Madam, please listen to my explanation.

Chapter 128 Asura (Group number at the end of the description)
"Junruo."

"I'm home now, no need to see me off any further, Young Master Xiao, please go back."

The Great Zhou Kingdom, Wanshou City.

Xiao Han stared at the four large, elegantly written characters of "General's Mansion" above his head, clenching his teeth tightly.

"Alright, Junruo, I'll wait here. If we encounter any danger, just make a commotion. Although I'm no match for General Zhou, I'm still a disciple of Tiandao, and I'll risk my life to bring you out."

Li Junruo felt as if her heart was being torn apart, but she nodded with a cold expression: "Thank you, Young Master Xiao."

The two men's conversation was strange, but the two soldiers standing at the gate, who kept their eyes straight ahead, paid no attention to it.

As he turned and stepped into the mansion, the boy's call suddenly came from behind him again.

"Junruo!"

"What's the matter?"

"Even if you truly intend to marry into the Great Yan, there's no need to rush. The war in the Southern Frontier may seem intense, but it could end at any time."

"Don't worry, I will definitely go to southern Xinjiang."

Consider this a reward for me before I am used as a tool in the struggle between our two nations.

The boy watched Li Junruo's departing figure, his hand gripping the reins tightly.

Thankfully, there's still a chance!

Only by breaking through the barrier between heaven and man can one gain the right to speak and save Junruo from her suffering.
This trip to southern Xinjiang is my last chance!

Xu Jinhuan.
If possible, kill him at all costs!
Upon entering, Li Junruo instantly dropped her cold demeanor and appeared all smiles.

Passing through pavilions and waterside terraces, we arrived at my mother's small courtyard.

Unconsciously, she became increasingly nervous.

"Mother, are you there? Your child is back."

She said this cheerfully and quickly walked to her mother's room.

Hearing the sounds from inside, the smile on her face finally froze, and her hand, which was about to knock on the door, hung in mid-air.

"Hu Junruo is back! Good news!"

Inside the house, a man's rough, slightly panting voice could be heard.

"Father is healing your mother's wounds. Come in and get Father some water."

"If you are unwell, go and summon the servants to attend to your father."

Ignoring whether the people inside were dissatisfied, Li Junruo turned and left.

Her fists, clenched so tightly in her sleeves, turned white at the knuckles, and she didn't want to linger for even a moment longer.

Snapped!
A loud slap echoed from inside the room behind them.

"You bitch, are you mute?!"

"Your precious daughter is back, and you don't even invite her in for a chat?"

"You filthy bitch"

"Hmph. You slut, you whore who sleeps with anyone!"

Li Junruo paused slightly, but ultimately left the courtyard without looking back.

Zhou.Lu.Shan.
Her teeth were grinding together, and she could even taste a hint of metallic sweetness in her mouth.

One day, I will tear you apart.
Crush his bones and scatter his ashes!

With a loud bang, he kicked open the gate to his courtyard.

No one knew that the only daughter of the princess, the most beautiful woman in the Great Zhou Dynasty, this former general, had a courtyard filled with countless weapon racks and mannequins made of fine iron.

Li Junru gritted his teeth, quickly drew a wooden sword from the weapon rack, and transformed into a streak of light, slashing fiercely at one of the battered dummy figures!

clang--!
The loud noise startled the birds in the branches.

The seemingly ordinary wooden sword, when cleaving against extremely hard refined iron, did not suffer the slightest damage, which is enough to show that the person wielding the sword has excellent swordsmanship.

She was acting like a madwoman, and the mannequin in front of her instantly overlapped with a certain fat and strong General Zhou.

He leaped up, his knife-wielding hand transforming into a series of afterimages, and for a moment, the sound of metal clashing against metal filled the courtyard.

Her strength and angle were extremely precise, and each strike landed in the same spot as the previous one, without the slightest difference!

A few breaths later, she gracefully retreated, her wooden sword emitting a dazzling blade of light that swept across a distance of several feet and once again struck the dummy with pinpoint accuracy.

Clang——!
The wooden sword in his hand exploded into a pile of fragments, and the dummy in front of him was finally cleaved in two by this last blow.

"Huhu. Huh."

Li Junruo's hair was damp with sweat, and she was panting heavily, but her eyes still shone with a fierce, predatory light.

"A total of forty-six cuts"

"Forty-six cuts, and you've finally severed the dummy Li Junruo. You're truly beyond redemption!"

She knew that her current abilities were already top-notch among her peers.

