Chapter 194: Hand Them Mercy

"Yes, that chant is a secret technique I stumbled upon by chance. When she follows it, she can easily release her body and mind completely, and her consciousness will also weaken, making it much easier for my soul to enter her body." Though still in Chu Chuyan’s body, her tone and demeanor were now exactly like Mi Li's.

"Why did you take over her body? You clearly have your own body, and you're very beautiful, with even stronger cultivation..." Zu An said excitedly, then a thought suddenly crossed his mind, "Could it be that poison Zhang Han just used?"

"Chu Chuyan" nodded, still showing lingering fear. "The poison of 'Xiangfei's Crimson Tears' far exceeded my expectations. Even with my cultivation, I couldn't resist that terrifying toxin. It spread throughout my body in almost no time. Fortunately, I had once, by chance, learned a special secret art that allows the soul to depart the body. Even so, my soul seems to have absorbed some of the poison, and I am much weaker now than before."

She paused, then added, "Of course, dealing with you is still more than enough."

"So you usurped Chu Chuyan's body?" Zu An mentally cursed Zhang Han's ancestors while his mind raced, quickly trying to think of a solution.

"Exactly," "Chu Chuyan" said with a faint smile, "I told you we'd meet again soon, but you didn't believe me then."

Zu An finally understood why Mi Li had spoken those words when she left, and why she emphasized that he might wish they never met again. This was what she meant.

He quickly thought and said, "Empress Sister, we had quite a pleasant cooperation before, didn't we? There's no need for us to become enemies now. When we get out, I'll find you another host. Please let Chu Chuyan go. How about it?"

"Chu Chuyan" shook her head. "I'm very satisfied with this body and don't want to change. Besides, do you think soul fusion is easy? My soul suffered significant damage from that one attempt. If I were to switch back to someone else's body, my soul would suffer irreversible damage, perhaps even dissipating completely. How could I take such a risk?"

Zu An's heart sank, realizing their conflict was irreconcilable. His voice also turned cold. "You just signed a contract, you can't harm us. Aren't you afraid of divine retribution?"

"Chu Chuyan" giggled, her originally pure and ethereal face now appearing strangely alluring. "I've already told you the method to save her, as per our agreement. How is that a breach of contract? Besides, Mi Li is already dead. Even if there were divine retribution, everything has already turned to dust."

"Do you think Heaven's Dao can be deceived by this?" Zu An mused, thinking that if his anger value system could identify her as Mi Li, Heaven's Dao surely could too.

Although he didn't know what this ethereal Heaven's Dao was, since this world believed in its existence, it must certainly exist. His only worry was whether any divine punishment would harm Chu Chuyan's body.

"Are you stalling for time, waiting for Heaven's Dao to punish me?" "Chu Chuyan" seemed to see through his thoughts instantly. "You don't have to wait. The contract you signed with me earlier is invalid."

"Ah? Invalid?" Zu An was stunned.

"Chu Chuyan" sneered, "Did you think this empress would have no precautions? How could I put such shackles on myself? When that contract was signed, I didn't press my handprint myself; you pressed my hand onto it. Therefore, it wasn't my true will, and the contract is naturally not recognized by Heaven's Dao."

Zu An: "???"

There was such a loophole?He had lost out due to his lack of experience!

Zu An was filled with regret.

"Chu Chuyan" slowly raised her sword. "Alright, I've told you all this because you did, after all, unseal me. Consider it letting you die with understanding. Now, everything ends."

"Wait!" Zu An immediately called out. "I have a proposal!"

"What?" "Chu Chuyan" seemed a little puzzled. Perhaps being sealed for a thousand years made her subconsciously want to talk more; with her old temper, she wouldn't waste so many words on an ant.

Zu An's angry expression vanished, replaced by a mischievous grin. "Empress Sister, how about you live on as Chu Chuyan, and we continue to be husband and wife? Anyway, my relationship with her was always in name only. If you agree, I'll have a proper wife, and you'll have someone to help cover your identity."

"After all, you've been alone for thousands of years, you must be terribly empty, lonely, and cold. And what we just did was quite harmonious, so why don't we just live together from now on?"

Mi Li: "..."Chu Chuyan: "..."

Rage value from Mi Li: 666!Rage value from Chu Chuyan: 999!

Seeing the rage value from Chu Chuyan in the system backend, Zu An felt a surge of relief. It seemed her soul was still present and had not been completely extinguished. He had deliberately said all that to test if Chu Chuyan's consciousness was still within the body.

Fortunately, the result was gratifying.

Mi Li, however, didn't know this underlying reason. She never imagined there could be such a shameless man in the world. Just moments ago, she had thought their marital affection was deep, but in a blink, he had cast his wife aside.

Hmph!Men!

