He Lan Tianxia

"Well done!" The magistrate was overjoyed. He stomped down from his seat and, with a mixture of invitation and shoving, pushed Prince Murong into the chair, then turned to run away.

Prince Murong wasn't about to let him escape; he turned and grabbed the magistrate, freezing him in place.

"Your Excellency, Magistrate, you have the throne, why aren't you sitting on it? Where are you going?"

"Young Master Wang, I urgently need to relieve myself." The magistrate's legs went weak. He thought to himself, "I've already given you my seat. You are all people I can't afford to offend."

"Sit down." Prince Murong forcefully pushed the magistrate back into his seat. "I don't care about your lousy position. After you interrogate the abbot, you know what crimes to punish, don't I?"

The abbot of Anqiao Temple has placed the abbot under house arrest and is now kidnapping children. He certainly knows he should be thrown into jail, but his constable skills are inferior. What can he do?

The magistrate wiped the sweat from his brow and tentatively asked, "Young Master Wang, it is the duty of the yamen to capture the abbot of Anqiao Temple, but the yamen's constables are not skilled enough to catch him. You are highly skilled in martial arts, could you lend me a hand?" The magistrate was practically kneeling down as he finished speaking.

Prince Murong lifted his hand upwards, and the magistrate, who was halfway kneeling, miraculously sprang back to his feet. The magistrate was now even more impressed, determined to kneel until the prince agreed. He prepared to kneel again with a snap. Prince Murong frowned, displeased. He suddenly pushed the magistrate, causing him to involuntarily turn towards Hong Xiuying. Prince Murong released his grip, and with a snap, the magistrate knelt before Hong Xiuying.

Magistrate: "Hmm?"

Hong Xiuying: "Hmm?"

Both the magistrate and Hong Xiuying were taken aback. What was going on?

"Beg her." Prince Murong gestured with his chin to the county magistrate.

Magistrate: "Ask her?"

Hong Xiuying: "Me?"

Murong Junlan put his arm around his beloved concubine Yan'er, who was watching the commotion with great interest, and said to the magistrate and Hong Xiuying, "My wife and I have important matters to attend to. You each do your own job and take care of your tasks. I will return once they are done."

After speaking, Murong Junlan took Yan'er's hand and walked out of the courtroom through the back door. He didn't want to deal with the mess here; going out for a stroll was much more romantic. As he passed Zhong Ziqi, he whispered, "I've given you your chance. Whether you can marry my wife depends on your abilities." With that, he left the room full of bewildered people and went for a drive.

The magistrate and Hong Xiuying looked at each other, momentarily stunned and at a loss for what to do. Just then, a loud drumbeat rang out outside the yamen, practically a challenge.

The magistrate was furious. "You've kidnapped a child and dare to beat the drum? If I don't wipe you out, my ancestors won't be surnamed Zhong!" The magistrate straightened his back and immediately stood before Hong Xiuying, bowing deeply to her. He sincerely said, "Miss Hong, oh no, Heroine Hong, I wish to punish the wicked, but I lack the power. Heroine Hong, your martial arts are superb, and you are a model constable of the yamen. To protect the safety of the people of this county, would you be willing to accompany me to the gate to capture the evil abbot who kidnapped the child? On behalf of all the people of the county, I thank you, Heroine Hong, and will certainly repay you with a generous gift." After saying this, the magistrate bowed deeply again.

Hong Xiuying's eyes darted around. What was going on? I came here to find a husband through a martial arts contest, but the person seeking a husband has disappeared, and now I have to rid the magistrate of evil?

Before Hong Xiuying could figure it out, Zhong Ziqi came over and bowed deeply to her, saying, "Miss Hong, although I am just a scholar, I know the responsibility of being the first to worry about the world's troubles and the last to enjoy its pleasures. I am willing to use my strength to help Miss Hong get rid of evil to the end."

Hong Xiuying was dumbfounded: "What are these two up to? Do they really think I'm some kind of chivalrous hero?"

At this moment, the abbot entered carrying the little boy: "Amitabha! Magistrate, how dare you! You have the audacity to arrest me throughout the entire city?"

