Following the direction Li Yuluo pointed, Zhang Yuge saw that the Empress was indeed being held by seven or eight people.
But he actually didn’t want to interfere; yet, seeing the helpless and pitiful expression of the girl in his arms, he steeled himself and stepped forward.
“Zhang Yuge, Zhang Yuge, one day you’ll die at a woman’s hands,”
he cursed himself silently.
Yun Shan and his group were unstoppable, just less than ten steps away from escaping this troublesome place.
At that moment, a masked figure in black robes suddenly appeared right in front of them, blocking their path.
Yun Shan and the others stopped in their tracks, eyes tense and wary as they stared at the Masked Grand Preceptor before them, not daring to move forward.
They had all witnessed the Grand Preceptor’s strength and dared not engage him head-on recklessly.
Yun Zhiruo was even more frightened by the strange and abstract mask, retreating two steps.
“You’d better release the Empress quickly, or don’t expect to leave here unscathed,”
Li Yuluo warned Yun Shan and the others.
She then shouted to Yun Zhiruo, who was hiding behind the crowd,
“Empress, don’t be afraid. I won’t let them take you away.”
“Who are you? What is your relationship with the Emperor?”
Yun Zhiruo hesitated and asked.
“I—I am…”
Li Yuluo faltered.
Damn, I forgot I’m a woman now; the Empress doesn’t even recognize me.
Before Li Yuluo could respond, the Grand Preceptor answered first.
“The Emperor and Prince Kang’s father, Yong King, was notorious for his many affairs in his youth. During that time, he impregnated a woman from an ordinary family, leaving behind a posthumous child. For years, Princess has lived in the countryside, so it’s reasonable that few in the palace know of her.”
As he spoke, a sudden pain stabbed his waist.
The Grand Preceptor realized someone was pinching the flesh at his side.
He saw Li Yuluo glaring at him with displeasure and accusation in her eyes.
Zhang Yuge knew the girl was angry because she felt he was slandering her father’s name.
Yun Zhiruo frowned deeply, clearly skeptical.
“You say you’re the Emperor’s sister. Do you have any proof? Do you know the crime of impersonating royalty?”
“If it’s the Empress, she can directly ask the Emperor herself. Would you like me to take you to him?”
Zhang Yuge said.
Hearing the Grand Preceptor offer to bring her before the Emperor, Yun Zhiruo immediately fell silent.
She tugged Yun Shan’s sleeve and whispered,
“Cousin, what should we do now?”
Hearing their cousin’s plea for help, Yun Shan gathered his courage and stepped forward to negotiate with Zhang Yuge.
“Grand Preceptor, the Empress has no martial skills or cultivation. She is not only the mother of the nation but also one of our Yun family. As the Yun Family Head’s Son, I have the duty to protect my kin. Please grant the Yun family some respect.”
“Grant the Yun family respect?”
Li Yuluo scoffed angrily,
“Your father was the first to send men to attack my royal brother. And you expect us to give your family respect?”
At the same time, Li Yuluo saw that the Empress had long since betrayed the royal brother for the Yun family’s sake.
“Empress, you’ve truly disappointed me. I thought you would never betray the royal brother, but unexpectedly… No matter what, the child in your womb carries my royal brother’s bloodline. I will not let the Yun family take him away,”
Li Yuluo chastised.
“Since I got pregnant, Li Yuhan has never come to visit me once. Clearly, he is fickle and heartless. I have done nothing wrong!”
Yun Zhiruo snapped back, furious at Li Yuluo’s words.
The negotiation broke down, and both sides fell into a standoff.
Yun Shan and his group shielded Yun Zhiruo behind them.
Li Yuhan, who was fighting multiple experts, also noticed them.
Yun Lan was growing impatient and urged Zhang Yuge.
“Just kill them all and seize that woman.”
“If possible, I don’t want to kill; maiming would suffice.”
“What about that inner disciple from the Five Spirit Sect? Weren’t they killed by you?”
“Master, don’t badmouth me. That was done by servants, not me. I wanted to stop it; the servants’ blades were just too fast.”
“Enough chit-chat already.”
While Zhang Yuge and Yun Lan exchanged banter, Li Yuhan charged forward.
“Heartless and ungrateful? Hahaha!”
Li Yuhan’s sudden appearance caught the two Yun family elites off guard; before they could react, he cleaved them in half with a massive scythe, absorbing their energy and turning them into dry corpses.
He grabbed Yun Zhiruo by the neck and lifted her up.
“Stop! She carries your flesh and blood!”
Yun Shan shouted at Li Yuhan.
“Hahaha, my flesh and blood? That woman never got pregnant—there is no child!”
Li Yuhan sneered.
“You… how do you know?”
the Empress gasped, struggling.
“No pregnancy…”
Not only Yun Shan and the others, but even Zhang Yuge and Li Yuluo were dumbfounded.
“You bitch, ever since our marriage over ten years ago, you’ve been poisoning me relentlessly. And I still believed you—what a venomous woman. None in the Yun family are good!”
Li Yuhan’s rage grew, his grip tightening; Yun Zhiruo began to show signs of her eyes rolling back.
At this moment, it was unclear whether Li Yuhan’s will or the original owner’s will controlled his actions.
“Cousin, save me…”
Yun Zhiruo painfully pleaded.
Seeing this, Yun Shan raised his sword and thrust it at Li Yuhan’s back.
“Get rid of all nuisances!”
The strike was so fast it was invisible to the naked eye; in a blink, the handsome and dignified Yun Shan was cut in two.
Blood sprayed outwards, even splattering onto the Grand Preceptor’s mask.
“Ahhh… ahhhhhh…”
Yun Zhiruo let out agonizing screams, sobbing uncontrollably.
“You demon…”
Tears streamed endlessly from her eyes.
Seeing the woman he once loved show such a look, Li Yuhan inexplicably loosened his grip.
The Empress fell to the ground, coughing violently.
“Cough, cough… I hate you, you scum. I never loved you—not then, not now, nor ever!”
“You indecisive waste, get away from me!”
It was unclear who Li Yuhan was insulting as his gaze turned ferocious once more.
He pressed both hands on the Empress’s head.
“Bitch, die!”
With a crunch, the still graceful Empress’s head was twisted 180 degrees.
This scene left Zhang Yuge and Li Yuluo stunned.
Li Yuluo barely recognized the man before her.
That was the Empress the royal brother loved most, and yet he killed her so easily, so casually.
“Li Yuhan, I won’t spare you! I will kill you!”
Yun Hai, the Yun Family Head, arrived severely injured and nearly went mad upon seeing his son cut in half.
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