Military Advisor and Princess

Chapter 121

The sage smiled in response, picked up a white piece as well, and placed it on the chessboard. The two white pieces complemented each other, neither could be missing, and they firmly controlled the entire game, trapping all the black pieces like a net, leaving none able to escape.

Bathed in the afternoon light, the sage's usually calm eyes rippled with gentle tears. Beneath his veil lay a faint smile that seemed to eclipse the very heavens and earth. Two strands of white hair on his forehead shimmered with a soft silver light in the glow, dancing in the breeze, adding to his ethereal and wise image, as if he held all things in his heart.

Jin Xuan looked at him quietly, his deep eyes shining, his handsome and resolute face so soft and dazzling in the sunlight, his thin lips slightly curved, so confident and domineering, his irresistible aura slowly spreading out.

The world instantly lost its color, leaving only a dazzling array of blue and white figures...

As the night grew deeper, a faint candlelight flickered in Bai Xiaosheng's room, as if they were plotting something. The Divine Sword Sect Master slightly opened the door, glanced around, and finding nothing amiss, closed the door with relief. He turned to the others, who were all watching him nervously, and shook his head to indicate that everything was alright. Only then did everyone relax and return to their serious expressions.

"We have approached the Holy Lord as originally expected. Shall we proceed according to the original plan?" After the Divine Sword Sect Master sat down, the leader of the Empty Fist Sect stroked his beard and asked the crowd.

"Since we've come this far, there's no turning back now." Bai Xiaosheng's eyes flashed with a fierce light as he pulled out a porcelain bottle from his robes and sneered, "This is 'Hundred Flowers Softening Tendon Powder,' colorless and odorless. Just one whiff of it will instantly render you powerless, rendering even the most skilled martial artist useless."

“The Holy Immortal Sect has many extraordinary individuals, with the Holy Purple Poison Technique being the best in the world, and the world’s number one female physician is also here. I’m afraid this ‘Hundred Flowers Tendon-Softening Powder’ won’t be able to deal with the Holy Immortal Sect at all,” the Divine Sword Sect Master said with a hint of doubt in his eyes.

"The Hundred Flowers Softening Tendon Powder is a unique treasure of my Hundred Knowledge Sect. People in the martial arts world do not know its true power. Apart from the Hundred Knowledge Sect's unique antidote, no one can cure it. Even if Sheng Zi and Huang Ying were poisoned by the Hundred Flowers Softening Tendon Powder, they would be powerless to cure it." Bai Xiaosheng said proudly, very dissatisfied with the Divine Sword Sect Master's doubts. The Hundred Flowers Softening Tendon Powder was his most proud creation.

"In that case, let's take action tomorrow." The leader of the Empty Fist Sect stroked his beard, his small eyes gleaming.

“I think it’s not advisable. Although we have the Hundred Flowers Softening Powder, we still haven’t seen the Holy Emperor. Moreover, this mansion seems simple, but it’s actually very strange. We shouldn’t act rashly.” The Heavenly Sun Sect Master said in a slightly deep voice, his sharp eyes flashing with a determined light.

"The Heavenly Gate Master is right. Besides, it's still unknown whether the secret manual is with the Holy Lord. If we alert him and the Holy Lord discovers it, we'll likely die without a burial place," the Divine Sword Sect Master said with fear in his eyes.

Although he had only seen the Holy Lord once from afar, he was filled with fear and dread towards him from then on. He was too mysterious and too unpredictable. Such a person was too terrifying because you had no way of knowing how strong he was, what his strength was, or what his weaknesses were. The mystery alone was enough to make people tremble from the bottom of their hearts, not to mention the unpredictable and peerless martial arts and wisdom that were widely rumored in the martial arts world.

"Hmph, as long as I get the secret manual, why should I be afraid of that white-haired saint?" The leader of the Empty Fist Sect sneered disdainfully, his shrewd little eyes gleaming with greed.

"Sect Leader Kong is right. As long as we obtain the secret manual and learn the divine skills, will we still need to put up with the attitude of the Holy Immortal Sect? Hmph, just a mere member of the Holy Immortal Sect dares to disregard the leaders of the Eight Great Sects. They're too arrogant. If we don't teach them a lesson, the world will think that the Eight Great Sects are incompetent!" Bai Xiaosheng said, his clever eyes flashing with a glint of greed.

"What the sect leaders say makes sense. Although this action is ungentlemanly, it is for the sake of the reputation of the eight major sects and the peace of the martial arts world. Just as Abbot Zhiling said, if I don't go to hell, who will? In any case, we cannot allow the Holy Immortal Sect to dominate the entire martial arts world. Doing so will surely sow the seeds of disaster." The Divine Sword Sect Master proudly declared with a face that showed he was willing to go to hell for the sake of the martial arts world's justice.

