Chapter 42: Internal Troubles and External Threats (Part 1)

Not long after, the robust and broad-shouldered Lei Erniang strode into the Xiaoyao Hall, where she bowed to Meng Xiaoli.

Meng Xiaoli asked, "Lei Erniang, you claim to have witnessed this with your own eyes. Do you know where Fannu transported the treasury silver?"

Scratching her face in thought, Lei Erniang replied, "Reporting to the Cult Leader, this disciple truly does not know. I was merely passing by and saw Fannu having people transport something. Fearing discovery and not daring to look too closely, I hurried back to my room to sleep."

Wiping away a tear, Fannu raised her voice in anger, "Lei Erniang, you are simply talking nonsense! You can lie without even batting an eye. In my opinion, when you built the cemetery, you must have falsified the figures, embezzled the silver, and kept it for yourself."

Unfazed, Lei Erniang crossed her arms and replied casually, "Everything requires evidence. Without proof, aren't you just spouting nonsense?"

Listening to the bickering back and forth, Meng Xiaoli roughly grasped the crux of the issue. She turned to the strategist Ji Hongluan standing nearby and commanded, "In that case, you go and check the accounts. That will reveal who is stirring up trouble behind the scenes."

Ji Hongluan cupped her fists and bowed, "Yes, Cult Leader." She then turned and led Fannu and the others toward the treasury.

Hearing that the accounts were to be audited, Lei Erniang panicked inwardly. Her eyes darted around, and she turned to leave the Xiaoyao Hall. Spotting the anomaly, Gu Youyou blocked her path and questioned her, "Wait, Lei Erniang! The matter hasn't been sorted out yet. Since they've gone to check the accounts, we should just stay here and wait for the news. Where do you think you're going?"

Feigning calm, Lei Erniang pushed Gu Youyou's hand aside and said, "I'm going to supervise them. What if they collude to frame me? That simply won't do."

With a gaze as sharp as a blade, Meng Xiaoli sat high upon the hall and ordered, "Let her go. A face-to-face confrontation will make things clearer."

Thus, Gu Youyou took some people and followed closely behind Lei Erniang toward the treasury.

Meanwhile, Strategist Ji Hongluan brought Fannu to the treasury to examine the income and expenditure records in the account books. After searching for half a day, she found no abnormalities. Ji Hongluan asked Fannu, "There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with these accounts."

Fannu replied, "It's just that the silver stored in the treasury is hundreds of taels short, which doesn't match the figures in my ledger."

Ji Hongluan asked, "Do your account books match the in-and-out records of the treasury?"

Fannu answered resolutely, "I've checked them. They all match perfectly with no discrepancies."

Ji Hongluan clicked her tongue in puzzlement, looked at Fannu incredulously, and wondered aloud, "Since everything matches, why didn't you detain the treasury guards to question them first? Why go to the trouble of running around yourself?"

The several treasury guards all lowered their heads in silence, not daring to meet Ji Hongluan's gaze.

For a moment, Fannu was left speechless. Because Fannu managed the accounts and her personal assistants—including the treasury guards—were all fellow former female slaves and accomplices, she could not believe they would engage in embezzlement, and she was even more afraid of implicating them. Therefore, she had bypassed the obvious and gone out to investigate secretly on her own.

Guiltily, Fannu mumbled, "Forgive me, Strategist. I never had much schooling, let alone managed such massive financial accounts. I didn't know how to handle it at first and almost ruined a major matter."

Hearing this, Strategist Ji shot Fannu a look of helpless anger. She then summoned all relevant personnel within the treasury, ordered guards to secure the storage rooms and forbid anyone from entering or leaving, and began a closed-door interrogation.

***

Gu Youyou and Lei Erniang waited in the courtyard for half a day, knowing that an audit could not possibly yield results immediately. Finding an excuse, Lei Erniang left the mountain, and Gu Youyou had no choice but to disband the waiting group for the time being.

In the evening, Meng Xiaoli was practicing her internal energy in her room when she heard a soft knock on the door. Opening her eyes, she said, "Come in."

Strategist Ji Hongluan and Fannu stepped lightly into the room. Holding the account book, Ji Hongluan reported, "Cult Leader, the theft of the treasury silver has been cleared up. Lei Erniang forged a token for withdrawing silver and, under the pretext of renovating the pavilions and the cemetery, secretly went to the treasury to fraudulently claim the funds. Furthermore, she bribed a maid guarding the treasury to smuggle the silver out and off the island, resulting in a loss of several hundred taels from the treasury."

