Upon hearing this, Li Xi smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Seeing this, Qingluan's anger intensified. She once again gathered all her strength, attempting to break the stalemate with a final blow.

However, all her attacks were ineffective against Li Xi, who was utterly shocked: "This... how is this possible?!"

Qingluan's voice became hoarse with shock. She stared at Li Xi in disbelief, her eyes filled with resentment and despair.

“Now it’s my turn,” Li Xi said calmly.

She slowly raised her hand, her fingertips twirling lightly, as if tiny ripples were spreading through the air.

Qingluan felt a warm and irresistible force enveloping her. At this moment, her power began to flow out uncontrollably, as if drawn by some mysterious force and slowly injected into Li Xi's body.

"This is... an absorption technique?" Qingluan's voice was filled with terror. She had never seen such a bizarre fighting style before. Not only could her opponent easily block her attacks, but they could also convert her power into their own.

Soon, the internal energy that had been surging and flowing freely within his body like a rushing river suddenly vanished at an alarming speed, like a flood bursting its banks.

Qingluan felt as if the power supporting her body had been drained from a well, instantly becoming extremely weak. Her legs could no longer bear the weight of her body, and she collapsed to her knees on the ground.

The heavy thud of her knees hitting the ground seemed to tell of her helplessness and despair at that moment.

Meanwhile, Hongying, who had been silently observing everything from a short distance away, was also completely terrified by the sudden burst of power from her granddaughter.

She stared blankly at Li Xi, whom she had once known so well, a strange sense of unfamiliarity welling up inside her, as if she were looking at a complete stranger.

Just as a murderous intent flashed in Li Xi's eyes, and he was about to strike and kill her,

Hongying suddenly darted forward, grabbed her arm tightly, and shouted, "Don't kill her! She's still useful!"

Li Xi paused slightly, then stopped her attack. She turned and walked to the side, picking up the two men's bundles.

·······

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, as dawn breaks, all things are immersed in peace and joy.

On the lintels of every household, brand-new couplets were pasted, with black characters and gold borders, shining brightly in the sunlight, and the words were filled with beautiful aspirations for the future.

The air was filled with the faint smell of sulfur from firecrackers, which mingled with the aroma of food wafting from the kitchens of each household, creating a warm and vivid picture of the New Year's atmosphere.

The children, dressed in new clothes, had rosy cheeks from the cold, but their excitement and joy were undeniable. Holding all sorts of toys, they wandered through the alleys, their laughter echoing throughout the place.

With Jiang Yunchao dead, a great weight was finally lifted from Emperor Wenyuan's heart.

"Excellent! My dear minister, you truly are my deputy general. You have given me a fine New Year's gift." The emperor then laughed heartily.

Laughter echoed in the imperial study, carrying a hint of pride and relief.

Overjoyed, he rewarded Li Xi with many fine things, saying, "My dear minister, since that Qingluan is a member of your maternal grandmother's clan, then let her handle it."

Her skills have been absorbed by Li Xi, and she is now a cripple who can no longer cause any trouble.

After leaving the palace, Li Xi did not return to his residence, but instead rode his horse to other places.

Inside the General's Mansion

Hongying carried a bowl of porridge into a side room.

The old woman lying on the bed looked exactly like a seventy or eighty-year-old, with a head full of white hair like frost and snow in winter, messy and sparse.

The deep wrinkles on her face resembled the ravines of the earth, and her yellowed eyes were now staring intently at Hongying as she walked in, a hint of fear and determination flashing in them.

“You can kill me, and I won’t say a word,” the old woman’s voice was hoarse and low.

Hongying frowned slightly, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes, but she was not intimidated by the old woman's words.

She reached out and mercilessly pinched the old woman's mouth shut, forcing it open to its widest extent; the action was rather rough.

Then, Hongying slowly poured the bowl of rice porridge into the old woman's mouth.

The rice porridge slid down the old woman's throat, making a gurgling sound.

Hongying looked at her coldly, her eyes filled with no pity, only endless indifference and determination: "Want to die? Not so easy! Don't think you can easily escape my control. I'll let you know what it means to wish you were dead."

As the last drop of rice porridge was poured into the old woman's mouth, Hongying put down the bowl, her voice icy: "Jiang Yunchao's body is currently with the Emperor, who says it will be hung on the city wall after the New Year as a warning. His crimes are too numerous to mention!"

"What did you say?!" Qingluan's face turned deathly pale instantly. "He's already dead, why must he not have peace!" Her body trembled violently.

Hongying's lips curled into a cold smile. "Rest in peace? The sins he committed cannot be atoned even if he dies a thousand or ten thousand times!"

She thought of her daughter and was filled with rage. "He killed my daughter. She was only five years old when I left."

Little did I know it would be our last meeting. If I could do it all over again, I would never leave...

But there are no ifs. The people of the Red Lotus Sect deserve to die, Jiang Yunchao deserves to die, and Qingluan deserves to die.

She wanted Qingluan to watch helplessly as her son's miserable corpse was exposed to the sun and rain day after day, gradually rotting and stinking, making her wish she were dead.

"No...no..." Qingluan trembled as she reached out, trying to grab Hongying's sleeve.

Her eyes were filled with pleading. "Hongying, I...I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong. Please, don't let Yunchao suffer like this even after he's dead. I...I'm willing to atone for his sins, I'll do anything!"

Hongying shook off Qingluan's hand, her eyes unwavering. "Atony? How will you atone? What will you use to repay the lives of those innocent people? Your son's life is a life, but other people's lives aren't?"

Qingluan knelt on the ground, tears silently streaming down her face. "I understand, I understand that the mistake I made is irreversible."

"What did you take from the secret room back then!" she demanded sternly.

Their ancient tribe preferred to remain hidden deep in the mountains and forests rather than be disturbed by the world, all to protect the secrets within this stone chamber.

"I... I only took a few ancient books." Qingluan's voice trembled even more violently.

Upon hearing this, Hongying sneered, her gaze as sharp as a blade shooting directly at Qingluan. "Where are those ancient books now!" Her words were full of questioning and coercion, making Qingluan feel suffocated.

“I…I gave it to the eldest young master…” Qingluan raised her head, a hint of hesitation and struggle flashing in her eyes. “At the time, the eldest young master said he was very interested in these ancient books and wanted to study them, so I gave them to him because I was soft-hearted.”