But compared to the foolish boy still waiting outside the mansion, he was far inferior.
In the same location, with the same weapon, in the enemy's hands, it only takes one strike to shatter this dummy.

She had seen it with her own eyes.
Furthermore, the two are clearly at a similar level.
boom.
Li Junruo mustered his strength and slammed his fist into the tree trunk.

If only I had more talent and worked harder...
Then one can truly receive all the teachings from Lord Tiandao and be protected by him, right?
If it were that bastard Chu Yunlu, would he even give him a second glance?
Given their current meteoric rise, they'll soon be able to replace that beast.
If it weren't for that person and that marriage alliance.
Li Junruo gave a bitter laugh, letting the blood flow freely from his palm.

No, there aren't that many "what ifs".

Ultimately, it's all because of my own weak abilities.

Otherwise, my mother wouldn't have had to suffer such humiliation!
"Junruo."

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Li Junruo quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, turned around, and was already smiling again.

"Mother~"

Her mother's face was covered with a layer of dark red gauze. Li Junruo knew that it was to prevent her from seeing her cheeks, which were red and swollen from being slapped.

"Junruo, you...you weren't going to become Tiandao's apprentice, why did you suddenly come back?"

Zhou Congjia's eyes were somewhat unfocused as she uttered nonsensical words.

A gentle breeze blew by, making her shiver.

Only then did I realize that the hem of my skirt seemed a little wet.
Li Junruo almost lost control of her expression and could only bite her lower lip tightly.

My mother lost control of her bladder.

It's probably because the noise I made when I swung the knife was too loud and startled her.

But Mother, it's been many years since I went to become a disciple of the Heavenly Blade Master.
"Lord Tiandao has already taken me as his disciple and has been teaching me swordsmanship with great care. I am quite skilled now!"
"Mother, the reason I've returned this time is to prepare for a trip to the southern border."

Saying the same words she had said earlier, Li Junruo took off her outer garment and wrapped it around her mother's waist.

Ever since I can remember, my mother has been somewhat mentally impaired, but fortunately, she would occasionally be lucid for a period of time.

She would often take out a jade bracelet buried in the ground and stare blankly into the distance, tears streaming down her face, when she was in a daze.

If you bury it back in a precious place, it will revert to its foolish state.

After his father's death, the newly appointed General Zhou Lushan usurped the position, taking over the General's mansion under the pretext of caring for his father's widow.
That was the beginning of a nightmare for me and my mother.

Having been forced to grow up from a young age, I knew that if I hadn't been so young and hadn't made an excuse to escape this place, I would have been unable to escape the clutches of that beast.

Even so, whenever they met, the undisguised greed in the other person's eyes was still nauseating!

This kind of scum doesn't deserve to be a general!

Because of his high level of cultivation and deep understanding of military strategy
Just because of his own mother, he was regarded as a disgrace to the royal family by that emperor!
But all of this was clearly caused by them.
"Mother, I'm getting married."

Zhou Congjia's wandering eyes seemed to suddenly regain some luster.

She took her daughter's hand and asked earnestly, "Where will you marry?"

"In the Great Yan Dynasty, there was a young hero named Xu Jinhuan."

"Big Yan!"

Zhou Congjia suddenly tightened her grip, completely ignoring the gruesome wounds on her daughter's hands, her eyes becoming crystal clear. "That beast Zhou Chongyin wasn't satisfied with harming me alone, now he wants to harm my daughter too!"
He's your own uncle!

She suddenly stood up and was about to walk out: "You bastard, I'll go to the palace to find him myself!"

Li Junruo let her mother get up without any intention of stopping her.

Sure enough, before she even reached the door, her mother's pace gradually slowed down.

She turned around in confusion, looked at herself, and said slowly, "Junruo, when did you come back? I remember you were going to the Southern Frontier, weren't you?"

"Your mother is fine, she doesn't need to come back often. Remember, always stay away from your father."

"I'm leaving early tomorrow morning, Mother, please rest early. Oh, Mother, give me the token; I need to go to the palace to see His Majesty."

She quickly went to her mother, took her hand, and said cheerfully.

"Very well, the journey to southern Xinjiang is long, so please be extra careful."

"Ok!"

Li Junru nodded emphatically.

Mother, wait for me.

Sooner or later, your child will definitely lead you away from this hellish place.
-
Qingzhou, once a bustling metropolis, is now a thing of the past.

With the departure of the Hehuan Sect Master's wife and most of the disciples, Qingluan Mountain, along with Yunliu Town at its foot, became deserted and desolate.

Ning Ke wandered aimlessly up the mountain and, before she knew it, arrived at the foot of Zizhu Peak.

