Chapter 329

Hua Zhiqiu's plan was laid out in the open, with no intention of hiding it from Li Miao and the other two at all.

Rather, he was deliberately letting the three see his plan clearly, so that they would know the difficulty and retreat, and hurry away.

After all, the Embroidered Uniform Guard stationed at the Kongming Sect was only a Platoon Leader; he could borrow the "influence" of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but he couldn't borrow their "power" for the moment.

So when Gao Anyu spoke urgently and Cao Hanyan shook his head and sighed, a self-satisfied smile appeared on his face, fully believing his plan had succeeded.

Only a moment later, his expression darkened again.

Because the steps Cao Hanyan and Gao Anyu were taking forward only paused for a moment, and then they stepped forward again.

Moreover, just a moment ago, the two had been trying their best to control the severity of their strikes, leaving almost no irreparable injuries on the Kongming Sect disciples.

But now—they seemed to be holding back no longer.

Cao Hanyan's eyes were already squinted, his long saber forced to the top of the person in front of him, slashing down onto the long sword with great force.

Clang—

That person widened his eyes in disbelief.

Cao Hanyan's cultivation was far superior to his, and he had already prepared himself to be staggered by the slash. But this saber strike didn't even shake his wrist.

He looked at Cao Hanyan in confusion and was horrified.

Cao Hanyan's eyes had changed.

The long saber flipped on the sword blade and slashed horizontally! The blade sparked against the sword, broke through the hilt, and severed the palm along with it!

"Ah, ugh!"

The scream hadn't even been fully uttered before it was cut off by the saber Cao Hanyan slashed into his shoulder. The disciple collapsed softly, blood flowing like a fountain.

Cao Hanyan didn't stop; the saber hilt knocked against another person's temple, knocking down another person.

If it were the Cao Hanyan before meeting Li Miao, he probably wouldn't have been able to strike so heavily. But after the three incidents of Xue Bangzhu, the Kongming Sect disciples killing innocent people to claim credit, and the "Meteors," he already understood—

Unconditional "goodness" is also "evil." Being overly obsessed with the propriety of the process often leads the result into an irreparable abyss.

Hua Zhiqiu didn't know what an absurd move he had made. The Kongming Sect was destined to be wiped out; there was no doubt about that.

Now, the more miserably he let the Kongming Sect be beaten and the more satisfied he let Li Miao feel, the more innocent lives of disciples within the Kongming Sect he could actually save.

That's right, even at this moment, Cao Hanyan was still considering these disciples who were brandishing swords at him.

But Gao Anyu on the other side was different.

Seeing Cao Hanyan finally start to fight and kill without restraint, a smile immediately appeared on his face.

Just now, he wasn't as soft-hearted as Cao Hanyan; the reason he had been holding back was out of consideration for Cao Hanyan's mood. But now that Cao Hanyan had struck with such ruthlessness, he no longer needed to have any concerns!

Clang!

The black ruler flew out of his hand, inserted itself into one person's shoulder, and after passing through the flesh, its remaining momentum didn't diminish, striking another person, stringing three people together in a row.

The Kongming Sect disciples surrounding him showed joy.

"His weapon is gone!"

"Quick, take his weapon away, don't let him take it back!"

The scene just now where Gao Anyu used the black ruler to smash their weapons and then swirled the fragments to splash them undoubtedly gave them no small amount of fear, making them timid and cautious in their fighting, not even daring to engage Gao Anyu in a direct confrontation.

But now that Gao Anyu had voluntarily thrown away the black ruler, they surrounded him again.

Gao Anyu chuckled, moved his feet slightly into a T-shape, clenched his fists, held one hand to his waist, and held the other in front of his eyes. He recited the formula Li Miao had taught him, and his true energy began to vibrate slowly within his meridians.

Dodging the long sword stabbing at his face, Gao Anyu's gentle punch imprinted itself on the opponent's chest.

There was no blood splatter, no broken bones, not even a sound.

In just an instant, this person turned into a corpse.

————————

"That's right... that's right, this is it!"

"This is the fan!"

Zheng Yi tremblingly took down the silk fan and held it carefully in her hand. Just by looking at it, she was absolutely certain that this was the fan from back then.

But now, she didn't have the joy of finding an old object; instead, she became increasingly silent.

Back then, when the people from Yingzhou attacked, her mother blocked them and let her escape. She slipped into the water and swam for several miles before daring to go ashore, hiding in the nearby reed marshes.

When she tentatively returned to check the situation half a month later, she found that her mother had disappeared, and the ground was covered in black bloodstains. The house had been burned to the ground, and all her belongings had become a pile of ashes.

But why would this fan appear before her now?

During the time from her escape to her return, the only people who could have had time to take this fan were her mother and that Yingzhou disciple who had chased after them.

And the only person who knew she could recognize this fan was her mother.

The murderer who killed Long Haifeng and Xue Bangzhu could almost certainly be confirmed as her mother—Zheng Tong.

But, why?

Since the people from Yingzhou couldn't kill her mother back then, why didn't she come back to find her?

Why hunt down fellow Penglai disciples, and why tell her the clues about fellow disciples, leading her to search everywhere for these victims?

Why lie to her... to go and seek revenge on Yingzhou?

A thousand thoughts surged into her mind at once, difficult to resolve and difficult to speak of.

All her original perceptions were overturned; the hatred, companions, and enemies she thought she had were all her mother's schemes. The truth she sought had been a giant web woven by her mother from beginning to end, trapping her firmly within it.

Since she left this fan, it meant she didn't want to meet her directly. She couldn't even see her with her own eyes or ask her with her own mouth.

But what on earth should she do?

The hatred for Yingzhou was no longer valid, and the affection for fellow Penglai disciples had turned into resentment. If she continued to investigate, she didn't know how many more fellow disciples would die at her mother's hands.

Where should she go from here?

As her thoughts were in chaos, just when she didn't know what to do, a heroic, lazy face with a playful smile suddenly appeared in her mind.

Then more images surfaced.

Li Miao leaned against a tree and said with a smile.

"Little Yizi, look at you, in a rush again."

Li Miao grabbed Zheng Ming's head and smashed it into the ground.

"What kind of bullshit Yingzhou, what kind of kinship and bloodline! I walk my own path; those who block me are killed, those who stand in my way die!"

Li Miao stood in the cave and threw the booklet left by Xue Bangzhu to her.

"Extreme wisdom leads to injury; deep affection is not long-lasting. Since you practice martial arts, don't learn from those pedantic scholars who spend all day doing things that are sentimental and sorrowful."

"Since you are a martial artist, whether there are giant rocks and deep ravines ahead, or love and hatred, you must split them open with your own fists. If there is no road, use your fists to split a road open."

"Always thinking about taking detours is an insult to martial arts."

Zheng Yi let out a long breath, reached out to grip the sword hilt, pursed her lips, and the corners of her mouth curved into an imperceptible arc.

Putting the broken fan into her bosom, Zheng Yi looked around, carved a sentence on a tree with her sword, and turned to leave without the slightest hesitation.

(End of chapter)