Chapter 15: Rouge Tiger! Stirring Up the Grass to Startle the Snake!

【Rouge Tiger · Leaning on Blade Alone, Gazing Over the Eight Wastes · Li Yuan】

【Realm: Sixth-Rank Martial Artist】

【Cultivation Technique: Celestial Gang Yang Art】

【Martial Skill: Chaotic Hack Blade】

【Favorability: 0/100 (Locked)】

Chen Mo studied the woman before him.

Rosy lips, ivory teeth, delicate features, a face fair and striking.

But her brows and eyes were far too cold and fierce, a murderous glint lurking within her gaze — it was like staring into a wild tiger!

The name "Rouge Tiger" fit her perfectly!

"Her father was a foot soldier in the army, most skilled in the Horse-Slaying Saber, always charging at the vanguard of every battle — wherever his blade wind howled, men and horses alike were shattered."

"He died on the battlefield in a campaign in the Southern Frontier, leaving behind a saber and a yellow-rank saber technique."

"And Li Yuan, relying on this single move 'Chaotic Hack Blade', comprehended the domineering intent within the saber, entered the Azure Ranking, and her later-stage strength was terrifyingly powerful…"

Chen Mo recalled the plot in his mind.

If Shen Zhixia was a martial arts fanatic, then this Li Yuan was a true madwoman!

"Sixth-Rank Transcendence, saber mastery complete — though unranked, she's surely a genius on the level of the Ten Outstanding."

Li Yuan licked her lips, eyes alight with excitement: "From today on, I challenge you once every month until I defeat you. If you refuse, I'll take it out on the Squad Leaders under your command."

Without waiting for Chen Mo's reply, she turned and left on her own.

Truly domineering and overbearing!

Just as Li Yuan reached the doorway, a lazy voice drifted from behind:

"A word of advice."

"The Celestial Gang Yang Art isn't something a woman should practice — be careful your menstrual cycle doesn't go out of whack."

"…"

Crack!

The green bricks beneath her feet shattered, and she walked off into the distance with her saber on her shoulder, never looking back.

Chen Mo sighed — being targeted by this crazy woman meant he probably wouldn't have peace from now on.

"My lord…"

At that moment, a Captain strode over quickly and whispered in his ear.

The corner of Chen Mo's mouth curved into a casual arc.

"Couldn't hold it in already?"

……

Inside a luxurious mansion, in the main hall, Yan Liang sat in a chair, his severed right hand placed on the table before him.

A long-bearded elder in loose robes and a wide sash formed hand seals with both hands; emerald radiance bloomed, enveloping the severed hand.

Countless red threads sprouted from the cross-section of the severed hand, writhing ceaselessly like tentacles.

The elder lifted the severed hand and pressed it against Yan Liang's wrist; the red threads fused the broken ends together, until the two became one.

Apart from a ring of bloodstain at the wrist, it was nearly impossible to tell any difference.

"I have not failed my duty."

The elder wiped the sweat seeping from his brow — he looked thoroughly drained.

Yan Liang flexed his fingers, nodded in satisfaction, and placed a pale blue crystal stone before him.

"Thank you for your trouble, Mr."

"Many thanks, Young Master Yan."

The elder forced a smile, tucked the crystal into his sleeve, rose to take his leave, and walked out of the hall under a servant's guidance.

After the elder left, Yan Liang's gaze turned cold and sinister, and he slammed his palm down, blasting the table to pieces!

"Chen! Mo!!"

He ground his teeth, his face twisted and savage.

A sage of the medical path could bring the dead back to life and grow flesh on bare bone — but for a mere severed hand, a sixth-rank medical practitioner could heal it.

But so what?

Before a crowd of onlookers, humiliated by Chen Mo like that — he'd never be able to hold his head up in the Tianlin Guard again!

The worst part was, he had no choice but to swallow this bitter breath for now!

"Strange — how did Chen Mo know about the barbarian slaves?"

After calming down, Yan Liang frowned in thought.

