his right, a large group of men and women were frantically chasing and fighting, with people occasionally screaming and collapsing to the ground.

Jiang Hanqing only needed a glance to understand the situation. The fighters were divided into two groups, and their desperate struggle was clearly for the life of the young master of the Jiang family.

One group, closer to Jiang Hanqing, was much smaller than the other. They stood with their backs to Jiang Hanqing in two slightly disordered rows, desperately resisting the onslaught of the crowd outside, fighting and retreating, clearly trying to maintain control of Jiang Hanqing. The other group, all dressed in black and masked, were far more numerous. They formed a massive, dark mass outside the encirclement, leaving those behind unable to intervene, forced to run and shout helplessly.

Although he could tell two groups were fighting for him, Jiang Hanqing was completely unable to distinguish friend from foe. He couldn't be sure if the group protecting him was a friend, as they might simply want to capture him and imprison him, while the attacking group might be trying to rescue him from the enemy. Jiang Hanqing also worried that neither group was his friend, and the fighting was merely a matter of deciding who would capture him and use him.

Knowing his worries wouldn't help him out of his predicament, Jiang Hanqing sighed and turned with difficulty to look at the left side of the stretcher. Although he knew it would likely be the same bloody scene as the right, he couldn't help but want to see.

What he saw made his eyes light up; they almost popped out of their sockets.

It was true! While the left side of the stretcher was also a scene of carnage, a woman in a red palace dress was running alongside Jiang Hanqing's stretcher.

As she walked, she kept glancing to her left, making it impossible for Jiang Hanqing to see her face. All he could see were her high buttocks and her full breasts swaying with each step.

Strangely, despite wearing palace attire, her hair wasn't styled in any way; her glossy black hair flowed freely down to her hips. The bright red palace dress contrasted beautifully with her dark hair, and even amidst the carnage, Jiang Hanqing felt a surge of longing, a yearning to reach out and touch that silky, lustrous hair. Unfortunately, as a severely wounded man, he could barely move a finger, let alone lift an arm.

Jiang Hanqing observed the woman in red for a while, noticing her constant gaze fixed on something to her left, and curiously followed her gaze. Jiang Hanqing was startled! Less than ten feet to the left of his stretcher, in the center of the killing circle, four masked women in palace attire were locked in fierce combat. The woman in red walking beside Jiang Hanqing was staring directly at the scene of their fight.

The four women were divided into two pairs, locked in a fierce battle. Each pair had one woman dressed in white palace attire, her sleeves embroidered with large plum blossoms in silver thread. Their clothing clearly indicated they were allies, not to mention their identical martial arts styles. Strangely enough, while Jiang Hanqing had never seen their techniques before, he felt an inexplicable familiarity, a sense of déjà vu.

The two women fighting the two in white palace attire were also dressed in palace attire, the style identical to the two women, except one wore yellow and the other blue. The martial arts used by these two women were all too familiar to Jiang Hanqing—the secret techniques of the Holy Gate Goddess Palace.

At this point, Jiang Hanqing understood perfectly well that the yellow and blue women were members of the Holy Gate Goddess Palace, and the red-clad woman beside him was also a member of both palaces. These three women were now leading the Holy Gate disciples to protect him, the young sect leader, and break through the encirclement. The group repeatedly charging and trying to break through the circle were undoubtedly Jiang Hanqing's enemies.

Although Jiang Hanqing was lying on a stretcher and couldn't see his surroundings clearly, what he could see was enough for him to understand that the Holy Gate was completely outmatched.

What surprised Jiang Hanqing the most were the two white-clad women fighting against the Holy Gate's Hidden Sect's Goddess Palace experts.

Although he didn't know their identities, they were clearly formidable, as they were fighting to a standstill against the Hidden Sect's top Goddess Palace experts. How could an ordinary martial arts gang possess such ability? How could this not shock Jiang Hanqing?

Recalling the Holy Mother's scream earlier, Jiang Hanqing grew even more worried: "Her shrill cry just now... could she have already fallen victim to their attacks? Judging from her tone, she seemed to recognize the attackers. Just who are these deities? How could they possibly overpower the people of the Goddess Palace? And how did they manage to appear here at such a convenient time?"

As Jiang Hanqing pondered these thoughts, the situation on the field subtly shifted. Several members of the Holy Gate's side were killed in succession, and a gap appeared in their defensive line. Those who had been stuck on the perimeter, unable to help, finally had room to maneuver. One after another, they charged through the gap in the defenses, yelling, "Kill Jiang Hanqing! Kill that little bastard from the Jiang family!"

The woman in red protecting Jiang Hanqing coldly sneered, "Clowns, just throwing your lives away!"

Before she finished speaking, Jiang Hanqing saw a blur before his eyes, and the woman in red was already in front of the charging crowd.

Jiang Hanqing then saw a flurry of red figures, and in the midst of the dazzling display, he heard a series of "thud... ah... thud... thud... ah... thud..." sounds.

When the fluttering red figures stopped, the massacre was over. The seventeen enemies who had broken through the Holy Gate's defenses, who had been full of energy and shouting battle cries moments before, were now lying silently on the ground.

The series of sounds Jiang Hanqing had heard earlier represented the entire killing process: first, a hand

slapped the victim, followed by the victim's death scream, and finally, the body collapsed to the ground.

Aside from a stunning display of fluttering red robes, no one could clearly see the red-clad woman's graceful and swift movements.

When the red-clad woman attacked, the scene was dazzling and beautiful; but when she stopped, those present felt a strong aura of death. Even the large group of masked men in black surrounding the Holy Gate disciples were terrified and retreated, instantly separating themselves from the Holy Gate disciples by a full ten feet.

Only the other two experts from the Goddess Palace and their white-clad opponents continued their fierce battle, completely unaffected by the red-clad woman's attack.

Jiang Hanqing, however, felt a different kind of emotion: "What kind of skill is this? So incredibly amazing? Could this be the 'Red Curtain Fluttering' mentioned by the two palaces? Is this the legendary 'Red Curtain Fluttering'? Truly powerful!"

"Is this the legendary 'Red Curtain Fluttering'?" "Truly impressive!"

A soft, melodious female voice suddenly rang out from a corner of the street in the silence, and the words spoken were exactly what Jiang Hanqing was thinking at that moment. The voice came from a place beyond Jiang Hanqing's sight, who was lying down.

Jiang Hanqing's heart skipped a beat when he heard that the other party knew about "Red Curtains Swaying." "Who is this woman? How does she know the secret of our sect?"

Although he had only heard her voice and had not seen her, Jiang Hanqing was certain that he had never seen her before, because such a beautiful voice would never be forgotten once he heard it!

At this moment, the woman in red said sharply, "Who are you? How dare you spout nonsense here! What is 'Red Curtains Swaying'? How could a frog in a well like you know about my divine skills!"

The owner of the beautiful voice did not pay any attention to the woman in red's reply, but simply sighed softly.

For some reason, when Jiang Hanqing heard her sigh, a wave of sorrow welled up inside him, as if he could feel her sadness and pain, and wished he could give up everything just to relieve her troubles.

"Since you can wield the 'Red Curtain Fluttering' technique, you must be a senior master from the Holy Mother Palace of the Great Sage's Joyful Gate! Why deny it?"

Even the two pairs of masters who had been fighting stopped, listening quietly to the newcomer's words.

The men in the arena stared blankly in the direction of the voice. Jiang Hanqing was already itching to see the woman's delicate and melodious song, and now seeing the men practically drooling, he was even more anxious. He desperately wanted to sit up and see just how beautiful she was, but alas, he couldn't move a single finger.

Hearing this, the master from the Holy Mother Palace in red spoke with even more ruthless malice.

"Who exactly are you? What Holy Mother Palace? I have no idea what nonsense you're spouting. I'm not some kind of expert or senior, at most I'm about your age, what's so great about me? There are so many barriers outside, how did you manage to sneak in?"

The woman sighed again, causing every man present to feel a pang of pain in their hearts, wishing they could kneel before her and beg her not to be sad.

"Since you won't admit it, then so be it! I just happened to be passing by and saw the Imperial Guards blocking the road in broad daylight. I couldn't contain my curiosity and tried to sneak in to see what was going on, but I just happened to see you use the peerless palm technique 'Red Curtain Fluttering,' which hasn't been seen in the martial arts world for many years, so I couldn't help but speak out... Alas..."

At this point, the woman seemed to suddenly remember something, stopped and sighed heavily, before continuing in a low voice, "I didn't expect your family to reappear in the martial arts world! It seems... the world is about to be in chaos again!"

The girl spoke lightly, but Jiang Hanqing felt a chill run down his spine.

Firstly, why were the Imperial Guards blocking the road? Who was the person who made the move today, capable of mobilizing the Imperial Guards? Secondly, given the Imperial Guards' blockade, how could this young girl have managed to sneak in without alerting anyone? That's truly impressive.

And that's not all; she stood by and watched for a long time without even the experts from the Holy Mother Palace noticing, making her martial arts even more formidable.

As Jiang Hanqing pondered these questions, he suddenly saw a flash of red before his eyes. It turned out the woman in red from the Holy Mother Palace had already leaped towards him.

Seeing the woman's swift movements, and fearing she might kill him, Jiang Hanqing almost couldn't help but shout, "Don't kill that woman!"

But before he could utter a sound, he suddenly heard the surrounding crowd exclaim, "Eh!" Then came the woman's gentle voice: "Senior, why make things difficult for me? I am naturally no match for you. Unable to defeat you, I can only retreat! I'm off!"

The sound quickly faded into the distance, disappearing into the distance and finally falling silent. It was clear the woman had swiftly left this dangerous place. Her speed was also a testament to her exceptional lightness skill, something Jiang Hanqing had never witnessed before. At

this moment, Jiang Hanqing heard the red-clad woman from the Holy Mother Palace mutter to herself, "Impressive movement! So it was them… Alas! I didn't expect their people to be active too! It seems the world is truly in chaos!"

Those standing in the arena, however, remained staring blankly in the direction the woman had disappeared, seemingly still savoring the shock she had just caused them.

The first to recover were the two experts from the Goddess Palace and the white-clad woman who had fought them; the four of them quickly resumed their fierce battle. Hearing the sounds of their fight, the other warriors also snapped out of their daze, raising their weapons and continuing their bloody business. Meanwhile, the stretcher carrying Jiang Hanqing continued to move forward.

The woman in red from the Holy Mother Palace retreated to Jiang Hanqing's stretcher, her head bowed as she gazed at the ground, seemingly deep in thought.

Jiang Hanqing had already seen her face; she appeared to be eighteen or nineteen years old, with a pure and sweet appearance that would make anyone want to kiss her cheek as a sign of affection. Upon

seeing the woman's innocent and lovely face, Jiang Hanqing immediately recognized her: this woman in red was none other than Qi Lanxin, one of the five remaining Holy Mothers of the Hidden Sect's Holy Mother Palace, known in the martial arts world nearly a hundred years ago as the "Soul-Stealing Beauty." Qi

Lanxin had a younger sister named Qi Huixiang. The two sisters debuted at the same time; Lanxin was seventeen, and Huixiang was sixteen.

Because both sisters were exceptionally beautiful and highly skilled in martial arts, their names were known throughout the martial arts world back then.

The elder sister, Qi Lanxin, was pure and sweet, loved by all, yet showed no interest in ordinary men; the younger sister, Qi Huixiang, was alluring and seductive, leaving her mark on every man she met, practically promiscuous. These two sisters possessed completely different charms and temperaments. Fortunately for them, despite their different personalities and actions, their relationship remained strong, and they never had any conflicts.

