These fairies want me to deal with them every day.

Tuoba Rouran picked up her wine glass and smiled, asking seemingly casually, "Miss Bai seems to be particularly concerned about the affairs of the Northern Desert Demon Realm."

Bai Youwei was not nervous despite the change in atmosphere. When she decided to reveal her affiliation with the Yuanjian Sect and then submit her visiting card to the Beiyou City, she was already prepared.

"I have an irreconcilable hatred for the Northern Desert Demon Realm. I came to Beiyou City simply hoping to kill more demons under the leadership of City Lord Tuoba."

"Hahahaha... Since that's the case, then we're all on the same side. In that case, I'll make arrangements in a few days to give Miss Bai a great opportunity to show her skills!"

"Thank you very much, Lord Tuoba."

"Come on! Let's drink!"

As night deepened, the woman, wearing a straw hat and veil, slowly rode away from the manor.

The tall Tuoba Rouran withdrew his gaze and his smiling face. His slightly tipsy appearance, as if he had drunk too much, vanished without a trace.

The tall, thin man next to him asked, "Brother, what you said before... about arranging things for this woman, is that true?"

Tuoba Rouran nodded, "Of course."

"What's going on? She's only been here a short time. Brother, you haven't even figured out her background yet. Are you really comfortable with this?"

The man seemed very uneasy.

Tuoba Rouran laughed, "What if I were planning to have her lead people to North Lion Mountain?"

"...What, brother, you mean to let her..."

Tuoba Rouran turned around with a smile.

"Yes... Everyone knows that I and that person are sworn brothers. Now my sworn brother has started his own faction and is determined to oppose me, thinking that what I am doing is wrong... But he has no idea that only by doing this can our border city be secure forever, and only then can our brothers truly enjoy wealth and honor... He is thinking too simply."

The man beside him remained silent for a moment before saying, "Big brother... are you really going to kill second brother?"

Tuoba Rouran sighed, "I didn't want to either, but you have to understand, some people become the most terrible enemies when they can't be brothers. If she can kill him this time, I will naturally put on an act. Using this woman as a scapegoat and a tool to appease the brothers is perfect. If not, wouldn't it be wonderful to deal with her according to military law?"

"What if that woman doesn't agree?"

Tuoba Rouran shook her head. "She's a smart woman, she'll agree. Because if she doesn't, she'll be degrading herself, becoming a marginal figure, and then she'll be useless to me, dispensable. And this kind of trap is most effective against smart people."

-

"Your Highness, you're back."

On a snowy night, Bai Youwei pushed open the door.

Tudo, who was behind the door, looked around warily, and then pulled Bai Youwei into the house.

She smelled it and asked softly.

"Your Highness, have you had too much to drink?"

Bai Youwei took off her straw hat and entered the room.

"It's not that bad, just a little bit of wine."

"That's fine then... The wine in Beiyou City is specially made for the weather here. It's strong and fragrant, and ordinary cultivators really can't handle it. Your Highness, please don't drink too much."

"Don't worry, Aunt Tu, I know what I'm doing."

Bai Youwei smiled, her smile sweet and charming.

Tudo stared at her smiling face, slightly dazed, "So alike..."

"Like what?"

"Like the Demon Queen back then... Your Highness and the Demon Queen are practically identical. Sigh, let's not dwell on these painful memories. What did Tuoba Rouran say to Your Highness today? What are their next plans?"

Bai Youwei thought for a moment and said, "Tuoba Rouran... he may seem rugged and bold, but he's full of cunning and scheming. His words and actions reveal a deep distrust of me, and he always mentions that North Lion Mountain is his biggest worry right now..."

"Beishishan?"

Tudo frowned.

"You know?"

"Of course... I roughly know what he's thinking. He's really vicious... Your Highness, you may not know this, but North Lion Mountain is a new mountain that rose up a few years ago. A group of people led by Xiao Ziyi occupied the mountain and opposed North You City. But these people all came from North You City. Xiao Ziyi was even once a sworn brother of Tuoba Rouran."

"Sworn brothers turned against each other?"

Bai Youwei frowned.

Tu Duo nodded and said, "That's right. I don't know the details either, but what I can say for sure is that if Tuoba Rouran really hinted at this to you, they probably have something on their mind. Seeing that you have strength, they can't openly launch a large-scale campaign to wipe out their once prestigious brothers in front of their subordinates, for fear of causing a change in the hearts of the people."

However, he'll probably secretly assign the task to you, Your Highness, to handle it. If you succeed and eliminate them, then the blame for killing his brother will fall on you. If you fail, he'll have even more reason to target you, perhaps to investigate your background, or perhaps for even more dangerous and despicable purposes… Your Highness, you should think carefully about your next step.”

"I didn't expect to be given such a difficult problem right from the start..."

