Chapter 233: Two Hundred Forty-One: Each Hides Their Own Schemes

Two Hundred Forty-One: Each Hides Their Own Schemes

Magistrate Ouyang Rong and Saving Aqing were both bound tightly, hands and feet tied.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong lowered his head, staring at his hands firmly bound with hemp rope, yet he felt he could easily slip them free.

He didn't know why, but his intuition told him so—and so he moved.

His hands, boneless as silk, slipped effortlessly from the tightly bound ropes around his wrists; the ropes binding his body did the same.

No matter how tight the bindings, he could simply shrink his bones and slip free.

It happened in the blink of an eye, as casually as drinking water or eating rice—even two green-clad retainers, watching the celestial battle atop the mountain in fearful awe, failed to react immediately upon catching his movement; their first response was merely a stunned pause.

Sitting on the ground, Magistrate Ouyang Rong snatched up the sharp waist knife beside the foot of a green-clad retainer, before the man could bend down to reach for it.

Then a silent counter-killing began. Chu Qiao Chu Qiao Zhihe suddenly spread his palm, squinting as he demanded.

"Magistrate Ouyang Magistrate Ouyang Lianghan, why does he talk so much?" My voice was warm.

"Besides his bone-shrinking ability, his control over bodily balance seems even deeper—he can't just rely on precise manipulation to function as a finely tuned killing machine..."

Liu Liu Zilin nodded, opening his hands in surrender. "Hand it over."

Liu Liu Zilin's brow furrowed further.

Though he had ascended to the fourth rank, his condition was hazy and weak; facing Liu Liu Zian, who had been hiding all this time with full fourth-rank vitality, he lacked both heart and strength, gradually losing the upper hand.

Could a frail scholar really take on eight men at once?

Chu Qiao Chu Qiao Zhihe efficiently disposed of the green-clad retainers, then walked in silence, crouched beside the stunned, handsome young man, and cut his ropes to free him.

Liu Liu Zian's face brightened as he stared at Liu Liu Zilin for a long moment. "If he dares go for help, I'll kill you right now."

Among the dozen or so green-clad servants who suddenly appeared, two faces were unfamiliar—they were the ones who had escaped earlier, clearly having brought reinforcements.

Liu Liu Zilin exhaled in relief, immediately broke off the fight, clutched the wound under his arm, and gasped forward.

Soon, he pulled out a bloodstained Buddhist scripture with eight short swords thrust through its pages. Moments later, Saving Aqing vanished into the woods.

He was already at a disadvantage; this deliberate entanglement left him with even more wounds.

"Surrender, or I'll kill you."

At that moment, Saving Aqing seized her chance and fled desperately toward the nearby woods.

Seven of them clashed.

Chu Qiao Chu Qiao Zhihe crouched, picked up a green-clad corpse's robe, and wiped his blade clean.

With no further hesitation, Chu Qiao Chu Qiao Zhihe prepared to slip into the woods and escape.

He turned to see a dozen green-clad servants emerging from the trees, Saving Aqing dragged out with her hands bound behind her back.

Liu Liu Zian quickly crouched, yanked out several troublesome swords embedded in the corpse's chest.

His left hand silently reached into the dead Chu Qiao Chu Qiao Zhihe's robes.

"If you harm Saving Aqing even a single hair, you'll all die. My men are on the mountain—my senior sister is there too. You can come find us anytime."

Saving Aqing shook her head, confused.

"When did he become fourth rank? Who taught him Qi Refining? Liu Fu? Or the Wei clan? So he's been pretending all along, right? Better at hiding than even his seventh brother..."

Liu Liu Zilin spun around sharply, face pale with shock. Liu Liu Zian stared coldly at Chu Qiao Chu Qiao Zhihe. "Master..."

"What are you handing over?" Nearby, Liu Liu Zilin replied warmly: "Their brothers' ashes?"

Liu Liu Zilin had forgotten where he learned that technique—he'd simply read countless unorthodox texts during late-night insomnia.

"Hmph. Madman."

He glanced at Magistrate Ouyang Rong's lifeless, wide-eyed corpse, smiled, and tucked the Buddhist scripture—deliberately pierced with eight swords to conceal its position—into his robes.

On the corpses' ankles, all bore severed tendons.

"Where is the gift your old master sent you? Hand it over!" Liu Liu Zilin's brow knotted.

Liu Liu Zilin had no time to think—he swiftly drew his blade in response.

Liu Liu Zian stared fixedly at a pale, handsome young man: "Ask him."

At that moment, the dozen green-clad servants exchanged glances, moved in perfect unison, and gradually encircled Liu Liu Zilin.

Liu Liu Zilin lowered his gaze and spat a mouthful of throat-blood to the side.

But before several dazzling moonlight sword flashes cut through the air, Liu Liu Jie realized he'd underestimated himself.

It ended completely within ten breaths.

Around Liu Liu Zilin and Saving Aqing lay seven green-clad retainers, dead in chaotic heaps. Killing was simple: one act, seven deaths. And now it seemed he'd saved Saving Aqing—killing only villains. The crisp sound of a wooden fish echoed nearby, and his merit increased. No burden at all.

Liu Liu Zian stood amid the ruins of the Jia Sword Furnace, clapped his hands, satisfied, then turned and walked back to the cliff's edge.

Seeing the two green-clad retainers flee into the woods, he instantly drew his sword and charged out.

This wasn't Magistrate Ouyang Rong's first time killing.

It made Chu Qiao Chu Qiao Zhihe feel awkward—how could this not be some unnatural talent?

Magistrate Ouyang Rong didn't waste time chasing.

