Chapter 526: Proper Business

Squish.

The middle-aged swordsman’s head was stepped into a pool of meat paste, the excessive force pressing down, forcing the air between the wooden clogs and the ground out violently, so blood splashed out, landing in front of Kurama Heihachi.

At the same time, figures emerged from the end of the path, stepping onto the path one after another, and the majestic sword intent gathered into a piece, rolling toward Kurama Heihachi like a tide.

[Sword Saint].

More than ten [Sword Saints].

Grasping the sword hilts, they walked toward Kurama Heihachi.

And Kurama Heihachi had no reaction, just locked his gaze fixedly at the end of the path, at the figure who had stepped on the middle-aged swordsman’s head.

That person was wearing priestly attire almost identical to Ji Tianrui’s, covering his face with a light veil, revealing only a slender, white neck like a swan’s, a crimson katana hanging at his waist, facing Kurama Heihachi, his fingers tapping slowly on the sword hilt.

"Are you the head of Hachimangu Shrine?"

Kurama Heihachi grinned and laughed.

That person didn't answer, just raised a hand toward Kurama Heihachi from afar, palm facing up, as if holding him in the palm of his hand—and then, the palm suddenly flipped.

"Kill!!!"

The sword saints who had surrounded Kurama Heihachi shouted in unison, more than ten cold lights flashed, slashing toward Kurama Heihachi!

The crowd behind was in an uproar.

"This is not according to the rules!"

"This is not ascending the steps!"

"Lord Uda is dead, this ascending the steps is over, you Hachimangu Shrine cannot attack those who have ascended the path again!"

"That’s right... even if ascending the steps can be continued by others, you cannot let more than ten people surround and attack!"

Those gathered here were swordsmen and samurai who had gathered in Kamakura and could not ascend Hachimangu Shrine, many of whom had wasted years or even decades.

"Ascending the steps" was their only hope, and seeing Lord Uda die before their eyes, the feeling of empathy surged in their hearts, so they temporarily forgot their fear and shouted indignantly.

No one cared.

Even the interjecting swordsman, who was standing trembling beside Li Miao and Ji Tianrui, looked at the indignant crowd with strangeness, and carefully moved toward Li Miao’s side.

Shouting what?

Seeking death!

It’s already like this, still thinking about "ascending the steps"?

Those are more than ten Sword Saints, not a dozen rabbits. The swords are already drawn, so what kind of rules are you talking about? Are the rules bigger or are the fists bigger!

Besides—he looked up secretly, and just happened to meet Li Miao’s smiling gaze. He couldn't help but tremble, squeezing out a smile uglier than crying.

The one who didn't follow the rules first was not Hachimangu Shrine.

Others didn't know, but he had been talking to Li Miao’s group of three by chance... how could he not guess that today’s ascending the steps was essentially a declaration of war when one beast stepped into another beast’s territory!

Like himself, a snake, insect, rat, or ant, not finding a side to lick, and daring to bare his teeth at the other side without any support... wait for death, you guys!

Thinking of this, the smile on his face became a bit more sincere, his eyes rolled, and he knelt down in front of Li Miao with a thud.

"Oh my—my lord, your boots."

Lifting his sleeves, he used the water gourd to get water, pressed his face to the ground, leaned toward the soles of the boots, and wiped them carefully.

"Stained with dust, how can this be?"

"You damn dust! How dare you stain the lord’s body! Damn it! Damn it! I will wipe it clean for the lord!"

"I—wipe!"

The last word "wipe," the tone rose sharply.

Blood.

A massive amount of blood fell from above the perspective.

The shouting of the surrounding crowd was suddenly cut off, because the sword saints of Hachimangu Shrine killed their way over in silence, splashing a piece of cold light from a distance of several zhang at the height of the heads, so the heads flew up, the shouting was cut off, and the cavities pumped blood and sprinkled it down.

"My lord!"

He let out a scream, and took the opportunity to lie down, hugging Li Miao’s calf.

"Save me!"

Li Miao didn't care at all, just looked forward, smiling and talking to Ji Tianrui.

"Is this the person you want to lure here?"

Ji Tianrui nodded with a smile.

"Yes."

"Is she very important?"

"Of course."

"Make a move?"

"Not yet."

Ji Tianrui shook her head with a smile.

"Lord Li, do you know what the biggest difference in our working styles is?"

Li Miao frowned slightly.

"Leader Ji might as well speak directly."

Ji Tianrui laughed lightly.

"It’s nothing proper, Lord Li doesn't need to be so serious. It’s just a chat when there’s nothing to do."

She pointed her finger at Li Miao.

"Lord Li, you always like to use speed to beat slowness, smashing into the net when the enemy has just spread it, tearing apart all the people, things, and objects that might be related to the opponent’s calculations."

"Your martial arts are extremely strong, and you are good at investigating cases and torture. The enemy cannot hide from you and cannot block you, so in the end, they can only die by your hand."

Then she pointed at herself.

