Chapter 813: Sending a Deadly Question

Bi Linglong realized that the swirling snowflakes and beautiful sword technique were precisely Chu Chuyan's ultimate skill, the "Snowflake Divine Sword." The thought that Chu Chuyan had taught him even her signature skill made it clear that their relationship was far from the mere nominal marriage everyone had imagined. For some reason, seeing Zu An use another woman's signature technique made her feel a little uncomfortable.

This feeling was quickly replaced by shock when she saw Shi Tong's ultimate move instantly frozen, followed by a tragic yet beautiful sword flash, and then Shi Tong's head fell. In that instant, her thought mirrored Shi Tong's: How could Chu Chuyan's Snowflake Divine Sword possess such immense power? Although she had never fought Chu Chuyan herself, she had witnessed her once and knew of her cultivation. While the Snowflake Divine Sword was indeed remarkable, it shouldn't have been this powerful.

Only Zu An knew the full truth: he hadn't merely used the Snowflake Divine Sword; he had simultaneously summoned the Snow Phoenix. The two skills complemented each other, unleashing power far exceeding what Chu Chuyan typically demonstrated.

A warning bell immediately rang in her mind, and she instinctively tried to dodge, but her body suddenly went limp as a major acupoint on her back was seized.

"It's you!" Bi Linglong exclaimed, never having felt such revulsion towards the Gu brothers, who had grown up with her.

At that moment, the Gu brothers ignored her, instead staring at Zu An in the distance with horrified, trembling voices: "Zu, don't move!"

They had already been unnerved when they saw Shi Tong and Zu An evenly matched, so they decided to find an opportunity to take Bi Linglong hostage. They hadn't anticipated Shi Tong's swift defeat, which only made them appreciate their own foresight. Still reeling from the shock, Bi Linglong hadn't guarded against their approach, and by the time she reacted, it was too late.

Zu An turned to see Bi Linglong held captive by the two, and he couldn't help but frown. "You two brothers are the perfect embodiment of despicable shamelessness," he said.

"Enough talk," Gu Heng retorted, a hint of shame and anger in his voice. "If you don't want anything to happen to her, cut off your right hand."

Zu An snorted. "How can you two claim to admire her when you resort to using her safety to threaten others? What kind of love is that?"

Gu Xing scoffed. "Don't lecture us. When you can't overpower someone, you naturally have to outsmart them. Otherwise, you're just a useless brute."

"Despicable people shouldn't try to elevate themselves," Bi Linglong said coldly.

"Shut up!" Gu Heng's face flushed crimson. He tightened the knife against her neck. "Zu, stop wasting time. If you don't cut off your right hand, I'll kill her."

"Don't worry about me, kill these two shameless scoundrels!" Bi Linglong urged.

Zu An glanced at them. "If you kill her, you won't survive either."

Gu Xing laughed. "In this situation, we can't afford to worry about such things. Besides, with Linglong accompanying us to the grave, we'll be dashing even as ghosts!"

"Shameless!" Bi Linglong trembled with anger.

Gu Heng looked at Zu An. "Zu, our patience is limited. If you don't cut off your right arm, my brother and I will die alongside Linglong. It will be worth it for this lifetime." He knew that even if Zu An lost one hand, killing them would be effortless. However, demanding he sever both hands at once was unrealistic. This roundabout tactic was designed to draw him deeper into a trap, step by step. Once he had cut off one hand, they would then escalate, demanding the other. Given the significant sunk cost, Zu An would likely agree. Once he had lost both hands, the brothers would hold all the cards, whether they chose to fight or flee.

Zu An spread his hands. "She's not my wife. Aren't you threatening the wrong person by using her against me? I'm just an employee, earning a modest living. It's hardly worth risking my life and future for her."

Gu Heng sneered, "If something happens to her, do you think the Emperor will spare you once you leave the secret realm?"

"Whether he spares me, I don't know," Zu An replied nonchalantly, "but he definitely won't spare your entire Gu clan."

Gu Heng's face immediately fell. He had believed this expedition to the secret realm would make him a loyal follower of the rising power, but now his plans had utterly failed, potentially dooming his entire clan.

