51: Chapter 51: Should Li Yuan be handed over?

"Tell me, who was it that laid their hands on Meng Guidu?"

"Speak up, and I will stop torturing you. I will let you leave without a hint of pain."

Ruan Xingqiao stood before Li Yuan, questioning him bluntly.

"This is the Military Camp, Vice General Wang said..."

Uncle Chen stood in front of Li Yuan, bringing up Vice General Wang's name in an attempt to intimidate Ruan Xingqiao.

Upon hearing this, Ruan Xingqiao tilted her head and glanced at him.

"When Vice General Wang is present, I naturally respect his opinion."

"But since he's not here now, does that mean I can't act?"

"At most, after I strike, I, Ruan Xingqiao, will simply go and accept the punishment."

As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of Uncle Chen and the others instantly turned pale.

This was the gap in status.

If someone like her killed a person, it would be a minor punishment at most.

Ruan Xingqiao's arrogant words sounded very real, grounded completely in reality.

After she finished speaking, Ruan Xingqiao took another step forward, closing in on Li Yuan.

During an interrogation, the closer the distance, the more pressure it could exert on the opponent.

In Ruan Xingqiao's eyes, she was interrogating Li Yuan.

But in fact, Li Yuan had no fear of her at all; she posed no threat to his safety.

What he needed to consider slightly was how he should respond if she attacked here.

Meanwhile, seeing that Li Yuan had no intention of cooperating.

Ruan Xingqiao was truly prepared to make a move within the Military Camp.

She felt that Li Yuan was relying on the military's backing to dare to resist her.

Only after being beaten and feeling pain would he learn to be honest.

"Young Miss Ruan, this is the Military Camp."

Before she could strike, Vice General Wang Jiuxing walked over quickly with a cold face.

He looked at Ruan Xingqiao with a hint of reproach.

City Lord Liu had been indulgent enough toward her, choosing only to protect Li Yuan within the Military Camp.

Yet she was unwilling to follow even this rule.

If she were allowed to harm Li Yuan here, the morale of the entire Military Camp would be further dampened.

Currently, Yingyang Pass was already in a state of turmoil.

Surrounded by internal troubles and external threats, if internal strife occurred within the military, the entire Yingyang Pass would collapse.

Seeing Wang Jiuxing's arrival, Ruan Xingqiao did not force a confrontation.

Retracting her intent to strike, she looked at Li Yuan with cold eyes. "I don't believe you can stay in this Military Camp forever."

"I'll see just how much patience you have."

"Meng Guidu is dead. I have no intention of debating right and wrong; I will get justice for him no matter what!"

Seeing Ruan Xingqiao's persistence, Li Yuan answered calmly, "Regarding that man's death, I can tell you: he died at my hands."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present was stunned.

After a moment of daze, Ruan Xingqiao immediately snorted twice.

"It seems you're quite loyal. That person saved you, so you're covering for their identity, right?"

"But before you weave a lie, think about your own capabilities."

"With just you, you could actually harm Meng Guidu?"

Leaving behind those words, Ruan Xingqiao turned and left.

Wang Jiuxing looked at Li Yuan and sighed helplessly, "You kid, you've really encountered some trouble for no reason..."

The matter was temporarily settled, but in the eyes of those around them, the countdown for Li Yuan's life had already begun.

Whenever Ruan Xingqiao found an opportunity, that would be the moment of his death.

Compared to the anxiety and worry of others, Li Yuan showed little panic.

Uncle Chen and the others couldn't help but praise this display.

They said Li Yuan had a strong Heart-Nature and could remain steady at any time.

As expected of a Corpse Collector in the military, his courage was indeed greater than theirs.

In fact, a strong Heart-Nature is merely built upon strong power.

If not for his transcendent strength, who could be so composed?

Returning to the Military Camp to rest, Vice General Wang told Li Yuan not to worry about mission matters.

Due to Ruan Xingqiao's threat, corpse collection missions would not be assigned to Li Yuan for the time being.

During this period, he was to just rest in the military.

Gathering with Uncle Chen and the others, they talked about recent events.

Actually, everyone in the military had been quite idle lately.

The situation at Yingyang Pass had become so severe that ordinary soldiers could no longer participate.

"That mysterious expert's last move killed an Eighth-Grade Expert from the Jin Kingdom, completely infuriating the Jin Imperial Court."

"Their Grand Preceptor, with the strength of a Ninth-Grade Supreme, has now arrived at the Jin front lines."

As Uncle Chen said this, even with the appearance of a Ninth-Grade Supreme, the people around him weren't too worried.

As low-ranking soldiers, they knew that a Ninth-Grade's target wouldn't be a few foot soldiers.

Instead, it was the fourth and fifth-grade Martial Artists of the Jin Kingdom who were the 'soldier butchers.'"

"These Martial Artists loved killing ordinary soldiers to earn military merits."

"The appearance of a Ninth-Grade means a clash at the highest levels of the nation."

Li Yuan was also somewhat surprised to hear this.

He hadn't expected the Jin Kingdom to actually deploy a Ninth-Grade Supreme.

"It's said that Yingyang Pass requested reinforcements from the Imperial Court twenty days ago, but to this day, the people arranged by the Imperial Court haven't arrived..."

"Two Ninth-Grades died recently. I heard from others that Da Shun currently has no one available, and no Ninth-Grade is willing to wade into these muddy waters."

His comrades around him continued to chat.

Li Yuan felt that the information in their words was likely spread by people arranged by the Jin Kingdom.

City Lord Liu and the others wouldn't say such morale-damaging things to the subordinates.

"I really don't know how much longer this chaos will last, or if I'll be able to keep my life in the end..."

Everyone sighed with emotion.

But glancing over at Li Yuan, they felt they were still somewhat luckier.

Everyone else still had a chance to survive.

But Li Yuan, facing Ruan Xingqiao's threat, likely wouldn't escape this calamity.

For a low-ranking soldier, the outcome of offending a fifth-grade Martial Artist or a ninth-grade Martial Artist was the same: losing one's life.

Amidst the small talk, Li Yuan began to inquire about information regarding his enemies.

The examiner sent by the Imperial Court at that time was the current Vice Minister of Rites.

But Li Yuan knew that the Vice Minister of Rites alone couldn't have arranged everything behind the scenes.

To easily have a local official's home raided and property confiscated, one's Foundation in the Imperial Court must be extremely deep.

Before Li Yuan fled, Father Li had also advised him.

He told Li Yuan not to think about revenge; behind the enemy, there was more than just one Ninth-Grade Supreme.

Some soldiers in the military knew quite a bit about the Imperial Court.

Especially the veterans; they weren't originally soldiers of Yingyang Pass.

Having been in other Military Camps, they were well-informed and had heard many things.

Li Yuan noted down the information he had gathered.

When he had time, he would continue to probe deeper.

On the second day after returning to the Military Camp, Li Yuan heard that the Imperial Court had sent people.

Facing the threat of a Ninth-Grade Supreme, the imperial envoy arranged by the Dashun Imperial Court finally arrived.

As expected.

How could the Imperial Court avoid such a massive predicament that affected the nation's fate?

That night, some well-informed soldiers had already obtained news.

The highest-ranking imperial envoy sent this time was only of the seventh grade.

They hadn't even arranged for a Ninth-Grade Supreme to lead the team.

This approach was clearly a sign of weakness...

At this moment, City Lord Liu and his group were discussing with the imperial envoy's party.

"The ministers in the court have reached an agreement."

"We can hand over that mysterious person. When the time comes, we can write a biography for him to show gratitude for his contribution."

"But the three prefectures of Yingyang Pass, we must never yield."