[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world":3,"chapter-the-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world-the-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world-chapter-179":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Phoenix Returns to Rule the World",{"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},2353303,4602,"Chapter 179: Killing Without Drawing Blood","the-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world-chapter-179",179,"\u003Cp>\"Who? Who is speaking?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Zhidie was startled, her body jolting as she turned her head to look around. All that surrounded her were the crackling sounds of the raging fire and the wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ghostly,\" Jun Zhidie shuddered, her heart pounding wildly, and she dragged Li Shi away, stumbling as they ran out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as the crowd was in a panic, a heavy downpour suddenly descended from the sky; the rain came just in time, and the fire was gradually extinguished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Chengcai, having slowly regained consciousness, rushed into the house—now nothing but a hollow frame—along with two secret guards, and began searching everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rain continued to fall. The Old Lady sat propped up in her wheelchair, while a servant took off their own clothes to shield her from the rain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Old Lady was already sobbing uncontrollably, her voice choked with despair:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Girl, my precious granddaughter, where are you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes were filled with worry and despair. In her heart, she prayed silently, hoping that Jun Zijin had truly been rescued by an expert.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Zhengming felt as if his heart were being sliced by knives. His retainers had been sent to search everywhere, but everyone returned with a look of disappointment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fearing the Old Lady could not withstand the blow, he finally managed to persuade her to return to her room to rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mother, you must take care of your health! It is still raining; if something were to happen to you, how could your son go on living?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Zhengming knelt before the Old Lady, tears sliding down onto his rough palms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, even after the crowd had turned the Jun Fu upside down, they still found nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Zhengming could finally no longer suppress his inner collapse and plopped down into the mud. If even the Crown Prince's secret guards could not find her, where could she have gone? Could his daughter really have been burned to nothing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feiying and Feiyan glanced at the distraught Jun Zhengming; unwilling to give up, they decided to search outside the estate. Guazi and Huasheng insisted on coming along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feiying gave instructions in a low voice:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Huasheng, go look after the Old Lady. She has suffered a great shock tonight and was drenched in the rain; if anything else happens to her, I fear we will all be dead. Guazi, keep an eye on the Jun residence; I always feel this matter has something to do with the neighbors.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This matter could not have been done by the Wen residence; Master Wen and Wen Jia were already overwhelmed with their own affairs, and besides, the Wen residence's reach did not extend into the Jun Fu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After giving his instructions, Feiying and Feiyan flashed away, disappearing from where they stood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feiying and Feiyan moved like two bolts of black lightning, weaving through the streets and alleys of Jingcheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They did not let a single suspicious corner go; every dark alley and every abandoned house was searched thoroughly by them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rain had long since stopped, but there was still no sign of Jun Zijin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two hours passed, and Feiying and Feiyan returned empty-handed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, over at the Jun residence under Guazi's surveillance, there was movement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Zhihao sat in Jun Zhidie's room. The candlelight flickered, illuminating their faces; the smiles on both their faces were triumphant, sinister, and ferocious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Zhidie spoke up:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother, who would have thought that your medicine combined with our mother's aphrodisiac in the form of medicinal wax would be so effective? That slut Jun Zijin was drugged and couldn't escape the fire; with no sign of her alive or dead, she must have been burned to ash.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of the gap in her front teeth, Jun Zhidie deliberately kept her voice thin and sharp, laced with a sense of gleeful malice. Under the candlelight, her eyes flashed with a venomous light, and her face wore a ferocious grin of a conspiracy fulfilled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Zhihao gave a disdainful cold snort:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Rest assured. Do you think just anyone can get the medicine of Prince Yi? She couldn't escape. That demoness is a formidable character with highly skilled secret guards by her side; how could we succeed without using strong medicine? Even if the medicine didn't kill her, a fire would surely burn her to death.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sharp light flashed in Jun Zhihao's eyes, greed and desire intertwined in that glimmer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn't expected his mother to have such good things. That day, when Li Shi handed the items to him, he had curiously taken a light sniff, and the beastly nature in his heart was instantly ignited, leaving him with an unbearable itch as if thousands of ants were crawling inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That day, he had ravaged several young maids in the room before he could barely satisfy that insatiable craving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That demoness Jun Zijin had taken that medicine—ah, what a pity. If she weren't so wicked, would he have been willing to just burn her away with a fire?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hiding in the large tree outside the room, Guazi heard these words, her eyes burning with raging fury as her fingers gripped the short blade at her waist tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Guazi was about to leap down to kill that pair of venomous siblings, a strong hand pulled her back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feiying had returned at some point. His expression was grave, his forehead covered in beads of sweat, and his chest heaved violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lowered his voice and spoke, the words seeming to squeeze through his teeth, carrying a trace of chill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't be impulsive. Sometimes, there is no need to see blood to kill.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be said, having been by Jun Zijin's side for so long, Feiying—that troublemaker—had become increasingly cunning, always able to come up with unexpected, underhanded tricks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he finished speaking, Feiying flashed away, arriving in Li Shi's room as silently as a ghost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since that medicine was given to Jun Zhihao by Li Shi, it must be the medicine Li Shi used on herself and Jun Zhengyuan; she surely had plenty more hidden in her room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Jun Zijin's incident, Li Shi's tightly wound nerves had finally relaxed, and she slept exceptionally soundly tonight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moonlight spilled through the window into Li Shi's room. She was lying on the bed fast asleep, her snoring echoing in the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feiying crept to the bedside; she remained completely unaware.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, Feiying found a small wooden box at the head of Li Shi's bed, inside which were several small paper packets neatly arranged. He opened one and took a light sniff, immediately feeling a wave of heat rise up; he nearly failed to suppress a sneeze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn it,\" Feiying cursed inwardly, this was definitely the stuff. He took the medicine and snuck toward the roof of Jun Zhidie's room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the gaps in the roof tiles, he watched the two people inside still talking triumphantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wicked smile curled at the corner of Feiying's mouth, filled with the pleasure of revenge:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Since you two like drugging people so much, I'll give you both a taste of it too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feiying pinched a pinch of powder and flicked it toward the hole, aiming directly at the candle burning behind Jun Zhihao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought for a moment, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes, and flicked another pinch. \"Damn it, let you two have your fill of pleasure.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the powder met the fire, it turned into a colorless and odorless gas, silently drifting into the nasal cavities of Jun Zhihao and Jun Zhidie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, a wave of uncontrollable heat surged through their bodies, their eyes instantly becoming hazy, their reason completely swallowed by desire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Zhihao was never a good person to begin with, and Jun Zhidie was also experienced in such matters; the two of them actually began tearing at their own clothes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, Jun Zhidie's bodice was torn off. Jun Zhihao, like a starving wolf seeing meat, pounced on her with excitement, and the two of them, regardless of anything else, began their illicit act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The good show has begun.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feiying hid on the roof, his wicked smile deepening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The commotion the two made was too loud, appearing particularly clear in the silent night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, a maid who had been driven out of the room because of their secret meeting heard the unusual movement inside. Curious, she quietly walked to the window and peeked inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She saw the scene on the bed at a glance and immediately let out a startled scream: \"Ah!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This cry not only woke the servants in the residence but was also heard by Jun Zhengyuan, who happened to be getting up in the night.\u003C\u002Fp>",1446,"2026-06-21T03:35:39.629Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","def58d8c674f43048def4a246611a0ee5bf113aabdc0d715880c7fede55b844d","the-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world-chapter-180","the-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world-chapter-178",224,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world-cover.jpg"]