Xiao Tian Order

Since Zuoqiu Courtyard had hosted and won the Qianlong Lantern Festival, there was no turning back.

They either become the master of the Lingxiao Shengjing, or their clan is wiped out.

So.

The ownership of the hidden dragon cannot be compromised in any way.

What Zuoqiu Courtyard needed was not only the support of the Du'e Temple, but also power.

Just like Tang Wanqiu's lament, "It is the mandate of heaven," if everyone in the world believes that the mandate of heaven is with Zuoqiu, they will rush to come and submit to him, and his power will grow like a snowball.

Hidden Lord said, "Actually, what Zuoqiu Courtyard wants is just a title, and you happen to need that title right now, to add a layer of protective aura. I don't think there's anything wrong with it... Don't look so gloomy, you're getting a good deal and then complaining. Zuoqiu Hongting's talent, ability, and appearance are all unparalleled in this world. Marrying her will make countless people in the world envious and jealous."

Li Weiyi said, "It's not that I'm troubled by the marriage alliance! It's that we had already decided to deliberately step down from the limelight and hide in the trough. Now, aren't we being pushed into an even bigger storm?"

The Hidden Lord asked, "Are you afraid of being dragged into the struggles of the world by Zuoqiu Courtyard of thought?"

Li Weiyi said, "It's not that I'm afraid, it's just... sigh, never mind, I can't blame others for my own mistakes. What happened in the cave earlier was indeed inappropriate. Zuoqiu Ting, or Zuoqiu Hong, are both upright and honest in their actions, and they have never been malicious towards me. They have helped me a lot. I shouldn't have teased her like that. Women and men are different after all. I lack a carefree and magnanimous heart."

Hidden Lord patted his shoulder and laughed, "Based on these words alone, I think Zuoqiu Hongting should look at you in a different light. In fact, having such a stunning Young Son of Heaven like her in front of you can greatly help shield you from outside scrutiny."

Li Weiyi and Hidden Lord returned to the council hall. Zuoqiu Ling, and then promised to take responsibility for Zuoqiu Hongting, and so on.

The question-and-answer process is complete.

The engagement was then finalized.

Hidden Lord and Zuoqiu Ling discussed the specific details, and Li Weiyi withdrew from the council hall.

Outside, the sun was setting, and the sky was ablaze with vibrant colors.

Li Weiyi descended the winding stone steps to the Third Heaven.

Zuoqiu Hongting regained her true appearance, dressed in a green Daoist robe, tall and graceful, waiting on the road Li Weiyi would inevitably take on her way back.

She stood on the edge of a cliff that jutted out like a duck's bill, below which stretched out peach blossom branches like a pink ocean. Her hands were clasped in her wide sleeves, she wore a wooden hairpin, and Dao Ruler her waist.

It was just a silhouette, yet it exuded a serene and ethereal charm, a beauty beyond words, as if it would soar into the heavens on the wind at any moment.

Li Weiyi stared at the figure for a long time, knowing that the other person was waiting for him, so he walked over.

Zuoqiu Hongting didn't turn around, gazing at the sunset on the horizon. "About fourteen years ago, when I was nine years old, the sky was just like this. The devastating news of my father's death because of Xiao Tian Order came from Lingxiao City."

"From then on, I was filled with hatred and entered the Zuoqiu Hidden Gate to cultivate. I appeared in the form of a boy and deliberately opposed Xiao Tian Order."

"When I get older, I won't be able to hide my disguise as a man anymore, so I'll have to cultivate the Disguise Art. I know I'm no match for the Great Palace Master, and I may never be able to take revenge, but... it seems that appearing as a man is like fighting her in a contest, and only then can the hatred from my childhood be somewhat appeased."

Li Weiyi listened silently, then sighed, "I'm sorry! Actually, Jiang Ning already told me your secret a long time ago."

Zuoqiu Hongting's face, illuminated by the sunset, was fair and lustrous, with exquisitely beautiful profile. She said, "So, all that nonsense about 'looking at the sky at dawn and the clouds at dusk, thinking of you whether walking or sitting,' was just a mockery of me?"

Li Weiyi smiled wryly, "Not entirely! In this world, which man, once he has seen your stunningly beautiful face, would dare to say you're not beautiful? Wouldn't he want to kiss you?"

"To kiss her? Are you this direct when you talk to other women? Like Jiang Ning?" Zuoqiu Hongting raised her eyebrows slightly.

Li Weiyi said, "I swear to God, I can only speak recklessly in front of you. Because I still consider you a brother. In front of you, there's absolutely no need for me to pretend or hold back. I can laugh, scold, and joke around. If it were Jiang Ning, I would definitely behave properly, at most exchanging a few insults with her. How could I dare to flirt with her like this?"

"Yeah, it's so great to always be brothers!"

Zuoqiu Hongting sighed, then said, "Chaos is inevitable. Kirin Zhuang's return will further escalate the turmoil and danger, making the situation even more complicated."

"If Zuoqiu Courtyard wants to seize the world, he must obtain the support of Du'e Temple."

"Li Weiyi, we're getting engaged. I don't know if you're truly willing or if you're being forced into it. But don't worry, it'll only be a matter of a few years. The world won't be in turmoil forever."

"Once Zuoqiu Courtyard has unified the Twenty-Eight Prefectures, you may come to annul the engagement at any time. If you do not wish to annul the engagement, we can become Daoist partners and truly marry once the world is at peace."

She continued, "From a brother's perspective, it would actually be a good thing if this opportunity could allow you to break off contact with Jiang Ning."

"I've never seen a brother like you who breaks up a couple like this! No, I should call you my Fiancée now... My head hurts, I really can't face you normally..." Li Weiyi rubbed his temples, this Fiancée came too suddenly.

