"Good!" Elder Ouyang stroked his beard, looked at him for a long moment, and slowly nodded.

In the past, he would never have agreed to such a clearly suicidal act, but what Li Muchen had just displayed—an incomprehensible ability—had deeply impressed him and filled him with confidence.

Elder Zhang hurried forward, repeatedly cautioning him, "Hey, hey, Zhanran, absolutely do not engage them head-on! Lure them off to the side, and then retreat immediately, do you understand?!"

"Yes," Li Muchen nodded.

He lowered his gaze to Mei Ruolan. She was still sound asleep, her breathing even, her complexion like blooming peaches—exquisitely vibrant.

He helped her sit cross-legged, placing his right palm against her back. A faint purple haze began to spread across Li Muchen’s face.

Elder Ouyang opened his mouth, then stopped.

He had intended to remind Zhanran that at this moment, instead of helping the Eldest Miss expel poison, he should conserve his strength to deal with the Li family men later.

The words died on his lips. The Eldest Miss was exceptionally intelligent; without Zhanran, everything would depend on her command. He and Old Man Zhang possessed decent martial skill, but their wisdom lagged far behind. Moreover, Zhanran’s actions were always meticulously planned, leaving no room for error; he shouldn't embarrass himself by interfering!

A moment later, white vapor billowed from the top of Mei Ruolan’s head, and wisps of cold air emerged from her body. The surrounding temperature dropped slightly. Elder Ouyang and Elder Zhang stared intently.

Li Muchen’s face glowed with an intense purple aura, like the break of dawn. "Pfft!" Mei Ruolan suddenly opened her mouth, shooting out an arrow of blood.

As the blood struck the ground, it hissed, quickly solidifying into a mass of gray ice, emitting faint wisps of cold air.

Li Muchen remained with his eyes closed, circulating his power; the purple light on his face grew even deeper.

"Pfft!" Mei Ruolan spat another stream of blood, this one brighter in color, lacking the chilling quality of the first.

Li Muchen slowly withdrew his palm, letting out a long breath. The purple haze on his face receded swiftly.

He opened his eyes, a flash of purple light gone in an instant.

Mei Ruolan sat upright, slowly opening her eyes. Her gaze was hazy and shifting as she looked around, gradually clearing. She frowned, "What happened?"

Li Muchen smiled faintly, "How does Miss feel?"

Mei Ruolan nodded, "Mm, I am much better. But what exactly happened? What was wrong with me?"

Li Muchen laughed, "Sister was poisoned. We have now escaped the Li Estate. The two Elders can explain the details; I will help Xiao Yuan and Gong Bei Sister expel the poison."

He stood up and moved behind Xiao Yuan and Gong Qingyun, helping them sit cross-legged. He placed one palm on each of their backs and began circulating his power.

"Heh heh, Eldest Miss, this is how things transpired," Elder Zhang took up the conversation, clearing his throat lightly, and glancing around.

Mei Ruolan looked at Li Muchen, somewhat perplexed, but maintained a calm expression. She waved a hand lightly, saying, "You all step back a little further."

The guards retreated a distance of ten feet.

Elder Zhang leaned closer, lowering his voice to a whisper as he quietly recounted the events. This matter concerned the Eldest Miss's reputation, so it could not be widely publicized.

Mei Ruolan’s delicate eyebrows knitted together, and her face darkened.

She said in a deep voice, "Zhanran killed both of them?!"

Elder Zhang nodded, "Yes, killed them. They couldn't be deader."

Mei Ruolan sighed, shaking her head with a wry smile, "Alas, this Zhanran, he has truly courted disaster!"

Elder Zhang flung his white beard, harrumphing, "Eldest Miss, if it had been me, I would have slain those beasts as well. Letting them live would only cause more harm!"

"Elder Zhang, why is the Li family able to dominate in Fengming City?" Mei Ruolan asked.

