Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

"Hehe, what superb skills! No wonder you are the mighty Emperor of Great Chu, Shen Lang, who commands respect throughout the land."

The man, whose neck was pinned down by Shen Lang's counterattack, showed no fear whatsoever; in fact, his tone even revealed a hint of admiration.

Shen Lang was not moved by the flattering words in the slightest.

"I'll give you twenty breaths to explain your purpose, or I won't mind adding another corpse to this romantic place today."

"Fellow Daoist Shen, please do not be agitated. I have come here with no ill intentions."

"Put a knife to my neck and then tell me you mean no harm?"

As he spoke, Shen Lang pressed the dagger into his skin again, and a stream of blood slowly flowed down the blade.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, I advise you not to do anything foolish. The Empress has secretly issued a warrant for your arrest."

My master already knows that the authorities in both the north and south are no longer secretly investigating your whereabouts.

Of course, given what Fellow Daoist Shen has done, your fellow martial artists also hate you to the core. Only by cooperating with us will you have a chance to survive.

"Why should I trust you?"

"With my master's power alone, the Empress is far from being able to be afraid of him."

"Then who are you?"

"Blackwater City, that Loulan."

Shen Lang seemed to hesitate for a moment before releasing the dagger.

After being freed from his restraints, Loulan touched his neck, turned around and smiled at Shen Lang, "Fellow Daoist Shen, you..."

puff-

But the next second, Shen Lang plunged the dagger into his chest, then covered his mouth and pushed him into a corner.

"you……"

"I'm sorry, but to be on the safe side, I don't trust anyone, and I can't determine whether you're a member of the imperial court."

Now, my dagger is half an inch from your heart. One wrong move and your life is over. Tell me the truth now.

"As expected, Fellow Daoist Shen is even more astute than I thought. That Loulan... I admire you..."

Loulan's features were almost contorted with pain, but her eyes were still full of relief and appreciation when she looked at Shen Lang.

"You're just wasting your time. After your heart stops beating, I don't know if you'll still be able to speak."

Loulan's breathing began to become irregular, and his chest rose and fell involuntarily.

At that moment, suppressed breathing sounds from a man and a woman came from inside the room, making the atmosphere extremely strange.

After a long silence, Loulan spoke again: "Fellow Daoist Shen, you have passed the formal test. The Heavenly Venerable wishes to see you."

"Are you one of the Celestial Venerable's people?"

"Um……"

As the loss of blood intensified, Loulan's face gradually turned pale.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, the Celestial Venerable will be holding a grand sect gathering in Blackwater City in three days."

You can first go to the Xuanyu Sect to meet with other like-minded individuals, and then discuss the grand plan to overthrow the Empress's tyranny.

"Humph."

Shen Lang immediately released his grip on the dagger.

"Then I'll spare your life for now. As for this dagger, I advise you not to pull it out so quickly, or you'll have to bear all the consequences yourself."

After saying that, he turned around and went back to the main hall, completely disregarding his opponent's current situation.

"Wait a minute."

Loulan called out to Shen Lang and threw him a golden ribbon.

"Wear this, and you will become one of the Heavenly Venerable's subordinates. The Heavenly Venerable will protect you and ensure your lifelong peace."

"Humph."

Shen Lang snorted and took the gold ribbon before leaving.

As Shen Lang stepped back into the hall, he came face to face with Xue Wuying.

He stepped forward and whispered, "Brother Shen, have you met the Heavenly Venerable Envoy? You came out safe and sound, so you must have passed the test."

"So, everything today was arranged by you?"

"I'm sorry, but I have no choice but to obey the Heavenly Venerable's command."

Shen Lang's lips curled into a smile as he revealed the golden ribbon: "Since that's the case, what are we waiting for? Let's set off for the Xuan Yu Sect now. I don't want to live this life of a stray dog ​​any longer."

“Alright, now that I have the Heavenly Venerable’s approval, I no longer need to hide anything. Brother Shen, come with me.”

After Xue Wuying finished speaking, he led Shen Lang out of the brothel.

……

At the same time, inside the main tent of the military camp in Linyang County, Xuzhou.

puff-

"what--"

A piercing scream rang out from inside the main tent.

Zhuque's sword pierced through the back of an officer's hand, pinning it firmly to the table.

"Tell me, have any suspicious individuals passed through Linyang County recently?"

Behind the cold mask came an extremely cold and emotionless voice.

