Ch. 562 - Brother's Mysterious Ways

In the clouded mountain forests of the Eastern Region, a small lamp was lit in a cave.

This was the temporary cave dwelling built by Sun Juehu when she was hiding.

Just as Sun Juehu had said to Si Xuanji before, she and Si Xuanji had a personal grudge.

If the Cold Country officials knew that she led the attack on the Eastern Region just to settle the thousand-year grudge of the Sun family with Si Xuanji, it would inevitably bring the entire country into a hostile relationship with the Black Star Sect.

Therefore, Sun Juehu sneaked away secretly without the knowledge of her officials. Now almost everyone in the Cold Country still thought that she was sitting at the pass of the Northern Region border.

For the same reason, Sun Juehu only brought a few people with her.

—A few of her concubines who were used to relieve her boredom, Xu Mulan, a few of her trusted Snow Guards, and Chen Yin, the Imperial Adviser of the Cold Country.

After parting with Ye Anping and the others, Xu Mulan returned here alone, carrying Sun Juehu's golden shell. She was exhausted physically and mentally.

Squeaky-squeaky—

Armored boots stomped on the snow-covered path in the forest, making a sound that gave people goosebumps.

Xu Mulan looked at the golden shell wrapped in cloth on her back, and suddenly she had mixed thoughts, wondering whether her previous decision was right or wrong.

Ye Anping clearly told her where to hide, but she did not listen. Instead, she stabbed Ye Anping with the spear at the last moment, fulfilling her duty as a guardian of the Cold Country.

Perhaps from her point of view, this was the right way.

But if she had hidden well at that time, would Ye Anping have taken her back to the Hundred Lotus Sect directly?

"Forget it... I must tell Master Chen about this first..."

Xu Mulan focused her mind and avoided the countless traps and formations set up in the forest. She walked more than a thousand paces along the forest and entered the camp where she and the Snow Guards had previously stayed.

The two Snow Guards perched on the tree as sentinels saw Xu Mulan's figure, and they hurriedly descended from above, respectfully clasping their fists. "Commander Xu, you are back!"

"What Commander? Senior Xu is already Her Majesty's personal guard. We should call her Lord Xu!"

Hearing this, Xu Mulan smiled bitterly for no reason, sighed, and didn't care about their address to her. "Is Master Chen in the cave now?"

"Reporting to Lord Xu, Lord Chen is handling official business in Her Majesty's cave. Do you want us to go in and report?"

"No need... I can go in by myself." Xu Mulan looked at the two people and added, "Gather the rest of the Snow Guards in the camp and prepare to set off back to the Cold Snow Pass in the Northern Region."

"Yes!!"

The two responded sternly, but then they looked at the corpse cocoon on Xu Mulan's back at the same time. After hesitating, they couldn't help but ask, "Commander Xu, what's on your back is..."

"...Her Majesty's phoenix shell."

"!!!"

Xu Mulan suppressed her physical and mental fatigue at the moment as she put on her usual proud demeanor of a Snow Guard, and shouted sternly, "Don't stand there! Go and summon the Snow Guards in the camp, I have something important to tell you!"

"Ah... Yes, Ma'am!!"

After sending the two away, Xu Mulan let out a heavy breath, weighed the golden shell on her shoulder, and walked toward her tent, ready to take off the armor that was dented by Ye Anping, and then bring Sun Juehu's corpse to Chen Yin.

However, as she made her way to her tent, opened the curtain, and prepared to enter...

"Lord Xu."

The voice of Chen Yin, the Imperial Adviser of the Cold Country, came from inside the tent, and Xu Mulan suddenly felt a strange sense of tension.

Chen Yin was Sun Juehu's trusted aide and was in charge of the Heavenly Supervision Department of the Cold Country. After Sun Juehu's death, Chen Yin's status was unrivaled. Moreover, he was one of the people with the highest cultivation level in the country. 