Without a word of hesitation, Meng Xiaoli commanded, "Go and capture Lei Erniang for me immediately."

Just as her voice fell, a female disciple rushed in to report, "Cult Leader, Lei Erniang has fled Happy Mountain with a gang of people!"

Hearing this, Meng Xiaoli said angrily, "Fled? It seems she planned this long ago. Knowing the defenses of Happy Mountain are weak, she intends to take advantage of the dark night and board a boat from the west."

With that, she leaped down from the bed and ordered, "Notify the female disciples of Happy Mountain to strictly inspect the vicinity for any vessels. Not a single one is allowed to set out to sea!"

She rushed out of the Hall of Illusions, muttering to herself, "As long as they are still on this island, they needn't dream of leaving alive."

Employing her lightness kung fu, Meng Xiaoli flew down Xiaoyao Mountain and ran without stopping toward Happy Mountain. Guided by a disciple, she learned that Lei Erniang was currently fighting someone at the coastal foot of the mountain and attempting to board a boat to escape the island.

Meng Xiaoli flipped through the air in pursuit. Upon reaching the coast, she saw the actress Li Yaorao locked in fierce combat with Lei Erniang and her gang. Armed with an iron hammer, Lei Erniang was trading blows evenly with Li Yaorao. When Li Yaorao moved a fraction too slowly, Lei Erniang struck her upper back with the hammer, sending Li Yaorao crashing to the ground where she spat a mouthful of blood. Lei Erniang then vaulted onto a small boat by the shore, preparing to row away.

With a light leap, Meng Xiaoli drifted gracefully down onto Lei Erniang's boat. Unaware, Lei Erniang continued to row furiously with the oars. When she turned her head to rally her accomplices, she suddenly saw Meng Xiaoli—clad in red and hair as dark as night, appearing like a ghost behind her in the dead of night. Startled, Lei Erniang loosened her grip, letting the oar slip, and reached for the iron hammer at her waist.

Before Lei Erniang could draw her hammer, Meng Xiaoli swung her palm first. The blow, reinforced by her golden-scaled blood armor, instantly carved three bloody grooves across Lei Erniang's fleshy cheek. Built solidly with sturdy arms and a veteran of banditry for years, Lei Erniang had brought her own martial arts into the Crimson Cult. Though she took the full force of Meng Xiaoli's strike, she merely staggered heavily without tumbling into the sea.

Instantly, she raised her iron hammer to strike Meng Xiaoli. With a spin, Meng Xiaoli kicked the hammer aside, smoothly reached out, grabbed Lei Erniang by the collar, and leaped toward the shore. Losing her balance, Lei Erniang was hauled flying off the boat and slammed heavily onto the ground.

The dozen or so accomplices accompanying Lei Erniang lost their nerve the moment they saw Meng Xiaoli. Meng Xiaoli shouted loudly, "The chief instigators will be severely punished, but accomplices will be spared! Those who know what's good for you, drop your weapons!"

Seeing this, the dozen or so people froze in their tracks.

Knowing that Meng Xiaoli would never spare her, Lei Erniang scrambled back up and charged forward with her iron hammer. With a simple bend of her waist, Meng Xiaoli easily dodged the blow and delivered a chopping strike directly to Lei Erniang's elbow. With a sharp *crack*, Lei Erniang's right arm, which held the hammer aloft, suddenly went limp. Meng Xiaoli followed up with a kick to her back. Before Lei Erniang could even look at her broken right arm, she pitched forward onto the ground. Still refusing to submit, she flipped over and swung her left-hand hammer at Meng Xiaoli.

Reaching out, Meng Xiaoli grabbed the incoming hammer directly, channeling her internal energy to brace her strength. The heavy hammer felt as though it had been delivered right into her palm. Seizing it, Meng Xiaoli unleashed a kick that sent Lei Erniang flying. Dropping the hammer, Lei Erniang performed a backward somersault that nearly cast her into the sea. She spewed another mouthful of blood and could no longer pick herself up.

Seeing Meng Xiaoli leap toward her, Lei Erniang watched as her adversary swooped down, extending a claw-like hand to grip her throat. Though slender in build, Meng Xiaoli hoisted the bulky Lei Erniang entirely off the ground. Glaring furiously, Meng Xiaoli demanded, "Why did you betray me?"

Choked and struggling, Lei Erniang forced words out from her throat: "I didn't want to betray you... I just wanted to make some money! We built the pavilions, the fortresses, the cemetery—we put in the most effort, so we deserved more silver. How can anyone be willing to work hard when the pay is so meager?"

