Chapter 136 This Alliance Leader is Yours

No sooner had he finished speaking than Ji Yunyao was struck by You Shun's palm, causing him to fall backward and cough up a mouthful of blood.

You Shun was about to launch another attack when Lu Jinlan immediately leaped forward, blocking the two of them, kicking his arm away, and at the same time firmly supporting Ji Yunyao.

She quickly fed two pills into Ji Yunyao's mouth, making her swallow them, and instructed her, "You have suffered internal injuries, so don't force yourself to circulate your internal energy. Rest for a while and wait until your qi and blood have calmed down before doing so."

Ji Yunyao nodded weakly, and Lu Jinlan quickly had Ji Yunliu and Ji Yunyuan help him to the side to rest.

You Shun was blocked by Lu Jinlan, who forced him to retreat several steps with just one move.

You Shun felt a sharp pain in his wrist, and his entire arm went numb with pain. He cursed inwardly: Who is this guy who is so powerful and ruined my plans!

He gritted his teeth and pressed on the painful spot, feeling quite conflicted.

He was indeed here today for the position of alliance leader. Little did he know what relationship Lu Jinlan and Yan Wuxin had with the government; they were just looking for an excuse to justify their actions.

You Shun recently obtained a secret manual of palm techniques and has been practicing it diligently in secret for many days, all for the purpose of catching everyone off guard today.

He had been planning this for a long time. Now that Ji Yun Tieshu was paralyzed and Ji Yun Yao's old illness had relapsed, no one in the alliance could rival him. This was a golden opportunity. Since he could advance further, why should he be relegated to a second-in-command position?

Before he came, he made up his mind that no matter who tried to stop him, he would fight to the end and show no mercy.

But... but this Lu Er wasn't part of his plan. This person nearly crippled his arm with a single move; how could he possibly be her match?

Knowing he was no match for the enemy, You Shun quickly turned his attention to other ideas.

He feigned composure and said, "Mr. Lu, this is a matter within our alliance. It has nothing to do with an outsider like you. Don't interfere."

Lu Jinlan smiled slightly, "That's not true. This matter arose because of me, how could it be unrelated to me?"

Xu Lin immediately chimed in, "That's right, this matter is closely related to Lu Erxia. If the Second Master wants to distinguish between insiders and outsiders, then this old woman must say something fair: this is a place for women to speak. Why are you, a man, here to discuss qualifications? You are the one who should step down."

You Shunqi said, "Xu Lin, don't act like you're old and domineering just because you've made some contributions. Don't try to be unreasonable."

Xu Lin retorted, "I'm just taking advantage of my age. What do you think you're doing, Second Boss? You don't want to label me an outsider colluding with the government, do you? Hehe."

Xu Lin looked at everyone with a cold smile, "Sisters of the Eight Clans Alliance, you know me. I, Xu Lin, am a straightforward person, used to charging ahead head-on, and I don't mince words."

"I'm not one to boast, but I must say this today: since the uprising began, your safety has been ensured, but I've taken the blame for you all and gone to jail. I endured all sorts of torture in prison, but I didn't utter a single word. Now, why am I not allowed to speak in the alliance?"

Upon hearing this, the other leaders chimed in, "Please don't say that. We are not ungrateful people."

"Calm down, that's not what the second-in-command meant."

"Old Xu, if anyone says you're colluding with the government, I'll be the first to disagree! Don't get angry, let's talk this out calmly."

Xu Lin snorted, "I suffered in prison, and these two young heroes risked their lives to rescue me. We were eager to join you all, but we never expected to be so suspicious of you, Second Master."

You Shun quickly explained, "I didn't mean to doubt you, it's just that some strangers..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Jinlan interrupted, "I've gone from being an outsider to a stranger again. I'm telling you, Second Master, let's put aside our prejudices for now. I don't mind that you're a man, so don't call me a stranger."

"Actually, no matter who we are, since we're all here, we're all in the same boat, all in the same boat. We should all be thinking about the future of everyone. Second-in-command, your rejection of me isn't because you're afraid I'll point out your mistakes, is it?"

You Shun, unconvinced, quickly retorted, "What did I do wrong?"

He regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth. He saw a smug look in Lu Jinlan's eyes; she was expecting him to ask that question.

You Shun couldn't help but regret it inwardly, but the words had already been spoken and couldn't be taken back.

Lu Jinlan said loudly, "I've heard that the reason you've all gathered here is because you've been treated unfairly, and the root cause lies in the flawed policies of the imperial court. It's not that you were born rebellious, choosing instead to abandon your comfortable lives and come up the mountain to commit this heinous act of exterminating your entire family. Am I right?"

Lu Jinlan looked around, and Ji Yunliu quickly took the lead in responding: "That's right, that's exactly it."

Seeing everyone nod in agreement, Lu Jinlan continued, "But just now the Second Leader said that we gathered here to rebel against the court and kill the tyrannical emperor, which is a matter of life and death. I really don't understand after hearing that."

“My heroines, think carefully. This tyrant has never met us before. Not only is it difficult for us to kill her, but even if we did, what good would it do us? You all have husbands and children, your families are here, and even your entire clans are here. If, as the second-in-command says, we kill the tyrant, it will only invite a more violent crackdown from the court.”

"Gentlemen, we could have avoided losing our heads, but the second-in-command insists on it. I'm new here, and it terrifies me to hear this."

"The fact that the second-in-command said this shows that he has limited wisdom. If he becomes the leader of the alliance, he will hardly consider the future generations of everyone, let alone have any long-term plans. His vision is really short-sighted."

