"Miao Yi, Zhao Fei, and Sikong Wuwei have been apprehended by the Martial Manor?" Ye Xin gasped.
Gu Sanzheng, Tan Lao, and Ye Xin were currently gathered in Gu Sanzheng's mansion. They had sent their fellow disciples away and invited Luo Ping over to ask about what happened.
"Why were they apprehended?" Gu Sanzheng asked.
"For allowing their servants to commit murder, apparently." Luo Ping sighed.
Tan Lao scoffed, "These people would really use all sorts of excuses to pin the blame on someone. Their handmaidens only retaliated because they were being humiliated. Not to mention, it was nothing more than an accident. How did it end up with Miao Yi and the others being charged with the crime of allowing their servants to commit murder?"
Luo Ping helplessly replied, "It's a direct order from the Governor."
The trio couldn't help frowning at this. Their three major sects might have been able to help with the situation, but the person in question just had to be Miao Yi of all people. It would already be good enough if they didn't relish in his suffering. How could they possibly be willing to help him out...
Suppressing Second Hall, Traversing Moon Palace.
"Master! There's a letter from the capital city's Martial Manor." Liu Xing rushed into Huo Lingxiao's room.
"The Martial Manor?" Seated in cultivation, Huo Lingxiao's eyes instantly shot open. Slightly puzzled, he took the jade archive from Liu Xing and examined it.
Everything seemed in order until Huo Lingxiao read through the letter and was absolutely shocked by its contents. The letter came from the judiciary office of the Martial Manor, written by his old acquaintance, Pu Yigong. It explained how Miao Yi was caught up in an incident and had been apprehended by the Martial Manor. However, Huo Lingxiao wasn't too disturbed by this. His distress came from the part where Pu Yigong mentioned that Governor Lan Hou wished him to go personally to get Miao Yi and the others out of prison.
"Son of a b*tch! I just knew that this little brother would bring me nothing but trouble once I revealed my identity! This time, he's even gone as far as wreaking havoc in the capital city!" Huo Lingxiao bellowed as he jumped straight to his feet. Hands behind his back, he began pacing back and forth around the room like an enraged beast.
Liu Xing asked, "Master, are you going to meet Governor Lan Hou?"
Huo Lingxiao stopped, his expression twisted in dismay. He had absolutely no idea what Lan Hou was trying to do at all. 'If Miao Yi committed a crime, you can just punish him accordingly. Why do you want me to go fetch him personally? Isn't this a little beneath me? This is just too strange!'
Huo Lingxiao was thoroughly confused by Lan Hou's intentions. However, he did once hear from a certain someone that Lan Hou and the Traversing Moon Palace Lord, Zhang Tianxiao, were originally husband and wife. However, on the very night they were married, Lan Hou took advantage of the Zhang family's moment of carelessness and murdered Zhang Tianxiao's parents in cold blood. After which, he continued to massacre the entire Zhang family as well. Not a single person survived besides Lan Hou's newly-wedded wife, Zhang Tianxiao. And because of this, it was naturally no longer possible to continue with their marriage.
And now, Huo Lingxiao was in a secret relationship with that same Lan Hou's ex-wife… He originally thought that it would be fine considering the two of them had already become enemies. However, now that Lan Hou was arbitrarily calling him out, Huo Lingxiao couldn't help growing anxious. How could he possibly have the guts to go then? He wouldn't step foot in the Martial Manor even if he was beaten to death.
That said, he couldn't pretend like he didn't know what happened either! Huo Lingxiao continued to pace back and forth, then suddenly said, "I'm heading to Traversing Moon Palace!"
He hurried out the house and immediately took to the skies...
Huo Lingxiao flew like the wind, not slowing down for even a second, and quickly reached the outskirts of the majestic Traversing Moon Palace. He then immediately asked the guard stationed outside the palace gates to report his arrival to the Palace Lord.
Huo Lingxiao was soon granted entry into the palace. As he hastily made his way to the harem and into the Palace Lord's sleeping quarters, he finally caught sight of the person he was looking for. Her lush hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall and her complexion fair like snow, the alluring woman was lying on her side, sucking in plumes of blue smoke from the incense burner beside her. Her voluptuous figure was only half covered by a thin set of robes, enough to drive any man mad with lust.
