He had already used the method of punishing Miao Yi to warn Xiong Xiao, and Xiong Xiao had kept a low profile all these years, not daring to act recklessly. Suddenly making a move at this time was not in Xiong Xiao's best interest. With Xiong Xiao's current strength, he was not yet at the stage where he could rebel against Yang Qing, nor could he bear Yang Qing's punishment. Unless something forced Xiong Xiao into a corner, there was only the name list for the Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade.
That's right, Yang Qing did have thoughts of making a move against Xiong Xiao, but not now. Xiong Xiao had followed him for many years. Without a suitable reason, Yang Qing would not easily make a move against him.
Putting Xiong Xiao's name on the name list was mainly to test Huo Lingxiao's intentions, to see how much support Huo Lingxiao had for Xiong Xiao, and then choose a method to make a move against Xiong Xiao. He was not foolish enough to go against Huo Lingxiao, nor did he have the qualifications to do so.
After receiving the approval of the name list, Yang Qing understood that Huo Lingxiao would not do anything to him just for Xiong Xiao.
Even so, Yang Qing would not announce the name list for the time being. He would wait until the surrounding arrangements were complete before revealing the name list to Xiong Xiao, and then use appropriate methods to force Xiong Xiao to rebel.
At that time, it would be fine if Xiong Xiao obediently went to the Sea of Constellations, but if he resisted, then Yang Qing would have a reason to take him down immediately. By then, the preparations would be complete, and Xiong Xiao wouldn't be able to run even if he wanted to.
However, what was unexpected was that Xiong Xiao was not someone to be trifled with. His reaction speed was extremely fast, and he did not resist Yang Qing in any way, nor did he try to salvage or delay the situation. He was decisive, and would rather give up the benefits before him.
The reason why Xiong Xiao did this was obviously because he had already received the news beforehand. But who had leaked the news?
Yang Qing was the only one who knew about the name list he had submitted to Suppressing Second Hall, and only Hall Master Huo Lingxiao knew about it. He didn't even inform his personal handmaidens, and after the name list was submitted, it was approved not long after. Not many people had seen it. Other than Suppressing Second Hall, he couldn't think of anyone else who could have seen the name list...
Qin Weiwei couldn't wait to read the contents of the jade archive. There was only news of East Arrival Cave being attacked by Xiong Xiao. There was no detailed description of East Arrival Cave's current situation. It was because when East Arrival Cave had sent out the spirit eagle to relay the news, there had been no results yet. Miao Yi's condition wasn't what Qin Weiwei hoped to see either.
Hong Mian had also attached another piece of information. It was about Miao Yi killing eight of Gongsun Yu's subordinates at Long Viridescent Cave. However, compared to Xiong Xiao's attack on East Arrival Cave, this piece of news had obviously been cast aside by the father and daughter pair before her.
"Xiong Xiao has gone too far. He's practically treating my Mount Calming Sea like it's nothing. This subordinate requests Manor Head to punish her severely! "Qin Weiwei cupped her fists and requested.
"Severe punishment?" Yang Qing mocked. He stood up and left the dining table. Slowly pacing, he said, "I'm afraid it's impossible to punish him now even if we wanted to. If I'm not wrong, Xiong Xiao has already betrayed us. Judging from the time, the only place that could contact them in such a short period of time was probably Suppressing Third Hall. I'm guessing that the one who leaked the news didn't expect Xiong Xiao to play this trick. I'm afraid he'll fly into a rage out of humiliation. "
Qin Weiwei and Qing Ju were completely confused by his words, because the two of them didn't know that Yang Qing had put Xiong Xiao on the list of participants for the Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade.
But this wasn't what Qin Weiwei was concerned about right now. She wanted to know the current situation of East Arrival Cave. Naturally, the most important thing was Miao Yi's condition. Seeing that Yang Qing had no intention of punishing Xiong Xiao, she wasn't in the mood to ask about the ins and outs of the matter, so she hurriedly took her leave.
Yang Qing didn't urge her to stay. Instead, he sent a few experts from South Edict Manor to accompany her.
