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Yi Huawei's gaze, as calm and still as an ancient well, fell upon Rong Jiaojiao. It was not sharp, yet it carried a chilling intent that pierced the very depths of the underworld, instantly draining the color from Rong Jiaojiao's meticulously painted face, even freezing the swaying, golden-and-green hairpin in her hair.

"Miaofeng Mingzi..."

Yi Huawei's voice was not loud, and even carried a hint of casual conversation, yet it exploded in the courtyard like an invisible thunderclap: "The Great Ming Sect's reach is truly long enough."

The moment the words "Miaofeng Mingzi" were uttered, Rong Jiaojiao's voluptuous body trembled violently, as if pierced by an invisible icicle! Her pupils suddenly contracted to pinpoints, and the feigned composure in her eyes shattered like a broken glass lamp. It was a terror that ran deep in her bones, a terror from which all pretense had been completely stripped away!

This identity is her deepest and most fatal secret! It's a code name known only to a few core members within the Great Ming Sect! It should never, and could never, come from the mouth of an "outsider" who has no connection with the Great Ming Sect!
Beneath Bai Qing'er's lowered eyelids, her shimmering eyes trembled violently, her seemingly innocent naiveté instantly replaced by disbelief and astonishment. Although she knew Rong Jiaojiao's intentions were impure, she never imagined she possessed such a terrifying hidden identity! The Great Ming Sect… that was a colossal extraterrestrial entity that even the Yin Gui Sect feared!

Shan Meixian's eyes suddenly sharpened like swords, and her aura instantly turned icy. Shan Wanjing instinctively gripped the hilt of her sword, her small face filled with shock. The conflict between the Dongming Sect and the Great Ming Sect at sea had a long history, and she was well aware of their cunning and ruthlessness. Rong Jiaojiao was actually one of the Five Bright Sons of the Great Ming Sect? This was simply unbelievable!
"Young master... what did you say? I... I don't understand..." Rong Jiaojiao forced a smile that was more like a grimace, her voice dry and trembling as she made a final attempt. She felt her heart about to leap out of her chest, all the blood rushing to her head and then instantly turning cold.

Yi Huawei's lips curled into a faint smile, yet it was enough to make Rong Jiaojiao feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave. There was no mockery in that smile, only an indifferent indifference that indicated he controlled everything.

"Can't understand?"

He took half a step forward, and the invisible pressure, like a real mountain, crashed down on Rong Jiaojiao, making her legs weak and almost unable to stand.

"You don't even understand the title of 'Wind Venerable' that 'Jade Wanderer' Shafang promised you?"

Yi Huawei's voice remained calm, yet every word was like a knife, precisely piercing Rong Jiaojiao's deepest ambitions.

Rong Jiaojiao's mind went blank with a "buzz".

Venerable Wind! This was a promise made privately to her by the Good Mother Shafang. If she successfully completed this crucial mission of infiltrating Baling and opening up the Yangtze River waterway for the Great Ming Venerable Sect, she would be promoted to a core secret! This matter is top secret; even the five types of demons within the sect may not know it!

"Have you understood the fragment of the 'Sukhavati Canon' in Yuwen Wudi's hands?"

Yi Huawei's voice continued: "For those few pages of fragments, you handed over the deployment maps of the Yin Gui Sect's three branches in Jiangling and Xiakou. You've certainly made a 'shrewd' deal."

"Pfft!"

Rong Jiaojiao could no longer hold on; her knees buckled, and she collapsed heavily onto the cold bluestone slab! Her meticulously styled hair bun fell haphazardly, and her crimson gold hairpin hung limply beside her cheek. Her face was deathly pale, and her whole body trembled violently. The alluring demeanor she had carefully maintained vanished, leaving only naked fear and despair.

"No...impossible...how could you know...how could you possibly know these things!!"

