Chapter 227: Six Meridian Divine Sword

“There must be a way, there must be!” Zu An kept comforting her, as if he were comforting himself as well.

Qiao Xueying had completely passed out by then, but her hands were still clutching tightly onto the front of his clothes, as if only by doing so could she safely lose consciousness.

Every time Zu An felt Shi Lezhi getting closer, he would blurt out, “What are you looking at?”

Shi Lezhi was forced to reply, “What about it?”

He used this brief interval to widen the distance slightly. However, this trick was only effective at first due to its unexpected nature; after a few times, Shi Lezhi was prepared, and the effect became negligible.

Finally, Zu An ran into a secluded courtyard and stopped, panting heavily.

Shi Lezhi also stopped several yards away, and as he slowly walked towards him, he sneered, “Run, why aren’t you running anymore?”

The opponent’s bizarre methods made him somewhat wary, so he didn’t charge forward directly. Instead, he first extended his qi to scout the surroundings. Finding no traps or other cultivators, he finally relaxed.

He secretly chuckled at himself, thinking he was truly being overly cautious because of this guy. No matter how many tricks he had, his cultivation was only at the third rank; what big waves could he possibly make?

Zu An, however, showed a mysterious smile on his face: “The reason I was running just now was to pick a tranquil burial ground for you. Now that there’s no one around and the spot is chosen, naturally there’s no need to run anymore.”

“This place has chirping birds and fragrant flowers, with gentle breezes. It’s an auspicious place for a burial. You should thank me.”

Shi Lezhi was speechless.

He didn’t know if he had misheard or if this guy was mentally incapacitated, nor did he know where he got the confidence to say such things.

Rage +666 from Shi Lezhi!

“Do you think I’ll fall for that again?” Shi Lezhi said coldly. He had just been fooled by his bluster, and he still felt ashamed recalling it. He certainly wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

Just then, a trembling figure walked out of a small wooden hut nearby: “What’s going on? Why is it so noisy?”

Shi Lezhi frowned and looked back, seeing an ancient-looking flower farmer standing there, a small hoe hanging from his waist. His entire body was withered like dried orange peel.

What was going on? He had clearly scanned the area for dozens of yards just now, and there was no one else.

However, the other party showed no qi fluctuations at all, so he quickly relaxed. It was just an ordinary old man.

He therefore ignored the old man directly, and looking at Zu An, sneered, “You’re just dragging one more person to their death.”

Zu An, on the other hand, quickly hid behind the flower farmer: “Senior, this guy not only wants to kill me, but he also has no regard for you.”

This flower farmer was, of course, Old Man Mi. He had just run for his life, not aimlessly, but directly towards Old Man Mi’s residence. That fellow Mi Li was unreliable, and now, in the entire Chu Manor, he was probably the only one who could save them.

“Your method of sowing discord isn’t very clever.” Old Man Mi frowned, evidently quite displeased that Zu An had led someone here and exposed him.

Zu An gave an embarrassed smile: “He really doesn’t regard senior highly, does he?”

Hearing their conversation, Shi Lezhi was startled and couldn’t help but take a deep look at Old Man Mi. But how could a body that seemed ready to collapse with a gust of wind show any trace of cultivation?

After a long while, he finally reacted, sneering, “Trying to bluster here again, waiting for reinforcements, are we?”

He had already heard the commotion from Chu Manor in the distance, and it was clear that Chu Manor’s defensive forces, which had been temporarily dormant, were awakening. He didn’t want a direct confrontation with the Chu family, intending to finish this quickly and take Zu An and Qiao Xueying out of here immediately.

As for that old flower farmer, he could simply dispose of him effortlessly. Such an ant living in the world was just a waste of food.

Old Man Mi, however, completely ignored him, and his gaze fell upon the woman in Zu An’s arms: “Who is she? Oh, Xue’er?”

Having been in the Chu family for so many years, he naturally recognized Xue’er.

Zu An nodded repeatedly: “Yes, yes. This guy broke in and kidnapped the manor’s womenfolk, so naturally I couldn’t just stand by. Then he tried to kill me too.”

“Didn’t Xue’er already betray the Chu family?” Old Man Mi snorted, directly exposing his lie, “What exactly is going on?”

Zu An replied awkwardly: “The other party is from the Shi family, ordered to hunt us down.”

He dared not say that the other party was after Xue’er, fearing Old Man Mi would stand by idly. But as his half-disciple, surely he wouldn’t ignore him?

“The Shi family…” Old Man Mi narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

“Are you two done with your little charade?” Shi Lezhi was already impatient. “You old geezer, get out of the way! I can make your death quicker.”

Old Man Mi let out a long sigh: “I never expected that after all these years, the cultivation world would have so many frogs in a well. A mere eighth-rank cultivator is so arrogant.”

“How did you know…” Shi Lezhi’s heart skipped a beat, and he no longer dared to underestimate the seemingly ordinary flower farmer before him.

He once again scanned the other party with his qi. Unfortunately, he still got no results. Thus, there were only three possibilities: either the other party’s cultivation was far superior to his; or he was indeed an ordinary person; or he possessed some treasure that concealed his qi.

Shi Lezhi thought it over and over, and concluded that the last possibility was more likely. After all, the other party’s calmness and the ability to instantly discern his cultivation level did not seem like an ordinary person.

