Chapter 1037: Turbulence in the Capital

The meeting place for Meiying and the others was always Bai Xiaosheng’s residence!
Over the past half month, Bai Xiaosheng and Meiying had little sleep—Bai was worried that Meng Yun might dispatch a large number of experts to the south at any time to undermine the foundation of Xifeng Tower; Meiying feared that being offline for too long might push the already precarious situation of Xifeng Tower into an even more vulnerable and dangerous state.
On the other hand, Yidi rarely appeared at Bai Xiaosheng’s residence.
Yidi was the only top-tier warrior that Yipin Tang could neither restrict nor confront head-on—taking him seriously would inflict unbearable losses on Yipin Tang.
Unable to counter Yipin Tang for now, Meiying and Bai Xiaosheng could only rely on Yidi to maintain the faltering morale of Xifeng Tower’s disciples in the north and preserve the last vestiges of dignity for the Iron Triangle Alliance.
“Half a month has passed!”
“From now on, the Evil Emperor could appear anywhere in the Central Plains at any time.”
Bai Xiaosheng’s tone was grave.
“Huh…”
Meiying, who had been terrified of the Evil Emperor’s arrival, inexplicably felt relieved upon hearing this news and said with a sense of relief, “It’s almost that day.”
“Lord Meiying, you’ve worked hard these past days.”
Bai Xiaosheng gave Meiying a thoughtful look.
“However, the time ahead might be even harder. With the Evil Emperor and Yipin Tang allied, our danger will be at its greatest—at least until the heroes of the Central Plains witness it with their own eyes.”
“I know,” Meiying said, twisting his lips bitterly as he sighed. “In the first few hours after the Evil Emperor arrives, we might not even be able to protect Xifeng Tower’s headquarters in the capital… Actually, ten days ago, I already prepared for the worst. But I believe the martial world of the Central Plains won’t disappoint me.”
“Good,” Bai Xiaosheng said solemnly. “Although Meng Yun is skilled at deceiving others, once the Evil Emperor appears, no one will be able to doubt the fact that Yipin Tang has colluded with the Wild Wolves to turn against the martial world of the Central Plains! By then, even if Meng Yun controls all the lands north of the Yangtze River, we will eventually find a chance to fight back.”
Though he spoke lightly, both knew how brutal things would be here and in the time to come.
They had already considered the worst possibilities and made plans for them!
This strategy was called “risking death to seek survival.”
Of course!
The Iron Triangle Alliance wasn’t completely without hope.
After all, they had three major advantages.

First is the Xifeng Tower, once the most powerful gang in the Central Plains with over a million members. Although many have left recently, those who remain are even more determined, and their united strength is still terrifying!
Second is Bai Xiaosheng!
Though he doesn’t possess remarkable strength himself, Bai Xiaosheng has risen above the martial world over these past five years. By using his all-knowing Tianji Inkstone, he has forged many good relationships. Many gangs and martial arts masters from both the north and south revere him greatly.
Now that the Xifeng Tower is in danger and Yipin Hall has risen powerfully, showing its dominance over the entire northern region, these people lack a reason to help Bai Xiaosheng.
Merely suspicion without solid evidence and the Xifeng Tower’s plight are far from enough to make this force risk everything to side with Bai Xiaosheng.
Yet Bai Xiaosheng has still contacted many gang forces during this time and received a promise from them—once conclusive evidence of collusion between Yipin Hall and the Evil Emperor is found, they hope to rush to his aid as quickly as possible for the future of the martial world in the Central Plains.
The martial world of the Central Plains! Justice!
This alone is enough to move everyone.
The One Emperor is a crucial asset in the tripartite alliance against the Evil Emperor. He has emerged now because he has mastered the twelfth move of the Thirteen Deadly Swords, making his strength much greater than it was a year ago. If there is anyone in the Central Plains recognized as capable of restraining and threatening the Evil Emperor, it is the One Emperor.
The three of them are now waiting for an opportunity—waiting for the most dangerous moment to arrive, while also waiting to seize that moment!
If they can seize it, predict the Evil Emperor’s arrival in advance, confirm his collusion with Yipin Hall, and take action, then with the combined strength of the heroes of the Central Plains, there is still some hope of shattering Meng Yun and the Evil Emperor’s ambitions and saving the Xifeng Tower.
But if they fail to do so, things will take the worst turn!
They will lose their headquarters, the capital city, and the entire north! Then, under the most dire circumstances, they will have to fight fiercely in the south against the Wild Wolves led by the Evil Emperor, as well as Yipin Hall and its allied forces.
“…Master.”
Just as Bai Xiaosheng and Meiying were on high alert, Fengling suddenly walked in quickly from outside, drawing their attention.
“Any discoveries?”
“Yes. My junior brother, who is monitoring Yipin Hall’s elders’ council, just noticed several people gathering at Yipin Hall’s headquarters.” Fengling’s voice was very clear.
“The Evil Emperor is about to enter the Central Plains. Perhaps Meng Yun wants to leave some instructions in advance.”