Rong Jiaojiao screamed, her voice distorted by extreme fear, like an owl being choked. Her biggest secret, her deepest deal, were laid bare before this man like an open ledger, each entry crystal clear!
Bai Qing'er subconsciously took a half step back, her plain white gauze dress swaying slightly. For the first time, her exquisitely beautiful face lost all pretense, leaving only a pale expression of lingering shock. Her gaze towards Yi Huawei was filled with indescribable awe, like a mortal looking up at a deity in the clouds.

This man... is terrifying! He sees through everything! In his presence, every thought is transparent!

Shan Meixian took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and looked at Yi Huawei with a complex and indescribable gaze. This man's methods were beyond description; the phrase "unfathomable" was insufficient to describe them!
Yi Huawei's gaze swept over Rong Jiaojiao, who was slumped on the ground, trembling like a fallen leaf, as if passing over a speck of dust.

"The Great Ming Zunjiao wants to use the Yin Gui Sect as a springboard to gain influence over the Yangtze River waterway and stir up trouble in the Central Plains. Xu Kaishan has certainly made a good plan. ... Unfortunately, he forgot that even a small breeze can break a towering tree. He also forgot that some people are not pawns he can manipulate."

Yi Huawei slightly raised his hand, and a faint, almost imperceptible glint of light seemed to flash from his fingertips, so fast it was like an illusion.

Rong Jiaojiao shuddered violently, as if struck by an invisible hammer, her entire body instantly stiffening! The last trace of color drained from her face, leaving it ashen. Then, an indescribable, soul-deep pain and weakness gripped her! She was horrified to discover that her "Miaofeng" true energy, which she had cultivated diligently for years and was so proud of, was rapidly melting and dissipating, like ice and snow under the blazing sun! Her dantian was empty, as if no internal energy had ever existed there!
"You...you crippled my martial arts?!"

Rong Jiaojiao let out a shrill, desperate wail, the sound so sharp it shattered the tranquility of the courtyard. Having lost her martial arts, in the eyes of the Great Ming Zunjiao, the Yin Gui Sect, and even in this chaotic world, she was less than a stray dog ​​wagging its tail for mercy!
"Cripple you?"

Yi Huawei stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the collapsed Rong Jiaojiao on the ground, his eyes indifferent and without a trace: "The wind passes without a trace, and should not have left any trace in the first place. Your value lies in how much useful information you can still utter. Meixian."

“Young Master,” Shan Meixian immediately bowed and replied.

"Take her away and question her carefully."

Yi Huawei's voice was calm and even: "The Great Ming Venerable Sect's spies in Baling, the details of their collusion with the Evil Extreme Sect and even other forces... especially the whereabouts of 'Atom' Duan Yucheng and 'Five Types of Demons'. I need to know how many hidden pieces they are planning to place in Baling."

"As ordered!"

A cold glint flashed in Shan Meixian's eyes. Her gaze towards Rong Jiaojiao was devoid of any semblance of camaraderie, replaced only by icy scrutiny. With a wave of her hand, two guards, their auras heavy and clearly elite members of the Dongming Sect, appeared silently. They dragged the utterly broken and distraught Rong Jiaojiao away as if she were a lump of mud. Rong Jiaojiao had even forgotten to struggle; only unconscious, intermittent sobs escaped her lips.

Only Yi Huawei, Shan Meixian, Shan Wanjing, and Bai Qing'er, pale-faced and struggling to control her trembling, remained in the courtyard. The air seemed to freeze, heavy and suffocating.

Yi Huawei's gaze turned to Bai Qing'er.

Bai Qing'er's delicate body stiffened abruptly, as if frozen by an invisible chill. Rong Jiaojiao's fate unfolded before her eyes like the most terrifying nightmare. Without hesitation, she knelt on both knees, her forehead touching the ground, her posture humbled to the point of dust, her voice trembling with undisguised fear: "My...my lord, please understand! Qing'er...Qing'er is utterly loyal to the Empress Yin, with absolutely no disloyalty! I would never dare...to have the slightest connection with the Great Ming Sect! If I have uttered even the slightest lie, I am willing to suffer the punishment of being devoured by the Heavenly Demon, my soul and spirit annihilated!"

