Lu Guan was busy trying to put out fires when things inside the flower hall were becoming increasingly intense.
Yin Xing knelt on the ground, begging for mercy.
Qi Shen also dropped to his knees, pleading desperately.
Liu Wu kept bowing his head to the floor repeatedly; the sound of his skull hitting the tiles rang out sharply.
Whether it was Consort Qi or Green Sparrow, they floated forward deliberately, step by step, heading toward their targets without hurry.
A bone-chilling cold air reverberated throughout the hall.
Outside, towering flames surged upward; waves of heat rolled in one after another.
The cold and the heat mixed clearly yet separately in the air.
They did not mingle, for these were two completely different forces.
The cold radiating from Consort Qi and Green Sparrow was of a different nature than the frost lingering over the ice-covered canal outside.
Therefore, everyone in the flower hall experienced both the searing heat on their skin and a penetrating chill that cut to the bone.
Consort Qi and Green Sparrow approached slowly and deliberately.
They showed no rush to kill their targets.
It was as if they derived pleasure from seeing the terror and panic etched across Yin Xing and Liu Wu’s faces—the desperate cries, the utmost fear.
It was like they had swallowed a powerful elixir, for their once ethereal bodies gradually hardened, and a stronger, colder aura poured from their bodies.
Consort Qi murmured to herself, “Cut off my ties, and I will become a ghost immortal.”
“I have already killed my parents who sent me into the deep palace. I have killed my own kin from three clans...”
“Even the entire families from the jewelry store I loved most as a maiden, the pastry shop I favored, and the rouge and powder shop—all have been slaughtered.”
“Yin Xing, once I kill you, the only tie I will have left is that wretched old widow.”
A faint blue gleam danced in Consort Qi’s eyes as she stared at Yin Xing, sneering coldly: “Tell me, is she not deserving of death? She’s married three times and become a widow thrice—how does she still manage to enter the palace and sit on the throne as Empress?”
Yin Xing looked up and forced an ingratiating smile toward Consort Qi. “Sister-in-law, I agree—only you should be Empress!”
Consort Qi chuckled softly. “So, will you help me kill her? If you’re willing to help me, I can let you go today!”
Yin Xing blinked rapidly. “Why don’t you do it yourself?”
Consort Qi giggled as she came closer, reaching out to lightly touch his delicately nurtured, fair cheek.
With a sharp ‘shi’ sound, a thin layer of ice swiftly formed over Yin Xing’s cheek.
His plump flesh shriveled, and through the skin, his protruding gums became visible.
Piercing cold surged along with sharp pain, causing Yin Xing to howl loudly.
Consort Qi said softly, “Among all the emperor’s brothers, you are the most cunning and shameless. Heh—no, I can’t kill her with my own hands. Hah, I can’t even get close to her quarters.”
Her translucent fingers, tinged with a trace of cold, lightly scratched Yin Xing’s face once more.
She said plainly, “Help me kill her, and I will spare your life. How about that?”
Yin Xing fell into thought.
Nearby, Liu Wu kept kowtowing frantically, screaming hysterically: “Green Sparrow, that’s enough! That’s enough! You’ve already killed my entire family—I’m the only one left in the Liu clan.”
“Oh no, there are still my seven sisters! If you want revenge, go get them!”
“If they hadn’t spoiled me since I was young, I wouldn’t have grown up with all these bad habits. Isn’t that the truth?”
“It’s their fault, really—the real culprits behind your death!”
“Go! They’re locked up in the secret prison of the palace’s detention ward—my seven sisters, their seven husbands, their families, and the elders of Liu Manor.”
“They’re all detained there. Go kill them!”
“I... I had feelings for you somehow… After you were bought by me, I treated you well!”
“I dressed you in gold, adorned you with silver, put silk and satin on your body.”
“It was just once, drunk and playing, I accidentally used too much force and hurt you badly.”
“It was just an accidental killing, accidental! According to Dayan law, accidental killing is not a capital crime. Besides, you already killed my parents—it's time to let go, to let go!”
Green Sparrow floated closer to Liu Wu step by step.
Her voice was haunted, mournful, drifting like a ghost: “I’m even closer than Sister Qi to becoming a ghost immortal. As long as I sever these ties, I will ascend.”
“My remaining bonds are few—just you, and the boss behind the ivory dealer who sold me, the magistrate of Anle Ward!”
“Young master, my life is short, and I hold no grudges against most people.”
“Killing you will remove most of my ties. Then I’ll settle the score with that magistrate, and completely shed my mortal shell.”
“Heh, I tried to kill that magistrate before, but he escaped.”
“When I kill you, half my bonds are gone, and my strength will soar.”
“After that, killing him will be easy.”
“My bonds are only you and him. Once you both die, I’ll be free!”
Green Sparrow stretched out her two flickering, ethereal arms slowly toward Liu Wu’s neck.
“Darling, shall we play? Hehe, just one little sip—just one!”
On the other side, Consort Qi’s hand slid onto Yin Xing’s neck.
Suddenly, Yin Xing let out a loud roar.
From his sleeve, he pulled out a bottle containing a mixture of black dog’s blood and virgin boy’s urine.
Like lightning, he shattered the porcelain bottle on the ground with a slap—the stopper left unremoved—and rubbed both hands in the murky liquid.
