“There has to be a way out of this. There must be!” appeased Zu An in agitation, almost as if he was trying to convince himself of it too.

By this point, Qiao Xueying had already completely lost her consciousness. Her hand was still clutching tightly to his collar, as if this was the only way she could faint in peace.

Every time Zu An felt that Shi Lezhi was coming close, he would immediately turn around and shout ‘Whatcha staring at?’, to which, Shi Lezhi would be compelled to respond with a ‘I’m staring at you, shithead!’.

Using this short gap, Zu An would try to put some distance between them. It was just that this trick only worked if the opponent was caught off guard. After a few times, Shi Lezhi had already gotten accustomed to it, such that it had barely any effect anymore.

In the end, Zu An ran into a remote courtyard before finally coming to a halt while gasping for air.

Shi Lezhi also stopped several meters away before slowly making his way over. He sneered coldly, “Continue running. Why aren’t you running anymore?”

He could have rushed straight up to end things right away, but he was a little hesitant to approach recklessly because he was afraid that Zu An might still have some other trump cards in his hands. After all, the latter had already displayed many unbelievable means thus far.

So, he first spread his ki around to check the surroundings, and only after confirming that there were no traps or cultivators in the area did he finally heave a sigh of relief.

Haa, it looks like I’m really getting scared for nothing here. No matter how many tricks he has up his sleeves, he’s still no more than a third rank cultivator. What could he possibly pull off?

However, Zu An revealed a mysterious smile and said, “Run? Why should I? I specially chose this place so as to grant you a quiet resting place. You’ll get to enjoy the fragrance of the flowers and the chirping of the birds here. You should be thanking me for my consideration here.”

“…” Shi Lezhi.

He had no idea whether he was hearing things or that Zu An really had a screw loose. Really, how does he get the courage to say such stuff?

You have successfully trolled Shi Lezhi for +666 Rage!

“Did you think that I would continue falling for your tricks?” sneered Shi Lezhi coldly. He could still remember the humiliation he felt when he fell for Zu An’s bluff earlier, and there was no way he would allow history to repeat itself.

But all of a sudden, a shaky figure walked out from a nearby wooden hut and said, “What happened? Why is it so noisy here?”

Shi Lezhi quickly turned his gaze over with a frown, only to see an old gardener standing there. The latter looked like a human-shaped, dried-up persimmon holding onto a hoe in his hand.

What’s going on? I checked everything within a thirty meters radius, and there should be no one here!

However, sensing no pulsations of ki coming from the old man at all, Shi Lezhi’s heart was soon put at ease. He’s no more than an ordinary old man. There’s no need to fear him.

So, he ignored the old man and maintained his gaze on Zu An, sneering, “Looks like there’s another person to join you on your afterlife journey.”

Zu An quickly hid behind the gardener as he said, “Elder, that guy dares to disrespect you!”

Needless to say, this old gardener was Old Mi. Zu An had not been running blindly all this while; he was heading straight toward where Old Mi resided. Since Mi Li couldn’t be counted on, the only one of the entire Chu Manor who had the means to save him was Old Mi.

“Your way of sowing discord isn’t particularly ingenious,” remarked Old Mi with a frown. He was displeased with Zu An leading an outsider here, putting him at risk of being exposed.

Zu An replied with a sheepish smile, “Well, I’m not lying. He really is disrespecting you.”

Shi Lezhi suddenly felt uneasy listening to their conversation. He took a deep look at Old Mi, but nowhere on the latter’s feeble silhouette could he see any hints of a powerful cultivator. After a short moment of hesitation, he sneered, “Trying to put on an act once more, huh? Are you trying to buy time for your reinforcement to arrive?”

He could hear the commotion going on in the Chu Manor. All of the guards who were resting had woken up and were rushing here at this moment.

Shi Lezhi had no intention of clashing head-on with the Chu clan, so he decided to get this matter done with and carry Zu An and Qiao Xueying out of this place. As for the gardener, he would simply kill him off while he was at it. There was no need to keep this ant who had seen him alive in this world.

However, Old Mi didn’t pay any heed to Shi Lezhi at all. Instead, he glanced at the woman in Zu An’s embrace and asked, “Who is she? Hm, Snow?”

Having stayed in the Chu Manor for so many years, there was no reason why he couldn’t recognize Snow.

“Indeed. That fellow rushed in with the intention to kidnap our people, and needless to say, there’s no way someone as heroic as me could turn a blind eye to it! But that fellow refused to let the matter go and came after me as well!” exclaimed Zu An.

“Didn’t Snow betray the Chu clan?” Old Mi exposed his lie right away. “What’s going on?”

Zu An finally answered sheepishly, “He’s from the Shi clan. He’s under orders to kill us.”

He dared not to say that Shi Lezhi was here to kill Snow out of fear that Old Mi wouldn’t make a move. He was betting on the fact that he was somewhat half a disciple to Old Mi that the latter wouldn’t turn a blind eye to his dangerous plight.

“Shi clan?” Old Mi’s eyes narrowed contemplatively.

“Are you done with your act yet?” Shi Lezhi was already losing his patience. “Darned old man, get lost and I can grant you a painless death!”

Old Mi sighed deeply and said, “How disappointing. So many years have passed, and yet, I still see so many frogs in the well in the world of cultivation. A mere eighth rank cultivator like you dares to talk big before me?”

“How did you know…” Shi Lezhi’s heart skipped a beat. He dared not to look down on the old gardener before him anymore.

He used his ki once more to scan the other party, but he was still unable to detect anything at all. If so, there were only three possibilities. One, the other party’s cultivation was far higher than his. Two, the other party was an ordinary person. Three, the other party was carrying some sort of artifact that concealed his artifact.

