12: Chapter 12 The Joyous Union Cult, Madam Lan

Just as Noble Lady Qi was shocked that Xia Jin actually dared to sit on the dragon chair so openly in front of Emperor Xia Yu, the Emperor of Great Xia,

she turned to look at Emperor Xia Yu beside her, only to find that he seemed accustomed to it, not finding anything wrong with it at all.

"How is it possible? Is this Prince Jin really the true controller of the entire Great Xia Dynasty, as everyone says?" Noble Lady Qi looked at Xia Jin with a hint of wariness.

Xia Jin sat on the dragon chair, looking coldly at Noble Lady Qi below.

"Hey, woman, are you that second Young Miss from Duke Jings Mansion?"

Noble Lady Qi was stunned by this impolite, even contemptuous address, and a surge of offended anger rushed to her head.

She took a deep breath, forced her head up, met Xia Jin's gaze, and said in the arrogant tone typical of imperial concubines, "It is indeed I."

"Good!" Xia Jin nodded. "Commander Qin Hu."

"Your subordinate is here!" Commander Qin Hu, kneeling on the ground, responded immediately.

"Take her down."

These four short words fell clearly into everyone's ears.

Commander Qin Hu stood up and almost reflexively went to execute the order, but then seemed to think of something and instinctively glanced at Emperor Xia Yu.

Emperor Xia Yu stood there with a complex expression, his lips twitching, but ultimately, under Xia Jin's invisible but heavy aura, he said nothing and just looked away.

Commander Qin Hu's heart tightened; he dared not hesitate anymore. Gritting his teeth, he shouted deeply, "Men! Arrest this Noble Lady Qi for me!"

Two Imperial Guards waiting outside the Imperial Study responded and entered, instantly restraining Noble Lady Qi's arms from both sides.

"Presumptuous! How dare you!" Noble Lady Qi was completely panicked now. She turned sharply to Prince Jin. "Prince Jin! I am a Noble Lady personally titled by His Majesty! Regardless of whether I am guilty! Even if... even if I am, the sentencing should be decided by His Majesty. Since when is it your turn as a Prince to overstep your bounds!"

She spoke and looked urgently at Emperor Xia Yu, her eyes filling with tears. "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Save your concubine!"

Emperor Xia Yu showed a look of reluctance, seemingly wanting to say something.

However, Xia Jin, sitting on the dragon chair, suddenly laughed at this moment.

"Fine, don't you want to hear what your crime is?" Xia Jin slowly raised his eyes and said indifferently, "Duke Jings Mansion has colluded with the remnants of a demon sect. The evidence is conclusive, and the crime is equivalent to treason. According to the laws of Great Xia, such a serious crime warrants the execution of three generations."

"You have the blood of Duke Jings Mansion flowing in you, so you are a 'related person'. Moreover..."

"Who knows how much convenience you, this 'enchantress', have provided for those demon sect remnants and how much information you've passed using your status as a concubine in the palace? Death penalty? That's considered light!"

"You call me an enchantress?" Noble Lady Qi's eyes became incredibly cold in an instant.

At that moment, a System prompt suddenly sounded in Xia Jin's mind.

[Ding! Detected key information 'Enchantress'... matching information... match successful!]

[Triggered Mission: Capture the Enchantress alive!]

[Mission Content: This woman is one of the Four Flower Lords of the Hehuan Sect, 'Lady Lan'. After capturing her alive, you can unlock follow-up missions!]

[Mission Reward: Vajra Indestructible Body (Entry-Level), sixty years of cultivation.]

"One of the Four Flower Lords of the Hehuan Sect?" Xia Jin's eyes flickered imperceptibly, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. He didn't expect that coming back once would trigger a System mission again, and this time the reward and difficulty were almost within his reach!

Xia Jin directly changed his original plan of quickly dealing with Noble Lady Qi.

"Alright, stop pretending! You enchantress of the Hehuan Sect!" As Xia Jin's words landed, everyone in the Imperial Study was stunned!

"Hehuan Sect?!"

Commander Qin Hu gasped, instinctively stepping in front of the greatly changed Emperor Xia Yu.

