The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 496 Immobilization
Their eyes met and clashed, a mixture of doubt and hostility rising and falling.

Three groups of people, their minds in turmoil.

As for identity, judging from his physique and weapon, it's already quite obvious.

Wu Zhi, Gao Lei, and Japanese.

Leaving aside the fact that the Japanese came seeking revenge and silencing witnesses, Gao Lei and Wu Zhi had different motives.

"Are you two in cahoots?"

The leader of the Japanese men noticed the awkward atmosphere between the two.

The two, who should have been from the same school, both snorted coldly.

"Ah."

"whispering sound."

Under the cover of night, the hostility between the two was even more undisguised than during the day.

The leading Japanese man also frowned.

"Tsk... Fine, are you two leaving or not?"

"If you don't leave now, don't blame us for being impolite!"

The eight Japanese men all gripped the hilts of their swords, but did not draw them. There are many schools of swordsmanship in Japan, but because Japanese swords are similar in shape, almost every school has a "drawing technique".

Therefore, unlike the martial arts world of the Central Plains, the Japanese do not need to draw their weapons; simply placing their hands on the hilt of their swords is already a completely threatening posture.

Wu Zhi and Gao Lei both took a step back.

Clearly, they had seen the Japanese.

Gao Lei had just climbed over the wall, and this retreat caused him to be pushed back against it.

Wu Zhi retreated to the window of the main room, pressing his back against it, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, his teeth clenched. Of the three parties present, he was the weakest, and with his groin injured, he had no chance of running away.

He had actually wanted to leave just now.

But now he can't leave.

Because Gao Lei was staring intently at him, and he could read the murderous intent in Gao Lei's eyes—he wanted to use someone else to do his dirty work.

Although the two were from the same sect, they had a long-standing feud, but Gao Lei dared not act out of fear of his sect. However, with the arrival of the Japanese today, Gao Lei now had someone to take the blame. If Wu Zhi had left earlier, Gao Lei would have chased after him and killed him. But if Wu Zhi hadn't left, given the relative strength of everyone present, he would certainly be the one to die the fastest.

In a flash of thought, he gritted his teeth.

"I came here to save your lives, but now I've taken the blame for you... Since we're all in this together now, don't just lie there waiting for me to save you!"

Once he made up his mind, Wu Zhidu suddenly raised his elbow and viciously slammed it against the window behind him, intending to use this to wake Li Miao up and fight the enemy together!
Just as his elbow was about to hit the window, Wu Zhi suddenly felt a numbness in the back of his neck, and a chill ran from his Fengchi acupoint into his dantian, instantly taking away his freedom.

At the same time, an invisible surge of true energy emerged from the window crack, enveloping Wu Zhi and freezing him in place.

"What...what's going on!?"

Wu Zhi was terrified!

Although he couldn't move, he remained conscious, and all five senses were functioning normally. He tried to struggle, but felt like an insect trapped in amber, unable to move an inch no matter how hard he tried.

Even though there was nothing beside him, he could clearly feel himself being locked up. He had never even heard of such a thing before. It reminded him of ghost stories from folk tales, and a chill ran down his spine.

But—the worst is yet to come.

"Senior brother, now that you're here, didn't you prepare any means of self-defense?"

Wu Zhi's voice came from behind him.

Wu Zhi felt a chill run down his spine!
That's absolutely his own voice, even the tone and hostility towards Gao Lei are exactly the same. If he himself heard it, he would only think, "That's only natural."

But that wasn't him.

Gao Lei, on the other end, clearly didn't notice anything amiss and replied coldly.

“Junior brother, you were only concerned with saving people, thinking that you had only run into me and were certain that I wouldn’t dare to kill you, so you dared to come even before your injuries had healed… Now you’re thinking of relying on me to survive?” Wu Zhi’s voice replied.

“I have naturally prepared a plan. As long as I die, no matter who kills me, when the sect comes to investigate, they will find the message I left behind—that I am dead, and the murderer is you, senior brother.”

"You'd better take me with you and survive, otherwise, even if you live today, you will die in the future because of harming your fellow disciples and being punished by the sect rules!"

Wu Zhi exclaimed inwardly, "It can be like this?!"

Ah, that's it! Why didn't I think of this method?
Now Gao Lei had no choice but to save himself!
But then he heard Gao Lei snort coldly and give him a disdainful look.

"just you?"

"Junior brother, a fool like you who wouldn't last three days in the martial world after leaving the sect would have such tricks up your sleeve? You're just trying to trick me in a moment of desperation!"

Wu Zhi's eyes darkened.

His words, which should have been able to turn the tide, failed because of his own usual stupidity... But who can he blame for that?
But then he heard his own voice continue speaking.

"But senior brother, are you willing to bet?"

Gao Lei fell silent.

He really didn't dare to gamble.

The difficulties he told Li Miao during the day were not fabricated. Coming from a bandit background and having already acquired martial arts skills, he was indeed not well-liked within his sect and could not compare to disciples like Wu Zhi, who had a proper and upright lineage... Otherwise, his sect would not have asked him to do such harmful and dirty work.

If his sect discovers that he harmed Wu Zhi, there will likely be no investigation or questioning; he will be convicted and executed for harming a fellow disciple… Even the government wouldn't interfere in such matters of the martial world.

At that point, he'll really be doomed.

"Hold!"

Gao Lei cursed under his breath.

"Fine, I'll save you, but you're not allowed to interfere with my affairs again! These people are all credit I'm going to give to my sect. If you try to ruin my plans with any more nonsense about conscience or chivalry, I'll kill you next time!"

Wu Zhi didn't want to agree.

But the thing that was wrapping him up pressed his head down and nodded, even rubbing his eyebrows and eyes, making an expression of agreement.

"it is good."

He heard his own voice say.

"The sect's contribution... fine, but today I want to go with you to send these people back to the sect. I've risked my life, so I deserve a share of the credit."

That doesn't sound like Wu Zhi at all.

If he had been willing to compromise, he wouldn't have been bullied by Gao Lei time and time again, and wouldn't have ended up being exiled to the farm.

Gao Lei, who was on the other side, also felt something was wrong. He glanced at Wu Zhi, wanting to see what had gone wrong with him, that he would agree to harm people with him.

Before he could even look over, a cold snort came from the side.

"Humph!"

However, when the Japanese leader saw the two talking as if no one else was around and getting along so well in just a few words, his face turned cold.

There's an old saying in the Central Plains: "If you don't listen to a toast, you'll have to drink a penalty shot!"

"Since you two don't take us seriously, then die with these people!"

Before the words were even finished, a cold glint appeared!
In the blink of an eye, several Japanese swords flashed and slashed fiercely at Gao Lei's body, aiming to behead him on the spot!
Gao Lei could no longer care about anything else, and he gripped the baton with both hands and snapped it open!
Swish!
The baton broke off; it was hollow inside!

With a whoosh, countless insects burst forth from the broken opening, swarming towards the Japanese!

Before Wu Zhi could make a move, he heard the voice behind him, which had been impersonating his own, transform into a lazy, intrigued, and magnetic male voice.

"Huh, a Gu worm?"

"First the Yang family, then the Gu worms—could it be that the remnants of the Ming Cult haven't been completely eradicated?"

(End of this chapter)