Even though he already suspected that Xiong Xiao had betrayed him, he felt that there was no need to make a big deal out of it. All that was left was to see how the higher-ups would react before making a response. But nothing was absolute in this world. It was entirely possible that Xiong Xiao would act out of desperation and try to kill Qin Weiwei. So it was safer to send a few experts to protect her.
At the same time, Yang Qing had another decree for Qin Weiwei. Xiong Xiao had done this deliberately this time, and East Arrival Cave would most likely be doomed. If Miao Yi didn't die, he would be reappointed as the Cave Master of East Arrival Cave. However, he wouldn't send a single soldier to Miao Yi, leaving him to think of a way to deal with it himself.
Now, they didn't even know if Miao Yi was dead or alive. Qin Weiwei didn't think that Yang Qing would still have the leisure to care about Miao Yi's position at this time. She bit her lip, accepted the decree, and turned to leave...
At this moment, Miao Yi had already escaped to Mount Calming Sea with Luo Shuangfei. He saw Hong Mian. Seeing that Miao Yi was fine, the latter heaved a sigh of relief. After learning about the situation of East Arrival Cave, she reported it to South Edict Manor.
On the other hand, Miao Yi found the School of Blue Jade disciples at Mount Calming Sea, and ordered them to immediately think of a way to get in touch with Tong Renmei from the School of Blue Jade. He needed troops!
As for Tu Sanliang and the others who had been in pursuit, they didn't dare to approach the outskirts of Mount Calming Sea anymore. Attack Mount Calming Sea for Miao Yi's sake? They didn't have the guts.
What confused them was that they had completely lost contact with Mountain Chieftain Xiong Xiao. They were instantly dumbfounded. How could this be? What should they do next? They were immediately thrown into confusion...
Suppressing Third Hall. Xiong Xiao had rushed all the way here without stopping. He led two handmaidens and quietly waited outside the palace gates, feeling very nervous.
After a while, the Hall Master's handmaiden, Fei Yun, leisurely walked over. She smiled and said, "The Hall Master requests your presence. Please follow me."
"Thank you, Little Auntie." Xiong Xiao was unusually respectful. He turned to order Xia He and Qiu Yu, "Wait for me here.
"Yes!" The two girls, who were also a little nervous, responded and stayed outside the door, not daring to move. They watched as Xiong Xiao obediently followed behind Fei Yun.
When he arrived at the main hall of the Imperial Harem, Xiong Xiao saw Wu Menglan sitting in a dignified manner. Wu Menglan didn't even spare him a glance as she examined a jade archive.
Xiong Xiao's heart tightened as he hurriedly went forward to pay his respects. "Xiong Xiao greets the Hall Master!"
Wu Menglan stared at the jade archive in her hand and asked calmly, "You're that Xiong Xiao who ran to Thriving Ten-Thousand Manor and tricked Liu Jingtian into mobilizing his troops?"
Xiong Xiao took a peek. He did not expect that this woman would mention this matter. He nervously replied, "Yes!"
Wu Menglan narrowed her eyes and snorted coldly, "How audacious of you to offend my Suppressing Third Hall, and now you still dare to surrender to my Suppressing Third Hall. Do you think my Suppressing Third Hall is a pushover?"
Xiong Xiao's heart could be said to be extremely nervous, but he braced himself and replied, "Replying to Hall Master, at that time, we were all serving our own masters, and there were strict orders from above, so we didn't dare to disobey. Now that I have become the Hall Master, I will naturally serve the Hall Master to the death. "
"What a nice way to put it." Wu Menglan put down the jade archive in her hand and asked, "Yang Qing treated you well, and yet you were still able to betray him. Now that you've surrendered to me, how can I guarantee that you won't betray me again in the future? Just because I put your name on the list for the Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade, you betrayed me. Which place in the cultivation realm doesn't have subordinates willing to risk their lives? If they were all like you … who would dare to disobey the orders of their superiors, how would I dare to keep them? "
"Replying to Hall Master, if it were only to send me to the Sea of Constellations, I would have no complaints. Back then, I was willing to brave through fire and water for Thriving Ten-Thousand Manor, risking my life alone for Yang Qing. How could I possibly be someone who is afraid of death?" Xiong Xiao sighed with a face full of grief.
