Chapter 157: Pursuit

The master of Zhanlu Manor, Shen Liancheng, clad in a black-blue robe, stood upright with solemn dignity outside the small courtyard gate; the short blade that had always hung at his waist was now nowhere to be seen.

Upon seeing the newcomers, Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong frowned deeply, their faces showing clear signs of alertness.

At this moment, Shen Liancheng turned toward Li Musheng, bowed deeply with utmost solemnity, and said:

"Last night, I thank Young Master for sparing my life. My father is unable to move about, but he personally instructed me to come here to apologize and express my gratitude."

Upon hearing these words, Wu Shang and the other were stunned, while Cao Gaoshan, busy arranging the carriage not far away, immediately stopped his work, pricked up his ears, and listened intently to the conversation on this side.

"Whether I kill you or not means nothing to me, but if you wish to live longer, you had better behave yourselves in the future and do fewer evil deeds."

Li Musheng waved his hand, paying no further attention to Shen Liancheng.

Shen Liancheng, his face grave, lowered his head and spoke in a deep voice:

"Young Master's orders will be forever etched in my heart. As for the remaining members of the Tianxia Alliance within the manor, I have already sent people to secretly eliminate them all."

Having said this, he glanced at Li Musheng and added:

"Forgive my boldness in reminding Young Master of one thing: I previously learned from Jing Chengluo that although the Tianxia Alliance attacked Young Master's group because of the Bai Sha Gang, they actually harbored much greater hidden ambitions."

"It is said that this matter likely involves the four major sects of the Great Li Jianghu. Even Jing Chengluo only vaguely knew such a thing existed and knew nothing whatsoever of the inner details; I hope Young Master remains vigilant."

Hearing this, Li Musheng raised an eyebrow and glanced sideways at Hu Rui'an.

Seeing this, the other immediately understood his meaning, stepped forward at once, and said to Shen Liancheng:

"Manor Master Shen, if you have anything to say, speak it to me directly; Young Master has no interest in such matters."

Shen Liancheng's eyes shifted; indeed, he saw that Li Musheng had already turned and boarded the carriage, paying him no further attention whatsoever.

Shen Liancheng sighed inwardly; being ignored like this was truly somewhat embarrassing for him, but thinking of the other's terrifying, unfathomable martial arts cultivation and Shen Juesheng's repeated instructions,

all discomfort instantly vanished from Shen Liancheng's heart. Instead, he felt that for someone as young as Li Musheng to possess the power to suppress renowned martial arts veterans of the Jianghu, such unprecedented, peerless genius made all his actions entirely natural and justified.

After all, for the Jianghu where martial arts flourished, everything was governed by the principle that strength reigns supreme.

Next, Shen Liancheng chatted with Hu Rui'an for a while; throughout the entire conversation, the other never mentioned even a word about the matter between Hu Rui'an and Ruan Zhenhui, nor did he question Hu Rui'an, as though nothing had ever happened.

This made Hu Rui'an filled with countless emotions; if not for Li Musheng, the other would surely have killed him by now, after all, not everyone is willing to swallow their anger and play the cuckold.

Before long, Li Musheng and his group rode horses and rode in carriages, leaving the courtyard and driving out of Zhanlu Manor.

At the same time, a message was announced to all martial artists within Zhanlu Manor: the martial arts competition for marriage was cancelled, and all subsequent matches were terminated.

Upon first hearing this news, the many young and talented martial artists who had come to participate in the competition were each filled with righteous indignation.

Especially the several most promising seed candidates were the most obvious, yet when everyone recalled the scene of Shen Juesheng's intervention last night, each one could only fall silent once more.

Except for going to question Shen Liancheng about the reason, they dared not cause trouble recklessly within Zhanlu Manor.

After Shen Liancheng gave the somewhat perfunctory excuse that "my daughter's health suddenly deteriorated," the many martial artists, having no choice, could only swallow their anger and angrily take their leave one after another from Zhanlu Manor.

Deep within the manor, inside a small, unremarkable courtyard.

Shen Juesheng, looking listless and weak, and Shen Liancheng, with a face full of respect, sat facing each other.

"Has that child, Anran, already made up her mind?"

"Yes, Father."

Shen Liancheng nodded gently, then frowned slightly and spoke:

"However, by doing this, we have already aroused the anger of the masses; is this not somewhat improper?"

Shen Juesheng, sitting opposite, shook his head and said:

"It matters not. As long as I live for one more day, even the Falling God Peak will not easily move against Zhanlu Manor."

Hearing this, Shen Liancheng looked at the other with concern and said:

"Your injuries..."

"Do not worry. Although the injuries this time were severe, a few months of recuperation will restore most of them."