Xu Mulan came to her senses. She took a few steps back, bowed, and cupped her hands. "Greetings, Adviser Chen..."

"You are now a personal guard promoted by His Majesty herself and on equal footing with me. There is no need to pay respects to me. Please enter the tent."

"Huh..."

Xu Mulan breathed a sigh of relief, and then she opened the curtain again and walked into the tent.

The tent was a little dim, with only a spirit stone lamp as a light source.

Chen Yin was sitting at a desk, with a large number of jade slips sent from the north in front of him. He seemed to be handling official business on behalf of Sun Juehu.

He put the jade slip in his hand on the table, looked up at Xu Mulan, who was covered in dust, and then looked at the cocoon tightly wrapped in gauze as if he knew what happened. "Commander Xu, is the Empress in the cocoon behind you?"

"Yes..." Xu Mulan was silent, recalling what Ye Anping and Patriarch Zu had said before. She nodded and replied, "Her Majesty, with Red Moon Matriarch and Grand Master Zhiming, worked together to kill the leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect..."

Chen Yin didn't let her finish and interrupted with a smile. "Did Her Majesty die at the hands of Red Moon?"

Xu Mulan shook her head slightly. "She was killed by the Heavenly Demon Sect leader..."

However, before she finished speaking, she was interrupted by Chen Yin again.

Chen Yin narrowed his eyes slightly, released his spiritual power, and asked again, "Commander Xu, I will ask again, did Her Majesty die at the hands of Red Moon Matriarch?" 

The spiritual power of the Deification stage pressed on Xu Mulan, and she instantly felt that her breath was a little short. Looking at Chen Yin's appearance, it was obvious that he wanted her to agree. 

But why?

Xu Mulan didn't understand. But even if she didn't understand why Chen Yin did this, Sun Juehu had told her before she died to do what Ye Anping said...

Xu Mulan took a deep breath and frowned as she replied, "Master Chen, Her Majesty did die at the hands of the Heavenly Demon Sect Patriarch, Gu Yu Yan. Her Majesty risked her life to kill Gu Yan, and she forcibly broke through his protective shield, which helped Red Moon Matriarch and Grand Master Zhiming kill him..."

"Is that so…"

Seeing that she still wouldn't change her statement, Chen Yin showed some helplessness for a moment, retracted the spiritual pressure, and stood up from the table. "Commander Xu, don't you understand?"

Xu Mulan looked at him warily and took a step back. "Understand…What do you want me to understand?"

Chen Yin shook his head slightly before looking at the map of the Northern Region placed on a wooden board in the tent. "Only you and I know that Sun Juehu and Red Moon have settled their feud. The Snow Guards outside are unaware of this. They have always thought that Sun Juehu's trip was just to kill demonic cultivators..."

"So?"

"So, don't you want to take control of the Northern Region?"

"..."

"You are the personal guard promoted by Her Majesty, and I am the Imperial Adviser who has followed Her Majesty for nearly a thousand years. After returning to the Northern Region, no matter what we say, the other officials will not doubt it…"

Hearing this, Xu Mulan finally understood what Chen Yin meant, and she asked in horror, "Imperial Adviser Chen, you want to rebel?"

"Rebel?" Chen Yin sneered. "Heh… After Sun Juehu'ssent death, no one in the Sun family can take up the responsibility of the Cold Country. If it's for the Northern Region's good, what difference would it make if my family took over the country?"

"..."

"Commander Xu, if we return to the Northern Region and declare that Her Majesty was killed by the Red Moon Matriarch, the clans that are close to the Sun family will naturally point their finger at the Black Star Sect in the Western Region. At that time, you and I only need to use the Black Star Sect to kill all the clans that are loyal to the Sun family, and the entire Northern Region will naturally fall into our hands."

"What…"

"Commander Xu, I heard that you have a sister dependent on you since childhood, when you were poor and destitute. Even if you rely on your salary as the Snow Guard Commander, you still worry about the materials and treasures for cultivation every day, no? Now, you have an opportunity in front of you, an opportunity to become a hero in one fell swoop and leave your name in the five regions for thousands of years…"

Xu Mulan was stunned when she heard this.

