As I settled my breath, I noticed nothing amiss, but after stepping down from the couch, mere moments later, my Dantian was overwhelmed by Yuan E’su’s aura—a bone-chilling coldness that brought agonizing pain.
The Purple Elixir stopped spinning; the energy was frozen solid.
Li Muzhan cursed inwardly at the potency of the poison! But where did it come from?!
His senses were exceptionally sharp, and he felt a spiritual warning. They had certainly not been poisoned when they attended the banquet; otherwise, he would have sensed it and alerted Mei Ruolan and the others.
He shook his head, purging the thought from his mind. Now was not the time for such contemplation!
Li Tianhao and Li Tianfeng slipped into Mei Ruolan’s room, emerging moments later with faces split by excitement and unconcealed glee.
They separated; one slipped into Xiao Yuan’s room, the other into Gong Qingyun’s. Soon they were carrying the two women out, returning to Mei Ruolan’s room.
Both women were limp and yielding, as if deeply asleep, offering no resistance whatsoever.
A chilling coldness seized Li Muzhan’s heart, killing intent boiling over, his chest a battlefield of ice and fire.
He took a deep, forced breath, compelling himself to stillness. His profound Chan Gong manifested, calming the surging lake of his heart until it was placid and waveless. He turned, sat cross-legged on the couch, and formed a mudra with his hands.
Instantly, a cascade of moonlight descended, piercing the Tianmen (Heaven's Gate) and flowing down the Ren meridian, pouring directly into his Dantian.
The bone-chilling gray energy dissipated as quickly as a stream flowing into the vast ocean. The Purple Elixir began to spin again, drawing in the essence like a leviathan, the solid moonlight flooding in relentlessly.
In moments, the Purple Elixir grew visibly larger, its rotation slowing slightly, shining brilliantly like a polished jewel.
He slowly rose from the couch, cinching a simple cloth belt around his waist. Silently, he opened the small wooden box hidden inside the couch, retrieved all the tiny arrows, and tucked them into the belt.
Lifting the Immaculate Bow (Wugou Gong), he enveloped the window with his Taiyin internal energy, silently pushing it open. He glided into the courtyard, landing without a sound, and positioned himself beneath Mei Ruolan’s window.
The sight that met his eyes instantly turned his expression frigid. On the couch lay three women, stretched out side-by-side, still deeply asleep, their breathing even, their faces exquisitely beautiful.
Li Tianhao and Li Tianfeng stood by the bedside, bending over to unbutton Mei Ruolan’s robe, their backs to the window.
Killing intent surged within him, erupting like shattering magma.
Li Muzhan suppressed the urge to kill them instantly, narrowed his eyes, and slowly raised the Immaculate Bow. Two tiny arrows began to radiate a faint purple glow, which intensified steadily, seeming to materialize beyond the shafts themselves.
Mei Ruolan’s silk robe had countless buttons. The two men worked slowly, unhurriedly, as if savoring the moment. When only the last button remained, they exchanged a glance and chuckled low.
“Heh heh, Big Brother, you take this one!” Li Tianfeng smirked.
Li Tianhao rubbed his hands, his whole body tense, feigning nervousness. His voice was dry, “Alright, I’ll do it then!”
“Pop! Pop!” Like small pebbles dropping into a deep well, two flashes of purple light streaked out, passing through the two men and embedding themselves in the wall behind them.
Their bodies stiffened momentarily, then went slack, as if their bones had been removed. They slumped like discarded mud onto the couch, pressing against the three women, unmoving.
Li Muzhan materialized like a phantom, reaching out to intercept them. Their forward lean turned into a backward fall, slamming them heavily onto the floor where they lay supine, utterly still.
A bloody hole marred the center of each man’s chest, yet a thin trickle of blood still oozed.
The blood spattered onto the three women, but Li Muzhan had no time to spare for them. He spun around, exited the room, and floated silently to the base of the eastern wall. He placed both palms flat against it, motionless.
After a moment, he gave his palms a slight vibration, and two large holes appeared in the wall without a sound.
Following the same technique, he pressed his palms again, vibrated once more, and two more large holes opened. After three sets of movements, a hole the size of a vat appeared in the wall.
