The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 329 Message
Hua Zhi Qiu's plans were out in the open; he had no intention of hiding anything from Li Miao and the other two.

Rather, he deliberately wanted the three of them to see through his scheme, hoping they would back down and leave quickly.

After all, the Jinyiwei stationed in the Kongming Sect was just a captain. He could borrow the "power" of the Jinyiwei, but he couldn't borrow their "strength" for the time being.

So when Gao Anyu spoke urgently and Cao Hanyan shook her head and sighed, he showed a smug smile, fully believing that his plan had succeeded.

Just a moment later, his face darkened again.

Because Cao Hanyan and Gao Anyu only paused for a moment before taking another step forward.

Moreover, the two of them had tried their best to control the force of their attacks, leaving almost no irreparable injuries on the Kongming Sect disciples.

But now—it seems they're no longer holding back.

Cao Hanyan's eyes narrowed, and she brought her longsword to the top of the person in front of her, slashing down heavily on the sword.

clang--

The man stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

Cao Hanyan's skill far surpassed his, and he was prepared to be staggered by the blow. But this strike didn't even shake his wrist.

He looked at Cao Hanyan with suspicion, then was startled.

Cao Hanyan's eyes changed.

The longsword flipped across the blade and suddenly slashed horizontally! The blade flashed across the blade, cleaving through the hilt and severing the hand along with it!
"Ah uh!"

Before he could even scream, Cao Hanyan severed him in the shoulder with a single stroke. The disciple collapsed limply, blood gushing out.

Cao Hanyan didn't stop; she struck another man on the temple with the hilt of her knife, knocking him down once more.

If it were Cao Hanyan before she met Li Miao, she probably wouldn't have been able to strike so hard. But after the three incidents involving Xue Bangzhu, the Kongming Sect disciple who killed innocent people and claimed credit, and "Meteor," he understood—

Unconditional "good" is also "evil." Being overly concerned with the properness of the process often leads to an irreversible abyss in the outcome.

Hua Zhi Qiu was unaware of the absurdity of his actions. The Kongming Sect was destined for extinction; that much was beyond question.

The more he beats the Kongming Sect badly, the more pleased Li Miao will be, and the more innocent disciples within the Kongming Sect will be saved.

Indeed, even at this moment, Cao Hanyan was still thinking about his disciples who had turned their swords against him.

But Gao Anyu on the other side is different.

Seeing that Cao Hanyan had finally started to fight freely, a smile immediately appeared on his face.

Unlike Cao Hanyan, he hadn't been soft-hearted earlier; he had held back out of consideration for Cao Hanyan's feelings. But now that Cao Hanyan had gone all out, he no longer needed to hesitate!
Keng!
The black ruler flew out of his hand, pierced one person's shoulder, and after passing through the flesh, its momentum did not diminish, striking another person and stringing the three together.

The Kongming Sect disciples surrounding him showed expressions of surprise and delight.

"His weapon is gone!"

"Take his weapon away quickly, don't let him take it back!"

The scene of Gao Anyu smashing their weapons with the black ruler and then scattering the fragments on them undoubtedly instilled considerable fear in them, making them hesitant and timid in their fight, and they didn't even dare to engage Gao Anyu in direct combat.

But now that Gao Anyu had thrown away the black ruler, they surrounded him again.

Gao Anyu chuckled, his feet shifting slightly into a T-shape. He clenched his fists, one hand raised to his waist, the other held before him. He silently recited the incantation Li Miao had taught him, and his true energy began to vibrate slowly through his meridians.

Dodging the longsword aimed at his face, Gao Anyu gently punched his opponent in the chest.

There was no blood splattering, no broken bones, not even a sound. In just an instant, the man became a corpse.

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"That's right...that's right, that's it!"

"It's this fan!"

Zheng Yi trembled as she took off the silk fan and carefully held it in her hand. After just one glance, she was absolutely certain that this was the same fan from back then.

But instead of feeling the joy of finding her old belongings, she became increasingly silent.

When the people from Yingzhou came to attack, her mother stopped them and let her escape. She swam several miles into the water before daring to come ashore and hide in the nearby reeds.

Half a month later, when she tentatively returned to check on things, she discovered that her mother had disappeared, and the ground was covered in black bloodstains. The house had been burned to the ground, and all their belongings had been reduced to ashes.

But why is this fan now in front of her?
During the time between her escape and her return, the only people who had time to take the fan were her mother and the Yingzhou disciple who had chased after her.

The only person who knew she could recognize the fan was her mother.

It is almost certain that the murderer who killed Long Haifeng and Xue Bangzhu was her mother, Zheng Tong.

But, why?
Since the people of Yingzhou failed to kill my mother back then, why didn't she come back to find me?

Why did they hunt down their fellow disciples from Penglai? And why did they tell him about their clues, leading him to search for these victims everywhere?

Why deceive yourself... to seek revenge on Yingzhou?

A myriad of thoughts rushed into my mind at once, difficult to resolve and hard to express.

All her previous beliefs were overturned; what she thought were hatred, companions, and enemies were all part of her mother's scheme. The truth she sought was, from beginning to end, a vast net woven by her mother, trapping her firmly within it.

Since she left this fan behind, it means she doesn't want to meet him directly. She can't even see it with her own eyes or ask him anything in person.

But what should I do?
The hatred with Yingzhou is no longer valid, and the camaraderie with her fellow disciples in Penglai has turned into enmity. If she continues to investigate, who knows how many more of her fellow disciples will die at her hands.

Where should I go?
Her thoughts were in turmoil, and just when she didn't know what to do, a handsome yet lazy face with a mocking smile suddenly appeared in her mind.

Then more images appeared.

Li Miao leaned against the tree and said with a smile.

"Xiao Yizi, look at you, you're in such a hurry again."

Li Miao grabbed Zheng Ming's head and slammed it into the ground.

"What bullshit Yingzhou, what kinship and bloodline! I'll walk my own path, kill those who block my way, and die if they stand in my way!"

Li Miao stood in the cave and threw the booklet left by Xue Bangzhu to her.

"Extreme intelligence is bound to cause harm, and deep emotions are not long-lasting. Since you are practicing martial arts, don't be like those pedantic scholars who spend their days indulging in melancholy and sentimentality."

"Since we are warriors, no matter what lies ahead—giant rocks, deep ravines, or love and hate—we must use our fists to cleave it open. If there is no road, we will carve one out with our fists."

"Always thinking of taking roundabout ways is an insult to martial arts."

Zheng Yi let out a long breath, reached out and gripped the sword hilt, pursed her lips, and a barely perceptible smile curved her lips.

Zheng Yi put the broken fan into her bosom, looked around, carved a sentence on the tree with her sword, and turned to leave without the slightest hesitation.

(End of this chapter)