Chapter 290: Master Chen Isn

Bu Nantian attempted to use the lives of these innocents as leverage, creating chaos to find an opportunity to escape.

Yet, Chen Mu's reaction caught him completely off guard.

Calmly glancing at Bu Nantian, Chen Mu casually picked up an unopened bottle of wine from a nearby empty table, smashed off the clay seal, poured himself a cup, and said slowly.

"Then just tie these people to your waist."

"What do you mean?" Bu Nantian froze.

"You don't even understand that?"

Chen Mu took a sip of wine, his tone still calm, "As long as you stay more than three zhang away from these people, I'll strike immediately. If you eat, drink, relieve yourself, or sleep while carrying them, I'll follow you forever. Let's see who breaks first."

Upon hearing this, Bu Nantian first stared in shock, then realized—Chen Mu had resolved to outlast him, completely immune to his threats!

Instantly furious, his face turned ashen, his chest heaving, yet he had no recourse.

He couldn't possibly flee with over a dozen burdens dragging him down—that would be suicide.

So he angrily sat down, snatched up the wine bottle, and gulped down bitter liquor.

The dozen or so diners locked in by Bu Nantian's aura were unaware of the danger themselves; they only exchanged bewildered glances at the strange exchange between the two men.

Two of them, clearly dressed as wandering cultivators, sensed something was wrong, exchanged a glance, stood up, placed silver coins on the table, and tried to slip away quietly.

"Puh! Puh!"

Two faint whistling sounds pierced the air; two needle-thin strands of blood qi shot like venomous snakes, striking precisely into the foreheads of the two wandering cultivators.

The two cultivators stiffened, their eyes rapidly dimming; a tiny blood hole appeared at their foreheads, blood slowly seeping out, then they collapsed with two thuds.

【Corpse detected. Pick up?】

"Yes!"

……

"Aaaah—!"

"Someone's been killed!"

The remaining diners and tavern staff screamed in terror; some tried to run, but one icy glance from Bu Nantian froze them in place, trembling uncontrollably, too terrified to move.

The Shopkeeper hiding behind the counter and several apprentices turned deathly pale, trying to slip out the back door.

"If you don't want to die, stay exactly where you are," Bu Nantian's cold voice rang out, like ice piercing the bone.

"Huh? Y-yes!" The Shopkeeper shuddered violently, bowing and scraping, not daring to move again.

The tavern fell into a deathly silence, broken only by Coarse and Heavy breathing and stifled sobs.

Chen Mu continued drinking his wine slowly, as if none of this had anything to do with him.

Bu Nantian, meanwhile, ate and drank in sullen silence, his mind tightly wound, constantly on guard against Chen Mu.

Outside the tavern, passersby soon noticed the two corpses lying at the entrance, triggering a wave of screams and panic; the crowd hastily retreated from the tavern's doorway, pointing and whispering, the noise growing louder.

Not long after, a squad of Town Guard soldiers in uniform, led by a commander whose aura reached Late Primordial, arrived swiftly at the scene.

The lead soldier, experienced and cautious, did not rush in; instead, he stood at the entrance, his sharp gaze sweeping the tavern's interior, lingering a moment on the standoff between Chen Mu and Bu Nantian, then spoke in a deep tone.

"Who are you? Why are you killing indiscriminately here and disrupting order?"

Xiu!

Bu Nantian didn't even bother lifting his eyelids; he flicked his finger, and a concentrated crimson blade of blood qi shot out like lightning, aimed straight at the Primordial commander's throat!

The speed was astonishing.

"Chi! Chi!"

Almost at the exact moment the crimson blade was launched, Chen Mu didn't move his wine cup—only his will guided two even faster, sharper crimson sword qi that struck from behind, intercepting the blood blade ahead and instantly shredding and erasing it!

The Late Primordial commander, having narrowly escaped death, turned deathly pale, sweat drenching his back; he recoiled violently backward.

Yet, even as he retreated, he had clearly recognized the face of the one who saved him.

Once at a safe distance, his expression shifted from shock to overwhelming joy, and he shouted excitedly into the tavern.

"Thank you, Master Chen Mu, for saving me! Master Chen, wait—I'll report to the province immediately and request reinforcements!"

"What? Master Chen Mu?!"

Outside, the other Town Guard soldiers, hearing their leader's cry, froze in unison, faces filled with shock and disbelief—then erupted into thunderous cheers.

"Master Chen Mu isn't dead!"

"I knew Master Chen couldn't die so easily! He must've been in seclusion breaking through!"

"Master Chen Mu is here?! This is amazing!"

"Who's the one facing off against Master Chen? He looks so sinister…"

"That's 'Blood Hand Pagoda' Bu Nantian! A true disciple of the Xuemo Sect!"

"So… Master Chen is hunting Bu Nantian?!"

"…."

The news spread like wings, carried by the Town Guard soldiers; the entire street was instantly drowned in even louder clamor.

Everyone buzzed with excitement—the prodigy Chen Mu, rumored dead and removed from the Potential Dragon List, was not only alive, but actively hunting the infamous Xuemo Sect true disciple, Bu Nantian, in broad daylight, right in the city!

The news was too shocking, too exhilarating; people marveled at Chen Mu's power and audacity.

Inside the tavern, Bu Nantian listened to the cheers and murmurs outside, his face darkening as if it could drip with ink.

He crushed the wine cup in his hand, shards and wine slipping through his fingers; his eyes locked onto Chen Mu, who still drank calmly, and his voice squeezed out between clenched teeth.

"Chen Mu, are you really going to drive me to total annihilation?"

At this, Chen Mu set down his cup, looked up at him, a faint smile on his lips, "Why say that? Have I blocked your path? The door's right there—go ahead, leave."

"You—!"

Bu Nantian was choked by these words, unable to refute them.

Chen Mu hadn't blocked him—he simply followed like a shadow, and this invisible pressure was even more suffocating.

He stopped wasting words, grabbed the dishes on the table, shoveling them into his mouth, gulping down wine in large swallows, trying to replenish his strength, while his mind raced for an escape plan.

The commotion outside grew louder; officers from the Town Defense Office and curious martial artists and civilians had surrounded the tavern, leaving no gap, their chatter and cries never ceasing.

Amid this chaos, Bu Nantian's eyes suddenly flashed with ruthlessness and resolve!

He secretly activated a secret technique; the chilling aura that had merely locked onto a dozen diners suddenly turned violent, like a dozen enraged venomous snakes breaking free, transforming into concentrated streaks of crimson energy that shot toward the terrified, innocent victims!

This sudden change was swift and unexpected—clearly Bu Nantian had long planned it, attempting to use these people's lives as bait to create chaos and carve out a sliver of chance for himself.

"Hmph!"

At the very moment Bu Nantian's aura shifted, Chen Mu sensed it.

He let out a cold snort, his body unmoved, but the wine cup in his hand shattered explosively, the liquid turning into a dozen fine water arrows.

Reacting later but arriving first, they struck with perfect precision to intercept those crimson streaks!