On a sweltering summer day, at the summit of the mountains.
Luo Ning was dressed in a green robe and stood on a thousand-foot precipice. Behind her was a watchtower built of black stones, from which one could directly overlook the winding rivers beyond the mountains.
A gentle breeze stirred Luo Ning's jet-black long hair. Her beautiful peach-blossom eyes looked through the countless mountain ranges towards Yunzhou, which was far away, and a mass of miscellaneous thoughts filled her heart.
Tiannan was a general term. Its specific location was roughly along the coastal line of Jiangzhou, Chongzhou, and Tuzhou. The area south of Chongzhou was the core region of the Tiannan martial arts world.
Nanxiao Mountain was originally called "Zhennanguan," a southern fortress built in the previous dynasty. A river flowed through the mountains, and there were thousand-foot precipices on both sides, making it a naturally strategic location.
When the Great Wei Dynasty rose in rebellion and swept across the land, the Xue family stationed at this pass, with only two thousand soldiers, held their ground desperately without any external support, firmly defending this pass.
During the downfall of the imperial family in Yun'an City, they were escorted by loyal followers, breaking through the blockades of countless rebel forces and fleeing to Nanxiao Mountain, where they were誓死 (defended to the death) by the Xue family, and their descendants still live to this day.
So, theoretically speaking, the previous dynasty, Dayan, was not completely destroyed. There was still Nanxiao Mountain and the Xue family's loyalty remaining.
Strictly speaking, the leader of the Pingtian Sect was the "Marquis of Nanshan" conferred by the previous dynasty, a general of Dayan who guarded Nanxiao Mountain. The court of the Great Wei was the real rebel.
At first, the Great Wei still wanted to capture this mighty pass. However, the threat of the Northern Liang Dynasty in the north was greater than that of the martial arts wanderers in the south. The main army was stationed in the north, and ordinary troops had no hope of capturing this pass. By the time the founding emperor of the Great Wei passed away and a new emperor ascended the throne, they were too lazy to care about this small mountain of Nanxiao Mountain anymore.
The Xue family refused to be pacified. But with the situation of the world already settled, they didn't dare to openly raise the flag of restoring the Dayan Dynasty, for fear of attracting a large army. Instead, they established the "Pingtian Sect," traveling around with martial arts and magic tricks, gathering followers, and gradually accumulating strength.
As time passed, Dayan had long become a thing of the past. Even the unruly people in the martial arts world had recognized that this land now belonged to the "Wei" family. Whether Nanxiao Mountain surrendered or not no longer mattered much to the general situation of the world.
If nothing unexpected happened, Nanxiao Mountain would sooner or later be buried in the dust of history.
But to everyone's surprise, the luck of the Xue family hadn't run out yet. After decades of holding on, a "Xue Baijin" suddenly emerged from the family. In just a few years, she rose from a new martial arts talent to the top of the Eight Grandmasters, challenging the Three Immortals on the mountain, with a momentum approaching that of Fengguancheng, who once swept through the martial arts world.
The Pingtian Sect thus rose to prominence, with over ten thousand followers, becoming the overlord of the Tiannan martial arts world. At the same time, it also aroused the court's suspicion and fear.
However, the leader of the Pingtian Sect could see the situation clearly. There were many supporters for being the "Emperor of the Martial Arts World." If they were really delusional about restoring the Dayan Dynasty, the entire martial arts world would probably draw a clear line from the Pingtian Sect on the spot. So, they only operated in the martial arts world and never mentioned the old affairs that happened sixty years ago.
Even Luo Ning, the wife of the sect leader, could see that it was a fantasy for the Pingtian Sect to restore the country. But being a local emperor in this remote place was better than being under the court's control and groveling to the Yun'an City court.
After gazing at the cliff for a long time, Luo Ning came to a waterfall at the mountain summit.
The waterfall cascaded down like a thousand feet, creating a rainbow at the foot of the cliff. Through the water curtain, a figure could be faintly seen sitting cross-legged inside the waterfall on the precipice.
Luo Ning stood at the edge of the waterfall, leaned forward to take a look, and said in a clear voice:
"I'm leaving with Yunli. Take care of yourself."
