Jiang Chen, his face pale, sat up and said urgently, "This thing is extremely important to me, no less than my life."
I stared back in surprise. His face was filled with anxiety and worry, his expression terrifyingly serious. Was the Chongshan Sword Manual really that important to him? But to me, it was a thousand times, ten thousand times more important than the Chongshan Sword Manual.
The door opened, and a woman stood outside, saying, "Protector Zhou invites you to come in, young lady."
Jiang Chen called out "Xiao Mo" from behind, his voice changing urgently.
I didn't turn around and followed the woman through the corridor without hesitation into another room.
Protector Zhou stood with his back to the window, wiping a sword. The afternoon sunlight had faded, leaving the room cool and shady, and even his black robe and golden mask exuded a sinister and violent aura.
He turned around and chuckled sinisterly, "Miss Yun, isn't your lover's life more important?"
What exactly do you want?
"Don't you know what I want, Miss Yun?"
“I don’t know. Why don’t we invite Palace Master Murong here so I can confront her face to face and see what she gave me?”
Protector Zhou seemed to be taken aback for a moment, then said coldly, "The Palace Master is not feeling well and does not want to see anyone. She only sent me to ask the young lady to return that item."
I became increasingly convinced of Jiang Chen's words: that Palace Master Murong was indeed an imposter. Otherwise, she wouldn't have used him to have Protector Zhou coerce Jiang Chen and me, resorting to such despicable means.
A surge of anger rose within me for no reason. The people of Jinbo Palace are indeed despised by the martial arts world; their behavior is truly despicable and vile.
I said coldly, "If Protector Zhou mentions anything, I will gladly offer it to you if I have it."
"You are really testing my patience."
He slowly walked over, and suddenly, he swung his long sword and placed it against my neck.
My heart started pounding, but I was betting he wouldn't dare kill me, so I met his gaze without flinching.
He stood very close, about three feet away, and I could clearly see his eyes and the skin on his jawline beneath his mask. I had a feeling he was a young man, probably no more than thirty years old.
I had already decided to exchange the sword manual for the antidote, but I was subconsciously disgusted by his despicable behavior. I was filled with resentment and anger at how he tortured Jiang Chen, and I didn't want him to get his way immediately.
I glared at him, and a deathly, murderous atmosphere of stalemate and confrontation filled the room.
After staring at each other for a moment, he slowly lowered the long sword in his hand. Suddenly, he reached out a finger and lifted my chin. My heart skipped a beat, and I instinctively flinched away. He seemed to be taken aback for a moment, and then uttered two words: "So similar."
I was filled with confusion, not understanding what he was talking about. The resemblance? The resemblance to whom? My mother? Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind. I remembered Shao Rong saying she seemed to have seen me before. Could it be that she saw my mother? Could it be that my mother had been hiding in Guiyun Manor all along?
At this moment, I stood facing Protector Zhou and could clearly see his eyes, which were gloomy and sharp. However, when he stared at me, his gaze was somewhat unfocused, and he stared straight at me, which made my back feel a little uneasy.
He seemed to be talking to himself, muttering, "Why doesn't anyone like to smile?"
I said coldly, "How could I possibly laugh at someone like you?"
He paused slightly, as if waking from a dream, and his tone suddenly turned cold: "Fine, since you're pretending to be confused, I'll be frank. The Palace Master wants the Chongshan Sword Manual back."
I sneered, "Protector Zhou, you should have said so earlier. I do have that sword manual, but I didn't bring it with me on this trip."
"You didn't bring it?"
“Such an important thing, I naturally need to find a safe place to hide it. I’ve been traveling for over a month, how could I possibly carry such a valuable item with me? If a villain covets it, if a thief steals it, if a wicked person tries to take it, how could I possibly stand a chance?”
I saw the anger rekindle in his eyes, and I felt a surge of satisfaction. If Jiang Chen were here, that would be great. He's always been better at cursing than I am; a few light words from him can send people into a rage, making the place erupt in chaos.
I smiled and said, "Protector Zhou, if you had asked for it earlier, I would have given it to you long ago. That thing was given to me by the Palace Master, and I have no use for it whatsoever. Everyone knows that the sword manual requires both a man and a woman to practice both parts to become invincible. I have no interest in that half of the sword manual at all; it wasn't originally mine. I'm just returning it to its rightful owner. However, I don't know what use Protector Zhou has for the women's part of the sword manual. Could it be that Protector Zhou is going to become a woman in order to practice this divine skill?"
He was truly enraged this time. He swung his longsword, only to retract it halfway. His eyes, hidden behind the mask, were fixed on me, filled with fury and rage. I was fearless and met his gaze.
However, a moment later, I noticed that his gaze had returned to that hazy, dreamy look, and he even revealed a tender affection. My heart skipped a beat, and I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine.
His lips curled up as if he were smiling, which made me feel even more uneasy. This person was truly unreasonable. Did he get happier the more he was scolded?
"Miss Mei... Yun, please don't anger me."
"Hmph, I just want to keep my distance."
His eyes flashed, and he scoffed, "Let's see how far you are?"
As he spoke, he moved with the speed of a ghost, appearing in front of me in the blink of an eye. Before I could react, he had already pulled me into his arms!
First rescue for husband, then rescue for wife.
I was so panicked I almost screamed.
What is he going to do?
In a moment of desperation, I threw a punch at his ribs. He nimbly dodged it by shrinking back. As he bent over to dodge, he became much shorter. I raised my hand and delivered a horizontal slash, aiming straight for his face.
The golden mask has fallen off!
I was taken aback; I hadn't expected him to be so young!
A look of panic and surprise flashed across his face. He then grabbed the mask with his right hand and quickly put it on.
In a short while, I could see his face clearly. He was in his early twenties, with a handsome face. Perhaps because he wore a mask all the time, his complexion was pale and somewhat gloomy, like an iceberg with a chilling aura. After putting on the mask, his eyes became even more sinister and ruthless.
Now that you've seen what I look like, I can no longer be polite to you.