He slipped through the opening like a fish, entering the small eastern courtyard.
“Who goes there?” a sharp query cut the air as Elder Ouyang and Elder Zhang emerged from the shadows, swords drawn. Seeing who it was, they exclaimed in surprise, “Zhanran?”
“Shh!” Li Muzhan held a finger to his lips, beckoning them closer with a low voice, “Elders, follow me.”
With that, he turned and leaped through the opening, vanishing silently.
The two elders, realizing the urgency, followed closely, sensing something amiss, their steps remarkably light.
Li Muzhan hugged the base of the wall, moving through the shadows, and returned to Mei Ruolan’s room, the two elders trailing behind.
The elders entered, swords ready. They saw the two bodies on the floor and the three women on the couch. After a closer look, they stared at Li Muzhan in shock.
Li Muzhan lowered his voice. “There are others outside. Speak softly.”
The elders nodded. Elder Ouyang’s face was like ice, and he whispered, “What is going on?”
Li Muzhan murmured back, “They intended harm! I felt uneasy when parting ways tonight, so I decided to stay here temporarily!”
“Thank the heavens! Thank the heavens!” The elders’ faces paled, sweat breaking out on their backs.
Elder Zhang kicked one of the corpses sullenly, muttering hatefully, “These two little thieves deserved to die!”
Elder Ouyang frowned, stroking his beard. “The identities of these two are not trivial; this will bring endless trouble.”
Li Muzhan nodded. “We cannot stay in the Li Residence any longer. Elders, we must take the young mistress and quietly slip away with the rest of the group. Once outside the city, we’ll find a place to hide.”
Saying this, Li Muzhan lifted Mei Ruolan, Elder Ouyang took Xiao Yuan, and Elder Zhang took Gong Qingyun. The three figures melted into the shadows, slipping into the eastern courtyard. Then, Li Muzhan repeated his technique, punching through several walls.
The trio traversed five small courtyards, stopping abruptly before the sixth. Seeing no guards outside, Li Muzhan paused, exchanged a gesture, and turned to leave.
Moments later, he returned carrying two corpses, which he unceremoniously tossed into the main room of that small courtyard.
Then, the three emerged from the mountain complex and headed east.
These elegant quarters were located in the outer section, positioned due east. Their quickest route out of the Li Residence was straight east.
Walking east, the three quickly passed through several more courtyards. Li Muzhan took the lead, releasing his senses, closing his eyes, and concentrating his spirit into an ethereal hand, grasping the faint, swift intuition deep within his soul.
Carrying Mei Ruolan, his eyes shut, he moved with uncanny precision—sometimes darting left, sometimes abruptly turning right, or suddenly stopping to evade something to the side…
His turns were abrupt, his movements sudden and swift; one had to be fully alert to keep up.
Each evasive maneuver barely missed the patrolling guards.
After two such turns, Elder Ouyang and Elder Zhang were utterly convinced, following him silently, watching his every move and mimicking his actions without a word.
Li Muzhan had initially headed east, but after walking for a while, he suddenly veered south without rhyme or reason, then abruptly swung west as if doubling back, only to suddenly turn north, and then east again.
His path twisted and turned, unpredictable and ephemeral. The two elders felt slightly dizzy but offered no objection, following closely behind him with lowered gazes.
In front of a grand, imposing courtyard, Li Muzhan suddenly stopped, knitting his brows.
Elder Ouyang and Elder Zhang hurried over, inquiring with their eyes.
Li Muzhan set Mei Ruolan down and used his hands to signal a few movements.
The elders understood: the grand courtyard had four sections—two on the left, two on the right.
Li Muzhan took out the Immaculate Bow. Wrapped in a purple mist, the bow merged seamlessly with the night. He scaled the wall silently and lay prone atop it.
Moments later, four flashes of purple light flared, followed by four muffled thuds as heavy objects hit the ground. Li Muzhan drifted down, hoisted Mei Ruolan onto his back, and whispered, “Let’s go.”
The two elders followed without a word. The trio entered the courtyard, vaulted the outer wall, and faced an empty street—they were outside the manor!
