Chapter 176: Annihilation of the Sect!

"This Master Lu is truly a ruthless man—before Cao Wei's troops even entered the city, he arrived on the official road kneeling with Liu Vice Minister's nephew's head in hand, willingly offering his own neck for execution; the men of Mingguang Sect were exiled to the frontier, the women sent to the brothel quarters."

"Impressive!"

In a valley of green hills and clear waters.

Ning Zhongtian leaned comfortably against a large locust tree, telling Li Rui and the others about Mingguang Sect's fate.

The group exchanged uneasy glances.

We thought this would be a clash of heaven's thunder and earth's fire—yet this is all?

Especially Tan Hu, whose blade was nearly worn down from sharpening, and still no battle came.

Cao Wei took Mingguang Sect without losing a single soldier.

Was Mingguang Sect truly afraid of the Anning Guard?

No.

It was the imperial court.

As the saying goes, under heaven, all land belongs to the Son of Heaven—not merely referring to Yu's territory, but meaning that anyone who defies the Yu court will be hunted to the ends of the earth and killed.

This is the Empire's will.

Even if Mingguang Sect could escape the Anning Guard's encirclement, they could never evade the government's manhunt.

They could only hide in the mountains, living in desperate survival.

In no time, their lineage would be utterly extinguished.

This Master Lu was also a ruthless man—he chose outright to kneel and surrender.

Know this: even surrendering meant the same grim fate.

It was precisely because he chose this despite knowing the horror that Ning Zhongtian called him a ruthless man.

This wasn't even cutting off a limb to save the body—it was chopping off both hands and feet just to stay alive.

Ning Zhongtian slowly stood up, brushing the dust from his clothes:

"Let's go. We can't linger too long—otherwise, Master Cao might take notice."

He hadn't moved immediately

because the surrender was the Sect Master's decision.

But for individuals, it was different.

Many would resist; conflict was inevitable, and bloodshed certain.

He wouldn't sacrifice his own men's lives to help Cao Wei build military merit.

Now is the perfect time to go.

Ning Zhongtian stretched lazily as he walked toward Mingguang Sect.

In the space of a cup of tea,

The Benhu Cavalry arrived outside the Mingguang Sect's city.

At the entrance,

a force of over two hundred soldiers waited.

Ge Hong, Wei Ming, and two other Platoon Leaders stepped forward to greet Ning Zhongtian.

Ning Zhongtian glanced at the uncleaned blood on the streets, then at his own soldiers, their robes untouched.

He nodded in satisfaction: "Well done."

He had already told Ge Hong and the other three.

For a siege, just show up—no need to fight to the death.

Let Cao Wei's men take the lead.

The four had executed Ning Zhongtian's strategy perfectly—retreating when the enemy advanced, so much so that outsiders might have thought they were the Supervisory Camp.

Wei Ming grinned: "All thanks to Master Ning's teaching."

Ning Zhongtian kicked him, laughing: "You're the one who taught me."

When he first joined the Anning Guard under Lei Yong's notice, he was a diligent young man—now he's this way, all thanks to this old veteran, Wei Ming.

"Let's go take a look—can't let them all end up in the brothel quarters."

He chuckled.

He quickened his pace.

The brothel quarters fell under the Ministry of Rites, so even the Anning Guard had to pay to get in—otherwise, no entry.

But before handing them over, one could intercept them.

Many officials' beautiful, well-educated maids came from here—they were once noble young ladies.

Here, you could get the freshest goods.

The allure for seasoned pleasure-seekers was immense.

Moments later,

Ning Zhongtian and his men were walking along when they saw rows of Mingguang Sect elders and disciples, shackled hand and foot, slowly approaching.

He silently cursed.

"They beat us to it."

He felt frustrated—he should've arrived a stick of incense earlier.

Now they were being marched out of the city; the top-tier goods were already taken.

Ning Zhongtian instantly lost interest.

He had always refused to be second-best—even in choosing women—and now he was left with nothing but leftovers; he had no desire.

"Look around—if you see anyone you like, tell me."

Bored, he sat down on a roadside stone step, deciding to watch the show.

Wei Ming and the others weren't shy.

They picked two each.

Ning Zhongtian didn't hesitate—he ordered men to drag the women out from the crowd.

A commotion broke out.

But the guards, seeing it was Ning Zhongtian, all chose to look away.

Yes.

It was inhumane.

But war is war—the defeated who survive already receive great mercy.

Though this war saw little death and no large-scale combat, it was still war.

Any war is inherently cruel.

Li Rui had heard Tan Hu say:

In the northwest frontier army, most women were yellow-skinned and emaciated, deliberately smeared with charcoal, some even tattooed on the face.

Because the northern barbarians most coveted beautiful women.

Once taken, they were usually raped to death.

The Anning Guard wasn't frontier troops, but today, since it was war, there was no mercy or righteousness—only less brutality than frontier warfare.

But the essence was the same.

In Yu, there was virtually no army that didn't divide the spoils after a great victory. The reason was simple: the men had risked their lives, their heads on their belts; now they'd won, why care about the enemy? If you deny them their pleasure, who'll fight for you next time?

Relying on imperial rewards was like trying to quench thirst with a cup of water.

