Shang Wanqiu suddenly turned to look at her and asked,
"What did you say?"
Caught off guard by Shang Wanqiu's sudden questioning, the Northwest Marquis was intimidated by her overwhelming aura and instinctively averted his gaze. At the same time, shock gripped his heart: he had spoken in such a soft murmur, yet this woman had heard him from so far away.
After a brief pause, General Li, the Northwest Marquis, drew a deep breath and said, "Miss Shang! You may leave! But you cannot take this little beast with you. I don't care who you are—committing murder here in the Northwest is something I, as the Northwest Marquis, simply cannot ignore!"
The Northwest Marquis had only spoken through clenched teeth to put on a show in front of his subordinates, hoping Shang Wanqiu would grant him a bit of face.
To his dismay, Shang Wanqiu gave him no face whatsoever. The moment his voice trailed off, she retorted with utter disdain:
"The Northwest Marquis is a piece of crap! You think you've got some grand authority? My junior brother wants to kill someone, and you dare try to stop him? I'm in a good mood today because I just saw my junior brother, so I don't feel like killing anyone. Get the hell out of my sight right now, or I'll turn your so-called Northwest Marquis into a dead monkey!"
"You..." Rage made the Northwest Marquis see red.
"What about me? Believe it or not, I'll castrate you!" Shang Wanqiu declared with overbearing swagger.
Shang Wanqiu's tyrannical and hooligan-like remarks sent ripples of suppressed laughter through the surrounding crowd.
This woman was completely insane! She was threatening to castrate the Northwest Marquis right to his face!
Was that even something a young girl was supposed to say?
Even if she could, you couldn't just go around lopping that off! Where was justice? Where was the law?
Seeing the Northwest Marquis's aged face turn a furious shade of purple, many of the men behind him struggled to hold back their grins.
They knew they shouldn't laugh, but they simply couldn't help it!
The Northwest Marquis's face darkened to a livid, ash-gray. As the dignified Northwest Marquis, to be humiliated time and again and mocked so openly—did he have no pride left at all?
"Arrogant! Shang Wanqiu, you are out of your mind! Others may fear you, but this old man certainly does not. Today, I'll see what kind of tricks this fearsome female fiend actually has! Prepare to meet your maker!"
Desperate to salvage his dignity, the Northwest Marquis threw all caution to the wind.
"Ha-ha-ha! Just you? What delusions of grandeur!" Shang Wanqiu's pretty face turned frosty. A tiny, exquisite flying blade suddenly materialized in her hand, which she casually flicked outward.
*Swish!* A piercing sound tore through the air! Like a speeding bullet, the flying blade pierced straight through the Northwest Marquis's throat, passing completely through his body before embedding itself deep into a distant wall behind him.
The next instant, the Northwest Marquis's eyes bulged in utter disbelief. His body pitched backward, crashing heavily onto the ground—dead with his eyes wide open in everlasting grievance!
*Boom!*
The heavy thud of the Northwest Marquis hitting the floor plunged the entire scene into dead silence. Every eye was riveted on the corpse sprawled on the ground, gazes filled with terror and disbelief.
"The Northwest Marquis is dead!"
The supreme warlord who had ruled the Northwest with an iron fist for many years, General Li the Northwest Marquis, had just perished at the hands of a woman!
"Eighth Senior Sister... you..." Even Li Daofeng couldn't help glancing sideways at her. This woman was astonishingly overbearing.
Although he himself had the courage to kill the Northwest Marquis, he had weighed the endless trouble that would inevitably follow from slaying a man holding such immense military power, which was why he had exercised restraint and held off until now.
He hadn't expected this ruffian of a senior sister to strike the moment she decided to kill, without a single shred of hesitation.
Shang Wanqiu, however, remained entirely unperturbed. She brushed her delicate hands together as if she had merely stepped on a tiny ant, feeling not the slightest burden after snuffing out the life of the Northwest Marquis.
"Let's go, Junior Brother! No one's stopping you now! What a load of crap, calling himself the Northwest Marquis! Thinking he's some big shot—what a joke, daring to cross my junior brother! If I don't kill someone like that, who should I kill?"