She never thought that Chen Yin would want to usurp the throne and rebel...

She was taught by her parents since she was young to have "loyalty" as her motto, and after she became the leader of the Snow Guard, quite a few Northern Region cultivator families sent, her bribes.

However, she never accepted any of them!!

Even if she and Xu Xiyue would live a good life after accepting the bribes, even if she and Xu Xiyue could cultivate to a higher level, her parents always told her since she was young: 

—If you lose the spirit stones, you can always find a way to earn them, but if you lose "loyalty" and "conscience", you will be no different from those beasts like tigers, wolves, and jackals.

"..."

Seeing Xu Mulan dazed and her eyes flickering, Chen Yin smiled and reached out to her. "What do you think? Standing above thousands of people is better than being an unknown immortal cultivator, right? Even if you don't think of yourself, how about considering your sister? Your sister Xu Xiyue is still young now, and the cost for her future cultivation is definitely not something you can support with your salary..."

"..."

"Make a huge profit, or… die for loyalty?" Chen Yin narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze as sharp as a weapon. "Which one will you choose?"

Die for loyalty?

In other words, if she refused now, would Chen Yin kill her?

Xu Mulan's eyes showed fear. She was only at the Nascent Soul stage, and she was not a genius like Ye Anping and Miss Pei. Facing a cultivator like Chen Yin in the late stage of the Deification stage, she could not even resist for a moment...

"Chen Yin." Xu Mulan called him by name, frowning. "There are more than twenty Snow Guards outside..."

"Oh, yes..." Chen Yin nodded and smiled, "Their lives are now in your hands. If you reject my proposal, I will not leave any of them alive."

"..."

"Don't get me wrong, it is not that I need you. It's just that you are the personal guard promoted by Her Majesty herself. With your testimony, those foolish officials of the Cold Country will be more likely to believe that 'Sun Juehu died at Red Moon's hands'. That's all."

Xu Mulan glanced at the gap in the curtain behind her and saw that the Snow Guards had gathered outside her tent. She pursed her lips, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "As you said, this is indeed a win-win situation."

"Then…"

"But please forgive me for refusing!! Xu family has always believed in loyalty and righteousness since childhood…"

Before she finished her words, an ice-blue light burst out from Chen Yin's sleeves, causing Xu Mulan to widen her eyes instantly. She protected the corpse cocoon behind her with her left hand and summoned Sun Juehu's Black Ice Dragon Spear from her storage bag, holding it in front of her with her right hand.

Boom—!!!

The spiritual light that burst out instantly blew the tent away.

Although Xu Mulan used Sun Juehu's Dragon Spear to block in front of her, she was still one level lower than him, so she was blown back by the spiritual light.

Xu Mulan gritted her teeth and stuck her spear into the ground, plowing a ten-foot-long trench in the mud in front of the tent. Then, she spat out a mouthful of blood and knelt on the ground, holding onto the spear.

The Snow Guards outside the tent were also affected by the sudden explosion, but they reacted quickly. When they saw Xu Mulan being attacked, they quickly dispersed to both sides, took out swords from their storage bags, and protected her behind them.

"Commander Xu!!!"

Looking at these girls she had raised since childhood protecting her, Xu Mulan struggled and shouted. "All Snow Guards, listen to my order!!! Flee from here and go find Black Star Sect's immortal ship!!! Find Ye Anping!!!"

"Ah?!"

The Snow Guards did not understand this order and asked hurriedly, "Commander Xu…"

"Shut up!!! Run away!!! Go... cough-- go find Ye Anping!!!"

But the next moment, a voice carrying the pressure of the Deification stage came.

"No one can escape!!!"

Chen Yin protected his body with his spiritual energy and walked out of the billowing smoke and dust with his hands behind his back. With just one sentence, he pressed all the Snow Guards present to the ground and made them unable to move.

