Chapter Eighty-two: Strike First and Gain the Upper Hand

  "Are you telling the truth?" Ye Ming asked, somewhat disbelieving. There were less than twenty unclaimed spots at Feng Tian Academy, and Leng Ruo Xue alone had ten of them in her hands - was this possible?

  "Of course it's true, this is what the people from Feng Tian Academy told me personally, the news is absolutely accurate." Xu Qian said confidently, with a smug expression on his face.

  Damn it, Leng Ruo Xue actually dared to cheat him! Night Moan is so angry! In fact, when he went to the Leng's house last time, he said that he heard that Leng Ruo Xue had a quota in her hands, but it was just a probe for her. He didn't think that Leng Ruo Xue really had one, and even sent someone over. His original intention was to use the relationship between the Leng family and Lin Liang to get a few quotas from Feng Tian Academy, but who knew it ended in discord...

  "Xu Qian, even if that cold-as-snow hand really has a quota for the secret realm, what can we do about it? She's got several Spirit Lords on her side! And divine beasts, our ancestors from various families are all in seclusion, and even if we join forces, no one can beat Cold Engine Heaven." Shui Yu said somewhat helplessly, he also wanted a quota for the secret realm, but that would require being able to snatch it.

  "That's why we need to join forces!" Xu Qian said somewhat anxiously, as he was determined to get a spot in the secret realm.

  After hearing Xu Qian's words, the other four people present fell silent.

  "So, how do you think we should join forces?" Huo Yi thought for a moment before asking. In fact, the Huo family didn't lack spots in the secret realm, so he really wasn't concerned about the few in Leng Ruo Xue's hands, but...

  "Xu Daijia, the quota for the secret realm is indeed tempting, but if we join hands, are you sure you'll definitely get it? What if Leng Ruoxue has already given them all away? Wouldn't that be a waste of our efforts?" Feng Huang said with some concern.

  "That's right, Leng Ruoxue doesn't care about the quota for the Secret Realm like we do." Ye Ming said with some annoyance, thinking that Leng Ruoxue would rather give such an important quota to a servant of her own household than to their Night family. Hmph! He won't let Leng Ruoxue off easily.

  "Xu Qian, if we join hands, how will the quota for the secret realm be divided?" This was the most pressing concern for Shui Tuan, as the Shui family didn't have a single quota for the secret realm. Therefore, his mood was just as urgent as Xu Qian's.

  "Nature is fair." Xu Qian said without hesitation.

  "How is it? Have you all decided?" Xu Qian asked again, his sinister and ruthless gaze fixed tightly on the other four people present.

  "This is something I can't be in charge of." Feng Miao said with a light smile, he was just a freeloader in the Wind family, how could he make decisions on such important matters!

  "What about you?" Xu Gan's gaze turned to the other three people. He knew that Feng Xiao couldn't make a decision, so he didn't take him seriously either.

  "It's a big deal, I need to go back and discuss it with the elders before making a final decision." Huo Yi thought for a moment.

  Among the five major families, except for their Huo family, Ye and Feng families have quotas for the secret realm. So, Huo Yi knows that these three families are definitely not anxious, after all, everything in the secret realm relies on luck, sometimes having more quotas doesn't make a difference, let alone having more luck than others.

  "I'm also undecided now." Ye Ming said immediately after, he too wanted to go back and discuss with the elders of his family, after all the Leng family...

  "Shui Xiong, how about you?" Xu Gan placed his last hope on Shui Yu's body, looking at him with some expectation. Alas, those few people he didn't dare to expect anything from them.

  "I have to go back and discuss it too." Shui Xi said somewhat helplessly.

  "You all go back and discuss it, and then send me a letter after you've made a decision." Xu Qian said with some helplessness.

  "Well, then we'll take our leave first." Huo Yi and others said.

  Dongchi Country, in the imperial palace's royal garden.

