Chapter 124: It Seems the Snow-White Fluffball and My Little Sister Are Destined to Be Together

Zhao Min was no novice. Having completed numerous missions within the Fortune Space, she was vastly experienced. Yet, she had never encountered such a ruthless failure penalty; today’s experience was truly a first.

"Total team annihilation"—this was the standard system of collective punishment. Although Zhao Min was not one to be easily cowed and possessed absolute confidence in her own choices, she could not make the decision for Yang Ye, Zhu Xiaoyurou, and the others, as this matter concerned their very lives.

Guan Jiahui and the other two young women had always followed Zhao Min’s lead. Possessing gentle, saint-like temperaments, they naturally supported her decision. The only variable was Yang Ye. While he was not a wicked man, his personality differed fundamentally from the late Zhang Wuji; he could not be considered a paragon of absolute virtue.

However, after Zhao Min informed Yang Ye of the situation via her mobile phone, his stance proved no different from that of the three young women. He, too, supported her decision to take the mission and rescue the young girl, Qiongying.

Tian Hu of Hebei was a force Yang Ye had already resolved to eradicate. Even without Zhao Min’s involvement, he would have eventually hunted Tian Hu down. Since this mission offered the added benefit of bringing a powerful follower to Wuji Island, why not seize the opportunity? Furthermore, this young Qiongying would surely grow into a woman of peerless beauty. While he held no ulterior expectations, making a friend and gaining a comrade-in-arms was a delightful prospect.

After Qiongying became Zhao Min’s disciple, she and her servant, Ye Qing, brought along the household guards to accompany Zhao Min to Liangshan. On this day, they arrived in the vicinity of Yuncheng, not far from the eight-hundred-mile marshes of Liangshan.

Zhao Min and Guan Jiahui rode their white horses in the lead, while Wen Huanzhang, his daughter, and Qiongying sat in a carriage driven by Ye Qing. As they traveled slowly along a mountain path—a necessary route to reach Liangshan—Guan Jiahui suddenly sensed something amiss. Her willow-leaf eyebrows arched, and she gave her Green Dragon Crescent Blade a sharp shake, calling out, "Everyone, be careful! There is an imperial ambush in the hills on both sides."

The words had barely left her lips when war drums and gongs erupted. A hundred or so soldiers armed with various weapons swarmed out. At the front were two burly men without armor; one carried a heavy broadsword, the other a steel spear, both bellowing, "Die, you demonic women!"

Zhao Min focused her gaze and realized these two were actually familiar faces. The one wielding the pole-blade was Da-Dao Wen Da, and the one with the steel spear was Heavenly King Li Cheng. They were both former military commissioners under Liang Zhongshu of Daming Prefecture in Hebei, who had been dismissed and cast into the wilderness after Song Jiang sacked the city.

Back when Zhao Min had traveled the world with Ling’er and Wen Huanzhang, she had had a minor conflict with these two men, though she had not expected to run into them here.

"So it’s you two losers," Zhao Min sneered. "Having been defeated by me once, you dare to come back and seek death?"

She gave a cold laugh and called back to Guan Jiahui, "Xiao Guan, look after the carriage. Leave these fellows to me."

With that, she touched her feet to the ground, employing the "Flying Over Grass" lightness skill. Her form moved like lightning as she leaped high, her slender fingers flicking casually, scattering countless golden needles like a dense rain toward the charging soldiers.

A sky full of needles fell like rain!

In an instant, the needles descended. Aside from the skilled Wen Da and Li Cheng, the other soldiers could only cover their heads and faces, collapsing in heaps, unable to mount any effective resistance.

Zhao Min smiled with disdain, brushing a strand of hair from her face with infinite grace.

Seeing the rain of needles, Wen Da found it difficult to block; he danced his heavy blade to create a wall of protection, creating an opening for Li Cheng to counterattack.

But how could Zhao Min stand by and let them counterattack? Before the rain of needles had even ceased, a second wave of attacks arrived. Her jade-like hands gathered icy, freezing energy; Zhao Min had unleashed the Xuanming Divine Palm!

