Inside the room, Ru Yue brought in the food. "Mistress, the meals here have a strong smell of beef and mutton. Do you think you can get used to them? If not, I can send someone to find some food from Da Gan. This is Xiliang City, after all, and there are restaurants and tea houses with flavors from all over. You don't need to worry, they're quite easy to find."
Lu Qing Wan lay on the edge of the heated bed, swinging her short legs as she replied, "No need. Eat whatever there is. When you're out, there's no need to be so picky."
Ru Yue then placed the dishes from the tray one by one and beckoned Lu Qing Wan to eat. The Xiliang people loved noodles, and Lu Qing Wan saw the clear soup with white noodles, which reminded her of Feng Xi Wu, whose dietary habits were heavily influenced by the northwest. She shook her head, picked up the wooden chopsticks, and began to eat heartily. This left Ru Yue, who had thought Lu Qing Wan was too worried to eat and was about to try and persuade her, with a mouthful of unspoken words, almost suffocating her.
Lu Qing Wan, unaware of Ru Yue's unspoken grievances, finished her meal and suddenly asked Ru Yue, "How do you people from the Reincarnation Hall view the Tian Xuan Sect?"
Ru Yue's small face stiffened, and she said seriously, "If it were the Tian Xuan Sect of old, though not as deeply rooted as the Reincarnation Hall, it could still be considered a top-tier sect. Now, they are simply a bunch of fools who rely on their geographical advantage and are living off their past glory, yet they foolishly dream of governing the world with their sect. They are not worth a second thought."
The twelve guards were elite assassins meticulously trained by Zi Yi. They were the kind of people who could blend into any crowd and disappear. Ru Yue, with her arrogance, did not even regard the Tian Xuan Sect, which attracted countless scions of noble families from the three kingdoms and one territory, with any respect. Lu Qing Wan was genuinely surprised.
"Since you look down on the Tian Xuan Sect so much, how much do you know about it?"
"I only know that to increase their own status and for the sake of accumulating wealth, the Tian Xuan Sect deliberately set up formations to block the roads from all parts of the north to the three kingdoms and one territory in the southeast. They also deliberately spread propaganda in the three kingdoms and one territory of the southeast about how powerful and prosperous the northern countries are, luring merchants from the three kingdoms and one territory to do business in the north, so that they could exploit and manipulate them. As for other details, I know very little. If Mistress needs to know more, I can go and investigate."
Lu Qing Wan blinked her eyes. "Sister, that is Tian Xuan City, known as the Iron City. Can you please stop talking about it as if it were your own home? The way you speak so casually makes me think I can enter Tian Xuan City as easily as I enter my own home."
Lu Qing Wan's intention was to remind Ru Yue that no matter how much she disdained the Tian Xuan Sect, it was still someone else's territory, and they should not underestimate it. Unexpectedly, Ru Yue seemed to misunderstand her unspoken meaning and replied without thinking, "You can. Whenever Mistress wants to go to Tian Xuan City, I will take you there."
Lu Qing Wan was speechless, so she gave up on the unspoken meaning and directly told Ru Yue, "Do you know why I asked you to investigate the Tian Xuan Sect?"
Ru Yue honestly shook her head. "The rules of the Twelve Guards are to act only upon command and never to speculate on the master's intentions."
Lu Qing Wan was again choked for words. "Alright, I'll tell you. My secondary objective is to investigate the Tian Xuan Sect, but my primary goal is to seize Tian Xuan City and become its new city lord. So, do you have an idea of what needs to be investigated?"
Ru Yue, as an elite assassin from the Reincarnation Hall, believed she had seen quite a lot over the years. However, she had never encountered someone like Lu Qing Wan, who was penniless yet spoke of seizing someone else's city. She was stunned for a moment before recovering. "There are outposts of the Reincarnation Hall in Tian Xuan City. May I ask our brothers there for assistance in their investigation?"
Lu Qing Wan hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. "From the number of top experts in the Tian Xuan Sect to the specific defensive formations and the traps they have dug, investigate as thoroughly as possible."
Ru Yue agreed to each point. "Does Mistress have any other instructions? If not, I will leave to send the message now."
Lu Qing Wan waved her hand, indicating that she could leave. Ru Yue quietly withdrew, leaving Lu Qing Wan alone in the spacious guest room, lying on the warm heated bed with her eyes wide open, her mind wandering. As she was drifting off, almost succumbing to the herbal smoke from the heated bed, a gentle knock sounded at the door.
Lu Qing Wan opened her eyes before they were fully open and said, "Enter." She then lazily got up and saw Duan Yue walking in. Lu Qing Wan looked at her groggily. "What is it?"
"Xie Shi Luan has joined forces with Prince Li of Xiliang, Xiao Mu An, to rebel. Their army has already captured eighteen cities in Xiliang, and Xiliang City is in grave danger. The Emperor of Xiliang has summoned his officials overnight to deal with the rebellion of Xie Shi Yu and Xiao Mu An, so he probably won't have time to see you."
Lu Qing Wan was shocked by the sudden news and after a moment, she asked, "Where is Xie Shi Yu? Xie Shi Luan is rebelling and has found such a powerful ally in Xiao Mu An. Xie Shi Yu must be the most panicked, right? What is her reaction?"
"This is the second matter I've come to tell you about." Duan Yue's expression was somewhat speechless. "When she heard the news of Xie Shi Luan's rebellion, she completely ignored it and came straight here with her people."
Lu Qing Wan immediately sobered up. "She's coming for me?"
Duan Yue pursed her lips. "It looks like it. Han Chen and I have already instructed our brothers to prepare. We just didn't expect Xie Shi Yu to come so quickly. I'm worried that even if we succeed in one strike, it will be difficult for us to leave Xiliang City easily."
Their initial purpose in coming to Xiliang was Xie Shi Yu. Lu Qing Wan, in order to successfully kill Xie Shi Yu, had even leaked her whereabouts midway, intending to use herself as bait to lure out the big fish, Xie Shi Yu. Who would have thought that Xie Shi Yu would be so eager, not even waiting for her to lure her, but falling into the trap herself.
Lu Qing Wan chuckled. "It doesn't matter. Tell the brothers to scatter and cause some trouble in the city when the opportunity arises." Seeing Duan Yue's confused expression, she said, "Xie Shi Luan and Xiao Mu An are rebelling. Wouldn't it be logical for them to make some arrangements in the city in advance?"
Duan Yue stared at her seriously. "But Xie Shi Luan's army hasn't crossed the Tongtian River yet, and Xiao Mu An's army is still at the foot of Mount Gaolan..." She stopped mid-sentence, forced to silence by Lu Qing Wan's glare. "I'll go arrange it now."
Lu Qing Wan was satisfied. With a flip, she jumped up, put on her warm, frost-resistant Shu brocade flying fish costume, and wrapped herself in a thick cloak, clearly unwilling to shortchange herself.
Thus, when the sounds of clashing weapons began outside, she rushed out without a moment's hesitation. However, before she could even swing her steel whip, she met a pair of extremely fierce eyes. Although they were alluring phoenix eyes, at this moment they were as vicious as a starving wolf's, staring straight at her.
Seeing Lu Qing Wan open the door, the woman sitting in the ornate carriage fiercely commanded, "Kill her!" These three simple words, each filled with overwhelming killing intent, made Lu Qing Wan, who knew she had never met the woman before, almost believe she had killed her entire family.