Xiang Ning Picks up Leftovers   

A secular army stopped outside the entrance of a sect. In front of the army was a carriage, escorted front and back, with great fanfare. The banner erected high above was especially conspicuous with the character "Chu"!

"Your Majesty, the Blazing Fire Sect entrance is right ahead," a vice general knelt on one knee and said.

Xiang Ning wore battle armor and held an Overlord Spear, appearing quite heroic. But her expression was numb, even somewhat depressed.

"Attack and enter, you all already know what to do," Xiang Ning commanded listlessly. She truly couldn't have imagined in her dreams that she, Her Majesty the Great Chu Emperor, would be forced by Fan Li to lead troops on a personal expedition.

"Order me to attack the Blazing Fire Sect? Fan Li, that treacherous thief, could he be wanting me dead?"

That was Xiang Ning's thinking before she set out on the expedition. But now, she knew there was absolutely no danger to her life. Because everything was exactly as Fan Li promised. The Blazing Fire Sect's experts had all gone out, leaving only some low-level disciples guarding the sect entrance, none even at the Golden Core Realm.

Although the troops Xiang Ning led weren't the elite guards of Great Chu, when facing these Blazing Fire Sect disciples, slicing through them was as easy as chopping melons.

"Your Majesty, please remember your main task this time is plunder. Robbing the Blazing Fire Sect's accumulated sect resources is key, destroying the sect is just a bonus." Fan Li's instructions still echoed in Xiang Ning's ears. She felt it was simply unbelievable.

The Blazing Fire Sect went to Peng City with the Blood Phoenix Sage Ruler and swore to destroy the Fan clan and drive her, the insignificant emperor, from her throne.

At such a critical moment, Fan Li was actually still unperturbed, even going so far as to send her to plunder the Blazing Fire Sect's riches?

"I are the Emperor, how can I engage in banditry!" Xiang Ning objected at the time.

But Fan Li said, "Your Majesty is really heartless. Your minister is expending my family's savings across generations to prepare equipment and pills to cope with powerful enemies. If I don't rob the Blazing Fire Sect to subsidize household expenses, does Your Majesty want your minister to run this business at a loss?"

At the time, Xiang Ning was rendered quite speechless. But abiding by the principle that Fan Li was a treacherous minister and she should object to everything he does, Xiang Ning persisted in struggling.

"I cannot do unpaid labor! I must get a share of the Blazing Fire Sect's treasures."

Fan Li was also very magnanimous, "Fine, fine! We'll split it thirty-percent for you, seventy-percent for me."

"So little? I only get thirty-percent?"

"You want to fart-eat too!? Seventy-percent is for your father-in-law, anything more than thirty-percent for you is impossible!"

As Xiang Ning looked at the Blazing Fire Sect entrance before her eyes, she seethed more and more angrily as she recalled it all.

Gnashing her teeth, she ordered, "All of you better be careful! Sparing lives is fine, but the Blazing Fire Sect's riches mustn't be damaged as much as possible. That is all Our money!"

"Yes!" The Chu troops responded sporadically and unenthusiastically.

There was no choice, this was probably the most morale-suppressing battle speech they ever heard, not even bandit chiefs would go this far.

Despite that, it still only took half a day for the Blazing Fire Sect to be destroyed.

All of the sect's accumulated riches became spoils of war. Even the sect's Grand Palace and entrance gates were dismantled into construction materials and transported away.

***

Great Chu, Peng City

After the great battle, the Fan Residence held a celebration banquet, but Fan Li himself wasn't very interested.

He only drank a cup of wine, exchanged pleasantries with Lu Chunqiu, Cao Cao, Liu Bei and Sun Quan for a bit, then asked his elder brother Fan Ming to continue hosting the crowd while he himself went to Rivers and Mountains Tower.

As a transmigrator from another world, Fan Li would occasionally feel lonely and empty. Fan Li always liked the rock garden lake outside Rivers and Mountains Tower. Whenever he gazed out from high above, it could relieve his mood a little.

On this night, the cool breeze couldn't blow away Fan Li's slight tipsiness.

Because after he just ascended into Rivers and Mountains Tower, he saw a woman in green clothes who seemed to have waited for him for quite some time already.

