Li Muzhan smiled and shook his head: "You flatter me. This is my ultimate secret technique, only useful for a sneak attack.

I'm completely out of tricks now!" The middle-aged man in blue sighed: "Young Master Li need not be so modest. No wonder you managed to put our Qinghe Sword Sect in such disarray; it certainly wasn't by luck!" Li Muzhan chuckled: "Compared to Senior Leng, I am but a mere star next to the bright moon.

I am truly ashamed!" He gave a slight smile, turned his head, and said, "Miss Hu, I must take my leave first!" With that, he turned and departed, moving like an illusion, instantly vanishing into the woods below. The three of them were momentarily stunned.

Leng Qian and Zheng Haiya sneered, shaking their heads as they looked towards Bai Mingqiu. Bai Mingqiu’s expression also shifted, but she quickly regained her composure, gazing coldly at the two men.

"This young lady is...?" Zheng Haiya asked in a gentle tone. Bai Mingqiu replied icily, "Hu Mengmei!

... Are you from the Qinghe Sword Sect?" "Indeed!" Zheng Haiya nodded slowly.

"May I ask what relationship the young lady has with that Young Hero Li?" "A friend." Bai Mingqiu’s face darkened, and she let out a cold scoff. "I didn't expect him to be so lacking in courage, fleeing before a fight even began.

He shows no loyalty whatsoever!" Zheng Haiya smiled: "Young Hero Li was likely forced into a corner. Wouldn't Miss Hu do the same in such a predicament?" "I am by no means someone so faithless!" Bai Mingqiu retorted coldly.

"No matter what, I am a woman, yet he is this timid. I previously thought him quite capable for daring to challenge the Qinghe Sword Sect, but now I realize I misjudged him!" The middle-aged man in blue, Leng Qian, sized up Bai Mingqiu carefully and nodded.

"Your cultivation is not bad; quite rare!" Bai Mingqiu snorted proudly: "Just a few tricks, hardly worth mentioning! I hear the swordsmanship of your Qinghe Sword Sect is renowned and unparalleled.

I would actually like to experience it firsthand!" "Heh," Leng Qian shook his head and chuckled. Zheng Haiya smiled: "Forget it.

A true gentleman does not fight with a woman. We won't engage you." "Are you looking down on women?" Bai Mingqiu frowned, glaring at the two displeasedly.

"Do you think my skills are meager?" Zheng Haiya waved his hand and smiled: "We merely feel it would be an unfair victory. Miss Hu, if there is nothing else, we shall take our leave!" Bai Mingqiu snorted in displeasure: "Quite the big talk!

Fine then, let's exchange a few moves. I insist on experiencing the supreme techniques of the Qinghe Sword Sect!" Zheng Haiya just shook his head.

Leng Qian said in a deep voice, "Stop pestering us. Let's go!" "Yes, Martial Uncle!" Zheng Haiya bowed in assent and was about to leave.

Bai Mingqiu glared at them, frowning, when Leng Qian suddenly flashed behind her and brought down a palm strike—Bang! Bai Mingqiu was sent flying straight out.

Li Muzhan reappeared abruptly, catching Bai Mingqiu mid-air, and then vanished into the woods once more. "Pursue them!" Leng Qian grunted.

Zheng Haiya, needing no further command, had already dashed into the trees. Leng Qian, whose cultivation ran extremely deep, followed with one massive stride into the forest.

The two moved as fast as the wind and as swift as shadows, but once inside the woods, their vision was vast and empty; the figures were nowhere to be seen. Li Muzhan and Bai Mingqiu seemed as if they had never existed.

"Haiya, can you sense where they went?" Leng Qian stopped, letting out a cold snort as he asked. Zheng Haiya halted, immediately sitting cross-legged on the thick, soft carpet of fallen leaves.

He formed a hand seal and quickly closed his eyes, entering a state of meditation. Moments later, he spoke in a deep voice, "They are far gone!" "Hmm?" Leng Qian frowned.

"How far?" "At least a hundred li away!" Zheng Haiya sighed. "What incredible lightness skill!" "This must have involved a talismanic formation!" Leng Qian huffed.

"No matter how strong the lightness skill, it couldn't reach this level!" ... "Which sect's disciple could he be!?" "A pity we didn't exchange blows," Zheng Haiya lamented, shaking his head.

"That fellow is too clever. Fortunately, Martial Uncle was the superior martial artist, otherwise we might actually have been fooled by him!" Li Muzhan, holding Bai Mingqiu, unleashed his Instant Shift technique, appearing in a flash in a valley a hundred li away—a pool of water beside a stretch of woods, in front of which a simple wooden cabin had been built.