Most of these Snow Guards were only at the Core Formation stage and could not resist at all.

He looked at Xu Mulan who was kneeling on the ground, and seeing that she was holding Sun Juehu's Dragon Spear, he mocked. "Huh? I was wondering. That attack just now should have shattered your Nascent Soul, but it turned out that Her Majesty's Dragon Spear blocked it... Heh—"

Xu Mulan looked at the Snow Guard girls who couldn't move around, and her cheeks bulged with anger. She tried her best to stand up. "Chen Yin!!!"

"It's useless even if you regret it now. I've made a decision..."

Chen Yin slightly shook off his cloud sleeves, then reached into his storage bag. He took out a magic sword and walked toward the closest Snow Guard step by step, raising the sword in his hand. "Commander Xu, this is your fault for not understanding the big picture..."

Buzz—

Looking at the magic sword thrusting at her neck, the Snow Guard suddenly widened her eyes and couldn't help but cry out for help. "Xu... Commander Xu..."

At a distance, Xu Mulan was very anxious and wanted to rush up to stop it, but since she hadn’t recovered from the previous attack, she lost her balance as soon as she took a step, falling to the ground.

Looking at the Snow Guard she brought with her about to die under Chen Yin's sword, Xu Mulan felt as if her heart was about to split and she tried to reach out, but she still couldn't slow down the speed of the magic sword in Chen Yin's hand.

"Chen Yin ah ah ah--!!!!"

But at this moment...

Bang—

There was a loud noise in the air, and a ball of black mist fell vertically from the sky.

Xu Mulan stared wide-eyed, and before she could see clearly, the black mist instantly wrapped around Chen Yin's upper body, swallowing the sword in his hand along with him.

"..."

The next moment, Chen Yin's lower body fell to one side with a bang, and a smooth cut was revealed.

As if he had been eaten by the black mist, Chen Yin's upper body disappeared completely, leaving only the waist that was bleeding...

Xu Mulan had no idea what had happened. She stayed there, staring at the black mist that fell from the sky until a dark figure stepped out of it.

Hu Mu walked out of the black mist while holding Xue Tianqiao who had turned into her original form, and he glanced at the Snow Guards around him with a little disgust on his face.

Xue Tianqiao looked around at the Snow Guards lying on the ground, and finally, her gaze landed on Xu Mulan. Then, she jumped out of her master's arms, ran to her, and tilted her head, asking, "Sister is Xu Mulan?"

"...Yes."

"Oh! Brother Ye asked me to bring my master here!" Xue Tianqiao shook her tail, and a dozen bottles of pills fell from it. "This is also what Brother Ye asked me to bring to you. They're healing pills."

Xu Mulan stayed where she was, and didn't come back to her senses for a long time.

Xue Tianqiao threw the things in front of her, then hopped back to her master, and climbed up his legs before curling into his arms.

Hu Mu touched Xue Tianqiao's head, and without saying anything, his figure was once again wrapped in black fog and disappeared completely from the camp.

The camp fell instantly quiet except for the sound of the wind.

Xu Mulan knelt on the ground and looked at the dozen or so bottles of pills left by Xue Tianqiao. She was stunned for a long time before she was brought back to her senses by the two Snow Guards who came to help her. "Commander Xu..."

"Ah... um..."

Xu Mulan stood up with the help of the two guards. Suddenly, she felt relaxed for some reason and then looked up at the sky.

In the sky covered with dark clouds, a golden-feathered parrot spread its wings and circled above their heads twice, then turned around and rushed to the east.

"Young Master Ye..."

"Commander Xu? What happened just now..."

"Nothing." Xu Mulan closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her eyes became firm. She reached out and grabbed the Black Ice Dragon Spear stuck in the ground, then said, "Go and pack up quickly, wrap Chen Yin's cicada shell, and put all the things in the camp into the storage bags. Let's go back to Cold Snow Pass..."

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