Chapter 558

Pei Feng rode a black male lion, leading hundreds of Five Elements Spirits, and galloped out of the Imperial City Military Bureau.

The lion let out a low roar; the hundreds of Fetal Storage Realm Five Elements Spirits were energized, each full of vigor, emitting light cries, and closely followed Pei Feng as they galloped over the mist-covered street.

Anyang City was just waking from last night's sleep.

The four city gates opened; convoy after convoy of transport vehicles were entering the city, firewood, vegetables, chickens, ducks, pigs, sheep, salt and spices… convoy after convoy like giant dragons surged along the main roads into every district of the huge city, delivering essential nutrients to Anyang City.

In every street and lane, breakfast stalls lit their fires; in the noodle soup shops, the great soup pots boiled, the aroma of noodles and various toppings turned into a fragrant mist that drifted everywhere in the morning breeze.

The low-ranking officials and clerks who had been on night duty, regardless of rank, each with a sleepy smile, sat at familiar breakfast stalls, having a bowl of noodle soup, a serving of wontons, biting into a few meat buns, vegetable buns, or pairing them with freshly fished-out fried dough sticks, just-out-of-the-oven sesame cakes…

In the morning of Anyang City, everywhere could be heard the "slurp slurp" sound of sucking up noodles and rice noodles.

Pei Feng led a large troop swiftly down the street; she smelled the fragrance in the air and sensed the vibrant, bustling mortal-world aura of the market streets.

Pei Feng recalled the nonsensical ramblings of Lao Tie and Wu Tie during their usual idle chatter.

Lao Tie had said: "Take a look, these folks of the Great Jin, what they normally eat and drink—those pastries, noodles, meat and wine, snacks—you can tell they are pure descendants of humanity."

"Why? Because, just like their ancient ancestors, they are all big eaters."

"How strange—back then, humanity's ancestors were just a bunch of 'foodies'; now, they have forgotten countless civilizations and classics of their forebears, yet this single character 'eat' has surpassed the blue, truly odd indeed."

On the south side of the Imperial City's main street, a group clad in black tight clothing with red sashes around their waists—lower-ranking lackeys of the Demon Suppression Hall—squatted in a line on the curb, each holding a large bowl filled to the brim with mutton offal soup, topped with a thick layer of soaked flatbread.

Nearly a hundred Demon Suppression Hall lackeys held large bowls, slurping the soup with a "hiss-hiss" sound; the scalding mutton offal soup was thick, hot, fragrant, and fresh; these lackeys, whose cultivation was no higher than the seventh or eighth level of the Chonglou Realm, wore satisfied smiles as they ate, sweat pouring down their faces.

Pei Feng galloped past on the lion; her gaze swept over these lackeys whose monthly pay might be no more than three low-grade auxiliary cultivation pills, plus several dozen taels, and she inexplicably laughed.

These low-cultivation lackeys varied in age.

The older ones were likely in their forties or fifties, the younger only fifteen or sixteen, probably standing in for their elders' duties, just having joined the Demon Suppression Hall.

With low cultivation and humble status, their neat, uniform squatting on the curb to slurp mutton soup resembled a row of hardy wild grasses firmly rooted in the morning breeze.

Just like the soldiers of the Black Phoenix Army back then—humble yet tenacious, they lived with such stubborn perseverance.

In the past, Pei Feng would not have had such delicate feelings; formerly, her sole thought was to lead the Black Phoenix Army to survive, to glorify it, to reclaim the fief of the Duke of Phoenix Mountain, and to restore the family's prestige.

But after spending a long time with Wu Tie and Lao Tie, Pei Feng's heart became much more lively, enabling her to notice many things she had previously overlooked, intentionally or not.

She once was a straight, cold, merciless spear that could reap enemy lives on the battlefield without pity; now she has come alive, possessing the vibrant spirit befitting a young woman of her age.

