The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 305 Zheng Yi

Swish!
Zheng Yi thrust her sword forward, creating a series of explosive sounds as the tip aimed directly at the old man's face. She held nothing back; her strike was filled with killing intent, determined to behead the instigator!
Clang!

The longsword was still a foot away from the old man's panicked face when it suddenly thrust out from the side, striking Zheng Yi precisely where he was weak, instantly breaking the attack.

"Tsk!"

Zheng Yi raised her eyebrows and continued chasing after the two fleeing figures without stopping.

The two people in front were both dressed in tight-fitting night clothes and their faces were covered. But just from their exposed eyebrows, eyes, hands and feet, it was clear that one was an old man and the other was a young and beautiful woman.

Judging from his martial arts foundation, the man should have been a first-rate fighter when he was young, but now he is old and frail, and his true energy and blood are almost exhausted, so he has declined to the second or third-rate level.

If it were just him, Zheng Yi could kill him in an instant.

But the problem lies with that woman.

In terms of martial arts alone, although he was a solid Celestial Realm expert, he was no match for Zheng Yi. What made Zheng Yi's life difficult was her identity.

Although Zheng Yi didn't know the conclusion Li Miao had reached, once the person was right in front of her, even if they were masked, she could recognize their appearance and build at a glance—they looked about 60-70% like her! And their martial arts skills were undoubtedly those of a direct descendant of Penglai!

How could she not guess the other party's identity?
While she was hesitant to act rashly, her opponent showed no mercy, even using their own body to block the old man, preventing Zheng Yi from making a move.

In fact, the two of them managed to escape for dozens of miles.

"We can't delay any longer!"

Zheng Yi gritted her teeth, her inner energy surged, and she suddenly darted forward, instantly appearing behind the old man. She raised her hand and slashed diagonally at the back of the old man's head with her sword!
But Zheng Yi's eyes were subtly glancing to the side.

As expected! When the woman saw her make her move, a look of panic flashed in her eyes. She quickly moved closer and raised her sword to block Zheng Yi's attack.

"Well done!"

Zheng Yi shouted, and her already prepared move was instantly executed! Her longsword twirled in mid-air, deflecting the woman's sword!

Then—he raised his hand and delivered a palm strike!
It was pressed hard against the woman's chest!

"puff!--"

The woman was sent flying backward, spitting out blood!

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zheng Yi kicked the old man in the knee. With a crisp crack, the white bone fragments tore through his trouser leg and were exposed to the air.

The old man cried out in pain, and as his body swayed, his other leg was kicked as well. Both of his crutches were completely useless, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

"save--"

Just as he was about to open his mouth to beg the woman for help, Zheng Yi grabbed the back of his head and shoved him into the ground. A long sword swished against his neck, ready to sever it at any moment!

"do not move!"

Zheng Yi said coldly, looking up.

The woman had taken eighty percent of the force of Zheng Yi's palm strike and was seriously injured, yet she showed no concern for her own safety. Seeing Zheng Yi's longsword embedded in the old man's neck, her eyes reddened, and she was about to rush over to fight to the death.

"If he moves even slightly, he will die."

Zheng Yi said coldly.

The woman slowly stopped, gripping the hilt of her sword tightly, and glared at Zheng Yi through gritted teeth.

"Take off your face mask and let me see your face."

Zheng Yi gave the order.

The woman did as instructed, raising her hand to remove her face mask, revealing a beautiful young face. Sure enough, her appearance was about 60-70% similar to Zheng Yi's.

"what's your name?"

Zheng Yi asked.

"Xue Hanmeng!"

The woman's tone was filled with anger.

"really."

Zheng Yi nodded.

"You are Xue Bangzhu's daughter."

"So what! You bunch of beasts from Yingzhou!"

"People say, 'We are all of the same blood, why are we so eager to kill each other?' But you beasts are sticking to me like glue! You killed my mother, and now you want to kill my uncle!"

The woman gritted her teeth and said.

"I swear to God, if you have harmed my uncle today, I will spend my entire life hunting you down to the ends of the earth, and I will bring you to your doom!"

"Tear him to pieces!"

Zheng Yi choked.