People in the martial arts world at the time created a rhyme about the sisters: "You're affectionate, I'm affectionate, the bewitching Qi Lanxin; you desire, I desire, the captivating Qi Huixiang!"

Qi Lanxin roamed the martial arts world for ten years, carefully selecting her husband before finally finding a wealthy and powerful man. At the age of twenty-eight, she left the martial arts world to marry into an official family, giving birth to a son the following year and settling into a life of domesticity.

Meanwhile, Qi Huixiang continued her wanderings after her sister's retirement. Eight years later, at the age of thirty-five, she encountered her nemesis, being subdued by the then-Sect Leader of the Hidden Sect and becoming his beloved concubine, thus bidding farewell to her carefree life in the martial world.

After Qi Huixiang returned to the Hidden Sect Leader's home, the following year she and her husband went to visit her beloved sister. Little did they know that this visit would lead to her sister's demise. During that visit, the Hidden Sect Leader took a liking to Qi Lanxin's son and secretly took his ten-year-old nephew as his disciple. Five years later, Qi Lanxin officially became another victim of the Holy Sect's rules.

After Qi Huixiang's husband died, she entered the Hidden Sect's Goddess Palace. Qi Lanxin's son succeeded her as the Hidden Sect Leader.

After her son passed away, Qi Lanxin naturally became a member of the Hidden Sect's Holy Mother Palace.

When Jiang Hanqing was young, his master Wang Mingsi took him to pay respects to the two palace masters, and he met some of the current members of the two palaces, including the two sisters, Qi Lanxin and Qi Huixiang. When the young Jiang Hanqing learned that the two sisters were biological sisters, he found it very strange that one of them was in the Holy Mother Palace while the other belonged to the Goddess Palace. Later, Wang Mingsi told him their story in detail, which cleared up his doubts. Because Jiang Hanqing had a deep impression of the two sisters, he immediately recognized Qi Lanxin upon seeing her face.

Since he recognized Qi Lanxin, Jiang Hanqing felt he should greet her and thank her for saving his life, so he said, "Holy Mother Qi, hello!"

Hearing Jiang Hanqing's call, Qi Lanxin turned her head and gave him a cold look, nodded slightly, and frowned, saying, "Oh! You're awake."

Before she could finish those two simple sentences, she had already turned her head away, as if she was impatient to look at Jiang Hanqing even a little longer.

Qi Lanxin's extremely cold attitude and tone towards Jiang Hanqing were completely different from the warm attitude Jiang Hanqing remembered from the other members of the two palaces.

Although Jiang Hanqing had heard stories about the Qi Lanxin sisters from Wang Mingsi and the two palace masters, and had even met Qi Lanxin in person, he was still too young at the time and had no concrete or deep understanding of her personality, character, or behavior.

Seeing their cold attitude, Jiang Hanqing was completely bewildered and stood there stunned, repeatedly asking himself, "What's going on? This old hag's face looks like I killed her son!

Oh! No! Damn it! How could I casually mention the name of our sect's former sect leader? But what does this old hag mean by giving me this blank look? Strange! Really strange!"

After a moment of confusion, Jiang Hanqing slowly recalled what his master, Wang Mingsi, and the two palace masters had told him about Qi Lanxin.

According to the three old monsters, Qi Lanxin was a woman fundamentally different from ordinary women of the Holy Sect. She was a renowned righteous person in the Hidden Sect back then. She only ended up as a member of the Holy Gate because she was framed and lost her virginity by her son. Otherwise, she might have already become an enemy of the Holy Gate.

Moreover, the two palace masters had clearly told Jiang Hanqing that this Holy Mother Qi still disapproved of the Holy Gate's actions to this day, often arguing with the two palace masters, and avoiding Holy Gate affairs whenever possible.

Wang Mingsi once told Jiang Hanqing, "It's already quite good that Holy Mother Qi didn't immediately rebel against the Holy Gate! It seems that she left some room for maneuver because of her son who died many years ago and her younger sister who is still a member of the Goddess Palace."

Recalling these past events, although it made Jiang Hanqing understand why Qi Lanxin was so cold towards him, it also made him feel even more puzzled about his current situation.

"Below the Palace Master of the Holy Mother Palace, there are five other Holy Mothers. Any one of them would be more proactive in the cause of the Holy Gate than this Holy Mother Qi. Why was she chosen to rescue me this time? Where are the other four Holy Mothers? What is the situation of the Palace Masters of the Holy Mother and Goddess Palaces? Are they dead, or have they escaped danger?"

Only then did Jiang Hanqing remember the missing Palace Master of the Holy Mother Palace. He shamelessly asked Qi Lanxin, "Holy Mother Qi, do you know if the Grand Palace Master...?"

But before Jiang Hanqing could finish speaking, Qi Lanxin rudely interrupted his question.

"You don't need to worry about such things, Young Sect Master! Both Palace Masters have already escaped danger safely! You should worry more about your own life!"

Although the members of the two palaces held extraordinary positions in the Hidden Sect, they always showed great respect to the Sect Master and Young Sect Master. Jiang Hanqing had never encountered such a rude attitude from Qi Lanxin before.

Despite his anger, Jiang Hanqing's life was in their hands; what could he do?

"Ah!...Ah!..."

Two more screams rang out as two more of the Hidden Sect's already dwindling numbers fell. The already precarious defensive line was on the verge of collapse, but having just witnessed the power of Qi Lanxin's "Red Curtain Fluttering" palm technique, the opponents dared not easily break into the encirclement before eliminating the remaining enemies.

Therefore, Jiang Hanqing and Qi Lanxin were not disturbed.

On the other side, the two experts from the Goddess Palace and their opponents were still locked in a fierce battle. The four of them fought fiercely, creating a chaotic and smoky atmosphere, but they just couldn't defeat their enemy.

Seeing the critical situation before her, Jiang Hanqing was both scared and anxious, and she wanted to immediately warn Qi Lanxin to carry her and run away quickly.

However, remembering Qi Lanxin's harsh words earlier, she held back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Hanqing asked several questions in succession: "Holy Mother Qi, what is the origin of these people? And how did you all happen to arrive in time to save my life? We've been fighting and killing like this in the capital for at least an hour or two, haven't we? Why haven't the Imperial Guards come to intervene yet?"

Qi Lanxin snorted coldly and said, "I don't know where these scoundrels come from, but their power is truly immense! They've actually gathered a large number of people and controlled all the streets and houses within a two-mile radius. Even birds would find it easy to fly in but difficult to fly out, so why would the Imperial Guards come to intervene! I brought five goddesses today to report to the capital on behalf of the Grand Palace Master, but upon arriving at the stronghold, I found that both Palace Masters had lost all their power, and you were unconscious. I didn't have time to ask them in detail..." "Palace Master, these enemies have come knocking on our door. Among them, six are evenly matched with the sisters of our Goddess Palace. As soon as they stormed in, they shouted that they wouldn't let Jiang Hanqing escape. Seeing that they seemed to have you as their primary target, we decided that I and these two goddesses would stay behind with you to draw their attention. The two Palace Masters, under the cover of three other goddesses, retreated. The enemy only sent two experts to pursue them; the other four remained here, clearly showing that you are indeed their most important asset. We lingered here for a while, devised a plan to eliminate two of their opponents, and felt the time was right before bringing you out to fight and retreat."

Hearing this detailed explanation, Jiang Hanqing was instantly enraged.

"So that's why those two bitches got away, but I wasn't rescued and was just dawdling here. Turns out you were just using me as a target to draw the enemy's attention, giving those two old hags a cover to escape. Damn it!"

However, he didn't dare show his displeasure on his face. Instead, he said with a relieved expression, "The enemy only has two experts chasing after them, and the two palace masters are protected by three goddesses, so naturally there won't be any danger!"

He stopped and stole a glance at Qi Lanxin's expression. Seeing that she nodded repeatedly, she clearly agreed with what he said. He wholeheartedly agreed and seized the opportunity to say, "Holy Mother Qi, since the two palace masters have already retreated, let's hurry up and leave!"

Qi Lanxin glanced at him, displeased, and said, "Are you blind? Aren't we retreating? It's just that we're surrounded by the enemy and can't move for the time being!"

Jiang Hanqing almost fainted when he heard her say this, and finally couldn't help but shout, "Surrounded by the enemy? Then can't you carry me on your back and force your way out? Why do you have to slowly carry me on this broken stretcher? Aren't you trying to kill me?!"

Upon hearing this, Qi Lanxin... Her face turned ashen, and she glared fiercely at Jiang Hanqing, saying, "What? Does your Young Master Jiang expect me to carry you to safety?"

Seeing the fierce glint in her eyes, Jiang Hanqing feared she might turn on him at this crucial moment, so he hurriedly said, "No! No! I was just making a suggestion, to see if one of the goddesses over there could carry me. How could I dare trouble you, sir!"

Seeing that Qi Lanxin was still glaring at him, Jiang Hanqing dared not say anything more and quickly changed the subject, saying, "This… I think this…" "These guys must be connected to the three major families, otherwise, how could any other organization have such power! It's fortunate that you, Holy Mother, arrived in time, otherwise the junior and the two palace masters would have lost their lives at the hands of these thieves!"

Hearing Jiang Hanqing's words, Qi Lanxin's face softened slightly, and she nodded smugly, saying, "Yes! If I and the five goddesses had arrived even an incense stick later, based on the level of those small fry, the three of you would have been captured alive by the enemy long ago."

Just then, a whistling sound came from afar, and the two enemy women who were fighting against the goddesses also let out a long howl.

As soon as the howl ended, two women in white palace attire rushed over from afar, and the two women in the field immediately intensified their attack, looking eager to get rid of the two goddesses who were entangled with them.

Qi Lanxin's expression changed drastically. "Oh no! Those two guys who chased after the two palaces have turned back!"

Seeing the critical situation, Qi Lanxin couldn't care less about anything else. She grabbed Jiang Hanqing from the stretcher and said urgently, "It seems the situation will get worse if we delay any longer. I'll carry you and escape!"

Faced with the danger of failure, this saintly woman clearly put aside her prejudice against Jiang Hanqing for the time being.

Jiang Hanqing, who was still aching all over, felt as if his bones were about to fall apart when Qi Lanxin lifted him so roughly into the air. He was in so much pain that tears streamed down his face.

Qi Lanxin had no idea of his pain. She glared at him disdainfully and said scornfully, "Such a small scene and you're already crying! I really don't know how your master chose his disciple!"

Jiang Hanqing was in so much pain that his mouth was twisted, and he was almost fainting. Naturally, he couldn't answer Qi Lanxin's scolding.

At this moment, two enemy reinforcements were almost upon them. Qi Lanxin dared not delay any longer. She shoved Jiang Hanqing onto her back, ignoring his life or death, and shouted to the two goddesses, "Sisters, retreat quickly!" With that, she leaped onto the roof with Jiang Hanqing on her back, intending to escape along the rooftop.

However, just as she was about to step onto the roof, she heard two "whoosh" sounds, and two arrows shot towards her from the opposite roof.

Qi Lanxin remained calm in the face of danger, fiercely waving her red sleeve to meet the two arrows, trying to deflect them. With her skill, this sleeve was like an iron plate; ordinary arrows were no match for her.

With a "whoosh," one of the two arrows was indeed deflected. But unexpectedly, the other arrow, after being struck, continued flying forward, piercing through her sleeve. Because the arrowhead was slightly deflected by the force of the sleeve, it didn't hit Qi Lanxin, but instead struck Jiang Hanqing's thigh.