Seeing those Demon Suppression Hall lackeys eating their fragrant mutton soup, Pei Feng unconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva, really wanting to stop, get herself such a big bowl of mutton soup with a few donkey-meat sesame cakes, and eat it heartily.

Ah, ah, what a pity—the matter Wu Tie gave her remains undone.

Pei Feng, slightly annoyed, patted her mount's head, urging the black lion to speed up.

At this moment, the southern gate of the Imperial City slowly opened; the sleepless Pei Youhu, with a grim face and hands behind his back, stepped out of the Imperial City one step at a time.

A small carriage waited in the square outside the Imperial City; seeing their master emerge, the driver and two guards hurriedly drove forward to meet him.

"Master?" the driver respectfully greeted.

Pei Youhu nodded, about to speak, when he suddenly saw Pei Feng riding her mount and galloping past in front of the square.

Pei Feng suddenly gave a soft shout; the black lion's four paws spewed black flames, its body steadied to a halt, flames rolling, the lion's torso lifted slightly over a foot, then came down heavily onto the ground.

Pei Feng gazed at Pei Youhu at the Imperial City gate.

Pei Youhu also stared blankly at Pei Feng; after a while, he strode over, smiling as he walked: "Ah Feng, you've become promising; your elder brother in the netherworld surely knows and would be pleased. You've worked hard these years."

Pei Feng gave Pei Youhu a deep look.

The Pei family of the Duke of Phoenix Mountain now has few officials in the court; the highest-ranking among them is Pei Youhu.

By blood relation, Pei Youhu is Pei Feng's close paternal uncle; the Pei clan is numerous, but only a few are talented and capable—Pei Youhu counts as the most capable and clear-minded among Pei Feng's elders, which is why he managed to obtain the position of Deputy Supervisor of the Court of Colonial Affairs in the court.

As for the other elders of the Pei family, and Pei Feng's peers among the clan… they are a murky mess, no need to elaborate.

"Uncle Hu." Pei Feng bowed with clasped hands to Pei Youhu.

Back then, when Pei Feng's father died, relatives seized the title; Pei Feng was almost driven out of the Pei clan, and in her anger she took the loyal Black Phoenix Army and left the Pei clan to act on her own; in this family upheaval, only Pei Youhu and a few other uncles had spoken kind words for her.

But Pei Youhu's words then were of no use; on the contrary, he was expelled from the Pei clan's fief, and these years he has merely been drifting about in Anyang.

Later, Pei Feng also learned that Pei Youhu, in the court, had often spoken up for her, still wandering in the Great Ze Prefecture, and for Huo Xiong, even directly confronting and rebuking the retainers of Princess Jing Sheng.

So, upon seeing Pei Youhu, Pei Feng couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.

"You all, be careful." Pei Youhu quickly stepped to Pei Feng's side and whispered: "Be careful, again be careful. You, together with the Duke of Jade Prefecture, now stand on the blade's edge, at the forefront of danger, risk extremely high… remember, remember, the present emperor is unreliable; in all matters, do not rely on him."

Pei Feng had already dismounted, smiling as she looked at Pei Youhu.

Hearing Pei Youhu's words, Pei Feng's smile gradually faded: "Uncle Hu, what do you know?"

Pei Youhu sighed, then said in a low voice: "Earlier, knowing you had come to Anyang, I merely stayed garrisoned in the East Garden and didn't go out; as an uncle, it wasn't proper to seek you out. After all, I work in the Court of Colonial Affairs; if I got too close to you, the army commander, all kinds of charges could easily be fabricated."

"But now, it seems it doesn't matter anymore. When you have free time, move about more… Also, my few good-for-nothing sons, your several cousins, who lack talent yet want to gain experience… assign them to the Imperial Guard." A deep, mysterious light flickered in Pei Youhu's eyes.