The two exchanged a look, finding the situation utterly unbelievable.
They could hardly credit that, guided by Zhanran’s strange intuition, they had exited the Li Residence so effortlessly. They would never have believed it themselves; the whole affair was too miraculous!
They had witnessed firsthand the Li Residence’s formidable defenses and the high skill of its guards. Had they tried to force their way out with their swords, they would have surely perished.
They had escaped the Li Residence—a den of dragons and tigers—safely and without effort! They glanced at each other, then gave a wry smile and shook their heads.
Li Muzhan whispered urgently, “Hurry.”
He jumped down from the wall, staggering slightly upon landing and nearly dropping Mei Ruolan. Elder Ouyang reacted swiftly, steadying him.
“Zhanran?!” Elder Ouyang exclaimed, seeing his pale face and dazed eyes.
Li Muzhan took a deep breath. A flash of purple light crossed his face, and his eyes cleared. He urged quietly, “Move quickly, we can’t stop. Once the Li Residence guards change shifts, they’ll mobilize immediately.”
Elder Ouyang whispered worriedly, “Are you alright?”
Li Muzhan shook his head. “My spirit has been severely depleted, but it’s fine. I just need a moment to recover.”
He utilized his movement technique, sprinting south toward the inn where Mei Ruolan’s retainers were resting.
Elder Ouyang watched him worriedly, his brow furrowed, and followed. Elder Zhang merely shook his head without comment; Zhanran might appear warm and amiable, but he was utterly stubborn, and no amount of persuasion would sway him once he made up his mind.
When escaping the compound, Li Muzhan had condensed his spirit into a giant hand, attempting to capture the tiny, flickering points of light deep within his psyche.
His consciousness was a sea of light, where beams streaked past like meteors, vanishing in an instant, swift as lightning—truly the speed of fire and flint.
To capture that single spark of spiritual light in this vast ocean, and then absorb it into his consciousness while the next one rushed toward him, demanding immediate capture—this process was extraordinarily taxing.
The mental consumption was unparalleled, several times more arduous than practicing the Elixir circulation or manipulating the essence of the sun and moon.
In the short span of half an hour, he felt his mind hollowed out, his brain seemingly boiling, a suffocating nausea rising in his chest, and his vision darkening in waves. He desperately wanted to collapse and lose consciousness.
Gritting his teeth, he used sheer willpower to stabilize himself. All his pores opened, and as he sped along, the Tianyuan Nascent Qi Breathing Technique slowly circulated, drawing in wisps of cool energy.
Suddenly, his Tianmen burst open, and a drop of sweet frost descended into his brain, instantly cooling the boiling sensation.
His mind cleared instantly, his body felt refreshed, and the suffocating feeling vanished.
He let out a long breath. Having studied the Nine Luminaries Heart Method (Jiuyou Xinfa), he had assumed the Tianyuan Breathing Technique was obsolete, as the former absorbed worldly essence far more rapidly.
He hadn’t realized that in this crucial moment, the Tianyuan Breathing Technique possessed the miraculous ability to nourish the spirit.
The three quietly returned to the inn and notified the waiting guards. The guards abandoned their horses and carriages, taking only their weapons and immediate necessities. They slipped out silently, vaulted the city walls, and fled Fengming City.
Although the walls of Fengming City were high, they could stop ordinary people, but they could not stop martial arts experts.
Under the cover of night, the group fled for over ten li non-stop before resting in a nearby wood.
The guards instinctively formed a defensive circle, with the three of them inside. They gently set down the three women. Elder Ouyang whispered, “Zhanran, are you alright?”
Li Muzhan nodded. The Tianyuan Breathing Technique circulated, offering a few drops of sweet dew that maintained his consciousness, though full recovery would require meditating on the Guan Tian Ren Shen Zhao Jing.
He sat cross-legged, glancing behind him, and frowned slightly, hesitating.
To use his intuition, he would have to stop circulating the Guan Tian Ren Shen Zhao Jing to replenish his mental exhaustion. But if he entered meditation, the Li Residence pursuers would surely catch up. Whether to stay or go was a true dilemma.
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