The force of the arrow was so great that it propelled Jiang Hanqing off Qi Lanxin's back, causing him to crash heavily onto the roof four feet away from where he landed.

With a loud "crash," the tiles where Jiang Hanqing landed were crushed to pieces, and he was instantly knocked unconscious.

Qi Lanxin was also shocked: "Who shot that arrow with such force? Even I couldn't block it!"

Just as she was about to leap to save Jiang Hanqing, she heard two more "whoosh" sounds, and two more arrows, even more ferocious, flew towards her. These arrows were aimed at the side of Qi Lanxin closest to Jiang Hanqing.

The arrows came with such ferocity that Qi Lanxin dared not be so careless as to use her sleeve to block them. Left

with no other choice, she could only retreat to the other side, widening the distance between her and Jiang Hanqing to ten feet. Before she could react, a deluge of arrows rained down.

Seeing that she was in dire straits, Qi Lanxin no longer cared about saving Jiang Hanqing. With a long cry, she leaped onto a nearby rooftop. But as soon as she landed, another volley of arrows followed.

Qi Lanxin dared not hesitate this time. She lightly touched the rooftop with her toes and flew away into the distance.

While airborne, she glanced at the direction from which the arrows had come. She saw a dense mass of soldiers in black armor on the rooftops and streets, their breastplates emblazoned with white eagles.

Seeing such attire, who in the empire wouldn't recognize this army?

"Eagle Wing Iron Guards! No wonder that arrow was so powerful! Jiang Hanqing was right; only one of the four great families could possess such power! It turns out it's the Li family!"

Qi Lanxin fled another six hundred paces, making sure she was out of arrow range before daring to stop and look back. She saw the other two goddesses had also leaped onto the rooftops, fleeing in her direction, closely followed by a group of Eagle Wing Iron Guards. The rooftop where Jiang Hanqing had fallen was now filled with Eagle Wing Iron Guard soldiers. With a

soft sigh, Qi Lanxin said bitterly, "Jiang Hanqing! Jiang Hanqing! It's not that I didn't want to save you! I was truly powerless! I don't know how long the Eagle Wing Iron Guards have been lying in ambush there. Actually, if these Eagle Wing Iron Guards had attacked while we were fighting below, probably no one could have escaped! But it's strange!... Hmm! Perhaps it's because their own men are engaged with us, making them hesitant to strike."

Thinking of how the arrow had narrowly missed her, a cold sweat broke out on Qi Lanxin's back.

The two goddesses had already reached Qi Lanxin's side. Seeing her still standing there, they hurriedly shouted, "Holy Mother Qi, run! The Eagle Wing Iron Guards are coming!"

Before their words even finished, arrows from the pursuers whizzed by, but they were too far away to have much force by the time they reached the three of them, and were easily deflected. The three of them dared not delay and hurriedly fled further away, powerless to help Jiang Hanqing, whose fate was unknown.

Jiang Hanqing, who had fallen onto the roof after being shot, was unconscious for a while before gradually regaining consciousness. In his dazed state, he felt as if he had been lifted up and placed on a stretcher. He tried to open his eyes, straining his eyelids several times, but still couldn't open them. He wanted to call out, but no sound came out.

"What happened to me? Am I going to die?" In his dazed state, Jiang Hanqing heard the thunderous sound of horses' hooves, as if a large army was approaching.

"Enemies? Friends? Could it be my rescuers have arrived? Where are the Imperial Guards? Why haven't they come yet...?"

Exhausted, Jiang Hanqing could no longer hold on and once again fell into a semi-conscious state.

When Jiang Hanqing awoke, he found himself lying flat on the bed. A delicate fragrance wafted into his nose, and his still groggy head jolted, instantly clearing his mind.

"What is this fragrance? Where am I? Is this a fairyland?"

After a moment of confusion, Jiang Hanqing realized the fragrance was coming from the silk quilt covering him.

"Whose quilt is this? It smells so good. It must be a woman's, right? Right... I was unconscious, wasn't I?... Where am I? Where are the two palace masters? Weren't they unconscious too?" Countless questions flooded Jiang Hanqing's mind, yet he had no clue what to do.

Jiang Hanqing struggled to throw off the quilt, trying to sit up. But with the slightest effort, his entire body ached as if being torn apart. After a painful groan, he slumped back onto the bed, having only managed to lift half his body.

"Ah... damn it!"

The fall caused Jiang Hanqing to curse in pain. His bones felt like they were about to fall apart, and tears almost welled up in his eyes.

What alarmed him even more was that he had sensed something amiss in his dantian after that exertion. The true qi he usually had accumulated was inexplicably gone.

"Could it be due to the strange situation before I fainted?"

Just as this thought crossed Jiang Hanqing's mind, he suddenly heard a clear and pleasant voice coming from the doorway.

"Great! You're awake?"

However, Jiang Hanqing was in a bad mood at the moment, so he didn't care whether the voice was pleasant or not! Without even thinking about where the speaker came from, Jiang Hanqing bluntly retorted, "Of course! If I wasn't awake, would I be cursing here?" As soon as the words left his mouth

, Jiang Hanqing realized something was wrong. The speaker's voice was clearly that of a young girl, someone he didn't recognize.

Who was this? Then he remembered he didn't even know where he was lying. Curious, despite the excruciating pain from even the slightest movement, Jiang Hanqing struggled to turn his head to see who it was.

Seeing Jiang Hanqing struggling in pain on the bed, the girl who had just spoken rushed from the doorway to the bedside, gently pressing him down and softly calling out, "Oh dear! Don't move! You need to rest! Do you want to get up?"

The girl's presence finally revealed her face to Jiang Hanqing.

She had a small, oval face, fair skin like jade, and her hair was styled in a double-bun hairstyle. She looked about fifteen or sixteen years old.

But what attracted Jiang Hanqing's attention most were her large, bright eyes. Her lively pupils, like black crystals, constantly sparkled with intelligence.

Jiang Hanqing's intense gaze clearly made her uncomfortable. Her fair skin flushed crimson in an instant. She bit her lip and asked Jiang Hanqing, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Jiang Hanqing ignored the girl, simply gazing at her silently. For some reason, from the moment he first saw her, he felt as if he had seen her somewhere before. And when they met eyes, Jiang Hanqing felt an inexplicable sense of peace, as if this girl was his most trusted friend from birth. Looking at the girl

, Jiang Hanqing asked, "What time is it now?"

The girl replied, "Just past the hour of Chou!"

Jiang Hanqing exclaimed in surprise, "Then I've been unconscious for several hours!"

The girl smiled, "Yes! You came in the evening, and your face was deathly pale, without a trace of color. You seem to be feeling better now!"

Looking at the girl's innocent and lovely smile, Jiang Hanqing was captivated, momentarily speechless.

Unable to withstand Jiang Hanqing's piercing gaze, the girl blushed and whispered, "What...what are you looking at?"

Jiang Hanqing was quite interested in the girl's innocence, but didn't want to embarrass her any further, so he chuckled, "Nothing! Nothing! I was just wondering if this is a fairyland? And if the person standing in front of me is a fairy?"

The girl chuckled, covering her mouth with a smile, "You're joking! How could a little girl like me be a fairy? You're in General Ying's mansion now."

Jiang Hanqing was about to continue teasing the innocent girl when he suddenly heard the word "General Ying," and he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, trembling as he said, "What?...What? General Ying? Could it be Shi Yanying? Is this the Duke of Anguo's mansion?"

"Hehe! Is there another 'General Ying' in the world? But this isn't the Duke of Anguo's mansion, this is the mansion left by General Ying's father before her marriage—the Shi mansion. Countless people in the world want to see my General Ying but can't, and you were actually rescued by General Ying." "How lucky you are!"

Looking smugly at the bewildered Jiang Hanqing, the naive girl found his excited reaction unsurprising. Many people across the land reacted with the same excitement as this young man upon hearing the name Shi Yanying; the girl was used to it. In her eyes, Jiang Hanqing was simply excited because he had long heard of Shi Yanying's reputation, just like any other ordinary person. The naive girl, however, had no idea of the feud between Jiang Hanqing and Shi Yanying.

Jiang Hanqing had no idea what had happened after he fainted; suddenly hearing that he was in Shi Yanying's residence, he felt a chill run down his spine.

"Heavens! How did I end up in Shi Yanying's hands? How is this possible? Were all those people sent by Shi Yanying? How did she know where I was? And those female experts who could rival the Goddess, were they also Shi Yanying's people?"

Panic gripped Jiang Hanqing, and he felt another wave of dizziness.

He pounded his forehead twice, trying to calm himself, thinking, "No! I have to escape before Shi Yanying appears! Otherwise, I'm finished when she returns!"

With this sudden resolve, and drawing strength from who-knows-where, Jiang Hanqing abruptly sat up.

Faced with this extremely dangerous situation, the intense pain in his body seemed to vanish instantly.

Seeing Jiang Hanqing suddenly sit up, the girl exclaimed, "You...you're sitting up! Be careful!"

Jiang Hanqing forcefully pushed the girl away and struggled to get out of bed. But the moment his feet touched the ground, a sharp pain shot through his leg where the arrow had struck, and he collapsed to the floor.

Seeing his disheveled state, the girl was both anxious and amused. Suppressing her laughter, she gently helped Jiang Hanqing back to bed, half-lying down, and complained, "You! Hearing the name of the Eagle Commander doesn't require such excitement! The Eagle Commander is out now, not here! Please rest for a while. My mistress instructed me that she will come to see you when she returns."

Jiang Hanqing was eager to leave, but couldn't openly tell the girl before him, inwardly groaning.

"Oh no! Oh no! This girl doesn't understand anything, and I've been wounded by an arrow. How can I trick her into helping me escape?"

Just as he was thinking this, he heard the sound of riding boots pounding in from outside. Jiang Hanqing's heart leaped into his throat.

"It's over! It's over! It's too late! She must be back!"

Sure enough, just as Jiang Hanqing was inwardly lamenting the bad news, the girl turned to the side, stuck out her tongue, made a cute face, and chuckled, "Alright! Alright! Eagle Commander is back!"

Before the girl could finish speaking, and before Jiang Hanqing could react, a figure had already entered the house.

Jiang Hanqing looked closely, and who else could it be but Shi Yanying?

Chapter 71 Ruthless Eagle Commander

"Eight years! Eight years since I've been home! Now I can finally come back and see it." Riding on her warhorse, letting it leisurely stroll along the road, Shi Yanying felt an indescribable sense of relief. The home she thought of was not her husband's Duke of Anguo's mansion, but the Shi mansion left to her by her father, Shi Hengtian. Although she had been married to Duke of Anguo for twenty years, she still considered the Shi mansion her only true home.

Even though Shi Yanying had not returned to the capital for eight years, the number of servants in this mansion was still maintained according to the size she had when she was in the capital.

During the years Shi Yanying was away from the capital, they maintained the cleanliness and order of the Shi residence with their labor, always ready to welcome their mistress's return.

Now, Shi Yanying was returning to the home her father had left her; she needed to go back and burn incense at her father's memorial tablet.

"Sigh! If I don't go today, I don't know when I'll be able to offer incense to my father again. It's all that damned Wang Mingde's fault!"

At this moment, Shi Yanying couldn't help but recall the arguments she had had with Duke Dingguo Wang Mingde in front of Emperor Wuming for the past few days, especially yesterday afternoon when she was forced to agree to the emperor's request to send troops to quell the rebellion of Consort Qingsi within the month.

