Chapter 69: Like Master, Like Disciple
Two trees fell, their branches and leaves scattering.
As the young man stumbled, trying to escape, Zhuo Mulan’s sword flashed, a streak of light aiming for his back.
The young man with the hooked nose turned, a jade ring appearing in his hand. The incoming sword light warped and distorted.
Zhuo Mulan snorted. That was Yuejiao’s Moon Phase Ring.
She knew the weapon well. She recalled her sword, and with a flurry of strikes, the distorted space created by the Moon Phase Ring shattered.
The young man with the hooked nose leaped back, pulled out a tiger-shaped rune stone, and his body grew larger.
It was the Earthly Valor Tiger.
His divine form protected him, his strength multiplying.
Zhuo Mulan sneered, “You’ve exhausted your tricks.”
Although the Earthly Valor Tiger granted immense strength, it was merely brute force, useful against low and mid-rank martial artists. Against a high-rank expert like her, it was useless. He wouldn’t even get close.
The young man with the hooked nose grabbed a broken tree trunk and swung it, sending debris flying, scattering the animals in the forest.
Zhuo Mulan moved gracefully, dodging his attacks with ease, her sword a blur, slicing through the “flesh” of his divine form.
In a short time, the divine form dissipated. Her sword struck the tree trunk, and the young man, coughing up blood, was thrown backwards, crashing into a rock, shattering it.
Zhuo Mulan landed gracefully on a branch, her sword pointed at him, “Villain! The Huo family has always been loyal and righteous. Huo Fu is a renowned philanthropist! How dare you murder him with such despicable methods! You’re truly evil!”
The young man, lying on the ground, gasping for breath, chuckled, “Loyal and righteous? A philanthropist? You call that Huo Fu a philanthropist?”
Zhuo Mulan frowned, unsure what he was mocking. Everyone she had met praised Huo Fu’s generosity. She and her disciple had even witnessed him distributing rice porridge to the poor.
If everyone were like him, the world would be a much better place.
Yet, the young man’s tone suggested she was telling a joke. Zhuo Mulan snorted angrily, “You’re incorrigible!”
Her sword flashed, aiming for the young man’s forehead. He leaped up, like a cornered beast, his sword thrust forward.
Zhuo Mulan sneered. She could see his attack was weak, fueled only by his remaining energy. She didn’t even bother dodging, her sword slashing down.
A clang echoed as their swords met, her sword deflected upwards. Zhuo Mulan’s balance faltered.
Startled, before she could react, a burst of sword energy struck her vital points. She tried to retreat, but a shadow flickered beside her, and three more strikes landed, her body going limp as she collapsed.
Shi Hao caught her and, hearing shouts from the approaching Huo family martial artists, quickly carried her into the forest.
Zhuo Mulan was far stronger than him. But he had feigned weakness, leading her to underestimate him. Her final attack, confident in an easy kill, had lacked power.
And his seemingly desperate counterattack had been fueled by the Gathering Essence Flowing Pearl true energy, using the Immortal Lightning Sword Technique. While the Violet Vortex Blade Technique concealed its demonic energy, the Immortal Lightning Sword Technique was more overt.
How could Zhuo Mulan, judging him based on his previous techniques, know that his seemingly weak attack contained the Taisu Immortal Pavilion’s powerful true energy?
Normally, low-rank techniques couldn’t project true energy externally. But the Taisu Immortal Pavilion, a secretive and powerful sect, possessed unique and powerful techniques.
Having faced Shi Hao’s Violet Vortex Blade Technique earlier, Zhuo Mulan had subconsciously braced herself against its pulling force, leaving her open to his sudden burst of projected true energy.
Shi Hao’s plan, after repeated attempts, had finally succeeded. He thought, That was close.
He used the Severing Meridian Burning Heart Finger to seal Zhuo Mulan’s acupoints.
“Villain,” Zhuo Mulan, held tightly in his arms, unable to struggle, her eyes filled with fear, “Let… let me go!”
Shi Hao thought, Like master, like disciple. They say the same thing when captured.
A girl’s voice called out from the distance, “Master? Master?”