"Big Brother...!"
Suddenly, a cry of agonized grief snapped everyone out of their terror, making them realize that the heavens in the Northwest had truly turned upside down.
The man letting out that grieving roar was the Northwest Marquis's younger brother, Li Youran!
He never imagined that his older brother would be killed just like that! Slain under the protection of the Northwest Divine Army, right beneath his very nose!
"You little bitch! I'll kill you!"
Clad in full military uniform and brandishing a precious sword, Li Youran roared as he charged furiously toward Shang Wanqiu.
"Trying to touch my senior sister? You're courting death!"
A cold glint flashed in Li Daofeng's eyes! With a flick of his wrist, two silver needles shot forth, piercing straight through Li Youran's eyes. The needles burst out through the back of his head, and Li Youran died instantly without even a chance to scream!
The two of them simply existed on completely different planes. To Li Daofeng, killing such a person was no different from crushing an ant—the only question was whether to use his foot or his fingers.
"If any of you want to live, get lost right now!"
Li Daofeng's murderous gaze swept coldly over every single person present.
Under that piercing stare, not a soul dared meet his eyes. Driven back by his overwhelming aura, they stumbled backward in retreat! The more cowardly ones felt their legs turn to jelly and trembled uncontrollably.
"They're insane! Truly insane! They even dared to kill the Northwest Marquis! You're all dead meat!"
"Monsters! They're both monsters!"
Terrified to the core, the Heaven-grade martial artists retained as retainers by the Northwest Marquis backed away frantically before turning tail and fleeing in panic.
Once they bolted, the troops brought by the Northwest Marquis scattered in a chaotic frenzy, each terrified that being a step too slow would make their own head the next to explode.
In the blink of an eye, only four people remained in the entire old Jiang family estate: Li Daofeng, Shang Wanqiu, Huang Wenyin, and Li Xuemei.
Huang Wenyin and Li Xuemei had been thoroughly scared out of their wits! The Northwest Marquis had been murdered right before their very eyes, completely shattering their worldview.
"Sister Shang! You... how could you be so impulsive? By killing the Northwest Marquis, you've brought immense trouble upon yourself!" Huang Wenyin worriedly pointed out.
Shang Wanqiu, however, dismissed it nonchalantly. "What trouble? Whoever dares bother my junior brother, I kill!"
"Oh! Right! Why did you little girl run all the way out here, and how did you end up messing around with my junior brother? Could this be destiny at work?"
Her gaze flicked back and forth between the two of them with a deeply meaningful smile.
Yet somehow, innocent words like those sounded thoroughly warped coming from her mouth!
***
Li Daofeng rolled his eyes so hard it hurt. With a senior sister like this, he could kiss any hopes of maintaining a pure reputation goodbye!
Yet, deep down, he was deeply touched by Shang Wanqiu's fierce protectiveness. She had killed the Northwest Marquis purely because he had given her junior brother a hard time.
Such fierce affection felt both overwhelmingly heavy and deeply heartwarming.
"Oh, come on, Sister Shang! What are you talking about? What do you mean 'messing around'? Mr. Li is my savior! We met on the plane. If I hadn't run into Mr. Li this time, I would have been in serious trouble!"
"And Sister Shang! You have a junior brother with such miraculous medical skills, yet you never told me! You let me suffer for all these years under the torment of that illness—you're so bad, Sister Shang!" Huang Wenyin protested with a blushing face.
"It really is destiny, then! A life-saving grace naturally calls for offering oneself in return! Well, this is wonderful; I don't even need to play matchmaker, the Old Man Under the Moon has tied your threads together. True love spans a thousand miles, and when destiny arrives, there's simply no stopping it!"
"Little girl, my junior brother here is the fiancé I've picked out for you! Well? Look at that physique! Look at that vigor! Quite to your taste, isn't he?" Shang Wanqiu beamed like a professional matchmaker!
Listening to this, Li Daofeng felt every word sounded entirely wrong. She wasn't introducing a fiancé at all; she sounded like she was pimping someone out. *Quite to my taste? What am I, a marinated duck?!*
"Senior Sister, can you please stop..." Li Daofeng really couldn't take it anymore.
