"Did I hear correctly earlier? Junior Sister Wenxiu's surname is Ji?"
Ouyang Lan belatedly widened her eyes.
"Senior Sister."
Lu Wu-bing shook his head and gave her a meaningful look.
Signaling for Senior Sister Xiaolan not to ask any further.
Because he had seen the difficulty on Ji Wenxiu's face.
At the same time, he had roughly guessed her identity.
Over the past few days, some memories from the past had gradually all returned to him.
Though he had spent most of his days at the Lu family in Jiangzhou, idling away his life, hunting and playing, living without a care in the world.
At times, however, he inevitably heard some bold scholars who rashly discussed state affairs, spilling scraps of gossip when they were flushed with wine.
Things like, "Northern Zhou is working hard to strengthen itself, with mighty soldiers and sturdy horses. Its desire to destroy us has never died, and sooner or later it will send its troops south...
"Meanwhile, Great Li indulges in civil ease and military idleness. Those lords spend every day fighting for power and profit. Great changes may soon descend upon the realm."
And there was also, "His Highness the Crown Prince was admiring flowers and picking osmanthus blossoms in the Eastern Palace when he accidentally fell into the water and drowned. The entire court mourned.
"His Majesty fell seriously ill and neglected court affairs for three months..."
There were even tales of, "Eighteen pirate swordsmen breached the small city of Donglin and looted it clean.
"The county magistrate bent his knees and surrendered, sweeping all dignity into the dirt..."
Every one of these reports showed that the Great Li Dynasty in the south was already displaying signs of decline... It was not yet a complete mess, but it was nowhere near prosperous either.
In any case, it faced troubles within and enemies without, along with pirates plundering the seas.
To the west, grassland wolf cavalry also periodically sent small units to harass them.
But the greatest danger remained Northern Zhou's armies.
Yuwen Zhao possessed great talent and grand strategy, with ambitions to swallow the four seas like a whale... Under his command were strategists as numerous as clouds, generals like falling rain, and troops with an edge of terrifying strength.
Especially after Yuwen Ba, Prince Jinyang of Northern Zhou, became the disciple of Ye Wushuang, the current sect master of the Reincarnation Sect, the Six Paths of the Demonic Sect, which had always opposed Northern Zhou, turned to support Yuwen Zhao and began extensively infiltrating the southern martial world.
As a result, beacon fires rose everywhere, and war erupted throughout both the martial world and the imperial court.
Under such circumstances.
Great Li Princess Changle, who had been married into Northern Zhou, found herself in an awkward position.
If it had merely been an awkward identity before, painful and miserable though it was, Northern Zhou had still valued her, and she could have become a link of friendship and peace between the two nations.
But after Great Li's Crown Prince had melted away into the water, Princess Changle's situation became incomparably perilous.
Because, by a cruel coincidence, the current Great Li Yongming Emperor had only one son and one daughter.
His son was dead.
Whether it had been an accident or someone's doing, his bloodline was essentially finished.
If he did not wish for one of the imperial clansmen to inherit the throne, he could only bring back his daughter.
What marriage alliance?
That was all bullshit.
Yet some things could not simply be done because one wished them done.
To bring Princess Changle back, leaving aside Northern Zhou's reaction, the marriage alliance had only just been arranged and the bridal escort had already sent her to Northern Zhou's capital. How could she simply turn around and return?
Moreover, Great Li's many vassal kings would never agree.
Would that not cut off their hopes?
If the princess returned, what would be left for them?
And then there were the civil and military officials throughout the court, each harboring their own calculations.
Most of them did not think bringing back a mere woman to inherit the throne would be a good choice.
At the thought of letting a woman become emperor... before Northern Zhou even attacked, their sky would collapse first.
It would be better to choose a worthy prince from the imperial clan and adopt him into the line to ascend the throne.
But Emperor Yongming would not agree.
Though he loved calligraphy and painting, loved even more to linger in brothels, and habitually consumed mineral elixirs until his body had been ravaged by every ailment and injury, leaving him little time to live.
He had never once considered relinquishing his power.
Still less did he want his brothers to have the last laugh.
That was the situation.
Lu Wu-bing carefully replayed the memories in his mind.
When he looked again at little Ji Wenxiu, he felt that her coarse words and foul-mouthed behavior were not so difficult to understand after all.
If it had been him, he might have cursed even more fiercely than she had.
Damn thief of a heavens!
"I thought my own situation was dangerous enough. I never expected someone else to have it even worse."
He wanted to cast aside this "hot potato," but on second thought, whether he threw it away or not no longer made any difference.
Not to mention that the Celestial Star Sect had already involved itself in this matter.
Just the fact that he and Senior Sister Xiaolan had saved a young girl at that roadside shop had been witnessed by so many people.
It was already too late to distance themselves from her now.
Even if he took ten thousand steps back.
Lu Wu-bing truly could not bring himself to do such a thing.