"Hmph, what do you mean by ungentlemanly behavior? We're just giving them a taste of their own medicine. The Holy Immortal Sect can be so arrogant only because of the Holy Lord's unparalleled martial arts. Once the Holy Lord dies, the Holy Immortal Sect will be leaderless. Then it will be our time to avenge our beloved disciple who was killed by Holy Chi, and wipe out the Holy Immortal Sect in one fell swoop. As for the secret manual, we eight sects will practice it together, restraining each other and making a contribution to the martial arts world." Bai Xiaosheng raised his head righteously, but inwardly he sneered: Practice together? One mountain cannot hold two tigers, let alone eight tigers.

"Master Bai's words truly resonate with me. I fear that if the Alliance Leader finds out, he will blame us for acting on our own initiative." Kongquan Sect's shrewd eyes flashed with calculation, and his face showed worry. How could he not know that Bai Xiaosheng had a plan in mind?

"Alas, Abbot Zhiling and True Man Xuanqing had matters to attend to and had to leave first. Alliance Leader Duan is too weak. We can only keep this matter from the Alliance Leader and explain it after things are settled!" The Tianri Sect Master sighed helplessly, his calm eyes flashing with calculating greed.

"Well, what should we do next?" the Divine Sword Sect Master asked, clearly the most anxious of them all, and also the most 'naive' one.

Everyone lowered their heads, seemingly deep in thought about how to implement their so-called 'just' strategy.

The room fell silent. Each of the so-called "gentlemen" and "righteous men" revealed greed and calculation in their eyes, each harboring their own ulterior motives. Their words were eloquent and respectable, but who didn't want to monopolize the secret manual and treasure map? Who wasn't thinking of becoming the supreme ruler of the world? Who wasn't thinking about how to kill everyone in front of them after obtaining the manual?

"Distinguished sect leaders, the situation is still unclear. Let's observe the situation for now and find out where the secret manual is before taking any action," the Tianri Sect Master said, breaking the silence.

"Yes, but we must do it as soon as possible. If we are too late, the Holy Emperor may become suspicious." The leader of the Empty Fist Sect stroked his beard and nodded.

In the dimly lit room, four people huddled together, beginning their conspiracy once more, unaware that on the rooftop not far away, two figures, one in orange and one in green, leaned against each other, watching the room filled with the air of intrigue with smiles.

"You treacherous Qing, is this what you call a prestigious sect? Ha..." Sheng Cheng said sarcastically, looking at Sheng Qing who was grinning slyly under the moonlight, and was momentarily lost in thought.

"Heh... Now I finally know what shamelessness is. They clearly want to dominate the martial arts world, yet they speak so grandly. I knew they were here for the secret manual and the 'treasure,' but I never imagined they would even try to kill the sect leader and destroy the Holy Immortal Sect. What a delusion." Sheng Qing didn't notice the burning gaze Sheng Cheng was giving her. She smiled veiledly, clearly wanting to rush in and kill them, yet she still smiled brightly. This was the skill of the cunning Sheng Qing.

"This is going to be interesting. A few small fry think they can mess with the sect leader? They won't even know how they died." Sheng Cheng leaned back, seemingly indifferent, but his whole body exuded a strong killing intent. These people had already stepped into the gates of hell.

"Ah..." Suddenly, a heart-wrenching scream came from the room next to Bai Xiaosheng's, breaking the silence of the night and disturbing the people plotting.

"It's the dancing girl." Upon hearing the scream, Bai Xiaosheng immediately rushed out of the room and headed to the next room, followed by the other three sect leaders.

"Heh... The game has begun. I wonder how Zi will greet this dancing girl this time?" Sheng Qing looked at the chaos below and smiled curiously. Seeing that the person next to him did not react, he nudged Sheng Cheng with his elbow and said ambiguously, "Your dream girl is in trouble. Why don't you go and show your support? Play the hero and save the beauty. Maybe the beauty will even repay you with her body?"

"Oh, I want to too! But I'm afraid someone will get jealous." Sheng Cheng's peach blossom eyes flashed, and she gave Sheng Qing a flirtatious look, as if she were regretting it.

"Jealous? Ha... You're too arrogant! Who would be jealous of someone like you? That person must be blind." Sheng Qing rolled her eyes at Sheng Cheng as if she had heard a very funny joke, and said sarcastically, but her evasive eyes showed a hint of guilt.

Sheng Cheng stopped talking, but watched Sheng Qing's flustered expression with great pleasure. He liked to see her flustered for him; she was very cute like that. As for that dancing girl, hehe... she might be more powerful than these so-called sect leaders, but no matter how powerful she was, she couldn't outwit the sect leader's brilliant strategies.

"Miss Wu, are you alright?" Bai Xiaosheng, disregarding the proper boundaries between men and women, burst through the door and rushed in, asking anxiously.

