Southern Song Dynasty Imperial Palace.
Zhao Gou stared at the floating ranking list in the sky, a flicker of excitement and eagerness flashing through his eyes.
"Qin Hui, don't you think bringing Huang Rong into the imperial harem would be the best outcome?"
"Her background may be humble, but at least she's a Great Grandmaster."
"She might not be fit to be an Empress, but a consort could be acceptable."
"Don't you agree?"
Qin Hui was startled.
Absolutely not!
If the emperor managed to win over a Great Grandmaster ranked in the top ten of the Hidden Dragon Ranking, it would severely threaten his own power.
Moreover, deep down, Qin Hui also harbored desires for Huang Rong.
"Your Majesty, this must not be done. If this woman bears ill intent and plots against you, the consequences would be catastrophic."
"Furthermore, she comes from the martial world, wild and unruly. If she can't be controlled, she could endanger the royal family."
"This must be guarded against!"
Qin Hui inwardly scoffed.
With a foolish ruler like this, how could he deserve a Great Grandmaster as a consort?
Only someone like himself, the great minister of the Song dynasty, would be truly worthy.
"No, no, I must have this woman. Even if she has malicious intent, I have ways to subdue her."
"She's a Late Great Grandmaster, and behind her are several other powerful Great Grandmasters."
"If such a powerful force cannot be brought under control, I will never rest easy."
"Qin Hui, you must come up with a way to resolve this."
Zhao Gou was not as clueless as he appeared.
Huang Rong's value was obvious.
She ranked ninth on the Hidden Dragon Ranking and could one day ascend to the Land Immortal realm.
If that happened, would the Song dynasty not rise again?
Qin Hui respectfully complied, though he sneered inwardly.
This foolish emperor was truly delusional.
==========
Northern Song Dynasty Imperial Palace.
"Minister, I recall you created a martial art called the Nine Yin True Scripture?"
"Your Majesty, I developed that scripture a hundred years ago."
"Then how did this Huang Rong of the Southern Song Dynasty learn it? And wasn't the thirty-ranked Guo Jing also a practitioner? Are they your disciples?"
Emperor Zhao Ji looked at Huang Shang with curiosity.
It was not that he distrusted Huang Shang, he was simply intrigued.
He had little interest in the messy affairs of the martial world.
Moreover, Huang Shang was head of the Imperial City Division, in charge of Northern Song Dynasty intelligence.
The emperor's trust in him far exceeded that of any court official.
"Your Majesty, they are not my disciples. They came across the Nine Yin True Scripture by chance."
"During my travels in the Southern Song Dynasty years ago, I was aided by someone. I gave him the scripture before I left."
"Much of the recent chaos in the Southern Song Dynasty martial world may have originated from that."
Huang Shang did not care much about the Nine Yin True Scripture anymore.
Before reaching the Land Immortal realm, the manual could be helpful.
But once one entered that level, they had to forge their own martial path.
The Nine Yin True Scripture could only serve as a reference.
In fact, the real reason Huang Rong had reached the Late Great Grandmaster was because of her practice of the Military Martial Scripture.
"Minister, since you share some connection with this woman, can we recruit her?"
Though Zhao Ji had no love for martial affairs, even he recognized the value of a Great Grandmaster.
"By the way, I hear she's quite beautiful. I wouldn't mind her humble origins. What if we brought her into the imperial harem?"
Truly, it seemed all Song emperors thought alike. Zhao Ji's thinking mirrored Zhao Gou's.
Huang Shang was startled by the suggestion.
The emperor was daring indeed.
Even if Zhao Ji agreed, he himself wouldn't dare.
Who knew if Huang Rong harbored malicious intentions?
If she ever sought to harm the emperor, he wouldn't be able to stop her in time.
At that point, he would be held responsible for endangering the dynasty.
"Your Majesty, I will investigate the origins of her martial arts."
"Until that is clear, I cannot guarantee her intentions."
"Let alone recommend her for the harem."
Huang Shang answered firmly.
He was even preemptively putting up defenses.
Zhao Ji's eyes sparkled.
Perhaps she could be a useful pawn.
If he could fully conquer this beauty, wouldn't that mean he also gained control of her power?
==========
Southern Song Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty Border.
A Mongol patrol rode along the main road.
"Master, look! Isn't that Huang Rong of the Southern Song Dynasty?" Prince Huo Du exclaimed, pointing excitedly at a young woman in yellow riding a donkey.
He quickly turned to the Dharma King Jin Lun beside him.
"Oh? Huang Rong? Is she famous?"
"Master, she's the daughter of Eastern Evil Huang Yaoshi, one of the Five Greats of the Southern Song Dynasty. She's incredibly intelligent and his most beloved child."
"If we capture her and present her to the Great Khan and the National Master Phagpa, we'll be richly rewarded."
"With Huang Rong as our pawn, we could set the perfect trap to bring down the entire Southern Song Dynasty martial world."
"The benefits to the Yuan Dynasty would be beyond measure."
A glint of cunning flashed through Huo Du's eyes as he spoke, growing more excited with each word.
"Hahaha, excellent. If this works, I'll credit you with a great merit!"
"Come, let's capture her!"
==========
"Who are you people? Mongols?" Huang Rong's expression darkened as she watched the Mongol troops surround her.
Their intentions were obvious.
"Hahaha, Miss Huang, why are you alone? Where is Guo Jing?"
"Oh, that's right. I remember now, he's guarding Xiangyang as a general and even married the daughter of the city lord. He has completely abandoned you."
"Alas, I truly feel sorry for you."
"To think Guo Jing would turn out to be such a selfish, fame-seeking scoundrel."
"Don't forget, he was only able to become Hong Qigong's disciple and learn such powerful martial arts because of your help."
"Poor Miss Huang. You gave everything for someone else's benefit. What a shame. How pitiful. How tragic."
Huo Du's disgusting behavior made Huang Rong frown.
Where did this fool come from?
All he did was spout nonsense.
What did she have to be pitied for?
Besides, this man looked like nothing good. Shifty-eyed, clearly a deceitful villain.
"Step aside," Huang Rong said coldly.
"Huo Du, enough talking. Grab her quickly before anything changes."
"Yes, Master. Attack!"
Just as Huo Du rushed forward…
The ranking list in the sky suddenly refreshed.
When they saw Huang Rong's name appear on the list, Huo Du's body involuntarily trembled.
A look of shock and horror spread across his face.
He stared at Huang Rong in disbelief.
Almost instinctively, his body shot backward.
He flew through the air, trying to get as far away from her as possible.
Cold sweat covered him from head to toe.