Chapter 157: I Personally Send You Off

"You poisoned me?" Li Xuanling suddenly raised his head, staring fixedly at Zhu Hongxue.

"Heh, Chen Yu's medical skills are quite good; he was able to resolve the Life-Taking Willow Nail that had plagued you for decades, and he also allowed you to notice the chronic poison in the tea I served you every day."

"But what of it? As long as I want to poison you, there are plenty of opportunities," Zhu Hongxue said leisurely. "Foster father, one must always be on guard against others; this is what you taught me, so how could you have forgotten it?"

"Heh, I, Li Xuanling, have always considered myself a man of virtue and prestige, and I was confident in the education I gave you, but I never imagined I would raise someone as ruthless as you," Li Xuanling said, gritting his teeth.

"It's too late to say anything now. Your disciples are basically not in the villa, and if I kill you and use your Xuanwu Seal to forge your will, from now on, the Xuanwu Tea House's Three Provinces liaison points will all be under my command. Foster father, thank you so much; I will never forget your kindness in raising me."

Zhu Hongxue said with a smile, "And I also thank you for giving me such a grand gift at the time of your death."

"Rebellious daughter, I really shouldn't have ignored Mr. Chen's words and insisted on giving you a chance; otherwise, how could today have happened?" Li Xuanling was furious.

"Don't worry, Chen Yu and Yan Roujin are already corpses in the wilderness. I contacted foreign mercenaries, and with six death-sworn warriors, do you think Chen Yu could hold out?" Zhu Hongxue giggled.

"You..." Li Xuanling slumped into his chair, feeling that the situation was truly lost. "I, Li Xuanling, have traversed the jianghu my whole life, but I never imagined that in the end, I would die at the hands of the foster daughter I loved the most."

"Foster father, don't blame me. If you really must blame someone, blame yourself for making the wrong move. I am the ultimate successor to the Xuanwu Tea House." Zhu Hongxue moved the weapon in her hand, intending to send Li Xuanling to his grave.

"Zhu Hongxue, aren't you being a bit too smug, too early?" Suddenly, the hall door opened, and Chen Yu walked in.

Chen Yu was covered in blood, and the killing intent on him had not yet faded. The path he took was filled with Zhu Hongxue's subordinates; he had fought his way in.

"How could you still be alive?" Zhu Hongxue was startled, staring fixedly at Chen Yu.

"The sniper you found was indeed formidable, and with the combined attack of six death-sworn warriors, I should have been dead or at least severely wounded," Chen Yu said with a smile. "But there's no helping it, my life is tough, so I can only disappoint you."

"Mr. Chen, I truly regret not listening to your words and insisting on giving her a chance. She has gone mad; there is no reason left in her," Li Xuanling said, struggling to stand up.

"As long as Senior Li understands. How could someone so ruthless, who wouldn't even spare a two-year-old child, ever turn back?" Chen Yu shook his head. "If we had killed her sooner, today's crisis wouldn't have happened."

"Chen Yu, what good does it do you to go against me?" Zhu Hongxue suddenly smiled.

"No good, but no harm either. A ruthless woman like you—just thinking about it makes me feel cold," Chen Yu glanced at her.

"How about this: you kill Li Xuanling, and from now on, I and the Xuanwu Tea House will be yours. Think about it—with the Xuanwu Order in hand, the jianghu figures of the Three Provinces will submit. In the future, no one will be able to stop you from doing whatever you want." Zhu Hongxue put away her weapon, walked up to Chen Yu, and whispered into his ear, her breath like orchids, "Besides, I'm not bad, am I? A beauty by your side, the Xuanwu Order in your hand—aren't you even a little tempted?"

Suddenly, Chen Yu grabbed Zhu Hongxue, quickly pinning her pulse point. With a burst of True Qi, Zhu Hongxue's entire body went limp, unable to muster any strength.

She looked at Chen Yu in shock and anger: "Aren't you even a little tempted?"

"I am tempted. Any man would be tempted; no one can refuse a beauty, let alone the Xuanwu Order," Chen Yu said with a chuckle. "But if a woman with a heart as venomous as a scorpion were to sleep by my side, I'm afraid I would have nightmares."

With a burst of True Qi from his right hand, Zhu Hongxue's right palm opened, revealing three Silver Needles emitting a blue glow in her hand.

With Chen Yu's experience, he saw at a glance that these three needles were coated in deadly poison, lethal upon contact. If she had really gotten close to him, the consequences of a single needle would have been unimaginable.

"Chen Yu, one day I will kill you." Zhu Hongxue's eyes were bloodshot.

"Wait until you have the ability to do so," Chen Yu sneered. His right hand moved in succession, striking the major acupuncture points all over her body. Zhu Hongxue let out a cry of pain, and her entire Cultivation was washed away.

Chen Yu walked to Li Xuanling's side and performed Acupuncture on him. A moment later, Li Xuanling was able to move freely. He slowly stood up, cupped his hands toward Chen Yu and said, "Many thanks, Mr. Chen."

"Senior Li, you are too kind. Rooting out such a ruthless person is my duty. How you handle things from here is up to you; I shall take my leave." The crisis resolved, Chen Yu bowed slightly to Li Xuanling and turned to leave.

Li Xuanling stood up and looked at Zhu Hongxue.

"Foster father... my Cultivation is gone; I am now a useless person." With a trace of blood on her lips, Zhu Hongxue struggled to crawl to Li Xuanling's side and knelt down.

She said in terror, "Father, I no longer have the ability to harm anyone. For the sake of the time we spent as father and daughter, please spare me this once."

"I give you three choices: a three-foot length of white silk, a cup of poisoned wine, or a Dagger," Li Xuanling closed his eyes. "Choose for yourself."

"Is there... really no room for redemption?" Zhu Hongxue stared blankly at Li Xuanling, two lines of tears falling.

"When you killed that two-year-old child, did you ever think about sparing his life?" Li Xuanling said indifferently. "I'll give you one minute to consider. If you don't choose, I will."

"Fine, I choose." Zhu Hongxue reached out and took the Dagger, gripping it in her hand. She turned around, tears streaming down her face. "Regardless of everything, I am grateful for your kindness in raising me, Foster father. I will repay your great kindness in the next life, but before I die, I want to call you 'Father' one last time."

Zhu Hongxue knelt on the ground and kowtowed heavily to Li Xuanling three times. Suddenly, she raised her right hand, and the hidden weapon concealed in her sleeve was about to strike Li Xuanling.

But Li Xuanling's figure suddenly vanished from before her eyes, and immediately after, a length of white silk suddenly wrapped around Zhu Hongxue's neck.

Zhu Hongxue grabbed the white silk tightly with both hands, her throat emitting the sound of cracking bones. A moment later, she slowly collapsed to the ground, twitching slightly.

"Hongxue, I have personally... sent you on your way." Li Xuanling closed his eyes, large tears falling.

Zhu Hongxue's eyes were wide open; she, who had been so arrogant, was ultimately dealt with by Li Xuanling's own hands.

At a breakfast stall, Ren Zhenghao found Chen Yu in plain clothes. He ordered a bowl of wontons and sat down in front of Chen Yu.

"Something up?" Chen Yu was eating a bowl of tofu pudding and looked up at him.

"The extermination case has been taken over, and then they said it was already solved. I want to know what's going on," Ren Zhenghao asked.