There was one day left until the Five Mountains Alliance Meeting.
Jinan Prefecture, Tai'an City, State Office.
The once majestic State Office was now filled with wails of sorrow, and passersby, hearing the faint cries from within, changed their expressions and took detours.
Inside the main hall of the State Office, the Prefect of Tai'an lay prostrate on the ground, his official robes stripped off, leaving only his blood-stained undergarments, gasping for breath.
Seated on the dais was a pale-faced, beardless, and effeminate middle-aged man.
It was Cheng Yuanzhen, the Chief Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.
"Eunuch... this humble official truly does not know about the Mount Tai Sect's collusion with the Ming Cult..."
"There are many martial artists coming and going in Tai'an City, and the constables are powerless to control them. My dealings with that scoundrel Zuo Lishan were truly unavoidable..."
Cheng Yuanzhen didn't even glance at him, stood up, and waved his hand.
Someone then dragged away the Prefect, who was still proclaiming his innocence.
Cheng Yuanzhen turned to look at the Inspector of Tai'an Prefecture, who was also the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) secret agent Li Miao had seen when he arrived in Tai'an City and to whom he had delivered a package at this State Office.
"Are the soldiers ready?"
"Yes. But... Li Qianhu has not arrived yet. Should we wait?" The Inspector said with difficulty.
"Li Qianhu... Heh, just a few days ago he was throwing his weight around at the Mount Tai Sect, and now he's abandoned his duties and disappeared to who knows where." Cheng Yuanzhen sneered.
"These past few days, things have been stirred up, and many people have already fled. If we wait for him to return, I'm afraid we'll only be able to catch some rabbits on Mount Tai to report to the Emperor."
"His Majesty is still too lenient with you all. Tomorrow is the Five Mountains Alliance Meeting. If we don't go today, when will we go?"
"But..."
"Shut up!" Cheng Yuanzhen shouted.
"I am the Chief Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, acting on imperial orders with the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards). This is not your Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards)'s private affair! Since Li Miao is not here, no one else here has the right to speak!"
"Mobilize the troops! Go surround the Mount Tai Sect now!"
"...Yes!" The Inspector hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't refuse, nodding in agreement and turning to leave.
Cheng Yuanzhen's face was grim as he stood in the hall, watching his departing back.
A young eunuch approached him, whispering, "Master, we couldn't find anything. It seems to be poison, but there are no traces."
Cheng Yuanzhen waved his hand: "Forget it. Those Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) fellows deal with martial artists every day; who knows where they get their poisons. It's nothing more than them being at their wits' end and trying to delay us for a few days."
"Since that fellow surnamed Li isn't here, this task has fallen into our hands. There's no need to investigate this matter further."
It was clear that the timing of Xiao Si's Poison to delay their journey was too precise, and Cheng Yuanzhen had already noticed it.
Cheng Yuanzhen pondered to himself, "I wonder where that fellow surnamed Li ran off to... but it's just as well."
"Among Zhu Zai's subordinates, the one he has relied on most in recent years is this Li Miao."
"Might as well get this done today, then return to the capital and accuse him of neglecting imperial duties... It will be like cutting off one of Zhu Zai's arms."
"Zhu Zai... Heh heh, your Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards)'s good days are over!"
With that thought, Cheng Yuanzhen no longer hesitated, immediately gathering his men and heading towards the Mount Tai Sect.
And behind them, as they departed, a effeminate young man sat at a tea stall, glancing at Cheng Yuanzhen, then slowly picked up his teacup and took a sip.
"Right Envoy, we found Zuo Lishan. He's severely injured, but not dead."
One person said softly.
"Good~" Yun Zelin responded indifferently, picking up a piece of pastry and nibbling on it carefully.
Next to him, a child, about five or six years old, stared at the pastry Yun Zelin was eating without blinking, clearly craving it.
Yun Zelin saw him, chuckled softly, and handed the child a piece of pastry: "Here."
"Thank you, big brother!" The child thanked him happily, took the pastry, and eagerly stuffed it into his mouth before running off.
"Young Master is truly kind-hearted." The tea stall owner's daughter was helping out here. She had never seen such a handsome man as Yun Zelin before and had been secretly watching him. Seeing that he seemed kind, she hesitated, then approached him with a flushed face to speak.
Yun Zelin smiled gently: "I like children."
With that, he also took a piece of pastry and gave it to her: "Young lady, please have some too. I was craving something and bought too much, and I'm worried about it. Please help me out."
"Thank you, Young Master..." The girl's face flushed, she took the pastry, and scurried away.
Yun Zelin smiled, stood up, and spoke to the Ming Cult disciple who had just reported to him.
"I really liked that child just now."
"After things here are done, go kill his parents and bring the child back to the main altar. I want to take him as my disciple."
"Yes!"
"Let's go. Let's go meet Master Zuo, who was exchanged for the life of Lan Left Envoy."
With that, Yun Zelin stood up and left, heading towards a residence within the city.
At this moment, in the courtyard of the residence, Zuo Lishan lay on the ground, his eyes wide open, saliva constantly drooling from his mouth.
"Why did you acupoint me!? Release me quickly!"
"My martial arts are peerless; I am merely temporarily severely injured! With a great enemy before us, what do you intend to do to me!?"
"Do you of the Ming Cult have someone in charge!? Let him come see me!"
"Here I come, here I come." Yun Zelin stepped into the courtyard, speaking softly.
Zuo Lishan sized up Yun Zelin and merely said, "Who are you?"
