svetikya Chapter 138 Winning Hearts and Minds, Capturing Ye Erniang Alive
Chapter 138 Winning Hearts and Minds, Capturing Ye Erniang Alive
Chapter 138 Winning Hearts and Minds, Capturing Ye Erniang Alive
"My master is the Prince of Zhennan!"
Xu Qingya's words were sincere and heartfelt.
The Prince of Zhennan was Xu Qingya's "one-move master".
When you arrive in Dali, you don't have to learn the Northern Darkness Divine Skill and Lingbo Steps, but you must learn the Five Luo Light Smoke Palm.
Even if you don't come to Dali, you have to beg and plead to learn this trick. It's really important. Without this peerless palm technique, you won't have a pleasant time in the bridal chamber.
The magistrate inspected the seal and saw that Xu Qingya was young, handsome, and had an extraordinary demeanor. He could tell at a glance that Xu Qingya was a high-ranking person who had been in office for a long time. Not daring to offend him, the magistrate hurriedly bowed.
The magistrate had two advisors: one to write notices and the other to review case files. Recently, a thief had come to the county town and would steal children every day. There were at least twelve or thirteen pairs of parents who came to the yamen to report the crime.
Xu Qingya's face was ashen, his face full of anger, and his killing intent was naturally released. The county government office seemed to have cooled down by more than ten degrees. It was the height of summer, but it felt like autumn was blowing, and the windows seemed to be covered with frost.
Hua Baifeng had never seen Xu Qingya so enraged since they met, and asked, "Who committed this crime? Could it be the Heavenly Mandate Sect?"
Xu Qingya sneered: "The ruthlessness of the Heavenly Mandate Sect lies in their fondness for using beauty to incite conflict, causing war after war, leaving corpses strewn across the fields and rivers of blood flowing."
However, even the leader of the Heavenly Mandate Sect, Shan Yuru, would find it difficult to bring herself to kill innocent infants if the disciples of the Heavenly Mandate Sect were to do so. No matter how ruthless a demon is, he still has some compassion and retains a bit of humanity.
To put it bluntly, the war instigated by the Destiny Cult could displace hundreds of thousands of people, but they couldn't bring themselves to kill thousands of people.
This person alone is ruthless and vicious, the greatest villain in history, whose evil deeds are too numerous to count.
We must capture her alive, torture her to death, and execute her in a public and just manner to quell the hatred in my heart.
You should have heard of this name.
"Ye Erniang is utterly wicked!"
Hua Baifeng couldn't help but shudder.
The demoness of the demonic sect was certainly not a good person. She usually fought for treasures, killed people ruthlessly, and even wiped out entire families. In the end, she did this for profit, not because she really liked killing.
Witches and demons who simply enjoy killing are actually a tiny minority. The top masters of the demonic sect are all ruthless and vicious. This means that they are ruthless in their methods and cold-blooded in their character, not that they are mentally deranged.
Only Ye Erniang, she is an absolute madwoman!
From a "wuxia" perspective, she undoubtedly deserves the title of the number one villain. She must be captured, brought back to the Six Doors for interrogation, and the victim's family must be brought in. Only by cutting Ye Erniang into a thousand pieces in front of the family can the hatred in our hearts be relieved, and only then can we be considered to follow the righteous path.
If we let Ye Erniang escape, let's not say anything, just slit our throats! What's the point of practicing martial arts then!
After waiting for about fifteen minutes, the clerk brought over several family members of the victims, along with some children's clothing.
Most of the clothes were quite ordinary and had no special smell, so they were easily masked. Fortunately, there was a shop that sold tea, and the baby pillows were made from tea dust, so the clothes the children wore were covered in the smell of tea.
Xu Qingya patted Doubao'er's head.
Doubao remembered the smell of the baby's clothes and followed Xu Qingya to the woods. While interrogating Yun Zhonghe, Xu Qingya obtained a clue: the Four Evils lived in a large house two or three miles away from Wanjie Valley, but Ye Erniang and Yue Laosan were both restless and liked to go to the nearby woods.
Yue Laosan simply couldn't sit still.
Ye Erniang did this to destroy the evidence.