Two men were kneeling next to the bed, softly massaging the woman's legs at the top. Another man was slightly bent over at the head of the bed, and from time to time he would grab a piece of freshly-cut fruit from the fruit bowl and feed it to her lips. Lastly, there was one man seated on his knees at the head of the bed, gently massaging her shoulders. Meanwhile, the one relishing all this pleasure was none other than the highly seductive and voluptuous Palace Lord Zhang Tianxiao.
As for the four men fighting for her affection, they were all beautiful beyond belief, and each person had his own charms. One was gallant and handsome; one was devilishly beautiful; one was cheery and energetic; and one was elegant and debonair. These men were personally handpicked by Zhang Tianxiao from tens of thousands of men to be her male servants, and they were changed once every twenty years. Even though they were mere mortals, Huo Lingxiao still couldn't help the gloom from creeping up on his face as he watched the scene before him.
In this world, men might be allowed to have a bunch of women by their side, but for it to be the other way around was somewhat unsettling for most people. That said, the Palace Lord of Traversing Moon Palace was not your average woman. If she wished to do something like this, no one could stop her. And even if there were such a person, there wasn't a need to do such a thing either.
Huo Lingxiao wasn't sure if it was because he was feeling jealous, but whenever he saw these four male servants, he couldn't help but see himself as one of them as well, and this made him feel a sense of humiliation.
The four beautiful men turned to look at him with eyes filled with hostility, as though Huo Lingxiao was also another contender for this beautiful woman's affection. When he met their gazes, Huo Lingxiao gnashed his teeth in hatred. How dare these mortals look at him in such a way!
Her face in rapture, the Traversing Moon Palace Lord breathed in the blue smoke and lazily opened her eyes as she blankly asked, "What is it?"
"My lord!" Huo Lingxiao immediately walked up to the bed and presented a jade archive to her.
Zhang Tianxiao slowly extended her arm and sucked the jade archive into her grasp. As she read through it with her transcendence energy, her eyes immediately widened, the laziness in them instantly replaced by a powerful sharpness. The four male servants were trembling in fear from the overbearing aura she was suddenly exuding.
Huo Lingxiao also lowered his head, afraid to meet her gaze. However, he soon noticed a pair of bare feet walking up to him. As he lifted his gaze, he noticed a pair of half-exposed, heaving breasts in front of him. Without even realizing it, Zhang Tianxiao was already standing before him, coldly asking, "Do you normally cross paths with Lan Hou?"
Huo Lingxiao cupped his fists and replied, "I've only seen him from afar. We've never even had a conversation before, much less cross paths with one another. That's why I'm a little confused by this issue. I don't dare to act recklessly on this, so I decided to come to you for advice, Palace Lord."
"Allowing their servants to commit murder, I see! Hmph! I sure would like to see what that Lan Hou dares to do to my people. Leave this matter to me!" The melodious, yet scornful voice quickly trailed off.
Before Huo Lingxiao even realized what was happening, the Palace Lord had already drifted outside, the hems of her robes trailing behind her. That alluring figure didn't even touch the ground once and just flew off into the distance. There was no describing the elegance of that silhouette.
Seeing this, Huo Lingxiao heaved a sigh of relief. He never thought that the Palace Lord would step forward without him having to coax her into it first. He was even getting ready to cut Miao Yi off completely if all else failed, and tell Pu Yigong to just handle this matter professionally. In short, Huo Lingxiao just didn't want to meet that Governor Lan Hou...
Jade Capital Peak. Lan Hou was standing beside a pond. He had one hand behind his back, while the other hand grabbed some feed from a bowl his handmaiden was carrying and tossed it into the water. A school of koi fish quickly began fighting for the feed, stirring up ripples across the otherwise tranquil pond.
Suddenly, Lan Hou turned to the horizon, noticing a streak of light flitting past the skies of the capital city. In the next instant, the figure of a woman floated above him. The woman gracefully descended, her flawless, bare feet gently touching the railings of white jade along the edge of the pond as she landed. With a cold expression on her face, the woman looked down at Lan Hou.
Lan Hou frowned. "Why are you here?"
Zhang Tianxiao raised her hand and tossed something out, which shot towards Lan Hou in a streak of light. Immediately, the air surrounding Lan Hou began to ripple, and the jade archive that was hurled at him was stopped in mid-air.
Lan Hou flipped his palm over and let the jade archive land in his grasp. As he looked it over, he asked solemnly, "You came just for this?"