She was truly speechless at Xue Hanmeng's nonsensical words, her mind a jumble of thoughts, unsure where to begin. She pursed her lips, nearly uttering a "brain-dead idiot."

She truly never expected that the first fellow disciple from Penglai she found would mistake her for someone from Yingzhou! Li Miao's words that the Penglai disciples might turn against her with swords had actually come true in this way!
Is Xue Hanmeng brain-dead? The two of them have the same sword technique, can't she tell?
If she were from Yingzhou, she would have killed Xue Hanmeng with a single sword strike long ago! Why would she need to chase her this far before unleashing her full power? Didn't she know how much force she had held back in that palm strike?

But as soon as she said these words, Xue Hanmeng snorted coldly: "How arrogant! Yingzhou and Penglai are of the same origin, what's so strange about you knowing Penglai's swordsmanship!"

"Besides, don't you want to keep me alive so you can force me to reveal the secrets of Penglai? — Bah!"

She raised her eyebrows and spoke with righteous indignation.

"If you are truly my fellow disciple, then release my uncle! Otherwise, no matter how sweet your words, I will not believe you in the slightest!"

"I'll hold it—"

Zheng Yi almost swore again.

As an aside, the surviving disciples of Penglai went into hiding after fleeing to Dashuo. Some hid in the mountains, some in temples, and some in the marketplace; their choices varied.

Zheng Yi's mother chose to become an outlaw.

Before the Yingzhou people came knocking on her door, Zheng Yi's mother was already one of the twenty-eight leaders of the Jiangnan Waterway, and was quite famous in the underworld.

Zheng Yi grew up among a group of river bandits. Although her mother tried her best to correct her speech and behavior, the underlying nature was already difficult to change.

She acted aloof in front of the Yingzhou people and ladylike in front of Li Miao, partly because she was afraid of embarrassing Penglai and her mother, and partly because she was used to being "pretentious" by her mother.

But right now, she really couldn't hold back any longer.

This Xue Hanmeng... is even more disgusting than the people of Yingzhou!
This idiot's logic is self-consistent!

If Xue Hanmeng releases the old man, she will definitely take him and escape immediately. If the old man adds a few more "settings" along the way, Xue Hanmeng will definitely believe him without a doubt, and no matter how she explains, it will be useless.

If Zheng Yi tries to capture the old man then, she'll probably have to kill Xue Hanmeng—what was the point of all that trouble last night!

If she didn't let him go, Xue Hanmeng wouldn't believe her. If she wanted to kill the old man, Xue Hanmeng would probably come over and fight to the death with bloodshot eyes.

It's numb...it's really numb...

From body to mind, Zheng Yi was completely numb.

For martial arts practitioners, the most disgusting enemy is not a master they can't beat, but a brain-dead ally.

You can't wake them up by scolding, you can't kill them, you can't beat them.

We can't just ignore it!
Zheng Yi now desperately wishes Xue Hanmeng wasn't from Penglai... then she could strangle this wicked bastard and this stupid pig together with one sword!

Seeing Zheng Yi's uncertain expression and the fact that she seemed to have loosened her grip, Xue Hanmeng's eyes darted around, and she suddenly changed her expression, speaking to Zheng Yi with a sincere look.

"If you are truly my fellow disciple, we shouldn't kill each other; that would only benefit Yingzhou for nothing... I just don't dare trust you right now. If you release me first—"

"Shut up, you idiot."

Zheng Yi said weakly.

"Your pretense might fool a three-year-old, but your face changes like flipping through a book. Do you think I'm as stupid as you?"

"Damn it—ugh!"

Zheng Yi finally couldn't hold back any longer.

After maintaining a haughty demeanor in front of Li Miao for over a month, he instantly crumbled and collapsed with a single "Fuck you."

"I'm truly speechless. I don't know what kind of garbage your mother fed you since you were little, which ruined your brain. Just now, your mother's corpse was lying on the table, rotting like your brain, and you didn't even look at it, yet you came to save your mother's murderer. I really don't know what sins my Zheng family committed to give birth to such a disloyal, unfilial, unjust, unwise, ignorant, and ungrateful stupid thing like you—"

"Shut up!"