Emperor Xia Yu's gaze toward Noble Lady Qi also became somewhat cold: "You... you are... an enchantress of the Hehuan Sect?!"

As the majestic Emperor of Great Xia, the concubine beside him was actually an enchantress from the Hehuan Sect! If others found out, wouldn't it become a laughingstock?

This person must die!

Noble Lady Qi, who was originally restrained by two Imperial Guards, lost her pitiful aura the moment Xia Jin said "Hehuan Sect" and became extremely capable instead.

She slowly raised her head, her panic vanished without a trace, and her eyes stared fixedly at Xia Jin on the dragon chair.

She struggled slightly, and the two Imperial Guards who were holding her firmly felt their arms go numb, involuntarily loosening their grip.

She straightened her body.

"I really didn't expect it. How exactly did you discover my identity? I believe I haven't shown any flaws during my time lurking in the palace."

"Show your true face first!" Xia Jin said with a smile.

"Fine, I've long wanted to stop wearing this woman's mask!" She raised her hand, felt around the back of her ear and the side of her neck, and then pulled hard, tearing off a human skin mask as thin as a cicada's wing and throwing it on the ground.

Beneath the mask was a face just as beautiful, but completely different from Noble Lady Qi's previous soft and charming style.

"It really is you! Lady Lan, one of the Four Flower Lords of the Hehuan Sect!" Xia Jin looked at her and spoke indifferently.

"Lady Lan..." Commander Qin Hu's expression was grave. People from the Hehuan Sect had strange and varied methods. Although this person hadn't reached the Grandmaster Realm, he still had to be careful.

Seeing Xia Jin call out her name directly, Lady Lan looked at Xia Jin with deep wariness.

Even within the Hehuan Sect, very few people had seen her true face or knew her name. How could this man know!

"No wonder before I left, the Sect Leader repeatedly warned me to be careful of you, the 'Emperor of the Underworld' of the Great Xia Dynasty. You truly live up to your reputation, being able to see through my disguise. Unfortunately..."

"Even you, Xia Jin, cannot stop the great cause planned by our Three Sects! I won't stay today! See you another day!"

Before her voice fell, Lady Lan's figure suddenly flickered. She seemed to lose weight, turning into a faint shadow and shooting towards the open window on one side of the Imperial Study!

"Stop her!" Commander Qin Hu roared, leaping to give chase. However, the moment he circulated his True Qi, his expression suddenly changed!

A strange, numb weakness had spread to his limbs at some point.

"Poison? When..." Commander Qin Hu was shocked and angry, suddenly recalling a faint, almost imperceptible fragrance he had smelled when he was close to restraining Lady Lan earlier.

"The Hehuan Sect's secret medicine, 'Bone-Softening Orchid Fragrance'..." Lady Lan's light laughter came from the window, carrying a hint of pride. "Commander Qin, how does it taste?"

However, just as she was about to break through the window.

A purple light flashed!

"Ugh—!"

Lady Lan, who already had one foot out of the window, let out a scream!

She suddenly clutched her lower abdomen, and a large amount of bright red blood instantly gushed from between her fingers.

The intense pain made it impossible for her to maintain her balance, and she fell from the windowsill.

Everyone's eyes instinctively turned toward the dragon chair.

"Big Brother, you acted?" Emperor Xia Yu looked delighted.

At this time, Xia Jin still maintained that slightly lazy sitting posture, but at some point, he was casually twirling a thin purple-copper metal sheet between his right index and middle fingers.

"You haven't even reached the Grandmaster Realm. Who gave you the confidence to think you could escape from my hands?" Xia Jin couldn't help but shake his head.

"Commander Qin Hu, take her to the Imperial Prison and have people watch her twenty-four hours a day. A Flower Lord of the Hehuan Sect should know quite a few secrets."

The sluggishness in Commander Qin Hu's body eased slightly. Hearing this, he forced himself to take a breath, gritted his teeth, and stood up. "Your subordinate... obeys!"

As he stepped forward to restrain Lady Lan, he stole a glance at Xia Jin, his eyes filled with awe.

What kind of martial art did the Prince just use? He didn't seem to notice any fluctuations when he acted.