Chapter 126: The Malice of the Wuhan Male Clan

Chu Feng, Bai Naizhao, and the two sisters Ayan and Aying couldn’t help but glance toward the speaker, Heng Mei. There she stood—tall and graceful, motionless amid a patch of snow, her lips vividly red, her face cold as frost, embodying the image of a detached beauty devoid of emotion.

The three male warriors immediately halted in their tracks.

“So it’s the Great Power Lady herself; pardon our disrespect!” The leader of the warriors looked astonished, as if he had only just realized that Heng Mei, the Great Power Lady of the Wu Han Female Clan, was standing there.

“Great Power Lady, I did not notice your presence earlier—my apologies! May I ask what you wish to instruct of the three of us?” Although the warrior leader asked politely, he knew well that Heng Mei’s sudden command would bring no good.

“Is it only now that you realize I am here?” Heng Mei asked coldly.

“Yes! We had a misunderstanding with these few just now and failed to notice your presence. Truly, we are at fault!” The leader quickly termed the violent skirmish they had been engaged in as a mere misunderstanding.

In truth, he had long been aware of Heng Mei’s presence but had deliberately ignored her, pretending not to see. Moreover, although he referred to himself humbly as “your subordinate,” his demeanor toward Heng Mei lacked the respect such a title implied; instead, he seemed to regard her as an equal, their statuses nearly indistinguishable.

Heng Mei’s expression remained impassive as she turned to the two injured warriors beside him. “You two, like him, are blind fools. Is this the first time you’ve noticed I am here?”

“Great Power Lady, I admit my poor eyesight; I truly was blind!” one stammered.

“Great Power Lady, please forgive our earlier disrespect...” The two injured warriors’ faces changed abruptly under her gaze, and despite their immense pain, they hurriedly apologized and pleaded for mercy.

“I am Wu Kui, steward under Dong Zhuo, the younger brother of the male clan’s great warrior Dong Zhe. I beg you, Great Power Lady, to spare us three in consideration of the bond between Dong Zhe and Dong Zhuo!” The leader, Wu Kui, was quick-witted; before Heng Mei could act, he revealed his identity and name-dropped the powerful brothers Dong Zhe and Dong Zhuo.

Chu Feng did not know how formidable these so-called “great warriors” of the male clan were, but since Wu Kui invoked Dong Zhe and Dong Zhuo, he must be someone capable of suppressing the four great female power figures of the clan.

Judging by the expressions on Wu Kui and his two comrades, they had suffered severe injuries at Chu Feng’s hands and were naturally fearful of her. Yet now, their fear of Heng Mei seemed no less than their fear of Chu Feng.

“What is your purpose in capturing these three warriors from the Jiuxuan Sect?” Heng Mei asked with icy detachment.

“We...” Wu Kui hesitated, then said, “We were ordered by Dong Zhuo, younger brother of the great warrior Dong Zhe, to patrol the snowfields here and watch for any signs of snow tremors. We happened upon these three fighting the Snow Mountain Ghost Apes and found their behavior suspicious. To prevent any loss to the Snow Clan, we followed Dong Zhuo’s orders and brought them back to the male clan for interrogation.”

“Is that so?” Heng Mei fixed Wu Kui with a cold gaze.

Under her scrutiny, Wu Kui felt suffocated but steeled himself. “Yes, that is the truth!”

“You were blind at first and then dared to deceive me. You deserve to die!” With that, Heng Mei’s ruby lips parted slightly, and the air was pierced by a sharp whistling sound.

Three ethereal-looking qi blades, resembling throwing knives in size, shot forth like arrows directly at Wu Kui.

These qi blades, emitted from Heng Mei’s mouth, were evidently formed from her internal energy.

“Ah!” Wu Kui cried out once before a hole of blood was torn open in his throat, blood spurting like a fountain.

At the same time, his eyes bled profusely, both seemingly destroyed by the two blades.

Chu Feng was horrified to witness Heng Mei’s “mouth attack”: standing still, she could unleash qi blades so deadly with a mere movement of her lips. Such a skill was truly extraordinary.

Silently, Chu Feng admired Heng Mei—the moniker “Sharp-Tongued” was well-deserved indeed.