"Your Majesty," Wang Mingde said, "your humble servant believes we should immediately send General Ying to lead the army to attack the traitor Fei Qingsi! If we delay any longer, who knows what kind of chaos this traitor will cause!"

Wang Mingde's suggestion was exactly what the emperor wanted, but it left Shi Yanying with a difficult situation. He could only make an excuse, saying, "Your Majesty, Duke Dingguo, I have been busy selecting elite troops recently. I dare not speak of war until this task is completed!"

Wang Mingde pressed his advantage, saying aggressively, "General Ying, you are mistaken! His Majesty has already mobilized hundreds of thousands of elite troops to garrison outside Yong'an Prefecture to deal with the Qiu Te barbarians. Why would General Ying need to spend time selecting any troops? Just lead the army to battle today!" Upon

hearing this, Wang Mingde saw Emperor Wuming nodding repeatedly, and he became even more smug, continuing, "General Ying, you are delaying the dispatch of troops. Hundreds of thousands of troops are stationed outside the capital, and their morale is declining day by day. If a mutiny breaks out one day, can you and I bear the responsibility?"

"And another thing! Those hundreds of thousands of people are eating and drinking away, the grain reserves in the capital are dwindling day by day, and the day of General Ying's expedition is still far off. Who knows when they'll empty the national treasury! If something happens in the capital then, what will the court use to deal with it?

"Now that the Qiu Te people haven't made any moves, General Ying can first wipe out Fei Qingsi, and then turn around and deal with the Qiu Te barbarians. If we delay, and the Qiu Te people recover and then invade the border again, and Fei Qingsi takes the opportunity to cause trouble, what will we do then?"

After Wang Mingde finished speaking, Emperor Wuming sternly questioned Shi Yanying, "What Wang Mingde said makes a lot of sense! Shi Yanying, tell me, what other reasons do you have! Are you planning to delay because you have some disloyal intentions?"

At this point, Shi Yanying could not say anything more. She had no other choice but to promise to lead the army to attack Fei Qingsi within a month.

Just thinking about these things made Shi Yanying's originally relaxed and happy mood, which was because she was going home, immediately turn into a feeling of unease.

"Damn Wang Mingde, it seems he's already preparing to rebel, which is why he's in such a hurry to send me out of the capital! What should I do? Those idiots Zhiqiang raised can't handle anything right! What if the Wang family is operating here while I'm heading south to fight Fei Qingsi? First, will I be able to shake off Fei Qingsi? Second, even if I shake off Fei Qingsi, will it be too late to get back to the capital? Alas! Going to war is out of the question, and not going to war will immediately get me beheaded by the emperor for treason. What if I rebel immediately? That won't work either! Even if my 'Eagle Wing Iron Guards' are worth ten men each, they can't withstand the siege of the other three families plus hundreds of thousands of troops outside the capital! This is really frustrating!"

After thinking it over, Shi Yanying realized that there was no hope of turning the situation around on her own, so she came up with the idea of finding an alliance.

"Why not form an alliance? But who could we choose? The Zou family? Definitely not! Their power is so weak. Even with the recent support of Yu Bingxin from the Northeast in the Beiyan self-governing region, they're barely able to protect themselves, let alone have the energy to worry about others. The Jiang family? In terms of power, they're certainly not bad.

"Oh, right! This morning, Hua Xin sent someone with a message saying she's going home to visit her family in the next few days. I think it has something to do with the Jiang family! Maybe she's even here to act as an intermediary for the Jiang family, proactively proposing an alliance! Hehe! That saves me a lot of trouble! But... looking at Yin Yufeng's precious son's idiotic appearance, he doesn't seem like a capable person! If the young master is still so bad, I think the Jiang family is nothing special either!"

For some reason, Shi Yanying felt extremely contemptuous of Jiang Hanqing, whom she had only met once. She couldn't even explain the real reason herself. Perhaps it was because this young man was the son of her old rival, Yin Yufeng, or perhaps it was because Jiang Hanqing had stared at her so brazenly on the day she returned to the capital. In short, in Shi Yanying's eyes, Jiang Hanqing was simply a typical good-for-nothing playboy.

"Sigh! That Jiang Hanqing is useless, but his mother, Yin Yufeng, is really formidable! But can I form an alliance with her? Impossible! Absolutely impossible! That would be like asking a tiger for its skin! Besides, how could I, Shi Yanying, ask her for help? Wouldn't that be showing weakness to her? No! Absolutely not!"

Thinking of Yin Yufeng, Shi Yanying's emotions began to spiral out of control, and she couldn't help but cry out.

"Commander Ying, Commander Ying, what's wrong?"

An anxious voice beside her brought Shi Yanying back to her senses. She then remembered that she was accompanied by a large group of guards, and her earlier lapse in composure had been witnessed by her men. Feeling a little embarrassed, she gently shook her head, indicating that she was alright.

Raising her head, Shi Yanying gritted her teeth and said to herself, "Shi Yanying, don't think about these annoying problems! You're going back to the place where you grew up to offer incense to your father who passed away many years ago. Don't let these damned things affect you. Relax!"

Comforting herself, Shi Yanying quickly put her worries aside and recalled the happy life she had spent with her father.

At this moment, leading Shi Yanying was a squad of Eagle Wing Iron Guards, about sixty men, tasked with clearing the way and driving away onlookers; bringing up the rear was a similar number of guards. Beside her were eight personal bodyguards.

According to the rules of the Great Xia Empire, unless permitted by the emperor, no general could lead troops within ten miles of the imperial capital, not even Shi Yanying, who had fought valiantly in the northern frontier. Her thirty thousand Eagle Wing Iron Guards were left outside Yong'an Prefecture, and only about a hundred personal bodyguards accompanied her into the city.

However, Shi Yanying was, after all, Shi Yanying. After entering the city, she secretly dispersed her Eagle Wing Iron Guard, gathering nearly a thousand soldiers to garrison the Li family compound of Duke Anguo.

Since she only needed to visit her father's old residence today and had no major business to attend to, she only brought a hundred-odd attendants to avoid attracting attention.

These attendants should not be underestimated. They were all the strongest warriors selected from the "Flying Eagle Legion," each capable of taking on a hundred men. In fact, such a force was sufficient to handle any armed conflict or attack in the capital, unless the enemy deployed a full-fledged legion. However, such an audacity was unlikely under the current circumstances, as no one dared to openly rebel now.

Protected by such an armed force, Shi Yanying had no worries about encountering any mishaps. She let her thoughts wander freely in the river of memories, recalling every moment spent with her father—his usual kindness, his sternness during training and study, his ruthlessness on the battlefield…

Suddenly, the rapid sound of hooves approached from afar, shattering her beautiful memories and pulling her back to reality.

The hoofbeats were coming from the rear of the column, approaching with extraordinary speed; the riders were clearly galloping at full speed through the streets of Yong'an Prefecture.

Such a situation was extremely rare in the imperial capital, almost certainly indicating that something unusual was happening.

The well-trained Eagle Wing Iron Guards immediately halted their advance. They drew their weapons, removed their shields, and quickly formed a tight formation, ready to repel any possible attack.

At the very front and rear of the column, about sixty cavalrymen were arranged in three rows of about ten each, forming the first line of defense to block any potential enemy charge.

The eight guards accompanying Shi Yanying, along with about a dozen cavalrymen, formed a circular formation, tightly surrounding her in the center, guarding against any attack after the first line of defense was breached. As

they formed the circle, the cavalrymen also raised their shields high, piecing them together like an umbrella or a tortoise shell, completely covering the sky above Shi Yanying's head to prevent any sneak attacks from the rooftops on either side. The remaining forty or so cavalrymen were scattered between the front and rear lines of defense, ready to support the battle from both sides.

While his men hurriedly arranged their formation, Shi Yanying remained silent, simply turning his horse to face the direction from which the sound came, calmly observing, and pondering, "Who is so arrogant? How dare they gallop wildly through the streets of the capital!"

The sound of hooves drew closer, and soon a cavalryman appeared at a street corner not far away. Judging from his attire, he was clearly a member of the Eagle Wing Iron Guard, but it was unclear why he was in such a hurry.

The guards surrounding Shi Yanying witnessed this scene, and several of them couldn't help but exclaim "Eh!" in surprise.

The approaching cavalryman, seeing the imposing formation ahead, quickly pulled on his reins. The galloping warhorse couldn't stop its momentum, and with the force of the pull, its front legs lifted off the ground, and it propelled itself forward several more steps before finally stopping about ten feet from the front of the formation.

Before the warhorse had even come to a complete stop, the soldier immediately dismounted and galloped towards the front of the formation.

Suddenly, a minor leader among the cavalry guarding the front shouted, "Heaven and Earth are without intention! Eagles spread their wings!"

The newcomer shouted back, "All things follow the same path! The red sun shines brightly!" Their momentum showed no sign of slowing down.

Hearing this, the Eagle Wing Iron Guards, who had been on high alert, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It turned out that the two had just exchanged the password the Eagle Wing Iron Guards were using that day. The newcomer's correct response confirmed his identity.

The newcomer ran to a distance of about four or five zhang from the front of the formation, knelt on one knee, and shouted, "Commander Xie has urgent business to report to Commander Eagle! Please forgive me for offending Commander Eagle!"

The Commander Xie mentioned by the soldier was none other than Xie Piaoping, the Imperial Marshal and Commander of the Eagle Wing Iron Guards under Shi Yanying. Shi Yanying was returning to the Shi residence today. Since she was only traveling within the capital and did not need to leave the city, she only brought about a hundred guards with her, while Xie Piaoping remained at the Duke of Anguo's residence to temporarily handle military affairs for the day. For some reason, only half an hour after Shi Yanying left the manor, Xie Piaoping sent someone again to report something urgent.

Xie Piaoping was a trusted general whom Shi Yanying had personally promoted; he was resourceful, calm, and decisive in the face of adversity. Shi Yanying knew that his hasty dispatch of someone to chase after her meant that something significant had happened.

Shi Yanying waved her hand and said, "Let him come here!"

The guards surrounding her immediately dispersed, and the three rows of cavalry in front also moved aside to form two lines, making way for the messenger.

The messenger did not hesitate, dashing past his fellow guards lined up on both sides of the street, and ran to within about two zhang of Shi Yanying. He knelt down with a thud, pulled a letter from his robes, and held it high above his head.

Shi Yanying nodded slightly, and one of her guards leaped off his horse, took the letter from the man, turned around, walked to Shi Yanying's horse, and handed the letter to her.

Shi Yanying tore open the envelope, unfolded the letter, and saw that it was indeed the handwriting of her trusted general, Xie Piaoping.

In this hastily written letter, Xie Piaoping reported a matter of utmost urgency to Shi Yanying.

********************

Shortly after Shi Yanying left the Duke of Anguo's residence, a handsome middle-aged man dressed in light warrior attire suddenly arrived at the city gate of the Duke of Anguo's compound, claiming he had urgent business to discuss with Commander Ying. The gatekeeper, having seen Shi Yanying leave, was of low rank and unaware of her whereabouts, and could only tell her to return another day.

The middle-aged man, upon hearing this, became very anxious, repeatedly asking the gatekeeper if, with Commander Ying absent, the "Flying Eagle Legion" had any capable generals remaining at the Duke of Anguo's compound.

Seeing the man's anxious expression, the gatekeeper realized he wasn't joking and immediately reported the matter to Xie Piaoping, who was at the Duke of Anguo's compound handling affairs.

