"Sect Master!"
Lan Qingqing and the others cried out in alarm.
Gu Qianying glanced at them, "Silence!"
Wulala Nayi Xiu looked at Gu Qianying, seeming hesitant.
"You all just want my life, it has nothing to do with them. Why go to such great lengths, mobilizing so many Imperial Guards? You've certainly spent a fortune."
As she spoke, Gu Qianying clutched her chest and turned to face the Meng family and the others. "By the order of this Sect Master, once you leave, you are forbidden to avenge me. You shall all return to the Juesha Sect immediately and must not enter the capital again. Do you understand?"
The blood from her chest continued to flow, and Gu Qianying's face began to turn pale.
"Sect Master!"
Lan Qingqing, Caixia, Leng, and the white-robed youths present knelt before Gu Qianying.
Nangong Xuanning covered her mouth, crying silently. Meng Shi looked at Gu Qianying, her eyes red.
The little emperor, hidden in Meng Shi's embrace, let out a faint gasp, "Godmother."
Looking at the people kneeling at her feet, Gu Qianying closed her eyes.
She used a unique secret signal of the Juesha Sect to issue her true command to Lan Qingqing and the others.
"A Mu, Bai Ze, Leng, you are all injured. Caixia, Qingqing, and the others, your poison has not been cured. With so many Imperial Guards outside and the current situation, staying here would be sending yourselves to your deaths. This Sect Master orders you to return and heal. Once you have recovered, you may lead everyone from the Juesha Sect to rescue this Sect Master!"
"You can rest assured, this Sect Master holds what they desire. They will not kill me easily. At most, I will suffer some superficial wounds. Do you understand?"
Lan Qingqing and the others obeyed, all rising together.
Each of their eyes was filled with mist.
As she faced them, Gu Qianying quickly pressed pressure points on her chest to stop the bleeding.
"Let them go. This Sect Master will stay."
Gu Qianying stood straight.
"Do you take me for a fool? If I let your people go, I'd be nurturing a tiger that will bite me. Today, I can capture you all in one fell swoop and root out the problem. Why should I spare the lives of your subordinates? Hah!"
Nangong Cong found it utterly ridiculous.
Hearing this, Gu Qianying picked up the Scarlet Blood Saber from the ground and held it in her hand.
She held the Scarlet Blood Saber in one hand and clutched her chest with the other.
"Prince Guo, do you truly believe your men can contain this Sect Master? It is your good fortune that I am considering the safety of others today!"
Despite being the one held hostage, she possessed an unyielding spirit, unafraid of anyone.
Nangong Cong glanced at Wulala Nayi Xiu, remaining silent.
"Gu Qianying, this Empress Dowager understands your abilities. I can promise to release all your people, but I will still need to see your performance."
Wulala Nayi Xiu flicked her sleeve, throwing a golden, gleaming sleeve dart to Gu Qianying's feet.
"This object is the Evil Spirit Sword, capable of temporarily sealing the demonic power within you. Sect Master Gu, please! Show us your sincerity!"
"Sect Master!"
Lan Qingqing and the others cried out softly.
Some wiped their tears, others clenched their fists.
Picking up the Evil Spirit Sword from the ground, Gu Qianying did not hesitate to plunge it into her own chest.
The secondary injury made Gu Qianying's complexion even paler.
The golden, gleaming Evil Spirit Sword vanished the moment she released it.
Gu Qianying frowned, feeling something surging within her, causing immense pain.
Stripped of her demonic power, she slumped to the ground weakly.
She supported herself with one hand on the ground and looked up at Wulala Nayi Xiu and the others. "Can you release my people now?"
"Sect Master!"
Lan Qingqing, Caixia, and the others' voices were choked with sobs.
"Good, very good, haha, this Empress Dowager is also a person of her word. Release them!"
Wulala Nayi Xiu looked at the people behind Gu Qianying, a disdainful smile on her lips.
She did not take these minor figures seriously at all.
What she wanted was always Gu Qianying.
She didn't even consider Meng Shi and her son important.
They were merely obedient "puppets." If they were all gathered, so be it. What was there to regret?
Lan Qingqing helped Caixia, Nangong Xuanning held little Ziyi, Meng Shi held the little emperor's hand, Leng and the white-robed youths present each carried the severely injured and dying Bai Ze and Jiao Long A Mu.
Under Nangong Cong's command, numerous Imperial Guards cleared a path.
Glancing back repeatedly, Lan Qingqing and the others, with red eyes, watched Gu Qianying being taken away by the leader of the Imperial Guards.
Leng, who had clenched his fists, released Bai Ze and turned around.
At this moment, he regretted it!
He could not stand by and watch the Sect Master be captured by Nangong Cong and his ilk.
Bai Ze grabbed him, "What are you doing? Are you not listening to the Sect Master's orders?"
"Let go of me! I want to save her! Even if it means death, I want to die with her!"
Leng was also injured, and he had witnessed the power of the Tian Wu Divine Beast standing behind Wulala Nayi Xiu.
He knew he would not return alive if he went now.
Even so, he had to accompany her.
Unknowingly, the Sect Master Leng spoke of had become "her."
Bai Ze heard this and looked at Leng with considerable surprise, "You... towards the Sect Master...?"
Leng did not refute.
Bai Ze understood.
He released Leng, "If you wish to go, then go. It's also an opportunity to tell her your true identity."
Leng's pupils constricted. He looked back at Bai Ze.
He understood the meaning behind Bai Ze's words.
It was precisely because of this that he felt shocked.
"No killer would be so concerned about her. Killers are heartless. I've seen what you've done for her over the years. And your identity, I could guess it from your expression when you saw the Gu family. I didn't intend to test you, I just hope that the infatuated people in this world can achieve their desires."
As he said this, Bai Ze raised his hand and looked at the spiritual flower imprint on his wrist.
This item was given to him by his beloved, Xuan Ling.
It was so he could sense Xuan Ling's presence.
Xuan Ling, who resided in his sea of consciousness, had sealed her five senses and spiritual energy while in seclusion for cultivation.
This prevented outsiders from sensing her existence.
Fortunately, he had this spiritual flower.
Bai Ze watched Leng's retreating back as he returned, disregarding his own safety.
He understood Leng's feelings very well, just as he had felt in the past.
Leng handed the injured Bai Ze to someone else, discarded the sword in his hand, and went alone.
A few steps after Leng had walked away, Bai Ze used a telepathic transmission to tell Leng something: "The Tian Wu Divine Beast is not an evil beast. This is an opportunity. Let Qianying seize it."
Leng's footsteps paused. He did not look back and continued on his way alone.
The others watched Leng return, remaining silent.
Lan Qingqing and Caixia wanted to follow, but Meng Shi persuaded them against it.
With their children, Meng Shi and Nangong Xuanning were surprisingly calm.
As mothers, they not only valued loyalty but also responsibility.
They had the responsibility to protect their children.
...
Imprisoned in the dungeon and tied to a pillar, Gu Qianying saw Leng being dragged in.
She frowned, her face instantly turning cold. "Leng, are you insane?"
The soldiers who dragged Leng in tied him to Gu Qianying, their backs against the pillar.
Their limbs were all bound by chains.
The dungeon was eerie and damp. In a nearby cell, several piles of corpses were stacked.
"My name is not Leng. My surname is Han, and my given name is Shuo. I am Han Shuo!"