Chapter 30: Zhu Jiuzhen's Ambition

"A mere petty trick!"

Zhang Jie smiled disdainfully.

The skill of catching a blade with bare hands seemed to be something every Wu Lin person knew,

but in reality, successfully catching a blade with bare hands required extremely high demands on eyesight and skill.

It was only ever possible for an expert to catch a blade with bare hands when facing a weaker opponent they could absolutely suppress.

Using it against an opponent who was evenly matched, or even stronger than oneself, was just looking for death!

Moreover, Wu Lie's trump card, the Orchid-Flicking Acupoint-Striking Hand passed down from the Southern Emperor Master Yideng of the Five Greats of the Condor era, was already known to Zhang Jie.

The Great Master of Zhu Wu Twin-Ring Manor, Zhu Zhangling, was a descendant of the Southern Emperor Master Yideng's first four generals,

and later of the four disciples—Fisherman, Woodcutter, Farmer, and Scholar—specifically the descendant of the scholar Zhu Ziliu, who excelled in the One-Finger Zen.

Wu Lie was a descendant of Wu Xiuwen, with the family's martial art, the "Orchid-Flicking Acupoint-Striking Hand."

Zhu Zhangling and Wu Lie, these two guys, were ambitious but lacked talent, and as mere second-rate Jianghu experts, they wanted to plot to seize,

the Dragon-Slaying Saber that major Jianghu sects fought to the death over; it was simply not knowing the meaning of death!

They actually believed firmly that as long as they got the Dragon-Slaying Saber, they could dominate the Jianghu.

They didn't stop to think that as one of the Four Great Dharma Kings of the Ming Sect,

and a first-rate expert himself, Xie Xun, after getting the Dragon-Slaying Saber, not only failed to "command the world,

none dare disobey," but was instead hunted by major sects until he had no path to the sky and no door to the earth,

and could only live in seclusion on the unknown Ice-Fire Island, barely surviving.

One could only say that self-awareness is a good thing, but neither Wu Lie nor Zhu Zhangling had it.

Facing Wu Lie, having achieved crushing superiority in both Wu Gong and information, Zhang Jie didn't even know how he could lose!

Zhang Jie used the sword like a soft ribbon, becoming increasingly gentle, winding, and unpredictable; the sword moves changed constantly, leaving Wu Lie unable to keep up.

Suddenly, Wu Lie stumbled, as if his internal energy was exhausted and he lacked follow-up power.

At this moment, he was wide open, and as long as Zhang Jie lunged forward,

he could plunge the long sword into Wu Lie's chest and achieve victory.

Seeing Wu Lie reveal a flaw, Zhang Jie chose... to do nothing.

This flaw, how should one put it?

It was too deliberate, too obvious.

And even if this wasn't Wu Lie's trap, Zhang Jie wasn't in a hurry.

Time was on his side; he didn't need to take any risks at all. As long as he played it steady, victory would certainly be his.

"Damn it! Why isn't this brat taking the bait!"

Seeing Zhang Jie not take the bait, Wu Lie raged impotently in his heart.

"Swish!"

After exchanging another dozen rounds, Zhang Jie, occupying the absolute upper hand, slashed his sword across Wu Lie's throat.

"Gurgle~"

Wu Lie, who had fallen to his knees, clutched his neck tightly with his hands.

It was a pity that no matter how hard he tried, bright red blood foam continued to flow from between his fingers.

Before long, feeling his hands becoming increasingly weak and his vision blurring, Wu Lie collapsed to the ground.

He was dead.

"What a pity..."

Zhang Jie looked at Wu Lie's corpse, a look of regret on his face.

He wasn't regretting Wu Lie's death.

Wu Lie dared to plot against his Junior Brother Wuji, whom he viewed as a beloved friend and brother; he deserved to die.

What he regretted was that the Heaven-Dependent Zhang Jie hadn't yet obtained the "North-Dark Divine Art."

If the Heaven-Dependent Zhang Jie could obtain the "North-Dark Divine Art,"

he could suck dry Wu Lie's internal energy and squeeze out Wu Lie's last bit of value.

He was the type of person who hated waste; he usually wanted to eat every grain of rice in his bowl.

Now, watching Wu Lie's internal energy as a second-rate expert vanish into Heaven and Earth, he felt quite pained!

"Forget it, at worst I'll just take a trip to Dadu later."

Zhang Jie thought of the experts belonging to the Great Yuan court in Dadu—

the Xuanming Elders, A-Da, A-Er, those few Tantric lamas—and his mood improved again.

Although these experts weren't leeks that grew back after being harvested,

there was still a large batch of them, enough for him to harvest in the coming years.

"Swish~"

Zhang Jie shook the blade, flicking off the blood, and sheathed the sword.

"Miss Jiuzhen, I'm coming!"

Zhang Jie flashed his figure and chased in the direction Zhu Jiuzhen had fled.

Just now, after Wu Lie fell into an absolute disadvantage,

Zhu Jiuzhen sensed that things were going badly, took a long stride with her long legs, and fled.