Why didn't the gatekeeper report the matter directly to the Li family of Duke Anguo, but instead relayed it to Xie Piaoping, a subordinate of Shi Yanying? This is inseparable from the delicate relationship between Shi Yanying and the Li family.

Although Shi Yanying and her husband had a good relationship, she was outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds with the rest of the Li family, and they never interacted. This was also a major reason why she had lived in seclusion in the northern frontier for eight years. Regarding the "Flying Eagle Legion

," she had explicitly stated at a Li family meeting that she would absolutely not allow anyone in the Li family to interfere in the affairs of her army! Naturally, no one in the Li family dared to disobey her, and therefore they never dared to interfere or inquire about her and the Flying Eagle Legion.

Therefore, after hearing the middle-aged man say he needed to see Shi Yanying, the Li family's gatekeeper didn't waste his energy reporting to the Li family leaders. Instead, he directly notified Xie Piaoping, letting Shi Yanying's own people in the "Flying Eagle Legion" handle it.

After hearing the report, Xie Piaoping, although unsure of the man's urgent matter, immediately received him.

The moment the two met, the middle-aged man uttered words that shocked Xie Piaoping: "Commander Xie, time is of the essence, so I won't stand on ceremony! The Duke of Dingguo's mansion is seizing the opportunity today to send someone in disguise to attack the young master of the Jiang family. I wish to request Commander Ying's intervention!"

Although Xie Piaoping was usually calm, his expression changed at this moment. After a moment of contemplation, he stared at the middle-aged man and slowly said, "May I ask your name, sir? How do you know such a secret matter? And why did you specifically come to inform Commander Ying?"

The man lowered his head and sighed, "Logically speaking, since you, Commander Xie, have asked, I should answer without reservation. Alas!... Unfortunately, this time I have already..." "I've done things that are shameful, hence my lowly name... Alas!"

Xie Piaoping smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, sir. If you're not comfortable saying your name, then so be it! I won't press you!" After

a pause, he tentatively asked, "However... judging from your tone just now, could it be that you are... from the Duke of Dingguo's mansion?"

The middle-aged man's expression changed slightly, as if he had just realized that he had said the wrong thing. He hesitated for a moment and said anxiously, "I'm a rough man, and I don't know how to say certain things. Sir, please don't ask so many questions. Let's get down to business!"

The middle-aged man's words were tantamount to admitting that he was from the Duke of Dingguo's mansion.

Xie Piaoping thought to herself, "He really is a brute. It seems he wouldn't lie. But I wonder why..."

Just as she thought this, she heard the middle-aged man say, "To tell you the truth, Young Master Jiang once saved my life. As the saying goes, 'A drop of kindness received should be repaid with a spring of gratitude.' How much more so a life-saving favor!

So I have always vowed to find an opportunity to repay Young Master Jiang's kindness in this

lifetime. I thought that with Young Master Jiang's status, I would never have the chance to repay his kindness. But unexpectedly, the opportunity has truly come."

A few days ago, a mysterious martial arts organization sent a representative to visit Duke Dingguo. They said that Young Master Jiang had recruited some martial arts masters as helpers, and these same people happened to be the enemies of the gang that had tipped them off. Therefore, they approached the Wang family, hoping to join forces against their enemy. Duke Dingguo initially looked down on these江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the martial arts world) outlaws and had no intention of engaging with their representative, preparing to have him thrown out. However, Duke Dingguo's younger brother, Wang Mingsi, was also present. Upon hearing this news, he seemed quite surprised and insisted that the representative explain the situation. The representative from the organization gave a detailed account of when and where Young Master Jiang had recruited certain individuals, and their current residence. Duke Dingguo asked the representative the name of their organization and the gang that had helped Jiang Hanqing, but he refused to reveal the names of any of them. He said that even if he told everyone present, they wouldn't know. He instructed the Wang family not to ask further questions, but simply to decide whether to cooperate.

"When the Duke of Dingguo saw that the other party wouldn't even reveal the name of his gang, he became furious, calling the man a fraud and ordering his men to seize and behead him. At this point, Wang Mingsi intervened, saying it was better to be safe than sorry. The best way to verify the man's claims was to send someone to investigate the place he mentioned.

Later, the Wang family did send someone, and they confirmed the Jianghu organization's claims were true. The Wang family then joined forces with the Jianghu organization to prepare for action.

The day before yesterday, six women from that organization arrived, all masked and dressed in white palace attire. They demonstrated their martial arts skills at the Wang family's residence, revealing unfathomable depth. They demanded that they lead the operation against Jiang Hanqing. The Wang family was initially unwilling. But Wang Mingsi stepped forward, saying that with such high martial arts skills, they should be in charge. Wang Mingde trusted his younger brother's words and reluctantly agreed."

"I wanted to find an opportunity to inform Young Master Jiang, but I was always busy and couldn't get away.

This morning, the Wang family's spies discovered that Young Master Jiang had gone to that place again, and the Wang family and that organization immediately took action.

"At this point, I dared not delay any longer and immediately went to the Jiang family compound to report! Unexpectedly, the guards at the Jiang family's gate did not believe me at all. I explained in every way possible, and they finally brought out a woman with some doubt, who claimed to be Jiang Hanqing's aunt, Jiang Fengqin. But this woman did not believe me even more, and later she actually ordered the guards to throw me out.

She even said something like, 'Who dares to touch our Duke Zhenguo's heir in the capital? Humph! I know your tricks. You tricked our Jiang family into sending a large force, and then your master went to the Emperor to report that our Jiang family was plotting a rebellion! Don't dream! Sparing your dog's life today is already a great blessing for you!' After I came out, I thought that the Jiang family was helpless." "The only one with the power to save Young Master Jiang is Grand Marshal Shi Yanying! That's why I've come to beg you!"

As the middle-aged man spoke, Xie Piaoping listened attentively while constantly observing his expression. Finally, he concluded that the man was indeed telling the truth.

"Why do you believe that our Commander Ying will go to save Jiang Hanqing?" Xie Piaoping asked the man tentatively.

"I can't say for sure. It's just a last resort, a desperate measure! The Jiang family doesn't believe me. The Zou family is too weak, and we can't afford to offend the Wang family. Only Grand Marshal Shi Yanying and the Li family behind her can save Young Master Jiang! Besides..." The

middle-aged man trailed off, hesitating to finish his sentence.

Xie Piaoping pressed, "Besides what? Since you truly want to save Jiang Hanqing, what else can't you say?"

Hearing Xie Piaoping's words, the middle-aged man gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "Fine! Young Master Jiang is, after all, my savior. Today, I'll reveal everything I know!"

"Commander Xie, to tell you the truth! The Wang family has long planned their rebellion, and all preparations are complete. First, they've tried every means to force Grand Marshal Shi Yanying to lead an expedition against Fei Qingsi's rebel army. I believe Commander Xie already knows about this, right?"

Xie Piaoping had indeed learned of this from Shi Yanying the previous night and knew that what he said was true, so she nodded in affirmation.

"Secondly, Wang Mingsi told the Duke of Dingguo that the martial arts masters Jiang Hanqing has recruited seem to be quite skilled. If they aren't eliminated this time, their future actions will certainly be very dangerous. And Young Master Jiang has been gaining momentum in recent years, so this is the perfect opportunity to wipe them all out!"

"Today, in order to eliminate Young Master Jiang, the Wang family mobilized over four hundred elite warriors, including dozens of family experts, supplemented by six female masters from that Jianghu gang. They are determined to completely eradicate Young Master Jiang's secret stronghold. To prevent any escapees or interference from the Imperial Guards of the capital, the Wang family also contacted the Second Prince, Yi Yu, who has mobilized the Imperial Guards under his control to completely seal off the surrounding streets—allowing entry but not exit!"

Xie Piaoping exclaimed in surprise upon hearing the middle-aged man's words, "What? Even the Imperial Guards..." "They've mobilized! They're truly ruthless!"

After a moment's thought, Xie Piaoping suddenly glared at the middle-aged man and said, "How do you know such a secret?

If you weren't a core member of the Wang family, how could you know so clearly? Tell me, are you a spy sent by the Wang family? Are you trying to frame our Eagle Commander?"

The middle-aged man laughed angrily, "Fine! The Jiang family doesn't believe me for this reason! Now Shi Yanying's people don't believe me either, and they still believe the same reason!"

The middle-aged man slammed his hand on the table and stood up, shouting angrily, "Let me tell you the truth! I have no other skills, but I'm good at fighting! The men of the Wang family happened to meet me, learned of my abilities, and forced me to join their gang, even marrying me off to all the women in their family. How could I refuse such kindness? I've only been with the Wang family for a short time, less than half a year, but they trust me completely and don't hide anything from me. They treat me like one of their own. The reason I did this to betray them was entirely to repay Young Master Jiang's life-saving grace! After saving Young Master Jiang this time and repaying his kindness, the next time I see him, I will have my own people kill him to repay the Wang family's kindness. Finally, I will commit suicide to avoid being called two-faced!"

He spoke these words in one breath, like popping soybeans, clearly very agitated.

Seeing the man's anger, Xie Piaoping changed to a smiling face and said, "Brother! Anyone would think twice about such a strange and important matter! Why are you so angry? Come! Have some tea! Calm down! Don't you even know your name?"

The middle-aged man picked up the teacup, gulped down two mouthfuls like a bull, then slammed the teacup to the ground and roared, "Drink! What's the point of drinking tea! By the time we finish, all those people will be dead! Bah! They even asked my name, what's the use! Fine! I'm not going to live anymore! I'll go fight alongside Young Master Jiang and the Wang family. Dying under the Wang family's blade will at least save me from betraying them behind their backs, so I won't even have peace as a ghost." With that, the man stood up abruptly, making a move to leave.

Xie Piaoping quickly reached out and grabbed him, saying repeatedly, "Brother, don't be impatient! I believe in you! I trust you!"

Hearing this, the man calmed down slightly, but kept urging, "Hurry! Hurry! The Wang family has been gone for almost an hour!"

Xie Piaoping readily agreed, "Okay! Okay! You wait here! I'll go arrange it right away!"

As Shi Yanying's trusted and beloved general, Xie Piaoping was very clear about Shi Yanying's thoughts and understood the current situation of the struggle between the four great ducal families. He actually supported Shi Yanying's alliance with the Li and Jiang families to oppose the Dingguo Duke family. Moreover, he understood that the biggest obstacle was the seemingly irreconcilable resentment between Shi Yanying and Yin Yufeng. If Shi Yanying could let go of this pointless hatred, the alliance would have a great chance of success.

As Shi Yanying's longtime subordinate and a high-ranking officer in the "Flying Eagle Legion," Xie Piaoping naturally harbored resentment towards Yin Yufeng and her "Jade Phoenix Legion." However, this resentment differed greatly from the deep-seated grudge passed down from generation to generation like Shi Yanying's. This allowed him to view issues related to Yin Yufeng from a more detached perspective than Shi Yanying, making it easier for him to grasp the true nature of these matters. However, as a subordinate, even if he knew certain things, he couldn't directly tell his superior, and could only worry inwardly.

The current situation, in Xie Piaoping's eyes, was a godsend.

By rescuing Jiang Hanqing, Shi Yanying could proudly and dignifiedly forge an alliance with the Jiang family. If the alliance succeeded, and they joined forces against the Wang family, the Duke of Dingguo's rebellion would likely be forced to halt.

Afterward, if the situation could be stalled until Shi Yanying quelled Fei Qingsi's rebellion and returned to the capital, the Jiang, Wang, and Zou families would be nothing more than paper tigers. The only thing to worry about then would be the confrontation with Yin Yufeng's "Jade Phoenix Legion."

