Nan Shiying had only been in the city for a few hours, but the Ghost Fiend Gate's kill order had already spread throughout the martial world.
For each head of a Ghost Fiend Gate member, a bottle of spirit elixir could be exchanged.
While many feared the Ghost Fiend Gate, there were also many who did not. The Shadow Pavilion immediately placed the kill order at the top of its list.
Meanwhile, in the distant capital, Prince Regent Ji Jinmo, upon hearing that Feng Luan had issued a kill order against the Ghost Fiend Gate, added an irresistible incentive to this hunt.
Kill a Ghost Fiend Gate member, receive a thousand gold pieces as a reward.
Kill a Hall Master, receive ten thousand gold pieces as a reward.
Kill a Nine Fiends, and you would earn his favor.
A thousand or ten thousand gold pieces were nothing compared to the favor of the Prince Regent.
He was the Prince Regent who held sway over the court.
The secret guards were dispatched, and the news quickly spread far and wide. Even Dali heard whispers of it the next day. Although Feng Luan did not explicitly invoke the name of Medicine King Valley, the unwavering support of the Poison Elder on her side somewhat revealed Medicine King Valley's stance on the matter.
The martial world was in turmoil.
If not for the requirement of the Ghost Fiend Gate's emblem as proof, countless innocent people would have already met their demise at the hands of those with ulterior motives.
Yet, Nan Shiying, the center of the storm, remained in the perilous Xiling County.
She intended to stay right under the nose of the Ghost Fiend Gate, lodging in this inn that, despite numerous cleanings, still carried the scent of blood. She wanted to see if the Ghost Fiend Gate, under the kill order, would regret their decision or wish to flay her alive.
Luan Wencheng had not slept well for days, fearing that the Ghost Fiend Gate members would come under the cover of night. He was constantly on edge. His condition was not good; dark circles under his eyes, bloodshot pupils, and his eye bags seemed to droop towards the ground. Luan Wencheng stepped onto the ground, his mind as muddled as if it were made of paper. As he walked downstairs, Nan Shiying was sitting in the center of the main hall, enjoying breakfast. She still had that composed demeanor. Today, she had uncharacteristically donned a bright robe made of brocade, embroidered with cloud bamboo, making her appear even more elegant and upright. Even the teacup she held seemed to have gained value.
"Awake?"
Nan Shiying beckoned Luan Wencheng to eat.
Luan Wencheng walked to her and sat down. Over the past few days, news had been trickling into the inn, and he still felt a tremor of fear today. Under her kill order and the Prince Regent's added incentives, people had gone mad with killing, forcing the Ghost Fiend Gate members to huddle and flee towards Xiling County.
It was said that since she issued the kill order, nearly two thousand Ghost Fiend Gate members had died.
Two thousand, it did not sound like much, but if all their bodies were laid out together, they could fill the entire prefectural office.
Luan Wencheng had repeatedly wondered if she was soft-hearted or hard-hearted.
She could indifferently watch those few people's corpses left to rot in the wilderness, yet she was willing to stand against the entire Ghost Fiend Gate for their sake.
"Why?"
Luan Wencheng had actually wanted to ask this question for a long time but had never voiced it.
"I thought you wouldn't care about their lives or deaths, or rather, that they were merely withered branches and fallen leaves encountered anywhere on your path, dust, or insignificant streams that could be easily overlooked. How could their lives or deaths possibly catch your eye, but… why?"
Her eyes clearly held no pity or anger; she was as calm as a mountain standing in a hurricane. Luan Wencheng did not dislike her demeanor; he was perplexed, confused.
"Why?"
Nan Shiying remembered the brightened eyes of the little girl when she returned the bloodstained handkerchief. The clear pupils reflected her image, showing an unmistakable clarity and innocence.
Before she left, she had protected the governor of Xiling County but had overlooked this innocent family. Perhaps from the moment she stayed at this inn, their lives were no longer their own. She did not know if she had not realized it or had selectively ignored it. In fact, if the Ghost Fiend Gate had merely killed them, instead of throwing their bodies before her eyes, she might not have remembered this family at all, nor would she have pondered whether her actions had saved them or harmed them.
She claimed that the common people were not to be insulted, yet she remained that aloof Empress. She could see the suffering of the people and also not see their suffering. She stood at the peak of the mountains, able to see the streams, but how could she bend down to linger and watch?
Why?
There was no why!
It was simply because she wanted to.
She wanted the Ghost Fiend Gate to pay the price.
She wanted to see the people who made the decision regret it profoundly.
She wanted to stand here and force them to kill her.
She was the Empress of Da Yuan.
And she was still the Empress of Da Yuan.
There was no reason.
In this world, everything done or not done is divided into only two categories: wanting or not wanting.
Luan Wencheng had not slept well these past few days. The physical fatigue was secondary; it was the mental exhaustion that affected the speed of his brain's processing. He was somewhat lost, unable to decipher the smile that spread across her face and the increasingly cold and ruthless gaze in her eyes.
He only knew that she was waiting.
Putting herself in danger like this.
She was like a venomous snake coiled on a treetop, flicking its tongue, waiting for an opportunity for a fatal strike.
All for those few commoners?
Luan Wencheng's previous questioning had now turned into bewilderment.
It was not that he was unfeeling; he simply didn't understand if it was worth it for a few commoners.