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"Yes!"

Shan Meixian immediately obeyed the order, waving her hand to have two Dongming Sect disciples drag the mud-like Zhu Jie down and send him to the lower deck cell.

After dealing with Zhu Jie, Yi Huawei turned his gaze to Yun Shuai on his right.

The Western Turkic Grand Preceptor stopped struggling, his brown eyes filled with surprise and doubt as he stared intently at Yi Huawei. He hissed in heavily accented Chinese, "Who...who exactly are you?! How could there be such a...expert in the Central Plains?"

Yi Huawei glanced at him but ignored him. His gaze swept over the kneeling prisoners on the deck and the Dongming Sect and Song Clan members who were busy cleaning up the battlefield, finally settling on the man with Hu features who had been standing behind Fang Zetao earlier. Although this man was also in a sorry state, the arrogance and scrutinizing look between his brows were stronger than the others.

Yi Huawei turned and walked towards the entrance to the cabin, saying to the disciple standing beside him, "Go and bring Lian Rou out."

"Yes!"

Several disciples accepted the order and turned to leave. Shan Meixian and Song Yuzhi followed Yi Huawei into the cabin.

The council chamber inside the ship's cabin is quite spacious and elegantly decorated.

Yi Huawei walked to the main seat and sat down. He waved his hand, and several disciples put Yun Shuai down.

Yun Shuai staggered a few steps, barely managing to steady himself. His face was extremely pale, but he dared not make any further moves. He could only stare wide-eyed at Yi Huawei, wondering what the other party intended to do by bringing him here alone.

"Crack..."

"Reporting to the Alliance Leader, Lian Rou has arrived!"

The hatch was pushed open, and two female disciples of the Heavenly Dao Alliance escorted Lian Rou in.

After a month of imprisonment, coupled with her lingering serious injuries, Lian Rou's face was pale. Her plain gray prison uniform made her appear even more frail and delicate. Her hands and feet were bound by special cowhide ropes, making her movements as awkward as if she were shackled. Her chestnut hair was somewhat disheveled, and her large brown eyes held a hint of confusion, not understanding why she had suddenly been brought here.

However, when she stepped into the cabin and her eyes subconsciously swept over the familiar, tall, thin figure, she was struck dumb and froze on the spot!

"Father...Father King?!"

Lian Rou gasped in shock, her brown eyes widening to their limit, her body trembling violently. She instinctively tried to rush forward, but was firmly held down by the female disciple beside her.

When Yun Shuai heard that familiar call, he was also shaken to his core! He turned his head sharply, and when he saw his daughter, who was originally bright and lively but was now haggard and pale and dressed in prison clothes, his deep eyes instantly flashed with disbelief, heartache, and then turned into a complex light of overwhelming anger!

"Rou'er?! You...how could you be here?! Shouldn't you be..."

Yun Shuai suddenly turned his head, staring intently at Yi Huawei, his eyes burning with rage as if he wanted to devour him alive: "It was you! You kidnapped Rou'er?! You're so despicable! You actually used Rou'er to threaten me?!"

Yun Shuai struggled desperately, his body surging with energy, trying to break free of the restraints. However, the invisible bonds were like cast steel, unmoving. Instead, they tightened a bit more because of his resistance, making it difficult for him to breathe and turning his face red.

He had traversed the Western Regions, dealing with the Western Turks and the Ming Dynasty's religious sects, yet he had never allowed his beloved daughter to suffer such injustice. Now, on the Yangtze River, he witnessed his daughter become a prisoner, while he himself was like a lamb to the slaughter, utterly powerless to resist! This sense of powerlessness and anger almost drove him mad.

"Let her go! If you have a problem, come at me! What kind of hero bullies a girl!"

Yun Shuai's eyes were bloodshot as he roared at Yi Huawei.

Yi Huawei calmly watched the emotional father and daughter, his face expressionless, until Yun Shuai's roar gradually subsided in the cabin before he slowly spoke, mockingly:
"Threaten you? You don't deserve it."

Yes, given the godlike and demonic methods they've displayed, why would they need to threaten me with hostages? Capturing me would be a piece of cake for them.

A bone-chilling cold instantly replaced his anger and spread throughout Yun Shuai's body.

Yi Huawei's gaze swept over the tearful Lian Rou, finally settling on Yun Shuai: "Yun Shuai, the Grand Preceptor of the Western Turks, has quite the ambition, and his reach is too far."

Yun Shuai snorted coldly, forcing himself to remain calm, and said, "The victor is king, the loser is villain. Kill me or torture me, it's all up to you! Why say more!"

"I do not need to explain my actions to you. Today, I am letting you and your daughter meet so that you can face reality."

Yi Huawei slightly raised his hand, and the force that had been binding Yun Shuai suddenly disappeared.

Caught off guard, Yun Shuai staggered and nearly fell to the ground. He quickly circulated his internal energy to steady himself, but dared not make any further moves. Instinctively, he stood in front of Lian Rou, looking at Yi Huawei with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty in his eyes.

"I have no interest in your life or death for the time being. Just stay put for now. Perhaps I will need you in some future situations."