This was a synthesis of the "Empty-Splitting Palm" techniques from Peach Blossom Island and the sinister, icy palm strikes of the Xuanming Elders from the world of *Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre*. It was more powerful, had a wider range, and a longer reach.

The freezing energy of the palm strikes was fierce, frosting the soldiers’ hands and faces, as if an bone-chilling cold had penetrated their very internal organs. Even the commander of the imperial troops, hiding at the very back of the formation, did not escape.

"Achoo!" The commander couldn't help but sneeze, nearly falling from his high horse. Fortunately, he was accompanied by Yan Shude, the beggar-expert who had displayed great prowess at the execution grounds in Tokyo and served as a tiger-general under Xu Huai.

Yan Shude manifested his innate internal energy into an invisible protective aura, silently shielding the commander. The commander felt a wave of warmth, and the bone-piercing cold instantly dissipated.

It should be noted that this imperial commander was a man of some standing. He was the Magistrate of Yuncheng County, surnamed Ge, with the given name Tianxi, a native of Runan. Ge Tianxi's father had served as the Prefect of Cangzhou. Years ago, when Song Jiang and Wu Yong of Liangshan recruited Zhu Tong, they orchestrated a plot where Li Kui killed the Prefect's young son—that boy had been Ge Tianxi's own brother.

Ge Tianxi was twenty-six, seven feet five inches tall, and possessed both martial skill and literary talent. He had passed the imperial examinations and been appointed Magistrate of Yuncheng. He was a man of both letters and arms, yet he had one particularly vile trait.

In his court, he loved to use torture to extract confessions. No matter how simple a case was, it would inevitably become a miscarriage of justice under his hand. He never weighed evidence, relying solely on his own "deductions," and communicated with suspects only through torture devices. His mantra was always: "How will they confess if you don't beat them?"

Corruption was his standard procedure, and the callous disregard for human life was his basic habit. Because his talent for creating miscarriages of justice was so "high," the people of Yuncheng called him "Bao Qingtian" (Justice Bao) in reverse—implying that he covered up the blue sky, turning the bright day into pitch-black darkness.

Ge Tianxi was furious. He complained to Yan Shude, "Wen Da, Li Cheng, what are those two idiots doing? They get as excited as if they’ve been drugged the moment they see two women. We are here to ambush the Liangshan bandits, not to settle personal scores. That woman in white looks like trouble. We’d better not end up suffering before we’ve even caught a single bandit."

Yan Shude laughed. "My lord, any woman who could stir up such chaos in Tokyo and defeat the Iron Cart Battalion is naturally not to be trifled with. Wen Da and Li Cheng aren't just settling a personal grudge."

Ge Tianxi was shocked. "These two women are the wanted criminals who caused the chaos at the Tokyo execution grounds?"

Yan Shude confirmed firmly, "I was with Lord Xu that day, and I saw it clearly. The beautiful woman fighting Wen Da and Li Cheng is actually the strategist among the bandits."

Upon hearing this, the blood feud for his brother surged in Ge Tianxi's heart. A blind rage flared, overcoming his cowardly nature as a scholar. He whispered a few words to Yan Shude, and both immediately sprang into action.

Yan Shude took long strides, utilizing his "rowing on land" ability and his innate martial artist’s protective aura. With a shout, he hoisted Ge Tianxi up and, in a single bound, bypassed Zhao Min’s net of golden needles and icy energy.

Guan Jiahui, who had been guarding the perimeter, saw this. She spurred her horse and swung her blade, ripples of green light flashing as she intercepted him with a Dragon Claw strike. Yan Shude shouted "Good!" and met her blade with one hand, while with the other, he hurled Ge Tianxi like a cannonball toward the carriage where Wen Huanzhang and his family were sheltered.

Ge Tianxi somersaulted in mid-air, landed steadily, and drew his family’s heirloom blade. Not daring to provoke Zhao Min or Guan Jiahui, he rushed toward the untrained household servants, hacking wildly.

The maneuver was as swift as a gale. Even with Zhao Min’s sharp wit, she had been too slow to stop him. After cutting down several servants, Ge Tianxi reached the carriage, raised his saber, and thrust it blindly through the curtain.