After thinking it over, everyone agreed, "That's right, if we kill the tyrant, we'll all die."

"Why bother killing a tyrannical ruler? It's better to do things this way."

You Shun gritted his teeth and said, "I am ignorant and foolish, so please tell me your plan, Lu Erxia, which is both wise and not foolish."

Lu Jinlan smiled, "Of course I have a plan. After a little thought, I have three plans."

"The first plan is to negotiate. Send people to negotiate with the government and fight for our rightful rights. Life on the mountain is hard, but we can manage. Must our children also hide on the mountain for the rest of their lives? If the court can change its policies without costing us our heads, wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

You Shun scoffed, "Hmph, you're dreaming. The imperial court is clearly not treating us like human beings. How can we negotiate?"

Lu Jinlan glared at him. "I said you haven't even tried, what are you yelling about? Have you ever negotiated? If you don't know how, ask me! You can't forbid others from negotiating just because you don't know how. I'm doing this for everyone's sake, but you always think only of yourself. What a terrible man you are!"

Lu Jinlan kept accusing You Shun, but he couldn't keep up with her words, so he opened his mouth several times in anger but didn't know what to say.

Lu Jinlan continued, "If the first plan fails, we have a second one. Yan Sanxia and I once sneaked into the palace at night and learned that the tyrannical emperor has recently set off from the capital for Yaozhou."

"My second plan is that we capture the tyrannical emperor, invite him up the mountain, force the government to compromise, and thus achieve our terms. What do you all think?"

The alliance members were filled with anxiety, though they didn't say it aloud, they were all worried about the future. No one could come up with a clear plan, but then Lu Erxia arrived, with some good ideas, and pointed out a clear path for everyone. They couldn't help but feel more at ease and nodded silently.

However, some people worried, "But that tyrannical emperor is highly skilled in martial arts. When she comes here, she will surely be surrounded by hundreds or even thousands of imperial guards. Do we think we can succeed?"

“Yes!” Lu Jinlan said confidently, “From what I’ve heard, she’s traveling incognito with a small entourage. Moreover, she’s confident in her martial arts skills and won’t be too wary. With me and Yan Sanxia here, I’m sure we can abduct her.”

These plans were all ideas that Lu Jinlan came up with on the spot, and Yan Wuxin and Xu Lin did not know about them beforehand.

The more they listened, the more suspicious it seemed. They exchanged glances frequently, thinking: "Are we going to prepare a fake emperor and tie him up on the mountain?"

Yan Wuxin silently pondered: Who should be chosen for this position?

Xu Lin was also thinking silently: No matter who comes, at least I don't have to come, thank goodness. The old woman is just a civil official; she can argue, but she really can't afford to get physical.

As Lu Jinlan finished speaking, everyone looked at her with shining eyes. Someone asked with a smile, "Second Hero Lu, we feel hopeful about your first two plans. They make us feel happy. But didn't you say you had a third plan? Tell us about this third one too."

The crowd cheered, "Yeah! Tell us, we want to hear it!"

Lu Jinlan said, "This third plan is a last resort, and also the last one. If the first two plans fail, if the foolish emperor is stubborn and refuses to compromise, and if the government is arrogant and refuses to give us the treatment we deserve, then it will be time to use the third plan."

Lu Jinlan said solemnly, "The third plan is for me to personally kill the tyrant and vent everyone's anger. Even if I die alongside you heroines for such a heroic cause, I, Lu Er, will feel honored."

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Lu Jinlan looked at the person who had just spoken, "After hearing this third plan, do you still think it's wonderful?"

The man stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly laughed and exclaimed, "Beautiful! To kill the tyrant and then die alongside a heroine like Lu Erxia—that wouldn't be a bad thing!"

Everyone burst into laughter, and the atmosphere was more lively than ever before.

You Shun gritted his teeth at the sight. He'd said he was just ignorant and foolish to talk about killing the tyrant, but in her mouth it had become a heroic and tragic act.

It even garnered widespread agreement, which is truly bizarre.

He secretly felt that today was extremely unlucky. He had gone to great lengths to gather everyone together, intending to set up a stage for a grand performance, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Lu Jinlan stole the spotlight and began to sing passionately.

After all his hard work, he ended up benefiting someone else; how could he swallow this insult?

Lu Jinlan stepped forward and provocatively said, "Second Master, I have three plans in one go, but you have none. In terms of intelligence, you've lost to me. In terms of martial arts, I don't think you're my match either. I won't accept you as the leader of the alliance."

You Shun gritted his teeth and said, "It's just empty talk. I won't admit defeat."

Lu Jinlan said, "Then let's settle this with our skills, shall we?"

He'd been tricked again! You Shun was helpless, but with everyone watching, he couldn't refuse. Otherwise, wouldn't he appear incompetent?

He thought for a moment and replied, "Okay."

Lu Jinlan smiled slightly, "Then please."

"Wait a minute, let's make this clear first," You Shun said. "You are not a member of this alliance. Even if you defeat me, you cannot become the alliance leader."

He really is a treacherous and vicious man, blocking her way here in advance.

Lu Jinlan gritted her teeth, about to speak, when she suddenly heard a cough behind her.

Ji Yunyao said loudly, "Last night, I took Lu Er as my last disciple."

"Ah!" came the confused voices from all around.

Even Ji Yunliu couldn't help but ask, "When did this happen? I'm the senior sister, how come I didn't know?"