  In the garden, hundreds of flowers are in full bloom, with purple and red hues everywhere. The fragrance of the flowers is intoxicating, and it's as if the moon is shining just for me. At this moment, I'm comfortably lying on a reclining chair, basking in the warm sunshine, surrounded by clusters of flowers, feeling utterly carefree and relaxed.

  "Your Ladyship, the Emperor requests an audience." A maid softly announced.

  "Didn't you say that I'm resting?" Mo Yingyue furrowed her brow, somewhat displeased. Ever since the day Mo Mingyue opened 'De Yi Lou', she had been provoking Ruo Xue and was subsequently confined by the master of the Mo family. Moreover, she was well aware that the Mo family's recent days were not going smoothly, with many families who used to be close to them now barely daring to interact with them closely. As a result, her own life had become much easier.

  "She said, but Guo Zhong he..." The maid was somewhat hesitant and didn't know how to respond.

  "Where is he now?" Mo Yingyue asked calmly.

  "In Fengyue Palace."

  "Let's go back to the palace then!" Mo Yingyue stood up from the chaise longue, smoothed out her skirt and slowly walked in the direction of Fengmiao Palace.

  Back in the Fengjiu Palace, Mo Yingyue saw her somewhat weak father sitting properly on a chair, with a serious-looking old man sitting beside him.

  "Grandpa is here too?" Mo Yingyue said with some sarcasm, this grandpa of hers was someone who wouldn't show up at the Three Treasures Hall for no reason, it seemed that this time he was really forced to come.

  "Hmm," Mo's master slightly raised his eyelids, which was equivalent to a greeting.

  "Ying Yue, this time Father and Grandfather have come to see you, it's about something very important." Mo Chang Hai said somewhat helplessly, he originally didn't want to come, but was forced by his father...

  "Oh, I don't know what's going on?" Mo Yingyue pretended to be confused, but her eyes kept glancing at Mo Changhai. Alas, if her father were a bit stronger, he wouldn't have been oppressed by his uncle all these years...

  "This...this..." Mo Chang Hai also didn't know how to start this conversation.

  "I heard you have a good relationship with Leng Ruoxue?" Mo Jia's master stared at his useless eldest son, saying directly.

  "Nothing in particular, what's wrong?" Mo Yingyue's beautiful face was filled with confusion and puzzlement.

  "Last month, Mingyue offended Leng Ruoxue, and we wanted to go to the Leng's house to apologize, but we were always rejected at the door, so..." Mo Jia's eyes stared tightly at Mo Yingyue, wasn't what he said clear enough?!

  "Grandpa, I and Leng Ruoxue have a predestined relationship, but Leng Ruoxue's temper is really bad, so even if I go to plead for her, she won't give me any face. Mo Yingyue said with some difficulty, her face full of helplessness."

  "Hmph! This is clearly just your excuse, don't think that your queen position is secure, if our Mo family falls, it will be of no benefit to you." The master of the Mo family said with a threatening tone, his face turning iron-blue with rage.

  "Even if the Mo family didn't fall, would I be able to sit securely in the position of Empress?" Mo Yingyue asked softly with a smile on her face.

  "What do you mean by that? Are you talking back to me?" Mr. Mo shouted angrily, Ah, this little lamb thinks it's got wings now and has someone backing it up, so it dares not put its grandfather in his eyes, what a ridiculous thing!

  "How dare I argue with Grandfather? I'm just telling the truth." Mo Yingyue said calmly, her face unusually calm.

  "You... I'm only asking you, are you going to take care of this or not?" Mo's master bellowed directly, his face turning black with rage, the veins on his forehead bulging.

  "It's not that I don't care, it's just that I couldn't take care of it." Mo Yingyue said disapprovingly. Now that something has happened, why did you come to find her? Why didn't you do it earlier?

  "Ying Yue, you..." Mo Chang Hai started to speak as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn't say it out loud.

  "Dad, who in Fengdu doesn't know the temperament of the Leng family? Are people from the Leng family so easy to provoke? Mingyue is also spoiled by you all, so I have no choice." Mo Yingyue said coldly with a expressionless face.

