Chapter 227: Six Meridians Divine Sword

"There has to be a way, there just has to be!" Zu An kept reassuring her, sounding as if he were also trying to reassure himself.

Qiao Xueying had completely lost consciousness by now, yet her hands still clutched firmly at his clothes over his chest, as if only then could she truly let go and faint.

Each time Zu An sensed Shi Lezhi closing in, he would blurt out, "What are you staring at?"

Shi Lezhi was forced to reply, "Staring at you, what about it?"

Zu An used this brief pause to widen the gap slightly. However, this trick was most effective only at the beginning; after a few attempts, Shi Lezhi became prepared, and its impact became negligible.

Finally, Zu An ran into a secluded courtyard and stopped, gasping for breath.

Shi Lezhi stopped several yards away, slowly walking towards him with a sneer. "Run," he taunted, "Why aren't you running now?"

His opponent's bizarre tactics made Shi Lezhi somewhat apprehensive, so he didn't charge straight in. Instead, he first extended his spiritual energy outwards to scan the surroundings. Only after confirming there were no traps or other cultivators did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

He secretly chuckled to himself, thinking he was becoming overly paranoid because of this fellow. No matter how many tricks Zu An had, he was only a third-rank cultivator; what kind of trouble could he possibly cause?

Zu An, however, revealed a mysterious smile. "I only ran just now to pick out a quiet burial spot for you," he explained. "Now that we're alone and the perfect location is chosen, there's no need for me to keep running."

"With birds singing, flowers blooming, and a gentle breeze, this is an excellent spot for a grave. You should really be thanking me."

Shi Lezhi was speechless.

He couldn't tell if he'd misheard or if the guy was insane. He also couldn't fathom where Zu An found the audacity to say such things.

Shi Lezhi's rage surged, granting him 666 points.

"Do you think I'd fall for that again?" Shi Lezhi said coldly. He still felt humiliated remembering how Zu An's bravado had bluffed him moments earlier. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

Just then, a trembling figure emerged from a nearby small wooden hut. "What's going on?" a voice quivered. "Why is it so noisy?"

Shi Lezhi frowned and looked back, seeing an old, decrepit flower farmer standing there. A small hoe hung from his waist, and his body was as shriveled as dried orange peel.

What was going on? He had clearly scanned the area within dozens of yards, and there was supposed to be no one else.

But seeing no spiritual energy fluctuations from the man, Shi Lezhi quickly relaxed. It was just a regular old man.

He directly ignored the flower farmer, turning his gaze back to Zu An with a cold sneer. "All you're doing is bringing one more person to their death."

Zu An hastily hid behind the flower farmer. "Senior," he exclaimed, "This guy not only wants to kill me, but he also has no respect for you!"

This flower farmer was, of course, Old Man Mi. Zu An hadn't been running aimlessly; he had sprinted directly towards Old Man Mi's residence. Mi Li was unreliable, and at this moment, Old Man Mi was likely the only person in the entire Chu Manor who could offer salvation.

"Your attempts to sow discord are quite clumsy," Old Man Mi said, frowning. He was clearly displeased that Zu An had led someone directly to his residence, thus exposing him.

Zu An gave an awkward smile. "But he really doesn't have any respect for you, Senior."

Hearing their exchange, Shi Lezhi was startled and couldn't help but scrutinize Old Man Mi again. But the old man's frail body, which looked as if a gust of wind could knock him over, showed no discernible sign of cultivation.

After a long moment, he finally reacted and sneered, "Trying to bluff again, waiting for reinforcements to arrive?"

He could already hear the distant Chu Manor buzzing with activity, indicating that the previously dormant Chu Manor defenses were waking up. He didn't want a direct confrontation with the Chu family, so he planned to finish quickly and immediately take Zu An and Qiao Xueying away from the area.

As for the old flower farmer, he could simply dispatch him. Such an insignificant person was just a waste of resources living in this world.

Old Man Mi completely ignored Shi Lezhi, instead focusing his gaze on the woman in Zu An's arms. "Who is she?" he murmured. "Oh, is that Xue'er?"

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

Zu An nodded profusely. "Yes, yes, this guy broke in to abduct the women of the manor, and naturally, I couldn't just stand by. So now he wants to kill me too."

"Didn't Xue'er already betray the Chu family?" Old Man Mi snorted, immediately seeing through Zu An's lie. "What exactly is going on?"

Zu An replied awkwardly, "He's from the Shi family, ordered to hunt us down."

He didn't dare say that Shi Lezhi was specifically after Xue'er, fearing Old Man Mi might then choose to remain uninvolved. But as Old Man Mi's half-disciple, surely he wouldn't be left to fend for himself.

"The Shi family..." Old Man Mi's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"Are you two done with your little charade?" Shi Lezhi was growing impatient. "Old man, get out of my way, and I promise you a quicker death."

Old Man Mi let out a long sigh. "I never imagined that after so many years, the cultivation world would be filled with so many narrow-minded individuals. A mere eighth-rank cultivator acting so arrogant."

"How do you know...?" Shi Lezhi's heart lurched. He no longer dared to underestimate the seemingly ordinary flower farmer before him.

He scanned the old man with his spiritual energy again, but still found nothing. That left only three possibilities: either the old man's cultivation was far superior to his own, he was genuinely an ordinary person, or he possessed a magic artifact capable of concealing his spiritual energy.

