The woman lowered her straw hat and then spoke in a calm voice.
"Commander An, I have a few questions for you. If you answer them well, I will not make things difficult for you. But if you do not answer them well, don't blame me for being ruthless."
The woman was none other than Sima Jing. As she spoke, she pulled out a gleaming short blade.
An Yuntai looked terrified as he stared at the gleaming dagger.
"Please feel free to ask me anything, young lady."
An Yuntai swallowed hard and nodded quickly.
Seeing how easily he was frightened, Sima Jing finally felt relieved.
"I ask you, who led the troops in the campaign against the Northern Darkness Sect, and who killed the sect's leader and queen?"
Sima Jing stared intently at An Yuntai and asked in a somewhat nervous voice.
"The Northern Darkness Sect!"
Upon hearing Sima Jing's question, An Yuntai's expression changed.
The name was both familiar and unfamiliar to him.
However, he quickly concealed the surprise on his face and revealed a look of confusion.
"The Northern Darkness Sect was wiped out by the late emperor more than ten years ago. I am merely a city defense commander; how could I possibly know the details..."
Before An Yuntai could finish speaking, the dagger in Sima Jing's hand was already stuck in his leg.
"ah!"
An Yuntai was in so much pain that his body was convulsing, but he couldn't make a sound.
"Commander An, if you continue to be so uncooperative, next time I might not be pricking your leg."
Sima Jing pulled out the dagger and spoke slowly in a cold voice.
Upon hearing this, a flicker of fear crossed An Yuntai's eyes.
"Okay, I'll tell you, I'll tell you!"
Seeing that the woman was really going to kill him, An Yuntai dared not hide the truth any longer.
"When we fought against the Northern Underworld Sect, the one who led the troops was not the late emperor, but the current Prime Minister Sima."
Upon hearing this news from An Yuntai, Sima Jing swayed involuntarily.
It really is him!
It really was Sima Lie!
So, having regarded Sima Lie as his own father for so many years, wouldn't that be tantamount to recognizing a thief as one's father?
After a while, Sima Jing managed to suppress her emotions, but her eyes still couldn't stop reddening.
"Continue, how was this war fought, and who exactly killed the Bishop's wife?"
Sima Jing pressed the dagger directly against An Yuntai's neck and asked coldly.
Feeling the coldness on his neck, An Yuntai swallowed hard.
"Girl, please don't be angry, I'll tell you, I'll tell you."
An Yuntai quickly waved his hand and then hurriedly began to recount the details of the war that destroyed the Beiming Sect more than ten years ago.
The court originally intended to send Li Dingzhong and Zhang Tang to suppress the Northern Darkness Sect, but Sima Lie took over this important task through the Empress Dowager's influence.
However, Sima Lie was merely a civil official and had no experience in leading troops into battle.
As a result, he led an army of 300,000 to attack the Northern Underworld Sect, but suffered repeated defeats and lost more than 100,000 troops in vain.
Just when everyone thought Sima Lie was going to flee back to the capital, the situation suddenly took a sharp turn for the worse.
Sima Lie, who had previously made a series of blunders and given chaotic orders, seemed to be possessed by a god, as he was able to predict the whereabouts of the Beiming Sect every time.
Although Sima Lie was not knowledgeable in military affairs, with his intelligence, the imperial army could easily defeat the Northern Darkness Sect's defenses.
Within a month, the Northern Darkness Sect suffered a crushing defeat, completely losing its previous arrogance.
However, when the imperial troops stormed into the headquarters of the Northern Darkness Sect, they found that the sect's high-ranking officials had all left, leaving only the sect leader's wife, whose limbs had been severed and who had become a cripple.
Just as Sima Jing suspected, it was Sima Lie who killed the priestess.
He returned to the capital with the head of the Bishop of the Northern Underworld Sect, shocking the court and the public. He became a trusted minister whom the late emperor relied on greatly, and now he has the power of a prime minister that is above the imperial power.
After hearing An Yuntai's words, Sima Jing felt as if her worldview had collapsed.
It turns out she had been kept in the dark all along, being used as a pawn.
Seeing Sima Jing's dazed expression, An Yuntai quietly made a move.
He found that his hands were gradually regaining some strength.
At this moment, Sima Jing finally snapped out of her grief.
"The Northern Darkness Sect's utter defeat must have been due to a spy leaking information. He even crippled the sect leader's wife. You must know who this spy is!"
Sima Jing then looked at An Yuntai.
An Yuntai nodded.
"That's right, the spy is..."
Sima Jing tried to concentrate to hear clearly, but just then, An Yuntai, who had just been slumped on the ground, suddenly sprang up.
Bang!
Under his impact, Sima Jing was slammed against the wall, and the dagger in her hand fell to the ground.
"not good!"
Sima Jing's expression changed, and she hurriedly tried to rush forward to pick up the dagger.
But An Yuntai moved even faster, grabbing a dagger and thrusting it at Sima Jing.
Sima Jing grabbed his hand, but An Yuntai, who looked fat and bloated, was actually quite strong and continued to press down.
An Yuntai, seemingly in no hurry to kill Sima Jing, stared intently at her with a teasing, cat-and-mouse gaze.
"The Beiming Sect is nothing more than a dog in the hands of the Prime Minister. And you know nothing about the destruction of the Beiming Sect more than ten years ago. Could you be the legendary reincarnated spirit maiden of the Beiming Sect? Haha, I never thought that there was such a thing as reincarnation in this world!"
Upon hearing An Yuntai's words, Sima Jing was stunned for a moment.
"A reincarnated spirit maiden!?"
"What, playing dumb? Mr. Qiu already told us about the method your Northern Darkness Cult's priestesses use to reincarnate and prolong their lives with pure Yin bodies, and I think you are that priestess. This is wonderful. We searched the entire Northern Darkness Cult but couldn't find your reincarnated pure Yin body, but now you've delivered yourself to our door. Alright, if you obediently tell me the location of the Northern Darkness Cult's treasure, I might spare your life."
An Yuntai sneered.
Sima Jing was completely bewildered by his self-absorbed words.
She knew absolutely nothing about reincarnated spirit maidens or treasure troves!
Seeing that she still refused to admit it, An Yuntai looked disdainful.
"It's no use pretending. The reincarnated spirit maidens all bear the mark of the black lotus. I will see for myself."
As An Yuntai spoke, he reached out to tear open Sima Jing's clothes.
Sima Jing immediately struggled violently.
But just as the two were struggling, her veil was suddenly ripped off.
When An Yuntai saw the face of the person in front of him, he was startled.
"Consort Jing... Consort Jing!"
An Yuntai stared at the person in front of him in disbelief.
He never expected that the person he thought was a reincarnated spirit maiden was actually Sima Jing.
Sima Jing's expression also changed.
But this time, she and An Yuntai are truly locked in a life-or-death struggle.
Otherwise, if An Yuntai were to pass the message on to Sima Lie, she would definitely not have a good ending.
Sima Jing hurriedly reached out to snatch the dagger, but An Yuntai reacted even faster and quickly retreated.
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