"My lord... I really don't know what you're talking about..."

"Ah~"

The officer responded with a slight twist of Suzaku's hand holding the dagger.

Instantly, the officer let out a heart-wrenching wail.

"do not know?"

The next moment, Suzaku produced a piece of white paper, which floated lightly down in front of the officer.

"You've conspired with sects to rebel, and your companions have already confessed, yet you still want to stubbornly resist? It seems you really won't shed a tear until you see the coffin."

The officer's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the Vermilion Bird mask.

"You actually... even my subordinates..."

"Ah~"

A pitiful wail escaped his throat once more.

"You know I don't want to hear these sentiments. Tell me, have any suspicious people passed by recently?"

The officer, unable to withstand the pressure, had no choice but to confess the truth.

"Xue Wuying of the Qingyi Sect, accompanied by a mysterious young man, passed through Linyang half a month ago..."

Upon hearing this, Zhuque pressed further, "Where did they go?"

"Qingzhou, seek refuge with the Heavenly Venerable..."

puff-

Having obtained the information he wanted, Suzaku did not hesitate to sever the officer's neck.

Turning around and stepping out of the mansion gate, the firelight illuminated the corpses of soldiers scattered everywhere, and the air was still thick with the smell of gunpowder.

"Commander!"

Lu Meng, whose face was turning purple from the cold, respectfully approached Zhuque to report.

"The rebels have been quelled. A total of 327 enemy soldiers have been killed. The remaining soldiers have surrendered and are awaiting further instructions."

Zhuque: "Lu Meng, from now on, you and the other brigades will coordinate to slowly advance towards Qingzhou."

I don't think I need to teach the various armies how to coordinate and deploy among themselves.

Lu Meng was taken aback: "Commander, where are you going?"

"I will go to Qingzhou first; the Jingwei Division's markings will guide you along the way."

Remember, if you encounter any difficulties caused by local military law enforcement, do not ask for instructions; handle it yourself.

"Yes!"

Zhuque glanced at Lü Meng, then swung himself onto a chestnut warhorse, pulled on the reins, and disappeared into the snowstorm...

Inside the Xuanyu Sect, Shen Lang looked at the Qingxuan Daoist sitting opposite him and kept letting out soft hums.

The nun Qingxuan looked at Shen Lang with such hatred that she wished she could tear him to pieces.

Chu Youwei, standing to the side, watched coldly, her eyes even revealing a hint of schadenfreude.

After a brief standoff, Qingxuan Daoist nun, unable to contain herself any longer, blurted out, "Heh, some people just don't know their own limitations."

He always indulged in unrealistic fantasies. Did he really think it was so easy to curry favor with the powerful and wealthy? Now he's ended up looking like a wretched, inhuman creature.

Shen Lang retorted, "I completely agree with what Sect Master Qingxuan said."

For example, your clan sought to curry favor with those in power, only to end up destitute and homeless. What was the point of such an endeavor?

The Daoist nun Qingxuan instantly lost her composure: "You little beast! You dare repeat what you just said again!"

"Did I talk about you? Why are you so agitated? Shut up, you old man."

You should be thankful I didn't stab you to death back in the Zixia Sect, otherwise you wouldn't have the chance to stand here barking like this.

"you!"

The Daoist nun Qingxuan was furious, but she quickly regained her composure and sneered, "Shen Lang, the taste of being an imperial son-in-law must be quite good, right?"

Have you ever thought about why you've fallen to this state?

Shen Lang crossed his legs: "Some people should worry more about themselves. I was publicly stripped of my position as sect leader and forced to wander the world. I don't know where they get the courage to laugh at me?"

Just as Qingxuan Daoist was about to erupt again, Chu Youwei said with a smile, "Shen Lang, you don't need to mock us. Jiang Mengxuan is just a venomous woman who knows how to seduce men."

Your current situation was something you should have foreseen, but you're also lucky. If you had continued to stay by her side, you probably would have lost your life to that wicked woman.

I know Jiang Mengxuan too well. I've watched her grow up since she was seven. You've probably never seen the tricks she uses to seduce men.

She's a born vixen, shameless.

Shen Lang sneered: "It's better than you, a widow who has lost her husband. You might not be able to stand the loneliness and be fooling around with other wild men outside."

"Tell me again!"

Shen Lang's words seemed to have struck a nerve with Chu Youwei, instantly pushing her to the brink of losing control.