As he spoke, Yi Huawei turned his gaze to Lian Rou and said calmly, "Whether your reunion as father and daughter is good or bad depends on your own choices."

Lian Rou felt Yi Huawei's gaze, her delicate body trembled slightly, and she subconsciously moved closer to Yun Shuai.

Yi Huawei stopped looking at them and focused his gaze on the silent man with a Western appearance. The man looked to be under thirty, with well-defined features, a high nose, and deep eyes. Although his clothes were tattered and he looked slightly tired, there was a composure and demeanor of someone in a superior position between his brows, which was quite different from that of an ordinary warrior or strategist.

"you,"

Yi Huawei looked at him: "You are no ordinary envoy. State your name."

When Yi Huawei's gaze swept over the man, he felt an invisible pressure envelop him, as if he were being stared at by a prehistoric beast, making it difficult to even breathe. Taking a deep breath and trying to remain calm, he placed his right hand on his chest and performed a grassland salute, speaking in heavily accented but still fairly fluent Chinese: "Your Excellency must be the renowned leader of the Heavenly Dao Alliance. I am... Tuli, greetings to the Alliance Leader."

"Tuli?"

Upon hearing this name, Shan Meixian, standing beside Yi Huawei, suddenly narrowed her eyes, a look of surprise flashing across her face.

Tuli! This name is legendary on the grasslands! He is the son of DTZ Shibi Khan and the nephew of Jieli Khan, holding a very high position and influence within the Turkic Khaganate, and is one of the strongest contenders for the position of Great Khan on the grasslands! How did he end up here? And mixed up with Jingling Fang Zetao, ambushed by the Garuda tribe and Yun Shuai? Yi Huawei, however, showed little surprise, simply looking at Tuli and smiling:

"Tuli Khan does have some discernment!"

Suddenly, a condensed and substantial pressure, like an invisible mountain, abruptly descended upon the cabin, centered on Yi Huawei!
This oppressive force was not directed at everyone, but was extremely precise and almost entirely focused on Tuli alone!
"Uh!"

Caught off guard, Tuli felt the air around him freeze instantly, an indescribable gravity crushing his spine, and a fear from the depths of his soul erupting within him! He immediately groaned, his face turning bright red, veins bulging on his forehead, and his bones creaking under the strain.

Tuli desperately tried to circulate his inner strength to resist, to maintain the dignity of a grassland prince and stand tall. However, before that overwhelming will, as powerful as the might of heaven, his years of arduous cultivation of inner strength were like a firefly compared to the bright moon—insignificant! His pride and will were as fragile as paper! His legs felt as if they were filled with lead, trembling uncontrollably.

"Pfft!"

A clear sound of someone kneeling down rang out.

Under everyone's gaze, the esteemed DTZ Little Khan, son of Shibi Khan, and a potential future contender for the position of grassland overlord, Tuli's face turned from flushed red to a humiliating purplish-red, and his knees buckled as he knelt heavily on the hard deck of the ship!

Tuli lowered his head, his hands gripping the ground tightly, his nails almost digging into the wooden planks. His whole body trembled violently from the extreme humiliation and the lingering terrifying pressure, yet he couldn't even lift his head to look at Yi Huawei!
Inside the cabin, there was a deathly silence.

Yun Shuai and Lian Rou stared in disbelief at Tuli kneeling on the ground. They knew better than anyone Tuli's status in the Turkic Khaganate and his own pride! At this moment, this eagle of the grasslands was forced to kneel down by someone's mere presence.

Yi Huawei's gaze shifted from Tu Li to Fang Zetao, who stood respectfully to the side, his face pale. His gaze was calm, yet it carried a penetrating power that made Fang Zetao subconsciously tense up, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

"Fang Zetao, you came from Jingling on orders, so why did you travel with this Turkic Khan? And why did you provoke the Garuda tribe and the Western Turkic Grand Preceptor to join forces in their pursuit?"

Fang Zetao shuddered and quickly stepped forward, bowing deeply. His voice was filled with panic and urgency, as if afraid of causing a misunderstanding: "Reporting to the Alliance Leader! This matter... this matter is purely coincidental. Your subordinate would never dare to collude with the Turks in private!"

He subconsciously swallowed, struggling to organize his thoughts, and explained, "I was ordered by Vice Alliance Leader Zhu to carry a secret letter to Chengdu to meet with the Alliance Leader and report on the situation around Jingling and... as well as the internal integration of the Yin Gui Sect. This trip was supposed to be kept secret, but who knew that not long after leaving the Jingling area, we were harassed by a small group of river bandits on the waterways in the Jingxiang area."

Fang Zetao secretly glanced at Yi Huawei's face, and seeing that he was not angry, he continued, "The situation was rather chaotic at the time, but fortunately this... and his entourage intervened and drove away the river bandits. I was grateful for their help, and during our conversation, I learned that they were heading to Luoyang. Thinking that it was on the way and that they were few in number, I... agreed to give them a ride for a while, as a way of returning the favor. I... I didn't know his true identity at the time!"