The magistrate slammed his gavel, his hand trembling. "How dare you kidnap a child! You've got some nerve! Do you even respect me?"

"Haha, haha, haha. I am the head of a temple, what kind of dog are you? Believe me or not, I can wipe out your government office in one fell swoop."

The magistrate was furious: "You dare?"

The abbot said arrogantly, "What wouldn't I dare to do? If I wanted to, I would even help you take your position as county magistrate."

The magistrate trembled with anger: "You... have mistaken me for a monk."

Abbot: "I think you're tired of living."

Hong Xiuying couldn't stand it any longer, and lashed out with her long whip at the abbot: "You lousy monk, don't you dare to act so presumptuously in this government office."

The abbot glanced at Hong Xiuying and smiled slightly. He then maliciously blocked the little boy in front of him, forcing Hong Xiuying to forcibly withdraw her whip.

"Whip it! Why aren't you whipping me? This old monk awaits your formidable moves." With that, the abbot grabbed the little boy by the collar and charged straight at him. He had come today to demand that the magistrate rescind the citywide arrest warrant for him. Damn it, a mere magistrate dared to issue him a warrant; if he didn't teach him a lesson, he'd think this old monk was a good dog.

The little boy in his arms wasn't someone he intended to capture; he just happened to run into him at the door and casually brought him in. He planned to use the boy to blackmail the magistrate into revoking the arrest warrant and seize control of the yamen (government office), so that even if he lost the Dark Wood Temple, he would have a place to stay. However, he hadn't expected such a formidable figure as Hong Xiuying to suddenly appear in the yamen. He remembered that the junior constables from last time were all mediocre fighters, and he wouldn't have taken them seriously at all. The abbot tossed the little boy aside, deciding to focus all his attention on dealing with Hong Xiuying.

After dozens of rounds, the two seemed evenly matched. The abbot was getting impatient; he needed to use his trump card to subdue Hong Xiuying first. However, Hong Xiuying wielded her whip with unparalleled skill, making it difficult to get close. The abbot decided to use a dirty trick. Although he was a monk, he knew where a woman's weakness lay. He smiled slyly, completely ignoring Hong Xiuying's whip, and directly reached out with both hands to grab Hong Xiuying's chest.

"That damned monk, you'd actually resort to such underhanded tricks. I bet you'll not only be bald today, but you'll also be left to cover our retreat."

Hong Xiuying didn't retaliate against the abbot's underhanded tactics, instead lashing out with her whip at his groin. This was a fight of pure speed and life or death.

With a "crack," the whip was deflected by some hidden weapon. Hong Xiuying knew something was wrong, and the whip shot upwards uncontrollably.

"If you can't cut it off, just behead it." Hong Xiuying had no intention of letting the abbot leave alive; such a lewd and wicked monk should have gone to the Western Paradise to fetch scriptures long ago. So she lifted the whip upwards, and the end of the whip wrapped directly around the abbot's neck.

Why did the whip suddenly turn? The abbot hurriedly withdrew his hands, which were about to touch Hong Xiuying's chest. This woman, is she trying to kill herself? At this moment, the abbot was also annoyed, and a venomous thought rose in his heart. Then let this old monk play with your life.

The lecherous monk then proceeded to target Hong Xiuying's most vulnerable spots with every move.

Hong Xiuying was furious. "If I don't show you what I'm capable of today, I'm not Hong Xiuying!" Hong Xiuying grabbed a small stone and threw it at the abbot as a hidden weapon.

Ah! The abbot, trying to dodge a pebble, was whipped in the shoulder. He touched his stinging ear, momentarily stunned, when suddenly a lash struck his buttocks. "You wretched woman, where did you hit me?" Before he could even straighten up, the whip lashed down towards his groin. "Amitabha! You wretched woman, are you trying to make this old monk childless?" The abbot, thinking that a wise monk avoids unnecessary trouble, decided to flee.

Hong Xiuying knew exactly what she was thinking. With a flick of her whip, she ripped off the abbot's pants, tearing them in half with a ripping sound. The abbot hurriedly grabbed his pants and fled in panic...