Chapter 156
Chapter 156: Entanglements
Elder Formless narrowed his eyes slightly upon hearing this.
He hadn’t actually seen Xu Qing Cang or the others during the day. The reason he targeted them tonight was purely due to their misfortune—they happened to fall directly into his hands.
In truth, Elder Formless had traveled continuously for several days, arriving only tonight at the banks of the Giant Deer River. When he overheard several martial artists discussing Li Mu Sheng’s extraordinary carriage crossing the river earlier that day, he traced their tracks all the way to Deer Slaying Manor.
Initially, he had planned to capture Li Mu Sheng tonight, but before he could act, Shen Jue Sheng had unexpectedly attacked first. Thus, he had no choice but to postpone his original plan at the manor.
“Then tell me, how exactly do you plan to assist this old man?” Elder Formless asked leisurely, eyes narrowed at Xu Qing Cang. With a gentle flick of his finger, Xu Qing Cang suddenly felt the tightness of the Qi threads restraining him loosen slightly.
Xu Qing Cang, face pale and eyes flickering, quickly responded, “Senior, please tell this junior clearly what you require. I swear I shall do my utmost to help you.”
…
About several dozen feet away from Deer Slaying Manor, near a tributary of the Giant Deer River, Shen Lian Cheng halted along with Ruan Zhen Hui and her daughter Shen An Ran, who had followed behind.
All three gazed with astonishment at the tributary ahead. A massive hole had appeared along its banks, causing the river’s waters to drain through it, flooding into a lower forested area. Clearly visible, the river’s water level was steadily dropping.
Shock and disbelief flashed through Shen Lian Cheng’s eyes. He struggled to grasp how his father, whose martial prowess he knew was terrifyingly strong, had been thrown out of the manor by a single punch—one that even broke through the riverbanks!
[How can he possibly be this powerful?!]
Li Mu Sheng’s absurdly youthful face appeared vividly in Shen Lian Cheng’s mind. He felt a chilling disbelief along with profound fear and regret.
He remembered clearly Li Mu Sheng’s earlier warning—that killing him would be as easy as flipping his hand—and thought back bitterly to how he had still recklessly tried to draw his sword. Had Shen Jue Sheng not intervened at the crucial moment, he surely would have already lost his life. After all, unlike Shen Jue Sheng, he lacked the profound martial cultivation necessary to endure even a seemingly ordinary punch from that man.
“Father!”
With that thought, Shen Lian Cheng leaped without hesitation, plunging directly into the turbulent waters below.
Moments later, a dazzling blade aura erupted from beneath the water, splitting the river surface and sending waves skyward. Shen Lian Cheng soon emerged, holding Shen Jue Sheng, whose body was covered in mud, swiftly leaping back onto the riverbank.
Ruan Zhen Hui and Shen An Ran immediately rushed over to inspect Shen Jue Sheng’s condition.
Shen Lian Cheng’s face was grim as he sat down, urgently circulating martial Qi to send two streams of crimson energy into his father’s body, attempting to heal him.
However, in the next instant, his expression changed dramatically. Before he could retract his Qi and retreat, a terrifying force suddenly erupted from within Shen Jue Sheng’s body, violently blasting Shen Lian Cheng backward and plunging him straight back into the river. He vanished beneath the waters, unable to resurface for a long while.
Ruan Zhen Hui and Shen An Ran were stunned by the scene. Recovering first, Shen An Ran prepared to dive into the water to save her father. But at this very moment, Shen Jue Sheng weakly opened his eyes, full of shock and disbelief. He murmured in astonishment, “In my entire life, I’ve never encountered such a terrifying punch!”
“Father, you’re awake?”
Shen Lian Cheng surfaced from the river in a sorry state, face pale as he leaped up quickly to Shen Jue Sheng’s side. Seeing his father conscious, he finally relaxed, though soon after, he began violently coughing and spat out several mouthfuls of blood. Evidently, he had sustained serious injuries from the earlier backlash.
Yet, his relief had come too soon. Moments after speaking, Shen Jue Sheng’s eyes rolled upward, and he fainted again without another sound.
Shen Lian Cheng panicked, quickly checking his father’s condition. Only after confirming Shen Jue Sheng had fainted merely due to exhausted Qi and severe injuries did he finally breathe a cautious sigh of relief. He did not dare attempt another risky infusion of Qi. Instead, he decided it would be safer first to bring Shen Jue Sheng back to the manor for treatment.