  "Someone, send Guo Zhang and Mo Jia's master out of the palace." Mo Yingyue whispered.

  "Yes, Duke Guo, Master Mo, please!" A small eunuch stepped forward and said very politely.

  "Hmph! Mo Yingyue, you will regret this." The master of the Mo family let out a cold snort and walked away without looking back. He didn't believe that an empress without family support could last long on the throne!

  "How could I have a useless son like you? Can't even take care of your own daughter!" Mo's father scolded his eldest son all the way back to their palace.

  "Sorry, Dad." Mo Chang Hai hung his head low and didn't speak. What could he say? One was a father, the other a daughter, alas! It was all his fault!

  "Guo Zhang, Mo Jia Zhu, what a coincidence! I didn't expect to run into you two here." A surprised voice rang in the ears of the pair.

  "It's actually Fu Chengxiang, haha, what a wonderful coincidence!" Mo's master smiled and greeted him, revealing his joyful expression.

  "Hello, Fu Xiang." Mo Changhai said politely.

  "Heh heh, are you two here to see Her Majesty the Empress?" Fu Chengxiang asked knowingly.

  "Yes, I have some business with the empress." Mo's master said in a flat tone, his face no longer showing any emotions.

  "But is it related to the Leng family?" Fu Cheng asked with concern.

  "Hmm." Mo's master nodded helplessly, this was no longer a secret in Fengdu. Just because of Leng Ruxue's one sentence, the Mo family had almost no place to stand in Fengdu.

  "Alas! The Cold family has always been overbearing, but this time they've really gone too far. Your Mo family is also a relative of the imperial family, how can the Cold family be so unreasonable? It's not like it's a big deal, just a childish squabble, why drag the whole family into it?" Fu Chengxiang said with a sense of injustice, as if his own family had been bullied, his expression was incredibly sincere!

  "Yes, I also know that the Leng family is not to be trifled with, but I didn't expect them to have such great power. Now almost no family dares to come into contact with our Mo family." Mr. Mo said with a worried face, at this moment, he had already regarded Fu Cheng as a confidant, pouring out his troubles.

  "That's because the Qishi Guild is backing her up! You also know those wallflowers, who dares to offend someone from the Qishi Guild?" Fu Chengxiang's face was full of sympathy, but deep down he was seething with jealousy. Why did the Leng family have such good luck, and actually got people from the Qishi Guild to look at them differently...

  "Alas! Is our Mo family really going to decline? The master of the Mo family was extremely unwilling, their Mo family was on the rise, how could they fall like this?"

  "It's not necessarily the case, as long as your Mo family can find a powerful backer, then the Leng family won't be able to do anything to you." Fu Chengxiang suggested.

  "What backing? In our Mo family's situation, where can we find a backer? Moreover, I don't even have that connection." The master of the Mo family said with some depression.

  The Mo family in Dongchi country may still be able to rank among the top, but compared to the five major families and the royal family, they are far from it. Take the Feng family, one of the five major families in Dongchi country, for example. If he wanted to visit the Feng family, he wouldn't even be able to see the master of the house, and being received by an elder would already be a great honor.

  "I have a way, but I'm not sure if the master of the Mo family will be interested." Fu Chengxiang said with some uncertainty, his eyes flashing with deep calculation.

  "Fu Xiang, speak quickly and let me hear it?" Mo's master said with great urgency. Now as long as there was a glimmer of hope, he wouldn't give up.

  "It's inconvenient to talk here, you and I will go." Fu Chengxiang cautiously looked around and said carefully.

  "Alright, Chang Hai, you go back first. Father has something to discuss with Fu Cong Xiang." Mo's master instructed his eldest son.

  "Yes, Father." Mo Chang Hai glanced at Fu Cheng Xiang before obediently turning around and leaving.

  Mo Jia and Fu Cong then left the imperial palace together...

  Cold General's Mansion, Listening Snow Pavilion.

  "Miss, Huang Fu and Huo Qing have arrived." Green Peach stood outside Leng Ruo Xue's door, knocked gently, and reported softly.

