What better time than now?

"Traitors within a sect are usually interrogated by the sect leader and elders, and the punishment is determined according to the severity of the offense. However, Liu Hongmian was involved in the attack on headquarters, so this matter needs to be discussed jointly by headquarters and Wan Hua Lou."

Xiao Yuenu's voice was soft and charming, and her pronunciation was clear and accurate, without any Jianzhou accent.

In those days, those who could speak Mandarin fluently and accurately were either top students or had deliberately practiced diligently.

After listening, Xu Qi'an went straight to the point. "You want to save her life."

Before Xiao Yuenu could respond, Liu Hongmian burst into laughter, her eyes and expression full of mockery:

"Xiao Yuenu, stop pretending."

"More than a decade has passed, and your hypocrisy and affectation haven't changed at all."

"Before, I did it for my master; now I do it for outsiders, for my disciples. Only I know what kind of person you are."

"Xu Qi'an, kill me if you want. I'd rather die than accept any favors from her."

"There's a story here," Xu Qi'an said. "I love watching beautiful women fight, except for those in my own fishpond."

"So you really won't accept Lord Xiao's kindness?"

Li Lingsu and Xu Qi'an shared the same thought, and said with a smile:

Even ants try to survive, Miss Liu, please think it over.

They were actually just trying to get information out of her, wanting to gossip about the complicated relationship between the two beauties of the Wan Hua Lou.

Liu Hongmian spat and sneered:

"She knows I hate her to the core, yet she insists on stepping forward now to pretend to be a good person and save my life. Can't you all see what she's up to?"

She's attacking his spirit.

Xiao Yuenu shook her head slightly and said calmly:

"Liu Hongmian, don't make the same mistake again. If you sincerely repent, I can do my master's bidding and let you return to the Wan Hua Lou."

"Returning to the brothel?"

Liu Hongmian laughed as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world.

"Fine, give me back my position as the lord of the brothel, and I'll return to the brothel and let bygones be bygones."

Xiao Yuenu remained silent.

Liu Hongmian stared intently at her for over ten seconds, her tone mocking:

"See? This is your hypocrisy and pretense. Back then, for the position of the Pavilion Master, you colluded with men outside and said I was shameless and had affairs with men. Master believed it and withdrew my qualification to compete for the position. I left the Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion in a fit of anger."

"Xiao Yuenü, you're a despicable woman who'll stop at nothing to achieve your goals. What are you trying to pretend with me for? Others may not know your true colors, but I know them all too well. Who are you trying to fool?"

Her beautiful eyes darted around and landed on Xu Qi'an, and she suddenly realized:

"Oh, I see. My value is to help you gain favor with Xu Yinluo. You've been in charge of Wan Hua Lou for many years and haven't married, which shows how high your standards are. I suppose only Xu Yinluo can catch your eye."

"Tsk tsk, with such a rich husband, your rise to prominence is just around the corner. Even a small Jianzhou can't contain a goddess like you."

"Ah, to be honest, I'm actually a little excited," Xu Qi'an joked to himself.

Mu Nanzhi and Li Miaozhen glanced at Xiao Yuenu indifferently.

Li Lingsu interjected with great interest:

Whether you've had an affair or not isn't up to Master Xiao to decide. Didn't your master examine you?

Liu Hongmian sneered:

"That's where her brilliance lies. Who says adultery necessarily means losing one's virginity? She imitated my handwriting, forged love letters, and used the contents of the letters to portray me as a promiscuous and foolish woman who sleeps with anyone."

"And that so-called lover was naturally no decent person either; if I remember correctly, he was a notorious playboy."

"If this gets out, what will my fellow disciples in the sect think of me? Will they still support me? What will outsiders think of me? The future leader of the Myriad Flowers Pavilion will be a harlot who has given herself to a dissolute man. What will become of the sect's image?"

"How laughable how young and naive I was back then, actually thinking I could compete fairly with you and beat you through my own abilities."

Everyone turned to look at Xiao Yuenu, waiting to see how she would explain.

To everyone's surprise, Xiao Yuenu's response took no one by surprise.

"That's right, what happened back then was indeed orchestrated by me. You didn't have an affair with any man outside; it was I who smeared you, falsely accused you, and made Master, for the sake of the sect's reputation, disqualify you from competing for the position of sect leader."