Xie Piaoping believed that if Shi Yanying knew about this, he would definitely agree to send troops to rescue Jiang Hanqing immediately.

However, despite his thoughts, the decision ultimately rested with Shi Yanying, not him, Xie Piaoping. He had to first inform Shi Yanying of this matter so that the commander could make the final decision.

After calming the middle-aged man, Xie Piaoping immediately turned and went to his study.

He needed to write a short letter to Shi Yanying immediately, explaining the general situation and clearly stating the location of the stronghold where Jiang Hanqing was about to be attacked, asking Shi Yanying whether to go directly to the scene or return to the mansion to oversee the situation.

In such an urgent situation, it would seem that sending a verbal message would be the quickest way. However, Xie Piaoping had followed Shi Yanying for many years and knew that she was cautious in everything. Without his personal instruction or seeing his handwriting, no matter what tokens the messenger carried, Shi Yanying would not easily believe it. He needed to gather his troops and prepare, so rushing to see Shi Yanying was absolutely impossible. Therefore, despite the extreme urgency, he decided to write a short letter to Shi Yanying to ensure she knew the truth.

After writing the letter, Xie Piaoping quickly assembled nearly a thousand Eagle Wing Iron Guards stationed in the Anguo Duke's compound, preparing for battle. As soon as Shi Yanying gave the order, he could immediately lead his troops to rescue Jiang Hanqing.

However, in his haste, Xie Piaoping unexpectedly discovered that the middle-aged man who had come to deliver the message had quietly left.

Who was he? What was his name? Xie Piaoping still didn't know.

"A man who repays kindness and distinguishes between gratitude and resentment. Truly a gentleman!" Xie Piaoping thought to himself.

At that moment, the letter Xie Piaoping had written was in Shi Yanying's hands. After quickly reading the contents of the letter, Shi Yanying was overjoyed.

"Good! Excellent! Once I rescue Jiang Hanqing, I'll see how you, Yin Yufeng, face me!

Haha! The proud Flying Phoenix of the Empire, yet she still needs Shi Yanying to save her useless son! I'll make sure Yin Yufeng can never hold her head high in front of me again! Hmph! After rescuing Jiang Hanqing, let the Jiang family fight the Wang family to the death, while Zhiqiang hides behind and reaps the benefits. Then, I'll lead my army to defeat Fei Qingsi's rebel forces, and take advantage of the victory to march back to the capital... Haha! When Yin Yufeng finds out her husband and son are in my hands, she'll surely rush back to the capital day and night to rescue them. I'll be stationed in the capital, with my elite troops to fight a weary enemy. How can we not win? Then I'll see if you, Yin Yufeng, can fly to the sky!"

Thinking of this, Shi Yanying's darkest thoughts surged uncontrollably.

"After defeating Yin Yufeng, I'll send her to a brothel to become a prostitute. With her past title of 'Invincible Flying Phoenix,' there will definitely be many men waiting to patronize her!" "Haha! Haha! I'll make this proud phoenix the most lewd prostitute in the world!"

In her mind, she had even prepared for the fate of her husband, Li Zhiqiang.

"Zhiqiang is still good to me! But as for the emperor, he's not quite up to the task.

I, Shi Yanying, am born to be an empress. He's my husband, and I won't kill him. I'll keep him in the palace and forbid him from interfering in politics. Humph! As for those good-for-nothing pigs under Zhiqiang's command, I'll have them all slowly tortured to death!"

Who could have imagined that the seemingly valiant and renowned invincible commander would harbor such vicious thoughts? Even her husband, Li Zhiqiang, probably never dreamed of such a thing.

Smugly imagining a victorious future, a smug grin appeared on Shi Yanying's lips.

But fantasies are just fantasies; things still need to be done one step at a time.

Shi Yanying understood this deeply, so she immediately began actions that would have a significant impact on later history.

She asked the messenger, "When Xie Piaoping sent you to deliver this message, he should have already begun preparations for the operation, right?"

The soldier hurriedly nodded and said, "Yes! When I came out, Commander Xie had already begun gathering men and making the necessary preparations."

Shi Yanying was clearly very satisfied with her trusted general's work, and nodded with a smile, saying, "Excellent! In that case, I don't need to go back. You go back immediately and tell Xie Piaoping to lead his men to meet me at the large crossroads to the east, the closest point to the operation location! Be quick!"

The soldier readily agreed, hurriedly mounted his horse, and galloped back along the same route to convey Shi Yanying's orders to Xie Piaoping.

"Brothers, another chance to kill has come! Follow me!"

Shi Yanying's shout ignited the blood of her cavalry. These seasoned warriors, upon hearing of a chance to kill, their eyes turned bloodshot, eager to plunge their sabers into the enemy's chest.

Shi Yanying had long forgotten about returning home, turning her horse around and galloping towards the location Xie Piaoping had described in her letter where Jiang Hanqing might be attacked. Behind her were her over one hundred elite warriors, a group of bloodthirsty demons!

Shi Yanying led her men in a frenzied gallop, raising clouds of dust in the streets of the capital, quickly arriving at the agreed meeting point with Xie Piaoping.

Taking advantage of the fact that Xie Piaoping's reinforcements had not yet arrived, Shi Yanying sent two of her warriors out to scout and see how the battle was progressing. Unexpectedly, the warriors returned quickly.

"Commander Ying, no! It's all Imperial Guards, they've completely sealed off the area! It seems we can only wait for reinforcements to arrive and then force our way in!"

Hearing the scout's words, Shi Yanying hesitated. Killing others in the capital wasn't a big deal, but openly fighting the Imperial Guards would mean certain death if the Emperor found out!

"How many Imperial Guards are there?"

the scout replied. "The intersections within a two-mile radius are all guarded by Imperial Guards, the total number is estimated to be at least three thousand."

Hearing this, Shi Yanying frowned deeply, pondering, "Over three thousand Imperial Guards, and I only have a thousand soldiers. The disparity in strength is too great! And I can't just indiscriminately kill! What should I do?"

Pacing back and forth, Shi Yanying anxiously considered a solution.

If she wanted to play it safe, she could only abandon the rescue of Jiang Hanqing, but that would mean giving up a golden opportunity to form an alliance with the Jiang family. Rescuing Jiang Hanqing would mean risking fighting five times the number of Imperial Guards. Leaving aside the sheer number, the mere fact of clashing with the Emperor's personal troops in the capital was a crime no one dared to easily bear. Even Shi Yanying, a seasoned battlefield veteran with over twenty years of unparalleled prowess, dared not attempt such a risk.

"To rescue or not to rescue?"

This seemingly simple question swirled in Shi Yanying's mind. For this seasoned commander, the difficulty of this decision was no less than any major decision she had made in any war she had ever experienced. This was a war. It essentially represented the beginning of a true war between Shi Yanying and the Li family against Emperor Wu Ming.

This was no easy decision! While Shi Yanying hesitated, Xie Piaoping arrived just in time with over a thousand reinforcements from the Eagle Wing Iron Guards.

"Commander Eagle, what's there to hesitate about? Inaction means death, while a desperate gamble offers a chance to survive. What's so great about the Imperial Guards? They're just a few more in number. Are we, the Eagle Wing Iron Guards, afraid of them? At worst, we can all flee back to the Northern Frontier Army. What can that old emperor do to us then?"

As expected of a trusted general who had followed Shi Yanying for many years, Xie Piaoping, upon arriving and seeing Shi Yanying pacing back and forth with her hands behind her back, immediately guessed what was causing her hesitation and offered this advice.

Hearing Xie Piaoping's excited shouts, the Iron Guards around her joined in the commotion.

"Yes! Commander Eagle! Give the order! Once the brothers charge in, those damn Imperial Guards are nothing but paper!"

Before her soldiers shouted this, Shi Yanying had actually already made up her mind and was about to give the order. But hearing their commotion, she was no longer in a hurry to give the order. He smiled slightly and said to Xie Piaoping, "Little Xie, don't underestimate the Imperial Guards. The Emperor's personal troops might not be much weaker than ours! Never underestimate them!" Xie Piaoping nodded and said, "Commander Ying is right! But if we drag this out any longer, Jiang Hanqing will be killed by the Wang family's lackeys for nothing. What benefits will we get then?"

Shi Yanying shook her head and said, "Let's not rush! After the Wang family arrives, they will wait for the Imperial Guards to block the road, and then they will definitely need to make some preparations and assess the situation before taking action." I calculated the time, and I estimate that they haven't been at it for more than half an hour since they actually started. If Jiang Hanqing and his men are so incompetent that they can't even last half an hour, then they're just too weak. It's fate, and there's nothing we can do about it!

Before taking action, we must plan our escape route. Don't just rush in headfirst! Little Xie, you've been with me for twenty years, how come you haven't even developed this good habit yet?"

Xie Piaoping smiled awkwardly, about to offer an explanation, when Shi Yanying waved her hand, indicating he didn't need to say anything more.

He immediately swallowed his words; no one could disobey Shi Yanying's will!

"Xiao Xie, I know what you're trying to say. I wasn't right earlier. It's not that you didn't think things through; you just look down on today's opponents. You think that those who have weathered many storms can't possibly capsize in a small ditch. Is that right?"

Before Xie Piaoping could answer, Shi Yanying continued, "You guys... you'll suffer a great loss sooner or later because of this! Always looking down on others, thinking you're truly invincible!... Hmph! That bitch Yin Yufeng's 'Phoenix Army' doesn't see it that way! They also claim to be invincible! Want to be proud? Wait until you defeat Yin Yufeng and her 'Phoenix Army' before you're proud! She's your only true rival!"

Shi Yanying had long been dissatisfied with the arrogance and complacency of her subordinates. She always believed that confidence in the army was a good thing, but if confidence turned into blind confidence, blind optimism, and unfounded arrogance, it would lead to disaster. At this moment, she took the opportunity to sound the alarm for Xie Piaoping and the Eagle Wing Iron Guards, hoping to bring them back to their senses. She wanted all her subordinates to understand that her greatest rival in life, Shi Yanying, was not an ordinary general, but Yin Yufeng, who also possessed an invincible reputation, and the fierce "Phoenix Flying Army" under her command.

After using the opportunity to teach Xie Piaoping a lesson, Shi Yanying raised her riding whip and lashed it out. The whip tip drew a circle in the air with a "whoosh," her usual command to prepare for battle.

Upon seeing her gesture, the Eagle Wing Iron Guards immediately leaped onto their warhorses. Their eyes, as big as copper bells, were fixed on Shi Yanying, waiting for her next order to charge out and destroy any obstacles in their path.

Shi Yanying also mounted her warhorse, but did not immediately order an attack. Instead, she gently urged her mount forward, leading the column towards their destination.

Xie Piaoping, unsure of her commander's intentions, could only lead her Iron Guards to follow behind her.

After walking two blocks forward and turning a corner, they saw about fifty Imperial Guards blocking the road. Among them were more than ten archers, led by a minor officer.

The officer was resting on the threshold of a shop when he suddenly saw a troop of cavalry appear from around the corner and was greatly surprised.

He jumped to his feet and immediately said to a soldier standing beside him, "You! Go immediately and report to the general that cavalry of unknown origin have arrived and request reinforcements!"

Turning back, he strode to the center of the street and loudly ordered his men, "Nock your arrows, draw your swords!"

The archers immediately drew their bows and aimed at the approaching Shi Yanying troop. The other soldiers also rushed to the street corner and formed two ranks, with axemen holding shields high in the front and spearmen following closely behind, ready for battle.