  "Understood." A cold voice responded from inside the house.

  "Xuě ér, we haven't finished yet?" The demon who was playing Go with Leng Ruoxue said somewhat discontentedly.

  "Whoever comes is a guest, let's meet again next time, or you can go with Dongfang Yunxia, I'll take a look." Leng Ruoxue coaxed with some helplessness.

  "I'd rather not go down with him." The demon and Dongfang Yun, who had been watching from the sidelines, shouted in unison, both of their faces filled with disgust.

  "Then come with me to see our guests!" Leng Ruoxue gave them a cold glance before leaving the room directly.

  "Xue Er, wait for me!" The demon hurriedly followed up.

  "I'm going too!" Dongfang Yun also didn't want to fall behind, and chased after them.

  Leng Ruo Xue and three others arrived at the living room, where they saw Grandfather greeting Huang Fu Jiang and Huo Qing.

  "Grandpa!" Leng Ruo Xue first greeted her own grandfather before turning to look at Huo Qing and Huang Fu Liu.

  "How did you two get together?" asked Leng Ruoxue curiously, are their relationship so good now?

  "Huang Pu said he wanted to come see you, so I came along with him." Huo Qing explained that since that day, he didn't dare to come to the Leng's house again. Today, he was only able to come because of Huang Pu's presence; otherwise, he feared that if he came alone, Ye Xue would directly not let him in.

  "Oh." Cold as snow, her gaze turned to Huangfu Liang, this gentle and handsome young prince, shouldn't he be here for more than just seeing her?

  "I've brought some local specialties from Nanyue, which my mother asked me to give you." Huangfu Jian explained honestly, not daring to look directly at Leng Ruoxue, his cheeks slightly flushed.

  Looking at the shy prince, Leng Qing Tian couldn't help but let out a soft sigh. A man like this would be impossible to pursue his granddaughter with. It seemed that the Empress of Nan Xi's plans were all for naught.

  "Please thank the Empress Dowager for her kindness on my behalf, Prince." said Leng Ruoxue politely.

  "Good." Huang Fu nodded and stopped talking.

  "Dongfang Yun, aren't you looking for someone to spar with? You can find Huoqing." said Leng Ruoxue suddenly, glancing at Huoqing.

  "Ugh!" Dongfang Yun would feel dizzy whenever he heard the word "sparring", because his last sparring experience had left a deep impression on him, and no matter what, he couldn't forget it. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look at the culprit who had caused him so much trouble with a resentful gaze. From now on, he wouldn't dare to randomly find someone to spar with again... How humiliating!

  "Brother Dongfang wants to spar with me? Alright!" The fiery and ambitious Dao had been looking for an opportunity to engage in a battle of wits with Dongfang Yun since the day he met him at the opening of 'De Yi Lou'.

  "No, I'm not in the mood for that now." Dongfang Yun said somewhat weakly, his face looking quite embarrassed.

  "Oh, well, whenever you're in the mood, just come find me anytime!" Huo Qing didn't force the issue either. After all, Dongfang Yun couldn't escape, and they would have plenty of opportunities to spar in the future.

  Everyone chatted for a while and then left the two of them to have dinner together, after which they sent off the couple.

  After seeing off the two people, Leng Ruo Xue returned to Ting Xue Xuan with Yao Jie.

  "Xuě ér, the Queen of Nán Xī Guó brought you local specialties, what's the point?" The demon looked at the package on the table and said with some confusion. If she wanted to pursue Xuě ér, shouldn't she bring something valuable?

  "I don't know." Leng Ruo Xue also felt a bit strange, she only met the empress of Nan Xi country once, although that empress said she was friends with her mother, but...

  Leng Ruo Xue opened the package, and indeed there were some specialties from Nan Xi country, but nothing special...

  "Xue'er, what is this?" A small bamboo tube suddenly appeared in the hand of the demon, that small bamboo tube was thinner than a baby's little finger, about five centimeters long.

  "Where did it come from?" Leng Ruoxue took over the bamboo tube in Yaoni's hand and asked.

