22: The Qin family was wiped out.

Seeing you silent, her eyes reddened: "Do you know how many people the other Yan Army divisions have slaughtered?"

You remained silent.

You had indeed heard that every time the other Yan Army divisions breached a city, they would embark on a killing spree, causing tens of millions of civilian casualties...

"In the entire Yan Army, only your men, General Qin, have committed no crimes against the common people..." Xue Miaoyun looked at you with burning eyes.

"If someone like you were to become emperor, what would it matter if I surrendered?"

You shook your head with a bitter smile: "I was born in the Yan Dynasty, raised in the Yan Dynasty, and cultivated by the Martial Arts Academy; how could I betray my family and abandon my country?"

"The Yan Emperor you speak of is full of hypocritical talk of benevolence and righteousness, yet he acts worse than a beast," Xue Miaoyun sneered.

"When the time comes for him to kill you, will you just stretch out your neck and wait for death?" She stared at you intensely with burning eyes.

You fell silent; this time, you only wanted to lay low and improve your strength.

"Your Yan Emperor was unscrupulous in achieving his goals back when he was in the Zhenxi Army; he would even betray his own comrades," Xue Miaoyun sneered.

"After ascending the throne, he used our Jin Dynasty to eliminate his meritorious officials."

"General Qin, I can already guess your ending," she suddenly changed the subject:

"The Three Great Factions of the Yan Dynasty—the Song Family, the Jin Family, and the Wu Family, right?"

You frowned, not understanding what she meant.

"The Song Family and the Jin Family have no Great Grandmaster; their achievements and strength are insufficient, so they pose no threat to the imperial power," she said indifferently.

"Only the Wu Family has Grandmasters as numerous as clouds, and Marquis Wu's achievements are so great that they overshadow the ruler."

"Think about it again: in this attack on the Jin Dynasty, has the Xiao Family suffered any losses?"

"He wants the Wu Family and the Jin Dynasty to both suffer!"

"Once the war ends, the Wu Family will inevitably be purged."

"As for you..." She smiled meaningfully, "You are most likely a discarded pawn as well."

"Stop trying to sow discord!" you interrupted sternly.

"Whether it's sowing discord or not, you'll know in a few days," Xue Miaoyun said unhurriedly.

"The number of Yan Dynasty Grandmasters who died at our hands over those years is too many to count on two hands. Why would I lie to you?"

"Those Grandmasters were all loyal subjects to the deposed Emperor, but what was the result? They were all used as pawns by Emperor Xiao Rui."

"It wasn't until he easily seized the throne that we suddenly realized—this was simply borrowing a knife to kill! Using our hands to eliminate his greatest threats!"

Upon hearing this, you remained silent.

In fact, you also understood that your own lifeline was held by the Dynasty—the realm breaking pill, the Pill Formula, the Alchemy Grandmaster... all were controlled by the Dynasty.

"If retreating is not an option..." she suddenly suggested, "then how about delaying the attack for three months?"

Your heart stirred.

In any case, you couldn't take White Emperor City, so this condition was acceptable.

Presumably, she wanted to go support other cities...

"A realm breaking pill?" you asked straightforwardly.

She smiled slightly and tossed the Medicinal Pill over.

You caught the Medicinal Pill, suppressing the wild joy in your heart—you hadn't expected the realm breaking pill you dreamed of would be obtained just like that!

Seeing you accept the Medicinal Pill, she stood up to leave, leaving behind one sentence: "If the Yan Emperor cannot tolerate you, White Emperor City welcomes you at any time."

Watching Xue Miaoyun's receding figure, you couldn't help but click your tongue—this woman was not only capable of fighting but also had a sharp tongue; every word struck right at your heart.

You also knew she was setting a trap for you, an open conspiracy you had no choice but to jump into.

Because you simply didn't believe Emperor Xiao Rui would give you a "realm breaking pill".

Three months later,

You received news—the other army divisions had been completely defeated, and even the main force led by Young Lord Wu had suffered heavy losses.

This battle directly shook the Foundation of the Wu Family.

And White Emperor City, which you were supposed to attack, now had two more Grandmasters stationed there.