"Faster, faster, a little faster!"

On the mountain road back to Zhu Wu Twin-Ring Manor, Zhu Jiuzhen, holding up her long skirt, was running frantically.

Even though the thorns and weeds by the roadside cut her tender jade legs until they were covered in wounds,

and the sweat on her face almost soaked her clothes,

and she was panting like a broken bellows, with every breath feeling like fire in her lungs, she didn't dare stop to rest.

Because she knew that the murderer who killed her Uncle Wu would definitely come after her.

"Almost there, almost there!"

Looking at the vaguely outlined Zhu Wu Twin-Ring Manor, Zhu Jiuzhen's originally heavy steps became a little lighter.

As long as she returned there, as long as she returned there, she would definitely be able to shake off Zhang Jie's pursuit.

Even Zhang Jie wouldn't dare kill her under the gaze of so many people at Zhu Wu Twin-Ring Manor, right?

"That Zhang Jie actually dared to make this girl so disheveled;

when I get back, I must gather all the manor's men to make him pay!"

Zhu Jiuzhen gritted her teeth in hatred for Zhang Jie.

For so many years, she had never suffered such a grievance, never been so disheveled!

"I want to chop him into pieces and feed him to the dogs!"

Various cruel tortures to inflict on Zhang Jie flashed through Zhu Jiuzhen's mind.

Then, at a bend in the road, she saw the person she least wanted to see.

"You, you, why are you here?

What did you do to my Uncle Wu?"

Zhu Jiuzhen asked Zhang Jie, who had appeared in front of her at some unknown time, incoherently.

"Why am I here? I just had to run a little faster.

As for your Uncle Wu, I think you should have already anticipated his fate.

Otherwise, you wouldn't have had to flee so early and run so urgently."

Under a large tree by the roadside, Zhang Jie, standing leisurely with his long sword in his arms, said in a light tone.

"Wuu wuu~"

Seeing that there was no hope of escape, Zhu Jiuzhen couldn't help but cry.

For a moment, the beauty's tears were actually somewhat pitiful.

"Crying? Crying counts as time too, you know."

Zhang Jie said, his expression unchanged.

He was no longer the little Daoist who had been a Chulan for over a decade on Mount Wudang;

he was a man who had already been baptized by Pan Jinlian.

Zhu Jiuzhen's crying was suppressed by Zhang Jie's unmoved gaze.

The scheme of feigning pity failed, and recalling the look in Zhang Jie's eyes when he answered Wu Lie's question about being a real man, Zhu Jiuzhen hatched another plan.

She deliberately pulled down her already disheveled clothes a little,

exposing the already slightly revealed scenery to Zhang Jie's eyes.

Zhang Jie glanced at it casually and felt as if the Zhumulangmafeng from before his transmigration had appeared before his eyes,

so snow-capped and white, with pink snow lotuses faintly blooming.

And there were two such Mount Everests!

"You're testing the cadre with this? Which cadre can withstand such a test?"

Zhang Jie only felt that his brother, who had been with him for decades, was becoming a bit restless.

His brother kept reminding him in his heart:

"Big brother, I want to play doubles!"

"Hmph! These stinking men are all like this!"

Looking at the look of infatuation on Zhang Jie's face, Zhu Jiuzhen was quite proud.

So what if he was a high disciple of Wudang, so what if he wanted to destroy the flower with a ruthless hand; wouldn't he still fall under her Zhu Jiuzhen's pomegranate skirt?

Looking at Zhang Jie, a bold idea rose in Zhu Jiuzhen's heart:

"This Zhang Jie is not even twenty and can already kill the first-rate Jianghu expert Uncle Wu (as recognized by Wu Lie and Zhu Zhangling themselves).

Given time, he will surely be one of the top experts in the Jianghu; if I can control him..."

Zhu Jiuzhen seemed to see the day she would become the Wu Lin hegemon.

What, you say Zhang Jie would be the true Jianghu hegemon then?

Have you not heard the principle that men conquer the world, and women conquer men?

Moreover, in her eyes, Zhang Jie was just a tool man to be used to dominate the Jianghu.

Zhu Jiuzhen, her heart burning, decided to give Zhang Jie a little sweetness to bind him completely to her chariot.

"Young Hero Zhang, as long as you don't kill me, I will be at your disposal."

Zhu Jiuzhen said in a tone that seemed very earnest.

As she spoke, she deliberately leaned into Zhang Jie's arms.

"Really?"

Holding the mentality that it would be a waste not to take advantage, Zhang Jie let Zhu Jiuzhen lean into his arms.

"Of course it's true!"

Zhu Jiuzhen's innocent, watery eyes blinked and blinked.

"Then..."

Just as Zhang Jie was about to say something, an angry voice came from afar:

"What are you doing?" ===== CHAPTER 31 =====

neutralizing all of Wu Lie's moves without a trace of smoke or fire.

Seeing Zhang Jie's light-body technique and sword technique were so powerful, Wu Lie, knowing he would be exhausted to death sooner or later if he achieved nothing, decided to take a desperate gamble.