Then, howling wildly, he unleashed a furious barrage of the “Soaring Fist.”
The Great Yan royal family totems the Kunpeng—a giant fish that transforms into a soaring roc.
When the Kun becomes a Peng, its massive body rides the whirlwind upward, with a momentum strong enough to carry an entire land into the heavens.
This foundation-strengthening “Soaring Fist” imitates the Kun’s dramatic transformation and ascent, embodying power, dominance, overwhelming presence, and blazing speed.
Even a playboy prince like Yin Xing could unleash nearly two hundred punches in the blink of an eye.
“Shi shi shi!”
Consort Qi screamed in pain.
The black dog’s blood mixed with virgin urine indeed had some suppressive effect on her demonic existence.
Every punch Yin Xing landed burned her as if a red-hot iron branding her in a snowbank.
With harsh hissing sounds, thick white smoke burst from Consort Qi’s body.
Countless translucent wounds appeared on her flesh, then healed rapidly.
Though the wounds closed, it was clear Yin Xing’s surprise assault had caused her great damage.
Her once solid, flesh-like body quickly turned semi-transparent, and the coldness radiating from her weakened considerably.
Yin Xing’s face twisted into a feral snarl as he shouted, “Consort Qi sister-in-law, if you’re going to die, just die quietly! The former emperor loved you most—go wait for him down below!”
Consort Qi’s body trembled violently.
She glared at Yin Xing, snarling, “What? Wait for him down there? He, he, he…”
Yin Xing unleashed dozens of punches rapidly, shouting, “Yes! The former emperor is not dead—he’s alive and well. But very few know this secret... Regardless, he can’t come back, so just pretend he’s dead!”
Consort Qi lost her composure and forgot to retaliate.
Qi Shen, kneeling on the ground, suddenly lifted his head, roaring loudly, “Where is my beloved?”
In the corner of the flower hall, among a group of fainted female entertainers, a qin player and a pipa player screamed out simultaneously.
With a flip of their palms, each drew a slender, gleaming sword concealed within their instruments.
They somersaulted forward, rolling skillfully to Yin Xing’s side.
Their swords touched the mixture on the ground and cut through the air with countless sharp, cold flashes.
In an instant, dozens of sword strikes pierced Consort Qi’s body.
Yin Xing glanced back angrily at Qi Shen, “Good, very good. Qi Shen, bastard son of Duke Dongqi, I’ve got my eye on you now!”
Qi Shen had concealed formidable female sword warriors among his entertainers, hiding weapons inside musical instruments.
Such a thing was a grave taboo for nobles.
Yin Xing had now taken note of Qi Shen: from here on, unless paid extra, he would absolutely refuse to attend any feasts Qi Shen hosted!
Consort Qi gave a piercing cry, “Where is he? Nineteen years—nineteen years! You’ve hidden it all from me!”
Yin Xing reached out and grasped Consort Qi’s slender neck.
A biting cold mist sprayed from between his fingers as he squeezed mercilessly, hissing, “He’s dead. Why ask so much? Go wait for him below—wait.”
“Sigh, it’s tough where he is now; life is hard. Won’t be long before he comes down to find you!”
Consort Qi glared coldly at Yin Xing.
Suddenly, with a long piercing cry, gusts of cold wind swept through.
Dozens of red-clad figures emerged from nowhere.
With a wave of their long sleeves, white silk ribbons flew out with whistling sounds, wrapping around Yin Xing’s neck in an instant.
The dozen white ribbons pulled hard, causing Yin Xing’s face to flush red as his eyeballs popped from their sockets.
He stuck out his tongue and whined miserably, “Let go!”
Consort Qi looked at the hand choking her neck and said coldly, “You let go first.”
Yin Xing’s gaze flickered as his fingers tightened their grip.
Two red-clad figures rushed to Yin Xing’s side, their four icy-cold palms silently pressing against him.
Yin Xing’s clothes tore apart; the four palms drained moisture rapidly from his fair, plump body.
His vitality and energy gushed out like a broken dam.
At that same moment, Green Sparrow pressed both hands on Liu Wu’s neck.
Liu Wu suddenly stopped kowtowing and ceased his weeping and begging.
He stared straight at Green Sparrow, his teeth clenched as he sneered coldly: “Do you know how I escaped from Liu Manor that day?”
Green Sparrow giggled, “I was busy killing those two old wretches—how you escaped… I’m a bit... a bit…”
Liu Wu laughed loudly, “You don’t remember? Looks like this really is a treasure!”
He tore open his collar, revealing a jade lotus pendant hanging on a golden chain over his chest.
The translucent blue-green jade lotus was small, about the size of a baby’s fist.
On its little lotus seat lay a tiny bald child the size of a broad bean.
The child lay on its side, dressed in milky white clothes, left hand propped on its head, right hand resting over the abdomen, fingers forming a mysterious mudra.
Liu Wu bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood onto the jade lotus.
Instantly, the lotus emitted brilliant radiance.
A pure, mellow warmth imbued with boundless compassion swept the area, enveloping the entire flower hall.
Soft chanting quietly emerged from the jade lotus.
Consort Qi and Green Sparrow, along with the dozen or so red figures, puffed out thick white smoke.
Their forms darkened greatly, becoming faint and hazy, as if ready to vanish at any moment.
(End of chapter)