“Step back.”
Three words, neither heavy nor light, yet carrying an unquestionable weight.
Hearing this, Zuo Muxian’s expression remained unchanged.
With a flick of his hand, a pitch-black token appeared in his palm. Its edges were inlaid with silver wire, and carved upon it were two bold, forceful characters: Star-Plucking!
Holding the token high to let the moonlight illuminate the writing, he said slowly, “Senior, this junior is the Chief of the Chiming Academy of the Star-Plucking Sect. This Changyun County is also under our sect’s jurisdiction, and all matters here are subject to our control... No matter who Senior is or who you are working for, my Star-Plucking Sect fears no one in this Nanxiang Prefecture. Senior, do not make a mistake!”
The feminine man’s smile did not change at all. He slowly opened his hand and pulled out a token of his own.
The token was golden, with a faint flowing light around its edges. The front was covered in intricate, dense golden runes, like clouds and thunder layered upon each other.
Right in the center of the patterns, only one character was carved: Nine!
The strokes were vigorous, like they were carved by a knife or ax, exuding an overbearing aura that looked down upon the world.
Zuo Muxian stared at it, his pupils contracting slightly. “This is...”
“Shh!”
The feminine man raised his index finger to his lips, making a shushing gesture.
He put away the token, stood with his hands behind his back, and said with a smile, “The matters within this city can only be settled by the people within the city. I have come here to guard this place under orders from above. Core Disciple Zuo... this matter is not something you can interfere in. Step back.”
The voice fell. The long alley fell into a dead silence.
Zuo Muxian pursed his lips slightly, his expression shifting.
After a long while, he looked up, staring straight into the other’s deep, pool-like eyes, and said, “Senior, I have been entrusted by someone, and I do not like making empty promises. Therefore... I must go this time. Forgive me!”
Before his voice finished, his figure suddenly moved!
Boom!
The sound of sleeves tearing through the air exploded like ripping silk. Zuo Muxian turned into an afterimage, so fast he could barely be caught by the naked eye, rushing toward the hovering figure!
However...
In the next breath, his figure suddenly froze halfway.
As if an invisible giant hand had reached out from the void and grabbed his body.
Zuo Muxian maintained his forward-leaning, right fist half-raised charging stance, his sleeves still flapping from momentum.
Yet his entire body was like an insect frozen in amber, unable to move at all.
An overwhelming pressure surged from all directions, pinning him firmly in place, as if every gust of wind and every grain of dust in the world were his enemy.
Cold sweat dripped from Zuo Muxian’s brow. He looked at the figure with great difficulty, his throat bobbing. “Inner... Gang...”
The man finally moved.
His brocade boots landed gently on the ground, silent like a falling leaf.
The smile on his face faded slightly. “I wanted to give Xu Zhouling some face and didn’t want to argue with a junior like you, but you don’t know what’s good for you...”
“Then do not blame this old man for disciplining you on your master’s behalf!”
...
South City, dark alley.
The fine rain that had been brewing half the night finally began to drizzle down.
The continuous threads of rain washed away the blood stench permeating the air, causing it to flow slowly along the grooves of the stone slabs.
Duan Xiao leaped down from the high wall, landing silently.
He looked at Shen Xiuhan with great interest.
Shen Xiuhan gritted his teeth inwardly, his gaze sweeping over the silent high walls. He cursed in his heart, Zuo Muxian! You bastard! You really can’t be trusted at all. If I ever believe a single word of yours again, I’m a dog!
Duan Xiao wore a smile, seemingly seeing through his inner thoughts. He tilted his head, looking at him leisurely, and asked with a smile, “Young friend, what are you anticipating?”
Shen Xiuhan’s cheek twitched. He subtly shifted his feet back two steps, forcing a smile onto his tense face. “Greetings, Senior. It’s late, and the wind and rain are heavy tonight. Let’s talk some other day. I shall take my leave now...”
With that, Shen Xiuhan cupped his hands, turned around, and made a gesture to walk away.
“Did I let you leave?”
Duan Xiao’s smile suddenly vanished.
His cold, emotionless voice made Shen Xiuhan freeze just as he took a step.
“Your face-altering trick just now is no ordinary disguise technique.”
As Duan Xiao spoke, he took a step forward.
He walked extremely slowly, yet with each step, his figure seemed to shrink the ground, sliding forward a massive distance. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Shen Xiuhan.
“Among the Great Qi’s Five Armies, there is a technique called the ‘Turtle-Breathing Face-Altering Formula’. It is said that only when practiced to an extremely profound level does it have such a flawless effect.”
“At such a young age, you can practice such an obscure, niche secret technique to the point of perfection. Truly, the young are to be feared. You are indeed impressive...”
Speaking up to here, Duan Xiao paused. He looked levelly at Shen Xiuhan, a searching look in his eyes. “So... the one who went onto my Dongyi Island that day was also you, right?”
“You killed Jia Pingxiu, disguised yourself as him, and slipped through right under my nose...”
“Tsk, truly a young hero. What immense courage!”
The rain fell heavier and heavier.
Duan Xiao’s expression turned cold. He said expressionlessly, “However... there is one question I have never been able to figure out. Why did you go to such great lengths to sneak into the heart of my Chenjian Dock island? What exactly... was it for?”
His words were like an ice pick stabbing into Shen Xiuhan’s eardrums, sending a bone-chilling cold through his heart.
He... guessed it! No, I have to run! If I hesitate any longer, I will definitely die tonight!
Shen Xiuhan’s mind raced, but his face feigned a silent, speechless look.
After a moment, he let out a long sigh, squeezing out a helpless expression at just the right moment, and smiled self-deprecatingly. “Chief Duan, please understand. I only went to the island because I believed the rumors and wanted to find a Precious Herb to refine pills.”
Duan Xiao smiled too.
His smile was cold and devoid of warmth.
Obviously, such nonsense could not fool him.
Duan Xiao placed his hands behind his back and sneered, “Oh? A Precious Herb? I have occupied Dongyi Island for decades. How is it that I didn’t know there was some wild Precious Herb growing on the island?”
“You might not know, Chief Duan, but that Precious Herb is different from ordinary plants. It’s in the form of powder and is very mysterious. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it. Let me show you, Chief...”
Shen Xiuhan made up the lie with a serious face, reaching his right hand into his robe.
In reality, he reached into his storage bag, pulled out a heavy gray cloth bag, and acted as if he was going to hand over the Precious Herb.
Duan Xiao raised his brow slightly, a look of surprise in his eyes, and leaned forward.
In the next instant!
A fierce light exploded in Shen Xiuhan’s slightly lowered eyes!
He flung his hand!
“Whoosh!”
More than half a bag of lime, like a grayish-white veil, was thrown straight at Duan Xiao’s face!
Taking advantage of this split-second opening, Shen Xiuhan dropped his stance, and his long-accumulated blood qi violently exploded from his leg meridians.
“Bang!”
His toes kicked off the hard ground with immense force, and his body shot backward toward the mouth of the alley like a bolt of black lightning!
“Swift Swan, Swimming Dragon”!
The lime flew at him, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Duan Xiao did not show the slightest panic. He turned his head and waved his wide sleeve with one hand.
A violent surge of true qi erupted, instantly blasting the incoming lime to the ground.
Duan Xiao pursed his thin lips, the mockery in his eyes vanishing, replaced only by a deep chill. “You court death!”
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