Chapter 197: Dual-faced Beauty

After laughing for a while, Mi Li's expression suddenly turned serious. "I'm tired of playing with you," she declared.

As soon as she finished speaking, she charged towards Zu An. Her previous sword qi attacks had failed to take his life, so she decided to act herself.

Zu An's soul almost leaped out of his body. He quickly dodged sideways, cursing as he ran, "Tai'e, you bastard! If you don't come now, I'm dead!"

In the distance, the Tai'e sword, lodged in the rock wall, vibrated slightly, emitting a dragon's roar. Then it suddenly flew out of the wall and landed directly in Zu An's hand.

Zu An was overjoyed. He swung the precious sword in his hand, slicing backward.

The pursuing Mi Li was startled. In her prime, she wouldn't have feared it, but now, facing the sharp sword qi, she had to temporarily avoid its edge.

Only then did Zu An have a chance to examine the sword in his hand. He couldn't help but flick the blade lightly with his finger. "Why are you such a jerk? You wouldn't listen to polite requests, but you move only after being cursed."

The sword hummed, vibrating with a humming sound, clearly displeased with his remark.

Mi Li glanced at the Tai'e sword in his hand but didn't rush forward. "According to you, isn't that quite similar to your own personality? No wonder it resonates with you."

"You can eat whatever you want, but you can't just say whatever you want," Zu An snorted. "What do you mean, similar to my personality? Am I such a jerk?"

"Aren't you?" Mi Li sneered.

Even Qiao Xueying, weakly lying in a pool of blood nearby, couldn't help but nod.

Zu An coughed twice to cover his embarrassment. "What's the point of talking so much? I have the Sword of Might now. I'll teach you a good lesson right now!"

"Teach me a lesson?" Mi Li acted as if she'd heard the biggest joke. "If the Tai'e sword were at its peak, I'd be wary of it even in my current state. But now, heh heh!"

No sooner had she spoken than she appeared before Zu An.

Zu An was horrified and quickly swung his sword to attack her. He chose a suicidal fighting style, as he now had the "Rich Madam's Happy Ball" as a safety net and the Primordial Chaos Scripture for recovery. This style was clearly advantageous for him.

Mi Li's beautiful brows furrowed. Given her arrogance, she clearly wouldn't tolerate even the slightest injury from what she considered an ant.

Her retreat greatly emboldened Zu An, and the Tai'e sword in his hand swung with fierce power. However, the disparity between them was too vast. She quickly found an opening, sent him flying into the air in a miserable arc, and he crashed heavily to the ground.

"Ah Zu!" Qiao Xueying exclaimed from a distance. She wanted to rush over and catch him, but unfortunately, she was too heavily wounded to move even an inch.

"Since you care about him so much, then go join him as a pair of ill-fated lovers," Mi Li sneered, raising her hand to take Qiao Xueying's life. Suddenly, a weak voice spoke from behind her:

"I'm not dead yet."

Hearing the voice, both women abruptly turned to look at him. Qiao Xueying's face was filled with pleasant surprise, while Mi Li's was a mix of shock and horror. The force she had used just now would have certainly killed even a Fifth-Grade expert, let alone a Third-Grade one.

Zu An shakily stood up. At first, it was difficult, but then he stood more and more upright. The Primordial Chaos Scripture was working desperately to repair his body. Theoretically, the recovery speed of his Primordial Chaos Scripture at its current level couldn't match Mi Li's damage speed, but thanks to the "Rich Madam's Happy Ball" as a backup, he just needed to keep recovering.

Mi Li's beautiful face turned cold. She was truly getting angry. This guy was as annoying as an unkillable cockroach.

Rage value from Mi Li: 444!

Zu An's system registered her rage value, but he felt no joy whatsoever. He had already resigned himself to getting nothing from the first three draws, and the second batch of rage value still hadn't been used. Now, any new inflow felt like a wasted opportunity to him.

He even admired himself for being able to think about such things while facing imminent death.

Mi Li transformed into a bolt of lightning and rushed at him again. Zu An had also managed to gather some strength by now, so he raised the Tai'e sword and met her.

As expected, Zu An was knocked flying again. Such immense force hitting vital points should have left no hope of survival.

But Mi Li didn't let down her guard in the slightest. Instead of looking away as before, she stared intently at him.

Sure enough, Zu An shakily climbed to his feet once more.

"Empress Sister, put some effort into it!"

Mi Li's eyes turned cold. Her figure flickered, and Zu An was pierced by countless invisible swords.

Yet, after a moment, Zu An in the pool of blood struggled to his feet again. "Harder!"

A fatal blow was his reply.

"Empress Sister, why are you so soft, like a woman? Oh, wait, you *are* a woman."

"Harder!"

Tears had already blurred Qiao Xueying's eyes. She cried out, begging Zu An not to provoke that demoness anymore, but Zu An ignored her completely.

After countless repetitions, Mi Li suddenly stopped, a complex expression in her eyes. "I must say, although your power is weak, your perseverance and indomitable spirit are matched by few in this world. No wonder you could subdue the Sword of Might, Tai'e."