The figure on the railings hovered past his face, and the hems of her light-yellow robes slapped across his cheeks with complete disregard for his presence. Lan Hou soon detected a familiar fragrance. It was as though Zhang Tianxiao was trying to tell him—'So what if I'm mistreating you?'
Standing motionlessly, Lan Hou slowly turned his head around to see that Zhang Tianxiao had already flown into his room. He then looked to the side and commanded, "Leave us!"
"Understood!" The two handmaidens acknowledged the order and swiftly departed. After which, Lan Hou entered the room.
As he entered the room, he was greeted with Zhang Tianxiao's alluring back. The curves on her figure were highly seductive when she stood upright.
Lan Hou walked to the side and poured a cup of tea, then brought it to her face as he asked, "Did you really have to come here personally for such a small issue?"
Her hand holding onto a handkerchief, Zhang Tianxiao swung her arm and blatantly knocked the teacup to the ground, smashing it to pieces. She scoffed, "Allowing their servants to commit murder? What a good excuse you thought up there. Is this how the fair and just Governor Lan Hou does things? You're holding my man's sworn brother captive. Did you really think I wouldn't come after something like that?"
'Your man?' Lan Hou tightly clenched his fists under his sleeves. He sucked in a deep breath, then relaxed his grip, saying, "Xiao Xiao—"
"Xiao Xiao??" Zhang Tianxiao abruptly turned around, puffing her chest out as she took a step forward. "What right does a two-faced bastard like you have to call me by that name?"
As the other party's bust was almost pressed against him, Lan Hou took a step back. He sighed, "I didn't mean anything by it. I simply wanted to use this opportunity to test whether or not that man is suitable for you. If he really cares for you, I won't object to your relationship. But if he's just trying to use you to better his own position, I will not forgive him!"
"Fufu…" Zhang Tianxiao burst into uncontrollable laughter as though she had just heard the funniest joke in the world. It even seemed like she was close to tears from laughing too hard. Then, as her slender finger repeatedly jabbed at Lan Hou's chest, she said in a commanding tone, "Even if he's just using me, he's still better than you! Anyone else in the world can say these words to me, but not you! Who are you to me? What right do you have to control my life? We are both equal in status and position. I don't need you telling me what to do. I'll only ask you one thing: are you going to free my man's sworn brother or not…"
Not long after, the prison doors were opened. Pu Yigong unlocked them himself, smiling as he said, "The Governor has pardoned all of you. You are free to go!"
The three people inside the cell exchanged glances with one another, and Miao Yi heaved a sigh of relief, assuming that Lan Hou must have contacted Fairy Hong Chen and confirmed with her what he told him. This time, he had really embarrassed himself in front of Fairy Hong Chen. Miao Yi didn't know how he could face her from now on.
As they walked out to the corridor, Miao Yi cupped his fists and asked, "High Magistrate, what about our handmaidens?"
Pu Yigong smiled and said, "The Governor said they are to be released as well. Let's go!"
His attitude had taken an abrupt turn, becoming much more courteous than before. In truth, Pu Yigong also believed that the Governor had only changed his mind because of his conversation with Miao Yi.
Miao Yi, Zhao Fei, and Sikong Wuwei cupped their fists and thanked Pu Yigong, and everyone then proceeded out the prison. Within its halls, Huyan Shou's hoarse screeching continued to echo, "It's not my fault! Let me out of here! Father! Save me…"
No one bothered paying any attention to him, and no one noticed that hidden within the corner of the cell that Miao Yi and the others were in, was the figure of a tiny mantid.
After Miao Yi and the others exited the prison, they continued to wait outside. Several jailers proceeded into the women's prison, and not long after, they brought out the six ladies, who looked slightly weakened after being locked up.
When they saw their masters, the six ladies immediately knelt down. They knew that they had caused great trouble for their masters this time.
"Everything is alright now. Stand up, all of you!" the three masters said.
The group then proceeded to leave the judiciary office. Waiting anxiously outside the mountain gates, Lin Pingping and the other subordinates heaved a sigh of relief when they saw Miao Yi and the others coming out.
Not long after everyone returned to Miao Yi's mansion, Luo Ping rushed over. When he saw that they were all alright, he heaved deeply in relief and said, "Uncle Hua told me that High Magistrate Pu has already released all of you. Thank the heavens that you're all alright!"
He continued to laugh and said, "Anyway, you all came out just in the nick of time. You almost missed something interesting. Come with me, quickly. I have something nice to show you!"