Northern Yan's main camp.
"General Tu's intention is as such; you should convey it to Tianhong Pavilion as soon as possible."
Lu Qing's black token emitted a faint red glow, reflecting a blurry figure on the surface of the pond in front of him.
"Received…" A vague and ethereal voice came from the blurry figure, and then the red glow dissipated, and the water surface returned to normal.
Seeing this, Lu Qing put away the token, a smile appearing on his face.
At this moment, a tall General strode in hurriedly.
"What's wrong, Wen Chang?"
Lu Qing didn't even turn his head, opening his folding fan and gently fanning himself, speaking lightly.
"Your Excellency Lu, Tianluo Sect sent a message that those Dark Star individuals have already set off for Donghai Prefecture."
"Donghai Prefecture?"
Hearing this, Lu Qing turned his head, a hint of surprise on his face, but he quickly sneered.
"These little rats can really run. It seems there must be a Dark Star stronghold in Donghai Prefecture. I'm quite curious what these people want to do in Donghai?"
"Now that the war has temporarily subsided, these little rats have been happy for a few days; it's time to reel them in."
With a snap, Lu Qing's folding fan closed.
These Dark Star individuals heading to Donghai Prefecture clearly had some plan in motion. He had a feeling that this time, there might be other gains.
*
*
Time flowed like water, quietly passing, and seven days vanished in an instant.
Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and the weather was unusually muggy, clearly brewing a heavy rain.
"It's already been 7 days. We should reach the Donghai Prefecture territory in about two more days."
Nong Yu manipulated a map in her hand, discerning directions, while also asking the tall figure beside her.
"Sister Weiya, you've always lived in Southern Qi. Do you know if there are any powerful sea beasts in the waters near Donghai Prefecture?"
"I'm not clear about that. Although I live in Southern Qi, I rarely go to Donghai Prefecture, to be honest."
Weiya shook her head and said with a smile.
"But there's no need to worry. The military in Donghai Prefecture will definitely have records of this. If you're interested, I can look it up for you when we arrive in Donghai Prefecture."
"Thank you, Sister Weiya!"
Hearing this, a look of joy appeared on Nong Yu's face.
"Don't be so polite. We're going to the sea anyway, so all of this will naturally need to be understood clearly then."
Weiya waved her hand, and finally asked casually.
"I saw that Your Excellency Bai Can seemed to have returned yesterday?"
"Yes, he did return. As soon as he came back, he went to see Young Master. He must have completed the task Young Master assigned him."
Nong Yu said subconsciously without raising her head.
"Alright, I'm going to get some fresh air."
Seeing this, Weiya didn't say anything more, dropped a sentence, lifted the curtain, and stepped out of the carriage.
Outside the carriage, Weiya landed lightly.
She glanced at the dark clouds gathering in the sky, which seemed to be growing thicker.
The longer it held, the more furious it would be when released. Clearly, a downpour was unavoidable.
"The weather here in Donghai is indeed changeable."
She frowned slightly, seeming to dislike this kind of weather. Although she hadn't yet entered the Donghai territory, it was not far.
Her figure moved nimbly along the official road, her steps light and agile, quite relaxed, easily keeping up with the speed of the convoy. As a Divine Transformation Realm, this was nothing to her.
Her gaze swept over the carriage in the center of the convoy, then fell on a wild flower by the roadside, a pink blossom.
It was quite eye-catching among the weeds and bushes.
Several bees circled around the pink flower.
She flicked her finger, and the few bees instantly turned to dust. Then, she reached out and plucked the pink flower, bringing it to her nose to sniff gently. A hint of indifference appeared on her face, which usually wore a gentle and cheerful smile.
Immediately, her fingers twisted, crushing the entire flower and throwing it to the ground.
She even stepped on it with her tall riding boots.
"Do you enjoy destroying beauty?"
At this moment, a flat voice sounded from behind her.
"Who's there!?"
The sudden voice made Weiya's expression change. She turned her head and shouted sharply.
However, upon seeing the tall and strong figure behind her, a hint of surprise appeared in her eyes, and the sharpness on her face instantly dissipated. A cheerful and gentle smile reappeared on her face.
"Your Excellency Lin Sheng, why are you here?"
"I was bored cooped up in the carriage, so I wanted to take a stroll."
Lin Sheng said with a smile.
"Yes, indeed, being cooped up in the carriage all day is extremely boring. I thought Your Excellency Lin Sheng would always be cultivating in the carriage, but I didn't expect you couldn't stand the loneliness either."
Weiya chuckled, seemingly having found a topic.
"Bai Can returned yesterday, you should know, right?"