"What's wrong, Little Junior Brother? Don't be ungrateful. The wife Senior Sister found for you is the number one beauty in the Imperial Capital—stunning and loaded! When the time comes, you won't even need to lift a finger; you can just live off her wealth!"
"I..." Li Daofeng wanted to say *Oh, sweet lord*.
Did his destiny really dictate that he could never escape the fate of living off a woman? But looking at his current self, did he really need to rely on anyone?
"Oh, Sister Shang, stop it! If you keep talking like this, I'm not going to talk to you anymore..." Huang Wenyin's face flushed crimson with mortification, embarrassed to the point of wishing the ground would swallow her up.
"All right, all right! I'll drop it! You two young lovebirds can discuss things yourselves! Now, shouldn't we be heading out? Let's get out of here first!"
"Killing this little monkey is no big deal, but the people backing him are genuinely a bit troublesome. We'll need to plan our next steps carefully." Shang Wanqiu glanced at the stiffening corpse of the Northwest Marquis, a flicker of worry crossing her features.
"The people behind him? Eighth Senior Sister, you mean..." Li Daofeng asked with a frown, realizing it matched his own thought—that slaying the Northwest Marquis would inevitably provoke unforeseen complications.
After all, if even this Eighth Senior Sister admitted it was somewhat troublesome, it was far from a trivial matter.
Though he didn't know the exact extent of her influence, judging by his master's fearless, devil-may-care attitude, the disciples trained by such a man would never be cowards.
"Nothing major. It's just that behind this monkey, there's an eagle—a bit tricky and not so easy to deal with."
"An eagle? That's putting it mildly! That's bound to be massive trouble!" Huang Wenyin said, her face fraught with worry.
Hearing this, Li Daofeng pressed further. "Eighth Senior Sister, tell me the truth—who on earth is this eagle?"
"All right, stop asking! It's all small stuff; I'll tell you slowly later. Come on, Senior Sister will take you somewhere to rest. Look at you—you're covered in the stench of blood, filthy to the max! We can't have your wife turning her nose up at you!"
Without waiting for objections, Shang Wanqiu grabbed Li Daofeng by the arm and marched him outside. Before leaving, she didn't forget to call out to Huang Wenyin:
"Future sister-in-law, hurry up and keep up!"
"Eighth Senior Sister..."
Amidst Li Daofeng's speechless resignation, Shang Wanqiu dragged him out of the old Jiang estate straight into a luxury sedan. Once Huang Wenyin and Li Xuemei climbed in, she slammed her foot on the gas and sped away.
They finally stopped at a secluded villa resort!
"Come on, get inside! This will be your home from now on. I had this place prepared especially for you, Junior Brother!"
As Shang Wanqiu spoke, she hauled Li Daofeng directly toward the bathroom, turning back to shout at Huang Wenyin, "Future sister-in-law, find a place to sit!"
With that, her hands began tugging at Li Daofeng's clothes, scaring the wits out of him.
"N—no! Eighth Senior Sister, what are you doing?" Li Daofeng was frantic.
"What are your thoughts running to? You little brat, your imagination is working overtime, isn't it?"
With a coquettish giggle, Shang Wanqiu gave Li Daofeng a light slap on the shoulder. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she realized she might have been a bit too enthusiastic.
"Bad boy, letting your mind wander! As if your senior sister would eat you. Look at you—you're covered in blood. Can you not take a bath and change into some clean clothes?"
"No—no, Senior Sister, I wasn't thinking anything weird! I can wash myself!" Li Daofeng's reddened face betrayed him instantly.
"Oh my! Acting shy in front of your senior sister? I've traveled the length and breadth of the martial world; what haven't I seen? What are you acting all bashful for?!"
Though Shang Wanqiu rattled off one brazen remark after another, her own face flushed beet red. Even so, she had no intention of letting Li Daofeng off the hook.
"Come on! Let your senior sister check if you've even got the capital to be shy!"
This time, Li Daofeng was genuinely terrified, gripping his clothes for dear life.
"Eighth Senior Sister, stop! Don't do this, there are people outside! I can wash myself, please just go out!"
