Chapter 51: Rampant

Liu Baiyun was old in the Jianghu, not a greenhorn like Mei Qinghe, and with one sentence, she left Zhou Yingxue speechless.

She didn't even intend to stop, continuing to ask in a series: "Whose rules?"

"Is it... the rules of the Songshan Sect, the rules of Sect Leader Zhou?"

Liu Baiyun looked into Zhou Yingxue's eyes.

"The rules of the Taishan Sect?"

She swept her gaze over the faces of the others: "Or... the rules of all of you?"

No one dared to answer this question.

At least, not in front of an Imperial Guard Battalion Commander.

Li Miao lowered his head and drank his tea, saying nothing, letting Liu Baiyun do as she pleased.

Since taking over the Huashan Sect, Liu Baiyun had been struggling to maintain it, being cautious at the Five Mountains Alliance meeting, afraid of letting Zuo Lishan find an excuse to punish her. When had she ever experienced this feeling of being overbearing and pointing fingers at others from a moral high ground?

She now felt it was even better than improving her martial arts or defeating a strong enemy!

Seeing Li Miao acting as if he hadn't heard, she knew this was tacit approval for her to continue, so Liu Baiyun took the opportunity to make a point.

"Jianghu, Jianghu. The rivers are the rivers of the Great Dashuo, and the lakes are the lakes of the Great Dashuo. The rules of this Jianghu must also follow the rules of the Great Dashuo Imperial Court!"

"My lord is here under the Emperor's order to investigate illegal activities in the world; even the back halls of high officials and the private residences of dukes can be entered!"

"Is this not the territory of the Great Dashuo!? Can even an Imperial Guard Battalion Commander not enter the door!?"

With this hat placed on them, who would dare to answer?

The hall was silent. Zhou Yingxue's face turned red, and her hand creaked on the hilt of her sword, but she dared not say a word in response.

She only cursed inwardly: "How come I never saw you were so shameless in the past!? Having defected to the Imperial Court, are you this rampant!?"

Liu Baiyun's demeanor had already made the Huashan Sect's position clear.

It was just that the people present didn't care; in the past, the Taishan Sect had also used this excuse many times to suppress the Huashan Sect. Now, it was just a change of position.

Seeing Zhou Yingxue being framed and unable to step down, the Hengshan Sect Leader, Deng Baixuan, felt his true energy becoming chaotic, and he was about to speak to smooth things over: "Sect Leader Liu, you—"

He didn't expect that what had just been an appetizer was not the real meat of Liu Baiyun's speech, and he was cut off by her next sentence.

"In this world... the only one who dares not let the Imperial Guard enter the door seems to be one—"

"You... are you not colluding with the Ming Sect?"

"Damn!"

"Mother of—!"

"Poisonous woman!"

Everyone in the room cursed inwardly; how come they never saw that Liu Baiyun's heart was so vicious in the past!

What "Bai Yun Sword"; "Black-Hearted Sword" would be more appropriate!

Who didn't know that any Jianghu force in the Great Dashuo that dared to collude with the Ming Sect would end up being wiped out.

Liu Baiyun said this in front of an Imperial Guard Battalion Commander, pushing everyone present to their deaths!

Yes, defecting to the Imperial Court isn't shameful; it's just changing circles. Everyone knows the Taishan Sect suppresses you. But you just got ashore, and now you want to throw stones at the brothers in the river; isn't that a bit too much?

Everyone present dared not let Liu Baiyun continue, afraid that the next sentence would be a hat of "gathering a crowd to plot chaos, intending to rebel" placed on them; who could bear that?

But Liu Baiyun did indeed think so, and her next sentence was to say this "gathering a crowd to plot chaos."

She had heard everything Li Miao said to Mei Qinghe, and she understood what she should do.

If Li Miao didn't speak, she wouldn't stop.

Now she had to be rampant, she had to establish prestige, and she had to hammer the concept of "colluding with the Ming Sect" into their hearts to make them afraid.

The things Li Miao caused in Tai'an City scared away the small fish and shrimp. Now this round was to scare away those qualified to enter the hall.

After this, before the Five Mountains Alliance meeting, everyone who came with the intention of "watching the fun" would be scared away by this news. Those who refused to leave were those with deep ties to the Taishan Sect, and they would be dealt with together.

Those who remained after two rounds of screening were the unstable factors after the Taishan Sect was wiped out, and none would be left.

"Everyone—"

"Sect Leader Liu!"

Zhou Yingxue's face flushed red, and she used her true energy to shout, interrupting Liu Baiyun's words.

"It is... it is my slip of the tongue."

"Please—forgive me!"

She could only soften her stance, and she had to soften it.

If she let Liu Baiyun continue, she wouldn't be able to step down from this stage.

The Hengshan Sect Leader, Deng Baixuan, also said: "Sect Leader Liu, Sect Leader Liu, Sect Leader Zhou had a slip of the tongue and meant nothing else."

"For the sake of the Five Mountains Sword Sects being of one branch, say no more, say no more."

"My lord Li." He cupped his hands to Li Miao, who was drinking tea on his own: "We have no intention of offending the Imperial Court."

"Jianghu people are used to being free and easy, coming and going in the wind and rain. If we have lost our manners, I hope you will forgive us!"

Li Miao scraped the lid on his teacup, put it down, and placed his hands on the armrests.

He raised his face and scanned Deng Baixuan from head to toe: "So that's it."

"I thought there was a heart of rebellion; it turns out it was just an unintentional remark."

"Sect Leader Liu, then forget it."

"Yes, my lord." Liu Baiyun stopped when she heard this and retreated behind Li Miao.

Zhou Yingxue sat down bitterly, saying nothing. The others noticed the strange and dangerous atmosphere and stopped chatting, and the room was silent.

After a long while, it was Deng Baixuan who broke the silence: "The Imperial Guard Battalion Commanders all have some reputation in the Jianghu, but my lord Li is a new face."

"Have you been promoted recently?"

He wanted to probe Li Miao's background.

The Imperial Guard is divided into the North and South Offices; the one that makes people tremble in the Jianghu is the North Office, and the South Office is responsible for the discipline and military discipline of the Guard itself. If Li Miao was a Battalion Commander of the South Office, there was no need to be too afraid.

If Li Miao was a newly promoted Battalion Commander of the North Office, then one had to be careful. New people in power have no connections, and they are often ruthless. It is very likely that everyone present would be treated by him as a stepping stone.

Li Miao replied: "I have been in Shuntian Prefecture for twenty years, and I have been a Battalion Commander for fifteen years, never leaving the capital. It is natural that Sect Leader Deng does not recognize me."

*Whoosh—*

Everyone let out a long sigh of relief: Never leaving the capital, he must be from the South Office.

The internal authority of the Imperial Guard is clear; the North Office does the killing. It's just that I don't know what Li Miao's purpose is.

Deng Baixuan smiled and said: "The South Office's Commander Liu is also famous in the Jianghu."

"It's just that Commander Liu rarely leaves the capital, and I have never had the chance to meet him. Seeing my lord Li today, you are indeed majestic, and I can imagine Commander Liu's demeanor, which can make up for the regret!"

Deng Baixuan was indeed old in the Jianghu; this remark first flattered the superior and then flattered Li Miao. No matter who the person opposite was, they probably wouldn't feel unhappy about this remark.

Li Miao raised his eyes and looked at Deng Baixuan strangely: "What does Liu Zhe have to do with me?"

"When did I ever say—I was from the South Office?"

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 52 =====