Meng Xiaoli tightened her grip. Lei Erniang's voice faded away, and with a final roll of her eyes, she perished. Fearing she might not be completely dead, Meng Xiaoli snapped her neck for good measure and tossed the corpse into the sea to feed the fish.

Turning around, Meng Xiaoli cast a fierce, blazing gaze upon Lei Erniang's dozen-odd accomplices. Those disciples of bandit background—including two or three former female slaves who had defected to Lei Erniang's side—all trembled and lowered their heads, not daring to speak.

Meng Xiaoli called out in a clear voice, "Is there anyone else who wants to end up like her? Step forward right now."

Glancing at one another, the group dropped to their knees in unison and wept, "Cult Leader! We were only bewitched by Lei Erniang; we never meant to betray the Cult Leader. We only came out to earn some silver and didn't want to throw our lives away for the likes of Lei Erniang! We beg the Cult Leader to be magnanimous and forgive us. From this day forward, we will be utterly loyal and never harbor stray thoughts again."

Looking down at the group, Meng Xiaoli rebuked, "You and Lei Erniang were the former owners of Isolated Island. I usurped your island and overthrew your leaders; you must hate me to the core. Since you lacked the strength to kill me, you turned to embezzling my wealth. Relying on your familiarity with Isolated Island, you secretly built boats and hid them in Happy Mountain, plotting this for a long time. And you still claim you harbored no secondary motives?"

The female bandits hurriedly pleaded for mercy, "Cult Leader, we truly do not hate you! It was simply our greed for wealth. Our old master was tyrannical and stingy; it is only by following you that we have been reborn. Lei Erniang was full of ambition, and we were truly led astray by her. From now on, we will behave honestly and remain utterly loyal to you, Cult Leader!"

Knowing full well in her heart that these people—along with the female bandits from the other hills who had submitted to her—lacked any true faith and were merely surviving for the sake of survival and vast riches, how could there be any real loyalty to speak of?

Meng Xiaoli asked, "Considering you have been somewhat frank, I will give you one chance. Where is the smuggled silver hidden?"

A stout woman among the female bandits answered, "Reporting to the Cult Leader, although Lei Erniang joined the Cult Leader's ranks, her heart was never with the Crimson Cult. Behind the scenes, she maintained contact with the bandit remnants you once let go. She transported all the stolen treasury silver off the island and handed it over to the remnant faction of the old Isolated Island leaders. Cult Leader, everything this disciple says is the absolute truth, with no deception. I beg the Cult Leader to spare this dog's life."

Nodding in acknowledgment, Meng Xiaoli commanded, "Very well. Within three days, you will return every single tael of the stolen silver without a single coin missing, and I will spare your lives. Otherwise, you will end up just like Lei Erniang—not a single one of you will leave this place alive."

Overwhelmed with gratitude, the female bandits kowtowed repeatedly and chanted, "Thank you, Cult Leader, for not killing us! Thank you, Cult Leader, for not killing us..."

Turning her gaze to the injured actress Li Yaorao nearby, Meng Xiaoli asked, "You arrived rather quickly."

Cupping her fists, Li Yaorao bowed and replied, "Reporting to the Cult Leader, when this disciple heard about the audit, I sensed that Lei Erniang looked suspicious, so I kept an eye on her. Sure enough, she harbored ill intentions and tried to slip away the moment things came to light. I had prepared in advance and managed to catch her red-handed."

Pleased, Meng Xiaoli said, "In that case, these dozen-odd people are assigned to you as well. You must discipline them properly. From now on, you will take over Lei Erniang's responsibilities, recover the lost treasury silver, and complete the renovation of Isolated Island."

Bowing in gratitude, Li Yaorao said, "Thank you for your trust, Cult Leader. This disciple will not fail your expectations."

Meng Xiaoli ordered the dozen female bandits to be taken away, then spoke in a low voice to Li Yaorao: "Keep a tight leash on these individuals to prevent them from staging a fake surrender and escaping. Then, find out who they were conspiring with on the outside, and make sure to uproot the danger completely."

Li Yaorao cupped her fists and answered, "Understood, disciple."

Returning to the Hall of Illusions, a weary Meng Xiaoli tossed and turned on her bed, troubled in mind. A new problem had arisen within the Crimson Cult: the unequal distribution of spoils! Previously, distributions were based strictly on headcount, which overlooked the reality that capable workers labored hard while the inept remained idle. Meng Xiaoli turned over and over, pondering how on earth to give everyone peace of mind.