"It's good in the military… Uncle, how do you now feel that only in the military can one establish a foothold? Holding the sword hilt in hand is always better than having it held by someone else. Ah Feng, do you agree with this reasoning?" Pei Youhu laughed brightly, yet his tone was extremely heavy.

Pei Feng gazed deeply at Pei Youhu, then nodded: "All right, Uncle Hu, have them go straight to the Imperial City Military Bureau to find the Duke of Jade Prefecture. No need to be polite; just treat him as you would treat me."

Pei Youhu stared wide-eyed in astonishment, looked at Pei Feng, grunted for a moment, then asked softly: "You and him?"

Pei Feng nodded bluntly: "Yes, I am close to him. If nothing unexpected happens, he will be my future husband. So, Uncle Hu, you need not be overly courteous toward him."

Pei Youhu's face twitched, then he broke into a sincere laugh: "Good, good, good, this is excellent. You must act cautiously, again cautiously… but having troops in hand is a good thing; as long as you have troops, it's a good thing."

After a low-voiced conversation, Pei Feng jumped back onto her mount and, leading the Five Elements Spirits, sped away.

By Pei Youhu's side now were two Fire Essence Elders, four Gold Essence Elders—six high-ranking Fetal Storage Realm Elders in total—as his guards.

Anyang City is destined to be unsettled in the future; Pei Youhu's own cultivation is limited, and the cultivation of his nearby relatives and children is also low; should anything happen, relying on the strength of these six Five Elements Spirit Elders would more than suffice to protect his family's safety while awaiting Pei Feng's rescue.

Pei Feng led her large troop all the way to the northeastern corner of the Imperial City, to a place called the Deep Abyss Pool.

This Deep Abyss Pool is a small-scale garden covering several hundred mu, with high walls standing in rows and strict prohibitions; it is part of the Great Jin Imperial Heavenly Prison.

In the Great Jin, whoever commits a serious crime: if their status is insufficient, they are thrown into the Punishment Hall's great prison; if sufficient, into the Imperial Heavenly Prison; and those of even higher status—such as top‑ranking ministers and imperial relatives—are imprisoned in the Great Abyss Pool beside the heavenly prison.

Now in the Great Abyss Pool there is only one prisoner: Princess Jingsheng, who has been identified as the mastermind behind the mutiny of the Nine Crooks Creek Hall's Imperial Guard that day.

Pei Feng held that divine imperial order that made people feel inexplicably ashamed, leading a large force straight in, directly into the core area of the Great Abyss Pool.

A pool of silver‑blue cold pond water emitted a chilling Cold Qi; the water surface was pristine as a mirror, reflecting the palatial buildings, flowers, grasses, and trees along the bank; a rainbow bridge spanned the water surface of a hundred mu, the entire bridge reflected in the water, every brick and tile clearly visible.

All around, not a single palace maid could be seen; only old eunuchs, their bodies filled with Cold Qi, stood there expressionless.

Because of the Cold Pond, the temperature in the Great Liquid Pond was already close to mid-winter; moreover, these old eunuchs who had trained in the Ultimate Yin Evil Technique made the Great Liquid Pond truly no different from the Yin Dynasty's Underworld, with Cold Qi assailing one — truly no place for the living to stay.

Princess Jingsheng had her splendid jewelry torn off, her hair let loose, wearing a plain white hemp long dress, her complexion pallid like a female ghost, she sat silently on the Rainbow Bridge, clutching shreds of bloody minced beef in her hand, throwing handful after handful into the Cold Pond's water to feed the water snakes inside.

The Great Liquid Pond truly is part of the heavenly prison; here it is not for cultivating mind and nature, but to torment you from body to spirit.

Such a large pond, yet inside there were no fish raised, but countless black-headed, white-tailed water snakes; when beef was thrown into the water, tens of thousands of water snakes gathered beneath the Rainbow Bridge to fight over the food, a sight enough to drive one mad.

Princess Jingsheng looked at these frightening little creatures with a grim face, her body twitching like a fit, now and then jerking slightly.