"From here on, no matter who dares block our path, and whatever reason they give, do not believe any of it."
After thinking it over, he took the lead and moved forward.
He said coldly, "We return to the Celestial Star Sect at top speed first, then decide what to do next.
"Junior Sister Wenxiu, does the word 'Qingyun' on that Jade Pendant mean anything? Why are you still holding back at a time like this? Summon every reinforcement you have."
"I cannot be certain what the others truly intend, so it is difficult to say.
"But Aunt did say that Qingyun Daoist could be trusted.
"However, the Daoist's whereabouts are uncertain, and he does not reside permanently at Qingyun Temple in Xiangzhou.
"I heard that he spends most of his time mixed among the common folk, filthy from head to toe, like a beggar... Oh, right. The Daoist loves drink above all else and always carries a yellow gourd of wine at his waist."
Ji Wenxiu spoke helplessly.
At this moment, she did not dare trust anyone.
She felt there were traitorous ministers and rebels everywhere.
"You only trust an old Daoist whose whereabouts are unknown."
Lu Wu-bing was somewhat speechless.
How were they supposed to find him now?
Distant water could not put out a nearby fire.
"Who else?"
"There is also..."
Ji Wenxiu secretly glanced at Ouyang Lan and said softly, "There is also Aunt Qin Huaiying of the Celestial Star Sect."
"Mother!"
Ouyang Lan was not surprised that Ji Wenxiu knew her mother's name.
She was only surprised that Ji Wenxiu trusted her mother so much.
Logically speaking, they did not know one another.
Back on the mountain, she had never heard her mother mention anything about the imperial court either.
But this was not the time to think too much.
The group hurried onward.
When they passed a city, they did not even enter through its gates, instead following the riverbank and treading through the grass.
In Lu Wu-bing's view, now that Ji Wenxiu had joined their group, everyone was a potential threat.
At this moment, the best choice was to strike fast and move faster. Before anyone could react, they had to send this "hot potato" out of Xiangzhou first.
Of course, sending her to the Celestial Star Sect would work as well.
If the sky fell, the tall ones would hold it up.
"Stop! The authorities are conducting an investigation..."
They had just gone around the city when seven or eight constables in black hurriedly pursued them from ahead.
The leader was agile in build, galloping hard on horseback with a saber at his waist waving in hand.
Several riders behind him shouted in unison.
"You killed someone and tried to leave? Your audacity reaches the heavens!"
"We killed someone? Who did we kill? You must have mistaken us for someone else. Our Celestial Star Sect has always kept to its place and never killed good people without cause. No, we did not kill anyone at all."
Ouyang Lan's brows shot up as she snapped angrily.
"One man and two women. Someone has clearly seen your faces in the Zuihu Residence murder case. Whatever defense you have, come back with me and explain it carefully to the county magistrate."
The lead constable spoke with righteous severity.
"Everyone, I am Yan Shixiong, chief constable of Sanhu County. In my life, I have never wronged a single good person... Whether you were truly the killers will naturally be made clear shortly. I hope you do not lead yourselves astray."
As he spoke, the men waved their sabers, dismounted, and surrounded Lu Wu-bing's group.
Those with chains held chains; those with long spears and bows readied them. Each of them radiated murderous intent.
"We..."
Ouyang Lan had clearly never encountered such a situation.
The Celestial Star Sect had always maintained good relations with the authorities and had never clashed with government runners.
Especially in Xiangzhou, where it enjoyed immense prestige.
Yet this chief constable still refused to relent after hearing her announce their identity, stubbornly insisting on taking them back for questioning. It was utterly absurd.
"Murder them. Take their horses."
Lu Wu-bing sighed. This man's eyes darted about and his words did not match his intentions. How could Lu Wu-bing fail to see it?
"There is no time left." As he spoke, he drew his sword.
"Buzz..."
The sword light flashed like a ribbon.
It had already pierced Chief Constable Yan Shixiong through the throat.
The chief constable had clearly not expected this to happen. Horror and disbelief filled his eyes.
Before the saber in his hand could even move, his vital point had been struck. He fell dead on the spot.
"Excellent."
Ji Wenxiu had long been holding a bellyful of anger.
With a flash of her body, the short sword in her hand carved a half-moon arc, sweeping across the necks of two saber-wielding constables.
Ouyang Lan was just a fraction slower.
Her longsword spun, batting away three arrows. Several points of starlight flashed as she plunged into the constables.
In a single exchange, seven men fell. The remaining one scrambled and crawled onto a horse, whipped it around, and fled.
"It has nothing to do with me! I do not know anything! Spare my life, young heroes! It was all Officer Yan's decision!"
"Do not chase him. They are merely using petty tricks to delay us. Go!"
Lu Wu-bing looked back but did not pursue the fleeing constable.
He waved a hand, and each of them leaped onto a horse and galloped away at full speed.
Before you continue