Shen Juesheng, whose white hair was slightly disheveled, waved his hand, then sighed and said:

"To speak frankly, since last night, the damage to my state of mind is far heavier by countless times than the injuries to my body."

Shen Juesheng, originally with crane-like white hair and a youthful complexion, now appeared old in spirit; he raised his head toward the direction outside the manor and slowly said:

"That punch continues to linger in my heart. I have roamed the Jianghu for decades and seen what martial arts geniuses have I not seen? Yet no one has ever made me feel such despair!"

"He is simply too young... and his martial arts cultivation is so unfathomable that it even makes me suddenly feel that my decades of bitter cultivation seem somewhat ridiculous..."

Seeing his father, whom he had always revered, display such dejected and lost emotions, Shen Liancheng did not know what to say for a moment, after all, his own feelings at this moment were not much different from the other's.

He had never before experienced facing a junior at least decades younger than himself and feeling fear and panic from within; recalling that feeling afterward truly made him feel extremely ashamed and embarrassed.

At this moment, Shen Liancheng's expression suddenly shifted; he took from the side a short blade with a bronze deer head inlaid on its scabbard, slowly placed it on the table between the two, and said:

"Father, I have secretly arranged for Zhanlu Manor to join the Tianxia Alliance and the Falling God Peak in exchange for the 'Skyfall Secret Iron' to repair the Zhanlu Blade; now, with just over a month remaining, it will be fully completed."

Having said this, he suddenly swept away the gloom from his heart, his eyes flashing with sharp light as he spoke:

"When the Zhanlu Blade is restored and sees the light of day again, if Father wields this blade, then with your martial arts strength combined with the Zhanlu Blade's power, perhaps you might even be able to fight that person."

Upon hearing this, Shen Juesheng lowered his gaze, fixing it upon the Zhanlu Blade on the table, his face showing a look of contemplation.

After a while, a gleam of spirit flashed in his eyes; his originally slightly hunched body gradually straightened, and he spoke:

"Liancheng's words are not without reason; if I can wield the undamaged Zhanlu Blade, perhaps I truly might be able to block that punch of his."

Having said this, Shen Juesheng seemed to have regained a shred of confidence, and the expression on his face improved noticeably.

Seeing this, Shen Liancheng felt slightly relieved; having heard that his father's state of mind was damaged, he naturally feared he might collapse and never recover, eventually dying of depression.

Now, helping this silver-haired old man restore his state of mind was clearly even more important than treating the injuries on his body.

Thinking thus, Shen Liancheng pondered for a brief moment, then took the opportunity to continue:

"Father need not worry too much about this matter; although that person's martial arts cultivation is shocking to the world, the punch he threw last night was likely delivered with all his strength."

"Father's Dao of the Blade can only fully unleash its true power when combined with the Zhanlu Blade; if there is another chance next time, perhaps we might even defeat the other."

Having spoken thus, Shen Liancheng's eyebrows relaxed slightly, and he said:

"After all, that punch he threw last night could not possibly have been deliberately held back, could it?"

……

On the road far from Zhanlu Manor, a luxurious carriage raced swiftly.

Inside the carriage, the young man opposite Elder Dài Shí of Luoshen Peak smashed the tea table beside him into powder with a punch, furious:

"What the hell?"

At this moment, Dài Shí's face was also dark and grim, but he merely waved his hand to soothe the young man, saying:

"Young Master, no need to rage. Zhanlu Manor is merely a subordinate force of Luoshen Peak. If not for Shen Juesheng, it wouldn't even warrant our attention."

"But precisely because of Shen Juesheng, we cannot provoke them now. Yet time is on our side—today's humiliation will be repaid a hundredfold in the future."

Hearing this, the young man clad in Yunfeng's black robes frowned darkly and slowly nodded, coldly saying:

"Elder Dài speaks wisely. Even if Shen Juesheng's martial cultivation is profound, he is old—likely has only a few years left to live."

"Once he dies, we'll seize the Zhanlu Blade and exterminate Shen Liancheng and Shen Anran's family."

As he spoke, the young man slightly narrowed his eyes and said:

"Shen Liancheng has been seeking Heavenly Meteoric Iron from Luoshen Peak—presumably to repair the Zhanlu Blade. He thinks he's getting the better deal, but in truth, he's merely making clothes for us."

"Originally, I planned to have Shen Anran, that little bitch, serve me. But she looked down on me—after this, I'll lock her up on the peak and keep her like a bitch!"

Dai Shi glanced at the young man and gave a slight nod. Enduring temporary humiliation—that was the mark of a true warlord.

Within Luoshen Peak, there were countless disciples, and talented young martial cultivators were too numerous to count; competition was fierce, and willpower often proved most crucial.