As he spoke, Fang Zetao's voice carried a hint of grievance and lingering fear: "Who knew that when we reached this stretch of water, we would suddenly be ambushed by the Ghost Head Ship! Those bandits attacked fiercely and with clear objectives, striking with deadly intent from the start. Only then did I realize that I had gotten myself into a huge mess and was chased all the way here. If it weren't for the timely appearance of the Alliance Leader, I... I'm afraid I would have already perished at the bottom of the river!"

After speaking, Fang Zetao lowered his head again, not daring to look Yi Huawei in the eye, his heart pounding. His words were half true and half false. He was genuinely grateful for Tu Li's help, but allowing him to accompany him might have been partly motivated by a desire to use his protection and, incidentally, to gather information about the border regions. However, he dared not admit it at this moment.

Yi Huawei listened quietly, his deep gaze lingering on Fang Zetao's face for a moment. Fang Zetao felt as if that gaze could pierce through his skin and see into the deepest thoughts in his heart; cold sweat almost soaked his inner shirt.

After a moment, Yi Huawei withdrew his gaze and gave a noncommittal "hmm". He had already realized that Fang Zetao was not lying about this matter. At least his interaction with Tu Li was indeed accidental, and he himself had no intention of colluding with the enemy or betraying the alliance. It was more out of loyalty to the Jianghu and a little bit of personal motives.

Seeing that Yi Huawei did not pursue the matter, Fang Zetao secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that his back was already soaked with cold sweat.

Yi Huawei’s gaze returned to Tuli, who was kneeling on the ground.

At this moment, Tuli seemed to have recovered slightly from the extreme humiliation he had initially suffered. Although he was still kneeling, his back straightened up slightly, and his eyes flickered as he quickly considered a solution.

“Tuli,”

Yi Huawei's voice remained calm: "Why did you travel thousands of miles to infiltrate the Central Plains instead of vying for the Khanate on the grasslands?"

Tuli stiffened slightly, remaining silent without immediately replying. As the junior Khan of DTZ, he possessed his own pride and shrewdness. Even when under someone else's control, he wouldn't easily reveal crucial plans concerning the tribe's fate. He was weighing his options, trying to find a possibility of negotiation.

Yi Huawei didn't urge him, but just watched him quietly, his gaze as if admiring a flying insect trapped in a spider web, still struggling in vain.

After a few breaths of silence, Yi Huawei seemed to lose patience. He slightly raised his right hand, his index and middle fingers together, and a wisp of extremely condensed, chilling white energy quietly gathered at his fingertips, causing the surrounding temperature to drop slightly.

"It seems you need some help to figure this out."

Before he finished speaking, Yi Huawei flicked his finger!
The chilling white aura instantly crossed the distance between the two and entered Tuli's back acupoint.

"Ugh—!"

Tuli let out a bloodcurdling scream that sounded inhuman. It was as if he had been thrown into the deepest part of an ice cave, and as if countless cold steel needles had pierced his bone marrow, meridians, and even soul!
This was not just simple cold; it was a torture that penetrated to the bone and eroded the will! Tuli felt as if his blood was congealing and his meridians were freezing inch by inch, yet his consciousness remained perfectly clear, and he could clearly feel the omnipresent, progressively intensifying extreme pain!
"Ho...ho..."

Tuli curled up on the ground, his body convulsing and rolling uncontrollably. A thin layer of white frost visibly condensed on his skin, his lips turned bluish-purple, his teeth chattered, and he made a wild, guttural sound in his throat. He frantically scratched at his chest, as if trying to dig out the extreme cold that had invaded his body, but only left streaks of blood on his skin.

This horrific scene sent a chill down everyone's spine!
Yun Shuai's face turned pale, and he subconsciously took half a step back, holding Lian Rou even tighter behind him. Shan Meixian and Song Yuzhi also looked shocked. Although they knew that the Alliance Leader had extraordinary abilities, this was the first time they had seen such a cruel and bizarre punishment.

Fang Zetao was so frightened that his legs went weak and he almost collapsed to the ground. His awe of Yi Huawei reached its peak.

The torment of this Xuanbing Force is not continuous, but rather comes in waves, like the tides. Just as one is about to reach their limit of endurance, it eases slightly, giving a glimmer of hope, before sweeping in again with even greater ferocity, crushing one's will invisibly.

In the short span of a dozen breaths, it felt like countless reincarnations to Tuli. Born into nobility and trained in martial arts since childhood, he possessed a strong will and had never experienced such inhuman suffering. The icy chill not only froze his body but also eroded his pride and dignity.

When another, even more intense cold wave hit, Tuli's mental defenses finally collapsed completely.

"Stop...stop! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! Please...stop!!"

Tuli cried out hoarsely, tears streaming down his face. He had lost all semblance of the demeanor of a steppe prince, leaving only the most primal fear and submission to pain.

Yi Huawei remained expressionless. With a slight thought, the raging Xuanbing energy receded like a tide, leaving only a bone-chilling cold and the lingering, painful memory that still haunted Tu Li's body. (End of Chapter)