Li Muzhan perched on a tree branch, watching Zhao Hanshi and his eight companions emerge, carrying five people. They mounted their horses and rode down through the woods.
His movements were ghostly, shifting from one tree to the next, tracking the eight men’s route until he utterly concealed his spirit and energy, hiding beneath a tree like a cold stone.
The rhythmic thud of hooves echoed, but the path through the forest was narrow, forcing them into a long, single-file line. Zhao Hanshi rode in the middle, with one man leading and one trailing, both keeping sharp watch on their surroundings, never letting down their guard.
They were from the *** Lake; caution was the ship that sailed ten thousand years.
Seizing the moment when a rider turned his head to look left, Li Muzhan flashed out, silently appearing beneath the horse’s belly from the right, and slowly laid a hand on the rider’s leg.
His internal energy struck like lightning, instantly stiffening the man and sealing his vital points. Then, Li Muzhan flipped back into the woods without a sound. Amidst the noise of the horses, no one noticed a thing.
The captive rider slumped over his saddle, appearing perfectly normal at first glance, as if lost in deep thought.
Zhao Hanshi noticed nothing amiss either. He scanned left and right, but neglected the rear. In that silence, Li Muzhan employed the same tactic, subduing two more men.
In a blink, they burst free of the woods. Zhao Hanshi yanked his reins, and the other horses, without needing direction, stopped instantly.
“Thump!” “Thump!” “Thump!” Three muffled sounds followed as the three subdued riders tumbled from their saddles, collapsing motionless to the ground.
Zhao Hanshi whipped his head around, saw the scene, and shouted fiercely, “Alert!”
The remaining four dismounted gracefully. Ignoring their incapacitated comrades, they quickly formed a defensive circle around Zhao Hanshi, five men creating a tight formation, their sharp gazes sweeping the perimeter.
Zhao Hanshi sneered, “What kind of phantom is sneaking about to ambush us? If you have the guts, show yourself!”
Li Muzhan appeared before them, smiling faintly. “Elder Zhao, greetings.”
“You… you are a disciple of the Canghai Sect?!” Zhao Hanshi frowned, recognizing Li Muzhan.
Li Muzhan replied, “Elder Zhao, why involve yourself in this murky water?”
Zhao Hanshi let out a cold laugh. “My old eyes deceived me!” He had never expected such an unassuming young man to be a master.
A thought sparked in his mind, and he sneered again, “Are you the Twin Sword Monk, Zhanran?”
Li Muzhan nodded. “Indeed, that is me.”
“A fine Twin Sword Monk, truly keeping your strengths hidden. Have you come to hunt me down?” Zhao Hanshi sized him up, shaking his head with a cold smile. “With just you alone, you think you can kill me?”
“And me,” Wen Yinyue suddenly materialized beside Li Muzhan.
Zhao Hanshi shook his head. “You two juniors, haha… disciples of the Canghai Sect, boasting quite boldly!”
Li Muzhan turned to Wen Yinyue. “Senior Sister, why are you here?”
“Martial Uncle was worried about you,” Wen Yinyue said faintly, her gaze fixed on Zhao Hanshi.
Li Muzhan replied, “If I can fight, I will fight; if I cannot, I won’t. What is there to worry about? Senior Sister, you should go back first.”
“We’ll go back together,” Wen Yinyue insisted.
Li Muzhan shook his head. “Martial Uncle faces a calamity involving blood. You must return first.”
“A calamity involving blood?” Wen Yinyue turned to look at him.
Li Muzhan sighed. “It is merely a pure intuition. If I told Martial Uncle, he wouldn’t believe it anyway. Please watch over him for me.”
“Let’s return together. Ignore this rabble,” Wen Yinyue frowned.
Li Muzhan glanced at Zhao Hanshi, then at Wen Yinyue, and slowly nodded. He turned to leave, but a cold laugh cut through the air. “What arrogance! To come when you please and leave when you wish—hehe, you think too little of us, do you?”