At this moment, all she wanted was to survive. All her ambitions and schemes became laughable bubbles in the face of absolute power and terrifying all-knowing insight.

"loyalty?"

Yi Huawei looked at Bai Qing'er, who was prostrate on the ground, his tone unreadable: "Is your loyalty to Zhu Yuyan, or to the secret technique of 'sexual cultivation' that allows you to replace Wanwan? Or to the person who secretly promised you the position of 'Holy Maiden'?"

Bai Qing'er was struck dumb. She suddenly raised her head, her pure and beautiful face drained of color, leaving only ashen despair! He had found out about her secret deals with some of the sect's elders, her desire for Wanwan's position... He knew all about it! In his presence, she felt as if she had been stripped naked, with even her most secret thoughts exposed.

"Qing'er...Qing'er..."

Bai Qing'er was incoherent, tears streaming down her face like broken beads, yet she didn't know how to explain herself. Any explanation seemed pale and powerless at this moment.

Yi Huawei's gaze lingered for a moment on her tear-streaked face, as if it could penetrate her skin and look directly into the fear and humility deep in her soul.

“I know your thoughts perfectly well.” Yi Huawei’s voice remained calm, yet carried an undeniable authority: “Considering that you have not yet committed a grave error, nor have you truly colluded with foreign enemies, I will give you a chance.”

Bai Qing'er seemed to grasp at a straw in the boundless darkness, suddenly holding her breath and looking at Yi Huawei with a mixture of hope and fear.

"From today onward, you only need to remember one thing,"

Yi Huawei's voice wasn't loud, but it was etched into Bai Qing'er's soul like a brand: "Your life, your cultivation, everything about you, is entirely in my hands. Put away your underhanded thoughts and do what a Yin Gui Sect disciple should do. If you make the slightest move, Rong Jiaojiao's fate will serve as a warning to you. Understand?"

"Understood! Qing'er understands! Thank you, Young Master, for sparing my life! Thank you, Young Master, for saving my life!"

Bai Qing'er felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She slammed her forehead heavily against the cold stone slab, making a dull thud. A feeling of exhaustion, as if she had survived a calamity, welled up in her heart, and she dared not think of anything else.

Yi Huawei stopped looking at her and turned his gaze to the vast river outside the courtyard. The twilight deepened, and the river breeze, carrying the fishy smell of water, swept through the courtyard, stirring his plain robes.

Looking at the unfathomable young man before her, and then glancing at Bai Qing'er kneeling on the ground, trembling, Shan Meixian felt a mix of emotions. She gently walked to Yi Huawei's side, gracefully picked up the warm purple clay teapot on the stone table, and poured him a cup of tea. The fragrant tea temporarily dispelled the heavy atmosphere of blood and fear in the courtyard.

"Young Master,"

Shan Meixian's voice carried a barely perceptible sigh as she whispered, "The Yin Kui Sect was completely unaware of Rong Jiaojiao's matter; it is truly shameful. If it weren't for your keen insight, young master, this scoundrel might have caused a great disaster."

She was also filled with lingering fear. Rong Jiaojiao had been in charge of intelligence in Jianghuai for many years. If she was really a spy for the Great Ming Zunjiao, then the intelligence network of the Dongming Sect and even the Yin Gui Sect would be like a sieve.

Yi Huawei picked up his teacup, the rising steam blurring his deep eyes.

"Moths always hide beneath the shiniest surface."

He took a sip of tea and said calmly, "The Yin Gui Sect is like this, and so is Baling City, and the world... isn't it the same?"

I put down my teacup, glanced past the lights of the distant dock, and looked towards the deeper Dongting Lake, shrouded in twilight.

"Rong Jiaojiao is just a fuse. What she reveals will show us just how many venomous snakes and how many hungry wolves are lurking beneath the calm surface of Baling City."