Seeing that the enemy had taken up their stance and the archers were aiming at them, two guards raised their shields and rushed to Shi Yanying's side, intending to protect their commander with their shields.

Shi Yanying waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, don't move! Follow my lead!"

Pushing aside the shields his men had placed in front of him, Shi Yanying spurred her horse forward, shouting, "Shi Yanying, acting on the Emperor's decree, is investigating disobedient rebels! Which of the Imperial Guards ahead dares to act recklessly!"

The junior Imperial Guard leader, hearing Shi Yanying's outburst, rubbed his eyes and looked in her direction for a moment, then said to his men in surprise, "Look at her! She really is the legendary Invincible Flying Eagle!"

His men, already in disarray upon hearing Shi Yanying's name, immediately began whispering and murmuring amongst themselves, completely abandoning any semblance of discipline.

"It seems so! Exactly like the legendary image!"

"Wait! This woman isn't wearing armor! I heard that Eagle Commander's armor is incredibly beautiful; it's practically her trademark. This woman is wearing simple knight's attire. Something's not right!"

"Idiot! Do you wear armor all the time? This isn't a battlefield; why would Eagle Commander be wearing armor?"

...

As Shi Yanying's troops drew closer, and her soldiers began to chatter amongst themselves, the squad leader panicked. He had clearly seen Shi Yanying and the cavalry behind her, and was now certain that the people before him were indeed the invincible Eagle Commander and her elite Eagle Wing Iron Guard. Facing

Shi Yanying, who claimed to have the Emperor's decree, he dared not order his men to fire arrows, nor dared he speak to stop her troops from advancing. Yet, he worried that they might suddenly attack once they got close. For a moment, he stood there helplessly, unsure of what to do.

The sound of hooves thundered in the distance as a troop of Imperial Guard cavalry galloped towards them, their numbers numbering three or four hundred, exuding an imposing aura. The leading Imperial Guard general, upon reaching them, shouted before even dismounting, "The Imperial Guards are on official business! Who dares to obstruct us?!"

A junior officer rushed to the general and bowed, saying, "Reporting to the general, it is Grand Marshal Shi Yanying and her Eagle Wing Iron Guards. They say they are here on the Emperor's orders… to… to investigate disobedient rebels!"

As the junior officer reported this, the Imperial Guard general was raising one leg to dismount. Hearing his subordinate's words, he was startled, his leg buckling as he tumbled from his horse in a sorry state.

"Ouch!" the general cried out in pain, wincing as he fell to the ground.

The surrounding Imperial Guards rushed forward to help the general up, but he pushed them away and limped to his feet.

Without even brushing off the dust, the general grabbed the junior officer by the collar and pulled him close, stammering, "What did you just say?

Grand Marshal Shi Yanying? Eagle Wing Iron Guard? By imperial decree? To investigate disobedient rebels?"

The junior officer trembled like a leaf, pointing at Shi Yanying's approaching troops, and stammered,

"General... you see... look... that leader... is Commander Eagle, not... me..."

"Hey! You idiot, why didn't you report sooner!" Before the junior officer could finish, the general roared and shoved him to the ground.

Ignoring the lingering pain in his back from the fall, the general jogged past the ranks of the Imperial Guards, bowing low as he rushed to Shi Yanying's horse. He bowed and scraped, saying, "Commander Ying...it really is

you, sir...this...this humble general didn't know you were sir...this is truly a blessing from my past life...this humble general..."

Shi Yanying coldly sneered, interrupting the general's flattery, "Am I that old? You've suddenly become an old man?"

The general lightly slapped himself, smiling obsequiously, "This humble general deserves to die...this humble general can't speak properly...Commander Ying, may you stay young forever...your beauty never fades...this..."

Shi Yanying glanced at him disdainfully, raising her head arrogantly, "You lot, as the Emperor's personal guards, dare to act without imperial decree, participating in a large-scale brawl between Jianghu gangs in the capital! Do you have no respect for the law?!"

Her tone was now cold and stern as she finished speaking.

The Imperial Guard commander trembled slightly, stammering, "This humble general... how dare this humble general engage in unauthorized fighting... this... this was all done under orders... I... I beg Commander Ying to investigate thoroughly!"

Before arriving, Shi Yanying had already considered the matter carefully. She was certain that these Imperial Guards had been mobilized privately and would not have received an imperial decree. Therefore, she planned to impersonate the Emperor, claiming to be investigating the unauthorized mobilization of the Imperial Guards. She thought that with her illustrious reputation and the pretense of an imperial decree, she could easily intimidate the Imperial Guards blocking the road and force them to pass. She planned that if this tactic failed, she would resort to a more drastic measure of forceful assault. However, even someone as shrewd as Shi Yanying hadn't expected the Imperial Guard commander in charge to be so easily frightened, so effortlessly outmaneuvered—a success far beyond her expectations.

Seeing that everything was under control, she naturally pressed her advantage, coldly saying, "You still dare to say you were acting on orders? Whose orders were you acting on? Show me the orders! Let me see them!

" Xie Piaoping, following behind Shi Yanying, watched the general nearly wet himself in fear, suppressing a laugh, and feigning a sinister tone, said, "Speak! Commander Ying is asking you a question, quickly and honestly confess!" The Imperial Guard general knelt on the ground with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly to Shi Yanying, saying, "Commander Ying, spare my life! Commander Ying, spare my life! This humble general was indeed acting on orders from his superior, saying...it was...it was..."

Shi Yanying coldly snorted, slowly drawing out her words, "Who...was it?"

"It's...it's the Second Prince Yiyu! It was the Second Prince Yiyu who gave the order. The Second Prince said there were outlaws gathering in the capital and that he would send people to clear them out. The Second Prince ordered me to lead five thousand Imperial Guards to block the surrounding roads, but not to attack. The attack will be handled by the warriors the Second Prince invited."

Upon hearing this, Shi Yanying thought to herself, "Luckily, I didn't attack rashly! There are actually five thousand Imperial Guards here. Even if my Eagle Wing Iron Guards were to fight five against one Imperial Guards, I probably wouldn't stand a chance! Besides, they could call in reinforcements at any time! If this gets to the Emperor, that bastard Wang Mingde will definitely take the opportunity to eat me alive!"

She didn't know if the Wang family and Jiang Hanqing had finished killing them, so she asked, "Have those outlaws inside been killed?"

The general replied, "Not yet. They're killing them fiercely! The Second Prince is right, there are many martial arts masters inside. There were even a few women there just now." They broke through from the rooftop and escaped. Their martial arts were extremely powerful; our soldiers couldn't stop them at all. Two female experts from the men the Second Prince had hired also gave chase.

Hearing that the killing hadn't ended inside, Shi Yanying assumed Jiang Hanqing was still alive and nodded with satisfaction. "Hmph! You're honest! The Emperor already knows about this! However, the Emperor is merciful and doesn't want things to escalate and cause more deaths. He also cares about the reputation of the Imperial Guards, lest everyone be disgraced because of you black sheep. You immediately withdraw your troops! Tell them to return to camp and not to make a sound, as if nothing happened. If even the slightest word leaks out, the Emperor will surely behead all of you leaders. Go and relay the order. After that, bring a few key generals back to me to await orders."

The general dared not say anything more, meekly agreeing and retreating back into the Imperial Guard ranks, immediately relaying Shi Yanying's orders. His orders were swiftly and strictly carried out by his subordinates. Before long, Shi Yanying and the others saw squads of Imperial Guards silently withdrawing down the street in neat rows. The general also quickly led seven or eight of his main leaders to Shi Yanying, bowing and awaiting further orders.

Shi Yanying observed the Imperial Guards, their armor gleaming, their spirits high, their marching movements agile and orderly, and the remarkable silence despite their large numbers. She smiled and nodded to Xie Piaoping, saying, "These Imperial Guards truly live up to their reputation as the Emperor's personal troops. Judging by their appearance, their training and discipline are quite strict, unlike the laxity of most imperial armies these days. They are comparable to the elite legions on our border."

A commander of the Imperial Guards standing not far from her, hearing this, couldn't help but interject, "Commander Ying, you flatter me! Our Imperial Guards are completely incomparable to your legions. To be honest, our unit was personally trained by General Yin, so our combat effectiveness is quite good. The other units… well, they're not that great!" He then pointed to the general who had previously spoken to Shi Yanying.

Shi Yanying said "Oh," and asked the general, "Are you surnamed Yin? Did you train all these troops? That's quite impressive!"

The general replied in a flustered manner, "This humble general is Yin Tianxiong, commander of the Imperial Guard's 10,000-strong unit! Training these troops is simply my duty; there's nothing to boast about."

Shi Yanying murmured the name "Yin Tianxiong" twice and chuckled, "My name contains the character 'Ying' (eagle), and your surname is also Yin, only the pronunciation differs by a nasal sound. It seems we're quite destined."

Shi Yanying had initially looked down on Yin Tianxiong, but after seeing the troops he had trained, her opinion changed considerably. She felt that this man was quite capable of leading troops and was inclined to recruit him, thus changing her tone.

Seeing that Shi Yanying's expression had softened, Yin Tianxiong felt a weight lift from his heart. He was about to say something when Shi Yanying continued, "Pretend your affair never happened. Don't mention it again. The Emperor doesn't want to hear about it. You handle the Second Prince's situation yourself! You few wait here until I'm done with my business, then I'll release you!"

She kept these Imperial Guard leaders for no other reason than to prevent them from immediately reporting to Yiyu or the Wang family upon their return. She immediately arranged for a squad of soldiers to watch over the leaders. Then, she ordered the Eagle Wing Iron Guards to either climb onto rooftops or move along the ground, forming a tight formation and quickly advancing towards the source of the fighting. To maintain control, Shi Yanying and Xie Piaoping also leaped onto rooftops, personally leading their soldiers at the forefront.

Just as they were about to reach their destination, the soldiers behind them shouted.

Shi Yanying turned around and saw two women in white palace attire using their light-footed skills to catch up. The Eagle Wing Iron Guards facing them fired arrows and slashed with swords, trying to stop the two women, but they were easily neutralized. The two women were highly skilled in martial arts; the valiant Eagle Wing Iron Guards were utterly helpless against them, unable even to slightly hinder their movements, let alone injure them.

Before Shi Yanying could react further, the two women had already passed through the crowd, screaming as they rushed towards the fighting.

Shi Yanying exclaimed, "Not good! Those two women are sending a message to their accomplices! Quick! Chase after them! Don't let anyone escape!"

With that, she drew her sword and ran along the rooftops at full speed. The Eagle Wing Iron Guards, no longer caring about concealing their tracks, followed Shi Yanying with all their might.

When the Eagle Wing Iron Guards reached the location and were about to stop to observe the battle, they saw a woman in red in the encirclement throw a man on a stretcher onto her back, preparing to break through the encirclement and escape. Shi Yanying had excellent eyesight and immediately recognized the man on the woman's back as Jiang Hanqing.

"That woman wants to escape with Jiang Hanqing on the roof? No! We can't let them get away!"

With this thought in mind, Shi Yanying ordered without hesitation, "Fire arrows! Don't let that woman escape, and leave the man alive!"

As soon as she gave the order, the woman in red, carrying Jiang Hanqing, leaped into the air.

A soldier nearby, quicker than the others, fired an arrow upon hearing the order. Xie Piaoping was equally swift; he had already taken a powerful bow from one of his soldiers. He then drew the bowstring sharply. With a "whoosh," a powerful arrow flew towards the woman in red.