As Shen Lian Cheng turned to leave, he suddenly paused, glancing back at Ruan Zhen Hui and Shen An Ran. His eyes finally settled thoughtfully on Shen An Ran. After a quiet pause, he said, “An Ran, you’ve always claimed you’d only marry the most outstanding martial hero in this world. Tonight, you’ve witnessed everything with your own eyes—I believe you’ve reached a decision.”
Sighing deeply, Shen Lian Cheng cast one last complicated look at Ruan Zhen Hui but said nothing further. He chose to say nothing about her secret meetings with Hu Rui An, considering that Hu Rui An was clearly aligned with Li Mu Sheng.
With that, Shen Lian Cheng turned, carrying Shen Jue Sheng back toward the manor, leaving Ruan Zhen Hui and Shen An Ran behind to exchange silent glances filled with conflicted emotions.
…
Li Mu Sheng and Hu Rui An walked quietly back to the courtyard where they were temporarily staying. Along the way, Hu Rui An repeatedly opened his mouth, hesitating, many questions rising in his heart. Yet, whenever he recalled Li Mu Sheng’s terrifying punch that sent Shen Jue Sheng flying, a deep sense of reverence filled him, choking back any words he wished to speak.
After a long silence, Hu Rui An ultimately did not dare question Li Mu Sheng about anything. Instead, he awkwardly began recounting his past relationship with Ruan Zhen Hui. It was his attempt to explain tonight’s events, as if confessing to Li Mu Sheng of his own accord.
At first, Li Mu Sheng was uninterested. Yet, after casually listening for a while, he understood the complicated history between the pair. Their relationship had been obstructed by rigid family expectations—commoners matching commoners, and nobility matching nobility—as well as Martial World feuds that forced Hu Rui An and Ruan Zhen Hui apart.
Originally, Hu Rui An and Ruan Zhen Hui had loved each other deeply and promised themselves to one another. However, Ruan Zhen Hui’s father disapproved of Hu Rui An due to his family’s declining fortunes, unwilling to marry his daughter off to someone penniless at the time.
During that same period, Shen Lian Cheng from Deer Slaying Manor appeared unexpectedly and interfered. Although Ruan Zhen Hui held no affection for Shen Lian Cheng, her family had become embroiled in conflict with a Martial World enemy. This enemy was linked closely with the notorious assassin organization known as the Chasing Soul Hall. Thus, assassins from Chasing Soul Hall had been hired to wipe out Ruan Zhen Hui’s family entirely.
Ruan Zhen Hui herself knew nothing of this. Her father, seeking to align himself with Deer Slaying Manor’s infamous assassin Jue Sheng, whose name shook the Martial World, had secretly approached Hu Rui An. He informed Hu Rui An of the danger and demanded he leave his daughter to keep the Ruan family safe.
To spare Ruan Zhen Hui trouble, Hu Rui An hardened his heart, severed their relationship, and journeyed far away to the Great Li Imperial Capital, where he joined the Heavenly Brocade Guard.
“At that time, I had no choice,” Hu Rui An sighed deeply. “Chasing Soul Hall was too powerful. If my selfish love for cousin led to the ruin of the Ruan family, or worse, her death, I could never forgive myself.”
Perhaps lost in memory, his anxiety over Li Mu Sheng faded slightly.
Hu Rui An, seemingly eager to speak, continued, “After joining the Heavenly Brocade Guard, I still held a grudge against Chasing Soul Hall. I investigated them for years, hoping to find a chance to destroy them. But around ten years ago, they offended some mysterious Martial World power and nearly fell apart overnight. Only recently have they shown signs of rising again.”
Li Mu Sheng remained silent, though he privately believed the separation between Hu Rui An and Ruan Zhen Hui wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, marriages between close cousins were against the law and risked children born with genetic flaws. Such outdated practices deserved to be stopped. Ruan Zhen Hui’s father, with ill intentions, had unknowingly done something good. Thus, Li Mu Sheng couldn’t sympathize with Hu Rui An’s pain.
However, he did feel a spark of interest in Chasing Soul Hall. He held a Shadow Assassinate Order from Master Shen’s Shadow Assassinate Pavilion, a rival assassin organization. According to Cang Yin Yue, it had been in his possession for some time, yet strangely, no assassin had come after him. Li Mu Sheng didn’t worry much. Perhaps the assassin was simply delayed on the journey.
