The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 475 Death
Zhao Wuji glanced at the heads at his feet.

The second-in-command and all the men he took with him are here. The expressions they had before they died are still on their faces, without a trace of fear, even with a hint of excitement, as if they hadn't even had time to realize their own death.

Zhao Wuji looked up.

A tall man, a dark-skinned youth, and an infant in swaddling clothes.

He glanced at Wu Mingxiao and clicked his tongue in disdain.

His martial arts skills, physique, and even the indignant expression on his face were no different from those of the dozens of young heroes he had killed or captured before—he couldn't be the real culprit.

So he fixed his gaze on Li Miao.

"Sir... I have not yet had the pleasure of asking your question?"

The ability to instantly kill the second-in-command and several elite bandits demonstrates a level of martial prowess far exceeding that of ordinary martial artists. Such a person must either be from a prominent sect or a renowned figure in the martial arts world.

This kind of person is not easy to kill.

He wasn't afraid of Li Miao, because he had great confidence in the savage's martial arts skills.

But the martial arts world isn't just about fighting and killing; it's about human relationships and social interactions.

Friends, relatives, teachers, and fellow disciples—the higher one's martial arts skills, the more complex one's relationships and background become, potentially attracting unexpected trouble. He didn't want to escalate things too much, as this could disrupt his plans to re-enter the martial world.

Therefore, he still wanted to "test the waters" first.

Unexpectedly, Li Miao uttered a sentence without even lifting his eyelids.

"none of your business."

Zhao Wuji's lips twitched as he forcibly suppressed his anger.

"Your Excellency... please don't push your luck."

He kicked the second-in-command's head away, picked up his knife, and slowly walked down the steps, looking furious and ready to fight himself.

But secretly, he made a gesture to the savage in the corner.

Without hesitation, the savage grabbed his long knife and moved toward Li Miao from behind with a lithe gait completely out of proportion to his size. The skinny tiger also crouched down and silently approached Li Miao.

The man and the tiger had remarkably similar gaits and builds.

The savage's back was high and hunched, and his footsteps were silent.

Skinny Tiger's gait seemed to follow a certain pattern.

Zhao Wuji made up his mind, but his expression remained unchanged. He spoke to Li Miao in a deep voice.

"Does Your Excellency perhaps have some dissatisfaction with the way my mountain stronghold operates?"

"Do you know that most of the people in my mountain stronghold are starving and displaced? If you destroy my stronghold, do you have any way to provide for them? Can you bear the loss of more than a thousand lives?"

It's still a matter of readily available moral blackmail.

He understood these so-called righteous people all too well, because he himself was a true righteous knight-errant more than a decade ago. Just a few insignificant lives were enough to expose their flaws.

With just a moment's distraction or hesitation, the savage could take this person's head!

Zhao Wuji waited confidently for Li Miao's answer.

He was looking forward to seeing Li Miao's shocked and angry expression.

Just like the dozens of times before.

"None of my business."

Zhao Wuji's expression froze.

He even doubted whether he had misheard, but looking at Li Miao's lazy and playful face, he couldn't find any other answer.

Does he really not care?

But if they don't care about human lives, why bother venturing into my obscure mountain stronghold... Even if they wipe it out, what good will it do? They gain neither fame nor benefit. Could it be...?

"Is it possible that you are lacking some valuables to protect yourself?"

Do I look like I'm short of money?

"Could it be that my brothers have offended you?"

"We have no grudges against each other."

Zhao Wuji's brows furrowed more and more deeply.

"Then, Your Excellency—"

"I don't like you."

Li Miao dusted off his sleeves and said casually. Zhao Wuji gritted his teeth.

He got it.

This man is neither a chivalrous hero nor a robber.

He simply didn't take him and the thousand-odd bandits of this mountain stronghold seriously. It was like brushing off dust from his clothes; there was no love or hate involved, he just saw them and casually brushed them off.

It was just a whim; killing him or letting him go, no reason is needed.

Just like Zuo Lishan back then.

Veins bulged on Zhao Wuji's forehead, and he laughed in extreme anger.

So what if Zuo Lishan?

He's still dead!
Died in...wait?

Zhao Wuji suddenly remembered something.

Who killed Zuo Lishan? It seems so, he died at the hands of the missing current commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Because it concerns Zuo Lishan, he was probably among the first people in the martial arts world to pay attention to and deliberately collect information about Li Miao.

What did that commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard look like again?

He had a heroic appearance, a tall stature, and a penchant for wearing a black bearskin cloak... just like the man in front of me.

As they spoke, the savage and the skinny tiger had already closed in on Li Miao from behind.

Wu Mingxiao stood in the middle, seemingly noticing something, and was about to turn around to look.

Just at this moment!
"kill!"

"Roar!"

The man and the tiger suddenly leaped up, passing over the head of the astonished Wu Mingxiao, and the long knife and tiger claws pounced towards Li Miao's head and neck!

"Brother Li, be careful!"

Wu Mingxiao drew his sword and swung it at the savage's back, shouting loudly!
Zhao Wuji turned and fled without hesitation!

He has survived to this day and reached this point not because of his martial arts skills, but because of his intelligence and caution!
He will not wait for the results to be determined.

Because no one understood Zuo Lishan's terror better than him, and Zuo Lishan died at that person's hands!

Even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance, he would never gamble!
But even as he fled, he kept his ears perked up, taking in every sound behind him.

The longsword tore through the air; it was an exceptional strike even among the most powerful, one that would be difficult for Zuo Lishan to block head-on even if he were still alive.

The tiger's roar was deafening. Although this thin tiger was old, it had lived with the savage for decades, filling in the gaps in his moves. As long as the savage made the slightest mistake, the tiger would die in its jaws.

He could even hear Wu Mingxiao's voice growing increasingly shrill, indicating that he had acted too slowly and was unable to stop Li Miao, leaving him only able to watch as Li Miao was surrounded.

Zhao Wuji's hand was already on the door.

The door was pushed open a crack, and Zhao Wuji had already put one foot outside and his face was close to the door. He could already see the mountains and forests outside.

Snapped!
In that instant, Zhao Wuji's vision was abruptly cut off.

A hand pulled the door shut.

Zhao Wuji's thoughts were interrupted for a moment and then never resumed, because the sharp pain from his lower body suddenly rushed into his mind.

His foot was severed by the door leaf.

Zhao Wuji staggered and fell to the ground.

My gaze was drawn to the slumped body, sweeping over Wu Mingxiao, who had half-drawn his sword but was frozen in place, the skinny tiger whose skull had been pierced by the long sword and pinned to the beam, and the savage with a dazed look in his eyes, holding the long sword that pinned the skinny tiger down, his hands trembling but unable to move.

Finally, the figure stopped beside him, one hand resting on the door panel to close it, the other hand forming a claw aimed at the tall, savage man.

"Ah... Brother Zuo, Sect Leader Zuo."

Zhao Wuji thought to himself.

"We truly are sworn brothers. Although the vow we made back then to die on the same day, month, and year has not been fulfilled, we will ultimately die at the hands of the same person."

He spoke in a hoarse voice.

"plum--"

Bang!
His head exploded, Zhao Wuji's chest twitched a few times, and then he fell silent.

(End of this chapter)