If your troops mutinied, the trouble would be immense.

This had happened many times with officials appointed from civil service to command military units.

The court knew it was too expensive to maintain troops solely on tax revenue, so they turned a blind eye.

"Li Lao, aren't you going to pick one to warm your bed?"

Ning Zhongtian looked at Li Rui.

Li Rui was now a seventh-rank martial cultivator, with a lifespan of a full 150 years—no fear of aging or weakness.

Li Rui smiled lightly: "All leftovers. Nothing worth taking."

Ning Zhongtian's eyes lit up:

"Kindred spirit!"

Li Rui sat beside Ning Zhongtian, and the two chatted idly.

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Ning Zhongtian's eyes flickered with concern: "Li Lao, you must be more careful in the future. Though our Anning Guard doesn't need to get involved, we might still get dragged in."

He didn't spell it out, but Li Rui understood.

Factional strife

The Lin Faction, with the new Supervisor's arrival, had regained the strength to challenge the Xuan Faction.

Under the Emperor's control, it wouldn't escalate too far.

But what the Dragon Throne considered "too far" was vastly different from what Li Rui and others thought—a single word from a powerful man was an insurmountable mountain to them.

The death of a few fifth-rank officials meant nothing to the Emperor.

Li Rui's heart sank.

"No peace."

To the court, the Ghost Ming Sect meant nothing; the powerful cared only for their own power.

From the Emperor to the State Tutor and Grand Secretary, all are the same.

Forget other things—take Cao Wei, for instance. Why did he become Assistant Regional Commander? Because of the Fifth Imperial Prince.

The Marquis of Dingyuan has an unusual relationship with the Fifth Imperial Prince; Cao Wei is almost certainly a member of the Xuan Faction.

Factional struggles will inevitably affect the military, though not as overtly as in the imperial capital or civil administration.

But not overt doesn't mean it won't happen.

Even the tiniest scrap from either faction falling on an individual's head becomes a mountain.

Think about it.

Consider today's Mingguang Sect—his wife and daughter became playthings sold for laughter in the Imperial Entertainment Bureau. What a tragic fate.

To preserve oneself alone?

Even harder.

At that moment.

A commotion arose down the nearby street.

Ning Zhongtian and Li Rui turned their heads.

They saw a magnificent white horse striding down the road, exhaling white breath.

The soldiers around them cast envious glances.

Mounted atop the horse was a young man clad in silver armor, but what the soldiers truly envied was the woman clutched in his arms.

The legitimate daughter of the Mingguang Sect's leader.

"Gao Zhen."

Ning Zhongtian's eyes flickered with revulsion.

Li Rui said nothing.

Since arriving at Anning Guard, this Garrison Commander has done nothing but act like a scoundrel.

He's capricious and cruel.

He drove the Chunyan Pavilion to the brink of closing—several women died, even the madam.

Only after Jiang Lin personally rebuked him did he show any restraint.

His only advantage, perhaps, is that he hasn't yet meddled in Anning Guard affairs—if he had, everything would be in chaos.

Ning Zhongtian sneered, stood up, and brushed the dust off his robe.

"Let's go."

"This place is filthy. Bad luck."

Li Rui understood perfectly—Ning Zhongtian was speaking indirectly, criticizing without naming names.

Both were Garrison Commanders, and Gao Zhen was from the Gao family of Luyang; after a few years, he'd likely be promoted like Duan Yu.

Such connections were the last people you wanted to offend.

So even though Ning Zhongtian was annoyed, he wouldn't be foolish enough to punish Gao Zhen and play the righteous hero.

Half a day.

Mingguang Sect became an empty city; Anning Prefecture's troops, accompanied by Ministry of Rites officials, arrived to take over.

Everything was handled.

Only then did Cao Wei lead his troops back to camp.

His lips curled upward, triumphant.

Though he was the Fifth Imperial Prince's man, he still needed achievements to prove his competence.

This time, he seized the mighty Mingguang Sect without lifting a finger—he'd surely earn credit with the Fifth Imperial Prince and General Xue.

His gaze flickered to Gao Zhen beside him.

He frowned slightly.

Gao Zhen riding a horse was one thing—but he'd brought a woman along, and worse, she was the Mingguang Sect leader's legitimate daughter, biting her red lip in silent submission.

"Playboy."

Even though Gao Zhen had already pledged allegiance to his faction, it didn't change Gao Zhen's image as a playboy in his eyes.

By law, Mingguang Sect's elders and disciples must be handed over to the Ministry of Rites.

The Mingguang Sect leader's daughter was too well-known—if Ministry officials saw her, trouble might follow.

People from different systems don't necessarily give you any leeway.

He walked over to Gao Zhen:

"Younger Brother Gao, a beauty is only enjoyable when kept alone—have someone take her back to Qinghe via the back road."

Gao Zhen grinned and nodded.

He immediately ordered a subordinate to take the woman away.

Seeing this, Cao Wei's expression eased slightly, and he added one final warning: "Younger Brother Gao, true men have lofty ambitions—don't sink too deep into pleasure."

"You're right, Brother Cao."

Gao Zhen's expression didn't change.

After Cao Wei left, a faint smile curled his lips.

Sink into pleasure?

(End of Chapter)