Chapter 182: Li Feiruo

Old Minister Zhong Yuda led over a hundred people through several towns. Many people approached him with questions along the way, but he ignored them, racing along the dirt road, his heart heavy with worry. After entrusting a subordinate who was in the Fetal Breath realm, he simply left the army, took to the air, and flew towards Mulu Town, the capital established by Mujiaoman.

It was still early morning when he departed. Zhong Yuda flew on the wind for half an hour, and Mulu Town had already appeared on the horizon. The sun rose, and the world gradually warmed, covering him in dew.

"Mulu Town..."

Zhong Yuda shook off the dew from his body and flew directly over the city below. Ignoring the Shan-Yue nobles gazing up at him, he continued flying until a magnificent palace appeared before him.

As he was about to land inside the palace, he found that the palace array had already been activated. A transparent light screen completely enveloped the entire palace. It had been secretly commissioned by Mujiaoman from scattered cultivators on the lake, at a considerable cost.

"Please open the array! I am Minister Zhong Yuda, here on urgent royal business!"

Zhong Yuda had no choice but to stop and call out twice. Then, a person appeared on the palace wall. She had the appearance of an Eastern woman, seemingly middle-aged, with slender eyebrows, dressed in elegant and luxurious attire, possessing a very dignified demeanor. She looked at him impassively.

"Consort Li?!"

That woman was indeed the daughter of the Li clan who had married into the royal family, Mujiaoman's consort. Zhong Yuda was greatly astonished, having served Mujiaoman for a long time, he blurted it out immediately.

"Zhong Yuda... you've actually returned alone. Qi Mu's cause is lost."

Consort Li smiled slightly and spoke softly. The array projected her voice outward. Zhong Yuda's limbs trembled as he listened. Seeing her stare at him coldly, he said, both startled and enraged:

"Li Feiruo... how could it be you! Where is the Grand Shaman?"

"Here."

Li Feiruo chuckled softly, bent down, and threw out a blood-stained head. The head rolled twice on the palace wall, then plopped down outside the palace, where it was struck by the array and disintegrated into a cloud of ash.

"Please open the array..."

Zhong Yuda pleaded, unable to comprehend how a Qi Cultivator could die at the hands of a mere mortal with no cultivation. Despair filled his heart. Li Feiruo, however, waved her hand, and behind her, three children were brought forward: two girls and one boy. The eldest was no more than ten, the youngest only six. All were weeping as they looked at Zhong Yuda, a sight that twisted his heart.

"Are you looking for them, Lord Zhong Yuda?"

Li Feiruo gazed into his eyes, carefully assessing his emotions. Zhong Yuda seemed to have already anticipated what was about to happen. Tears streamed from his eyes as he cried out:

"You... you are, after all, their royal kin..."

Li Feiruo, as if she hadn't heard, smiled:

"Lord Zhong Yuda, if you agree to my request, I can spare their lives."

"Tell me!"

Zhong Yuda didn't hesitate, immediately moving closer to the array, staring intently into Li Feiruo's eyes. Li Feiruo whispered:

"Take your own life."

Zhong Yuda was greatly shocked. His Qi Cultivation at the fifth level surged forth as he cried out in anguish:

"You vile woman... you!"

Li Feiruo, however, had already drawn a sharp dagger and held it against the little girl's neck. The girl immediately burst into tears, and Zhong Yuda exclaimed rapidly:

"Wait!"

Zhong Yuda froze for a few moments, his face strained. Finally, he raised his blade and pressed it against his neck, saying softly:

"Both the late king and I underestimated you."

Li Feiruo nodded slightly. With a movement of Zhong Yuda's blade, his head flew off, his graying hair scattering. A dignified Qi Cultivator of the fifth level lost his life in an instant. Zhong Yuda's headless corpse fell with a thud. Only then did a gaze slowly withdraw from the clouds above, glancing at Li Feiruo with a murmur of admiration.