Liu Hongmian's expression was somewhat blank, as if she hadn't expected her to admit it so frankly.

Xiao Yuenu said calmly:

Do you remember what Master told us back then?

"The position of sect leader is crucial to the sect's inheritance and prosperity; each of you must rely on your own abilities."

Liu Hongmian took a deep breath, dispelling the blankness on her face, and retorted sharply:

"Is this why you resort to underhanded tactics?"

Xiao Yuenu's gaze was calm as she slowly said:

Everything I did was within the rules.

"The position of the sect leader is related to the prosperity and inheritance of the sect. This is Master reminding us that those who are not skilled enough are not qualified to become the sect leader."

"You all rely on your own abilities, which means there are no rules, no bottom line, as long as you can win."

The company and its understanding. Xu Qi'an was shocked.

Liu Hongmian was furious and screamed:

"Impossible. Master often taught us that Wan Hua Lou is a sect composed of women. If we want to avoid being bullied, we must be ruthless and decisive on the outside, and united and loving on the inside."

"Don't try to distort the truth and make excuses for your black heart."

Xiao Yuenu remained composed as she looked at her:

"Do you think your master doesn't know about my clumsy attempt to frame you? She gave you a chance, and what did you do?"

"Crying, making a scene, threatening suicide—your attempts to explain yourself were weak and ineffective. You could have fought back, used even dirtier methods to retaliate. But all you did was make a scene."

"Your master is extremely disappointed in you and believes you are not suitable to lead the Wan Hua Lou. Stupidity is not your fault, but do not ruin the century-old foundation of our ancestors, and do not implicate your fellow disciples."

"I originally planned to confess everything to you after I inherited the position of brothel master, but who knew you would be so extreme and arrogant, and in a fit of anger, you betrayed the brothel. Only today have we, sisters, been reunited."

Liu Hongmian stood there dumbfounded, stunned by the knife.

Clearly, she had agreed with Xiao Yuenu's words. To be precise, she had been persuaded.

Xiao Yuenu stopped looking at her, turned to Xu Qi'an, and said softly:

"I will imprison her in the Martial Arts Alliance, so Xu Yinluo need not worry about future troubles."

"Fine, take her away."

Xu Qi'an nodded.

Some women may appear to be alluring and seductive vixens, but deep down they are actually naive and innocent.

Some women may appear dignified, reserved, and serious, but their tea-making skills are actually at a master level.

"Brilliant!" he muttered to himself.

Watching Xiao Yuenu seal Liu Hongmian's Dantian and take her away, Li Lingsu withdrew her gaze and sighed:

"I do still prefer women who are a bit more innocent."

This time, Xu Qi'an didn't mock him; he empathized with him.

The three naive individuals, Chu Yuanzhen, Hengyuan, and Li Miaozhen, had images of Lina and Chu Caiwei in their minds.

However, these two girls are still naive and haven't even been able to win over Xu Ningyan, let alone the Holy Son.

Xu Qi'an suddenly stood up and said:

I'm going out for a bit.

He left the military town and flew south for half an hour. On the black rock, he saw a fluffy white fox, about the size of two palms, standing proudly.

Its posture was like that of a cute little pet imitating a lion roaring proudly in the mountains.

However, Xu Qi'an sensed a restrained yet powerful will within it.

"Your Majesty?"

He stopped a short distance away, maintaining a polite distance.

Bai Ji uttered a pleasant, magnetic voice:

"I heard from Bai Ji about the battle in Jianzhou. They killed two Vajra warriors in one battle. Tsk tsk, the Buddhist School is going to be furious this time."

Her tone was languid, carrying a sense of ease and joy, suggesting she was in a very good mood.

"What business does Your Majesty have with me?"

Xu Qi'an asked.

Her will had not wavered; she remained waiting there, clearly having something to say to him.

"There is indeed something." The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox chuckled softly.

"Do you still remember your old flame, Fuxiang? Hmm, her real name is Ye Ji."

Xu Qi'an hadn't expected her to suddenly mention Fuxiang, and said irritably, "Is Your Highness going to make empty promises to me again?"

The nine-tailed celestial fox chuckled sweetly:

Don't you want to know how Yoruhime is doing now?