That being said, Bai Xiaosheng was still very sensitive. He took out the Tianji Inkstone and, under the watchful eyes of Meiying and Fengling, placed it on the table before sweeping it gently. The Tianji Inkstone’s ability to predict using the I Ching was fast—in an instant, Bai Xiaosheng saw through everything and recorded the current locations of all the senior experts from Yipin Hall in it.
“Hm?”
Soon, Bai Xiaosheng frowned deeply. “The situation isn’t good. Yipin Hall has issued a mass mobilization order!”
“…”
Both Fengling and Meiying’s expressions changed instantly.
Bai Xiaosheng quickly entered the names of another group of people into the Tianji Inkstone. Then, taking a deep breath, he declared loudly, “Apart from the elders of Yipin Hall and the Elders’ Hall of the Blood Alliance, more than a dozen top experts from various gangs in the capital are rapidly approaching Xifeng Tower! Even some ordinary experts are gathering at full speed…”
Whoosh!
“They’ve started! Mengyun has taken action!”
Before Bai Xiaosheng could finish his predictions, Meiying couldn’t hold back any longer. She stood up abruptly and sent a message to her trusted subordinate without hesitation. At the same time, Fengling’s expression became extremely serious. Not daring to delay, she sent a message to the Emperor, saying, “The Emperor is still outside the city. It will take about an hour for him to reach the capital. I’ll inform him to hurry back right away.”
Meiying, after sending the message, could hardly wait to leave Bai Xiaosheng’s residence!
“If Yipin Hall is attacking my main headquarters now, could it be that the Evil Emperor has already arrived in the Central Plains? Is Mengyun planning to strike at Xifeng Tower ahead of time?”
“…” Bai Xiaosheng didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he frowned deeply and said, “It’s also possible that the Evil Emperor has appeared in the Central Plains earlier than expected!”
“That’s impossible!” Meiying denied it outright.
“Nothing is impossible,” Bai Xiaosheng said calmly, stroking the Tianji Inkstone on the table. “Since three years ago, with the continuous improvement of shipping routes and rising status, the speed of crossing the ocean has also increased. It went from one month to half a month at first, and now it’s not unusual for it to take just one or two days.”
“So, it’s possible the Evil Emperor has already entered the Central Plains!”
Meiying’s expression grew even darker. She had calculated that these next few days would be a critical moment for the survival of Xifeng Tower, but she never expected it to come so quickly and suddenly!
“It’s not possible—it’s already in the capital,” Bai Xiaosheng said with a wry smile after checking the information on the Tianji Inkstone.
“Already in the capital?”

“Yes, we’re already outside the main hall of Xifeng Tower. If you go back now, you might still have time to arrange your troops…” Before Bai Xiaosheng could finish speaking, the Shadow Man had already disappeared from the pavilion.
“Tell Emperor Yi about the Evil Emperor!”
“Understood!”
With a serious expression, Wind Bell immediately sent out a second messenger pigeon.
…
“The Evil Emperor!”
Outside the capital city, Emperor Yi, riding fast on the main road, grew extremely solemn. He had thought the Evil Emperor would take at least a day to reach the Central Plains. He had even planned to destroy another branch of Yipin Hall to weaken its forces before returning to the capital to await the Evil Emperor’s arrival. But the Evil Emperor was moving faster than he expected. He knew well that without him, no one in Xifeng Tower could stop the Evil Emperor. Already in a weak position, if Xifeng Tower couldn’t hold off the Evil Emperor and Yipin Hall’s forces outside the main hall, it would be doomed to destruction, regardless of whether he arrived in time or not.
“I really shouldn’t have stayed too long.”
“This is bad.”
“I hope he can buy us some time…”
Muttering to himself, Emperor Yi frantically whipped his horse, pushing its speed to the limit.
…
At the same time, Bai Xiaosheng quickly sent messages via messenger pigeons to several powerful figures in the capital who were willing to believe in him—these four gangs were not under Mengyun’s control.
“The Evil Emperor…”
After receiving Bai Xiaosheng’s message, one of the gang leaders’ expressions turned grave. He studied Bai Xiaosheng’s handwriting and the shocking name on it repeatedly, taking several deep breaths before finally sighing helplessly:
“Bai Xiaosheng, it’s not that I don’t want to help you…”
“Yipin Hall now dominates the capital with overwhelming power. Even if I agreed to help Xifeng Tower, it would only mean sacrificing myself and my thirty thousand brothers from Qianshou Gate. Unless Xifeng Tower shows enough strength to rival Yipin Hall…” As he spoke, he silently crumpled the note in his hand into dust.
“Someone!”
“Leader!”
“Convene all our brothers online and bring them back to the capital immediately!”
“Ah!”
“Don’t stand there! Execute the order! Tell them that today might be the day of survival for Qianshou Gate! Everyone must return to the main hall right away. Those who don’t return within ten minutes will be expelled!”
The strict orders from the leader of Qianshou Gate made his subordinates tremble with fear.
“Yes!”

The four major gangs simultaneously called back their members to the main headquarters, tightening their ranks, and none of them rushed to assist Xifeng Tower for the time being;
……
The situation outside the capital was completely different.
Upon receiving news from Bai Xiaosheng, many gang leaders quickly got in touch with each other, and groups of troops began to assemble rapidly under the cover of dusk.
However,
these troops were too far from the capital. Given their speed of assembly and movement, it would take at least two hours before they could reach the capital!
By then……
The troops from Yipin Tang, Xue Meng, and the twelve major gangs in the capital had already created a state of panic, with hundreds of thousands of troops gathering outside Xifeng Tower’s main headquarters.