15: I, Su Ying, can play the xiao (vertical flute).

A hundred miles away from the Qingyun Sect.

The sound waves vibrating between heaven and earth suddenly vanished.

At the edge of a cliff.

Su Ying was dressed in silver armor that perfectly outlined her exquisite figure. Her chest curved so fully it seemed ready to burst through the armor, and her long legs were slender and straight.

In one hand, she held a flute, while the other unfurled a scroll. Her gaze was focused intently on the beauty depicted in the painting.

"Xiaodie," she said softly, her voice clear and crisp.

Behind her, a maidservant in a green dress stepped forward quickly and bowed. "General."

Su Ying glanced at her sideways and asked bluntly, "Between me and the person in this painting, who is more beautiful?"

Xiaodie quickly scanned the stunning face on the scroll, then stole a glance at her General's heroic and striking features. She stammered for a long time, not daring to make a sound.

Su Ying's delicate brows furrowed slightly, and her tone turned cold. "Tell the truth."

Xiaodie replied cautiously, "General, you both have your own merits. If I really had to judge, it's a fifty-fifty split."

Hearing this, Su Ying immediately followed up, "Then why would His Majesty rather take this woman as a concubine than marry me?"

Xiaodie stole another glance at her and said hesitantly, "General, could it be because this lady is proficient in the four arts—zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting—and thus won His Majesty's favor?"

"The four arts?" Su Ying raised her chin dissatisfiedly, her tone carrying a hint of pride. "I can play the flute; can she?"

Xiaodie's face turned bitter as she sighed inwardly.

Her General was excellent in every way, except when it came to His Majesty taking concubines. She loved to compare herself and would always make a fuss for a while.

"Tell me, he has so many people in his Harem, what's wrong with adding me?" Su Ying muttered to herself, her tone full of resentment.

Xiaodie thought for a moment and explained carefully, "General, could it be because you and His Majesty are too familiar with each other, making it hard for him to make a move?"

Su Ying rolled up the scroll and paced two steps at the edge of the cliff, feigning a deep, thoughtful look.

She suddenly turned around and nodded solemnly. "The possibility you mentioned isn't non-existent."

She gestured with her hand in front of her chest. "He watched me grow from a tiny thing to what I am today. We're definitely too familiar; he can't bring himself to do it."

Xiaodie breathed a sigh of relief inwardly; she had finally managed to fool the General.

Unexpectedly, Su Ying's tone shifted, and her eyes lit up. "Wait! If he can't bring himself to do it, he can just lie there. As long as I can bring myself to do it, it's fine!"

Hearing this, Xiaodie was instantly speechless.

In the end, she had to brace herself and remind her, "General, His Majesty ordered us to besiege the Qingyun Sect. You should give the order first."

"If that Lu Xueqi escapes, you won't be able to explain it to His Majesty."

Su Ying curled her lip and said nonchalantly, "If she runs, she runs. At worst, I'll just offer myself to His Majesty as compensation."

Xiaodie was completely at a loss for words.

Although His Majesty loved beauty and the three thousand concubines in his Harem each had their own charm...

...General, with your straightforward personality, shouldn't you reflect on your own issues?

Despite her complaints, Su Ying composed herself, put away the flute, and said deeply, "Bring me my spear!"

From behind, four sturdy men came forward carrying an elegant Red-tasseled Spear.

Su Ying reached out to take it and swung it a few times as if it weighed nothing.

Then she turned to face the dense army behind her and commanded loudly, "Soldiers, hear my order!"

"Using the Qingyun Sect as the origin and the distance from here to the Qingyun Sect as the radius, completely besiege the Qingyun Sect!"

"Until the Prison Suppressing Army arrives, no one is allowed to enter or leave!"

"As you command, General!" the soldiers responded in unison, and the massive army immediately began to move in an orderly fashion.

Su Ying looked at Xiaodie beside her, her gaze sharpening as she instructed, "Xiaodie, go deliver a message to the Qingyun Sect and tell them to hand over Lu Xueqi."

"Also, sneak inside quietly and see if this Lu Xueqi is truly on par with me."

Although Xiaodie was somewhat helpless, she still bowed and accepted the order. "Yes, General."