With just a single look, Fan Li knew this woman was special. She was clearly a great beauty, yet the impression she left on him wasn't of beauty but tranquility! 

It was a kind of dull, stiff tranquility. Like a cup of plain water, unless a desperately thirsty person, no one would have the slightest interest in her.

How could this be so?

Fan Li was puzzled and bewildered.

How could such an extremely beautiful woman give men this strange feeling?

Although he wasn't a lustful fiend, his desires also reached an ordinary person's level of food and sex.

"Father isn't gay!" Fan Li could only determine the problem laid with the woman in green.

"Fan Li?" The green clothed woman spoke. Her voice matched her looks. It also had the power to make a man "calm down".

Fan Li nodded and asked a question that could prove his IQ was still online. "Are you here to kill me?"

After all, this was Rivers and Mountains Tower, the most forbidden core ground of the Fan Residence.

Unless with the master's permission, even if Xiang Ning came, the hidden sentries of the Fan Residence wouldn't allow her to enter Rivers and Mountains Tower alive. Yet now, the woman in green waited here for him without his knowledge?

Could the hidden sentries of the Fan Residence be dead or completely wiped out?

In any case, since the hidden sentries failed to block the woman and give him prompt warning, Fan Li knew just how powerful she was.

The green clothed woman shook her head, "I'm still investigating, there is no imperative reason I must kill you yet."

"You're from the Brahma Sound Pure Land?" Fan Li felt somewhat unhappy.

This woman was quite arrogant. As if as long as there were sufficient reasons, she was absolutely confident in her ability to kill him!

"Yes." The green clothed woman replied very readily, seemingly born without the ability to lie or disdaining the act of lying.

Fan Li saw the woman was truly too young and simply couldn't associate her with the Blood Phoenix Sage Ruler. On the contrary, she resembled more of a disciple from the Pure Land of the same generation as Princess Chang Le.

"I just killed the Blood Phoenix Sage Ruler. You dare speak to me like this?" Fan Li tried bluffing and boasting to intimidate her.

The green clothed woman also frowned slightly, revealing innocent puzzlement. "Even if you killed Blood Phoenix, why would I fear you?"

Eh?

Fan Li realized his own bluffing was pointless.

Calling out the Blood Phoenix's name directly, she was obviously a peer and another Sage Ruler of the Brahma Sound Pure Land!

And Fan Li still remembered the Blood Phoenix Sage Ruler ranked last among the ten great Sage Rulers of the Pure Land.

"Retaliation and revenge came this quick? I always heard the Brahma Sound Pure Land was a sacred land of righteousness, not some evil external path?" Fan Li promptly changed his wording, putting himself in the position of justice.

The green clothed woman didn't speak and only looked quietly at him.

Fan Li simply began ranting.

"The Blazing Fire Sect foolishly meddled in the line of succession for my Great Chu's throne. The Blood Phoenix Sage Ruler relied on her power to bully the weak. I, Fan, have no injustice or enmity with her, yet she wanted to exterminate all of the Fan clan. Esteemed Sage Ruler, may I ask, do you want revenge for this villain, or to uphold fairness and justice?

I, Fan, have long heard of the Brahma Sound Pure Land's great reputation as the gathering place of virtuous women under heaven and had always revered it in my heart. The Blood Phoenix Sage Ruler's actions were surely her own personal behavior, definitely unrelated to the Pure Land. My Great Chu's friendly stance towards the Brahma Sound Pure Land forever remains unchanged. Fan hereby guarantees this!

Our great Chu maintains an unchanged friendly attitude towards the Brahma Sound Pure Land, and I, Fan Li, can guarantee this!"

Crying babies get milk, and extending a hand does not strike a smiling face. Fan Li first defends himself, then praises the Brahma Sound Pure Land.

Ordinary people, even if they initially harbored hostility, would probably weaken a bit after such a display.

Fan Li stares directly at Qing Qiu, but saw no change in her expression.

When it seemed like he had nothing more to say, the Qing Qiu spoke, "My name is Qing Qiu, and from today, I will be investigating the matter of the Blood Phoenix's murder in Peng City. For convenience, I'll be staying here. Remember to arrange food and lodging for me."

Fan Li: "..."

Do I have to serve meals to the person who tried to kill me???