After much thought, Shi Lezhi concluded that the last possibility was the most likely. The old man's composure and his ability to discern Shi Lezhi's cultivation level at a glance certainly didn't seem typical of an ordinary person.

As for the old man's cultivation being far superior to his, that was simply impossible!

Since when did an eighth-rank cultivation become so common?

In the entire Bright Moon City, only a handful of people surpassed him. Even against Chu Zhongtian, the top master, he believed he could put up a fight. There was no way this old man could be stronger than Chu Zhongtian, could he? Otherwise, why would he be content to work as a mere flower farmer in the Chu Manor?

There weren't that many reclusive masters in this world. Cultivators required vast resources, so the higher one's cultivation, the higher their social status typically became. Obscure recluses would eventually be surpassed by those actively engaged in the world.

Having reasoned all this out, Shi Lezhi immediately felt composed. What was there to fear? How powerful could this man possibly be? He couldn't just instantly kill him, could he?

"I must be getting old and paranoid," Shi Lezhi muttered. "I can't be bothered to waste any more words with you." With the sound of approaching Chu family guards growing louder, Shi Lezhi knew he couldn't afford to waste any more time.

As soon as he finished speaking, he moved like a great roc spreading its wings. A formidable, unparalleled aura instantly erupted from him, snapping countless nearby tree branches. The small grasses around them flattened as if pressed by an invisible giant hand, and the blooming flowers by the roadside instantly turned to dust.

Witnessing the ruin of the flowers he had so carefully tended, Old Man Mi's withered cheeks trembled slightly. "I was originally hesitating whether to intervene," he stated, "but now... you shall die."

Hearing the old man's casual remark, Shi Lezhi secretly sneered. He wondered where these people got their confidence; they were certainly masters of bluster.

He no longer held back, intending to blast the old man into smithereens and then, with his remaining momentum, break Zu An's limbs.

He would then drag Zu An back like a dead dog, ensuring that while his young master enjoyed Qiao Xueying, Zu An would regret ever being born.

Suddenly, an intense alarm blared in his mind. Every hair on his body stood on end, as if each cell was screaming of extreme danger. He was terrified but couldn't pinpoint the source of the threat.

Why was he sensing danger?

He quickly scanned his surroundings. Nothing seemed out of place. The Chu family members wouldn't arrive for a while, Zu An was still standing there, and the flower farmer...

Wait, where did the flower farmer go?

Just then, a chilling voice suddenly spoke from behind him: "Now that you've seen me, how can I possibly let you return?"

Before Shi Lezhi could react, a searing pain erupted at the back of his head. A sudden realization struck him. "This movement technique, this speed... you're the one from all those years ago..."

But he didn't even finish his sentence before his entire being plunged into endless darkness. His body, like a tree cut from its roots, toppled heavily to the ground.

Zu An, standing nearby, watched in stunned disbelief. "Good heavens," he gasped. "I knew you were powerful, but to instantly kill an eighth-rank master like that... it's just too... too..."

He stammered, unable to find any words to describe his feelings at that moment.

Old Man Mi cast a cool glance at him. "I'm leaving this to you. Think carefully about what you'll tell the Chu family. If you reveal my identity again, you'll join him."

With that, he tapped his toe and vanished into the night sky.

Zu An knew Old Man Mi didn't want to remain there, lest the Chu family members discover something.

Remindered of the chilling tone of Old Man Mi's parting words, Zu An couldn't help but shiver. He knew the old man was absolutely not joking.

It seemed there was a significant secret behind Old Man Mi's identity.

Zu An had no time to ponder further, as he could hear the approaching footsteps of the Chu family guards nearby.

He quickly tucked Qiao Xueying into a dense flower bush nearby to conceal her. After all, she was currently considered a traitor to the Chu family, and if discovered by them, she would certainly face severe consequences.

Soon after, Qin Wanru arrived with Yue Shan and a group of elite guards. They all halted, their eyes widening in disbelief at the scene before them.

Zu An and Shi Lezhi stood facing each other. Zu An's finger was pressed against Shi Lezhi's head, while Shi Lezhi's fist rested on Zu An's chest.

"Xiao An, are... are you alright?" Qin Wanru's voice trembled, her heart turning to ice. She had personally experienced how powerful the black-clad man was; hit squarely in the chest by his fist, there was no way Zu An could still be alive.

A bitter feeling welled up within her as she recalled that Zu An had deliberately drawn the black-clad man away to save her. She had always been so harsh with him, yet in a moment of crisis, he had still thought to protect her.

He had died just like that. How was she going to explain this to her two daughters and her husband?

"Xiao An, rest assured, I will avenge you!" Qin Wanru's phoenix-like eyes narrowed with lethal intent. "Guards! Hack this scoundrel to death!" Did he think the Chu family was a place where one could come and go as they pleased?

Eighth-rank or not, his life would end here!

The other guards all assented and were about to charge forward when they suddenly heard a familiar voice:

"Alas," Zu An sighed, "I always wished to maintain a low profile, but you insisted on pushing me. I had no choice but to unleash the Six-Meridian Divine Sword. To sacrifice your life so foolishly, what a waste!" With a gentle flick of Zu An's finger, the already deceased Shi Lezhi softly collapsed, met by the incredulous stares of the surrounding guards.