From the nearby woods came a strange, sobbing voice.

Once before, I told my senior sister about this—she said not everyone is like this; I have a talent for killing, and my psychological resilience is naturally weak.

Yet he never expected that Liu Liu Zian, who had always seemed firm yet timid, would suddenly grow cold, study me with a piercing gaze, then draw his moonlight longsword and charge straight at me.

Liu Liu Zian tilted his head; two green-clad servants stepped forward to disarm Liu Liu Zilin. At that moment—

Seven of them stood locked in stalemate. But it was worth it.

Liu Liu Zilin's smile vanished instantly; he trailed behind them. On the grass, seven clashed again.

Even without surprise or ambush, even with two fleeing, it was still one against eight!

He walked up to Saving Aqing.

Saving Aqing's mouth hung open, her eyes wide with disbelief. She even closed her eyes and shook her head hard, wondering if she was hallucinating.

"If he kills you, I'll come right after you. None of you will live. Best pray my senior sister's first-rank cultivation can't catch up to you."

"Don't pay attention to that madman. Stay alert. Come with me."

Liu Liu Zian led the retainers away from the grass, heading toward a certain spot. "Hey, where's your master?"

Liu Liu Zilin fell silent.

Liu Liu Zilin grabbed Saving Aqing and pulled her behind him, staring at Liu Liu Zian behind him, speechless for a moment.

But at that moment—Liu Liu Zian did not respond.

It was Liu Liu Zian—he had returned!

A cold, feminine voice came from the trees ahead of them.

Liu Liu Zilin saw Chu Qiao Chu Qiao Zhihe suddenly light up, dragging a mangled corpse from the ruins, its chest pierced with countless sword hilts.

But Liu Liu Zilin used his body's flexibility to exchange a strike, broke free from Chu Qiao Chu Qiao Zhihe, and dashed into the woods, escaping the encirclement.

Liu Liu Zilin lowered his gaze and said:

He subtly glanced sideways, observing the path through the trees ahead—luckily, he saw nothing unusual.

After a brief exchange of blows, they separated, taking opposing stances. Liu Liu Zian's lips curled into a cold smile as he ordered:

Chu Qiao Chu Qiao Zhihe erupted forward, charging at Liu Liu Zilin with reckless abandon, trying to block his retreat.

"The most crucial thing is your strange fourth-rank ascent—you can now finely control every muscle and bone in your body."

Liu Liu Zian snorted, gazing up at the sky above the mountain peak, where celestial beings clashed in dazzling spectacle—far more impressive than our petty squabbles.

Liu Liu Zilin moved silently, his hands behind his back, signaling Saving Aqing to flee.

But today, this unnatural talent saved him.

He kept watch on Liu Liu Zilin while directing retainers to haul away debris—but he never expected this man to be unmoved.

Liu Liu Zian saw the scripture and immediately exhaled in relief, then a faint smile touched his lips.

Liu Liu Zilin felt the numbness in his arm and suddenly said: Chu Qiao Chu Qiao Zhihe arrived at the ruins of the Jia Sword Furnace. Two corpses lay on the ground, throats slit.

Liu Liu Zilin was speechless, shook his head, and chose not to dwell on it for now.

Chu Qiao Chu Qiao Zhihe, for the moment, had no way to catch Liu Liu Zilin—at best, he couldn't hold him.

Moments later.

Now, he rose from beside the corpse of the retainer who had fled farthest from the cliff, using the green robe from the body to wipe the blood from his waist knife.

During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Magistrate Ouyang Rong had once faced death—and strangely, he'd found that during life-or-death combat, he remained unnaturally calm, his mind unusually clear.

Chu Qiao Chu Qiao Zhihe laughed lightly.

Wei Wei Duoxuan and Liu Fu were nowhere to be seen—only Liu Liu Zian had returned, for reasons unknown.

"What is he doing?" Saving Aqing exclaimed.

"Senior sister once said the Jade Vase Immortal escaped your grasp for the first time because of bone-shrinking sorcery—could you really be..."

He dragged his wounded body, twisting every muscle to meet the attack. Liu Liu Zian spoke calmly.

But thanks to this strange fourth-rank control over muscles and bones, his survival and escape ability was remarkably resilient.

He turned back to the cliff, walked to Saving Aqing's side, and methodically finished off the eight green-clad retainers still moaning and begging on the grass, clutching their severed tendons.

"Don't play tricks."

Liu Liu Zian squinted: "Magistrate Ouyang Magistrate Ouyang Lianghan, what do you mean?" Chu Qiao Chu Qiao Zhihe ignored Liu Liu Zilin.

Liu Liu Zian's facial muscles twitched as he stared at the slippery, cunning young county magistrate, a flicker of conflict in his eyes.

He glanced at the bound Saving Aqing, then suddenly turned. Chu Qiao Chu Qiao Zhihe sighed softly.

He crouched again, idly patting Magistrate Ouyang Rong's corpse, then froze—pulling out a brand-new bronze mask from the corpse's sleeve. Chu Qiao Chu Qiao Zhihe sneered in disgust, but after a moment's hesitation, he tucked it into his sleeve.

After the Mirage Beast Mask was destroyed, the backlash had inflicted severe internal injuries. His face was grim, as if searching the ruins for something.

At last, he freed Saving Aqing's ropes and prepared to help her up. Liu Liu Zilin responded to each move as it came.

One instant earlier.

Liu Liu Zilin lifted his head and murmured barely audibly, a look of contemplation crossing his face:

Even if Liu Liu Zilin surrendered, I would still let Saving Aqing go.