Imperial City. In the Golden Luan Hall!
A woman dressed in brocade and a yellow imperial robe sat high upon the throne.
She was in her early twenties, radiating a natural majesty and the commanding aura of a supreme ruler.
Her slender arm rested against her delicate cheek, her fine brows slightly knitted.
Below her, an elderly eunuch in a floral-patterned robe stood with his eyes closed, resting and gathering his energy.
Suddenly, the old eunuch's eyes snapped open, gazing toward the palace gates.
A maid entered and reported, "Your Majesty, the Protector General has arrived!"
"Eunuch Li, announce her!"
Eunuch Li pitched his voice into a high, drawn-out whine and shouted, "Presenting the Protector General to the throne!"
Soon, a figure entered from outside, clad in military attire and radiating an heroic air. Who else could it be but Su Chanjuan!
"Your humble subject Su Chanjuan pays respects to Your Majesty!"
The Empress nodded slightly. "General Su, you've had a hard time. I heard that the Shadow Gate is no more?"
"Indeed!"
"Your humble subject has had people verify it repeatedly; the news is certain."
The Empress glanced slightly at Eunuch Li.
Eunuch Li held his horsetail whisk, his expression calm and seemingly unmoved.
"Does the General know who is responsible?"
The Empress gazed intently at Su Chanjuan.
Su Chanjuan shook her head. "Your humble subject does not know. The Shadow Gate is an existence second only to the Northern Wasteland Hall. With three thousand members in their ranks and no fewer than five hundred Foundation Establishment experts, even the Northern Wasteland Hall might not have the strength to annihilate the Shadow Gate in a single day!"
"Unless an expert from a higher plane has appeared in the Daxia nation!"
"Or perhaps, several founding veteran ministers of our Daxia nation are still alive!"
A flicker of emotion crossed the Empress's face, but she quickly sighed. "Investigate this matter further in secret. No matter what, we must find out whether they are friend or foe. An expert of this caliber could very well upend our Daxia nation if they wished!"
"Understood!"
Su Chanjuan bowed slightly.
"By the way, I hear that someone recently surrounded the Northern Prefecture Prince's Estate. Is that lustful husband of yours all right?"
The Empress gazed fixedly at Su Chanjuan.
Feeling the complexity in the Empress's gaze, Su Chanjuan hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Your humble subject has been busy with official duties lately and has not had the time to look after the Young Prince!"
Su Chanjuan did not mention that Ye Tian was hiding in the General's Estate.
For to this day, she still did not understand why the Empress had betrothed her to Ye Tian!
For three years, she had endured humiliation without daring to object, but that did not mean she accepted this marriage!
Although she was a military general and the Prince of Northern Prefecture was a civil official, both held power that shook the imperial court.
Come to think of it, a marriage alliance between her and the Young Prince was an equal match in social standing!
Yet her intuition told her this was a conspiracy!
It was certainly no ordinary marriage alliance!
However, ever since she had suddenly awakened the System three days ago, Su Chanjuan had even felt a twinge of gratitude toward the Empress!
Had it not betrothed her to him three years ago, how would she ever have had the opportunity to earn points?
Su Chanjuan had fallen into a spacetime rift three years ago, transmigrating from the Blue Planet to Daxia!
In the blink of an eye, she had become the first female general of the Daxia nation!
Of course, previously she had relied solely on the cultivation resources of the General's Estate!
Over the past three years, those resources had been depleted!
Or rather, ordinary resources could no longer advance her realm!
Now, only the System could provide the medicinal pills she needed to level up!
Noticing that Su Chanjuan was lost in thought, the Empress waved a hand. "Very well, you are dismissed!"
Su Chanjuan snapped back to her senses, cupped her fists, bowed slightly, and backed out of the hall!
Watching Su Chanjuan's retreating figure vanish, the Empress turned to Eunuch Li. "Eunuch Li, what do you make of this?"
Eunuch Li said indifferently, "Su Chanjuan did not tell the whole truth!"
"This old slave has a hunch that she is hiding a secret!"
The Empress shook her head. "Su Chanjuan is tied to the safety of the Northern Prefecture; for now, I do not wish to move against her."
Eunuch Li shook his head slightly. "Your Majesty, General Su's reputation grows daily, and her public image becomes ever loftier. Given time, I fear Your Majesty will no longer be able to keep her in check! It would be better to pick a few clauses from the twenty-one Daxia statutes and pin them on her..."
***
On the street, Su Xiaotang pulled Ye Tian along at a brisk pace.
Both wore bamboo conical hats on their heads, making it difficult to recognize their faces.
However, as they passed beneath a restaurant, a woman in black stood on the upper balcony. It was the Black Widow!
The Black Widow gazed down at the two of them, a sneer playing on her lips: So you've finally come out!
