[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou":3,"chapter-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-266":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Ink Saint of Great Zhou",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2292229,4481,"Chapter 266","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-266",266,"\u003Cp>“I couldn’t care less about what you’ve told me,” Lu Fang said, raising an eyebrow. “You’re from the Wuyi Clan, aren’t you? You look injured—your cultivation base has dropped significantly since last time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I advise you to take your king and flee this place quickly. There’s still a chance you might escape. If you delay any longer, the reinforcements I summoned will arrive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You won’t get away now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Que, whose face had been smiling moments before, grew grim upon hearing Lu Fang’s words. She studied him anew, hesitating: “Who are you? Do you know me? And how do you know our king is here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang smiled faintly. “I don’t just know our king is here—I know all four of your guardians and your king are severely wounded, which is why you’ve lingered in Beiyacheng.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As for who I am—I won’t tell you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I can tell you this: if you keep wasting time, your entire Wuyi Clan will be wiped out in Beiyacheng.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang spoke with absolute confidence. Que, weakened by her injuries, had regressed to the First Rank. Though it was only one major realm lower, the difference was astronomical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Que had no idea what was truly going on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a strong chance she would, out of caution and uncertainty, fear hidden allies, and report back to the Wuyi king to retreat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was already the best outcome Lu Fang could hope for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he could, he would never let these foreign intruders escape—who knew what atrocities they might commit afterward?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he had no choice. Que’s arrival to kill Bai Yu had shattered all his prior plans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Que frowned tightly. Lu Fang’s sudden appearance and his words had exceeded her expectations. She had thought killing Bai Yu would be easy, but seeing his unwavering confidence, she felt wary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How bold of you! There are no allies nearby. Do you think a few words alone can scare me? After I kill this woman, I’ll take you back for our king to deal with.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, Que stepped forward and lashed her whip toward Bai Yu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she was a fraction too late. Seeing the danger, Lu Fang had already seized Bai Yu and fled swiftly toward the outskirts of Beiyacheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So it was all bluffing—and you still tried to run?” Que sneered, stepping forward to pursue—when suddenly, a glowing crescent sword appeared before her, forcing her to halt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time she dodged and looked again, Lu Fang and Bai Yu had already put considerable distance between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Que hesitated. Should she return to report to the king, or chase after them? In the end, she chose the latter—she judged Lu Fang’s words to be lies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least most of them were.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was merely a Sixth Rank Confucian scholar. Even wounded, she was confident she could capture him in moments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet clearly, she had underestimated Lu Fang. Though their distance was closing, she could not yet overcome him or Bai Yu in the short term.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, during the chase, Lu Fang repeatedly harassed her with the glowing crescent sword, driving her to distraction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang’s Book Spirit, Yan Chixia, had already reached Third Rank, Second Stage. Both the Qimen Flying Armor and the glowing crescent sword had been reinforced multiple times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sudden, unpredictable attacks still caused her real trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you carry me, she’ll catch us. Leave me behind. You don’t seem like an ordinary man—I only ask that, after I die, you avenge my Bai family. I, Bai Yu, will serve you as ox or horse in my next life.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Yu glanced back—the gap between her and Que was narrowing. She made her decision: she would not be Lu Fang’s burden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barely had she finished speaking when, before Lu Fang could stop her, she twisted violently and broke free of his grip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wicked woman! I’ll fight you to the death!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Yu advanced instead of retreating. Her righteous qi solidified into a slender blade hovering in midair. Her eyes burned with unwavering resolve—she faced death without fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You?” Que sneered, swinging her whip toward Bai Yu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*Crack!* The whip’s force, overwhelming and unstoppable, met Bai Yu’s righteous qi and shattered it like dry reeds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the whip’s glow neared Bai Yu’s head, she closed her eyes, resigned to death—but after a long moment, she realized she was still alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Yu opened her eyes—and gasped in relief. Before her stood a figure: none other than Lu Fang. At the last possible instant, he had returned, rather than flee alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Abandoning someone he knew to save himself was not his nature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If there had truly been no hope, he might have accepted it. But they were not yet at that point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he had abandoned Bai Yu and survived, he would have been consumed by guilt—perhaps even giving rise to a heart demon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you an idiot? Why come back? I could have held her off—even briefly. With your speed, you could’ve escaped!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Yu stamped her foot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was glad he returned to save her—but now, both of them would likely die here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had all her sacrifice been meaningless?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang didn’t turn around. He laughed bitterly, exasperated: “You’re a fool! If I had no chance of getting you out safely, do you think I’d have dragged you along? Because of your reckless actions, everything’s gotten worse!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You stupid woman! Can’t you just listen to me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll hold her off. You run toward the outskirts of Beiyacheng. Once I shake her loose, I’ll find you. Don’t worry—our reinforcements should arrive soon. They won’t pursue deep into the city.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can you hear me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang’s tone was stern—he truly feared Bai Yu would do something reckless again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ll hold me off?” Que laughed as if hearing the greatest joke. She beckoned Lu Fang with a finger. “In the time it takes to burn one incense stick, I’ll capture you. That foolish woman thinks she can run? She has no such ability.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Run!” Lu Fang shouted—when suddenly, a crushing aura erupted beyond Beiyacheng’s walls: the pressure of a Half-Sage, deliberately unleashed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same moment, Shen Squad Leader’s voice echoed across Beiyacheng: “Marquis of the Literary Crown! Old man has arrived!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang’s heart leapt with joy—but his super-sensory perception quickly dampened it. Shen Squad Leader was still far away. His sudden shout was likely a response to Lu Fang’s earlier distress talisman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Squad Leader had sent multiple talisman messages earlier and received no reply—so he had resorted to this intimidation tactic against the Wuyi Clan.\u003C\u002Fp>",1095,"2026-06-20T03:56:22.339Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","bfd42586d3c8ff6d1ccf9f22cd7e5bcedcc94fc47487bd472336cfcfb8012dbd","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-267","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-265",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]