This morning, someone else came to report that their child was missing. Xu Qingya knew that Ye Erniang's hobby was to steal children in the morning and then cruelly murder them in the evening. Without delay, he immediately took Doubao'er and gave chase.
The grove wasn't very large, and Xu Qingya didn't intend to hide. He moved like the wind, carrying Doubao'er as he swiftly roamed through the forest, searching for any clues.
Suddenly.
Doubao barked twice and pointed to the left with its paw. Xu Qingya looked closely and saw a woman in her forties with scars on her face, holding a child and singing a lullaby, looking like a kind grandmother.
Based on the marriage age of that era, being in one's forties was indeed the age to become a grandmother or maternal grandmother.
An ordinary person would certainly not have the heart to disturb them upon seeing such a scene. Xu Qingya recognized at a glance that this person must be Ye Erniang, and the child was one she had just stolen.
Xu Qingya landed gracefully: "Madam, I heard that the Four Evils have recently come to this place. Madam is carrying a child when you go out, so please be careful of Ye Erniang."
Ye Erniang's expression remained unchanged; she was still the kind grandmother teasing a child. She asked, "Young man, what are the Four Evils? What's so scary about them?"
Xu Qingya's expression was cold and stern as he lied, "You don't know this, but I have a good friend who grew up near a Buddhist temple. He was born with a scar on his back from burning incense, and he believes he has a connection with Buddhism and wants to become a monk."
His parents pleaded with him for a long time, and finally convinced him to get married and have a son.
Ye Erniang's pupils contracted, her face turned cold, and the veins on the back of her hands bulged as she asked, "Young master, what is the relationship between your friend and the Four Evils?"
Xu Qingya put on a sorrowful expression: "My friend here has had a terrible time! Somehow, he encountered the Four Evils, and his whole family was destroyed as a result."
His wife was beautiful, and Yun Zhonghe took a liking to her.
The son was adorable, and Ye Erniang took him away.
He wanted to chase after his son, but he happened to run into Yue Laosan and had his neck snapped in one fell swoop.
When I arrived at his house, only his elderly parents were there. They begged me to help them take revenge. I chased after the Four Evils to Dali and finally found some clues.
Unfortunately, we don't know where they are!
Xu Qingya's acting skills were superb. When Ye Erniang heard the first half of the story, a smile appeared on her face. When she heard the second half, her face turned ferocious like a demon. She stared at Xu Qingya fiercely, and her whole body trembled uncontrollably.
The story was naturally fabricated by Xu Qingya.
But how can Ye Erniang distinguish between the real and the fake?
I thought I had received news of my son's sudden marriage and children, and was living a peaceful and happy life. I was filled with gratitude for Buddha's protection. But I never imagined—I had killed my grandson—that Yue Laosan had murdered my son—
Suddenly, Ye Erniang took out a whistle from her belt and blew it hard. The sound was shrill and mournful, like the wailing of ghosts. Then, a monster came running from a distance.
This man was of medium height, with a rather robust upper body and thin lower limbs. He had a bush of bristly beard under his chin, each hair resembling a halberd. He had a large head, and his wide mouth revealed sharp, white teeth. His eyes were round and small, like two beans, with a fierce and menacing look in them.
He wore a yellow robe that only reached his knees. The robe was made of the finest brocade and was very luxurious. However, he wore coarse cloth trousers that were dirty, tattered, and of indistinguishable color.
His facial features, physique, limbs, and clothing were all in disarray, and his murderous aura was so intense that even Doubao was startled, baring her teeth as she stared at him.
Yue Laosan!
Many people mistake this guy for a comedian, but that's a huge misconception. He's a bloodthirsty and ruthless man who will snap someone's neck if he says the wrong thing.
Xu Qingya didn't attack Ye Erniang earlier for two reasons: first, he was hesitant to harm her because of the baby in her arms; second, he was worried about scaring away Yue Laosan. Since they were already here, he was determined to capture them all and couldn't let even one of them escape.
"Third Sister, what do you want with me?"