Facing the combined forces of Xue Miaoyun and the two Grandmasters, you wisely chose to retreat.

On the city wall, Xue Miaoyun cupped her hands to bid you farewell—you knew she was doing it on purpose.

That look seemed to be saying: I had already foreseen your ending.

Everything that happened half a year later was exactly as Xue Miaoyun had predicted!

Emperor Xiao Rui began to purge the Marquis's estate; the entire Wu Family was executed, and all related persons were imprisoned.

You also wisely resigned from your military post and returned to your small courtyard to live in seclusion.

In the thirty-eighth year,

You finally achieved a Breakthrough to the Late Stage of the Grandmaster realm.

Now, as long as you didn't encounter a Great Grandmaster, you were confident you could do as you pleased!

In the imperial court, the turmoil surrounding the Wu Family gradually subsided, and all military and political power returned to Emperor Xiao Rui.

One month later—

The Martial Alliance leader, One of the Three Tyrants of Nanjiang, and Grand Secretary Song Zhanpeng led a large force to surround your small courtyard completely.

You looked at Song Zhanpeng with a smile: "Is this a case of kicking the ladder after climbing up?"

Song Zhanpeng frowned: "His Majesty wants me to ask you, why did you surround White Emperor City for three months without attacking back then?"

"I couldn't win! Do you want me to send one hundred thousand soldiers to their deaths?" you laughed.

"But someone saw Xue Miaoyun seeing you off on the city wall when you retreated."

"Hahaha..." you doubled over laughing, tears streaming down, "She can do whatever she wants, what does that have to do with me? If she saw you off, you wouldn't be able to explain it either, right?"

One of the Three Tyrants of Nanjiang interrupted impatiently: "Why waste words on him..."

Before he finished speaking, One of the Three Tyrants of Nanjiang punched towards you.

Just as he charged up, you flashed with your Shadowless Steps and instantly appeared behind him!

"Bang!"

You kicked him into the ground and ground your sole against his head: "With your amateur skills, you are worthy of being the leader?"

Song Zhanpeng hurriedly tried to dissuade you: "General Qin! Give His Majesty some Face!"

At the same time, he gave you a look towards the west.

You understood tacitly and unleashed your Shadowless Steps at full power, turning into a stream of light as you rushed towards the west city gate.

Behind you came the hysterical roar of One of the Three Tyrants of Nanjiang: "Qin Chen, I will make your whole family suffer a terrible death."

In the thirty-ninth year,

You hid and dodged along the way, but eventually arrived at White Emperor City.

With your current strength, as long as you didn't run into a Great Grandmaster, you could basically do as you pleased.

Hearing that you had arrived, Xue Miaoyun personally came out to welcome you and hosted a banquet to wash away the dust from your travels.

She smiled until her eyes narrowed: "How about it, I was right, wasn't I?"

You kept a straight Face and said nothing, pouring yourself a large gulp of wine.

She sensibly stopped teasing you, and you gradually relaxed, the two of you drinking together until dawn.

In just one night, you became as familiar as old friends who hadn't seen each other for years.

Three days later, Xue Miaoyun specially prepared a quiet courtyard for you and arranged for two personal servants to take care of your daily life.

A month passed, and Xue Miaoyun came to chat with you almost every day. You talked about everything, and through this, you learned about the sad past of her parents dying in battle.

You secretly noted it in your heart, hoping that your real-life self would see it: In the twelfth year—Xue Miaoyun's parents would fall into an ambush and die during a border conflict.

Two months later, Xue Miaoyun suddenly gifted you the Secret Manuals for her signature skills, "Thirteen Spears of Death" and "Soaring Dragon Steps".

You didn't hesitate and immediately reciprocated with "Shadowless Steps" and "Dragon-Elephant Palm".

Next, you sparred with each other every day, and your coordination became increasingly tacit.

You sometimes wondered: you were already over fifty years old, how were you still so charming?

Half a month later, Xue Miaoyun learned the news that the Qin Family had been executed, and immediately ordered the news to be sealed, strictly forbidding anyone from telling you.