Soon after, Li Mu Sheng and Hu Rui An returned to their courtyard residence. Cao Gao Shan and the others, having taken the antidote to the Drunken Immortal Poison, had already purged the toxins and fully regained their martial dao strength.
Seeing Li Mu Sheng and Hu Rui An return unharmed, everyone sighed in relief. Shen Jue Sheng’s terrifying earlier attack had deeply frightened them, especially as they’d clearly become targets of Deer Slaying Manor’s treachery. Even after recovering, Cao Gao Shan and Wu Shang had thought escape impossible. Without Hu Rui An and Li Mu Sheng present, they had no choice but to remain in the courtyard quietly awaiting their fate.
“How should we handle Deer Slaying Manor from now on? Please advise us, my lord,” Wu Shang immediately asked Hu Rui An.
Wu Shang hadn’t witnessed Li Mu Sheng’s incredible skill earlier, as he’d been unconscious. Thus, he naturally turned to Hu Rui An, whom he considered strongest among them.
But unexpectedly, Hu Rui An didn’t answer. Instead, he respectfully looked toward Li Mu Sheng, clearly seeking his direction. Li Mu Sheng merely waved his hand dismissively and returned to his room, evidently uninterested in dealing with trivial matters.
Seeing Li Mu Sheng’s attitude, Hu Rui An relaxed and said to Wu Shang and the others, “Just rest easy tonight. Don’t worry about anything. We continue our journey tomorrow.”
With a powerful figure like Li Mu Sheng, who could send Shen Jue Sheng flying with a single punch, what was there left to fear?
Hu Rui An felt unprecedented safety, though he felt slightly ashamed, considering this protection came from someone much younger than himself. Yet, shame was nothing compared to having such strong support.
Suddenly, he recalled Shangguan Qing Qing’s previous address toward Li Mu Sheng, causing a flutter of uncertainty in his heart. [Could it be that the Eighth Prince is truly the strongest martial expert in the world?]
[Anyone who can defeat Shen Jue Sheng with one punch must surely stand among the very top Heavenly Union Experts in the Martial World.]
[No wonder he decisively joined the operation against Fallen God Peak. But Fallen God Peak has deep, unfathomable roots and countless martial experts. Can one person truly change the outcome?]
Hu Rui An’s heart churned with doubts. Originally, he had prepared himself for death on the mission to Fallen God Peak. It was why he had broken his promise and secretly come to Deer Slaying Manor—to see Ruan Zhen Hui one last time. But now, after witnessing Li Mu Sheng’s astonishing strength, hope flickered anew within him.
Yet Fallen God Peak, dominating the Martial World for centuries, was far beyond a minor threat like Deer Slaying Manor. Hu Rui An remained unsure if Li Mu Sheng and the Heavenly Brocade Guard alone could truly overthrow such a mighty force.
Thus burdened by uncertainty, Hu Rui An had little desire to speak further with Wu Shang and the others. With heavy steps, he retreated to his room.
Witnessing Hu Rui An’s unusual attitude towards Li Mu Sheng, the others felt something was off. They sensed a faint, unspoken fear in Hu Rui An, a cautious respect directed toward Li Mu Sheng they hadn’t seen before.
A question lingered in their hearts: [What exactly happened while we were unconscious?]
Cao Gao Shan gazed thoughtfully at Li Mu Sheng’s room, a suspicion forming but uncertain of his guess. Murong Xiao Ya’s eyes glittered, seemingly grasping some shocking truth, leaving her stunned and hesitant. Though curious, her anxiety held her back from approaching Hu Rui An. She quietly retreated to her room, timidly withdrawing her curiosity. It required immense bravery for someone as shy as her to speak up.
Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong exchanged puzzled glances, sensing something important but unable to clarify their thoughts. Helpless, they resigned themselves to standing watch through the night.
The night passed peacefully at Deer Slaying Manor, with no disturbances.
When morning dawned, Wu Shang and the others quickly packed, skipped breakfast, and retrieved their carriage and horses, preparing to resume their journey.
Hu Rui An had quietly left at dawn without informing anyone, returning just as they were ready to set off. Knowing he couldn’t hide it from Li Mu Sheng, he explained openly upon his return, “I had to resolve some private matters. Now, I can travel without any distractions.”
Li Mu Sheng casually waved away the explanation, unconcerned, his gaze drifting toward the courtyard entrance.
At that very moment, someone had arrived outside, standing quietly in the early morning light.