Bai Youwei leaned back in her chair and smiled. PS: This chapter is quite long~ I've pushed back the previous plot points. Actually, there aren't many key plot points left, so I don't plan to add any new ones, just in case I can't fill them all.

52. Emotions are like a raging flood.

What do you think is going on here?

Xu Qing, who was resting by the sword-practice area, heard the question from the boy next to him.

Jiang Yuqi seemed to be in an unusual mood today; she could tell, though the boy himself didn't seem to realize it.

He not only seemed absent-minded, but also somewhat restless.

Besides the question itself, what was unusual was his gaze, which remained fixed on a couple under a tree on the other side of the sword-training area.

Qin Xiaoman and a senior student named Yang Qingfeng.

As for why Xu Qing knew the young man's name... well, it was Jiang Yuqi who told her.

"What's going on?"

Xu Qing didn't care much about these things.

Jiang Yuqi, however, seemed quite concerned.

"Yang Qingfeng...could he be interested in Qin Xiaoman?"

Yang Qingfeng was even a fellow disciple from the same mountain as Jiang Yuqi, yet he addressed him by his first name, seemingly without Jiang Yuqi realizing it.

He said it in a strange tone.

"Maybe it's just a senior brother taking normal care of his junior sister."

Xu Qing casually replied that she didn't really like the intense sunlight, which made it hard to open her eyes.

Jiang Yuqi shook his head. "That shouldn't be the case. Since some time ago, Yang Qingfeng has been saying that he would guide our cultivation, but in the end, he still cares most about Qin Xiaoman. Isn't that a very obvious signal?"

Xu Qing glanced over there. The more they chatted and laughed, and the more Qin Xiaoman would occasionally blush slightly, the more Jiang Yuqi frowned.

"You act like you're very familiar with this kind of thing."

"Ah……"

Jiang Yuqi snorted coldly, "Isn't that how things between men and women are? It's not that complicated. First, they exchange glances, then if they like each other, they sleep together. What's so difficult about that?"

Xu Qing chuckled, "So you care so much about Qin Xiaoman, do you like her too?"

Jiang Yuqi immediately stood up dramatically, his eyes wide open.

"How could that be! We're good friends who drink and eat together!"

Xu Qingtan felt that this reaction couldn't be clearer.

She looked away. "If it's not, it's not. Why are you getting so worked up?"

Jiang Yuqi blushed slightly. "I... I'm not excited, it's just... I feel that these two are not a good match."

"Oh? Where did you see that we're not a good match? I think we're a good match."

Why is it suitable?

“Yang Qingfeng is four or five years older? Xiaoman is young and doesn’t know any better. It’s perfect that we need someone sensible to take care of her. Besides, he’s quite talented and has a good reputation in your area, right? He’s the most suitable person to take care of her.”

"Suitable my ass."

Jiang Yuqi blurted it out almost immediately, then saw Xu Qingtan's slightly surprised look and blushed.

"Xiaoman is clever and quirky, while Yang Qingfeng is too rigid. They'll definitely lose interest after a few days. Just you wait and see, they'll definitely have nothing to do with each other in a few days."

"Is that so?"

Xu Qing said she didn't care about such things. Everyone has their own rights and the right to choose their own relationships... well, except for herself.

At this moment, Qin Xiaoman walked towards the two of them.

Yang Qingfeng was also traveling with them.

It was clear that Jiang Yuqi's face looked unpleasant; he was trying to remain calm, but it still revealed an indescribable sense of suppressed frustration.

The two walked closer and closer, almost side by side, until they finally reached Xu Qingtan and Jiang Yuqi.

Qin Xiaoman seemed oblivious to Jiang Yuqi's expression, and instead smiled at the two of them, saying, "Senior Brother Yang said he'd like to invite us for drinks."

"Really? Senior Brother Yang is really generous."

Jiang Yuqi's tone sounded rather strange.

Yang Qingfeng laughed heartily and said, "We're all fellow disciples, there's no need to be generous or not."

"I'm afraid it's not because of us, is it?"

He said that.

"what?"

Yang Qingfeng was stunned for a moment, and Qin Xiaoman also looked at Jiang Yuqi strangely, "Why are you being so sarcastic all of a sudden?"

It would have been fine if Qin Xiaoman hadn't spoken, but as soon as she did, Jiang Yuqi's expression changed.

He said coldly, "It's nothing. I'll skip the drinking. I'll wait to drink at your wedding."

The boy turned around and strode away.

Qin Xiaoman's face flushed instantly. "Jiang Yuqi, what nonsense are you spouting! Come back here!"

But Jiang Yuqi was like a child determined to run away, refusing to go home in a huff no matter what.

Xu Qing was left to look at the two people with awkward expressions.