Li Muzhan frowned, shot Zhao Hanshi a look, and said flatly, “Must we settle this with a fight?”
“That’s unnecessary!” Zhao Hanshi sneered, suddenly leaping forward like a soaring eagle, his hands shaped like talons reaching for Li Muzhan’s head.
Li Muzhan watched him coldly, remaining perfectly still, his shoulders slightly lowered.
Zhao Hanshi’s lightness skill was superb, and his attack blindingly fast, his hands instantly reaching their target. Li Muzhan simply extended a shoulder, his fingertips aimed toward Zhao Hanshi.
“Shhh!” Amidst a sharp whistling sound, several streams of focused finger force shot out.
Zhao Hanshi saw the danger instantly and threw himself backward in a frantic retreat. A black light flashed from his waist, transforming into a cloud of black mist that enveloped him protectively.
The black light vanished abruptly. He fell straight down like a stone, his black sword flying from his hand into the tall grass.
With a dull “bang,” he crashed to the ground like a rag doll, kicked his legs twice, and then lay still, two bloody holes weeping blood on his chest.
Li Muzhan’s few moves were a mixture of true and false, Yin and Yang. Zhao Hanshi had ultimately failed to evade them, dying instantly from the strike to his middle finger.
Though Zhao Hanshi possessed formidable martial arts skill and a keen sense of danger, the proximity of the attack gave him no chance to evade; he could only die consumed by regret. Ultimately, it was Li Muzhan’s audacity—relying on his Indestructible Vajra Divine Art to wait until his opponent’s attack was spent before unleashing the Canghai Divine Sword technique to maximize its power.
With Zhao Hanshi dead, the expressions of the remaining seven men shifted drastically. They wished to strike but were deterred by Li Muzhan’s unfathomable finger techniques; yet, standing down felt intolerable.
In their hesitation, Li Muzhan and Wen Yinyue floated away gracefully.
Wen Yinyue’s steps seemed to glide as if riding the wind. She remarked lightly, “Junior Brother, by eliminating this man, Martial Uncle will surely be pleased. He was Martial Uncle’s sworn enemy.”
“Oh?” Li Muzhan smiled. “That is an unexpected bonus.”
“Not good!” His face darkened, his smile vanishing, and he flashed into the nearby building. Inside, he saw a figure cloaked in green entanglement holding the Nun Zhumei.
“Shhh—!” Li Muzhan, mid-air, shot out a finger strike.
The green shadow suddenly accelerated, batting Nun Zhumei away with one palm, and darted out the window. Li Muzhan followed instantly, exiting the window just as the shadow was already a hundred meters distant.
Li Muzhan roared, “Stop!”
“Hahahaha…” A loud laugh echoed as the green figure vanished into the woods. Li Muzhan closed his eyes and moved rapidly, his Eye of the Void looking down. This person’s movement technique was astonishingly fast, like a wisp of light smoke.
In moments, he was two hundred meters behind. The person’s lightness skill was incredibly swift.
He considered using the Lamp Lighting Art but hesitated, worried about the consequences. Frustrated, he stamped his foot, turned back into the house, and found Nun Zhumei sitting cross-legged on the floor, with Wen Yinyue kneeling behind her, both palms pressed against the elder nun’s back.
Li Muzhan frowned. Nun Zhumei’s face was deathly pale, completely devoid of color, while Wen Yinyue’s robes gently moved, rising and falling like ocean waves.
“Senior Brother Zhanran,” Li Xiaoshui approached, looking somewhat frightened.
Li Muzhan patted her shoulder reassuringly. “It’s alright, that person has already gone.”
“That person was terrifyingly strong,” Li Xiaoshui blinked her large eyes and sighed. “I couldn’t even make out his face clearly!”
Li Muzhan shook his head. The man’s head was wrapped in a blue kerchief, revealing only a pair of eyes like cold stars, spitting electric light and radiating imposing energy.
Li Wudi arrived, pulling Li Xiaoshui away so she wouldn't interfere.
