Chapter Forty: Huang Xuemei's Decision, This Person Jiang Yuyan

Hearing Yan Yimei's inquiry, apart from Huang Xuemei, who seamlessly shielded a certain someone, the rest of the young women subconsciously glanced at the woman who had just defended Huang Xuemei.

"Jiang Yuyan, you really do make me look at you in a new light."

"This bloodshed has shaken the highest imperial authorities. The Ministry of Punishments is furious, issuing six consecutive secret edicts to summon six Gold-Badge Catchers from the Six Doors, determined to bring you all to justice."

"Ah? No, it's not that serious, is it?" Jiang Yuyan lowered her head with a guilty conscience.

At the time, she had only been empathizing with Ling Shuanghua, venting the murderous intent growing within her heart, and never considered the consequences at all. She hadn't expected it to alarm the imperial court, the Ministry of Punishments, and the Six Doors.

"Humph, now you know to be scared?" Yan Yimei let out a dissatisfied hum and said, "If His Highness hadn't learned of this in time and ordered the Secret Guard to cut off all clues and cover your tracks, the wanted posters of the Ministry of Punishments would already bear the prominent names of Huang Xuemei and you, Jiang Yuyan."

Scholars use literature to break the laws, while martial artists use martial arts to violate the prohibitions.

In this world, formidable martial arts experts soar through the skies, walk alone through the pugilistic world, and traverse the realm. Those who regard neither the imperial court nor the laws as anything are everywhere. Let alone the death of a prefect, even the death of a Grand Secretary in the Cabinet or a First-Rank Minister would hardly be considered a rare occurrence.

Yet, the incident in Jingzhou had caused such a tremendous uproar, alarming the Cabinet and the Six Ministries.

Although Ling Tuisi was merely a neglected member of a branch family of the Ling clan, he was still part of the Ling family nonetheless, as well as a proper Fourth-Rank Prefect of the imperial court, with intricate and complex personal networks.

For him to die in such a humiliating and despairing manner...

It was as if not only slapping the imperial court and the Ling family fiercely across the face, but also spitting on them.

Naturally, the imperial court and the Ling family were enraged.

Fortunately, the Secret Guard reacted even faster, erasing all traces the very moment they received the news. This prevented the existence of any Secret Guards other than Huang Xuemei from being exposed.

Just as Jiang Yuyan waited to be scolded and punished, she waited in vain for any movement from Yan Yimei, and thus raised her head in suspicion.

Yan Yimei walked up to Huang Xuemei: "Xuemei, the commotion over the Jingzhou incident is no small matter. Furthermore, your reputation in the martial arts world is illustrious; even with the Secret Guard erasing the tracks, your whereabouts cannot be kept under wraps forever."

"This time, you need to step forward and weather the storm for these carefree girls behind you."

When she mentioned "carefree," Yan Yimei even turned her head to glare at Jiang Yuyan, who was peeking at her.

Huang Xuemei smiled gently: "It's fine, it's only right."

"Mm!"

Yan Yimei was not surprised. Many of the sisters in the Secret Guard were as close as flesh and blood, able to entrust their lives to one another. Although Huang Xuemei was not the eldest among her group of Secret Guards, she was the commander and had always taken good care of the other sisters.

Cleaning up their messes, comforting them, and protecting them was something she had been doing for a day or two.

***

Although Yan Yimei was well aware of this, she still explained: "You have already stepped into the realm of the Heavenly-Xiang Grand Master. Unless the Six Doors dispatches the Catching God, no matter how many ordinary Gold-Badge Catchers come, they will be helpless against you."

"The little lasses behind you do not possess your abilities; they must not be exposed yet."

"Otherwise, should anything go wrong, it is very likely that..."

Although the Finger-Mystic Realm could no longer be considered weak, and the Vajra Realm was also a supreme expert in the pugilistic world—capable of even becoming the head of a smaller sect or serving as an elder in a major martial arts sect—compared to Huang Xuemei, who had already stepped into the Heavenly-Xiang realm, they were still too weak.

Having Huang Xuemei shoulder this matter was the best possible solution.

No matter how stubborn the Six Doors might be, they would surely not think of capturing a Heavenly-Xiang Grand Master to bring her to justice, would they?

"Commander Yan, I understand."

Hearing this, Huang Xuemei's gaze stopped Jiang Yuyan and the other sisters who were about to speak. She smiled and nodded: "I am the one who agreed to this undertaking in the first place, so naturally, I will bear the consequences entirely by myself."