However, Lin Sheng suddenly interjected, not giving her a chance to continue speaking.
This made Weiya, who was about to say something, pause, but she quickly reacted and nodded.
"I saw him. Didn't you send him to handle other matters? Has it been handled?"
Listening to her words, the smile on Lin Sheng's face faded, returning to calm. He said indifferently,
"I sent Bai Can to the military department to collect information about Viya Protector."
Hearing this, Weiya's eyes narrowed slightly, her expression changing slightly. She said coldly,
"You're investigating me!? It seems Your Excellency doesn't trust me at all. If that's the case, you can just say so directly. I will ask Supreme General Huyan to replace me with someone else for you."
Listening to the anger in her words, Lin Sheng's face remained calm as still water, without any change in expression.
"It seems the original candidate Supreme General Huyan sent to assist me was someone else. It was Viya Protector who volunteered, and only then did the General change the candidate."
"Although I don't know why, Linsheng Pavilion doesn't think that a first meeting would make Viya Protector remember me so much."
"I don't understand what you're saying!?"
Upon hearing this, Weiya's expression turned cold, and she said in a deep voice.
Lin Sheng, however, completely ignored her, simply speaking to himself.
"According to the information Bai Can investigated, Viya Protector entered the military department at the age of 11. At that time, you didn't seem to show any talent, being just one of the most inconspicuous among the many children trained by the military department. However, it wasn't until after the age of fifteen that Viya Protector finally displayed astonishing talent, and from then on, soared to success, eventually becoming the current Middle Protector."
"What do you want to say!? It's just that my hidden Bloodline was activated. Although such cases are rare, they are not unheard of."
Weiya's expression grew colder and colder, eventually returning to calm. She responded in a deep voice.
"Hidden Bloodline, huh? It does seem plausible, and besides these, there are no other abnormalities. It's just a pity…"
Lin Sheng spoke softly, then shook his head slightly.
"Pity what?" Weiya asked slowly.
But then, Lin Sheng's calm gaze suddenly sharpened.
"It's just a pity that Linsheng Pavilion never believes in coincidences."
"What coincidence!? I don't understand what you're saying, but you need to know that this is Southern Qi, not Northern Yan, and certainly not your Dark Star."
Weiya's emotions, which had just calmed down, seemed to ignite instantly, and she spoke angrily.
"Whether you understand or not isn't important. I heard that most Tianluo Sect members have mental deficiencies due to their practice of the God-Worshiping Dao. Coincidentally, I have a Divine Illusion Pill in my hand. If Viya Protector can take it, Linsheng Pavilion will believe you."
As he spoke, a black porcelain bottle had already appeared in Lin Sheng's hand.
And the moment she heard the words "Divine Illusion Pill," a hint of panic flashed in Weiya's eyes.
"What do you want to do? A strange and poisonous Medicinal Pill like the Divine Illusion Pill has a huge impact on a Divine Transformation Realm's spirit, severely affecting a Martial Artist's future Breakthrough. Why should I take such a monstrous thing!?"
Weiya shouted sharply.
"Dark Star is not a place where you can run wild. Moreover, even if Your Excellency Lin Sheng's talent is outstanding and rare in the world, you are currently only in the Bone Transformation Realm. If I really wanted to do something to you, I would simply act directly. If I want to leave, how can you stop me!?"
Seeing Weiya's reaction, Lin Sheng's eyes narrowed, and the sharpness on his face grew even more intense.
"Unfortunately, you don't have a choice."
"You're arrogant! Since you don't trust me, then I have no reason to stay here and play with you."
Weiya felt somewhat ridiculous and immediately leaped, intending to leave.
However, very quickly, she felt her vision blur, and a large hand had already pressed down on her shoulder.
She tried to remove the large hand, but the next moment, an unimaginable terrifying Giant Strength pressed down from her shoulder.
Weiya's pupils suddenly constricted, her face changed dramatically. She wanted to struggle but only felt unable to budge this Giant Strength in the slightest. She heard two crisp sounds of bones cracking.
Weiya's body had already been pressed to the ground, her two long legs severely deformed.
"You… how is this possible!?"
Ignoring the intense pain in her legs, he looked up incredulously at the tall figure looking down at her, losing her voice.
Lin Sheng paid no attention to her. He pinched her delicate and defined chin with his large hand, and with a slight force, her jawbone shattered. A beautiful face, meticulously sculpted by the Creator, instantly lost its beauty.
He flicked his finger, opening the black porcelain bottle in his hand. A red Medicinal Pill fell into his palm. Holding Weiya's chin, Lin Sheng was about to force it into her mouth.
