“Master… ha—”
Fei Junxuan let out a long breath and sat down on the ground.
Mei Qinghe had just stabbed him a few more times; although it wasn't fatal, the blood loss had drained all his strength.
He truly cherished his life, but he was not a traitor to the sect. He could humble himself, but he could not accept personally sending his Master into a desperate situation. That was why he had rushed at Li Miao empty-handed just now, intending to use his life to buy Zuo Lishan a moment of time.
Seeing Zuo Lishan finally escape, his last breath dissipated, and his obsession was finally resolved. He sat on the ground, staring blankly at Li Miao, no longer speaking.
Li Miao slowly took off his blood-stained outer robe, threw it on the ground, and without looking at Fei Junxuan, turned and walked to the table.
The fight just now, though complicated in description, was actually just a few moves in a flash.
The wine and dishes on the table were still warm.
Li Miao sat down, poured himself a cup of wine, picked up a piece of meat, and began to eat as if no one else was there.
“Senior, aren’t you going after him?”
Mei Qinghe asked, puzzled.
“After him? After what?” Li Miao glanced at Mei Qinghe: “I deliberately held back for quite a while to let Master Zuo find a way to escape.”
“Fortunately, he’s ruthless enough; he truly is a top master who fought his way up. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to let him go today.”
Mei Qinghe looked at Li Miao, puzzled.
Li Miao smiled helplessly: “Little Mei, you… you still have a lot to learn. You’re only in your early twenties, why are you as rigid as an old woman? I’m starting to wonder if there’s something wrong with the cultivation method you practice.”
“No wonder your master kept you cooped up in the sect, not trusting you to go down the mountain even after you reached first-rate skill.”
“Didn’t I tell you yesterday that what the imperial court wants is not the result, but the process?”
“Making things fair and just, leaving no room for complaint from the people of the world, that is the result the imperial court desires. If I merely wanted to kill Zuo Lishan, I could have just found a dark and windy night, gone to his door, and killed him in one move.”
“I want to cripple his martial arts, make him despair, so that he will go back and use that unspeakable thing.”
“Otherwise, how can we legitimately destroy the Five Mountains Sword Sect?”
——————
Mount Tai Sword Sect.
The door to the small courtyard where Zuo Lishan lived was suddenly pushed open.
“Who is it?” Inside the room, the female disciple who had spent the night with Zuo Lishan the day before yesterday heard the sound, came out to look, and her face turned pale.
“Master!”
She quickly stepped forward and supported the blood-soaked Zuo Lishan.
Zuo Lishan’s face was pale at this moment, his hair bun was disheveled, and his face was covered in sweat.
The right hand that held the sword, the right hand that made all heroes under heaven bow, representing the title of “Zhenyue Sword,” was now a bare, blurry mass of flesh and blood.
“Help me to the quiet room, don’t alert anyone…” Zuo Lishan said hoarsely.
The few moves against Li Miao were all-out efforts, even overexerting himself and injuring his meridians. Along the way, he also had to use his light-body skill to avoid the Mount Tai Sect disciples, lest his miserable state be seen and morale be disrupted. At this moment, his inner energy was almost depleted.
He had acupunctured his right arm to barely stop the bleeding, but after being injured and rushing back to the courtyard over a long distance, he was almost at his limit.
The female disciple knew the seriousness of the situation. She reached out and closed the door, supported Zuo Lishan’s left hand, and slowly walked towards the quiet room where he usually cultivated.
After closing the door, she urgently asked Zuo Lishan: “Master, who could have injured you like this!?”
“Your right hand… what can be done about this!?”
“Don’t panic.” Zuo Lishan sat down, took a breath, and his tone became calm as he gently comforted the female disciple.
The female disciple looked at his serious and calm face, and gradually calmed down.
Zuo Lishan was her master, her lover, and her hero.
She was also the daughter of an elder of the Mount Tai Sect, growing up listening to Zuo Lishan’s name, watching him defeat heroes under heaven with his sword, watching him become famous far and wide, and watching him maneuver with ease.
She practiced her sword diligently day by day, finally becoming a disciple of Zuo Lishan. She then cast aside her maidenly reserve and actively seduced Zuo Lishan into a temporary relationship.
Even if a master-disciple illicit affair was unforgivable by heaven, she didn't care at all. Even if she had no official status and could only live in secret her whole life, she was willing.
At this moment, seeing Zuo Lishan’s fragile appearance, so different from his usual self, the love in her heart surged even more fiercely.
With his right hand gone, Zuo Lishan had lost most of his martial arts; he was no longer the “Zhenyue Sword” Master Zuo. Perhaps… this was a heaven-sent opportunity for her.
She opened her mouth and spoke words she had never dared to say before: “Master… Zuo Lang! Don’t worry, I will never betray you…”
“It doesn’t matter if your martial arts are crippled. I still have martial arts, and I have some silver saved up. ”
“If you don’t want to be the Master, then don’t be! We’ll go down the mountain tonight, live in seclusion in the mountains… I, we’ll be true husband and wife, I…”
“I, I’ll support you…”
Zuo Lishan looked expressionlessly at the blushing female disciple and said, “Good.”
“But I need to heal my injuries before I can leave. Go to my room and get some wound medicine.”
“Okay, okay!” The female disciple was overjoyed and turned to run out of the quiet room.
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Zuo Lishan braced himself with his left hand, struggled to stand up, and walked to a corner of the quiet room.
His face was filled with hesitation for a long time. Then, looking at his crippled right hand, a fierce look finally appeared on his face.
Bang!
Zuo Lishan stomped his foot on the stone slab. The stone slab shattered in response, revealing a dark, hidden space underground.
He slowly squatted down and took out a jar from inside.
A rustling sound came from inside the jar, as if something was crawling.
“Zuo Lang, I couldn’t find the wound medicine. Where is it kept?” The female disciple entered the quiet room and saw Zuo Lishan holding the jar, her delicate brows furrowed.
“Zuo Lang, you are injured now. I’ll take care of anything. You mustn’t use your inner energy carelessly; it would be bad if you ruptured your blood vessels.”
“It’s fine.” Zuo Lishan said, his back to the female disciple: “I just suddenly remembered that I had an accidental spiritual medicine hidden here.”
“With this medicine, my injuries will stabilize.”
The female disciple smiled happily upon hearing this: “That’s wonderful, Zuo Lang!”
“I only have my left hand, so it’s not very convenient. You can apply the medicine for me.” Zuo Lishan’s face was hidden in the darkness; his expression was unclear.
“Okay!” The female disciple responded crisply and quickly walked up to Zuo Lishan, reaching out to take the jar.
Crack—
Suddenly, Zuo Lishan’s left hand grabbed the female disciple’s throat.
He tore it horizontally!
Whoosh—!!
Her neck was torn open, and blood spurted from the female disciple’s neck, splashing all over Zuo Lishan’s face.
The female disciple looked at Zuo Lishan in despair, suddenly attacked by her own Zuo Lang. Her face was filled with shock and sorrow.
She wanted to exert force and smash the jar.
But looking at Zuo Lishan’s face, the face of the lover with whom she had shared a bed, she ultimately did not make a move.
She wanted to say a word as a farewell, but her windpipe was torn open, and she could no longer speak.
Finally, she softly fell to the ground, and the jar rolled from her hand, gently dropping onto the ground.
Zuo Lishan tore open the seal of the jar, reached out and grabbed the female disciple’s hair, aligning the wound on her neck with the mouth of the jar, letting the blood flow into it.
“Eat.”
“After you eat, you will become my meridians, my right hand.”
“Next time, I will not lose again.”