Li Feiruo watched Zhong Yuda fall, her eyes dimming slightly. The aura of complete control that had enveloped her dissipated. Her confidants behind her felt a pang of pity, whispering:

"My lady, wasn't this a bit..."

"It was a desperate measure for him, and for me as well," Li Feiruo sighed, the jade ornaments on her neck jingling. She whispered, "Zhong Yuda was one of the few who remained fiercely loyal to Qi Mu. My family elders are not here. If he had escaped, he could have secretly targeted me or the younger generation of our family. Wouldn't that have been immense trouble? Even if our elders' cultivation far surpasses his, they cannot always guard the younger ones. If he had succeeded, I would never be able to atone for it.

"I am merely a mortal. Although I used the power of the city's nobles to kill the Grand Shaman, I only have the ability to protect myself with the array. How could I deal with a fifth-level Qi Cultivator like him? This method, though ruthless, was the only path open to me... In a life-and-death struggle between two families, I feared that the lingering threats would not be completely eliminated."

Supported by several confidants, Li Feiruo descended from the palace wall. She quietly gazed at the kneeling Shan-Yue ministers below. Streaming blood seeped from beneath the palace, spreading towards the hem of her skirt, staining the luxurious silk with dark red streaks. Li Feiruo smiled faintly and said softly:

"You may all rise."

The ministers below hesitantly rose, not daring to look up at her. Li Feiruo walked across the blood-stained steps and hall of the palace, step by step, into the dark main hall. Fallen candles still quietly burned on the floor, and the injured continued to groan within the hall. She walked through the blood to the very top, and said softly:

"Has the Young Master replied?"

"Yes, he has."

A confidant handed her a sealed letter. Li Feiruo read it carefully, then tucked it into her embrace. Only then did the ministers below dare to speak:

"My lady, how should we deal with Qi Mu's descendants?"

"They will die anyway. For now, imprison them and await the main family's decision."

Li Feiruo responded softly, picked up the brush and ink from the table, wrote a few lines on a piece of cloth, then tucked it into her confidant's hand, saying gently:

"Send this to the Young Master."

Four Shan-Yue Qi Cultivators surrendered to Shamoli, proclaiming him their Great King. They landed together and went to pay respects to their master. The four carefully made their way through the military formation and saw a dark metal carriage, adorned with several fluttering banners, swaying in the air.

On the carriage stood a young man, dashing in his white robe, his smile remarkably kind. He watched them with a cheerful smile in the morning breeze, then raised the cup in his hand and said with a laugh:

"Congratulations, Great King!"

"Your subordinate would not dare."

Shamoli, still covered in blood, bowed respectfully. The four Shan-Yue Qi Cultivators, not understanding the situation, clumsily mimicked his bow. Shamoli then stood up, cupped his hands, and said:

"My current success is entirely due to the guidance of you noble sirs. I would never dare to call myself king in front of you. However, I have already integrated Qi Mu's forces. According to the surrendered generals, Qi Mu released one person beforehand—a loyal confidant with a fifth-level Qi Cultivation. This individual poses a considerable threat, and I hope you will be vigilant, my lord."

"I was also thinking that Qi Mu still has descendants and confidants in Mulu Town. I hope to lead some men there, riding the wind, to deal with them and prevent their escape, which would only create further trouble..."

"Oh," Li Yuanxiu nodded and replied, "That Shan-Yue Qi Cultivator has already been followed by an elder; he won't be able to escape. As for Mulu Town..."

Li Yuanxiu smiled faintly, lowered his gaze to the five Shan-Yue below him, then raised the sealed letter in his hand and said with a laugh:

"It's only been an hour since Qi Mu left Mulu Town, and the entire palace has already been taken over by my clan aunt. Qi Mu's children have fallen into our hands, and his confidants have all been slain by my clan aunt. If my calculations are correct, someone is already on their way to offer surrender."