The scene before him made him stop abruptly, staring in disbelief, but he dared not take another step forward. His face turned completely white in an instant. The other three sect leaders followed him in, and their reactions were exactly the same as Bai Xiaosheng's.

A frail woman lay slumped beside the bed, her watery eyes filled with fear and tears, looking at them pitifully. A venomous scorpion was crawling on her hand, its pincers gripping her delicate white hand and refusing to let go. Black blood flowed from where the scorpion had pinched her, indicating that she had been poisoned.

No one knew how potent the scorpion's venom was. Therefore, the so-called "righteous people" who claimed to be willing to go through fire and water for the martial arts world did not lend a helping hand to a "weak woman" in danger. Some even wanted to leave her to die.

"Master Bai, save...save me!" The dancing girl trembled as she stretched out her other hand, her voice weak and tearful as she pleaded for help. Her lips had turned black and she bit them tightly, biting them with hatred and forbearance. It felt as if a thousand snakes and ants were gnawing at her heart, causing both itchiness and pain. The pain was so intense that she wanted to bang her head against the wall, but she dared not move, fearing that if she moved, the poison would invade her internal organs, and if she moved, the scorpions would attack her again.

"Miss Wu... what... what's going on?" Bai Xiaosheng stood still, fear showing in his shrewd eyes, and asked in a trembling voice.

"I...I don't know...I'm so scared! I feel so bad!...I...I..." The dancer lowered her eyes and began to sob softly. Beads of sweat dripped from her forehead, her brows were tightly furrowed, and her weak moans filled with fear continued. Even the most hard-hearted Chinese person would feel sorry for her.

Although Bai Xiaosheng and his companions felt sorry for such a beautiful woman, they didn't want to lose their lives for her. They still wanted to dominate the world and become the best of the best! They wouldn't have to worry about not having women then.

The woman called the "dancing girl" was now losing her senses. Her hand, pleading for help, slowly drooped, hidden beneath her sleeve, clenched tightly, her nails digging deep into her flesh. Pulling her back to her senses, her downcast eyes blazed with intense hatred and resentment. She was unwilling to accept it! Her plan hadn't been implemented, her wishes remained unfulfilled, she still wanted to grow old with her beloved… There were so many things in this world she couldn't let go of. If she could just help him accomplish this, she could have her beloved. Why was fate so cruel to her? Why? I hate it, I hate it so much… Bai Xiaosheng, humph, all men in this world are like this, always saying they love you, willing to die for you, but in the end? Heh… It's all just sweet talk, empty words. How many men in this world can compare to him?

Just as she was in so much pain that she was about to crash into the car and die, a startled voice rang out: "Oh my! How did my little darling end up here? Really, I've been looking for her for so long."

As the sound rang out, Sheng Zi flashed to the dancing girl's side. Without even glancing at the nearly dying girl, she stretched out her hand, and the scorpion crawled onto her palm, lying obediently. Sheng Zi pointed at it with her other finger and scolded, "You! I told you not to run around like that, but you never listen. I've told you before, there are many bad people around, it's very dangerous. What if you get caught? Don't you think so, little Zi Zi..." The little purple snake on her shoulder immediately hissed and stuck out its tongue, as if agreeing with its master.

The eerie scene of the human, snake, and scorpion 'conversing' sent chills down Bai Xiaosheng and the others' spines. Their fear deepened, and even their legs trembled uncontrollably. One thought kept running through their minds: the Poison Woman truly lived up to her name; how terrifying! They had to stay away from her from now on.

"Sect Master Zi, Miss Wu has been poisoned by a scorpion. Please quickly detoxify her; she's dying." Having regained his senses and seeing that they were now safe, Bai Xiaosheng anxiously stepped forward to help Miss Wu up, pleading earnestly.

"Oh! So you're already full, no wonder you're being so good!" Sheng Zi didn't even glance at Bai Xiaosheng and the others, affectionately tapping her little darling's head. A wave of disdain washed over her: Ha, now you're all eager to show how much you love this so-called dancing girl? Why weren't you reacting at all just now?

"Purple...Purple Pavilion...Master, save...save me..." The dancing girl leaned on Bai Xiaosheng's shoulder, her voice barely audible, she was about to collapse. But she couldn't give up. As long as there was a glimmer of hope, she would persevere. She would make everyone who had wronged her wish they were dead, including the Holy Purple before her.

"Miss Wu, I really wanted to save your life, but alas! I only know how to make poison, not how to cure it, so I can only apologize to you. Considering that you sacrificed yourself to feed my little darling, I will definitely give you a grand funeral after you die, so you can rest in peace." Sheng Zi slightly raised her eyes, glanced at Miss Wu who had stepped into the gates of hell, and said with infinite apology, as if to say, "You can rest in peace, I'm very loyal."