Li Muzhan handled Li Xiaoshui while keeping his focus intently on the situation in the room, feeling a pang of self-reproach; he shouldn't have left his Martial Aunt, or she wouldn't have taken that blow.
He glanced at the others and spoke gently, “All the Martial Uncles and Aunts, please meditate first. We might face another fierce battle shortly. Martial Aunt will be fine.”
Everyone nodded and sat down to regulate their breathing. With the existence of the Creation Pills, even severe injuries held no fatal threat, so they were not overly worried about Nun Zhumei.
As time passed, five faint lotus flowers began to materialize around Wen Yinyue, encircling her and Nun Zhumei. The lotuses flickered in and out of visibility, ghostlike, resembling projections on water.
Li Xiaoshui’s eyes widened in amazement.
Li Wudi also looked over in astonishment, sighing inwardly. The Cold Lotus Fairy truly lived up to her reputation; this external manifestation was the result of internal energy reaching an astonishing level.
Li Muzhan frowned; clearly, his Senior Sister was exerting her full strength and struggling a bit. He turned and sat behind Wen Yinyue, placing his palms on her back, transferring his internal energy.
The energy flowed steadily into her, and Wen Yinyue continued to absorb it without pause. Li Muzhan began employing the Heavenly Origin Breath Regulation Art to sustain the drain.
With his focus divided, he channeled his energy while pondering the green-robed man from before.
That man’s peerless lightness skill, the subtlety of his attacks, and the sheer power of his internal energy—all were those of a top-tier master. Even Li Muzhan himself could barely manage, perhaps achieving parity by using the Lamp Lighting Art, but to truly defeat him would require the Great Ming King Scripture.
For such a person to resort to a sneak attack—did he harbor a deep grudge against Martial Aunt, or did he have an ulterior motive, perhaps aiming for the Dragon Slaying Secret Codex?
He puzzled over it endlessly but soon cleared his mind, concentrating solely on the Heavenly Origin Breath Regulation Art.
After about half an hour, Li Muzhan slowly withdrew his power, and Wen Yinyue slowly drew back her hands. Nun Zhumei opened her eyes and let out a long breath.
Li Muzhan blamed himself, “Martial Aunt, it’s all my fault…”
Nun Zhumei waved her hand, sighing, “Why blame yourself? That person’s martial arts were simply too strong.”
“Martial Aunt, did you recognize him?” Li Muzhan asked.
Nun Zhumei slowly nodded, glancing at the others who had stopped meditating to look their way.
She sighed helplessly. “Murong Cang!”
“Murong Cang… from the Murong family?” Li Muzhan asked.
Wen Yinyue frowned. “Murong Cang, the head of the Murong family? Martial Aunt, are you certain?”
“That wretch, I’d recognize him even if he were reduced to ash!” Nun Zhumei sneered.
Wen Yinyue and Li Muzhan exchanged a look. She murmured, “Murong Cang is the head of the Murong family, Murong Hao’s father.”
“No wonder his skill is so high,” Li Muzhan conceded.
Nun Zhumei scoffed. “His skill is not weak, but his character is foul. Such a sneaky way of doing things!”
Li Muzhan pressed, “If he possesses such skill, why did he resort to ambushing Martial Aunt?”
Nun Zhumei shot him a look. “How should I know what he’s thinking? That man is utterly bizarre!”
Li Muzhan sensed deeper complexities but saw the signal from Wen Yinyue and said, “It’s fortunate that Martial Aunt is not seriously harmed!”
“Hmph, he thinks he can kill me?!” Nun Zhumei curled her lip and waved her hand. “Enough small talk. What were you doing outside just now?”
“Martial Aunt, Junior Brother killed Zhao Hanshi,” Wen Yinyue reported.
Nun Zhumei’s eyes lit up. “Zhao Hanshi is dead?”
Li Muzhan nodded. Nun Zhumei broke into a bright, genuine laugh. Usually composed and gentle, her expression was suddenly vivid, as if she were a different person. Li Muzhan thought to himself that one could not judge people by appearances alone; only after spending time with them did their true nature reveal itself.