"They say even a day as husband and wife is worth a hundred days of kindness. You slept with her so many times without spending any money, so your love must be stronger than gold."

You have the nerve to say that?!

"I'm a night Nightwatchers the Great Feng, not Great Feng driver," Xu Qi'an cursed inwardly, then said calmly.

"Your Majesty, please speak frankly."

The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox stopped teasing and said:

"After she returned to my side to report, I sent her to the old lands of the Southern Frontier Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons to plan something. Now, according to my calculations, everything is ready, except for a favorable wind."

"Speaking of which, this matter is related to you."

Before Xu Qi'an could ask, she spoke frankly and directly:

"Unseal the severed limbs of the divine being."

Xu Qi'an stroked his chin, looking at Shen Shu's severed limbs. "Part of Shen Shu's limbs are sealed in the old land of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons? Does Your Majesty want me to be a henchman?"

The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox did not answer directly, but slowly said:

"The reason why Shen Shu was dismembered and sealed was because his physical body was too powerful, and there was no seal in the world that could trap him. So the only option was to dismember him."

"Even so, sealing his physical body requires a special sealing method. One method is to use a 'sealing-type' Law Treasure as a foundation, combined with a powerful magic array."

"Another method is to seal it using the flow of fortune. The former is a pagoda, the latter is Sangbo."

Xu Qi'an nodded slowly.

Five hundred years ago, the Buddhist School helped Emperor Wuzong rebel. In addition to spreading their teachings in the Central Plains, they also had another condition: to help seal Shenshu's severed arm.

Essentially, Buddhist School is using the fortune of the Great Feng to seal away divine beings.

"The Hundred Thousand Mountains of Southern Frontier are home to countless creatures and are the origin of our Demon Race race. They are inherently imbued with destiny. Part of Shen Shu's body is sealed there."

"Southern Frontier was originally the territory of the Lapis Lazuli Bodhisattva. After she was injured by the Supervisor, the area was temporarily devoid of extraordinary power. Now, Du Nan and Du Fan have also perished in Jianzhou."

"I want to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reclaim Shen Shu's severed limbs."

"The reason I'm asking for your help is twofold. First, I am currently overseas, and my avatar's power is limited. Second, besides myself, the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons only has one other Transcendent being. However, he has been throwing a tantrum lately and is not obeying my orders."

Besides the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons indeed had other experts at the Transcendent Realm. I knew it! How could the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox possibly overthrow Buddhist School and revive the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons on her own? Xu Qi'an was not surprised by this.

"Throwing a tantrum?"

Thirdly, I want to test whether there are any hidden masters within Buddhist School.

The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox ignored his question and continued talking to herself:

"In Buddhist School, the Arhat status remains unchanged throughout one's life. To break through and become a Bodhisattva, one must be reincarnated and cultivate anew. Throughout history, there have been many Arhats who have undergone Nirvana and cultivated anew, and who knows, perhaps one of them has already returned to his original position."

"Hehe, given the current turmoil in the Nine Provinces, the possibility of Arhat returning is extremely high."

Xu Qi'an asked, "What benefits will I get?"

The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox laughed:

"The severed limbs of the Divine One signify the sealing technique of the Demon-Sealing Nails, plus the two I promised you. If you are still unmoved, then Night Princess is still waiting for your favor."

Xu Qi'an said in a deep voice, "I'm determined to help with this. I don't care about favors or anything like that; I just want to know if Fuxiang is doing well."

He paused, then tentatively asked:

"Has Your Highness found someone of your own kind overseas?"

The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox shook her head. "It's like finding a needle in a haystack. I'll be heading back to the mainland soon."

"Remember to get a nucleic acid test," Xu Qi'an thought to himself.

Yunzhou.

In the Star-Gazing Tower atop the mountain, Xu Pingfeng, who had been sitting cross-legged without moving, opened his eyes.

"The matter of Jianzhou is settled, but Du Nan and Du Fan have perished," he said.

The Bodhisattva of the Garuda Tree, standing on the observation platform, remained motionless for a long time.

After a while, the Bodhisattva of the Gara Tree slowly said:

"If we don't act now, when will we?"

P. S.: I'm experiencing writer's block today; it's driving me crazy.