Zhuo Mulan was about to shout, but the villain leaned closer and sneered in her ear, “Even you are my captive now. Your disciple is no match for me. Do you want her to follow you, only to be captured as well?”
Zhuo Mulan’s words died in her throat.
The villain chuckled and carried her deeper into the forest.
The darkness of the forest, like a gaping maw, swallowed them whole…
Shi Hao carried Zhuo Mulan over a mountain, reaching a desolate, uninhabited forest.
He dropped her onto the grass and pondered.
What should he do with her now?
He didn’t want to kill her. After all, she was Yuejiao’s master. Killing her would make him and Yuejiao mortal enemies.
Although Du Yuejiao, having grown up in the sheltered environment of the Chongxian Sect, wasn’t his kind of person, he didn’t want to be forced to kill her.
He wasn’t that ruthless.
And technically, the ingredients for the seventh-rank Immortal Formula he had consumed had been obtained by Du Yuejiao through her master’s connections. In that sense, he owed Zhuo Mulan a favor.
As a martial artist, even if he couldn’t repay kindness with kindness, he wouldn’t repay it with enmity.
But he couldn’t just let her go. After all, to escape her, he had been forced to use his Daoist true energy.
He looked at Zhuo Mulan.
She pushed herself up, her eyes wide with shock and fear, “Who… who are you? Why do you have both Daoist and demonic internal energy?”
Although he had only used one sword strike, with her knowledge of martial arts, she had recognized his dual cultivation.
Should he kill her? Shi Hao felt a headache coming on.
He trusted Xu Xiaoyan, so he hadn’t hidden anything from her. But Zhuo Mulan was from the Chongxian Sect.
His dual cultivation was crucial for maintaining his disguises. When he appeared as “Shi Hao,” using Daoist techniques, no one would connect him to the “hooked-nosed young man.”
Their fighting styles were completely different.
If this secret was revealed, it could cause him serious trouble.
He had to ensure she couldn’t reveal what happened tonight.
He had to make her too ashamed to speak of it to anyone.
Shi Hao sneered, his fingers cracking as he approached her.
Seeing his menacing expression, Zhuo Mulan said in alarm, “What are you doing? The Chongxian Sect won’t let you get away with this!”
The young man with the hooked nose chuckled, “Your disciple said the same thing. And what happened? What can you do to me?”
“I know you think you’re noble and righteous. The Chongxian Sect, the orthodox leader of the Daoist sects. You all think you’re some kind of celestial beings. Heh, but in the eyes of the martial world, you’re just hypocrites who enable evil.”
Zhuo Mulan shouted, “Villain, don’t you dare…”
The young man with the hooked nose continued sneering, “Do you think I’m just making things up? Do you know what your ‘Benefactor Huo’ has been doing? To seize the land of the Fang Family Town villagers, he hired bandits to attack them, killing and looting, forcing them to sell their land and their children.”
“You and your disciple, pampered and sheltered within your Daoist sect, know nothing of the real world. Do you know why Daoist Lan Ke defected? Because he realized the Chongxian Sect is a despicable sect, and everyone in it is despicable.”
Zhuo Mulan tried to channel her energy, but her meridians felt blocked, her Daoist true energy unable to flow.
This bizarre acupoint sealing technique terrified her. And the villain’s disrespect towards the Chongxian Sect enraged her.
She said, her voice filled with righteous indignation, “Silence! A villain like you has no right to speak of our righteous sect! If you dare touch me… what are you doing?!”
The young man with the hooked nose grabbed her chin, looking down at her with a sinister smile, “Don’t worry, you think you’re so noble and virtuous, an immortal of the martial world, a pure and untainted snow lotus. But I’m not interested in you.”
“I’m just going to prove to you that not only is your ‘Benefactor Huo’ a villain, but you’re also not the virtuous immortal you pretend to be. If you don’t believe me, I’ll give you a chance to prove your virtue. I’m looking forward to it.”
He untied her sash and belt.
Her Daoist robe, embroidered with bamboo and peonies, parted, revealing her crimson inner robe and white trousers.
His hand slid beneath her robe, caressing her smooth waist. She struggled, “Don’t touch me!”
The young man with the hooked nose chuckled, “Don’t worry, this is just the beginning…”
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