As soon as she finished speaking, her figure instantly merged into the darkness and vanished without a trace.

Who would have thought that this seemingly ordinary maidservant actually possessed a cultivation at the Saint King level... Inside the Discussion Hall of the Qingyun Sect.

Sect Master Li Xiao sat in the main seat, his expression solemn.

Several Elders of the Sect were lined up on both sides.

Every person present was a Supreme Realm expert whose name shook the region.

Li Xiao looked around, his gaze falling on an empty seat, and asked in a deep voice, "Why hasn't the Fourth Elder arrived?"

The Grand Elder stroked his graying beard and replied slowly, "Perhaps he is in seclusion, attempting a Breakthrough in his Realm."

Li Xiao's brows furrowed tightly, his heart filled with dissatisfaction.

At such a critical moment of life and death, he actually had the mind to go into seclusion?

He pushed the thought aside, pointed at a letter on the table, and drew everyone's attention. "Just now, an envoy from the Taiyan Imperial Dynasty delivered this letter. All of you, take a look."

The Grand Elder took the letter and read it carefully, his expression gradually becoming grave.

The Second Elder couldn't contain his curiosity and couldn't help but ask, "Sect Master, is it that Taiyan Imperial Dynasty that has recently risen to fame?"

Li Xiao nodded slowly, his tone heavy. "If it were an ordinary power, I wouldn't have needed to summon you all."

"But this Taiyan Imperial Dynasty is different. Rumor has it that His Majesty Emperor Yan wiped out nine Peak Invincible Supremes with a single palm strike."

"If this is true, his cultivation must be at the Quasi-Emperor level, or even far beyond an ordinary Quasi-Emperor."

"Unfortunately, I arrived a step too late and didn't see him take action with my own eyes. Otherwise, I wouldn't be in such a dilemma."

His current situation was that he couldn't gauge the true strength of the Taiyan Imperial Dynasty.

Moreover, his Qingyun Sect was also an Emperor-grade Sect, with a Quasi-Emperor Old Ancestor presiding over it.

If they bowed their heads to an equivalent power for no reason, the Sect's reputation would be ruined, and who would dare to join the Qingyun Sect in the future?

If they went out, they would likely be mocked as a spineless Sect.

If the Taiyan Imperial Dynasty's strength far exceeded the Qingyun Sect's, he wouldn't be so conflicted and would just hand over Lu Xueqi.

If the Taiyan Imperial Dynasty's strength was far inferior to his Qingyun Sect, there would be even less reason to hesitate; they would simply go and wipe them out.

A moment later, all the Elders finished reading the letter, their faces showing expressions of gravity.

The Grand Elder was the first to speak, his tone firm. "Sect Master, Xueqi is the number one Prodigy of our Qingyun Sect in ten thousand years. She even has hope of reaching the Quasi-Emperor Realm."

"If we hand her over like this, within a thousand years, our Qingyun Sect will surely fall into decline."

The Elders all nodded in agreement:

"The Grand Elder makes a good point; it's truly insightful."

"The Old Ancestor's Lifespan is less than a hundred years. If there's no successor to break through to the Quasi-Emperor Realm, it will be devastating for our Qingyun Sect."

"If we don't hand her over, our Qingyun Sect still has a chance to regain its glory. Once we hand her over, our Qingyun Sect..."

The Elders' hearts were heavy, and they were momentarily caught in a dilemma.

For the Qingyun Sect to have its current scale, it naturally had many enemies.

If they were to provoke another Emperor Dynasty now, the impact on the Qingyun Sect would be significant.

To this end...

...the Old Ancestor had even decided long ago that when his Lifespan was exhausted, he would go to an enemy power and self-detonate to relieve the pressure on the Sect.

The Second Elder chimed in, "Sect Master, we absolutely cannot hand her over!"

"Xueqi's talent is obvious to everyone. We've spent countless resources on her; how can we let others reap the rewards for nothing?"

The Ninth Elder had a fiery temperament and immediately slapped the table in agreement. "I agree with the Second Elder!"

"If all else fails, let the Old Ancestor go to the Tai Yan Imperial City and self-detonate, taking that Emperor Yan down with him!"