Chapter 195

When Chen Mu finished speaking, the corridor fell into dead silence.

Zhang Li's face darkened, his temple veins throbbing.

The remaining black-clad men behind him instinctively stepped back half a pace, their weapons trembling in their grips.

"You… what kind of explanation do you want?" Zhang Li hissed through clenched teeth.

Chen Mu's gaze swept over the corpses of the inn staff and guests who had died innocently, his tone flat yet cold and unyielding: "Life for a life. You killed so many—give me so many lives in return."

"You!"

Zhang Li choked on his breath, stunned by the man's utter ruthlessness—he knew every man he brought was a family elite, and losing even one was a wound to the flesh.

Huh~

Zhang Li drew a deep breath, trying to negotiate: "Sir, this matter concerns my Zhang family's internal affairs…"

"Within one incense stick's time."

Chen Mu cut him off, his voice utterly level: "Hand over the lives to be repaid. Otherwise, I'll come for them myself—and then, more than just these few will die."

Invisible killing intent spread like a freezing tide, as if the air itself had frozen solid.

A bone-chilling cold rose from Zhang Li's spine—he knew this mysterious man would do exactly as he said.

Anger, humiliation, and fear twisted across his face, finally hardening into a ruthless resolve.

He spun sharply, and in the shocked, terrified, disbelieving gazes of his men, his long blade shot out like a venomous snake!

Puch!

"Spare…"

"Ahh!"

In a flash of blade light, the five black-clad men standing behind and beside Zhang Li had no time to react—they were instantly slit at the throat or pierced through the heart, collapsing into pools of blood, expressions filled with confusion and unwillingness.

【Corpse detected. Collect?】

"Yes!"

…

Zhang Li's hand holding the blade trembled slightly, blood dripping from the tip; he forced himself not to look at the eyes of his dying men, and turned to Chen Mu, voice hoarse: "Enough? Can we go now?"

"Not enough."

Chen Mu shook his head.

In the instant Zhang Li's pupils contracted, Chen Mu moved swiftly!

Two fingers like a sword, he tapped the air several times—several strands of razor-sharp true qi shot forth, piercing precisely into the dantians of Zhang Li and all remaining black-clad men.

Pu—

Ehh~ Ahh!

…

Piercing screams erupted through the corridor.

Zhang Li and the others felt their dantians burn as if scorched by fire, then plunge into an icy abyss—years of hard-earned internal energy instantly collapsed, like a deflated balloon, their cultivation utterly ruined.

Especially Zhang Li, who had only just broken through to the Innate Realm half a year ago—now he was a useless shell.

They collapsed to the ground, faces as white as paper, drenched in cold sweat, eyes filled with boundless terror and despair.

To have one's cultivation stripped away in this world of tooth and claw was worse than death!

Zhang Li's lips trembled; overwhelming fear drowned his anger—he dared not utter a single threat.

"Now you may leave."

Chen Mu spoke calmly, as if he had merely done something trivial.

"Go back and tell your Zhang family elders—if they want revenge, find Nie… Nie Renchou."

Hearing this, Lu Ziyi and the cold, elegant white-robed woman beside him both shot Chen Mu a strange glance.

Chen Mu's expression remained unchanged, calm and composed.

Borrowing the name of the dead Nie Renchou would spare him future harassment from the Zhang family.

Second, even if the Zhang family truly sought revenge, by the time they uncovered Nie Renchou's identity, they'd be terrified to death.

As for whether the Zhang family suspected "he" was truly "Nie Renchou"…

It didn't matter.

The surviving travelers didn't know Nie Renchou and hadn't even registered the name yet—but seeing Zhang Li and his men reduced to ruined shells, fleeing like beaten dogs, they felt immense satisfaction and turned to Chen Mu with grateful, reverent gazes.

"Thank you, Young Master, for saving our lives!"

"Nie Young Master, you've avenged us!"