Yue Laosan always considered himself "Yue Lao Er" and called Ye Erniang "Third Sister". Ye Erniang was too lazy to argue with an idiot, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. But today the situation was completely different. Thinking of the story Xu Qingya had just told, she wished she could devour Yue Laosan alive.
"Yue Laosan, give me back my son's life!"
Ye Erniang reached out to draw her knife, but the baby fell from her arms the instant she did so. Xu Qingya used a quick movement, like a startled swan, to catch the baby with a move he had stolen from Chu Liuxiang – the "Empty Hand" technique. He then casually placed the baby on Doubao'er's back and quickly regained his balance.
Ye Erniang, who had already rushed out to fight Yue Laosan to the death, was filled with horror upon seeing Xu Qingya's lightness skill: "Who are you? Was the story you just told true or false?"
Xu Qingya sneered: "Ye Erniang, good and evil will eventually be rewarded, and the cycle of karma is inevitable. If you don't believe me, look up and see who Heaven spares. You should know more about the Buddhist concept of cause and effect than I do. What's the point of saying more about what's true and false?"
Yue Laosan was completely dazed. He had been barbecuing and drinking in the woods when he heard Ye Erniang's signal and rushed over immediately. He never expected that Ye Erniang would fight him to the death, shouting, "Give me back my son's life!" He thought to himself, "Has Ye Erniang gone mad? When did you have a son?"
Just as he was about to make a move, he saw a pretty boy snatch the baby from Ye Erniang's arms with superb lightness skills and hand the baby to the yellow dog. He became even more confused.
Yue Laosan roared, "Third Sister, what tricks are you playing with this pretty boy? Where did you get a son? I have no right to claim a life! If you want to fight, come on! I want everyone to see who the second most wicked person really is!"
Xu Qingya completely suppressed his anger, his tone extremely calm yet utterly indifferent: "Jade-faced Yama shines in the netherworld, Yama holds the laws, mountains of knives distinguish good from evil, the Yellow Springs bridge leads the way! Jade-faced Yama Xu Qingya respectfully invites you two to the underworld, Yun Zhonghe and the others are getting impatient!"
"Xu Qingya! You are Xu Qingya!"
Ye Erniang's face was full of terror.
"What kind of 'Blue Cliff Bluetooth back teeth' are you! Dare to talk back to me, I'll break your neck!"
Yue Laosan leaped towards Xu Qingya. Having just witnessed Xu Qingya's lightness skill, he dared not be careless. He held a serrated whip in his left hand and alligator scissors in his right, which, when connected from left to right, resembled a large alligator.
Xu Qingya took a half step back, drew his sword with a backhand, and the magpie sword emitted a clear and melodious sword sound. Without Xu Qingya needing to infuse it with true essence, it naturally absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, forming a serrated emerald green blade light on its edge.
Ye Erniang turned and ran. She knew that even if the Four Evils joined forces, they would be no match for Xu Qingya. She only hoped that Yue Laosan could hold out a little longer so that she could escape.
As soon as it turned around, two bird claws fell from the sky.
Tang Dun'er unleashed a move called "Meteor Falling to Earth," with sharp beak and claws striking down simultaneously. Ye Erniang raised her palm to block, but with a ripping sound, her sleeves were torn to shreds by the claws, her arms were drenched in blood, and her twin swords fell to the ground.
Ye Erniang ducked down, trying to grab the twin knives on the ground, but Tang Dun'er moved even faster, its claws reaching for her eyes. Ye Erniang had no choice but to dodge, but this move turned out to be a feint. Her head had only shifted half a foot when she was slapped by a wing, leaving her dizzy and disoriented.
Tangdun'er is a spirit bird and a bird of prey, whose combat power is no less than that of a first-class master. In the original story, even Guo Jing, who had mastered the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, still needed the help of bows and arrows and Qin Nanqin to capture Tangdun'er.
Ye Erniang was first terrified by the story told by Xu Qingya, and then she was scared out of her wits by Xu Qingya's martial arts skills. She was panicked and only wanted to run away. Her martial arts skills were almost gone, so she had no power to resist.