Bai Mingqiu had already fallen unconscious, blood ceaselessly bubbling from the corner of her mouth. Her vital signs were faint, her breath nearly extinguished; her internal organs were completely shattered.

Li Muzhan’s face was as dark as deep water as he entered the small cabin. He gently laid Bai Mingqiu onto the couch, then employed several secret arts—methods capable of bringing the dead back to life.

Bai Mingqiu’s breathing slowly stabilized. When Li Muzhan ceased his efforts, his face was pale, his brow tightly furrowed, devoid of the joy that usually accompanies saving a life.

After a long pause, Bai Mingqiu slowly woke up. Li Muzhan stood by the couch, offering a bitter smile.

"Martial Sister, I have implicated you!" "Forget it. It's not your fault," Bai Mingqiu whispered, her voice weak.

Li Muzhan said, "It is my incompetence; otherwise, they never would have approached us so silently!" "I truly have become a burden," Bai Mingqiu sighed softly. Li Muzhan warned her, "Martial Sister, you must absolutely not circulate your internal energy!" "I know," Bai Mingqiu managed to say with effort.

"Leng Qian’s cultivation is strange; his internal force cannot be dissolved, can it?" Li Muzhan nodded slowly, his expression heavy. Although he had used various secret methods to restore her injuries, bringing her back as if dead wood returned to life, in a situation where her internal organs were utterly pulverized, even the most miraculous medical arts would be useless.

He had performed several heaven-defying techniques to pull her back from the brink. While her internal organ damage had not completely healed, it had stabilized.

However, the most fatal issue was Leng Qian's internal force—immeasurably pure, akin to a form of Sword Qi. Li Muzhan's own internal force was pure, but Leng Qian was no less potent.

The internal forces of both men were fiercely hot and immensely powerful, constantly ravaging her viscera. Li Muzhan could not instantly refine or expel them; his only recourse was to envelop them with his own internal energy.

But this was akin to drinking poison to quench thirst. Leng Qian's peculiar internal force continuously consumed Li Muzhan’s energy, growing stronger and more tyrannical over time.

Li Muzhan had an ominous feeling that this was too dangerous, yet he lacked any viable alternative. Bai Mingqiu’s body was too fragile; the more it contended with this external force, the more certain her death would be.

Bai Mingqiu offered a faint smile, shedding her usual ice-cold demeanor for a fragile softness that twisted Li Muzhan's heart with pain. "Forget it, let fate decide," she murmured.

Li Muzhan frowned. "Martial Sister, I will send you back; perhaps Master has some method to save you." Bai Mingqiu shook her head.

"I know all the core cultivation methods of our sect. There is no ultimate saving technique that surpasses yours; no need to trouble him." Li Muzhan insisted, "There are still the Seniors in Tianyuan, perhaps they have a solution." Bai Mingqiu sighed and smiled.

"If I die, so be it. It’s no great matter.

Don't exhaust yourself further. I wish to spend a few clean days." Li Muzhan said sternly, "Martial Sister!" "Let it be so," Bai Mingqiu stated calmly.

Li Muzhan felt as if his heart were being torn apart, his face shadowed with gloom. Bai Mingqiu advised, "Junior Brother, do not seek revenge against Leng Qian.

You are not his match!" She hadn't known their true depths before, but since Leng Qian's internal force couldn't be driven out, his cultivation must surpass Li Muzhan's. As for Li Muzhan's earlier flight, she understood it was the wisest course.

Had he shown even a sliver of concern for her, Leng Qian would have certainly struck first to capture her, then used her as leverage; neither of them would have escaped. Alas, Leng Qian was cunning and utterly ruthless, suddenly attacking to kill her.

If not for her Junior Brother possessing miraculous arts to save her, she would have already met the King of Hell. Li Muzhan smiled faintly: "Rest assured, Martial Sister.

I will master my martial arts before I seek him out!" "Ah..." Bai Mingqiu shook her head faintly due to her weakness. "Master advised me not to come initially, but I insisted..." Li Muzhan smiled softly: "Don't worry, Martial Sister.

I will find a way!" "Life and death are decreed by Heaven; don't force it too hard. This place is very quiet; I like it very much," Bai Mingqiu shook her head.

"Take me out for a walk." Li Muzhan nodded heavily, carrying her out of the small cabin to tour the valley. The valley was serene, with green forests and clear water, clearing the mind and naturally making one forget the mundane world.

(To be continued.)