The Emperor's Domineering Favor, the Evil Consort's Unparalleled Reign

"The test is cancelled today and will be rescheduled for another day. I apologize to all my friends who have come from afar for my neglect. I will apologize to you all at the next scheduled time!"

Cheng Bo cupped his hands and shouted loudly, his face filled with a murderous aura. He then gave a signal, and the steward led his men to maintain order. Before anyone could react, Cheng Bo's figure quickly disappeared from their sight.

A group of servants dressed in the attire of Winter Night Manor appeared on the outskirts of the crowd. Ying Li glanced at them and was shocked to find that they were all experts at the fifth level of the Divine Cultivation Realm, totaling sixty people!

The Ying family was a prominent family in Yeling City, but they only had a handful of experts at the fifth level of the Divine Cultivation Realm. However, this originally remote and unremarkable Winter Night Manor was actually full of hidden talents, and was not as ordinary as it appeared on the surface.

"What the hell is going on?! Is the test even starting?! And now this weird thing has popped up halfway through!"

"With such a thing happening at Winter Night Manor, how can they possibly consider any testing? In my opinion, Winter Night Manor probably won't be able to open for the next day or two."

"Brother, why are you in such a hurry? The elixir isn't going anywhere in Winter Night Mountain. Wouldn't it be better if we stayed here for a few days, eating and drinking well? Besides, the manor lord's daughter has gotten into such trouble. We've received a lot of kindness from the manor, so we should repay it. If we can't help, at least we shouldn't cause any more trouble!"

"I came all this way for no reason, not to waste my time watching how Winter Night Manor deals with bandits! What business is it of mine if his daughter goes out to recruit people? It's my business if he can't find any medicinal herbs!"

Seeing this, a hot-headed young man in the crowd felt a surge of anger and couldn't help but curse. He had spent more than half a year traveling from home to seek the medicine. Every extra hour meant one less hour to gather the herbs, which was a lot of money, and he was unwilling to give it up.

"Your cursing won't help. This Winter Night Mountain belongs to the Cheng family. In other words, all the spiritual herbs on the mountain belong to Winter Night Manor. For nearly a hundred years, Winter Night Manor has opened Winter Night Mountain to the public in order to attract experts. Someone as insignificant as you probably doesn't even catch their eye!"

The other person, seeing the hothead's indignant expression, couldn't help but feel contempt. It was already a kindness for someone to ask you to take their things, and this kind of person actually complained that they were given them too late. He was shameless.

Ying Li, who was listening from the side, changed his expression. "Using the spiritual herbs from Winter Night Mountain to sell and attract others, or for their own cultivation, how could there not be experts coming here? But how could Winter Night Manor be so absurd, actually wanting others to share their pie, and a very large one at that? Strange, too strange."

"If I were a master, I would have wiped out the Cheng family to monopolize the spiritual herbs of Winter Night Mountain. Why would I need to participate in this ridiculous test? These tedious requirements seem to be for the benefit of the herb gatherers, but they seem more like a selection process to send an elite force into the deep mountains. It seems that there really is something fishy going on in Winter Night Mountain." The alluring man said leisurely in the ring of withered bones.

Ying Li looked at Yi Bicheng beside her, whose brows were also furrowed.

"Someone just reported that the basement gate was opened. Brother Yi, do you know what that basement is?" Ying Li said. Things were particularly strange today. She had a vague feeling that something was not right, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Yi Bicheng frowned slightly. "The underground vault was originally where Winter Night Manor stored its rare and precious medicinal herbs. The fact that the vault was opened suggests that there may be some internal enemy within the manor. However, the truth behind Miss's accident is somewhat unbelievable."

"Let's go and see!" Ying Li's expression froze, his body gathering spiritual energy as he rose up. He stomped his right foot on the ground and leaped upwards. A gust of wind swept past, and he had already leaped several meters away! His speed was still increasing and did not stop.

Yi Bicheng's face grew even uglier. He was filled with shock. He never expected that Ying Li would be able to reach the fourth level of spiritual cultivation after leaving Bixia Palace! He remembered that Ying Li was only at the second level of spiritual cultivation when he killed Yuan Zhongyue. In just one month, the other party was able to break through to the fourth level of spiritual cultivation. An advancement of two whole levels, how could he not be surprised by such power?

If it weren't for the Northern Red Plum Fan in his possession, he probably wouldn't have been able to see through Ying Li's abilities with his current strength.

After thinking for a moment, Yi Bicheng shook his head. This girl's terrifying talent had already been revealed when she killed Yuan Zhongyue. This was just a small part of the story. The real challenge would probably come when she finally unleashed her full potential.

With a flash, Yi Bicheng followed Ying Li's steps, chasing after Cheng Bo in the direction he had gone. The two left secretly without causing a great commotion. Only two outsiders saw Ying Li and Yi Bicheng leave without saying a word, and although they were suspicious, they guessed that it might be because the two were unhappy with Cheng Bo canceling the test.

The steward, however, noticed that Ying Li was not there. His expression changed several times, but after thinking it over carefully, he figured that the girl probably wouldn't cause any trouble, and then he felt relieved and continued to manage the affairs of the manor.

