Chapter 234

The carriage sped past the long-vanished gates of Bailian City; in the night, a thick, pungent scent of blood lingered around the entire city wall, yet the carriage did not pause, seeming utterly indifferent to it.

After entering the city, the carriage traveled along the damaged, broken blue-brick streets, crossed several thoroughfares, and finally stopped before the Bai Xiang Pavilion.

Li Musheng, seated atop the pavilion's roof ridge, looked down, then raised an eyebrow.

On this newly arrived carriage, he happened to spot two acquaintances.

Where the coachman should have been sitting, an old man and a little girl were now seated.

These two were precisely the Lin Mu Old Man and Lin Xun'er, who had intended to quietly travel to Bailian Peak for revenge.

Halfway there, they encountered the eldest disciple of the Zhang Sect of Luoshen Peak; the two sides clashed, and the old man and girl were captured. Even though the Lin Mu Old Man, a master of the Heavenly and Mortal realm, struggled desperately to escape, he could not get away.

At this moment, the eldest disciple of the Zhang Sect of Luoshen Peak used the folding fan in his hand to lift the carriage curtain, then looked up toward Li Musheng on the pavilion's roof.

Seeing at first glance that Li Musheng was indeed as young as the messenger had claimed, his expression shifted; with a calm voice, he asked:

"Just now, was the Fengdezhang Sect of our Luoshen Peak defeated by your hand?"

Hearing this, Li Musheng said nothing further, merely pointing casually at the ditch in the street beside the Bai Xiang Pavilion.

His attention was now on the Lin Mu Old Man and Lin Xun'er; after curiously observing the two for a while, he found their faces extremely grim, especially Lin Xun'er's, whose small face showed both anger and fury, as if filled with boundless regret.

At the same time, the young man glanced at a pile of corpses in the deep pit and ditch on the street, his gaze lingering briefly on the body of Zheng Yunfeng.

Immediately afterward, he looked up again toward Li Musheng on the roof; his expression was unreadable, and he said:

"Are you someone from the Great Li Court? Yet why have I never heard that the Great Li Court produced such a young expert?"

Facing the young man's question below, Li Musheng withdrew his gaze, glanced at the other, and said:

"There are many things you have not heard of, but... your courage is indeed considerable."

Saying this, Li Musheng raised an eyebrow and said:

"Since you did not immediately shout for blood and killing, I will give you a piece of advice: call for more people; best of all, summon everyone from Luoshen Peak who can fight. Otherwise..."

The rest of his words, Li Musheng pondered for a moment, yet found he did not know what to say.

Because even if the other side truly summoned everyone from Luoshen Peak, the result would be the same; there would be no "otherwise" and no "accident."

The young man gazed at Li Musheng on the roof of the Bai Xiang Pavilion, narrowed his eyes slightly, and said:

"Thank you for your reminder, but you are mistaken on one point: I came to this Bailian City not because I am bold, but because I am sufficiently confident."

Hearing this, Li Musheng's expression paused slightly; he stared at the young man below the Bai Xiang Pavilion for a while, found nothing unusual, then nodded and said:

"As you wish."

The young man naturally sensed the contempt coming from Li Musheng, but he seemed not to care; instead, he glanced at the Lin Mu Old Man and Lin Xun'er on the carriage and slowly said:

"On the road to Bailian City, I encountered these two; they are not people of our Luoshen Peak and harbor treacherous intentions. Originally, I intended to kill them on the spot and be done with it."

"However, they claimed to have a close relationship with you, so I brought them along."

Saying this, the young man glanced carelessly at Li Musheng and said:

"How do you think I should deal with them? Or do you believe they possess enough value to become a bargaining chip in my hands?"

Upon hearing these words, the Lin Mu Old Man and Lin Xun'er both looked up at Li Musheng on the roof; their gazes clearly carried anxiety and pleading.

Earlier, when this eldest disciple of the Zhang Sect of Luoshen Peak intended to kill them, they truly felt unwilling to accept their fate.

The two already bore a blood feud; they had just seen hope for revenge, only to have it cut short halfway.

At that time, they had only one path left: to await death. In their desperation, they could only bluff by claiming a relationship with Li Musheng, the expert who had just slain the Fengdezhang Sect of Bailian Peak, thereby barely preserving their lives for the moment.

At this moment, facing the gazes cast toward him by the two, Li Musheng stroked his chin, did not answer the young man's words, but instead asked the other:

"I am somewhat curious: how exactly did they just describe their relationship with me?"

Hearing this, the young man seemed not to care either, and said lightly:

"They said you both come from the Great Li Court, and that your journey to Bailian Peak is to carry out a secret mission entrusted by the Emperor of the Great Li; however, only you know the specifics of the secret mission."

Upon hearing this, Li Musheng chuckled, glanced at the Lin Mu Old Man and Lin Xun'er, and suddenly spoke:

"You know quite a lot; I should have killed you to silence you!"

Upon hearing these words, the Lin Mu Old Man and Lin Xun'er both froze, then exchanged a glance.

At this moment, the grandfather and granddaughter could clearly see the shock in each other's eyes:

There really is a secret mission?

They actually fell for their bluff?

The eldest disciple of the Zhang Sect of Luoshen Peak showed a thoughtful expression; he gazed at Li Musheng on the roof, then narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded, saying:

"It seems you intend to protect these two."

Saying this, a faint, barely-there smile curled the young man's lips, and he said:

"In that case, if you answer my three questions, I can promise not to take their lives."

Hearing this, the Lin Mu Old Man and Lin Xun'er immediately shifted their expressions and both looked at Li Musheng again.

However, Li Musheng merely waved his hand and said to the young man below:

"Do not make things so complicated; I suggest you simply act directly."

Hearing this, the young man slowly shook his head and was about to speak.

Yet in the next instant, his mind suddenly became alert; immediately, the heavenly and earthly true qi around him surged violently, and his entire body suddenly became ethereal and indistinct.

The Lin Mu Old Man and Lin Xun'er both seemed to sense something and immediately looked toward the young man.

Then, the two saw that on the right side of the other's chest, a blood hole had appeared, piercing completely through from front to back.

However, the young man was clearly unharmed; within the blood hole, threads of crimson light emerged, and the surrounding flesh and sinews slowly writhed as the hole healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

At this moment, the eldest disciple of the Zhang Sect of Luoshen Peak looked down at the blood hole on his chest, then gazed up at Li Musheng on the roof and said:

"Just now, were you preparing to pierce my skull, just as you did with the Fengdezhang Sect of Zheng?"

"I admit your strike was indeed difficult to detect, and its speed was utterly impossible to resist."

Having said this, the young man suddenly displayed a mocking smile and said:

"However, I can also inform you clearly: no matter how you act, you cannot kill me."

(End of this chapter)