"Yun Zelin, Right Envoy of Manichaeism. Greetings, Master Zuo."
Yun Zelin bowed to Zuo Lishan, then turned to instruct his subordinates: "Why did you acupoint Master Zuo? That's too rude. Release him quickly."
Someone then stepped forward and released Zuo Lishan's acupoints.
Zuo Lishan sat up, but was unable to stand.
His body at this moment could be said to have no intact flesh. His left arm hung like a soft rope by his side, swaying loosely. His right arm was severed at the wrist.
His clothes were torn, revealing four or five large wounds, as if ripped by a wild beast, even showing yellowish tendons and bone fragments underneath.
Such injuries would have killed an ordinary person long ago. Only Zuo Lishan, relying on the parasitic worms within his body, barely survived.
Even though Lan Lechuan desperately blocked Li Miao that day, Zuo Lishan barely escaped with his life.
The Ming Cult members also used special means to find the severely wounded and dying Zuo Lishan in a desolate wilderness.
"Right Envoy Yun." Zuo Lishan barely managed to cup his fists.
"Seeing Master Zuo, the stone in my heart has finally been lifted." Yun Zelin smiled: "Lan Left Envoy, if he knows in the afterlife, should also be at peace."
Zuo Lishan, however, was filled with worry.
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He also couldn't understand why Lan Lechuan would desperately block Li Miao to let him escape. When fighting Li Miao, he clearly didn't value his own life, so why did he suddenly change his mind?
Lan Lechuan was a genuine peerless master, a world apart from Zuo Lishan, a peerless master of the evil path. They were not related by blood or friendship, so why would he make such a choice?
Although he was puzzled, he knew that this question could not be asked now. At the very least, he had to wait until his injuries recovered and he had the confidence to protect himself before investigating.
So Zuo Lishan skipped over Lan Lechuan and went straight to the point: "Right Envoy Yun, I need some blood and flesh containing true qi to recover from my injuries."
"That scoundrel Li Miao's martial arts are no longer ordinary. Even if your esteemed Cult still has a master like Lan Left Envoy, I'm afraid he would be difficult to defeat."
"Whatever your esteemed Cult's plans, first heal me. At the very least, if we encounter that scoundrel Li Miao, there will still be someone who can obstruct him."
Yun Zelin's expression had always been kind and gentle, like a gentle woman, but upon hearing Zuo Lishan's words, he frowned.
He raised his hand to stop Zuo Lishan: "Master Zuo, hold on."
"What did you just say about... Li Miao?"
Zuo Lishan was stunned: "Li Miao that... scoundrel?"
Crack—
A muffled roar escaped Zuo Lishan's throat as he thrashed his limbs.
Yun Zelin had instantly approached Zuo Lishan, grabbing his throat with one hand and lifting him up!
Zuo Lishan could even hear the
creaking
sound of his neck bones!
His body, modified by parasitic worms, had tough skin and flesh. Even with his true qi exhausted at this moment, swords and blades would struggle to harm him! How could he be so fragile in this person's hands!
Why did he suddenly attack him!?
"You--" Zuo Lishan barely squeezed out a word.
Yun Zelin said gently, "Master Zuo, Master Zuo... Is Lord Li's name something a mediocre person like you, who walks a crooked path, is fit to mention?"
"Lord Li is my benefactor. If I were to ignore you cursing him in front of me, wouldn't I be a heartless beast?"
Yun Zelin looked into Zuo Lishan's eyes and said softly.
"You first put me in an unrighteous position, so I can only be unkind."
In Zuo Lishan's shocked, helpless, angry, and confused gaze, Yun Zelin suddenly exerted force and twisted his neck.
Zuo Lishan fell limply to the ground, his vision gradually dimming.
"...All for naught..."
This was his last thought.
The Alliance Leader of the Five Mountains Sword Sect, "Zhenyue Sword" Zuo Lishan, died without any resistance, in the most humiliating way for a martial artist.
Yun Zelin extended his hand into a claw, plunging it into Zuo Lishan's chest.
After fumbling for a while, he pulled out a bloody, shapeless mass.
The thing looked like a heart, but it was densely covered with various growths of flesh, with tiny holes all over these growths, from which worm-like blood-red tentacles emerged, slowly swaying in the air.
Yun Zelin held the heart under his nose and sniffed it, then waved his hand in disgust.
"So disgusting."
"Sigh... repaying a kindness is truly not easy."
With that, he violently stuffed the heart into his mouth.
The heart was the size of a fist, and of course, it couldn't be swallowed all at once. Yun Zelin used his fingers to forcefully push it in, as if he wasn't dealing with his own body at all. He kept pushing until he was gagging and tears streamed down his face.
After a while, the heart was finally "pushed" into Yun Zelin's stomach.
Yun Zelin sighed deeply, his face flushed, and he let out a long breath.
"Right Envoy! This is the Cult Master..." Someone nearby, seeing Yun Zelin's actions, hurriedly spoke.
Whoosh—
Blood splattered, and the person fell limply to the ground.
Yun Zelin took out a handkerchief from his Pregnant , wiped the blood from his hands, and casually threw it onto the corpse's face.
"Alright, the Cult Master has other plans and has already sent me a secret letter. There's no need to mention this matter again. From now on, everything here is my responsibility."
Yun Zelin clapped his hands.
"Go tell Protector Mao outside the city to get ready."
"All the soldiers in the city have gone to the Mount Tai Sect. Let them play their Five Mountains Alliance Meeting. We will make our move tomorrow."】}