Pei Feng left the large troop beneath the Rainbow Bridge, then strode onto the bridge himself, coming directly before Princess Jingsheng.

Clad in white, her visage wan, her breath like a female ghost's, Princess Jingsheng halted her hand's motion, tilted her head, and beheld Pei Feng — clad in a great red battle robe, overlaid with black phoenix-feather linked armor, his aura fierce as a demon phoenix, as if he could at any moment let loose a long cry to soar the heavens and burn all things.

"You, a mere Marquis of Ling Mountain, dare to act wantonly before this palace?" Princess Jingsheng obviously knew Pei Feng; after all, she had spent a period specially studying how to deal with the East Garden Forbidden Army, to claim she had no intelligence on Pei Feng was obviously impossible.

"Lord of Yuzhou has a matter of trade he wishes to discuss with Your Highness," Pei Feng, acting as if he hadn't heard the princess's words, blithely stated his purpose.

"A trade? A mere first-rank lord... heh." Princess Jingsheng, face grim, coldly said: "Fine, a trade, let's trade — I want to hear what you have that's worth my intervention."

"Your Highness must surely hate certain people to death… want to take revenge on them?" Pei Feng said unhurriedly: "Lord of Yuzhou intends to move against the forbidden army of the Three Palaces Twelve Guards; all he needs is a written testimony from the princess proving that all the commanders and soldiers of the Three Palaces Twelve Guards were involved in that day's treasonous rebellion… Lord of Yuzhou can vent this spite for the princess."

Princess Jingsheng's complexion suddenly shifted.

That day, at the Nine Bend Creek Hall, those talented youths from humble families whom she had valued and gathered, those capable commanders she had painstakingly gathered, were assassinated by the most vile and shameless means; then the newly organized forbidden army rebelled, and all the blame was heaped upon her head.

Treason, rebellion, various capital charges surged in like a flood.

Princess Jingsheng hated to the core those who schemed against her behind the scenes, and she knew exactly who they were. After all, in Anyang City, the only ones who could so devoutly practice orchestrating storms and overturning clouds within the military were the Linghu clan.

"You dare to turn against him?" Princess Jingsheng jeered, laughing.

"Whether you dare or not, Your Highness, just wait and see — a single testimony is no difficulty for you." Pei Feng produced Sima Fu's Divine Imperial Order, and said coldly: "Even, I as a subordinate could still use the Divine Imperial Order to release the princess from this Great Abyss Pond, confine her to my own manor — surely far more comfortable than this gloomy, sunless ghost‑place."

Pei Feng looked at Princess Jingsheng and said in a deep voice: "Lord of Yuzhou says that the death of Young Master Zhao Yin is no fault of his… but the death of Lord Zhao Xiu has nothing at all to do with Lord of Yuzhou. Lord of Yuzhou and Your Highness can be allies, not opponents."

Princess Jingsheng fell silent for a moment, she tilted her head to look at the Divine Imperial Order in Pei Feng's hand, her face twitching, then she burst into hysterical laughter: "This brat Sima Fu, this is his Divine Imperial Order? Heh, heh, the ancestral graves of the Sima clan must be smoking black — this kid… heh, this Divine Imperial Order is exactly the sort of thing he'd come up with… truly, the faces of the ancestors are all lost."

She slowly rose to her feet, and once again upon Princess Jingsheng's person appeared that towering aura she had when, in Anyang City, she commanded wind and rain and ran riot.

"From now on, this palace and the Lord of Yuzhou will be friends… he wants the testimony, I will write it now."

Princess Jingsheng laughed happily: "Although this palace really doesn't know any of the current commanders of the Three Palaces Twelve Guards… but false accusation, perjury — this palace is quite adept at it."

Pei Feng's small face grew extremely grim.

【85> She now really wanted to spear Princess Jingsheng to death.

She now very much wants to stab Princess Jing Sheng to death with a spear.