The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 288 Fighting
Although Zheng Ming was intimidated by Li Miao's murderous aura and showed his fear, Li Miao nodded to himself as soon as they exchanged blows, and even revealed a smile on his face.

After killing the emperor, he had given up hope of finding a worthy opponent.

He had already tried the old monk from Shaolin, and could only say that some of his skills were not powerful enough to threaten his life. He couldn't just recklessly engage in a life-or-death struggle with the old monk.

The celestial beings of Wudang were mystical and didn't suit his taste.

The only one who could hold his own against him, Ji Tianrui, was as slippery as an eel. Whether he was winning or losing against her, he couldn't focus all his attention on the fight; he had to spend seven-tenths of his attention on preventing himself from falling into her trap.

Moreover, she has already left the Central Plains and her whereabouts are unknown.

For someone like Li Miao, having no rivals is like eating without chili peppers. It's not that he can't eat it, and it might even be good for his health, but he always feels like something's missing.

Unexpectedly, just six months later, a pleasant surprise came knocking on my door!

Zheng Ming's long flute reached below Li Miao's arm, then suddenly rose up like a venomous snake, striking the numb tendon in Li Miao's arm, instantly dissipating most of the power of the claw.

"Interesting! This is the first time I've faced an opponent who uses pressure point techniques!"

Li Miao neither dodged nor evaded. When his hands were exhausted, he simply bent his elbow and struck horizontally! His true energy erupted, encompassing a flat area of ​​several feet in radius!

Between attacks, he kicked Zheng Lingsen, who had come close to him, sending him tumbling across the ground dozens of times, smashing several trees, before disappearing into the dense forest without a trace.

Taking advantage of Li Miao's attack on Zheng Lingsen, Zheng Mingchangxiao struck again, this time transforming the flute into a sword!

Attack against attack!

boom!
Zheng Ming's expression changed drastically.

Li Miao showed no sign of holding back; the long flute pierced into his flesh, colliding with his arm bone and producing a resounding clang.

Amidst the splatter of blood, the flute was actually knocked from Zheng Ming's hand by Li Miao's elbow, his palm sliding to one end of the flute. In haste, he had no choice but to change his move, clenching his fist and colliding with Li Miao's elbow.

Bang!
“So heavy!”

"I'm using techniques and skills that have been perfected over a thousand years by Yingzhou, yet I'm at a disadvantage in a direct confrontation with him!"

"He was clearly living away from home, so where did he get such fierce and brutal skills and techniques! His foundation is no weaker than mine, and his combat experience is far superior!"

Using the momentum, Zheng Ming retreated, raising his long flute to his lips, attempting to probe Li Miao's strength from a distance with the sound. This flute music specifically targets the meridians and internal organs; there's no such tradition in Central Plains martial arts, and it might just put Li Miao at a disadvantage!
But before he could retreat even a foot, Li Miao had already rushed in front of him! He had no intention of letting go of the force he had used when he clashed with Zheng Ming. His face turned pale, but his smile grew even wider!

"pity."

A fierce and brutal attack, like a tiger pouncing on its prey, unfolded instantly before Zheng Ming. He didn't even have time to bring the flute to his lips. Just deflecting Li Miao's attack was already putting him in a difficult position.

In a short time, the two had exchanged more than a dozen moves.

"What's a pity!"

Seeing Li Miao's increasingly unrestrained smile, Zheng Ming finally lost his composure and spoke in shock and anger.

"Unfortunately, you're not much different from my last opponent."

Li Miao responded with a loud laugh.

Taking advantage of the moment Li Miao opened his mouth to speak, Zheng Ming transformed his flute into a sword, and with a surge of true energy, he thrust the sword towards Li Miao's chest!
"!?"

Zheng Ming's pupils suddenly contracted.

At this moment, Li Miao, who was opposite him, actually dispelled his external martial arts, stood still, and smiled as he looked at the long flute that was stabbing towards his chest.

"What exactly is he trying to do?!"

Zheng Ming's gaze swept up and down, but he found no clue about Li Miao. It was as if Li Miao had given up resisting and was standing there letting himself be killed.

There was no time to change tactics in the rush. Zheng Ming simply poured the last bit of strength he had left in his move into the attack! He thrust it straight at Li Miao's chest! The long flute covered several feet, arriving in front of Li Miao in an instant! In that small space, Li Miao had no time to dodge, let alone circulate his external martial arts technique!
It seemed like the battle was about to be decided!

“I told you, you’re no different from my last opponent.”

Blood splatters everywhere!
Zheng Ming looked at Li Miao in disbelief.

His long flute pierced through Li Miao's arm, making a creaking, teeth-grinding sound, and helplessly stopped at Li Miao's chest.

Just now, Li Miao actually raised his arm and let the flute pierce through him, then rotated his arm and used his two arm bones to clamp the flute!
"What kind of fighting style is this?!"

Zheng Ming's eyes widened.

Li Miao's fist was already at his chest.

Bang!
"puff--"

With a muffled thud, Zheng Ming was sent flying backward. After landing, he staggered back more than ten steps before the force dissipated, but another mouthful of blood welled up in his throat and flowed from the corner of his mouth.

He looked up at Li Miao across from him.

Li Miao raised his arm, which had been pierced by the long flute, and looked at it as if nothing had happened. Then he reached out and pulled out the flute, shook off the blood, and examined it in front of his eyes.

"You know, weapons often reflect the character of their users. For example, those who use concealed weapons are rarely upright and honest, while those who use swords are often hotheads."

Li Miao looked the long flute up and down. White smoke rose from the blood hole on his arm and disappeared at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"I was actually a little disappointed when I saw you wearing a long robe and holding a broken flute."

"An opponent like you is the most boring."

Li Miao pinched the long flute between his thumb and forefinger and pointed at Zheng Ming a few times from a distance.

"My last opponent was like that too."

“If you want to practice martial arts, then practice martial arts; if you want to indulge in romance, then indulge in romance. Why do you have to conflate the two? It’s clearly about broken limbs and flying flesh, but you have to stick in some broken musical instrument to show off.”

“You guys don’t even know what fighting is.”

"I'll help you put an end to that idea."

Li Miao smiled coldly, gripped both ends of the long flute with both hands, and suddenly exerted force! His arm muscles bulged violently, almost tearing his clothes apart!
"you!"

Zheng Ming was shocked and enraged. He stopped in his tracks and was about to rush in front of Li Miao to take back his weapon. When he was still a few feet away, he raised his arm, his true energy surged to his fingertips, and he was about to release it through his body to press a major acupoint on Li Miao's arm.

At that very moment, a mournful sound of jade shattering came from ahead.

Bang!
Suddenly, countless fragments exploded in Li Miao's hand.

Jade is inherently hard yet brittle and cannot be bent. Zheng Ming's long flute was made of an exceptionally rare and precious material, yet it could not withstand Li Miao's forceful handling and immediately shattered.

Countless fragments scattered outwards, like a beam of light blooming in a dim, dense forest.

Zheng Ming stopped in his tracks, looking at Li Miao with shock and anger.

Li Miao's face was cut by shards of the exploding flute. He wiped it with his index finger, leaving a hideous trail of blood on his face.

Li Miao rubbed his blood and looked at Zheng Ming with a smile.

"Now, your pretentious act is gone."

"Next, I'll teach you what fighting is."

(End of this chapter)