If Tangdun'er hadn't known Xu Qingya's intentions, she would have already used her sharp beak and claws to strangle him. Ye Erniang was slapped a few times by the bird's wings and spun around a few times before she could barely stand up. She found Xu Qingya standing in front of her with a blood-stained knife, and he waved his hand to seal her acupoints.
Three zhang away, Yue Laosan's body and head were separated.
Hua Baifeng arrived gracefully and asked, "My lord, what should we do with Ye Erniang? Please give your instructions!"
Xu Qingya sighed: "Take Ye Erniang to the delegation's caravan and have Hua Mancong dispatch twenty elite Imperial Guards to escort Ye Erniang back to the capital. Make my name known so that no one will cause trouble."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Hua Baifeng grabbed Ye Erniang, who, with her last strength, asked, "Xu Qingya, is your story true or false? How do you know my son has a scar on his back? Who exactly are you?"
Xu Qingya said, "I have three thousand hells where you will be reincarnated for countless lifetimes. Your sins are as great as mountains reaching the sky and seas overflowing. Do you think no one will judge you?"
Ye Erniang pleaded, "Don't even mention three thousand hells, I'd be willing to endure a hundred thousand hells, just please spare my son! My son is innocent!"
"Your son is your son, but other people's sons deserve to die? Bai Feng, take her away!"
Xu Qingya took the baby from behind Doubao'er and then had Doubao find the babies that had been stolen in recent days based on Ye Erniang's scent. He frowned slightly, the number clearly didn't match up! Ye Erniang's hobby was to have one baby a day, how come there were four in total?
Xu Qingya sent a message through Tang Dun'er, instructing Hua Baifeng to interrogate Ye Erniang. Only then did they learn that the matter stemmed from Zuo Zimu, the leader of the Wuliang Sword Sect. A few days prior, Ye Erniang had captured Zuo Zimu's son. Unable to defeat Ye Erniang, Zuo Zimu offered to exchange five children with her in exchange for his son's release. In other words, five children were the result of Zuo Zimu's misdeeds, and he had almost escaped!
Xu Qingya calculated the time and figured he would arrive in Dali's capital city tomorrow, so he would let Dali handle the situation itself.
Duan Yanqing was not in Wanchou Valley, and he himself did not commit many evil deeds. Although he was called the leader of the Four Evils, it actually meant that he had the highest martial arts skills. From the perspective of his evil deeds, his title of great villain was really unjust.
Twenty years ago, Yang Yizhen launched a rebellion. In order to eliminate any future threats, he sent a master assassin to kill Duan Yanqing. Duan Yanqing escaped by chance and, encouraged by the "White-Robed Guanyin," rallied himself and practiced martial arts diligently. After mastering his skills, he found his enemy and wiped out his entire family.
What kind of villain can this be called?
This is revenge!
Duan Yanqing went from being the crown prince of Dali to an ugly and crippled cripple. He could only eat by pulling his chin open with his hands, throwing the food into his mouth, and swallowing it. He had no ability to chew or enjoy the food. He lived a life worse than death!
Even if we take a step back and say that assassinating the king is a crime that would lead to the execution of the entire family no matter where you are, Duan Yanqing was already quite merciful for not shaking the eggs of his enemy's family until the yolks were broken, not splitting the earthworms vertically, and not stepping on the cockroaches.
Of course, it's impossible to say that Duan Yanqing was entirely innocent. Putting aside other factors, as the nominal leader of the Four Evils, regardless of whether there was any affection between the Four Evils or even if it was just a matter of exploitation, he still provided some protection for the other three.
Without Duan Yanqing, a master of martial arts, Ye Erniang and Yun Zhonghe wouldn't even be able to get into the Western Xia First-Class Hall based on their reputations alone. The First-Class Hall has a certain prestige; who would want to work with Ye Erniang and Yun Zhonghe? Yue Laosan barely qualified, but he could only be considered a Double Flower Red Stick.
In order to recruit Duan Yanqing, Yipintang had no choice but to reluctantly accept three notorious accomplices.
Having dealt with the Four Evils, there were no more obstacles ahead. Xu Qingya successfully joined the delegation's convoy and headed to the main city of Dali in a grand procession. At the same time, he sent a letter to Duan Zhengchun, indicating that Duan Yu was in the delegation's convoy.