Yi Huawei’s voice carried a sense of composure as if he controlled the whole situation: “Lin Shihong’s Chu army, Xiao Xian’s Liang army, and those extraterrestrial forces hidden in the shadows... all want a share of the pie at the confluence of the Yangtze River and Dongting Lake, or even... to make their move and establish their dominance.”

He turned his head slightly to look at Shan Meixian: "Have your men keep a close eye on Dong Jingzhen's naval movements, as well as Zhang Xiu's adjustments to the city's defenses. Once Rong Jiaojiao is removed, the 'player' behind them will soon be restless."

"Yes, son!"

Shan Meixian solemnly accepted the order, her eyes gleaming with shrewdness. A storm had clearly been ignited amidst the young master's casual conversation.

In the courtyard, only the rustling sound of the river wind passing through the locust tree branches and leaves remained.

Yi Huawei withdrew his gaze from the vast river and his indifferent eyes fell on Bai Qing'er, who was still prostrate on the ground, her white dress soaked with cold sweat.

"Bai Qing'er."

Bai Qing'er trembled violently, as if struck on the back by an invisible whip, and hurriedly replied, "Qing...Qing'er is here! What are your orders, Young Master?"

"Rong Jiaojiao had built up a formidable intelligence network in the Jianghuai region over many years, like a spider web with intertwined roots. Her head may be gone, but the web remains. The worms on the web must not be allowed to live."

Bai Qing'er instantly understood Yi Huawei's meaning: Eliminate Rong Jiaojiao's confidants! In this brief vacuum before Rong Jiaojiao's downfall and the secrets spread, seize control of this crucial intelligence network with swift and decisive action!

A chill, mixed with an indescribable excitement, instantly gripped her. This was danger, but also opportunity! A golden chance to prove her worth and clear her name to this unfathomable young master before her!

"Qing'er understands!"

Bai Qing'er immediately straightened up, her face still wet with tears, but her eyes had lost their panic and were replaced by an almost cruel calmness: "Senior Sister Rong... no, I know the identities, strongholds, and contact codes of several key figures under Rong Jiaojiao. Especially 'Jiangling Fox' Hu Sanniang and 'Jiujiang Loach' Liu Shuigui, these two are her right and left arms in the Jianghuai intelligence network, deeply trusted, and they also control the most core secret files and channels."

She spoke very quickly and clearly, clearly indicating that she had long been aware of Rong Jiaojiao's power.

Yi Huawei nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to Shan Wanjing beside him.

“Wanjing, you will go with Bai Qing’er. The ‘Shadow Guards’ of Baling will all be under your command. Remember, be quick, accurate, and ruthless. Once the news leaks out, the net will break, and those who escape will cause even greater trouble. Bai Qing’er will be responsible for identification and leading the way, while you will take the lead in the operation. I want to see control, and even more so, I want to see… peace and tranquility.”

"Yes! Son!"

Shan Wanjing straightened her back, her voice clear and firm. She looked at Bai Qing'er, her eyes sharp as a sword testing its edge for the first time: "Miss Bai, please lead the way."

"Young Master Shan, please follow Qing'er."

Bai Qing'er immediately stood up. Although her legs were still a little weak, her movements had regained some of the agility of an elite disciple of the Yin Gui Sect. She took a deep breath, suppressing the complex emotions churning within her—fear, relief, and a hint of cold preparation for the impending bloody purge. She had to appear more useful than ever before.

A hint of worry flashed in Shan Meixian's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination. She gently patted her daughter's shoulder and whispered, "Be careful. If you're unsure what to do, use swift and decisive action to deter others."

The implication is that it's better to kill the innocent than to let the key figures escape.

"Don't worry, Mother!" Shan Wanjing nodded emphatically.

Bai Qing'er dared not delay and immediately led Shan Wanjing away from the courtyard. Shan Meixian also immediately began making arrangements, issuing several orders silently. The elite "Shadow Guards" of the Dongming Sect, hidden in Baling City, swiftly converged at several designated locations like ghosts in the night. (End of Chapter)