With a metallic clang, the steward Ye Qing, who was driving, threw his *pudao* (broadsword) to parry the vicious strike. The curtain was ripped open, and two women emerged—the older one beautiful as a fairy, the younger one delicate and charming.

Bathed in their beauty, Ge Tianxi felt his heart race with lecherous greed. Just as he was about to speak, Ye Qing lunged at him with a saber. A fierce duel erupted right before the two women.

Unfortunately, Ye Qing’s martial arts were not enough. Within a few rounds, Ge Tianxi found an opening and thrust his blade into Ye Qing’s midsection. Unable to block it, Ye Qing was stabbed and collapsed, dying instantly.

Qiongying, who had been raised by Ye Qing since she was young, was filled with fury at the sight of her foster father’s death. Ignoring her own lack of skill, she rushed forward to fight Ge Tianxi. At the critical moment, a middle-aged scholar jumped from the carriage, sword in hand, and intercepted Ge Tianxi.

Upon seeing this man, Ge Tianxi looked as if he had found gold and silver treasures. He gave a grim, hideous smile: "Heaven is kind to me! Not only has it sent me beauties, but also the fugitive that High Marshal Gao wants to capture most! Wen Huanzhang, where will you run to today?"

It turned out Ge Tianxi knew Wen Huanzhang. They had been fellow scholars taking the imperial exams years ago. In terms of learning, Ge Tianxi was inferior to Wen Huanzhang, yet Ge had passed the exams while Wen had failed—the corruption behind that result went without saying.

Wen Huanzhang had no words for a shameless man like Ge Tianxi. Knowing he was no match for the villain, he fought with everything he had to protect his daughter, Xijun, hoping to stall for time until Zhao Min or the Liangshan heroes could arrive.

The two scholars clashed with sword and blade, fighting for their lives, leaving Wen Xijun and Qiongying terrified.

Meanwhile, Guan Jiahui was faring no better against Yan Shude. The enemy was a true innate-level master, one who might even give Zhao Min a run for her money. She could only parry and defend, using every spare moment to send a distress signal to Yang Ye via her phone. They knew Yang Ye was heading toward Liangshan, and with his teleportation ring and "Drifting Clouds and Distant Smoke" lightness skill, he would surely arrive in time.

The situation was dire. Although Wen Huanzhang was courageous and wise, in a brutal melee of steel and blood, wisdom and courage could not substitute for raw power.

Ge Tianxi let out a beast-like roar, swinging his heirloom blade with terrifying force. He unleashed his "Three Rings Encircle the Moon" technique, a series of rapid strikes that knocked Wen Huanzhang’s sword away, followed by a kick that shattered three of the old man’s ribs. Wen Huanzhang crashed against the carriage carriage-shaft, head bloodied.

Wen Xijun and Qiongying turned pale with fright, while Ge Tianxi’s eyes glowed with lecherous light, his drool dripping down—the true face of a shameless villain fully exposed.

Yet, his hideous demeanor did not intimidate the women for long. With a quick glance, their panic vanished, and their watery, beautiful eyes filled with anticipation.

Before Ge Tianxi could understand why, a square gold brick flew through the air and struck him squarely in the face, leaving a permanent mark on his shameless visage.

With a wail, Ge Tianxi’s head swelled instantly into the shape of a pig’s head.

Guan Jiahui’s call for help had been effective. The nemesis of the Thirty-Six Thunder Generals had arrived. Yang Ye used his teleportation ring to appear instantly before them. Catching sight of Ge Tianxi, he delivered a heavy "gift" of solid gold.

Yang Ye then deployed his "Drifting Clouds and Distant Smoke" lightness skill, moving with dream-like grace as he used a seizing technique to lock Ge Tianxi down. This time, he did not use his Guiling Seven-Treasure Blade. Instead, he used his bare palms, channeling the most domineering secret of the *Hero’s Journey* manual. He struck the enemy with a palm that shook the very mountains and rivers—the power to validate the Dao through strength!

*Boom!* The Great Liang City trembled!