…

"Thank you, Young Master, for upholding justice for us!" The inn Shopkeeper, who had been hiding, emerged from a corner, tears streaming down his face as he bowed deeply toward Chen Mu, preparing to kneel and kowtow.

Chen Mu accepted their gratitude without protest, lightly steadying the Shopkeeper, then addressed the crowd:

"Everyone, help each other—collect the bodies, carry them outside, dig a pit, and bury them. Don't let this place be defiled."

Having witnessed his power and "righteous heart," no one refused; all immediately began helping.

"Young Master, your righteousness!"

"Come on, come on—lend a hand!"

…

Amid the crowd's bustling efforts,

Zhang Yongnian, still trembling from his near-death experience, was supported by his daughter as he shuffled forward to Chen Mu and bowed deeply: "Great Benefactor, please accept Zhang Yongnian's deepest bow! Thank you for saving my life!"

As he spoke, he pulled from his robe a simple wooden box, opened it to reveal a pearl the size of a dragon's eye, entirely ice-blue, radiating faint chilling mist.

"Great Benefactor, this is the 'Ice Heart Pearl.' Worn on the body, it clears the mind and greatly aids cultivation. It is but a small token of gratitude—please accept it!"

Chen Mu's gaze lingered on the Ice Heart Pearl for a moment; he could indeed sense a cool, tranquil intent emanating from it.

But he shook his head and pushed the wooden box back. "I made my move not for any reward. Since this item belongs to your Zhang family, how could I, Nie, possibly claim it? You should keep it yourself."

Zhang Yongnian was stunned. Seeing Chen Mu's clear eyes and resolute attitude, he knew the other man truly sought no reward and had even realized the trouble this item would bring. Gratitude and shame intertwined in his heart, and after bowing repeatedly in thanks, he carefully took it back.

……

Meanwhile, on a mountain path far from the inn.

Zhang Li and several black-clad men, likewise stripped of their cultivation, supported one another as they staggered forward.

The night was thick and the mountain road rugged; every step was accompanied by a searing pain from the dantian.

Zhang Li's face was deathly pale, his gaze baleful, as he howled and schemed madly in his heart.

"Nie Renchou! You dare cripple my cultivation! If I don't avenge this, I, Zhang Li, swear I am no man! Once I return to the clan, I will report to the Old Ancestor, and even if it takes the full might of the entire clan, I will tear you to ten thousand pieces!"

He was completely lost in his wild fantasies of revenge against "Nie Renchou." Though the name Nie Renchou was familiar to him, he didn't take it to heart, nor did he notice that the black-clad men trailing behind him, through silent exchanges of glances, were gradually coalescing into a cold killing intent.

Just as Zhang Li stumbled from exhaustion, his foot faltering—

"Kill!"

Several suppressed, low roars rang out at the same instant!

The black-clad men, who had been supporting one another moments before, now flashed murderous light in their eyes. They suddenly drew out hidden short blades and viciously stabbed them into Zhang Li's body from behind!

"Puh!"

"Ugh…"

Zhang Li's body jolted violently. He lowered his head in disbelief, staring at the bloodstained blade tip that had pierced through his chest.

He laboriously twisted his head to look at the subordinates who had once obeyed his every word without question; his eyes were filled with shock, venomous hatred, and incomprehension.

"Wh… why…"

"Why?" one black-clad man roared in a hideously twisted face, "And you still have the nerve to ask why? To save your own life, you could kill our brothers without a second thought! Now we're all cripples—do you really think your old man will spare us when we get back to the clan, just to vent his anger?"

"Going back is death; not going back is a path to survival! We'll trade your life for our way out!"

"……" Zhang Li opened his mouth, wanting to say more, but fresh blood had already clogged his throat.

The light in his eyes rapidly dimmed. In the end, carrying endless regret and unwillingness, he crashed heavily into the weedy ditch by the roadside and was utterly still.

The black-clad men panted heavily, exchanged a glance, quickly rushed forward to strip Zhang Li of all his valuables, then turned and left……