At this point, Gu Xing remained calmer. "Do you really think I'm unaware of your relationship? Linglong trusts you far too much for you to be just an ordinary subordinate. If you claim there's nothing between you two, I won't believe it." He then looked at Bi Linglong. "Linglong, Linglong, you've shown him so much trust and genuine devotion throughout this journey. What have you gained? He's unwilling to sacrifice even a single hand to save you, let alone his life."

In the distance, Gao Ying and Pei You, who had been observing the scene, instantly looked away, pretending they hadn't heard a thing.

Bi Linglong scoffed. "Do you think I'm an idiot, or that he is? How could anyone agree to such ridiculous terms? Zu, if you actually agreed, I'd truly question your intelligence." Despite her words, a faint sadness settled in her heart. Reason was one thing, but emotion was another. She secretly wondered how much he would sacrifice for her, and how much she truly mattered to him. But she quickly snapped back to reality, inwardly scoffing at herself. At a moment like this, she was acting like one of those foolish women.

Seeing Zu An remain silent, Gu Xing grew impatient. "I'll count to three," he announced. "If you haven't severed your arm by then, I'll cut her face. If it's still not done by the count of ten, I'll just kill her, and we'll all be done with it! One..."

Hearing that they intended to disfigure her, Bi Linglong finally panicked. She wasn't particularly afraid of death, but no woman wished for her beauty to be ruined. But as they began counting, her heart leaped. Her greatest curiosity now was how Zu An would react.

Zu An sighed. "I have a friend..."

Everyone was puzzled. What did he mean by bringing up a friend at this moment?

He continued, "He is a man of his word; he never goes back on a promise. So, as long as you release Linglong, my friend can let bygones be bygones and allow you to leave safely."

Gao Ying and Pei You exchanged bewildered glances, not understanding the point of Zu An's words. Even Bi Linglong was confused, thinking, *If they believe that, they must be truly insane.*

But then something astonishing happened. After hearing his words, the Gu brothers actually loosened the blades at her throat and retreated step by step. "You said it," they affirmed. "We're letting her go now."

Gao Ying: ???Pei You: ???Bi Linglong: ???

Zu An instantly appeared beside Bi Linglong, wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her behind him, and with a flick of his finger, sent two streams of concentrated energy hurtling forward. The Gu brothers stood no chance against the finger-wind of a ninth-rank master. Two bursts of bloody mist erupted from their chests, and they collapsed, screaming in shock and fury: "You just promised us! You promised to let us go!"

Rage from Gu Heng +555+555+555...Rage from Gu Xing +555+555+555...

Zu An sighed. "You two are not only evil, but incredibly foolish. I merely said my friend is a man of his word and would let you go. When did I myself promise to release you?"

"You're despicable!" The Gu brothers nearly fainted from rage. Only then did they recall that he had indeed spoken of "a friend." How could they have been so utterly deluded into believing he meant himself?

Rage from the Gu brothers +888+888+888...

It turned out that Zu An had just used his "I Have a Friend" skill, which subtly caused the targets to subconsciously believe the friend he spoke of was himself. Unaware of such a trick, the Gu brothers had easily fallen prey.

"Speaking of despicable, how can I compare to you two brothers, colluding with outsiders and betraying your master for glory?" Zu An said coldly. "Linglong, I'll leave these two for you to deal with."

Only then did Bi Linglong realize she was still in his embrace. She quickly pushed him away, her cheeks flushing. *That man actually called me by my name, and with outsiders watching!*

To mask her embarrassment, she picked up her sword and walked towards the Gu brothers. "You two were so smug just now," she said, "clearly not expecting to fall so quickly to such a pathetic state."

Sensing the killing intent in her eyes, Gu Heng laughed despondently. "Hahaha, we brothers know we're doomed," he said. "But don't celebrate too soon. Do you think you've won? We're simply reaching the Yellow Springs a step ahead of you. We'll meet again before long."

As his words faded, both brothers simultaneously raised their knives and slit their own throats. They chose such a decisive end because they knew death was inevitable. Rather than endure torture and torment at the hands of their captors, they preferred a swift demise.