  "It's found here." The demon pointed at the strings of red fruit, explaining.

  Leng Ruo Xue glanced at the string of red fruits, then picked up a small bamboo tube and compared it. The small bamboo tube was surprisingly similar to the peduncles of those red fruits. If you didn't look carefully, you really couldn't tell them apart.

  Leng Ruo Xue opened the bamboo tube and found a thin letter inside. She took it out, and as she read on, her face grew increasingly solemn.

  "Xue Er, what's wrong?" The demon asked with a puzzled face.

  "You see for yourself!" Cold-as-Snow didn't explain and directly handed the letter over to the demon.

  The demon took over the letter with some doubt, looked at it, and couldn't help but be surprised. "Nanxi Country wants to form an alliance with us? This should be a good thing, however..."

  "We're going to see Grandpa."

  "Okay."

  Arriving at Leng Qing Tian's study, Leng Ruoxue took out the letter and handed it over for Grandfather to review.

  "Xue Er, what...what are you planning to do?" Leng Qing Tian couldn't help but ask, the Xu family is really not peaceful, even the imperial family has been contacted.

  "I want to hear Grandfather's opinion." Leng Ruoxue said calmly, with her current strength, dealing with the Xu family wouldn't be difficult, but if the Xu family had too many allies, she also didn't have absolute confidence.

  "Xu's family will find allies, won't we? If the royal family of Nanxi has such sincerity, then we have no reason to refuse." Leng Qingtian thought for a moment and analyzed, he had long hated the Xu family, but now they were coming after his granddaughter again, absolutely cannot be forgiven!

  "Hmm." Cold as snow nodded, she also meant that. Perhaps now she should go see the old ancestor of Dongchi country again, that old man last time had some unfinished words.

  Late at night, a detached palace in the Dongchi National Palace.

  A huge black eagle landed directly here, and Leng Xue and Yao Jie jumped down from the back of the feathers, casually sizing up this remote palace.

  This is a very desolate palace, the decorations in the hall are old and worn out, only one flower bed is full of vitality, the flowers inside are competing to bloom in the night.

  "Come in!" A hoarse voice echoed through the cold night, and immediately, the hall became bright.

  Leng Ruo Xue and Yao Jie directly pushed open the palace gate and walked in.

  "Sit down, little girl." The old man in green clothes said calmly.

  "Thank you." Leng Ruoxue and Yao Jiao casually found a place to sit down, but the three of them didn't say a word, instead sizing each other up.

  "I say, little girl, why do you always like to go to other people's homes at midnight?" After a long time, the old man spoke with a teasing tone, his somewhat turbid eyes gleaming with playful intent.

  "It's easier to do bad things when everyone is asleep!" Leng Ruo Xue wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, saying nonchalantly. She wasn't some shy little white rabbit; as long as it was something she wanted to do, she wouldn't care about what others thought.

  The old man was speechless, and this icy face was even thicker than he had imagined.

  "Little girl, speak up, what brings you to me?" The old man continued.

  "Don't you have anything better to do than look for me?" Leng Ruoxue asked back without answering, neither of them willing to reveal their purpose first.

  This little fox, why are people from Cold House always so troublesome? The old man grumbled in his heart.

  "Little doll, I know something that should be very helpful to you." The old man saw that the little fox, Cold-as-Snow, wasn't taking the bait, so he had no choice but to throw out some more tempting lures.

  "Xu's family." The old man only said two words and stopped talking, just staring at Leng Ruoxue with his turbid eyes.

  "Hehe, the Xu family's ambition is huge, and it's not just me they need to deal with!" Leng Ruoxue said calmly, as if she knew every move the Xu family made. Ever since she received some information, she had been paying attention.

  "Little girl, you say it, what do you want to do, I'll cooperate with all my might." The old man sighed helplessly and said that the Xu family was indeed a major threat to Dongchi country.

  "We can temporarily form an alliance." suggested Leng Ruo Xue.

