Lin Yuran's appearance successfully distracted the man in black.
The man in black quickly dodged the attack.
Two figures, one in front and one behind, surrounded the man in black.
Ji Binyu's effeminate face was tinged with a chilling coldness. He narrowed his eyes, looking at the man in black as if he were already dead. "If you surrender, you might have a chance to live. If you refuse to cooperate, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Lin Yuran raised her eyes slightly and echoed, "Lin Country will soon fall into my hands. Offending me will not end well for you."
Unmoved by the threats, the man in black let out a muffled grunt and retreated sharply. With a sweep of his large hand, countless fallen leaves rustled.
The leaves transformed into sharp blades, shooting rapidly towards Ji Binyu and Lin Yuran.
"Not good!"
Ji Binyu exclaimed, transforming his spiritual energy into a shield to block the attack.
Lin Yuran was not idle, quickly channeling her spiritual energy to Ji Binyu to help resist the fallen leaves.
The man in black raised his eyes and then his hand again.
This time, even more fallen leaves surged towards them!
Powerful spiritual energy radiated outwards from the man in black!
Ji Binyu's eyelids twitched violently, a hint of unease creeping into his eyes. "Yuran, this person's cultivation is no less than ours. Even if we use forbidden arts and give it our all, we might not win. More importantly, there's no need for us to end up in a mutual defeat at this moment."
As long as they were given time, they could absorb more souls to increase their cultivation.
It wouldn't be long before they could face the man in black again without issue.
Understanding his thoughts, Lin Yuran nodded gently in approval. "You're right. Our more important enemy now is Feng Ninghe. We shouldn't waste too much energy on this person."
"How much did you hear?"
Ji Binyu looked at the man in black before him with a hint of threat.
The man in black was heavily cloaked, his features hidden, but he exuded a sense of danger.
This person was not simple.
In response to the question, the man in black grunted, his low male voice carrying a trace of hatred. "Over the past century, you have secretly taken the lives of many young women. Everyone should strike you down. I know everything you have done. Today, you will go to hell to apologize to those young women."
A hundred years ago, Ji Binyu and Lin Yuran had colluded to absorb souls and use spiritual energy for their own benefit.
This had been ongoing for a century.
They had also used every means to conceal their crimes.
For the past hundred years, they had prospered, and no one had suspected them.
Lin Yuran's heart tightened. "Binyu, he must die!"
To have investigated this far and know so much, this person was not simple.
Ji Binyu's thoughts were the same as Lin Yuran's.
This person knew far too much.
If this matter were to become public, they would face dire consequences.
Ji Binyu's eyes turned fierce, dark energy swirling around him, his power surging!
The robust spiritual energy made the shield slightly larger.
The man in black's brows furrowed, his gaze fixed on the person before him. "Even if you use forbidden arts, you will likely die before me."
Ji Binyu dismissed the arrogant words with disdain.
He raised his hand and shattered the shield.
The broken shield, imbued with dark energy, fiercely attacked the man in black.
Even the man in black's expression became serious.
His eyes darkened, and he quickly dodged.
"Binyu, the gourd bottle is still in the room," Lin Yuran said urgently, remembering something.
Ji Binyu's pupils contracted violently. The dark energy around him dissipated instantly. "We can't lose the gourd bottle. The man in black luring us this far is likely to get us out of the way!"
The gourd bottle was crucial for Lin Yuran to ascend to the position of Empress.
With this thought, their hearts filled with unease.
Ji Binyu grabbed Lin Yuran's hand and they quickly departed.
The man in black did not pursue them but stood still.
A shard of spiritual energy, shaped like a shield, now appeared in his hand.
A wisp of dark energy swirled around the shield.
The man in black stared at the dark energy, his brow furrowed as if deep in thought...
In Lin Country, within the palace.
Lin Yuran and Ji Binyu arrived in haste, returning to the sleeping quarters.
The door to the sleeping quarters was wide open, and the surrounding maids had been sent away by them earlier.
Lin Yuran rushed into the sleeping quarters, her gaze constantly scanning the surroundings as if searching for something.
She almost turned the entire sleeping quarters upside down.
Unfortunately, she found nothing.
"Where is the gourd bottle?"
Lin Yuran was frantic, her exquisitely made-up face filled with urgency. She bit her lip tightly. "The gourd bottle is gone!"
There wasn't a single gourd bottle in sight.
Ji Binyu's gloomy face seemed capable of swallowing someone alive as his gaze swept around. "How could it be gone? Could that man in black have an accomplice, and he was just trying to distract us?"
The gourd bottle was of utmost importance.
Only by waking the young women in the yamen could she repel Feng Ninghe and become the Empress of Lin Country.
The sleeping quarters were filled with treasures, but the gourd bottle was nowhere to be seen.
Lin Yuran's body suddenly slumped onto a chair, her fists clenched tightly, an ominous feeling creeping into her heart. "Could the man in black have been sent by Feng Ninghe?"
If the souls fell into that woman's hands, the situation would be extremely unfavorable for them.
Ji Binyu bit his lip and shook his head slightly. "It's hard to say. Fortunately, I have a backup plan. If Xiao Ya investigates properly, we'll know the truth."
Mentioning Xiao Ya, Lin Yuran's anxious heart finally relaxed a little. "Hurry and find her, have her investigate! The souls must not fall into that woman's hands!"
Ji Binyu did not dare to delay, quickly summoning a guard.
He gave the guard some instructions, and the guard hurried away...
In another room.
When Feng Ninghe returned to her room, Si Xin Xin and Xiao Zhao were sleeping soundly, unaware of what had happened outside.
"Master."
Feng Xing produced a small jade pendant and handed it over. "When I left just now, I accidentally found this jade pendant on the ground. I thought it might be useful, so I picked it up."
The jade pendant was broken in half.
The jade was translucent, a good quality jade.
Feng Ninghe casually picked up the jade pendant, a flicker of thought appearing in her eyes. She narrowed them slightly. "This jade pendant looks familiar."
She seemed to have seen this jade pendant somewhere before.
But she couldn't recall it at the moment.
"Familiar?"
Feng Xing exclaimed eagerly, "Master, this jade pendant was found near Ji Binyu's sleeping quarters. I don't know who lost it."
Feng Ninghe gazed at the jade pendant for a long time, then finally withdrew her gaze and shook her head slightly. "I can't remember. Someone was lurking in the shadows just now. This jade pendant might have been dropped by that person."
The simple words instantly caught Feng Xing's attention. "Someone was lurking in the shadows?"
The man in black had hidden himself so well that even Feng Ninghe hadn't noticed him, let alone Feng Xing. Moreover, he had left early and didn't know what happened next.