The Yan family ran several taverns within Tiandu City; business was usually brisk, but that was merely a front — its true purpose was to conceal the real "business" behind the scenes:

Raising barbarian slaves for people's pleasure.

For certain high officials and nobles, ordinary women had long since grown tiresome — the beastly, untamed barbarian women were far more thrilling.

Barbarian women might be fierce by nature, but once tamed they became especially docile, exuding an exotic charm; moreover, their bodies were far tougher and could withstand all manner of depraved play.

The Great Yuan Legal Code strictly forbade private dealings with the barbarian race, so this matter was kept in the strictest secrecy, known to only a handful of people.

How had Chen Mo learned of it?

"Brother, we're always so careful in the usual course of things, and those clients couldn't possibly have let it slip…"

"Could that guy just be bluffing you?"

Yan Xun spoke up.

Yan Liang shook his head: "He could name 'Yicui House' exactly, and deliberately mentioned the word 'barbarian' — that was absolutely not a shot in the dark."

Yan Xun's face changed. "Then what should we do? How about I go take care of those barbarian slaves right now…"

As he spoke, his palm swept across his own neck.

"No."

"This batch of goods was already ordered by that lord. If anything goes wrong, neither of us can bear the consequences."

"Chen Mo isn't absolutely certain either. Otherwise he would have come to make the arrest directly. Deliberately saying all this is nothing more than wanting to wait for us to show a flaw."

Yan Liang pondered for a moment, then said: "In that case, we'll play along with his scheme…"

……

Cold Firmament Palace.

Yu Youhan reclined on a贵妃 couch, her slender gauze wrapping her graceful, voluptuous body—delicate skin, evenly fleshed and boned, where a single inch more would be too much and a single inch less too little.

Even under the most discerning eye, not a single flaw could be found.

A flash of awe passed through the female official Xu Qingyi's eyes.

Even after following Her Ladyship for so long, every time she beheld such an absolute sight, she still found it breathtaking as if gazing upon a celestial being.

And perhaps it was an illusion, but compared to her usual cold, keep-thousands-of-miles-distant manner, there now seemed to be a touch more soft allure between Her Ladyship's brows and eyes, like a crabapple blossom heavy with rain and dew.

"What kind of man could possibly be worthy of Her Ladyship?"

"I'm afraid such a man simply doesn't exist in this world!"

As for the Emperor, whose lifespan was nearing its end and who lay bedridden, she had long since written him off…

"The Ministry of Justice still refuses to release the men?"

At this moment, Imperial Consort Yu spoke up to ask.

Xu Qingyi came back to herself and nodded: "Lord Chen went in person to take the men, but was turned away. Yan Peizhi's attitude is extremely firm—he says this matter must be investigated to the end, absolutely no leniency."

"Those several directors of the Budget Bureau aren't martial artists; I'm afraid they won't hold up under the Ministry of Justice's methods. If this blows up…"

Yu Youhan's phoenix eyes darkened slightly, and she snapped:

"A pack of fools!"

Last night, three directors of the Budget Bureau under the Ministry of Revenue were almost simultaneously taken away by the government office, interrogated through the night, and early this morning sent straight into the Ministry of Justice's great prison!

The charge was embezzling the imperial court's disaster relief funds.

As the saying goes, no official is free of greed. With the Ministry of Revenue being the purse, such matters could truly be said to be commonplace.

By rights, once a sum of funds was approved, from the Minister down to the Vice Minister, then to the Physician, the Directors… layer upon layer of skimming—big officials skimmed big, small officials skimmed small—was a rule everyone tacitly understood.

Yet this time, only those three Directors had reached out their hands…

And these three happened to be the nails the Imperial Consort's faction had planted inside the Ministry of Revenue!

This matter was clearly carefully designed, its purpose being to target Imperial Consort Yu!

"Those three fools aren't worth dying over, but if they confess something else, or under torture start accusing each other, that would truly be a bit troublesome."

Yu Youhan rubbed her brow, her gaze deep.