The “Bei” from the saying “wolves and bei in collusion”?

“These Bei have attained spiritual awareness, which is why they can drive the wolf pack to attack recklessly,” she said after hearing Tie Xinning’s explaKingdom. She couldn’t help but touch the red cord pendant on her neck. The pendant was a crudely carved goldfish that emitted a faint glow when she touched it.

By this time, First Senior Brother had already removed a wooden hairpin from his topknot, blew on it in the wind, and it transformed into a three-foot-long arrow. Then he bent the bow, nocked the arrow, and took aim.

Standing close to him, she could even see powerful winds gathering at the arrowhead, like storm clouds rolling in the sky before a downpour, poised to unleash.

That posture was so impressive that Feng Miaojun wanted to applaud.

With a “whoosh,” the arrow shot out like a meteor.

The large wolf happened to jump outward to avoid a rock, but unexpectedly, the arrow curved with it, directly hitting the Bei spirit on its back!

Entering through the left ear and exiting the right, the shrill laughter abruptly ceased.

Among the wolves chasing the carriage, more than twenty slowed down, wandering hesitantly, and finally stopped, no longer pursuing.

Once the Bei spirit died, they regained their self-awareness and naturally didn’t wish to throw their lives away anymore.

Tie Xinning followed the same method and shot down three more Bei spirits. His archery was supernaturally accurate. Seeing this, the remaining two monsters were terrified, and let out several sharp cries, and the wolf pack abandoned the carriage, no longer giving chase.

The flat plain at the foot of the mountain lay ahead. Feng Miaojun turned her head to see the remaining wolves dispersing into several scattered groups, disappearing into the forest.

She stopped touching her necklace.

Tie Xinning released his grip, and the longbow changed back into a leaf, fluttering to the ground. The long arrow that always returned after being shot transformed back into a wooden hairpin less than three inches long, which he inserted back into his topknot.

The wilderness was quiet, the carriage wheels rumbled, and except for the few wolves and Bei corpses left on the mountain path, it was as if nothing had happened here.

Feng Miaojun suddenly sensed something and looked up toward the mountaintop, where she noticed a figure standing.

Unfortunately, the night was too dark to see clearly. When she tried to look more carefully, the silhouette had already disappeared.

Feng Miaojun had good manners and naturally thanked her senior brother properly for helping her.

After the carriage returned to her residence, she and Tie Xinning walked into the State Preceptor’s mansion, separated from hers by just one wall, and found Mo Tizhun devouring meat in large bites.

Tie Xinning bowed respectfully and called him “Master,” while Feng Miaojun, relying on the fact that she didn’t truly have a master-disciple relationship with Mo Tizhun, said with a forced smile: “State Preceptor, you used me as bait without even telling me?”

It had been more than a month since killing the Xiongxiong beast. If the Wei Kingdom wanted revenge, it would make sense for it to happen around this time. She had wondered why Mo Tizhun never inquired about her daily trips to Small Lonely Mountain. It turned out he had intentionally used her as bait to draw out potential enemies.

“If I had told you, would you still have dared to go to Small Lonely Mountain?”

“…No.” She valued her life, not that she was afraid of death. The news of her helping Miao Fengxian kill Huang Qiuwei had probably spread throughout the cultivator community, so anyone the Wei Kingdom sent to hunt her down would have cultivation at least comparable to Huang Qiuwei’s.

Such an expert was not someone she could contend with.

“Then how could I lure them out?” Mo Tizhun wiped his mouth with a cloth. “Don’t worry, didn’t I send Xinning to protect you?”

“What if…” she rolled her eyes, deciding to speak more tactfully, “what if Yun Xi comes personally? Wouldn’t I be dragging First Senior Brother into danger with me?”

“Then there’s still me.” Mo Tizhun glanced at the necklace on her neck. “If even Xinning can’t resolve it, I would come immediately.” This necklace was a magical device he had refined himself, hiding an extremely intricate communication array within. In times of crisis, Feng Miaojun only needed to activate it, and he could step directly to her side.

Of course, this array had distance limitations—they could not be more than sixty li apart—and it consumed an astonishing amount of energy. Each use would deplete spirit stones equivalent to one year’s revenue from all of Feng Miaojun’s properties. No, it could only be used once a month.

But regardless, this was her ultimate lifesaving measure.

His gaze swept over, and Tie Xinning recounted their encounter on the mountain, then said: “Only Bei spirits were deployed. In my opinion, this might have been a probe from the other side. At the time, I sensed another powerful cultivator hiding nearby, but they didn’t reveal themselves, likely wary of the trap Master had set.”

“At least they know their place.” Mo Tizhun snorted. “Even if Yun Xi came personally, he wouldn’t fare well challenging me near Jin Capital.”

He said to Feng Miaojun: “Now that we know they’ve targeted you, don’t go to Smoke Sea Tower anymore.” So as not to be a live target.

She responded glumly, understanding that matters of life and death were paramount, and didn’t insist further. Ever since helping Miao Fengxian, she knew her days of peace were likely over.

Fortunately, she had memorized plenty of knowledge, enough for her to digest slowly in the days to come.

Two days later, lightning flashed and thunder roared as torrential rain poured down over Star-Gathering City.

The thunderstorm came suddenly. A gust of wind pushed open the window, carrying raindrops that splashed against Li Yuanfa’s face. The Third Young Master of Minister Li’s mansion rose and waved his arm. The wind from his palm drove the two window panels against the wedges with a “clang,” but they sprang open again.

After this happened twice, he still couldn’t close the windows properly.

He had to shout: “Someone come here!”

A servant boy rushed in, helped him close the wooden windows and secure them with latches, then took out a handkerchief to wipe his face. Li Yuanfa snatched the handkerchief and angrily shouted: “Get out!”

The Third Young Master’s temper had been unpredictable for months. The servant boy nodded and bowed repeatedly, hurrying out.

Li Yuanfa covered his face with the handkerchief and closed his eyes weakly. There was a time when he had been a gallant son of the Li family who roamed battlefields fearlessly, but now he was a useless cripple who couldn’t even close a window ten feet away.

Thanks to Mo Tizhun, he had cut off his legs, all because the Prime Minister’s mansion had to explain the State Preceptor and the Princess!

His understanding of and craving for power had never been as intense in the past dozen years combined as it had been in these few months.

Li Yuanfa sat motionless for a long while until the moisture on his face was completely absorbed, before removing the handkerchief, not hiding his dejected expression.

But immediately afterward, his gaze suddenly froze.

The wooden windows remained tightly shut, yet somehow a dark figure lurked by the window.

“Who’s there!” Li Yuanfa’s legs were broken, but his cultivation wasn’t completely wasted; he still retained the ability to see in the dark. But he couldn’t make out this person’s face, as it seemed to be surrounded by swirling black energy. He shouted angrily, “How dare you intrude into the Prime Minister’s mansion!”

Despite his stern voice, he was secretly alarmed. The Prime Minister’s mansion had been arranged by experts; arrays and traps were activated at night, and the cultivators stationed in the mansion were all highly skilled. How could this person have infiltrated silently?

The other party chuckled softly, the voice melodious: “Third Young Master Li, you can save your energy. I’ve set up a barrier—even if you shout louder than thunder, no one will hear you.”

Military news express line: Thunder is rumbling, it’s raining, bring in the laundry! Taking a break today!