Chapter 232 The Money-Obsessed Sect Leader

Chapter 232: The Money-Obsessed Sect Leader

The next shift change was her only chance to escape.

Half an hour later, during the handover, Ji Yuntang seized the chaos caused by the overlapping patrols and slipped unnoticed out of the Blood Rain Sect.

When Blood Flower awoke, her face burned with searing pain—as if scalded, as if swollen from repeated slaps.

She snatched up a mirror and stared at her reflection: her cheeks were crimson and puffed, her pupils contracting involuntarily.

Her fingertips brushed her cheek—and Blood Flower let out a cold, disdainful snort.

“Heh. How amusing.”

Someone within the Blood Rain Sect had actually dared strike *her*—the sect leader!

Then she recalled last night’s insolent brat who’d drugged her. A contemptuous smile curled her crimson lips—but a flicker of excitement danced in her eyes.

How long had it been since she’d encountered a subordinate with such audacity? Everyone else in the sect trembled at the mere whisper of her name.

“Little brat—you’d better pray you never fall into my hands… or you’ll regret it.”

Before she could finish, a subordinate rushed in to report.

“Sect Leader—disaster! The treasury has been robbed!”

Blood Flower jolted upright, instinctively reaching for her waist—only to find her keys and token gone.

Rage surged through her like wildfire. She roared, “Damn little brat—you’d better pray I never get my hands on you!”

Slapping her face? One thing. But stealing her money pouch? Unforgivable!

Heaven knew how much she loved money—it was her lifeline. No—more vital than her very lifeblood.

Blood Flower dressed quickly, then paused before the mirror. After a moment’s thought, she retrieved a veil and draped it over her face before stepping out.

“How much silver was stolen?”

The terrified subordinate stammered endlessly before finally managing a full sentence.

“R-reporting to the Sect Leader—it’s all… it’s all gone.”

Blood Flower exploded in fury and kicked him square in the chest.

“What did you say?! Say it again!!”

She couldn’t believe her ears—how could *all* the silver in her treasury possibly vanish?

The subordinate flew several meters, spat blood—but ignoring his injuries, he scrambled back to his knees and explained.

“Sect Leader—it’s true! Every ounce of silver is gone—even the chests themselves have vanished.”

“Even the night pearls embedded in the walls—impossible to pry loose—have been gouged out.”

Blood Flower erupted. “Are you all idiots?! With so many patrols, how could the treasury be robbed?!”

“What use am I—your master—to a pack of useless fools?! This is infuriating—damn it!”

The subordinate froze in terror when she referred to herself as *Yé*—Master—his gaze locked on her breathtaking face.

Only then did Blood Flower realize her slip. Her expression turned glacial. “Get out—now!”

The subordinate bowed and scrambled away on all fours.

Blood Flower stormed into the treasury—and found it utterly empty—not even a rat would linger there in disappointment.

In blind fury, she punched a pillar—and shattered a gaping hole straight through it.

Eighty chests!

A full eighty chests—overflowing with gold, silver, and jewels!

She’d planned to lounge here idly, coasting through life until her final breath!

And in one night—it was all gone!

She had no idea how it was done—but she was certain the culprit was that insolent brat who’d slapped her last night.

“Little brat—we’ve got scores to settle!” Blood Flower ground her teeth, trembling with rage.

Just then, another voice burst in.

“Sect Leader—catastrophe!”

“Get lost! What could possibly be worse than losing eighty chests of gold and jewels and ruining my mood?!”

The subordinate blurted frantically, “Our scouts spotted imperial soldiers storming the mountain—heading straight for the Blood Rain Sect!”

*Boom!* Her head felt like it would detonate. First, she’d been beaten black-and-blue; then her treasury had been emptied completely; now imperial troops were assaulting the sect.

Three disasters—striking all at once. Was someone trying to kill her?

“If I’d known this damned Blood Rain Sect would bring me nothing but trouble—I’d never have taken it over! Not a single benefit—and all the wealth I’d slaved to accumulate—gone!”

Blood Flower muttered irritably under her breath. The subordinate, standing far off and failing to catch her words, asked again.

“Huh? What did you say, Sect Leader?”

“Nothing. Tell the brothers to arm themselves—prepare for battle.”

“These imperial bastards mean business. Today—it’s them or us. We’ll slaughter every last one.”

As she spoke, something flickered in her memory—and a shadow of gloom darkened her eyes, sharpening her aura with vicious intensity.

But her subordinate, oblivious, immediately turned to issue orders.

This wasn’t their first clash with imperial soldiers.

On the contrary—they’d fought them so often it was impossible to count.

They already had a well-oiled system for repelling such assaults.

When Luo Jingshen led five thousand troops up the mountain, brimming with confidence, he spent the entire ascent scheming how to massacre the Blood Rain Sect members upon meeting them.

The force he commanded today—the elite Xuan-class cavalry—was Dongchen Kingdom’s most formidable mounted unit, second only to Luo Junhe’s Longyue Army.

The battle-hardened soldiers, tempered through countless battles, exuded a fierce and unyielding aura. When facing the motley crew of assassins from the Blood Rain Sect, wouldn't they wipe them out completely?

It was exactly this mindset that kept Luo Jingshen from keeping a low profile on the road. He ignored the deputy general's advice to take a detour, hide their trail, and wait until dark to go up the mountain.

The mountain paths were treacherous, crawling with snakes, bugs, and mosquitoes. Fortunately, soldiers cleared the way ahead, so Luo Jingshen's journey went pretty smoothly.

But what Deputy General Pei Yuanfeng said next instantly ruined Luo Jingshen's good mood.

"Crown Prince, the Blood Rain Sect's headquarters is just a kilometer ahead. The enemy holds the higher ground—they are in the dark while we are exposed. We cannot advance any further. We must devise a battle plan to capture them all."

Luo Jingshen's eyes darkened as he stared coldly at him.

"Deputy General Pei, are you teaching me how to act?"

"The Blood Rain Sect has less than five hundred men. From last night's casualties, it's clear they are merely mediocre martial artists. How could they possibly compare to our battle-tested Xuanzi Army soldiers?"

"They have already spotted us. If we don't attack now while we're going up and capture them all, what if they all flee in fear? Then wouldn't this whole trip have been for nothing?"

Pei Yuanfeng was speechless.

He wanted to ask Luo Jingshen what mattered more—the lives of five thousand soldiers or him coming all this way, but before the words could leave his mouth, he saw Luo Jingshen already leading the men forward.

Pei Yuanfeng felt helpless. With the battlefield instincts of a seasoned commander, he knew this expedition would not be easy.

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