Chapter 10: 第十章：钟离洛中毒

“This subordinate greets the Lord.”

“Mhm, what is it?”

“My Lord, they have recently been searching for a little girl who is a beggar.”

“And have they found her?”

“Not yet.”

“I see. Searching for a little beggar girl... this is getting interesting.”

“Continue your investigations. While you're at it, look for that beggar woman as well.”

“Yes.”

“My Lord.”

“Still haven't found her? It seems your skills have declined. Perhaps I should send you back to the Yama Hell for more training before letting you out again.”

“Please don't, My Lord! We have searched the entire capital; we even went through all the beggar dens, but we simply cannot find the little beggar girl you drew,” Han Yue said, lowering his head miserably.

“You really searched the beggar dens?”

“Yes, My Lord. We have searched every street and alleyway, but we found no sign of the beggar woman from your drawing.”

“My Lord, do you still not believe me? Why don't you come over and smell me? See if I smell like a beggar den,” Han Yue said, lifting one hand and attempting to lean toward Zhongli Luo.

Seeing Han Yue's movement, Zhongli Luo's face darkened. “Han Yue, if you dare take one more step, I will send you back to the Yama Hell.”

“My Lord, do you think it's possible this woman was using a disguise when she saw you? Or perhaps she knows the art of disguise, which is why we cannot find her?” After a moment of contemplation, Han Mo lifted his head.

“Impossible. Have you ever seen a disguise that doesn't wash off with water?”

“That... we have never heard of such a thing,” Han Mo shook his head.

“Could it be a new type of disguise technique recently developed in the martial arts world?”

“That is even more impossible. If such a technique had appeared in the martial arts world, how could we not know?”

“We must find that woman as quickly as possible. The items inside the clothes she took are very important to us.”

“Who is there? Come out!” Zhongli Chen struck out with a palm. Seeing that he had been discovered, the man in black hiding in the corner of the door hurriedly retreated twenty-odd steps. *Bang!* The exquisite door was struck by Zhongli Luo's palm force, instantly shattering into wood chips that drifted through the air. Seeing this, the man in black was secretly terrified; he hadn't expected Zhongli Luo's martial arts to be so formidable. If he hadn't dodged quickly, he would have been dead. He decided to flee immediately, activating his lightness skill to run.

“Trying to run? You're looking for death!” Seeing the eavesdropping man fleeing as soon as he stepped out, Zhongli Luo quickly activated his lightness skill to give chase. Han Yue and Han Mo exchanged a glance and also pursued him. Seeing Zhongli Luo in hot pursuit, the man in black realized that running was not a viable solution; Zhongli Luo's martial arts were higher than his own, and he simply could not shake him off. His only option was to make a desperate stand to buy time and wait for his Lord to come to his rescue. Having made up his mind, the man in black stopped.

“Running? Why have you stopped?” Seeing the man in black halt, Zhongli Luo's expression turned serious. The man in black turned around, drew the sword from the scabbard on his back with his right hand, and thrust it straight toward Zhongli Luo's left chest. Seeing the man's movement, Zhongli Luo's face instantly turned grim.

“Die!” He drew his sword with his right hand, tapped his toes, and met the attack. *Clang!* The two swords collided, sending layers of sparks flying, which were exceptionally dazzling under the moonlight. The man in black gripped his sword with all his might, feeling his entire arm go numb from the vibration. Zhongli Luo seemed to sense something unusual about the man and increased his internal strength on the blade. Unable to withstand the force, the man in black was sent flying over ten meters, landing on the street with a *thud*. As he hit the ground, he felt a massive surge of sword qi rushing toward his face.

By this time, the man in black was powerless to resist the sword qi. Just as he thought he was certain to die—

“Prince Luo, long time no see. It seems your martial arts have improved significantly.” Before the voice could even fade, a soft sound was heard. Suddenly, a black peach blossom, accompanied by a gust of wind, shot forward and collided with the sword wind, easily neutralizing Zhongli Luo's strike.

A fragrance of peach blossoms drifted on the wind. Zhongli Luo quickly covered his nose, scanning his surroundings sharply.