She raised her head and slowly walked up the mountain.

The roadside weeds grew wildly, almost reaching the steps. I remember the last time my senior brother came down the mountain, I would come here every day to tidy up and clean.

Now, there is no need for that anymore.

Senior brother, he won't be coming back.

squeak--

Pushing open the dusty wooden door, the once charming little courtyard is now covered with fallen leaves.

Things and people are no longer the same.

Ning Ke came to the stream, sat on a moss-covered rock, and began to ponder, resting her chin on her hand.

But why haven't my senior brothers come back?

She didn't understand why she had such a thought, but she was absolutely certain about it.

"Senior Brother, I've been having the same dream a lot lately."

"In my dream, Daddy bled so much."

The little head looked up at the sky and began to mutter to itself.

My mother once said that those who leave will eventually become stars in the sky, and as long as you speak your thoughts to the sky, someone will surely hear you.

"Oh, and Mother Mother was chasing Ake around with steel needles in her hand. Whenever she caught her, she would stick them into Ake's head. It was so scary."

"Father, senior brothers, where are you all? Why did you leave Ake here alone? Everyone has left, and the senior brothers who stayed behind are too afraid to speak to me."
I miss you all so much!

Thinking about this, Ning Ke felt wronged.

She wanted to cry, but not a single tear would fall.

"A natural charm."

"Who?! Who's speaking?!"

Ning Ke suddenly jumped up from the spot and looked around.

But the courtyard was empty; there was no one else there except him.

Could it be that stream?
Ning Ke stepped forward and roared at the stream:

"Come out! I see you!"

That calm and composed voice rang in my ears once again:

"He is afflicted by evil magic, yet his mind remains untainted; his charm leans towards gentleness, and he possesses ample versatility but lacks fierceness."

boom!
The gate to Zizhu Peak suddenly closed by itself.

"Who goes there! Don't come any closer! I... I'm really powerful!"

Ning Ke was panicking, but with no one to rely on, she could only force herself to stay calm.

As soon as the words were spoken, the strange voice disappeared, but another familiar voice rang out from behind:
“Ake.”

"Big Brother! Waaah—"

Ning Ke transformed into a tiny cannonball and crashed into Xu Jinhuan's arms, who suddenly appeared.

"Senior Brother is so scary. Waaah."

Xu Jinhuan stroked Ning Ke's head and said softly, "Ake, you've been cursed. Your senior brother will help you break free."

With that, his hand moved swiftly, pressing down on Ning Ke's small head!

Before Ning Ke could react to what was happening, a series of images flashed before her eyes like a revolving lantern.

On a dark and windy night, the mother held a steel needle between her fingers and repeatedly pierced the back of her head.

In the back mountain, a dazzling sword light flashed, and Father's head slid off his neck, revealing the face of the sword-wielding youth behind him.

Tears of blood streamed down Ning Ke's face.

She remembered.
I remember everything!

"Xu Jinhuan!"

Suddenly, a powerful force burst forth from that small body, even stirring the mountain winds, which flowed along with that tiny fist.

boom--

With a single punch, he felt no force at all, and the figure of the 'Senior Brother' dissipated like smoke.

Ning Ke leaned forward, and the next moment, her pink little fist was caught firmly by a hand.

She looked up and saw a scholar in a simple blue robe with an ancient face.

He was always radiating a faint, clear light, and although he was clearly standing there, he seemed as untouchable as if he were far away.

His features were quite ordinary, but his eyes were exceptionally deep, as if they contained an entire galaxy.

Bang bang bang!
Someone knocked on the wooden door of Zizhu Peak, but no matter what they did, they couldn't push it open.

"Ake, are you inside?"

"It's me, Senior Brother Zhang. I've come to take you to the capital to see Master's wife and the others!"

"Open the door, Ake! Senior Brother Jinhuan is also waiting for you in Kyoto!"

Inside the courtyard, an old man and a child remained oblivious to the noise outside.

An invisible wave spread out, and the entire courtyard returned to calm, with not a single sound audible.

The scholar in the blue robe remained expressionless as he looked down at the little child before him:
"Would you be willing to learn martial arts from me?"

It was that same calm and composed voice. Ning Ke nodded subconsciously.

"Yes, yes!"

The scholar remained calm and nodded.

"Let's go, let's go see your junior sister."

As soon as he finished speaking, the wooden door suddenly swung open, and the senior brother surnamed Zhang outside fell to the ground.

He lay on the ground and looked up.

Zizhu Peak was deserted, with not a single person in sight.

(End of this chapter)