After careful contemplation, Shi Lezhi figured that the third option was the most likely of all. Considering the other party was able to remain composed before him and see through his cultivation, it didn’t seem like he was an ordinary person.

As for the other party being far stronger than he was, how could that be? He was an eighth rank cultivator, one of the strongest experts in the world!

There were only so few people who could compete with him in Brightmoon City. Even against the number one expert Chu Zhongtian, he would still be able to put on a fight. No matter how powerful the old gardener before him was, it was simply impossible for him to be even stronger than Chu Zhongtian. Otherwise, how could he possibly lower himself to serve as a mere gardener in the Chu Manor?

There were only so few ‘hidden experts’ in the world as cultivators needed a lot of resources to sustain their growth. Due to that, stronger cultivators tended to have a far higher standing in the world. Those who remained little-known were likely to be overtaken by their more well-known counterparts.

Having finally thought things through, Shi Lezhi cast aside his fear. He didn’t think that there was anything for him to fear here. Even if he’s indeed stronger than me, he couldn’t possibly kill me in a single blow, right? If things get awry, all I have to do is turn tail and run!

“It looks like I’m getting timider with age. Forget it, I can’t be bothered to waste my breath with you anymore.” Hearing the sound of the approaching guards, Shi Lezhi knew that he couldn’t hesitate anymore.

A powerful force rippled forth from his body, causing the nearby tree branches to snap off and fly away. The grass on the ground also pressed down to the earth, as if there was a massive hand pushing them down. Even the bloomed flowers in the vicinity were reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye.

Seeing the disastrous fate that had befallen the flowers he had been taking care of all this while, Old Mi’s wrinkled face trembled a little. “I was still hesitating as to whether I should interfere or not, but now… you can drop dead.”

Shi Lezhi sneered in response to Old Mi’s rage. Where does he get the courage to make such boasts? It looks like those who are acquainted with Zu An are all braggarts!

He didn’t hold back in his attack at all, determined to blast the darned old man into shreds with his force before using the remaining momentum of his attack to break Zu An’s limbs. After that, he would bring the two of them back. While the young master had his fun with Qiao Xueying, he would make sure that Zu An thoroughly regret having been born on the face of this world!

But all of a sudden, warning bells began ringing in his head, causing goosebumps to rise all over his body. It was almost as if every cell in his body was warning him of imminent danger, making his heart thump in unease. Yet, he was unable to discern anything dangerous about the situation he was in.

Why is this so?

He scanned his surroundings, but there was nothing amiss at all.

The guards of the Chu clan wouldn’t be able to rush here in time, Zu An is still standing at his spot, and the old gardener… Huh? Where did the gardener go?

It was then that an eerie voice sounded behind him. “Since you’ve already seen me, how could I let you escape with your life?”

Before Shi Lezhi could respond, he felt a terrible pain at the back of his head. Realization struck him at that very instant, and he exclaimed, “This movement skill and that speed, you’re…”

Unfortunately, before he could finish his words, his consciousness had already plunged into darkness. His body slumped forward before falling heavily onto the ground.

Zu An was dumbfounded by what he had seen. “Holy shit! I knew that you were powerful, but you actually killed an eighth rank cultivator just like that. This is way too… too…”

He was unable to find a suitable adjective strong enough to express his current feelings at the moment.

Old Mi glanced at him nonchalantly and said, “I’ll leave you to handle things here. You better think things through carefully before explaining things to the Chu clan. If you expose my identity once more, you can accompany him on his journey.”

With a tap of his foot, he vanished into the night.

Zu An knew that Old Mi was hiding his identity at the moment, so he couldn’t afford to appear in public. He recalled the chilling words he had left prior to his departure, and it sent a shudder through his body. He knew that Old Mi wasn’t just making an empty threat here.

It looks like there’s some huge secret behind his identity.

However, this was no time for Zu An to be pondering about this matter. He could already hear the footsteps of the Chu clan’s guards not too far away, so he quickly hid Qiao Xueying’s body in the midst of bushes. Considering that the latter was a traitor of the Chu clan, she would surely be put through a great deal of suffering if she were to be captured here.

Soon enough, Qin Wanru and Yue Shan led a group of elite guards over. Upon seeing the sight before them, they halted their footsteps before widening their eyes in astonishment.

They saw Zu An and Shi Lezhi standing face-to-face. Zu An’s finger was pointing at Shi Lezhi’s head whereas Shi Lezhi’s punch had stopped in front of Zu An’s chest.

“Zu An, a-are you fine?” Qin Wanru asked with a quivering voice.

Despite her question, her heart had already turned cold. She had personally experienced just how powerful that black-clothed man was, so she knew full well that there was no way Zu An could still be alive after receiving that punch.

She couldn’t help but think about how Zu An had lured the black-clothed man away in order to save her, and it made her feel terrible inside. All this while, she had never hesitated to show her scorn toward him, but who could have thought that he would sacrifice himself to save her at such a critical moment?

If he were to die here just like that, how could she possibly face her two daughters?

“Zu An, rest assured. I’ll exact vengeance for you! Men, hack that bastard into shreds!” roared Qin Wanru furiously.

So what if you’re an eighth rank cultivator? The Chu Manor is not a place where you can come and go as you please! Since you’re already here, don’t even think about leaving here alive!

The guards immediately rushed forward, only for a familiar voice to sound right after.

“Haa. I’ve been wanting to keep a low profile thus far, but you simply had to force my hand. You should have known that there’s no way you could have stood a chance before my Six Pulse Divine Sword, so why did you even bother?” Zu An exerted a bit of force in his finger, pushing the already dead Shi Lezhi down onto the ground before the incredulous eyes all around him.