Ying Li and Yi Bicheng secretly followed Cheng Bo and the others to the outside of a village. Before even entering, they were hit by a stench that made them want to vomit. They had long heard that there were many bandits around Dongye Manor, so they assumed that places where bandits gathered would not be very clean and tidy. However, seeing the dilapidated, greasy, and rotten appearance of Chen Family Village, Ying Li still couldn't help but feel nauseous.

Yi Bicheng, standing to the side, used a red plum blossom fan to shield herself and Ying Li, which helped to dissipate the stench considerably. Ying Li took a slow breath, her chest aching slightly. Her eyes were fixed on Cheng Bo, who stood in front of Chen Family Village, and she couldn't help but give him a thumbs up—truly a talent among talents.

"Tell your leader to get out here!" Cheng Bo roared, his face ashen, his spiritual power exploding. The fluctuations of his spiritual power were simply heaven-defying. Even Ying Li and Yi Bicheng, who were hiding behind a small hill not far away, could feel the pressure emanating from him.

As expected of a Spirit Lord, such strength is indeed not to be underestimated.

After a long while, Chen Family Village remained silent, with not a single person emerging. The stench spread, the chill intensified, and Cheng Bo's spiritual energy surged even further.

"Boom!" Cheng Bo's expression changed drastically. He gathered spiritual energy in his right hand and transformed it into a palm strike, aiming it at the gate of the village. With a loud explosion and dust flying everywhere, the heavy gate made of giant wood collapsed instantly, with wood chips flying all over the place!

Amidst the swirling dust, three or four people slowly emerged, their faces contorted with anger. Seeing that Cheng Bo was serious, the leader's expression turned even more foul than a foul odor. He said dismissively, "Master Cheng, you have quite the temper. Since you're here, please come in. Miss and Young Master are both perfectly fine!"

Cheng Bo snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves and withdrew his hand. He was no longer the leisurely manor lord Ying Li had seen at Winter Night Manor. With such an expression and demeanor, a derogatory term always came to mind—a beast in human clothing.

Seeing Cheng Bo and the people from Dongye Manor being invited inside, Ying Li asked in confusion, "Why does the owner of a respectable manor always seem to have some shady relationship with these bandits? The bandits didn't want anything, only their two children. What kind of logic is that?"

Yi Bicheng shook his head. "I don't know either. Winter Night Manor has a very upright reputation, thanks to the ancestor Cheng Dongye's name. Plus, the descendants haven't done anything wrong, so it's always been considered a prestigious family. Even powerful clans have a certain respect for them. Who would have thought the current manor owner would have such a shady relationship with bandits? Logically, if children are kidnapped, there should be a big fuss, but Cheng Bo not only didn't make a scene, but there's something strange about him. It's really hard to understand."

"Then let's wait and see," Ying Li said. Having suffered at Master Hu's hands, she would never blindly trust others again, especially since the manor owner's behavior was so strange; there must be something he was up to.

Cheng Bo entered Chen Family Village as if walking on flat ground. Everyone who saw him was both shocked and furious, and no one dared to approach him. He held his head high, forming a unique barrier in front of him that no one could enter, and even the foul air was purified. He was truly formidable.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Cheng Bo finally arrived at the main hall of Chen Family Village. There, he saw the village chief sitting with his eyes closed. His tiger skin was very greasy, and the back of the chair was shiny. Several cracks on the armrests told the visitor about its long history, as if this banditry had been passed down for several generations and claimed to be of the same lineage.

"You old bastard, where have you taken my son and daughter?!" Cheng Bo said to the chieftain without any preamble, cutting straight to the point and showing no respect whatsoever.

The chieftain held two black jade balls in his hands, constantly twirling them. The sunlight reflected off the jade balls, making them shine brightly. He opened his eyes; his eyes were mostly white, indicating he was blind. His other eye, sharp as an eagle's, flashed with a fierce and murderous intent as it looked at Cheng Bo, then vanished in a flash. Finally, he lowered his head, smiled, and removed his right foot from the chair, retorting, "May I ask, Chief Cheng, have you no shame after all these years?! How much has my Chen Family Village done for you? Why are you so ungrateful?!"

Cheng Bo's expression changed. He turned around, flicked his sleeve, and snorted coldly, his eyes darting around. "If you hand over Fei'er and Jing'er, I will let this matter drop this time. If not, I will raze your Chen Family Village to the ground today!"

"Heh, so you really are from a prestigious family. You think no one knows about the shady things you've done?! Cheng Bo, fifteen years! For fifteen years, how many scapegoats have I taken for you? How many things have my brothers done for you? Now you've secretly ordered people to harm my second brother and even incited other villages to attack my Chen Family Village. What are you trying to do?! Do you really think I, Boss Chen, wouldn't dare to expose your shameful deeds on Dongye Mountain?! Let me tell you, even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone us, who are bandits who lick blood from the edge of a knife!" Boss Chen exerted force in his hand, and the two black jade balls he had played with for many years instantly turned into a cloud of black powder. The wind blew by, stinging people's eyes.

Cheng Bo's heart stirred. Seeing that Boss Chen didn't seem to be faking it, he clenched his fist, and a surge of spiritual energy shot up into the sky!

Ying Li and Yi Bicheng, who were lying on the ground in Chenjia Village, only saw a dazzling light shoot out of the sky, followed by the deafening sound of fighting!