He knew that whether or not his reply could satisfy the other party would determine his future. With a helpless expression, he shook his head and replied, "I didn't want to betray Yang Qing. My betrayal had nothing to do with whether Yang Qing treated me well or not, nor did it have anything to do with sending me to the Sea of Constellations. Even if Yang Qing treated me poorly, I wouldn't go so far as to betray him. It's just that Yang Qing is narrow-minded and can't tolerate Xiong Xiao. He schemed and schemed to kill Xiong Xiao. No matter what I did, even if I risked my life for him, he still wanted to harm me. Why should I risk my life for such a person? I only betrayed him because I had no other way out! "
Wu Menglan replied with an 'oh', then asked, "No other way out? Based on what you said, if I let you participate in the Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade this time, you won't have any objections, right? "
Xiong Xiao's heart trembled, but then he thought about it. If the other party only wanted to kill him, then there was no need for her to meet him personally. He immediately cupped his fists and said, "As long as Hall Master has an order, I will do it even if I have to die."
Wu Menglan nodded in satisfaction. Regardless of whether Xiong Xiao was sincere or not, at least he had passed her test. She was quite satisfied.
"Go to Thriving Ten-Thousand Manor." Wu Menglan suddenly threw out a sentence that stunned Xiong Xiao.
He was originally going to seek refuge with the Manor Head of Billowing Waves Manor, Zhao Mu. Now, he was being asked to go to Thriving Ten-Thousand Manor. He had a grudge against the Manor Head of Thriving Ten-Thousand Manor, Liu Jingtian! Wasn't this a trap?
Wu Menglan personally wrote a jade archive of appointment and tossed it over. Xiong Xiao caught it and read it. His jaw almost dropped to the ground in shock. The jade archive's title was for him to become the Manor Head of Thriving Ten-Thousand Manor …
He thought he was reading it wrong. He read it a few times to make sure it was correct.
"What? Is the position of Manor Head of Thriving Ten-Thousand Manor not enough to satisfy you? Could it be that you want me to hand over the position of Hall Master to you? "Wu Menglan coldly questioned him.
Xiong Xiao abruptly snapped out of his daze. He cupped his fists excitedly and said, "Your subordinate wouldn't dare. Your subordinate swears to serve the Hall Master with my life!"
Wu Menglan turned to her handmaiden, Fei Yun, and said, "When you return, you will personally accompany Xiong Xiao to Thriving Ten-Thousand Manor to assume his position. Liu Jingtian has suffered at the hands of Yang Qing time and time again. That position is no longer suitable for him. Let him come to Suppressing Third Hall."
"Understood!" Fei Yun acknowledged.
Xiong Xiao's eyes flickered. The other party's words revealed too much information. Could it be that she was intentionally giving him a platform to compete against Yang Qing?
Wu Menglan was no longer interested in listening to Xiong Xiao's flattery. After ordering him to write a letter of surrender as proof, she waved her hand and dismissed him.
She then personally wrote a jade archive and handed it to her handmaiden, Fei Wu, along with Xiong Xiao's letter of surrender. "Give this to Advisor Liao. Ask him to make a trip to Suppressing Second Hall and pass this to Huo Lingxiao. This will let Huo Lingxiao know that Xiong Xiao has surrendered to me."
"Understood!" Fei Wu took the documents and left.
At this moment, the corners of Wu Menglan's lips curled into a mocking smile. She wondered what kind of expression Huo Lingxiao would have when he saw these things.
Xiong Xiao exited the palace gates and saw his two handmaidens trembling in fear. His face was filled with ecstasy, and he almost laughed out loud.
This outcome was too unexpected. He had initially thought that surrendering this time would be a loss. Under Zhao Mu's rule, he wouldn't be able to hold two Mountains at the same time. Who would've thought that he would actually become the Manor Head of Thriving Ten-Thousand Manor? In an instant, he was on the same level as Yang Qing. He had become the Manor Head of his dreams. The pleasant surprise of surrendering this time was far beyond his expectations. It was practically a fortuitous encounter from the heavens.
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