Xue Hanmeng had been raised by Xue Bangzhu in the mountains since she was a child, so she had never seen anything like this before!
In the blink of an eye, Zheng Yi insulted him from head to toe two or three times, which made him furious and embarrassed. He picked up his sword and was about to fight to the death!
"Don't move, you idiot."

click-

With a sharp crack, Zheng Yi snapped the old man's arm. The old man, buried in the ground, immediately let out a series of groans, stopping Xue Hanmeng in her tracks. "What exactly do you want!"

She shouted angrily.

"Not good, just wait and see."

Zheng Yi said without raising her head or opening her eyes.

Xue Hanmeng was on one path while she was on the other, and the difference in skill level wasn't significant enough for her to have a firm grip on her opponent. To be honest, she didn't have a way to break through this stalemate right now.

But she saw Yin Suqin leave, and she knew perfectly well who Yin Suqin was going to see.

When dealing with idiots, fists are far more effective than reason.

Since the toughest punches from Da Shuo were about to come, she had no intention of arguing with Xue Hanmeng anymore... so she would just wait it out!
On one hand, they were "numb" and didn't want to move, while on the other hand, they were hesitant to step forward for fear of causing harm, and the situation remained deadlocked.

Since neither side is going to make a move, according to the rules of the martial arts world, it's inevitable that they'll exchange insults with each other's parents and ancestors for eighteen generations.

And so, on the vast wilderness, two remarkably similar female voices began to shout and curse.

"You treacherous dog from Yingzhou!"

"Your mom died."

"A disgrace to the martial arts world!"

"Your uncle is about to die too."

"you are not human!"

"You're an idiot."

"Aaaaaah—you!"

--------

As Li Miao followed the trail and approached, he heard two people hurling insults at each other from afar.

Li Miao raised an eyebrow, not in a hurry to show himself. He quickly disappeared, his footsteps gone, and quietly crept towards the direction from which the shouting came.

"you you--"

Xue Hanmeng's face flushed red, her chest heaved, and her lips turned white and trembled.

"You have a lemon head, rat eyes, hooked nose, droopy eyebrows, protruding ears, big mouth, old teeth, thin neck, uneven shoulders, short legs, a deer-like face and a wolf's heart."

Zheng Yi said calmly.

"Disloyal, unfilial, unkind, unjust, ungrateful, and ignorant of right and wrong, he is not good at martial arts, not smart, and even his mouth is not fluent. From top to bottom and from the inside out, he is not worthy of the bloodline of my Zheng family."

“Every word you say now is ‘arrogant,’ every breath you take is ‘shameless,’ and every thought that comes to mind is an insult to the pigs you’ve eaten. If I were you, I would slap myself twenty times to feel at peace if I hadn’t committed suicide by even a second, yet you still have the nerve to breathe.”

"Tell me, what face do you have to still be alive?"

Li Miao raised an eyebrow from the shadows.

"Wow! Goodness! What a sharp tongue!"

"You acted aloof with Zheng Ming before, but acted like a lady with me. It was all an act!"

"With that mouth of his, even I have no way to deal with it except by tearing his head off... Although he and Xiao Anzi are not on the same path, they are both masters with more than ten years of experience—interesting!"

To be honest, Li Miao didn't really like Zheng Yi before. He disliked people who put on airs the most, and even when Zheng Yi died at the hands of the Yingzhou people, he didn't feel anything.

But Zheng Yi's current state piqued Li Miao's interest—not in a romantic way, of course. After all, they were related by marriage, and although Li Miao was from Shuntian Prefecture, he had no interest in playing the ethical game.

In that short period of time, Xue Hanmeng was thoroughly humiliated and could no longer utter a coherent sentence, only managing to shout "you, you" repeatedly.

Zheng Yi immediately launched into a tirade: "You stupid bastard, I'll eat you—"

"Alright, alright."

A hand was placed on her shoulder.

“If you keep cursing, this silly child will go mad. We’ve been through so much all night, and Yanfan and Xue Bangzhu have died. If you curse her to death, then we’ve come all this way for nothing.”

Zheng Yi's face turned pale.

Li Miao has already arrived!

