A look of disgust appeared on the old woman's face, but it quickly disappeared. She said, "Is that so? That's an earth-shattering explanation! But I don't know how to explain it? "
Nangong Xue said, "He … sigh, do you know that he once loved a girl deeply? Until the moment of his death, he still loved her, even though that girl did not love him at all. Or, you could say that he died for her … "
She saw that the old woman's turbid eyes suddenly widened, as if she was very interested in her story, and even a little anxious. She sighed inwardly and thought, "The dead should be respected. I shouldn't talk about what happened to him when he was alive … but the world doesn't understand him. I wholeheartedly want to clear his name. If I can save a bit of his image, it's also good."
She moistened her dry lips and softly opened her mouth. She spoke very slowly. Based on what she knew, according to the passage of time, she recounted every detail in detail. When she finished, her face was full of tears. She said, "Tell me, can someone like him be called a bad person? If he can be considered a crazy devil, then what should those righteous and upright sects be called? They wear the cloak of morality but are selfish and hypocritical in their bones, doing all kinds of shameful things? There is no such thing as fairness in the world. He was waiting for death in his desire for fairness. "
In her narration, the old woman's face was full of anger at first, but her eyebrows slowly relaxed. In the end, a trace of regret finally appeared on her face. She said, "Miss, you trust this old woman so much that you told me all your secrets. Aren't you afraid that I will tell the Hierarch and harm you?"
Nangong Xue smiled bitterly. She said, "Maybe. Maybe I should tell some lies to protect myself. But in front of him, I can't … I really can't lie. I think his spirit in heaven will also be watching over me. He won't watch me fall into the trap of death without doing anything. Isn't that right? "
The old woman sighed and came forward to exchange two burned incense sticks. She said, "You don't know. My whole family was killed by the Cruel Fiend Star. That was something that happened many years ago … Hmm, it should be around the time when the name Broken Fiend Star was at its peak in the martial arts world, and everyone's expression would change when they talked about it. In the end, I was the only survivor of the whole family. Unfortunately, I was old and weak, and I did not know any martial arts. Even though I was full of hatred, I could not kill this devil with my own hands to avenge the old man, his children, and his daughter-in-law. When I heard the news of his death, I was overjoyed. It was said that he died very miserably and turned into ashes. Not even a piece of his corpse was left behind. Hearing about it was not satisfying enough, so he wanted to see it for himself. Thus, I didn't tell anyone about it and went to the old site of the Demon Sect alone, asking and visiting. I'm just a lonely old woman. Who would care about what I want to do or where I'm going? I didn't see his grave, only a broken tombstone. Later, when the Seven Fiends Demon saw that I was disrespectful to the tombstone, he flew into a rage. He wanted to kill me on the spot, but in the end, he softened his temper and said that he did not want to kill in front of his memorial tablet. He also said that as a punishment, I would be punished to watch over his tombstone for the rest of my life. When I first moved into the palace, it didn't matter to me where I lived. But my husband's and children's graves were covered in grass and there was no one to pay their respects to. Now, he wants me to watch over my enemy's coffins day and night? How could I take this lying down? But the Seven Fiends Demon's power was irresistible. In the first few days, I would spit a few times on his memorial tablet, throw it down, or step on it a few times. Anyway, as long as I wiped it clean, he wouldn't be able to tell … "
Nangong Xue's face showed a hint of anger, and her eyebrows raised. The old woman continued, "However, there won't be any more in the future. Miss, I can see that you are a good person. One is marked by the company one keeps; one is marked by the company one keeps. For him to be able to receive such a high reputation from you, I don't think he was an extremely evil person. After committing so many crimes, you can just treat him as an executioner! The real culprit is still the mastermind behind the scenes. "
Nangong Xue replied, "That's right. That was the previous Hierarch of the Devil Sect. Now that he is dead, the grudge between you and the fallen Hall Leader can be resolved. Just take it as me asking you to watch over his coffin properly, okay? His life was really miserable and pitiful. Don't let him be humiliated after he dies. "As she finished speaking, she put her palms together and bowed deeply in front of the memorial tablet. The old woman also imitated her posture and bowed solemnly.
The next day, Nangong Xue was resting in her room. Last night, she had experienced great joy and great sorrow, and was extremely tired. Suddenly, a disciple came knocking at her door, saying that the Hierarch had something important to tell her. At first she thought it was another prank, so she did not pay it any attention. But a moment later, she thought that if those people were playing the same trick, they had just been exposed the previous night, how could they be so stupid as to play the same trick again? Thereupon she forced herself to stand up, put on her outer robe, and hurried toward the main hall.
As she entered the hall, she saw only Jiang Liechen, the Xuan Shuang and the Left Guardian, three people. Her heart could not help but tighten. Could it be that Jiang Liechen had already sensed her presence and was going to make a move on her? Her gaze naturally drifted toward the Xuan Shuang.
As soon as the Xuan Shuang met her gaze, his expression changed dramatically, as if there was anger mixed in his expression, and he immediately turned his head away. This made Nangong Xue even more suspicious. She thought, "If he really betrayed me, the one who should be angry should be me. Why did he come here to join in the fun?" Actually, when the Xuan Shuang saw her looking at him, he knew that she already had suspicions in her heart. Last night's promise seemed to be empty talk, so he was very angry.
The Left Guardian coldly said, "Right Guardian, you're late." Nangong Xue forced a smile and said, "Yes, I accidentally overslept. I just got dressed and got up. Please forgive me, Hierarch."
Jiang Liechen smiled faintly and said, "It doesn't matter. Right Guardian has just arrived at our Sect, so there are many rules that he's not familiar with. There's no need to bicker with him. I just don't know … what were you busy with last night? You seem very tired. " His casual question made Nangong Xue's hands and feet turn cold. She did not know if there was a deeper meaning behind his question.