He hurriedly shoved the little vixen Shang Wanqiu out of the bathroom and slammed the door shut, finally letting out a breath of relief.
"That was too close! Too insane! Master really didn't lie—when women go crazy, men don't stand a chance!"
Leaning against the door and patting his racing heart, Li Daofeng felt that his purity had barely escaped by a hair's breadth.
Outside the door, hearing Li Daofeng's muttered monologue, Shang Wanqiu burst into giggles.
"Little brat, keep pretending! There'll be plenty of time for you to drool later..."
Inside the bathroom, Li Daofeng finally shed his clothes and glanced down, cursing himself inwardly for being so weak-willed.
In truth, over the past twenty years, Li Daofeng had never once touched a woman!
Not to mention that this Eighth Senior Sister of his possessed a dangerously bewitching charm.
In his own words, this senior sister was an absolute siren.
Sitting in the massive bathtub, Li Daofeng centered his mind and began circulating his inner energy. Having cut down numerous formidable opponents today, his body had suffered a degree of exhaustion; he decided to seize this opportunity to recover.
As Li Daofeng cultivated, a faint, golden flood dragon materialized dimly across his back, lending a somewhat eerie aura to the scene.
After completing a full circulation of his technique, Li Daofeng felt completely refreshed, his mental focus and physical stamina fully restored. He stood up, dried himself off, and got dressed.
The clothes had been prepared by Shang Wanqiu. He had to hand it to her—she had a great eye, or the garments wouldn't have fit him so impeccably.
When he emerged from the bathroom, the three women, led by Shang Wanqiu, had already prepared dinner and were waiting for him.
After a few polite pleasantries, they sat down to eat.
Li Daofeng had intended to ask who exactly the eagle backing the Northwest Marquis was, but before he could get the words out, Shang Wanqiu cut him off.
She told him to finish his meal quickly and then go to sleep.
Any matters could wait until they reached the Imperial Capital. Left with no choice, Li Daofeng dropped the subject.
***
The night passed uneventfully, and early the next morning, Shang Wanqiu rousted Li Daofeng from his sleep, announcing that she was taking him out to procure some protective talismans and artifacts.
Li Daofeng understood Shang Wanqiu's underlying worry, which reminded him that the eagle behind the Northwest Marquis was definitely no ordinary figure.
However, Li Daofeng didn't press for answers; since his senior sister had said she would explain later, he was content to wait for her to bring it up voluntarily rather than interrogating her.
No matter who this eagle turned out to be, if they dared come looking for trouble, he wouldn't mind turning them into a dead duck.
He had no precise measure of how strong he currently was; he only knew that when his late master had chased him down the mountain, he had declared him invincible!
Huang Wenyin and Li Xuemei hadn't woken up yet. The previous evening, Huang Wenyin had expressed her intention to stay in Wancheng for a while, making this villa her home until Li Daofeng completely cured her necrotic heart meridians.
This gave Li Daofeng the distinct impression that he was being latched onto like a parasite.
For some reason, that realization made him feel as though he had crossed paths with the wildest hound imaginable.
Perhaps this was simply the lingering aftermath of his heroic deed of bone marrow donation.
***
News of the Northwest Marquis's death had swept through the entire Northwest overnight, plunging the whole region into high tension.
At the Jiang family villa in Wancheng, Old Master Jiang wore an expression of sheer terror.
He was terrified!
Because the Northwest Marquis's demise was inextricably linked to him.
He had hoped to use the Northwest Marquis to eliminate Li Daofeng and avenge his son, grandson, and granddaughter. Who could have anticipated that General Li, the undisputed overlord who had governed the Northwest for years, would end up slaughtered instead?
With the Northwest Marquis dead, whoever backed him would inevitably demand accountability. When the investigation reached his doorstep, he knew he would hardly fare any better.
"What do we do? What do we do now? Who on earth is the woman that killed the Northwest Marquis?" Old Master Jiang felt his voice trembling.
"Dad! I've already asked around. That woman is that little beast's senior sister, and her name is Shang Wanqiu!" replied Jiang Xilin, the scion of the Jiang family.