Below, the two had already arrived outside a casino.
With a quick slip, the two of them mingled inside!
"Why did you bring me here?"
"Didn't we agree we were going to eat?"
Ye Tian frowned.
"Shh, brother-in-law, stop complaining, will you? Eating costs silver, do you have any?"
"I do, but only ten taels. Let's play a round first, shall we? If we win, we'll have a big feast!"
"Ahem!"
How could Ye Tian refuse?
She had already dragged him right in!
"Come on, let's go to a private room!"
With that, Su Xiaotang dragged Ye Tian toward the corridor, twisted and turned a few times until they reached the back, pushed open a door, and entered a room.
Ye Tian looked up and instantly froze!
There were over a dozen women inside!
A woman sat squarely in the center.
The women on either side were each brandishing iron shovels, kitchen knives, and rolling pins!
What?
Ye Tian suddenly had an ominous feeling!
A trace of triumph flashed in the depths of Su Xiaotang's eyes. Then she exchanged a look with the leading woman and intentionally wailed, "Did we come to the wrong place?"
"Sorry, goodbye!"
With that, Su Xiaotang turned and ran.
Someone let her out, and when Ye Tian turned his head to look, the door was shut from the outside!
"Looks like Second Miss Su intentionally lured me here, then?"
Ye Tian simply calmed down!
Since they had laid a trap for him, he shouldn't waste their efforts!
Show some respect!
With that, he pulled over a chair, sat down, and crossed his legs!
"So what if she did, so what if she didn't? In short, now that you've stepped into my Erniang Xu's turf, don't expect to leave in one piece!"
The leading woman was around thirty-two or thirty-three years old! She had a horse-like face!
Clearly, she was the boss here.
Ye Tian looked at her indifferently. "I don't kill women, but if driven to the limit, I will strike. Tell me, who instigated you to do this? How much did they pay you?"
Erniang Xu was taken aback. "Ye Tian, you sex maniac, what nonsense are you spouting? Have you forgotten what you did?"
Ye Tian gave a cold smile!
He had not the slightest impression of this Erniang Xu!
"Do you have a daughter? How old is she?"
"I don't have a daughter, I have a son!"
Ye Tian laughed. "Then tell me, did I rape you? Or your old mother?"
"Do you think that's possible? Leaving your mother out of it for a second, just look at yourself in a mirror—with that face of yours, wouldn't I vomit?"
"You!"
Erniang Xu barked angrily, "You're asking for death!"
"Are you refusing to admit to what you did?"
"Men—beat him!"
More than a dozen women brandished their weapons and lunged at Ye Tian.
Ye Tian was just about to make a move when a cold grunt came from outside. "He's mine! It's not your turn!"
With a loud bang, the door was kicked open!
Then, a woman in black rushed in, reached out to grab Ye Tian's wrist, and with her other hand, pushed fiercely outward!
With a booming crash, the seventh-layer Foundation Establishment spiritual energy swept forth, blasting those women flying backward.
Immediately after, the woman in black grabbed Ye Tian and flew away!
Ye Tian had already seen her face—it was the Black Widow!
Yet he did not expose himself, letting her drag him along!
The two flew onto a warhorse at the back of the casino.
The warhorse let out a neigh and galloped away!
The space of an incense stick later, the warhorse left the city and arrived outside a humble Earth Temple!
"Come on, follow me inside!"
The Black Widow drew her machete.
Suddenly, Ye Tian hissed, "Something's wrong!"
"Stop faking it, get inside!"
"Wait!"
Ye Tian stopped in his tracks because his powerful spiritual sense made him feel the eerie aura surrounding them!
"It's an ambush!"
"How is that possible? Everyone inside the temple belongs to my Fengming Cult!"
Ye Tian shook his head slightly and said no more, following her into the temple.
A pungent stench of blood assaulted their nostrils!
Looking closer, hundreds of female corpses lay scattered across the temple floor!
"What?" (⊙0⊙)?
The Black Widow was dumbfounded!
"Cult Master! Cult Master!"
She let go of Ye Tian, rushed toward the pile of bodies, and quickly scooped up a woman in black from among several corpses!
The woman was very young, with delicate facial features, but her face was pale and her breath was faint!
She wasn't dead yet!
But she could draw her last breath at any moment!
"Cult Master, who was it? Who did this?"
"It was... Ye Tian!"
"Ye Tian? Cult Master, impossible, I just captured Ye Tian myself."
The Cult Master suddenly cast her gaze past the Black Widow, her delicate hand slowly raising to point!
The Black Widow jerked her head around to see dozens of heavily armored guards appearing at the temple entrance.
Stamped upon their uniforms were the three characters: "Northern Prefecture Prince"!