"Whether it is the Ministry of Punishments and the Six Doors holding me accountable, or the Ling family seeking revenge..."

"I shall take it all upon my own shoulders."

She had already entered the Heavenly-Xiang realm and feared nothing.

She was also willing to weather the storm for these younger sisters and shelter them as they grew.

"Hahaha, good, good, good."

Yan Yimei laughed with deep gratification, uttering the word "good" three times. The Cangyun Profound Armored troops were all comrades, brothers, and sisters who should protect one another through life and death. Huang Xuemei's words and decision made Yan Yimei view her with even greater respect.

Jiang Yuyan and the other young women looked at Huang Xuemei with touched expressions, their lips pressed tightly together.

They were not fools; they knew that by doing this, Huang Xuemei would become the target of public criticism.

Even many of the things they had jointly done would ultimately backlash against Huang Xuemei.

Yet this was the decision of Yan Yimei and Huang Xuemei. Even if they did not wish for Huang Xuemei to shoulder this responsibility alone, there was nothing they could do.

The Finger-Mystic Realm and the Vajra Realm...

Facing the official apparatus of an enraged Great Ming imperial court, they could hardly even protect themselves.

Let alone talking about facing it together.

Only a Grand Master—whose Qi could shake the heavens at will and whose every gesture could influence the meteorological phenomena of heaven and earth—possessed the qualification to disregard laws and hold no fear for the Ministry of Punishments and the Six Doors of the Great Ming imperial court.

The bellyful of reprimands Yan Yimei had prepared was completely swept away and vanished into nothingness, overwhelmed by the grand resolution of Huang Xuemei's pledge to "take it all upon her own shoulders."

***

"You have traveled far and wide; you must be exhausted."

"Step down and have a good rest."

"Understood, this subordinate takes her leave!"

Huang Xuemei let out a sigh of relief inwardly. That hurdle with His Highness had been cleared, and the hurdle with Deputy Commander Yan had also been cleared, so this matter could be considered turned over. As for the Ministry of Punishments, the Six Doors, and the Ling family?

They were not even worthy of lingering in Huang Xuemei's mind for another moment.

"Commander Yan, Jiang Yuyan's actions..."

"Are far too unbridled, and perhaps even overly ruthless?"

"Yes."

Yan Yimei raised her eyebrows, glanced at her personal guard, and smiled as she shook her head: "Ling Tuisi exploited the common people, levied exorbitant taxes, and stopped at nothing for the treasure of Emperor Liang Yuan, even going so far as to harm his own daughter. Such a person's death is not to be pitied. Were it not for the fact that the commotion was a bit too large, necessitating that Huang Xuemei step into the spotlight..."

"Although Jiang Yuyan's methods are ruthless, they cannot be considered a mistake."

"Xuemei and the others are all women. Although their strength is extraordinary, their natural dispositions are soft-hearted. Having someone as ruthless as Jiang Yuyan among them actually means we don't need to worry about them showing misplaced mercy during missions."

According to the intelligence of the Secret Guard and Huang Xuemei's earlier report, aside from the vicious methods used against Ling Tuisi, Jiang Yuyan had also shown no mercy toward the group of thugs raised by Ling Tuisi. With the sole exception of Ling Shuanghua, not even a dog or chicken was left alive in the entire Ling Mansion.

Even a dog that happened to see them had its neck snapped by Jiang Yuyan.

If such a ruthless person were an outsider, Huang Xuemei would have gathered the Secret Guard to eliminate her the very moment she learned she was an enemy. But since she was one of their own sisters in the Secret Guard—so long as she remained loyal to His Highness and did not betray the Secret Guard—she was simply a precious treasure.

"It's just a pity."

Thinking of this trip to Jingzhou, Yan Yimei could not help but feel a sense of regret: "It's a pity that the fellow named Ding Dian has only Ling Shuanghua in his heart, desiring only to retire from the pugilistic world and live in seclusion together with her. Otherwise, had he been absorbed into the Secret Guard, it might not have been impossible to cultivate yet another unit of Secret Guard troops for His Highness."

With Ding Dian—who had mastered the Divine Light Scripture and possessed the ability to directly bring the dead back to life within a short time after death—present...

Yan Yimei even felt that she could cultivate a unit of death-defying Secret Guard troops.

Alas, Ding Dian's aspirations did not lie there.

This left Yan Yimei with a profound sense of regret.