Given his personality, there are only two ways he'll make an appearance—either he'll crash to the ground like a meteorite, or he'll secretly watch the show for a long time, probably already having eaten half a handful of sunflower seeds!
In other words, Li Miao heard everything he just said.

Good heavens... she's completely disgraced Penglai!
Zheng Yi fell into deep self-doubt, numbly being lifted up by the back of her neck and placed aside by Li Miao.

After being pressed down by Zheng Yi for half a day, "Bu Liuxing" suddenly felt a release from his back. He raised his head to catch his breath, but before he could open his mouth, a huge force came from behind again, pressing him down into the soil.

Li Miao didn't care about Xue Hanmeng's feelings.

"Ughhhhhh!—"

With a series of cracking sounds, "Bu Liuxing" was stomped into the ground by Li Miao. The part of his spine that was in contact with Li Miao's foot had completely collapsed, and even if he were saved, he would be a cripple.

"uncle!"

Xue Hanmeng let out a mournful cry, her anger rising from her heart. No longer caring about anything else, she hastily drew her long sword and thrust it at Li Miao!

Snapped!
A loud bang was heard in mid-air!
Li Miao showed no mercy and slapped Xue Hanmeng across the face, sending the sword crashing down with her.

With a "poof," Xue Hanmeng was sent flying backwards in mid-air like a spinning top, spitting blood. After landing, she tumbled several times, rolling with remarkable agility.

After a long while, she finally moved, barely managing to stand up with the help of the ground, and looked at Li Miao in despair.

"What, you're not convinced?"

Li Miao smiled at her, and with a lift of his foot, "Bu Liuxing" was about to look up and catch her breath when Li Miao stomped down again, this time on the back of her head, pressing harder and harder until her entire head was forced into the ground.

"do not want!"

As soon as Xue Hanmeng let go, the longsword fell to the ground, and she knelt down with a thud.

Just from Li Miao's move just now, she already knew that she was no match for him. Moreover, unlike Zheng Yi, Li Miao had no intention of arguing with her; he simply wanted to torture and kill "Bu Liuxing" right in front of her!
She could still exchange a few insults with Zheng Yi, but when it came to Li Miao, Xue Hanmeng had no bargaining power left and could only plead through tears.

"No, please, please spare my uncle's life!"

“My mother has already died at the hands of your Yingzhou. If you want to eliminate all traces of the virus, just kill me! My uncle has no connection with Penglai. He only adopted me for a few years. He has nothing to do with these matters!”

"Please, please! Let him go!"

Xue Hanmeng seemed to suddenly remember something and spoke up urgently.

"Okay, okay, if you release him, my mother left me something before she disappeared, and I'll give it to you right now, alright?"

"Isn't what you Yingzhou want—the secrets of Penglai's heritage? I'll give them all to you, okay?"

She pleaded, tears streaming down her face.

Li Miao raised an eyebrow and suddenly laughed.

“You really need to practice. The look you gave me just now was full of murderous intent, and when you spoke, your eyes darted around, as if your hypocrisy was written all over your face.”

"Well... I don't really like wasting time on idiots."

Li Miao lifted his foot, reached out and picked up the "Bu Liu Xing" embedded in the ground, then grabbed it by the neck and held it in front of him.

"I have a good idea."

Li Miao slowly placed his other hand on "Bu Liuxing's" left upper arm.

scoff-

"Ahhhh!——"

Blood spurted out, and Li Miao casually threw the severed arm to the ground. He then raised his hand and grabbed the wound on "Bu Liu Xing," his fingers slowly clenching.

With a series of crisp "crackling" sounds, the wound was crushed into a mess of flesh by Li Miao. The gushing blood was stopped by this extremely brutal method, and only a few drops of blood dripped down.

"Bu Liuxing" had already fainted, his eyes rolled back.

Xue Hanmeng, pale and trembling, looked at Li Miao, who revealed a sinister smile from behind "Bu Liuxing".

he said with a smile.

"He has a moment of life, you have a moment of time."

"Quickly, run, run forward!"

“If I don’t see what your mother left you in a quarter of an hour, your so-called ‘uncle’ life will be in danger.”

Without the slightest hesitation, Xue Hanmeng turned and ran in one direction.

(End of this chapter)