If you die, I will be able to inherit your cultivation.

Early in the morning, Zhou Ming had just finished breakfast and was sitting on a stool in the corner of the kitchen.

Holding a cup of tea in his hand, he was swaying his head and savoring the tea.

Just then, the kitchen door was pushed open, and Dongmei walked in nonchalantly.

She didn't bring her short sword today, and her neat navy blue outfit made her look less sharp and more capable than usual.

She didn't beat around the bush, walked straight up to Zhou Ming, said, "The young lady wants to see you," and then turned and left.

Zhou Ming quickly put down his teacup, got up, and followed.

Following Dongmei through the covered walkway, we entered the inner courtyard flower hall.

Su Mingyue was still sitting at the rosewood table. She had just finished breakfast, and there was a cup of steaming tea on the table.

Today she wore a plain white jacket with silver trim, and only a single magnolia hairpin adorned her hair, looking no different from usual.

But Zhou Ming noticed that she had several more sheets of paper next to her, the top one of which was covered with writing.

Zhou Ming stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Miss."

Su Mingyue hummed in agreement, and without exchanging pleasantries, she directly picked up the paper on the top of the table with two slender white fingers and handed it to Zhou Ming.

Zhou Ming took it with both hands and examined it carefully in the morning light streaming in from the window.

The contents written on the paper were similar to what he had overheard in the alley yesterday, but much more detailed:

The Zhong Sheng Sect gathered hundreds of thousands of followers, coerced refugees into attacking and breaching the walls of Cangzhou City. The prefect was killed in the line of duty, and the defending troops were routed and fled.

The Zhong Sheng Sect is currently gathering in Cangzhou, and its numbers are continuing to grow, with new refugees joining every day.

Everyone in the sect practices a mysterious technique that allows for extremely rapid cultivation. It can be practiced by men, women, young and old, and now hundreds of thousands of members have reached the Skin Refining Realm.

In less than a month, the Zhong Sheng Sect has built a force comparable to a regular army, and this force continues to expand like a snowball.

The message also included a small print line:

The slogan of the "All Beings are equal, beat the powerful families, distribute the land and the food" has led to the near extermination of the local powerful families in Cangzhou.

After Zhou Ming finished reading the contents of the paper, Su Mingyue picked up her teacup, took a sip, and slowly said:

What do you think?

Zhou Ming was speechless upon hearing this.

How do I see? I see with my eyes.

I'm just a lowly steward in charge of cooking and lighting the fire in the kitchen. You want me to see world events? Isn't that ridiculous?

Zhou Ming opened his mouth, trying to gloss over the situation: "Miss, I am of limited knowledge and ability, this...this..."

"Just say what I tell you to say, stop with all the nonsense."

Su Mingyue placed the teacup on the table, the porcelain bottom striking the mahogany with a crisp sound, her tone cold and unyielding.

Zhou Ming had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask, "May I ask, Miss, when did this happen?"

"It happened just a few days ago."

Zhou Ming glanced down at the paper again, remained silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth:

"Reporting to the young lady, if this news is true, then... then... then the Great Xia Dynasty is in grave danger."

After he finished speaking, Zhou Ming glanced at Su Mingyue's expression.

She maintained her indifferent expression, but nodded slightly to Zhou Ming, signaling him to continue.

"Cangzhou is only 600 li away from the capital Anzhou. The members of the Zhong Sheng Sect are all skilled in cultivation. They can reach the city in three days and two nights with a rapid march."

As Zhou Ming spoke, he mentally flipped through the geographical records of Kyushu that he had read from the library.

"Since the Sect of All Beings possesses such a cultivation method, capable of drawing hundreds of thousands of people into cultivation in a short period of time and gathering several times that number of followers, its next step will inevitably be to attack Anzhou."

"Even if Anzhou is full of experts and the Imperial Guard is strong and well-equipped, it may not be able to defend the capital."

"The number of people in the Sect of All Beings is there. Hundreds of thousands of them have become martial artists thanks to this technique, and they are no longer just rebels."

"If we send hundreds of thousands of warriors to storm the walls of Anzhou, even the supposedly impregnable capital of the Great Xia Dynasty will be breached sooner or later."

"The only way to stop all this is to behead its leader before the All Beings Cult's army can surround it."

"But someone who possesses this kind of skill and can raise hundreds of thousands of troops in such a short time must be difficult to kill."

"If we need to mobilize local troops to protect the capital, too few troops will be useless, and too many troops will take time to mobilize. Moreover, the local garrisons also have their own defenses."

"Furthermore, the Sect of All Beings may not give the Great Xia much time. News will surely come from Anzhou within the next few days."

Su Mingyue listened without saying a word.

She picked up the teacup, used the lid to skim off the foam, and took a sip.

The flower hall was quiet for a while, with only the occasional chirping of birds coming from outside the window.

Su Mingyue put down her teacup, looked up at Zhou Ming, her gaze as calm as a deep pool, and asked a question that sent chills down Zhou Ming's spine.

"If the Great Xia Dynasty falls, what do you think should happen to the Marquis's mansion?"

This question made the hairs on the back of Zhou Ming's neck stand on end.

You, a young lady from a noble family awaiting marriage, first asked me about the state of the world, and then about the future of the noble family.

Shouldn't this be something your father, Marquis Yongning, or your elder brother, Su Mingli, should be considering?

Why are you thinking about these things, Miss?

He suddenly remembered that some time ago, at the martial arts arena, he had told Su Mingyue the story of the empress's ascension to the throne.

When she talked about the coronation ceremony, the young lady's eyes burned with a light that seemed to be on fire.

This girl might be thinking...

Zhou Ming quickly suppressed the thought, not daring to think about it any further.

He lowered his head and remained silent for a long while, then raised his head, gritted his teeth, and spoke.

"In my humble opinion, if the capital is besieged, His Majesty will surely summon the Marquis back to the capital to rescue him."

"Although Youzhou is far from the capital, the troops under your command are all elite border troops, capable of fighting tough battles."

"Perhaps the Marquis has already received the message to come to the emperor's aid and is on his way."

He paused, his voice unconsciously lowering a few decibels:

"Once the Marquis leads his troops south, the Great Yuan will definitely not let this opportunity pass."

"Although there haven't been any major battles on the border in recent years, there have been constant frictions. The Yuan Dynasty, with its wolfish ambitions, has been waiting for this day when the northern border will be vulnerable."

"The Marquis has barely left when the Yuan cavalry will break in."

"Although Youzhou has troops stationed there, without the Marquis to oversee it, it will become a disorganized mess."

"Wait until the Marquis fights with the Zhong Sheng Sect in Anzhou, or until the Marquis leaves Youzhou."

The Yuan Dynasty will surely send troops to invade Youzhou immediately.

"At that time, Youzhou will probably... probably be completely devoured by the Yuan Dynasty, leaving not even bones behind."

After Zhou Ming finished speaking, he shut his mouth, lowered his head and did not say another word.

He had already made it very clear: if everything went in the worst possible direction, the Marquis would lead his troops south to defend the emperor.

Youzhou will inevitably fall into the hands of the Yuan Dynasty. The Hou family and all its members will either betray their country and surrender to the enemy, or face certain death.