Zu An, as if oblivious to her anger, continued, "Empress Sister, although you are powerful, you've been sealed for thousands of years. As the saying goes, 'time changes all things.' The world has changed a lot; it's no longer the Qin Dynasty of your time. You're unfamiliar with many things in this world, which could make things very difficult for you. If you reveal any flaws and others realize you're a soul possessing a body, then all the cultivators in the world would turn against you. Even with your high cultivation, wouldn't that be a lot of trouble?"

Mi Li's expression shifted between anger and contemplation. She couldn't help but sneer, "I must admit, your words have some persuasive power. However, you are utterly shameless, even more so than Zhao Gao of my time."

Zu An looked dejected. "Can you please not compare me to that guy? It's unsettling."

Mi Li's heart suddenly skipped a beat. This guy was indeed unlike Zhao Gao, at least in a certain aspect of his abilities.

This thought was fleeting, and she quickly recovered, saying indifferently, "Are you finished? If so, you can die in peace."

"Not yet!" Zu An hastily exclaimed. "Empress Sister, do you really not need to consider it? Anyway, it's not your own body, so you won't be at a disadvantage. You could even enjoy... ahem, not what you're thinking. I mean, you could enjoy my care and allow me to introduce you to the new world."

Mi Li: "..."Chu Chuyan: "..."

Rage value from Chu Chuyan: 1024!

Zu An was secretly delighted. This was exactly what he wanted. He hoped to awaken Chu Chuyan's consciousness and let her regain control of her body.

Mi Li took a deep breath. "Your level of shamelessness truly refreshes my understanding. So be it. Since I have taken her body, I shall eliminate you, this shameless and depraved man, on her behalf."

Zu An immediately retorted, displeased. "You're the one who usurped her place and destroyed our loving relationship, yet now you stand on the moral high ground to accuse me? Your shamelessness is truly astonishing!"

Mi Li was furious. "You're asking for death!"

Rage value from Mi Li: 730!

She flung the long sword from her hand, and it shot towards Zu An like an arrow from a bowstring.

Zu An, having prepared to dodge immediately after insulting her, swiftly activated the Sunflower Phantasm to evade. However, the moment he channeled his vital energy, he felt an unbearable heat in his lower abdomen, and his internal energy suddenly surged, causing his movements to become noticeably sluggish.

He suddenly remembered the vague way Old Man Mi had taught him this movement technique, and combining that with martial arts films he'd seen in his previous life, he instantly understood what was happening.

It seemed that a heaven-defying movement technique like "Sunflower Phantasm" could only be cultivated by eunuchs. His "place" had been sealed before, which, in a way, met the cultivation requirements, allowing him to cultivate it with twice the efficiency.

Now that the seal was broken, he had become a true man, and thus no longer met the "Sunflower Phantasm's" cultivation conditions. Continuing to channel his energy as before would cause internal energy to churn, thereby affecting the effectiveness of the movement technique.

In that brief moment of distraction, Mi Li subtly flicked her finger, and the rapidly approaching long sword suddenly changed direction, piercing straight through his chest.

"Ugh!" Zu An was sent flying by the immense impact, just like Zhang Han earlier, and was mercilessly impaled against the stone wall.

Mi Li cast a distant glance at him, saying indifferently, "When you go to the underworld, remember not to talk so much."

She turned to leave, but then heard a strained voice from behind: "When I'm out in the world, I rely on two things: my looks and my mouth. How can I not talk?"

Mi Li turned sharply, staring at him in shock. "You... you're not dead?"

Zhang Han had died from her sword just moments ago, and while a large part of it was Zhang Han's own death wish, he was still a ninth-grade cultivator. How high was Zu An's cultivation?

"As the saying goes, 'one day as husband and wife creates a hundred days of kindness.' It seems Empress Sister remembered our brief kindness and subconsciously held back, which allowed me to keep my life." Zu An grinned, slowly pulling the long sword from his chest, secretly congratulating himself. Fortunately, he had summoned and used the "Rich Lady's Joy Ball" just in time, thus avoiding that fatal blow.

He had worried earlier that with his current wealth of millions of taels of silver, if the other party wasn't richer than him, not only would he waste the last use of the Rich Lady's Joy Ball, but he'd also surely die.

He had never hated being rich so much before, but fortunately, it turned out his worries were unfounded. No matter how rich he was, he wasn't richer than her.

Mi Li was, after all, the empress of Qin, second only to one person and above tens of thousands. Although Qin had fallen, the entire underground palace was her burial accompaniment, its value immeasurable.

Even Chu Chuyan, as the eldest daughter of the Chu clan, responsible for various family businesses, her net worth was certainly more than a million taels.

So, regardless of whether the Rich Lady's Joy Ball was using Mi Li or Chu Chuyan as the standard at that moment, they were both richer ladies than him, successfully triggering the "locked health" function.

Mi Li was momentarily dazed, wondering if she truly had held back a little due to some emotion.

How could that be!