The other party’s cultivation being far superior to his – how could that be possible!

Since when was eighth-rank cultivation so worthless?

In the entire Brightmoon City, only a handful of people surpassed him. Even against the top expert Chu Zhongtian, he believed he had the power to fight. This guy in front of him couldn’t possibly be stronger than Chu Zhongtian, could he? Otherwise, why would he willingly be a flower farmer in the Chu Manor?

How could there be so many reclusive masters in this world? Cultivators required vast resources for support. Thus, the higher one’s cultivation, the higher their status and position usually were. Those obscure recluses would sooner or later be surpassed by those in power.

Realizing all this, Shi Lezhi immediately felt at ease. What was there to fear? How much stronger could this guy possibly be? He couldn't possibly instant-kill me, could he?

“I must be getting old and paranoid. This old man can’t be bothered to waste more words with you.” With the sound of Chu family guards approaching getting closer, Shi Lezhi knew he couldn’t delay any longer.

As soon as he finished speaking, he spread his arms like a great roc, and an overwhelming, unparalleled aura instantly erupted. Countless branches around them snapped directly. The blades of grass flattened themselves as if pressed down by an invisible giant hand. As for the flowers blooming by the roadside, they instantly turned into dust.

Seeing the tragic state of the flowers he had painstakingly cared for, Old Man Mi’s withered cheeks twitched slightly: “I was originally hesitant about whether to act, but now… go to hell.”

Hearing the other party’s nonchalant remark, Shi Lezhi sneered inwardly. He wondered where these guys got their confidence. They were certainly first-rate masters at bragging.

He no longer held back in his attack, intending to blast this old man into dust directly, and then use the remaining force to sever Zu An’s limbs.

Then he would drag Zu An back like a dead dog. While his young master enjoyed Qiao Xueying, he would make Zu An regret ever being born into this world.

Suddenly, an alarm blared in his heart, and the hair on his entire body stood on end. It was as if every cell was screaming extreme danger at him. He was greatly alarmed but couldn’t pinpoint the source of the problem.

Why did he feel in danger?

He quickly scanned the surroundings. There was nothing unusual. The Chu family members wouldn’t be able to reach here for a while. Zu An was still in his spot, and the flower farmer…

Wait, where did the flower farmer go?

Just then, a chilling voice suddenly came from behind his head: “Since you’ve met this humble one, how could this humble one let you return!”

Before Shi Lezhi could react at all, a sharp pain shot through the back of his head. He suddenly had an epiphany and thought of something: “This movement technique, this speed… you’re the one from back then…”

Unfortunately, he didn’t even finish his sentence before he plunged into endless darkness. His body, like a rootless tree, fell heavily to the ground.

Zu An, standing by, was dumbfounded: “Holy cow, I knew you were powerful, but to instant-kill an eighth-rank master like that is just too… too…”

He stumbled over his words for a long time, unable to find any words to express his feelings at that moment.

Old Man Mi glanced at him indifferently: “I’ll leave this place to you. Figure out carefully what to tell the Chu family. If you reveal my identity again, you can go join him.”

After speaking, he lightly tapped his toe and vanished into the night sky.

Zu An knew he didn’t want to stay there, to avoid being noticed by the Chu family members.

Recalling the chilling tone of his words as he left, Zu An couldn’t help but shiver. He knew the other party was absolutely not joking.

It seemed his identity held a great secret.

Zu An had no time to ponder further at the moment, as he also heard the footsteps of the Chu family guards approaching from nearby.

He hurriedly tucked Qiao Xueying into a thick flower bush to hide her. After all, she was currently a traitor to the Chu family. If the Chu family members discovered her, she would certainly be in deep trouble.

Not long after, Qin Wanru arrived with Yue Shan and a group of elite guards. They all stopped in their tracks upon seeing the scene, their eyes widened in disbelief.

They saw Zu An and Shi Lezhi standing facing each other. Zu An’s finger was pointed at Shi Lezhi’s head, while Shi Lezhi’s fist was resting on Zu An’s chest.

“Xiao An, are… are you alright?” Qin Wanru’s voice trembled slightly, but her heart was cold. She had personally experienced how powerful this black-clothed man was moments ago. If he had been struck in the chest by his fist, how could he still be alive?

It was a bitter feeling for her to realize that he had deliberately lured away the black-clothed man to save her. She remembered how strict she had always been with him, yet in a moment of crisis, he still thought of saving her.

If he died like this, how would she explain it to her two daughters and her husband later?

“Xiao An, don’t worry, I will avenge you! Guards, hack this villain to death!” Qin Wanru’s phoenix eyes flashed with murderous intent. Did they think Chu Manor was a place they could just come and go as they pleased?

What if he was eighth-rank? He would still leave his life here!

The other guards assented one after another, and were about to charge forward, when they suddenly heard a familiar voice:

“Sigh, I’ve always wanted to keep a low profile, but you kept pushing me, so I had no choice but to use the Six Meridian Divine Swords. To throw away your life for nothing, why bother!” Zu An lightly flicked his finger, and Shi Lezhi, who had been dead all along, softly collapsed amidst the incredulous stares of the surrounding crowd.