Wu Kui collapsed backward onto the snow, dead instantly.

For a warrior at the internal energy stage, once their body is breached, death follows in the blink of an eye. While a broken limb is less severe, injuries like a ruptured trachea or shattered dantian cause internal energy to gush out uncontrollably, killing the warrior on the spot.

Seeing Heng Mei kill so decisively, utterly disregarding the reputation of Dong Zhe and Dong Zhuo, all present were moved.

Especially the two male warriors, who were so frightened they prostrated themselves, no longer daring to plead for mercy.

“Speak! Why did you capture these three warriors?” Heng Mei demanded coldly.

“I’ll tell you! Dong Zhuo heard that today the Jiuxuan Sect would send young experts to the female clan to create Ice Shell Gold Pearls, so he dispatched several teams to watch over them. He even ordered us—if the opportunity arose—to eliminate that young expert!” one of the male warriors confessed.

“Great Power Lady, we truly did not want to commit such treason! It was Wu Kui who forced us. If we disobeyed, we would be killed!” The two male warriors pleaded earnestly for Heng Mei’s pardon.

Although maimed by Chu Feng’s wind pillar, their will to survive remained strong.

“That sounds like the truth!” Heng Mei said, her gaze shifting to Chu Feng as if to say, “You see now the danger in coming to the Wu Han Snow Clan to create Ice Shell Gold Pearls?”

Chu Feng nodded, realizing that trouble was already lurking. Indeed, the moment she decided to come to the Wu Han Snow Clan, a great challenge awaited her.

One cannot seek to slay the tiger without risking harm from it.

Chu Feng had never imagined that producing Ice Shell Gold Pearls for the female clan would harm the male clan’s interests so gravely, to the point that the male clan had already set their sights on killing her, laying ambushes along the way.

It was easy to imagine that even if their group of four had not been caught in the snowstorm on the mountain, they would have been ambushed by male clan warriors regardless. What might have happened then was anyone’s guess.

“Great Power Lady, please spare our lives. I swear to reform and never again harm the interests of the Wu Han Snow Clan... Ah!” As the two male warriors begged Heng Mei, she did not hesitate. Her bright red lips parted once more, and two qi blades flew out, piercing their throats.

Both warriors fell dead instantly.

Though silent, Heng Mei’s act of killing three clan members with a single breath spoke volumes—this was her way of signaling to Chu Feng that she stood on her side and was willing to confront the male clan.

“Heng Mei, do the Wu Han female and male clans truly harbor such deep conflicts?” Chu Feng could not help but ask.

Since she had come to the Wu Han Snow Clan and had no ready Ice Shell Gold Pearls to create, she would inevitably remain here some time. It was only prudent to learn as much as possible about the clan’s affairs to avoid being caught off guard.

“Yes, the conflict is severe. The feud between the male and female clans has lasted over a century. Simply put, it all revolves around the Ice Shell Gold Pearls. Whichever clan possesses them holds the upper hand, and the more dominant the clan, the more Ice Shell Gold Pearls they can claim,” Heng Mei explained.

“Not far ahead lies the territory of the Wu Han female clan! Let us go. Hopefully, they have already obtained the Ice Shell Gold Pearls. Then you can directly use your magic to create them, complete your task, and leave without being caught in this bitter strife between the two clans.”

With that, Heng Mei led the way, ignoring Bai Naizhao, Ayan, and Aying of the Jiuxuan Sect without so much as a glance.

While Ayan and Aying were unfazed by Heng Mei’s icy disregard, Bai Naizhao’s face betrayed a mix of awkwardness and astonishment—how was it that this haughty Great Power Lady spoke to Chu Feng almost like a friend?

Though her tone was somewhat detached, it was clear she regarded Chu Feng as someone worthy of conversation, even prolonged discourse.

Bai Naizhao’s curiosity deepened, and a hint of envy shone in her eyes. If only Heng Mei would say a single word to her, she’d gladly spend five hundred merit points from their sect to earn it.

“Bai Naizhao, what are you thinking? Come, I’ll untie you,” Chu Feng said with a smile, noticing the complex look Bai Naizhao gave her.