"As for me, I like to plan before moving. Before the opponent discovers me, I spend a hundred times the time to weave a big net that the opponent absolutely cannot escape from, and then use several times the cost and lives of the enemy to get the only thing I want."

"I won't kill people who don't need to be killed; I won't take things that can be given to others. I am never greedy or reckless, so I can be invincible."

Li Miao tilted his head slightly.

"What exactly does Leader Ji want to say?"

Ji Tianrui laughed lightly.

"What I want to say is that the essential difference between you and me actually lies in talent and origin."

"Although you are an orphan, you are the adopted son of the Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander, which can be said to be half a royal descendant. Your martial arts are extremely strong, your heart is ruthless, and your talent is outstanding—"

Li Miao gave a mocking laugh.

"I wouldn't dare to compare my talent with Leader Ji’s; I hadn't even mastered the Heaven and Man realm at your age."

Ji Tianrui wasn't annoyed by being interrupted, just smiled and waved her hand.

"Lord Li already knows how my realm came about—taking by force, opportunistic, unstable foundation, difficult to use for great purposes. If I go to Izumo Taisha, I will probably die directly in the hands of Bodhidharma."

"Back to the topic just now, Lord Li."

Ji Tianrui looked forward with her hands behind her back.

"You have the capital to be arrogant, because no one has ever been able to compare to you, and you have never needed to rely on anyone, nor do you need to fear anyone."

"If you want to master the realm above Heaven and Man, you can be sure that you will definitely master it; if you want to kill someone, you are also sure that you will definitely be able to kill them."

"Just like you want to kill me, if you really put down everything and pursue me day and night, I should have died in your hands long ago."

"But you disdain to do so. You are waiting for me, waiting to see what kind of trouble I can bring you, preferably the kind that makes you fight for your life—you have never been afraid of fighting for your life. If no one can bring you a life-and-death crisis, you will feel bored instead."

"What drives you to act has always been—interest."

"As for me."

Ji Tianrui smiled and pointed at her heart.

"It is fear."

"I fear the First Ancestor of Heaven and Man, so I will collect all information about him by any means, and for this, I can sacrifice the Ming Cult, sacrifice my subordinates, sacrifice everything."

"I fear you, so I gave the Emperor, Anqisheng, and Yingzhou all to you, because I don't want to fight you head-on, which would likely lead to my complete death."

"I fear everything, so I have to calculate everything, which is why you feel that I seem to have a plan for everything. In fact, it is because I am too timid and have to work day and night to calculate everything into it."

Li Miao gave a mocking laugh.

"Leader Ji is being too modest."

"You don't look like you’re afraid of death."

Ji Tianrui laughed lightly.

"I am indeed not afraid of death; what I fear is not being free, fear of being unable to help myself, fear of being trapped—just like Master Zhang Sanfeng and Master Bodhidharma."

Li Miao raised an eyebrow.

"Saying so much, it turns out you were waiting for me here... you actually want me to restrain myself a little, value my opponent, and act according to your plan, right?"

Ji Tianrui nodded with a smile.

"Lord Li heard it."

"Our true hearts are different, and the results we pursue are also different, but the process and means can be the same."

Ji Tianrui reached out and pointed to the end of the path.

"That person must be captured alive."

"If we make a move now, the Kurama style will be wiped out in vain, and we will also have to kill our way to the Ise Grand Shrine in our current state, facing the opponent or means that trapped Master Zhang Sanfeng for two hundred years."

"So, please bear with it for a while, Lord Li, and don't ruin the big picture on a whim."

Li Miao snorted coldly.

"Earnest words, nagging, saying it as if I were an unreasonable brute."

"Hmph."

Ji Tianrui smiled and waved her hand.

"Just treat it as selling me a favor."

Then she pointed forward.

"Look, as long as Kurama Heihachi can kill his way to this person, you and I can make a move."

The two talked as if no one else was around, regardless of the fact that the Hachimangu Shrine sword saints had killed their way into the crowd and slaughtered the swordsmen who had followed.

Li Miao and Ji Tianrui used the Blood Clothes Building’s breath-restraining and form-hiding method, which, combined with their nature cultivation realm, could make people naturally ignore them. But now there was no one standing around, so naturally, they couldn't hide anymore.

So the Hachimangu Shrine sword saint who was stabbing the corpses on the ground was suddenly stunned, feeling that a trace of shadow seemed to have disappeared from his vision, and turned to look at Li Miao and Ji Tianrui.

"Oh no!"

The interjecting swordsman was horrified, hugging Li Miao’s calf and shaking it a few times.

"My lord! My lord!"

"They’re coming, the Sword Saints are coming!"

"No, if you can move, move! We’re going to die, we’re going to die!"

Li Miao was chatting with Ji Tianrui, and without looking down, he made a "tsk" sound, reached out and grabbed his collar, lifted him up to stand, and then pointed.

"You, go kill him."

The interjecting swordsman was on the verge of tears.

"Me?"

Li Miao patted his shoulder.

"Just you."

He casually drew the sword from his waist and stuffed it into his hand.

"You’ve been strengthened, go quickly."

The interjecting swordsman was in tears.