"Investigate! Find out everything about this woman for me! I want a complete dossier!" Old Master Jiang roared. He needed to find a way to make amends as quickly as possible.
When the person behind the Northwest Marquis came snooping around, he would at least have an explanation prepared; otherwise, the Jiang family was truly finished.
"Dad! I've already checked! I used every resource at our disposal, but we couldn't dig up a single scrap of information on this woman! All we found out is that she's extraordinary—the Huang family of the Imperial Capital, currently soaring in power, rose entirely because of her!"
"What? You mean Huang Guangyuan from the Imperial Capital, the Huang family behind Emperor Corporation?" Old Master Jiang jolted upright in shock.
"Yes!"
"It's over! The Jiang family is truly finished this time! The Huang family..." Old Master Jiang swayed, nearly collapsing.
Just as Old Master Jiang panicked, a servant burst into the room in a state of terror.
"Master! Someone broke in outside, demanding to see you! This person is exceptionally powerful, and our guards can't stop them at all!"
"Useless trash! The Jiang family feeds you for nothing! Hurry up and take men to capture..."
Before Old Master Jiang could finish his furious roar, a figure hurtled into the room, crashing directly before him and shattering the table into splinters.
"Such grand airs, Old Master Jiang. Who is it you're planning to capture?"
Following the voice, a middle-aged man in black strode into the room, a haughty and arrogant smile plastered across his face. His gaze swept over the gathered occupants, brimming with utter contempt.
The faces of the Jiang father and son drained of color as they glared angrily at the intruder. Within the span of just two days, this made it the second time someone had broken into their home.
Since when had the Jiang family become so easy to bully?
"Who are you?" Old Master Jiang demanded furiously.
"Who am I? Your status doesn't warrant knowing! You only need to know that I am here regarding the assassination of General Li, the Northwest Marquis!"
"Right now, I want to know who killed the Northwest Marquis! What is their name, and where are they right now? Answer honestly!" The man adopted a towering, condescending posture, as though interrogating a criminal.
"Y—you're from the Divine Eagle Sacred Sovereign?" Old Master Jiang's face trembled as he asked in fright.
"It's best not to ask things you shouldn't, unless you're in a hurry to die!" the man warned coldly.
"Yes! Please take a seat, sir! I will tell you everything I know!" Jiang Hening's attitude instantly turned deferential.
Ignoring him, the man stood rigidly where he was.
Jiang Hening hurried to explain, "The ones who murdered the Northwest Marquis are Shang Wanqiu and her junior brother, Li Daofeng!"
"Shang Wanqiu! That woman!" The man's expression flickered slightly as he muttered to himself.
"Where are they right now?"
"We don't know for sure. Last night, after killing the Northwest Marquis at the old Jiang estate, they drove away. We aren't certain where they went, but we are already searching and should have news soon!" Jiang Hening reported.
"Hmph! Useless trash!"
The man cursed harshly, "You'd better pray I find that woman first; otherwise, your Jiang family won't need to exist anymore!"
"Your Jiang family bears ultimate culpability for the death of the Northwest Marquis! Just wait for my master's retribution! Cherish your remaining moments, because you don't have much time left."
With that, the man flicked his sleeves and strode out, ignoring the ashen-faced father and son.
"It's over! It's truly over now. The Jiang family is finished!" Once the man left, Old Master Jiang and Jiang Hening collapsed limply onto the floor.
"Dad! Who on earth is that man? Why are you so terrified of him?" Jiang Xilin hurriedly rushed forward to help Old Master Jiang up.
"Xilin! Don't ask! The less you know, the better! Quick, go notify everyone immediately to flee Yan Country and hide abroad! Without my orders, never come back!" Old Master Jiang urged anxiously.
"Dad! What kind of background does he have to make our Jiang family like this..." Jiang Xilin asked, uncomprehending.
"I told you not to ask! Hurry up and go! If you don't leave now, it'll be too late. Take all the Jiang family's assets and run..." Old Master Jiang's expression was fraught with panic.
"Dad..."
"Go! You unfilial brat, you won't even listen to your old man's words anymore? Do you want to see the entire Jiang family wiped out before you're happy? Get the hell out of here..."