"Why?" Elder Zhang paused, thought for a moment, then chuckled, "I think the Li family guards are quite formidable; their strength indeed surpasses ours!"

"The Li family's backer is the Helian family!" Mei Ruolan sighed.

"The Helian family?" Elder Zhang's expression changed drastically. He quickly asked, "That Helian family, the foremost power in the Northwest?!"

"Mm, that’s them!" Mei Ruolan nodded.

Elder Zhang's face paled further. He stood stunned, then turned to look at Li Muchen.

Li Muchen had his eyes closed, circulating his power, the purple aura thick on his face. White vapor steamed from the heads of the two women.

"Alas, this is truly terrible!" Elder Zhang sighed, managing a bitter smile, "What are we to do now?"

Elder Ouyang frowned, stroking his beard slowly, "Since it is so, we have no choice but to request the Wang family to mediate."

Mei Ruolan shook her head, "The Li family head, though he appears magnanimous, is vengeful to the extreme. Regardless, he will definitely seek to kill Zhanran first."

"Hmph, then we fight! Who fears whom!" Elder Zhang snorted through his nose.

Mei Ruolan sighed again, shaking her head with a rueful smile. Based on sheer strength, even without the Helian family's involvement, the Mei family was no match for the Li family.

Elder Ouyang said coldly, "Eldest Miss, let’s return first. Once we reach our Jinyang City, the mere Li Estate is nothing to worry about!"

"Yes, exactly, exactly!" Elder Zhang nodded repeatedly.

Once they returned, with powerful reinforcements in Jinyang City, the Liu family would certainly not stand idly by, meaning the Li family wouldn't gain any advantage!

Mei Ruolan nodded, "We can only take things one step at a time."

"Pfft! Pfft!" Xiao Yuan and Gong Qingyun each spat out a stream of blood. They woke up, their bright eyes darting left and right, their gaze gradually clarifying.

"Zhanran, where are we?" Xiao Yuan’s eyes rolled as she scratched her head, asking in confusion, "Why is everyone here?"

Li Muchen snorted crossly, "You slept soundly enough!"

"We were poisoned!" Xiao Yuan exclaimed, turning to look at Gong Jiejie, "Gong Sister, is that right?!!"

Gong Qingyun’s face was as dark as water; she tightly pursed her lips and looked at Li Muchen.

Li Muchen sighed, "You all fell into a trap. The Li family ambushed you."

"Ah?!" Xiao Yuan shrieked, quickly looking down at her own clothes, then let out a sigh of relief. "What a Li family! I knew the moment I saw them they weren't good people."

Li Muchen stood up, brushed the dust off himself, and said, "Hindsight! Be more careful next time."

Xiao Yuan and Gong Qingyun stood up and went to Mei Ruolan’s side.

Mei Ruolan sighed, "Zhanran, thank you."

There was no joy in her expression; her delicate brows were clouded with worry. She sighed softly, "You... alas, you shouldn't have killed the Li brothers."

Li Muchen laughed, "Did I kill the wrong person?"

"Restraining them would have been enough. We could have reasoned with the Li family head later, imposed a small penalty, but there was no need to take their lives," Mei Ruolan shook her head.

Li Muchen chuckled heartily, examining Mei Ruolan, and shook his head, "Miss’s broadmindedness—it is only today that I have truly witnessed it!"

Sensing his sarcasm, Mei Ruolan frowned, "The Li family is backed by the Helian family. Before the Helian family, the Mei family has absolutely no power to fight back!"

Li Muchen said flatly, "Doesn't the Mei family have the Wang family? Why not call upon them?" His words still carried a hint of mockery.

"Alright, alright, Zhanran, say a little less," Elder Zhang, seeing the situation souring, quickly laughed and patted his shoulder, signaling him frantically.

"Elder Zhang, let him speak!" Mei Ruolan said coldly.

Li Muchen smiled faintly, "Forget it!" He paused. "I acted alone; it would be better to hand me over to the Li family as an apology. I believe the Li family won't pursue the matter further!"