  "Why is it temporary?" The old man asked somewhat puzzled.

  "After this matter is over, we will each go our separate ways!" Leng Ruoxue explained, she didn't want to be too deeply involved with the royal family.

  "Little girl, do you dislike the royal family that much?" The old man said with a hint of understanding. Although General Cold was a pillar of the country, the people of the Cold family did not like to have any relationship with the royal family, which really made him puzzled.

  "Whatever!" Leng Ruoxue said coldly.

  "Alas!"

  "Little girl, what are your plans?" The old man asked with a hint of helplessness.

  "I've decided to take the initiative!" Leng Ruoxue explained, she had never been one to wait for death, and since her enemies were going to deal with her, she couldn't give them enough time to prepare. So when she found out about this news, she was already planning something, but later things changed a bit, that's why she wanted to find a few allies.

  "Are you sure you want to make the first move? Do you have complete confidence?" The old man asked with great interest.

  "You'll know when the time comes." said Leng Ruoxue with a deliberate air of mystery.

  "What does that little girl need me to do?" The old man asked very proactively, since they were going to form an alliance, he couldn't just sit back and enjoy the benefits without doing anything.

  "I need you to clean up the moles in Dongchi first, and then we'll see what happens next." Leng Ruoxue said simply. She wanted to cut off Xu's family dog first, and then deal with Xu's family.

  "This is no problem." The old man said with a smile, those people he had long wanted to get rid of, only he hadn't thought of a good reason before, but now it seemed that no reason was needed.

  After Cold-as-Snow and the old man had reached an agreement and concluded their alliance contract, they quietly left.

  After leaving the Dongchi National Imperial Palace, Leng Ruo Xue and Yao Nie rushed to Nanxi Country overnight again.

  After flying non-stop for nearly three days, they finally arrived at Yue Du in Nan Xi country.

  After entering the Southern Xiao Kingdom, it was just afternoon. Cold as Snow and Yao Jiao casually found an inn, ate something, took a simple rest, and waited until midnight before quietly sneaking into the Southern Xiao Kingdom's imperial palace.

  Familiar with the road, they found the Fengyi Palace where the Queen of Nanxi Country resided. After Ling gave them both a stealth spell, the two of them walked into the palace as if no one was there.

  "Xue Er, isn't it a bit unwise to barge in like this?" The demon's face showed a hint of concern, with a faint blush on his cheek.

  "Why is it bad? This way no one will find out!" Leng Ruoxue said, puzzled, her face full of doubt, what did the demon mean?

  "My point is that a family of three is in the middle... wouldn't we be interrupting their good thing if we go in directly!" The demon said with great consideration.

  "You're asking for a beating, aren't you? What nonsense are you spouting?" Cold-as-Snow said wordlessly, truly impressed that the demon had come up with such a thing.

  "Xue Er, it's not like there's no such possibility?" The demon pleaded with a very wronged tone.

  "What to do? Are we going in or not?" Leng Ruo Xue also hesitated, after all they came to form an alliance with Nan Xi country, if they really bumped into... it's indeed not too good.

  The demon thought for a moment, then stuck his ear against the window of the inner hall...

  "Xu'er, come in!" The demon said after a while.

  "Good." Leng Ruoxue pushed open the door of the inner hall, and the two walked in...

  Three days later, Leng Ruo Xue and Yao Jie returned to the General's Manor.

  "Xue Er, you're back so soon?" Leng Qing Tian looked at his precious granddaughter who appeared in his study with some surprise.

  "Uh-huh."

  "Is everything settled?" asked Leng Qingtian, unable to help himself.

  "It's all done." said Leng Ruoxue briefly.

  "Stinky girl, can't you say a few more words? Are you trying to drive Grandpa crazy?" Leng Qingtian was getting impatient. He had been waiting for Xue'er's news all along, but this stinky girl kept asking one question and answering one sentence, intentionally making him anxious!

  Digression

  Thank you for the reward from Wenye tonight.

  Thank you for the lovely flowers sent by Jenhui and the misty rain.