Chapter 7: 断绝关系

They retreated step by step, led by the head eunuch and Mu Dalian. Blood was still dripping from Mu Dalian's axe; it was unclear whose it was, but in short, the backyard was a total mess, with blood flowing all over the ground...

A series of stinging pains radiated from her hands and arms. Yu Mei knew that her hands were likely ruined... she couldn't hold out much longer. What should she do? How could she break through the encirclement?

"Heh, I thought you all were something special, why have you stopped moving? Is this all the people of the Tianyao Kingdom are capable of? Mu Dalian, you kept shouting that you wanted to kill me, so why are you shrinking back now? Even a cornered turtle is stronger than you!" With a contemptuous gaze and an arrogant tone, Yu Mei smiled as brightly as sunshine, yet she was as dangerous as the dark night.

"You! Ah!! I'll kill you!" As if provoked by her words, Mu Dalian swung his axe with all his might, hacking toward her. This time, having witnessed Yu Mei's methods, no one except Mu Dalian dared to make a move...

*Fighting alone, Mu Dalian, is this all the prestige you have...*

Yu Mei curled her lips in disdain. Her hands snapped open, and the fallen leaves scattered on the ground were suddenly and crisply drawn to her hands. They were arranged perfectly, leaf after leaf, actually forming two lush green swords...

Everyone gasped. This was... an illusion! This was the forbidden illusion technique of the Four Great Kingdoms! Who exactly was this Mu Yanqing? To think she had learned such an illusion!

Mu Dalian also had a moment of daze, but he was a veteran of a hundred battles. He quickly recovered, gripping his silver axe with a ferocious expression, and hacked toward Yu Mei's head without the slightest mercy...

Yu Mei narrowed her eyes and dodged to the side, easily evading the blow. With a curl of her thin lips, she held the swords in both hands and lashed out violently at Mu Dalian... The swords seemed to possess a life of their own; no matter how she swung or hacked, they would not break. They were as flexible as ribbons and as hard as steel wire—a true coexistence of hardness and softness!

*Slap, slap, slap—*

"Aaaaaahhh..."

The onlookers' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. This Mu Yanqing was playing around without ever hitting a vital spot. Calling this a life-and-death struggle was an understatement; it looked more like she was teasing him... No matter how one looked at it, Mu Yanqing seemed to be insulting Mu Dalian. She wouldn't strike his vitals, yet she simultaneously left him unable to fight back, leaving him to spin around in a rage like a fool...

Yu Mei's movements were incredibly elegant. Holding the swords in both hands, she whipped Mu Dalian, yet she somehow created an illusion that she was performing a sword dance...

"You demoness!" Mu Dalian's lips trembled with rage. He swung his axe wildly in all directions, but achieved nothing. Her swords seemed to have eyes, whipping him everywhere while showing just enough restraint to avoid killing him, only serving to humiliate him. For a grand Chancellor to be toyed with like this—what an insult to Mu Dalian!

*Demoness?* Yu Mei's eyes narrowed, and she swung her right-hand sword, slapping him across the face without mercy...

*Swish—*

Mu Dalian was struck to the ground, his axe falling to the side. A bloody gash immediately appeared on his face, oozing blood, while the sparks in his eyes flared even more violently. At this moment, he wished nothing more than to tear Yu Mei into ten thousand pieces!

Without giving him a chance to breathe, Yu Mei swung the sword in her hand. The blade actually wrapped around Mu Dalian's body; its toughness was even more effective than rope. Mu Dalian panted heavily in rage, struggling violently but unable to break free. He could only curse, "Demoness, unhand me this instant!"

"If I am a demoness, then what are you? Take a leak and look at what kind of breed you are!" Ignoring him entirely, Yu Mei gripped his throat, her sharp fingernails pressing against his jugular. With just a slight application of force, Mu Dalian would become a dried corpse just like the previous guard.

"You!" Mu Dalian was too angry to speak, yet he didn't dare move recklessly. He could only let out a weak grunt before closing his mouth.

"If you don't want him to die, get out of my way!" Yu Mei said coldly. The most important thing right now was to leave this place. A gentleman's revenge is never too late, even after ten years.

"Mu Yanqing, you... you are committing parricide!" The eunuch who had been hiding in the crowd finally spoke, but his voice trembled so much with fear that he could barely finish his sentence.

"Parricide?" Yu Mei laughed, a laugh so dazzling that it seemed as if all things in heaven and earth had lost their color. However, it was like a fleeting blossom; that smile lasted only a blink before she returned to a coldness as deep as a ten-thousand-year glacier.

"I, Mu Yanqing, now swear to the heavens that from this day forth, I sever all father-daughter relations with Mu Dalian! From now on, whether the Mu family prospers, faces disgrace, or meets destruction has nothing to do with me! From this day on, I, Mu Yanqing, am an orphan without father or mother. If I achieve glory, it will have not a single cent of connection to the Mu family!"

Her words were so firm, her gaze so sharp and decisive.

Mu Dalian's heart shook violently.