Before she even landed on the roof, both arrows arrived almost simultaneously. She deflected the arrow with a flick of her sleeve, while Xie Piaoping's arrow, though slightly off-target, still pierced through her sleeve and struck Jiang Hanqing on her back. The immense force of the arrow sent Jiang Hanqing flying, crashing onto the roof.

"Don't let that woman get near the man!" With Shi Yanying's command, the well-trained Eagle Wing Guards unleashed a barrage of arrows at the woman, preventing her from approaching Jiang Hanqing, who lay fallen on the roof.

Seeing the situation turning against her, the woman in red immediately fled. At that moment, two more women in colorful palace attire leaped onto the roof and quickly followed the woman in red. The Eagle Wing Guards on the roof immediately dispatched a group to give chase, while others rushed to capture the unconscious Jiang Hanqing. Simultaneously, the Eagle Wing Guards began clearing the area of men and women fighting.

Having already captured Jiang Hanqing, Shi Yanying didn't want to waste her soldiers' precious lives fighting the martial arts practitioners. She resolutely ordered, "Use arrows! Shoot them all! Leave no one alive!"

Arrows rained down on the men and women fighting in the street, riddling them with holes.

Only the two women in white palace attire who had forced their way in earlier escaped with two companions dressed similarly. Their escape route was the opposite of that of the woman in red.

Several members of the Eagle Wing Iron Guard tied the unconscious Jiang Hanqing around his waist and hoisted him down from the roof, then found the stretcher from before and laid him flat on it.

Shi Yanying stood in front of the stretcher, glanced at Jiang Hanqing's thigh where he had been shot with an arrow, and frowned, saying, "Pull the arrow out of his leg! Find someone to treat the wound!"

Xie Piaoping followed behind Jiang Hanqing, stammering apologetically, "This humble servant deserves to die! I didn't expect that woman to be so powerful, actually able to block a powerful arrow shot from a bow with just her sleeve! Luckily, it didn't hit this boy's vitals! Otherwise, wouldn't that be terrible!"

Shi Yanying naturally didn't want to blame her trusted general for such an accident, and smiled, "It's alright! If he could be killed by that, then this boy's life is just too unlucky!"

Looking down at Jiang Hanqing's pale face, Shi Yanying said, "Little Xie, look! This boy actually looks quite like Yin Yufeng."

Xie Piaoping breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Shi Yanying didn't blame her for accidentally hitting the target she was trying to save. Hearing this, she quickly chimed in, "Yes! Just like his mother! This time, even her son needs our help to save him. Let's see how arrogant Yin Yufeng will be in front of us in the future!"

These two sentences were exactly what Shi Yanying wanted to hear. She laughed triumphantly, "Yin Yufeng, you now owe me a huge favor! Haha! From now on, everyone in the world will know that Yin Yufeng's son still needs me, Shi Yanying, to save his life! Haha!"

As if she had already overpowered her old rival Yin Yufeng with this matter, Shi Yanying laughed so happily and proudly.

She began to imagine in her mind the scene after defeating and capturing Yin Yufeng, and then humiliating and disposing of this old rival: the utterly defeated Yin Yufeng would be stripped naked and, amidst the mocking laughter of the Eagle Wing Iron Guards and the filthy, lewd gazes of the soldiers, would be brought before Empress Shi Yanying to kneel down. Pale-faced Yin Yufeng trembled uncontrollably, her full breasts swaying violently. She cried and begged the Empress to spare her life. The magnanimous Empress Shi Yanying did indeed spare Yin Yufeng's life, but she would send her to a brothel to be a prostitute for life...

Thinking of this tempting scene, Shi Yanying couldn't help but burst into wild laughter once again.

Hearing her maniacal laughter, Xie Piaoping, standing behind her, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He thought, "Commander Ying has changed! She's really changed! She's too obsessed with defeating Yin Yufeng! Even the greatest person can go wrong if they become too fixated on something! I hope our Commander Ying won't go astray!"

Xie Piaoping recalled the first time he met Shi Yanying twenty years ago: she was a cheerful young woman, spirited and full of dreams for the future, believing in the beauty of everything, fearless in the face of all difficulties, and disregarding all enemies. Her cheerful and optimistic spirit brought joy to everyone around her, and they were all willing to follow her through thick and thin. Back then, the soldiers both respected and loved her. But now…

Feeling that his thoughts were wrong, Xie Piaoping suddenly felt guilty, worried that Shi Yanying would discover his true feelings. He glanced at Shi Yanying and, seeing that she didn't react, felt a little more at ease. Glancing once more at Shi Yanying's slightly sinister figure, Xie Piaoping thought to herself, "Now everyone no longer respects Commander Ying, but rather fears him! Fear outweighs respect! Commander Ying! Commander Ying, no matter what the idle people say, which true expert would think you are inferior to Yin Yufeng? The two pillars of the empire, why can't you tolerate each other? Why haven't the grudges of the older generation been resolved in your case, but instead deepened? Even as great as Commander Ying and Commander Feng, you still can't escape the troubles of worldly fame! It's hard to be a person!"

Although she didn't know the dark true thoughts in Shi Yanying's heart, Xie Piaoping, who had followed her for twenty years, still sensed some changes in her commander's psychology, and sensed her gradual slide into the abyss of evil due to the torment of years of jealousy. This trend seemed to accelerate after Shi Yanying left for the capital. Was it because after leaving the northern frontier and returning to the capital, more things reminded her of her grudges with Yin Yufeng?

Was it the news of Yin Yufeng's great victory in the Western Regions that she heard on the road that gave her a greater shock? Perhaps it was a combination of both!

Xie Piaoping suddenly heard Shi Yanying's voice: "Take this brat to the Shi residence! When he wakes up, I'll have a good talk with him! Hmph! Although this brat is a fool, he's quite useful!"

After a pause, he heard Shi Yanying mutter to himself: "Yin Yufeng, just you wait! Soon you'll know how powerful I am! Hmph! I'll make you wish you were dead!" It was

almost evening, and a cold wind blew by. Xie Piaoping suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

Chapter Seventy-Two: The Bewildering Female Eagle

With triumphant steps, Shi Yanying slowly walked into Jiang Hanqing's room where he was recuperating.

Seeing Shi Yanying enter the room, Jiang Hanqing knew he couldn't escape, so he simply closed his eyes and lay down on the bed. Out of sight, out of mind.

The innocent and lovely maidservant bowed to Shi Yanying and said, "Commander Ying, this young master has been awake for a while."

Shi Yanying nodded and said, "Lan'er, you've worked hard too! Go and rest!"

Only then did Jiang Hanqing realize that the lovely maidservant's name was "Lan'er."

Lying on the bed with his eyes closed, Jiang Hanqing couldn't help but let his mind wander: "Lan'er, what a beautiful name! What a lovely girl! How wonderful it would be if she could serve me by my side!"

Hearing Lan'er leave the room, Jiang Hanqing suddenly wanted to ask her to stay. The thought of being alone in the room with Shi Yanying made him a little scared. He didn't know why, but he always felt that facing that female eagle alone was a terrifying thing.

But in the end, he didn't say anything, because he knew it would be pointless. Would Shi Yanying listen to him? What could he do? After Lan'er left the room and closed the door, Shi Yanying was about to speak. Suddenly, Jiang Hanqing cried out, "I want water! I'm so thirsty! Water! I need water!"

His mind was quick enough; he instantly came up with a way to keep Lan'er by his side a little longer.

Sure enough, Lan'er, who had only taken a few steps from the door, heard his cry and quickly turned around, pushing open the door and asking Shi Yanying, "Commander Ying?"

Shi Yanying, without suspicion, nodded and said, "Then you should serve him some water!"

Lan'er went over and gently helped Jiang Hanqing sit up. Because the arrow wound on his leg was aggravated, he groaned softly in pain. Lan'er quickly said gently, "Ouch! You must have hurt the wound! I'm so sorry!"

Jiang Hanqing shook his head and smiled, "It's alright. Thank you!"

Lan'er carefully helped him drink a couple of sips of water before turning to leave.

Jiang Hanqing grabbed her hand and said, "Don't rush! I still need to drink water later! Wait a bit before you leave!"

Lan'er didn't answer him, but cautiously glanced back at Shi Yanying. Seeing that her master didn't object, she said "Oh" softly and stepped aside.

Throughout this entire process, Jiang Hanqing didn't look at Shi Yanying once. He was thinking that, heavily injured, he didn't know what kind of torture he would suffer in Shi Yanying's hands!

Shi Yanying had already strolled to the side of the room, found a chair, and sat down. Seeing that Jiang Hanqing didn't move, she said, "Young Master Jiang, do you know how you ended up in my residence?"

Jiang Hanqing still didn't look at her, only coldly laughing, "Is that even a question? Since you sent someone to attack me, of course I can only recuperate in your residence. Would you let me leave?"

Shi Yanying chuckled twice, saying smugly, "Young Master Jiang, do you think it was I who sent someone to shamelessly attack you?"

Jiang Hanqing said irritably, "If it wasn't you! Who else could it be? Wasn't the arrow that hit me shot by your Eagle Wing Iron Guards?"

Shi Yanying laughed heartily, "Young Master Jiang, you misunderstand. I received a report that someone was plotting to harm you." "I just led my personal guards to rescue you. The scene was chaotic; the soldiers suddenly saw someone leap onto the rooftops trying to escape, and naturally assumed it was a fleeing thief, which is why they hastily fired arrows. Who knew it was you, the dignified Young Master Jiang, who was acting like a thief !"

Upon hearing Shi Yanying's words, which subtly implied he was a thief, Jiang Hanqing flew into a rage, saying, "Hmph! Anyway, I'm already in your hands today; kill me or do whatever you want!"

Shi Yanying deliberately sighed and said softly, "Young Master Jiang, why don't you believe me? It was indeed my men who came to rescue you today! I can guarantee this with my reputation! You should believe me now, right?"

Shi Yanying and Jiang Hanqing's birth mother, Yin Yufeng, were known as the "Twin Jewels of the Empire," their prestige being roughly equal.

Now that Shi Yanying claimed to guarantee the truth with her reputation, Jiang Hanqing truly had no choice but to believe her.

Slightly hesitant, Jiang Hanqing asked, "Then... those who attacked me earlier had nothing to do with you?"

Shi Yanying replied decisively, "Absolutely nothing to do with me! I swear to God!"

Still unconvinced, Jiang Hanqing asked again, "Then how did your people end up there?"

Shi Yanying immediately recounted the events of the day, including Xie Piaoping's later account, embellishing the details. Of course, she wouldn't mention her schemes or plots, only boasting about her heroic act of helping those in need.

After she finished speaking, Jiang Hanqing fell into deep thought.

His first thought was of his aunt, Jiang Fengqin, whom Shi Yanying had mentioned receiving a message from the middle-aged man but ignoring it.

"Why would my aunt ignore the messenger? Even if she didn't believe it, she should have at least sent someone to verify it! Could she also have ulterior motives?"

The more Jiang Hanqing thought about it, the more something seemed amiss. He thought to himself, "That bitch! She must be up to something! I never imagined my aunt, who I always thought was loyal and reliable, was actually as despicable and shameless as my second uncle! This time, she clearly wanted to let me die and use the opportunity to kill me, the next head of the Jiang family! Hmph! So what if you kill me? Do you think you can let your son, Lin Fengxian, sit on the throne of the young master? You filthy bitch, just wait until the young master gets back and deals with you!"

He then thought, "Was it a middle-aged man from the Wang family who tipped me off? I saved his life! Who could it be? Those few..."

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