"No… don't, I'll tell you… I am indeed a hidden agent of the Tianluo Sect planted in the military department. Let me go, I was forced by that old man Rashid, I had no choice…"
As the Medicinal Pill got closer and closer, Weiya's eyes widened, her face filled with terror. Finally, she screamed frantically.
"You admit it? My feeling was right after all."
Lin Sheng stopped his movements, the sharpness on his face dissipated, and he shook his head slightly with a sigh.
As he spoke, he had already thrown the pill in his hand into his own mouth and swallowed it directly.
"I don't have any so-called Divine Illusion Pill. This Medicinal Pill is just a common Blood Solidifying Pill from Northern Yan. I also wasn't sure if the first candidate Huyan Ji arranged was you. The intelligence I ordered Bai Can to investigate was only about your entry into the military department. After all, as you said, this is Southern Qi, not Northern Yan. Even if I wanted to collect intelligence, I couldn't gather much in a short time…"
"You…"
Hearing that she had been tricked, Weiya clenched her hands, finally realizing it.
Thinking back now, there were indeed many flaws in his words.
As a high-ranking official in the military, her information was naturally protected within the military. How could the other party easily find out so much?
And that Divine Illusion Pill, a unique illusionary poison Medicinal Pill from the Western Regions, how could the other party easily get their hands on it?
These numerous flaws, now that she thought about them, indeed couldn't withstand scrutiny.
However, Lin Sheng pressed on relentlessly, giving her no chance to ponder or react, which is why things had escalated to this point.
Now that her identity had been exposed, any further attempts at sophistry would only be futile.
Immediately, she sighed despondently. Due to her shattered jawbone, her voice was somewhat distorted.
"Originally, I thought Your Excellency Lin Sheng was merely a Martial Artist obsessed with cultivation, but I never expected you to be so astute. I miscalculated. You can kill or flay me as you wish, but…"
She paused halfway through her sentence, a look of bitter helplessness appearing on her face.
"But I can guarantee that along this journey, I never harbored any ill intentions towards Your Excellency Lin Sheng and the others. Even if that old man Rashid gave me orders, I never had any thoughts. Otherwise, how could you have been safe and sound after leaving Jushi City for so many days?"
"The reason I joined the Tianluo Sect was because they controlled my family. Now, I have decided to break free from the Tianluo Sect's control. Even if you don't say anything, I will proactively confess everything to Supreme General Huyan after returning to the military department this time."
"But now it seems I might not have this opportunity. I only have one request: I only hope Your Excellency Lin Sheng won't tell Nong Yu about this matter. Do it."
After speaking, Weiya had already closed her eyes, her face showing no fear of impending death, but rather a smile of relief.
Like a pure white rose that had endured much torment, she evoked pity.
"Hoo…"
After quietly listening to her words, Lin Sheng remained silent for a moment, then exhaled.
"As a Divine Transformation Realm, these injuries should be nothing to you. Get lost. Don't let me see you again, otherwise, next time we meet, I won't show mercy."
"You… you're not killing me!!"
Weiya opened her eyes, her face filled with bewilderment.
"Scram." The only response she received was a cold, single word.
Feeling the indifference in his words, a complex look flashed in Weiya's eyes.
"Young Master Lin, take care."
She forced herself to kneel and bow to Lin Sheng, then, after dropping a sentence, turned and staggered away.
Under Lin Sheng's calm gaze, Weiya's figure gradually receded until she disappeared from sight.
Only when she sensed that the gaze on her had vanished, the pitiful and pained expression on Weiya's face instantly disappeared, replaced by a venomous and mocking smile.
"Men are indeed creatures of their lower body. Even if they have some brains, it's not much. This idiot actually let me go."
She muttered coldly, her face gloomy.
"Damn it, that guy tricked me into revealing my identity. I'm not in the military department here, otherwise, it would be troublesome."
As she spoke, a hint of urgency appeared on her face. She took off the hairpin from her head, letting her brown hair fall loose. With a flick of her fingers, as if activating some mechanism, the hairpin opened, revealing a black jade stone the size of her little finger inside.
"The matter has been exposed. That brat already knows my identity. Immediately inform the Cult Master. There's no time to lose, it's best to act immediately and not give him a chance to expose my identity!!"
As her voice fell, black light surged from the hairpin. Just as she was about to crush the hairpin, a hand emerged from the ground beneath her feet and directly grabbed her arm.
In Weiya's horrified eyes, a tall figure emerged from the ground.
A grinning face grew larger and larger before her eyes.
"Bitch, we meet again."