They publicly claimed that Xu Qingya, the envoy of the Han Dynasty, and Duan Yu, the prince of Dali, were good friends and that the two were traveling together to experience the local customs and culture of Dali. However, the outcome was far from optimistic.
Wuliang Sword Sect.
Hundreds of officials surrounded Jianhu Palace, led by Zhu Danchen, a scholar who was engaged in fishing, woodcutting, farming, and studying. Zhu Danchen held the seal of the Prince of Zhennan and read out the imperial edict of the Dali Emperor.
"Upon investigation, it has been found that Zuo Zimu, the leader of the Wuliang Sword Sect, is a man of martial prowess but has lost all conscience. He colluded with Ye Erniang to kidnap five innocent infants, causing the children to be separated from their families."
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Its crimes are threefold:
First, cruelty to the young and weak: a father who harms other people's children has the heart of a jackal and the nature of a snake and scorpion;
Secondly, they colluded with evil and rebellious people: they secretly colluded with the four great villains, poisoned the people, and harmed the innocent, which aroused the wrath of both gods and men.
Thirdly, it is a desecration of chivalry: relying on the power of one's sect to do evil deeds, betraying one's master and ancestors, is an unforgivable crime.
According to the "Criminal Law of Dali": those who harm infants shall be executed by slow slicing, and those who collude with extremely evil people shall be beheaded and their heads displayed to the public.
The Emperor, possessing a virtue of cherishing life, hereby issues this edict:
First, Zuo Zimu will be escorted to the Ministry of Justice and beheaded next autumn, his head displayed on the city gate as a warning to others.
Second, the Wuliang Sword Sect will be closed to the mountains for ten years. All its disciples must register their names with the government for inspection. Those who violate this rule will be exiled.
3. All those involved in the baby abduction shall be arrested;
Fourth, the Wuliang Sword Sect must compensate the victims, erect a monument of atonement on the mountain road, and is prohibited from accepting disciples for ten years.
It is hoped that all factions will take this as a warning.
A chivalrous person must examine themselves before acting; wherever their sword shines, they shall vanquish evil!
If it is still effective:
"Where there's no way out in the martial world, there's only the Heavenly Punishment!"
Zhu Danchen shouted sternly, "Left Sect Leader, will you surrender willingly, or wait for me to make my move? If you surrender, I will kill you alone. But if the Wuliang Sword Sect puts up a stubborn resistance—to tell you the truth, three thousand elite soldiers are guarding the entrance to the mountain gate, ready to attack at any moment!"
Zuo Zimu's face was pale, and he hung his head in dejection.
Just two days ago, Zuo Zimu was gloating, laughing at Xin Shuangqing for his poor teaching, which drove away the "immortal." He never expected that fortune would turn so quickly, and in just a few days, he would be remembered on the Bridge of Helplessness.
Xin Shuangqing sighed, "Offending the gods has no good outcome after all. The Wuliang Sword Sect is doomed!"
For a second-rate sect, sealing off the mountain for ten years and erecting a monument of atonement is no different from annihilation.
My disciples will soon be gone.
The local people wouldn't let their children come to become apprentices.
Xin Shuangqing mustered his courage and asked, "Lord Zhu, what happened? Why is he so strict? Junior Brother Zuo did something wrong, surely it doesn't warrant such harsh treatment? We are willing to compensate the victims, five thousand taels of silver per family!"
Zhu Danchen sighed, "Sect Leader Xin, this time it's not Dali handling the case, it's Dali and Han people jointly handling the case! The Left Sect Leader's crimes were exposed by the Han envoy himself! The Han envoy is very dissatisfied with the customs and culture of Dali. This matter concerns the diplomatic relations between the two countries, so it can only be dealt with severely."
Upon hearing this, Zuo Zimu knelt down softly.
Xin Shuangqing smiled bitterly: "He brought it on himself!"
Zhu Danchen scoffed inwardly, thinking, "What are you two bastards pretending for? Is what Zuo Zimu did something a human being could do? You vicious people dare to call yourselves righteous figures. Even if no Han envoy had discovered your crimes, I would have punished you severely!"