১৫৫তম অধ্যায়: আকাশজুড়ে রক্তের বৃষ্টি

যত and she thought of Qin Jian reaping benefits while she was left to commit murder for his sake, Meng Yun felt utterly unbalanced. Was she simply born to be his servant? Did she owe him anything?

Thinking of this, Meng Yun desperately wanted to wake Qin Jian up, yet she knew that doing so might spell disaster for him. For practitioners, deviation in cultivation was the most terrifying hazard. Several times Meng Yun opened her mouth to speak, only to force herself to swallow the words. The dilemma truly weighed heavily on her. From the perspective of a shadow guard, Qin Jian suffering a deviation would actually be convenient; once he lost his mind, he would lack the energy to cause trouble, and the shadow guards could manipulate him however they pleased, sparing her from running around frantically on his behalf right now.

Yet, whenever the moment came to act, Meng Yun could never harden her heart. She and Qin Jian were not devoid of feeling; after all, they shared three years of history. True or false aside, those three years were real, and she simply could not be ruthless enough.

"Bastard, just you wait. One day I will make you pay."

Helpless, Meng Yun could only use this thought to comfort herself, for truly there was no better solution. At that moment, a commotion arose outside; footsteps were drawing closer, and the number of people was by no means small.

Glaring fiercely at Qin Jian once more, Meng Yun stepped out of the storeroom and stood directly in the doorway, watching as the estate's guards and servants rushed into the small courtyard. Each wielding weapons, they projected a fierce and menacing aura. Yet before they could even utter a word, the sight of the three guards' corpses stopped them dead in their tracks. They well knew that those three possessed far greater strength than the rest of them. In common parlance, those men were martial arts experts. Yet even such experts had been slain, and judging by the woman's casual demeanor, she was completely unbothered. To possess such immense power—people's minds naturally drifted toward the realm of cultivators, for surely only immortals could wield such might.

To ordinary mortals, cultivators were essentially immortals capable of summoning wind and rain, traversing the heavens and earth. What could a cultivator not accomplish? If the woman standing there was not an immortal, what could she possibly be?

The realization that the woman standing before them might be an immortal terrified everyone so much that none dared to advance further. Then, a man pushed his way through the crowd from the rear and demanded, "What is the meaning of this? Who is so bold as to trespass upon my estate? Why are none of you attacking?"

The man was in his late twenties and had no inkling of what had transpired, assuming the intruders were merely common martial arts thieves. He figured that with all the men at his disposal, dealing with a few thieves should be effortless.

Indeed, ignorant people were far too common in this era. Part of the reason was their own self-delusion; people of their status simply never imagined they would cross paths with figures of legend. Yet worldly affairs were unfathomably strange—just when you wished to avoid something, it inevitably found you. Such occurrences were hardly rare for ordinary mortals, let alone someone like Qin Jian, who had encountered them numerous times.

Meng Yun let out a cold hum. That soft sound actually contained a trace of true qi, carried by her voice straight into the man's ears. It instantly shook his core and sent a sudden chill through his heart, causing him to snap his mouth shut. Shifting his gaze toward the courtyard, the first person he noticed was Meng Yun. He froze involuntarily; he had not expected the thief to be a woman. Though her features were obscured, her figure was undeniably striking. Immediately afterward, he caught sight of the three guards and Wang Dalei lying dead on the ground, jolting him back a step in terror.

Did she kill all of them? The man wondered doubtfully, though truthfully, he loathed to believe it. If that were true, this woman was simply too terrifying.

Frowning deeply, the man asked, "Who are you? Why have you come to my estate to kill?"

Startled by the four corpses, the man spoke with unusual politeness. Otherwise, given his temperament, he would have ordered his men to charge forward instantly while hurling vulgar and lewd insults. Unfortunately, he dared not do so now; he needed to ascertain the situation first.

Yet, even as he sought answers, Meng Yun had no intention of granting him the opportunity. In her eyes, what was this man worth? She would not even deign to look at him properly. If not for the fact that the bastard inside was unable to move, she would have left long ago instead of lingering here to waste time with these wretches.

The man was none other than Chen Liuzi, the master of this residence, accustomed to throwing his weight around the streets of the capital—unless, of course, he crossed paths with true aristocratic scions who could bully him at will. Regardless, Meng Yun's utter disregard for him inside his own home filled Chen Liuzi with intense rage. Letting out a cold snort, he declared, "Since you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit, do not blame me for being discourteous. You, you, and you—go, take her down!"

Chen Liuzi pointed at three men in succession. They were among the estate's finest fighters, known alongside one of the previously slain guards as the Four Fierce Tigers of the Chen Residence. Recognizing Meng Yun's extraordinary prowess, Chen Liuzi held nothing back, seeing no reason for restraint.

Exchanging apprehensive glances, the three designated men slowly stepped forward, treading with extreme caution. How could they not be afraid, seeing the manner of death inflicted on the other three? There were no signs of a struggle whatsoever, and each victim bore only a single wound. The previous three had clearly been unable to offer any defense, suggesting the woman before them was most likely a cultivator.

Even so, the three guards knew there were vast tiers of power among cultivators, and surely true masters would not frequent such a place. In their hearts, they prayed that Meng Yun was merely a novice just starting out on the path of cultivation. If so, the three of them joining forces might not guarantee victory, but at the very least, they hoped not to suffer defeat.

As the three approached her, Meng Yun's cold gaze swept across them. Her long sword flashed as it left its scabbard once more. With a swift, powerful arc, she slashed forward. Though the three guards had anticipated the move and raised their weapons to defend themselves, how could ordinary steel withstand Meng Yun's sword qi? Their weapons shattered and fell to the ground simultaneously. In the next instant, streams of fresh blood erupted from their throats. Fortunately, anticipating the effect, Meng Yun timed the slash so the blood sprayed upward into the air just as they collapsed, shooting high enough that it briefly seemed to rain blood across the sky.

Chapter 132: Weighing Pros and Cons