"Unfortunately, I still can't beat you." Zu An let out a long sigh. Although the "Rich Madam's Happy Ball" meant he was temporarily out of mortal danger, the power gap was too immense. He had no power to retaliate.

"Very well, your courage and perseverance are quite admirable. To be taken by a man like you... *cough cough*," Mi Li's face flushed slightly. "Thinking about it now, it's not entirely unacceptable. I'll spare you both today. We won't meet again."

Having said that, she turned to leave, but then Zu An's voice came from behind her: "Wait, you might have spared me, but I haven't spared you. Give me my wife back!"

He knew that if Mi Li left like this, Chu Chuyan's remaining consciousness would soon be completely obliterated by her, and then she would truly be dead.

Mi Li turned back, a murderous aura appearing between her brows. "Don't test my patience!"

In the Great Qin era, laws were strict. As an empress, second only to the emperor, she was not as tyrannical as Ying Zheng but was accustomed to treating lives as expendable. Even her most trusted confidantes, who had served her for years with great merit, would be killed without a blink if they truly angered her.

Considering how Zu An had 'offended' her earlier, under normal circumstances, even death by a thousand cuts wouldn't satisfy her hatred. Yet, now, impressed by his resilience, she had offered him a way out, only for him to be ungrateful!

Qiao Xueying also quickly said, "Ah Zu, you've done your best. If Miss Chu knew all this, she would definitely be comforted. Don't push it any further; it's meaningless."

She knew the vast power difference between them. Zu An's countless resurrections were already a miracle, but people ultimately die. Moreover, he couldn't inflict even the slightest damage on Mi Li. What was the point of persisting?

Zu An shook his head and said, word for word, "That's my wife. I just had our wedding night with her. How can I just stand by and watch her die meaninglessly like this!"

"Since that's the case, then I'll grant your wish," Mi Li said, a wave of irritation in her heart. Being of royal birth and having her past with Ying Zheng, she had never believed in love. But this scene before her seemed to shake her long-held beliefs. Why could other women so easily obtain something she could not?

If so, then she would destroy it with her own hands.

Her figure appeared before Zu An almost instantly. Zu An hurriedly raised his sword, but alas, his injuries were so severe that even with the Primordial Chaos Scripture constantly repairing him, he could barely stand. Wielding a sword was already a luxury.

Mi Li flicked her finger, and the Tai'e sword, which had been in his hand, finally flew a zhang (about 3.3 meters) away, deeply embedding itself in the ground.

Then, her hand clamped around his neck. Her long fingernails had slightly pierced his skin, and the seeping blood stained her pure white, slender fingers a captivating red.

She said coldly, "I don't understand why you don't die. Perhaps you have some special skill, or perhaps you're a special race. But even immortal beings have their vital points in their heads."

"Before, I held back. Although I knew this, I didn't target it. But since you refuse a toast and prefer a forfeit, don't blame me now."

"I refuse to believe you can survive if I remove your head!"

Zu An was also curious about this at the moment. If she really twisted off his head, would the "Rich Madam's Happy Ball" still be effective?

If so, how would it work? Would it reattach his severed head to his body?

But what if she crushed his head into smithereens, like crushing a watermelon? Could he still be resurrected then?

At that thought, Zu An's face immediately fell.

Noticing the fleeting weakness in his eyes, Mi Li sneered. Just as she was about to twist off his head completely, her body suddenly stiffened, and her hand stopped instantly.

"Ah Zu, quickly kill me!"

The cruel arrogance in Mi Li's eyes had vanished, replaced by Chu Chuyan's pure and ethereal demeanor. At this moment, tears welledup in her eyes.

Zu An was overjoyed. "Wife, you've recovered?"

"I've only temporarily regained control of my body. I can't hold on for long. Quick, kill me!" Chu Chuyan said rapidly. She had been a proud person since childhood. How could she allow her body to be possessed by another woman?

Especially at the thought of that woman using her body with who-knows-what kind of men in the future, a chill ran down her spine. She would rather die than see that happen.

Zu An immediately hesitated. Although he was severely injured, Chu Chuyan had completely dropped her guard at this moment, making it possible to kill her. But how could he bring himself to do it?

If he could truly accept her death, what was the meaning of his persistence until now?

"Hurry," Chu Chuyan's eyes were filled with anxiety and pleading.

Zu An's face was a storm of conflicting emotions. Logically, he knew what the optimal choice was, but how could he be rational in a situation like this?

It was during this moment of hesitation that the woman's eyes regained Mi Li's unique demeanor. "Insignificant woman, how dare you defy this empress!"

"In my opinion, you're just a despicable woman!" Chu Chuyan's eyes became clear again.

Watching their expressions shift back and forth, the same face speaking with completely different tones, the sensation was utterly bizarre.

Zu An knew he couldn't hesitate any longer. He reached out, summoned the Tai'e sword into his hand, and placed the tip against Chu Chuyan's chest. With just a slight push, he could end her life.

As if knowing he couldn't bring himself to do it, Chu Chuyan gritted her teeth, raised her left hand, grasped the sword tip, and pushed it towards her own heart.