The Xuan Shuang cast a glance at her. It was this kind of cowardice that made people suspicious. He had already made up his mind to ignore her, but he still could not harden his heart and said, "Right Guardian is very studious. He never gets tired of studying. I reckon he stayed up all night to study again, didn't he? "Nangong Xue saw that the Xuan Shuang was giving her a way out of this embarrassing situation, so she gave him a grateful look and responded carelessly.
Xuan Shuang didn't take it. She snorted and said, "You don't want to be the Zhuangyuan of the royal family. Why do you study so hard?" Xuan Shuang thought that he had been forced to study in the palace since he was a child, so he hated it.
Jiang Liechen's gaze swept over the two of them. There was a mysterious look in his eyes that others could not see through. He said, "Let him be. Study more. Only when you're well-versed in both civil and martial arts will you be able to contribute to our Sect." Nangong Xue's heart was in turmoil. She did not know if he really did not know, or if he was trying to hide it from her.
Soon after, the Xuan Shuang cleared his throat and said, "The Hierarch summoned the two of you here today to discuss strategy." He took out a rolled up map and spread it out on the table. It was a map of the Great Qing Dynasty's territory. There were many red circles on the map, and a few other places were marked with white lines. Nangong Xue did not understand these special symbols, but seeing that the Left Guardian was deep in thought, she played along and waited for him to explain.
Sure enough, the Xuan Shuang said, "The places marked with red circles on the map are the bases that we've already taken. Looking at it this way, it seems that we've achieved great results, but that's not the case. Even if we can control the cities in our hands, if we can't truly use them for our own benefit, then they'll just be abandoned cities. But to truly obtain the support of all the people, it's not something that can be done in a day. We still need time and patience. Our next target is … "
His finger trailed along the white lines and finally pointed to the Liaodong region in the northeast corner. He said, "We'll take down these cities. Those people are used to living a peaceful life. We'll launch a surprise attack and make it difficult for them to resist. We'll capture them easily. As for strategy, we'll still follow our previous deployment. There shouldn't be any problems, right? It'll be too troublesome to explain it to each person separately. We're all great generals who can take charge of an area, so we might as well talk about it separately. As for the training of our subordinates, each of you will be responsible for it in private. "
Nangong Xue listened to these people talking about attacking cities and capturing lands. Although they were talking casually, who knew how many people would die and how much blood would be shed? In the end, it was all for their worthless ambitions.
It's true that a general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand people, but if he was allowed to sit on the throne without any intention of benefiting the people and instead enjoyed endless slaughter, how could they help him do evil? She couldn't help but call out, "Slow down, I have a problem! The Liaodong region is remote and has never been considered a strategic location. Even if we take it down, we won't be able to attack or retreat. What's the point of spending all this effort? "
For the first time, Jiang Liechen opened his mouth to answer her, "Who said the Liaodong region isn't a strategic location? First, it's close to the capital. Moreover, it's the place where the Manchurian empire rose to power, the place where their ancestors' mausoleum is located, and has always been deeply treasured by the Imperial family. If we destroy the dragon vein, the Manchurian rule will be destroyed without attacking. Even if the rumors are wrong, we can still show off our power and prestige. This is the second reason. Furthermore, if I remember correctly, the headquarters of the Wulin Union seems to be located in the Liaodong region. "
Nangong Xue's heart was slightly shaken. She didn't know if he was intentionally hinting to her by mentioning this matter.
Jiang Liechen said, "Even if it's not for that much, there's no harm in expanding our territory. Perhaps Right Protector is not familiar with our previous strategy. Left Protector, when the meeting is over, please teach him more. "
While he was speaking casually, Nangong Xue did not hear anything clearly and was secretly anxious. She heard him continue, "Nowadays, in the Wulin world of the Central Plains, many sects are intimidated by our Cult's prestige and have already surrendered. They even transformed their own sects into our Cult's branches. This is a very good sign. It shows that we already have enough power and influence in the Jianghu under the rule of the Righteous Way people. There are also some people who said that they would 'consider first before making a decision'. Didn't they just gather their seniors and hypocritically discuss this matter, and in the end pretend that they have no choice but to obey my orders? Until now, the only one who has resisted stubbornly and with an extremely unyielding attitude is Huashan Pai's Sect Leader, Meng Anying. I intended to give him a chance, and because he is Li Meng Anying's Shifu, I have repeatedly tolerated him and sent the emissaries to negotiate peace. But that old man Meng really doesn't know how to appreciate my kindness. He killed all of the emissaries to show his determination to fight us to the end. He even had the audacity to say that his Huashan Pai's sole purpose was to exterminate the Seven Evil Spirits. Even if the whole sect fought a bloody battle to the last man, they would not compromise. It looks like he doesn't want to keep his sect anymore. I have always been merciful. Since he is so eager to die, how can I not fulfill his wish? Once we have conquered Liaodong, our next target will be Huashan. But we still have to follow this path, the order cannot be changed. "
Hearing Meng Anying's name, Nangong Xue's mind was suddenly shaken. She was not as blindly loyal as Li Yijie. In her opinion, although Meng Anying was her Shifu, her conduct was not praiseworthy. Especially when fighting for fame and fortune, she would often go with the flow or curry favor with those in power. This time, in the face of the Devil Cult's might, many other sects had no choice but to surrender. Huashan was the only sect that remained standing. How could this not move her heart and make her admire him?
Even though she had been expelled from her Shifu's sect, it was still her home that she had grown up in. As soon as she heard that Jiang Liechen was going to make a large-scale enemy of Huashan Pai, her reaction was immediately different from when she heard that they were going to attack Liaodong. A complicated expression of resentment, reluctance, and urgency appeared on her face.
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