“Prince Luo, it is merely an ordinary floral scent; it is not poisonous.” As the peach blossoms drifted down from the sky, a white sedan suddenly descended from above. The sedan was carried by four graceful ladies, all dressed in white. The sedan descended slowly and then rose again with the wind, causing peach blossoms to dance wildly through the air.

“Peach blossoms filling the sky, a white sedan... you must be the one known in the martial arts world as 'Young Master Shihua,'” Zhongli Luo remarked.

“As expected of Prince Luo, you guessed correctly at once.” A maid stepped forward to lift the sedan curtain, revealing a man in white sitting inside. His features were as handsome as if carved by a knife, possessing an extraordinary, sharp handsomeness. Beneath his sword-like eyebrows were a pair of slender phoenix eyes, their depths filled with darkness and mystery. A wicked smile curled at the corners of his mouth as he looked at Zhongli Luo with a half-smile.

“May I ask what business brings Young Master Shihua here?”

“When Shihua was passing through here, I saw Prince Luo chasing my man. Naturally, I had to step in.”

“Since this person belongs to Young Master Shihua, then I must ask: why is one of your men inside my Prince Luo's manor?”

“Oh, is that so? But all I see right now is that we are on the street; I don't see my man inside Prince Luo's manor. Chunliu, Xiahe, Qiuye, Dongshuang—did you four see anything?”

“In response to the Young Master, we saw nothing,” the four replied in unison.

“See, Prince Luo? My people all say they saw nothing.”

“They are *your* people. You are their master; of course they would say they saw nothing.”

“Then what about Prince Luo's people? Prince Luo can also call his people out to speak.”

“However, Prince Luo, when I was coming over just now, I seemed to see two people following behind you. To ensure your safety, I sent my subordinates to help block them for you. Surely Prince Luo won't blame me?”

Hearing Shihua's words, Zhongli Luo immediately said through gritted teeth, “So you mean I should actually thank you?”

“Mhm, as expected of Prince Luo, you catch on instantly.”

“Then I shall give you a proper 'thank you' right now.” Zhongli Luo suddenly realized he could not draw any internal strength from his body. Damn it, he had been poisoned. He had been careful earlier, but he hadn't expected...

“Damn it, you poisoned me?”

“Prince Luo, don't you know that you shouldn't trust people so easily?”

“I thought Young Master Shihua was a gentleman, but I didn't expect him to be such a despicable villain,” Zhongli Luo said indignantly.

“Prince Luo, this move of mine is called 'all is fair in war.' Furthermore, I, Shihua, have never claimed to be a gentleman.” Shihua stepped out of the sedan, holding a jade fan in his slender, long fingers. He waved the fan as he walked up to the man in black. The man in black tried to bow to Shihua, but after struggling several times, he could not stand up. Seeing this, Shihua tapped several points on the man's body.

“Don't move. Chunliu, Xiahe, you two, come here and take him back.”

“Yes.” The two women at the front of the sedan hoisted the man in black. The man opened his eyes weakly.

“Thank you, Master.”

“Go back and recover well. Go.” Shihua lightly patted the man's shoulder with his jade fan, signaling him not to overthink it. The man in black nodded weakly. With a look from Shihua, Chunliu and Xiahe activated their lightness skills and carried the man away.

Zhongli Luo could only watch helplessly as Shihua's people took the man away; he could only blame himself for being too careless.

“Prince Luo, you injured my man. Tell me, how should I punish you?” Shihua turned back to look at the furious Zhongli Luo.

Zhongli Luo glared at Shihua through gritted teeth. “Does Young Master Shihua intend to take advantage of a man in distress?”

“Prince Luo, what kind of talk is that? I am not even a gentleman; do you think I would fear being branded with the name of someone who takes advantage of others?” Shihua rolled his eyes at him.

“You...”

“Prince Luo, since I, Shihua, saw you were poisoned today, I will not take advantage of your situation. However, you injured my man, so this debt must be settled.”

“Qiuye, Dongshuang, take him up into the sky, and then throw him down to me!” After Shihua finished speaking, he activated his lightness skill and departed.

“Yes, Young Master!”