Chapter 93: Turning the Tables

A muffled thud.

Lu Haidong had no time to react—he let out a choked groan as the palm imprint struck him, his chest caving in, and he was flung backward.

Mid-air, he spat a large clump of dark blood, then crashed into the ranks of Ba Jianmen disciples standing behind him, injuring and killing several; screams and cries erupted as he fell to the ground, continuing to vomit blood.

One palm strike—Lu Haidong critically wounded!

"Still misunderstand?"

Fang Yuanzuo coldly barked, "We've confirmed that Chu Yunchang climbed Ba Jian Mountain. Are you still pretending ignorance? Don't make me say it a third time—hand him over!"

"Huff… huff~"

Lu Haidong coughed up blood and gasped, his face pale, unable to speak for the moment.

The Ba Jianmen disciples behind him were terrified and panicked; those injured by Lu Haidong dared not groan, gritting their teeth to endure the agony.

Huang Keqin, Shi Kuangsheng, Wei Dongliang, Di Chunlei, Qian Yu, and others watched silently.

Even Zhao Fuzhou stared expressionless, offering no protest.

The Zhenwu Bureau suppresses the entire martial world to protect ordinary civilians.

It never interferes in conflicts between martial sects; sometimes, it even encourages them.

"Ba Jianmen" clearly does not belong to the common folk.

Even if Fang Yuanzuo's group exterminated Lu Haidong and his men, Zhao Fuzhou would not intervene.

Chen Mu remained silent.

But the "Listen to the Wind" skill then heard an intriguing conversation.

"Lin Hun! Fang's people have stormed the mountain—if you don't kill me now, it'll be too late!"

"Hmph~"

"Hahaha… cough cough~ So, you're afraid? Kill me, and the Fang family will target your Ba Jianmen, forcing you to reveal the whereabouts of the Xuan Bing. If you can't tell them, what do you think the Fang family will do to you? Hahaha!"

"... You really want to die?"

"Hahaha… cough cough~ It's not that I want to die—it's that you have no choice left. Whether I live or die, your 'Ba Jianmen' is finished!"

"... I can let you go."

"Hahaha… cough cough… cough cough cough~ Let me go? You trust me? Don't you fear that I'll meet the Fang family and use the Xuan Bing's location as an excuse to make them destroy your 'Ba Jianmen'?"

"..."

"Hahaha… cough cough… Hahaha… So now you're afraid? Lin Hun, Lin Hun—I once thought of you as a brother, yet you betrayed me, tried to steal the Xuan Bing. Now you regret it, don't you? Trapped between two evils, aren't you? Hahaha… cough cough… cough cough cough…"

"..."

Chu Yunchang? Lin Hun?

After listening to the conversation from afar, Chen Mu's expression remained unchanged, but his heart felt strange.

Lin Hun—he knew him: the former master of Ba Jianmen, retired for years, a late-stage Primordial expert.

The man speaking to Lin Hun was undoubtedly Chu Yunchang, the one the Fang family and Tianxia Hui were seeking.

From their dialogue, it was clear Chu Yunchang had come to Nan Yun to seek refuge with Lin Hun—the two had once been close.

But Lin Hun, for the Xuan Bing, had poisoned Chu Yunchang!

Chu Yunchang's wheezing coughs and weak voice revealed he was deeply poisoned, with no strength left to resist.

Lin Hun's plan was clearly to slowly torture Chu Yunchang and force him to reveal the Xuan Bing's location.

He hadn't expected the Fang family and Tianxia Hui to arrive so quickly.

Now the trouble had begun.

Kill Chu Yunchang, and the Fang family and Tianxia Hui would assume Lin Hun knew the Xuan Bing's location and silenced him.

Don't kill him, let him go—and Chu Yunchang, seeking revenge, would use the Xuan Bing's location as bait to make the Fang family and Tianxia Hui destroy Ba Jianmen.

For the Xuan Bing, the Fang family and Tianxia Hui had no qualms about becoming the "blade" and wiping out Ba Jianmen entirely.

For a moment, Lin Hun was trapped in an impossible dilemma.

As Chen Mu sorted through the logic, he couldn't help but admire Chu Yunchang.

Even in utter despair, he'd turned the tables!

"... I remember you have a bastard son."

The training ground remained silent; as the mountain wind blew, Chen Mu listened again as Lin Hun's voice returned, "I'll let you go—if you stay silent, your child lives!"

"You bastard! Despicable… Lin Hun, you vile, treacherous worm! I was blind—I ever saved a thing worse than an animal!"

"Chu Yunchang! If you truly cared for me, you shouldn't have come to Nan Yun! The Fang family has been chasing you—yet you ran here. Are you sure you're not trying to draw the fire onto me?"

"Hahaha… cough cough… cough cough cough… So you resent me for this? Fine, I was wrong—I shouldn't have come to you… cough cough cough…"

"Well? Have you decided?"

"... cough cough… Fine."

"Remember—once you leave, say nothing. Otherwise, your only offspring won't live. Go!"

"..."

The conversation ended.

But Chen Mu didn't stop—he continued listening from afar.

Over here, Fang Yuanzuo's voice rang out again, "Still not calling anyone out, are you?"

"Huff~ huff~"

Lu Haidong lay on the ground, struggling to breathe, offering no reply.

Seeing this, Fang Yuanzuo's face turned icy. "Since you want to die…"

"Coming! Coming!"

A hurried shout rang out.

Swish~

Everyone present immediately turned to look at the sound.

There they saw Chu Yunchang, hair disheveled, face pale, struggling to walk, being hurriedly supported by two members of the Mighty Sword Sect.

"He… he's the one you're looking for."

The two Mighty Sword Sect disciples, faces filled with panic, dragged Chu Yunchang to a stop ten paces before Fang Yuanzuo and his group, dropped him, then stepped back to stand beside Lu Haidong.

"Chu Yunchang, you really know how to run."

Fang Yuanfu, identical to Fang Yuanzuo, stepped forward, looked down at Chu Yunchang, and smiled lightly, "How's this? You don't seem to be doing so well in the Mighty Sword Sect."

"Chu Yunchang, reveal the whereabouts of the Mystic Weapon, and I'll give you a quick death!" Fang Yuanzuo coldly barked.

"Cough… cough… cough~"

Chu Yunchang first burst into violent coughing, then raised his head to glance at Fang Yuanzuo and Fang Yuanfu, turned to look at Wei Dongliang, Sun Jindong, then at Huang Keqin, Shi Kuangsheng, Zhao Fuzhou, and others.

After scanning everyone present, he weakly smiled, "Want… want to know the Mystic Weapon's whereabouts? First… first eliminate the Mighty Sword Sect—kill every last one of them, then I'll tell you where it is!"

Hm?

Chen Mu froze—this guy had promised Lin Hun not to use others as knives to kill.

Lin Hun had threatened him with his illegitimate son; Chu Yunchang had just agreed so readily—now he's reneging, abandoning his own offspring?

"Damn it!!"

Nearby, hidden away, Lin Hun's eyes instantly turned red, his killing intent surging forth.

We've been tricked!

Chu Yunchang clearly turned the tables on us!

At the same moment, Chen Mu also realized—understood Chu Yunchang's intent.

"This guy…"

Chen Mu gazed across at Chu Yunchang and gave a slight nod.

"Eliminate the Mighty Sword Sect?"

Fang Yuanzuo's voice cut in, "Do you think we're fools? You want to use us as your blade? Do you even qualify?"

"But… eliminating the Mighty Sword Sect does suit my style."

"Kill them!"