……

Meanwhile, Li Mu's group, who had departed earlier, were also on the move.

But now, Wu Shang and the others all wore strange expressions, glancing occasionally behind at the carriage, then flicking their eyes toward a lone rider following slightly farther off.

Upon a tall, majestic white steed sat a woman in green martial attire, her skin like lamb's-fat jade, her raven-black hair simply tied with a wooden hairpin, her features painted like a scroll, her face delicate and beautiful.

She followed Li Mu's group at a steady distance—not too close, not too far—her gaze occasionally falling upon Li Mu's carriage.

Yet facing the suspicious glances from Wu Shang and the others, she remained composed throughout, showing not the slightest pretense, instead appearing utterly unbothered.

Inside the carriage, Hu Rui'an and Lady Murong Xiaoya occasionally glanced at Li Mu; since leaving Zhanlu Manor, Shen Anran had trailed them nonstop—both had seen it clearly.

"Don't look at me like that. What can I do? Blame this face—it's just too likable. I'm constantly tormented by it."

Li Mu touched his own face and sighed lightly.

Inside the carriage, Lady Murong Xiaoya—a socially anxious girl—had secretly fallen for him; outside, the third daughter of Zhanlu Manor had fallen for him at first sight and chased him relentlessly.

All of this was unquestionably due to his excessively handsome appearance.

To be honest, if he hadn't already reached the pinnacle of martial cultivation, he'd have just given up and lived off his looks.

"Your Highness, our journey leads to Luoshen Peak. For Shen Miss to follow us all the way isn't ideal—what do you intend to do about her?"

After pondering for a long while, Hu Rui'an finally asked Li Mu.

Given his connection with Ruan Zhenhui, Shen Anran—as her daughter—deserved some care; he didn't want her dragged into the matter of exterminating Luoshen Peak.

At this, Li Mu, hearing Hu Rui'an's question, wore a thoughtful expression.

He wasn't heartless; a beautiful girl chasing him so persistently naturally pleased him.

For instance, back when he studied, if a beautiful classmate, department beauty, or campus goddess quietly slipped him a love letter—even if she wasn't his type—he wouldn't feel any aversion.

On the contrary, compared to ordinary strangers, he'd unconsciously add a filter of favor toward her.

"Let's wait and see. After all, too many chase me—I must test her first."

Li Mu said with a pensive look; he sensed this Shen Anran girl had a touch of romantic delusion.

After all, any other girl interested in him would at least be somewhat reserved; she, however, hadn't even exchanged two words with him before abandoning her home to follow.

Such a blunt, bold girl was too direct—he honestly couldn't quite handle it.

Hearing Li Mu's words, Hu Rui'an opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing more.

Beside him, Lady Murong Xiaoya cast an odd glance at Li Mu, as if holding her own opinion about his actions.

But she was too socially anxious and simply couldn't muster the courage to speak, so she blushed and turned her head away.

At this, Li Mu glanced at Lady Murong Xiaoya and slightly narrowed his eyes.

Undoubtedly, this socially anxious girl was jealous.

Yet Li Mu said nothing about it.

After all, in his past life, an ancient saying went well: the one who takes the initiative enjoys sweet love first.

For a socially anxious person to seek love without taking initiative—wasn't that harder than pursuing martial transcendence?

Thus, the carriage and horses traveled a stretch of road; when the midday sun blazed fiercely, Li Mu's group happened to pass a towering cliff face.

The horses, galloping under the scorching sun, panted heavily. Seeing this, Wu Shang reported to Li Mu and Hu Rui'an, suggesting they rest briefly in the shade beneath the cliff before continuing.

Hu Rui'an naturally agreed—after all, if the horses collapsed, the surrounding area was barren and deserted; finding replacement mounts wouldn't be easy.

Yet when Hu Rui'an and the others reached the base of the cliff, they spotted two familiar faces.

There, ahead of them, sat the cloth-clad old man and the girl in pink robes, already tethering their mule and horse to rest in the cool shade.

Seeing this, Hu Rui'an paid it no mind; after all, the official road from Zhanlu Manor to Shengzhou was the only route—running into them wasn't surprising.

Yet they had left Zhanlu Manor early enough, yet the pair had already passed them—this did surprise Hu Rui'an.

Still, the pair showed no apparent intent toward them, and with Li Mu present, Hu Rui'an naturally dismissed them.

Thinking of this, Hu Rui'an suddenly frowned inwardly:

"My own martial strength isn't weak—I'm no less than that old man. Why do I feel like I'm always relying on His Highness?"

Hu Rui'an immediately warned himself: he must change his mindset—he was a subordinate, and he must always stand before His Highness.

(End of Chapter)