"Zhanran!" Xiao Yuan cried out immediately. Mei Ruolan stared at him steadily, her bright eyes sharp and cold.

Li Muchen met her gaze calmly, showing no weakness. Their eyes collided across the air, seeming to spark furiously, making the bystanders’ hearts pound.

Elder Ouyang stroked his beard silently, looking elsewhere. Elder Zhang rubbed his hands incessantly, anxious and worried, yet unsure of what to do.

Li Muchen and Mei Ruolan glared, while Xiao Yuan and Gong Qingyun were anxious, not knowing how to intervene. The two women, confused after waking, had no idea what the argument was about.

Mei Ruolan was secretly vexed. In terms of anger, how could she be inferior to him? She wanted to hack these two people into a thousand pieces to quell the fury in her heart. But then she thought of the Mei family, of her disciples shedding blood and losing their lives over her momentary fit of temper—wouldn't that be a colossal sin? This Zhanran, clearly an intelligent person, insists on doing such foolish things, and it’s all because of Yuan and Qingyun? Acting emotionally is truly inexcusable!

A moment later, Mei Ruolan withdrew her gaze, sighing, "Alas, now that the deed is done, it's too late to say anything. Let's hurry!"

Li Muchen looked at her, shook his head, and smiled.

Mei Ruolan’s face hardened, and she turned to say, "Elder Ouyang, everyone, let's set off. The Li family will soon catch up."

"Yes," Elder Ouyang nodded.

He went to give the order, and the guards rose one after another, resuming their journey.

Li Muchen beckoned to Xiao Yuan. The two walked to a distant spot.

Xiao Yuan followed him under a tall pine tree. She whispered, "Zhanran, you shouldn't have argued with Miss."

Li Muchen gave a bitter smile, "I truly couldn't hold back."

"I thought you never got angry," Xiao Yuan giggled, "but offending Sister won't end well for you, you know?"

Li Muchen waved his hand and whispered low, "Xiao Yuan, after I leave, tell Miss to take the southern path, bypassing Xiannv Peak."

Xiao Yuan nodded, "Mm, are you worried the Li family will catch up? Eh? Where are you going?!"

She suddenly widened her bright eyes and urgently asked, "Zhanran, you’re not leaving just because you argued with Miss, are you?"

Li Muchen laughed out loud and glared at her, "Nonsense! I’m going to hold off those Li people!"

"Are you crazy!?" Xiao Yuan pouted, shaking her head repeatedly. "Those Li family men are not to be trifled with. You going alone is just suicide."

"I already sparred with that Elder once," Li Muchen smiled, "he's no match for me."

Xiao Yuan still shook her head, "There are other masters too!"

"The other Elder isn't a match either," Li Muchen laughed, waving his hand impatiently. "Don't worry, I'm not tired of living yet! Don't forget my lightness skill!"

Xiao Yuan stared at him. Seeing his determined expression, she felt slightly reassured. She knew his lightness skill was superb. The Li family experts were formidable, but compared to the Great Monk, they were still lacking.

"Alright, tell Miss what I said, I'm leaving!" Li Muchen patted her delicate shoulder. With a muffled thud, he vanished, blending into the night.

"Hey," Xiao Yuan raised her hand, but he was already gone. She stomped her foot, shook her head helplessly, and went back to tell Mei Ruolan.

Mei Ruolan's face instantly sank. She bit her lip, remaining silent.

Elder Zhang stood beside her, secretly lamenting the situation. Why were these two causing trouble! One was the future head of the Mei family, and the other was the pillar of the Mei family—they absolutely couldn't afford friction.

He laughed heartily, "Eldest Miss, don't worry. Zhanran has incredible capabilities. If he could sneak out of the Li Estate with me and Old Man Ouyang, he can certainly get away safely!"

Mei Ruolan snorted, her expression icy. She waved her hand, "Head south! If you wish to know what happens next, please log on to Jíjiào (). There are more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!"