There was no one visible on the mountain summit, but the gentle and sunny waterfall seemed to gain a hint of sharpness, as if the figure on the precipice had opened its eyes:
"When will you be back?"
"I have a way to set Qiu Tianhe free. I'll come back after this matter is done."
"What's your way?"
"..."
Luo Ning's method, although not pleasant to hear, seemed to be this—she would use the beauty trap to charm that shameless little thief; and the shameless little thief would then use the beauty trap to charm the Princess, thus rescuing Qiu Tianhe in a roundabout way.
This method obviously couldn't be said. Otherwise, the female spouse below, as the biggest "victim," would definitely come out of the mountain and hang up that audacious little thief and beat him half to death, and wouldn't let her silly wife go out again.
Luo Ning looked into the distance at the numerous mountains, pondered for a moment, and said:
"I recruited a follower in the capital. He is trying to become a spy in the Black Yamen. If this succeeds, not only can we save Qiu Tianhe, but it will also increase our chances of restoring the Dayan Dynasty in the future."
"What conditions did you use to recruit him?"
"I promised to teach him martial arts. What else could I use?"
There was a moment of silence below the cliff, and no more questions were asked. Instead, it said:
"The capital is a place full of hidden talents. Your martial arts are mediocre. You need to pay attention to your safety."
?
Luo Ning's eyes turned slightly cold: "Walking in the martial arts world doesn't rely on martial arts skills, but on the ways of the world. I don't have only you as my backer. If I'm really caught, I'll just mention the name of that stinky Taoist nun from Yuxu Mountain. At worst, I'll convert to Taoism and become a nun in Yuxu Mountain. What can the court do to me?"
The stinky Taoist nun Luo Ning mentioned was naturally "the Imperial Preceptor," True Person Xuanji.
Back then, when Luo Ning was traveling in the martial arts world in search of experts, she couldn't have missed the Taoist holy land, Yuxu Mountain. Although she didn't meet Lü Taiqing, she lived with True Person Xuanji for a while and had a good relationship with her.
Unfortunately, later she joined the Pingtian Sect and was at odds with the court, so she drew a clear line from True Person Xuanji. One remained an official, and the other became a bandit.
"If you go to Yuxu Mountain, our relationship will be over. You should act with caution. Also, if you can really place someone beside the Prince Jing, ask him to find an opportunity to take you to Changle Palace."
"What for?"
"Below Chen'an Hall, there is a hidden chamber. When Emperor Gong moved to Nanxiao Mountain and entrusted his orphan on his deathbed, he told my grandfather that there was something in the chamber that might be used to exchange for the support of the Northern Liang Dynasty."
Luo Ning blinked her eyes: "Where is Chen'an Hall?"
"It's the sleeping quarters of the Empress of the Great Wei Dynasty."
"?"
Luo Ning opened her mouth, with a thousand words she wanted to complain about in her heart, but in the end, it all turned into just one sentence:
"How could I possibly enter the place where the Empress sleeps?"
"Do what you can. If there's no opportunity, forget it. This matter must not be told to outsiders. If we can really get a large number of troops in support from the Northern Liang Dynasty, if it falls into my hands, I may not necessarily raise the flag of rebellion; but if it falls into the hands of someone with ambition, it will surely lead to chaos in the world."
Luo Ning didn't continue this absurd topic and instead asked:
"Do you really want to be the Empress?"
"Why are you asking this?"
"I think... you should just reveal your identity directly. In the past, there were no empresses, so it was okay for you to pretend to be a man; now that there is already a precedent of a woman becoming an emperor, what's the point of you pretending to be a man?"
"The Empress has the support of the noble families and powerful clans behind her. What do I have behind me? If a woman raises the flag of rebellion and conquers the country, it will sooner or later benefit men. Who will wholeheartedly follow her?"
Luo Ning didn't really want to be the wife of the sect leader anymore, so she suggested that Xue Baijin reveal her identity.
She had cooperated with Xue Baijin for so many years, learning martial arts and the Minglong Diagram. If Xue Baijin didn't reveal her identity and she quit and made a fuss about a "divorce," she would feel really guilty. So, thinking about it, she didn't say anything more. After saying goodbye, she left the cliff...