94: Chapter 94 A Battle That Shocked the World

[He did not know who had written that letter.]

[But he had a vague guess.]

[To have such a grasp of the world's situation, to be able to accurately judge which Schools could be won over and which must be eradicated, and to be able to make the Patriarch of the Martial Dao Sect willing to act as a pawn—such a feat could not have been orchestrated by that madman Wei Feisen.]

[It was that woman.]

[That twenty-two-year-old Deputy Gang Leader of the Black Tiger Gang.]

[The coalition forces had completely collapsed.]

[The rebellion of the Martial Dao Sect tore apart their core combat strength, the defection of three Schools on the battlefield disintegrated their final will to resist, and the firearms and cavalry of the Black Tiger Gang turned the rout into a one-sided slaughter.]

[The Great Grandmasters began to flee.]

[Sect Leader Zhao Tieyi of the Iron Sword Sect dragged his broken body and fled south, only to be surrounded and killed by three Black Tiger Gang consultants, dying under a flurry of blades.]

[Palace Master Yun Ji of Biluo Palace attempted to break through using her lightfoot skills, but her spine was shattered by a single punch from the Black-robed Puppet, leaving her paralyzed on the ground.]

[The Poison Sect Master of the Southern Border, the Gu Crone, released venomous insects and poisoned over a dozen Black Tiger Gang soldiers before being riddled with holes by a volley from three rows of muskets.]

[The Great Grand Consultant of the Great Qing imperial family, Xiao Chongming, protected Crown Prince Xiao Chengyuan as they fought desperately to break through. Just as they were about to dash out of the encirclement, he was struck in the back by a palm from Patriarch Jiang Buzhou, vomiting blood and falling unconscious on the spot.]

[Crown Prince Xiao Chengyuan fell from his horse and was pinned to the ground by swarming Black Tiger Gang soldiers, then bound tightly.]

[The battle lasted less than two hours.]

[On Fengming Plain, more than half of the coalition's army of over three hundred thousand were killed or wounded, and the rest surrendered.]

[Of the fifteen Great Grandmaster-level powerhouses, seven were killed in action, five were severely injured, and three surrendered.]

[The commander of the Great Qing imperial guards was captured, the Crown Prince was seized, and the Great Consultant remained unconscious from severe injuries.]

[The coalition of the Nine Schools became history on this day.]

[The battlefield was being cleared.]

[A thick stench of blood and gunpowder smoke permeated Fengming Plain, with corpses covering every inch of ground within sight, and tattered banners planted in pools of blood, snapping loudly in the wind.]

[You remained seated in that chair, holding your sword, watching your personal guards bring the captives over in batches.]

[Wei Feisen returned at some point, not even bothering to wipe the blood from his blade, and squatted carelessly beside you like a street ruffian who had just finished a fight.]

["Satisfying," he grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. "We should have done this a long time ago. Fighting them one by one is such a hassle; wiping them all out in one go is much easier."]

[You ignored him.]

["Wanwan," he leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Do you think that old man, Patriarch Jiang Buzhou, is really trustworthy? What if he goes back on his word later?"]

["He won't."]

["Why?"]

["Because he is dying," you said calmly. "A person who is about to die does not care about power or Treasure Troves. He only cares about his legacy. The Martial Dao Sect needs a sufficiently powerful backer to ensure the Sect is not purged after he dies."]

["And we are that backer."]

[Wei Feisen thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright, you're the boss."]

[He stood up, stretched, and suddenly turned to look at you, his gaze becoming lingering.]

["Wanwan, now that the battle is over, shouldn't we..."]

["We shouldn't."]

[You didn't even look up.]

[Wei Feisen's mouth twitched, and he shut up sheepishly.]

[A squad of personal guards brought over the last batch of captives.]

[The captain of the personal guards knelt on one knee. "Deputy Gang Leader, this is the last batch. They are all core figures from the various Schools and officials accompanying the Great Qing imperial family. Among them are a few who tried to escape and were caught. How should we dispose of them?"]

[You stood up and walked to the front of the captives.]

[A row of people were bound tightly and kneeling on the ground. Some lowered their heads, trembling; some glared at you, gnashing their teeth; and some were so scared they had lost control of their bladders.]

[Your gaze swept over them one by one, then stopped on an 'acquaintance'.]

[Crown Prince Xiao Chengyuan.]

[His golden armor had been stripped away, leaving him in only a white undergarment soaked in blood and filth. His hair was disheveled, and there were several abrasions on his face, yet his back remained straight. He knelt there like an iron nail that refused to bend.]

[He raised his head and looked at you.]

["Lin Shuangwan." He enunciated your name syllable by syllable, his voice hoarse but clear. "Do you think that by killing me, you can sit firmly upon the world? The Xiao family has established the nation for three hundred years, and our Foundation is spread across the Nine Provinces. You can kill me, but can you kill everyone in the world who bears the surname Xiao?"]

[You didn't speak.]

["You are merely a commoner of the Jianghu," Crown Prince Xiao Chengyuan sneered, blood seeping from the corners of his mouth. "Even if you win today, tomorrow there will be countless loyal subjects and righteous men rising up. Your Black Tiger Gang is nothing more than another short-lived upstart regime."]

[He paused, his tone softening slightly, but the calculation in his eyes deepened.]

["Killing me is easy, but have you considered that keeping me alive is far more useful than killing me? The three-hundred-year bureaucratic System, tax System, and courier System of the Great Qing were all built around the imperial family. Can a single Gang like yours handle it? Can you manage it? You need a Puppet, a Puppet that can put the hearts of the people in the world at ease."]

[He looked straight into your eyes, enunciating every word.]

["I can be that Puppet for you."]

[You looked down at him.]

[In your past life, this person ascended the throne as Emperor with the reign title Xinqing. Judging by the few years he was in power, he was a monarch with considerable means.]

[He was right; keeping him alive was indeed more useful than killing him.]

[A living Puppet Emperor could save countless troubles.]

[You looked at his eyes, filled with calculation, and suddenly smiled.]

[That smile, under the influence of Peerless Elegance, was so beautiful that everyone around was stunned for a moment.]

["What you say makes a lot of sense," you nodded.]

[A trace of imperceptible triumph flashed in Crown Prince Xiao Chengyuan's eyes.]

["Kill him."]

[Crown Prince Xiao Chengyuan's expression froze.]

[He opened his mouth, that trace of triumph still hanging on the corners of his lips, but his eyes were already beginning to glaze over.]

["You..."]

["The bureaucratic System of the Great Qing, I will rebuild," you turned around, your voice very soft. "The tax System, I will reform; the courier System, I will take over. As for the hearts of the people in the world..."]

[You paused.]

["The hearts of the people are never set at ease by a mere surname."]

["You are mad!" Crown Prince Xiao Chengyuan finally lost his composure. He struggled violently, the ropes cutting into his flesh and blood seeping out. "You are a woman! A woman from a Gang background! What right do you have..."]

["Simply because I won."]

[You did not turn back.]

[The captain of the personal guards drew his sword and stepped forward.]

[Crown Prince Xiao Chengyuan's roar came to an abrupt end.]

[The surrounding captured high-ranking members of the various Schools saw this scene and were so terrified that their livers and gallbladders shattered; they couldn't even utter a sound to beg for mercy.]

["Kill them all, leave not a single one," you turned and walked back to your chair, your tone indifferent.]

[Screams rose and fell, soon returning to deathly silence.]

[The battle of Fengming Plain resulted in the total annihilation of the Nine Schools coalition, the loss of all the elite forces of the Great Qing imperial family, and the execution of Crown Prince Xiao Chengyuan.]

[When the news spread, the world was shaken.]