Zuoqiu Ting and Zuoqiu Hongting have completely different personalities.

At this moment, she is just as she describes herself. "Warm on the outside, cold on the inside." After regaining her true appearance, she is indeed extremely aloof, rarely smiles, quiet as a secluded orchid, and exudes an aura that keeps people at a distance.

Zuoqiu Hongting said, "From my position as your Fiancée, I would be even more determined to stop the two of you."

Li Weiyi's smile faded, "You mean, even if Kirin Zhuang returns and the Demon Race becomes powerful, the various human forces still can't unite as one? And the conflict with the Imperial Court remains unresolved?"

"Why? What could be a greater threat than the Demon Race?"

Thinking of something, Li Weiyi said, "Could it be because of the Xiao Tian Order? What exactly is the Xiao Tian Order? Everyone seems to be avoiding the topic, not daring to mention it at all."

He had only heard Hidden Twenty-Four mention "Xiao Tian Order," which seemed to be exactly what it sounded like.

Zuoqiu Hongting's eyes were deep and thoughtful as her thoughts drifted back fourteen years. "Take the bottom part of the character 'kill' and the top part of the character 'man' to form the character 'Xiaotian'."

"A kill order for men?"

Li Weiyi was so shocked that her scalp tingled.

In an instant, I understood why there were Rebel Army all over the world, why the conflict between the Rebel Army and the Imperial Court was irreconcilable, and why everyone said that the Great Palace Master had gone mad... He was absolutely mad, and not just madly mad.

No wonder the Imperial Court, with its immense power, could only control eight prefectures.

No wonder even a core member of the Imperial Court like Jiang Ning bluntly stated that the Great Palace Master had become dark and paranoid, lost himself, fallen into an inner vortex, and made a grave mistake.

No wonder those human forces preferred to side with the Demon Race.

Zuoqiu Hongting said, "Objectively speaking, a thousand years ago, the Great Palace Master did indeed carve out a new world for Lingxiao Shengjing. Without her, there would be no Twenty-Eight Prefectures as we know them today."

"For thousands of years, she has indeed been diligent in governing and loved her people like her own children, and this is something that all people under heaven can feel."

No one knows what happened to her.

"First, they found the legendary Mother-Child Spring, and then they encouraged large-scale planting of Benevolent Rice. Fourteen years ago, the Xiao Tian Order was finally promulgated."

"Lingxiao City was the first to suffer the calamity. All those who refused to be castrated were killed. Overnight, everything changed, and countless the Departed. Of course, countless others also submitted, and thus, eunuch officials and eunuchs were born on a massive scale."

"Fortunately, after the Great Palace Master issued this decree, it seems that a major problem arose. He locked himself in the palace and has not shown his face since."

"Therefore, once Xiao Tian Order left Lingxiao City, its power greatly diminished, making its implementation in various states extremely difficult. In addition, with men throughout the land hiding away, Lingxiao Shengjing was not truly transformed into a kingdom of women."

"But this decree became a tool for those with ulterior motives to attack opposing forces, and it also stirred up huge conflicts. In those years, there was constant killing and endless conflict."

"A single Xiao Tian Order, and a thousand miles away, one dressed in white."

Those who weep at graves at midnight are all widows.

"Some people, like me, have lost their fathers. Some have lost their husbands, some have lost their sons or brothers..."

"Several years later, war finally broke out and quickly swept across the land. Rebel Army broke out in various states, and even the Imperial Court was in turmoil."

Zuoqiu Hongting looked at Li Weiyi: "Tell me, under such circumstances, who can join forces with the Imperial Court? Although the Xiao Tian Order has long been a figurehead, as long as he is not abolished, he is a sword hanging over everyone's head."

"What if the Great Palace Master were to step outside the palace gates one day? Given her prestige and cultivation, what a catastrophe that would be if she were to issue this decree again?"

"Now you understand, right? If you are really recruited by Jiang Ning to the Imperial Court, when Xiao Tian Order a comeback, you will definitely be among the first to suffer."

Li Weiyi didn't experience that era and found it difficult to empathize, but just by listening to her account, one could sense the uncertainty and danger caused by Xiao Tian Order.

The problem is far more serious than I imagined.

The fate of the world, the knot of everything, is tied to one person.

Is this the power of the world's number one person?

Every word and action determines the life and death of countless people.

Can Zen Sea Observing Mist untangle this knot?

Originally, Li Weiyi was strongly opposed to Zen Sea Observing Mist going to the Lingxiao Palace, but now, his heart began to waver.

If she succeeds in getting the Great Palace Master to issue a decree of self-reproach and cancel the Xiao Tian Order, then the major human forces will have a chance to join forces against the Demon Race.

Conversely, if the Great Palace Master were to step forward and repeat the Xiao Tian Order, or even become more dark and obsessive... Lingxiao Shengjing would undoubtedly become a living hell.

After parting ways with Zuoqiu Hongting, Li Weiyi returned to the place where Wu Jiu Li Tribe recuperated from his injuries.

The flesh of the Silver Feather Demon King is ready.

Perhaps due to the top-quality ingredients, the taste was surprisingly good.

After eating their fill, everyone felt their bodies heat up and their blood and energy surged. So, they all practiced martial arts moves together to strengthen their bodies.

At the same time.

Li Weiyi and Zuoqiu Hongting's engagement invitations were sent to all parts of the city like snowflakes.

Due to the massive battle between Chao Ran and the various factions that participated in the Qianlong Lantern Festival, they are still stranded in Qiuzhou City.

The engagement Wedding Banquet is scheduled for three days later, on the 25th day of the first lunar month.

Zuoqiu Courtyard was in a hurry, wanting to settle everything before the transcendental contest ended.