Chapter 199
Chapter 199: Not Ordinary
Without even glancing at Mei Yan and his wife, Li Mu Sheng casually asked, “Lord Hu, how should we handle these two?”
Hearing this, Hu Rui An fell silent for a moment. His eyes swept over Mei Yan, whose gaze was lifeless after being tormented, and Mu Qing Xia, who was currently restrained. After some thought, he spoke thoughtfully: “Mei Yan holds an extraordinary status; he is the Queen’s younger brother, truly royal by blood. And Mu Qing Xia is the beloved daughter of Mu Tian Xing, the Martial Saint of Yu Ming Mountain. This situation is undoubtedly complicated.”
Li Mu Sheng raised an eyebrow: “Complicated?” He then waved his hand dismissively, continuing, “If it’s complicated, then simply don’t handle it.”
At these words, Hu Rui An was momentarily stunned. He nervously glanced at Li Mu Sheng, only to see him playfully teasing the black cat on the ground, seemingly not angry. Hesitantly, he ventured, “Setting this matter aside is indeed an option, even though Mei Yan has confessed to conspiring with Fallen God Peak, using the Heavenly Brocade Guard to massacre villages and towns, openly defying imperial orders, and even involving the First Prince in dealings with Fallen God Peak…”
Halfway through, Hu Rui An hesitated, unable to continue. Each of these crimes was enough to justify exterminating Mei Yan’s entire household. Yet, due to the couple’s identities and the influential forces behind them, Hu Rui An truly dared not involve himself.
Seeing Hu Rui An pause, Li Mu Sheng lifted his eyes briefly and clarified, “Lord Hu must have misunderstood me. When I said don’t handle it, I meant don’t waste time. Kill whoever needs killing, and be done with it.” He stroked the big black cat’s head, adding, “After tonight, we leave early tomorrow morning. Who has the time for trivial matters?”
Hearing this, Hu Rui An froze for a moment. He glanced at Mei Yan and his wife, then back at Li Mu Sheng, muttering, “Kill them? But…”
At that moment, Mei Yan and Mu Qing Xia, who had heard every word, drastically changed their expressions. Even Mei Yan, previously lifeless, suddenly regained clarity and began struggling desperately, terror in his eyes. “No… the queen is my…”
However, his words remained unfinished. A sharp claw had already touched his throat and swiftly drew across. Mei Yan’s throat was slit open, blood spurting and choking off his voice, reducing him to helpless gurgling noises.
The big black cat mewed softly and quickly jumped away from Mei Yan, as if afraid its fur might be stained by his blood.
Witnessing this shocking scene, everyone present was stunned. Hu Rui An’s eyelids twitched as he watched Mei Yan gasp his final breaths, eyes wide in shock. A Deputy Commander of the Heavenly Brocade Guard, a mighty martial artist at the Heavenly Union Realm, had died pathetically beneath the paw of a giant cat. This scene was simply too absurd.
Meanwhile, the big black cat returned to Li Mu Sheng, rubbing affectionately against his robes, circling him playfully.
Li Mu Sheng shook his head slightly, glancing at Hu Rui An. “I told you this cat wasn’t ordinary; it kills swiftly indeed!”
Shen An Ran and Wu Shang exchanged strange looks. A cat capable of murder was far more than unusual—it was frightening!
Wu Shang cautiously eyed the big black cat, quickly reminding Li Mu Sheng, “Your Highness, this big cat must have some connection to those Divine-Born People. Surely they’re controlling it secretly.”
Cheng Zhong nodded and added, “I always feel like this cat understands our words. Keeping it around may become dangerous.”
Hearing this, the big black cat lifted its emerald eyes toward Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong, narrowing them slightly. It then raised a paw and lazily scratched the ground, clearly warning them that if they continued speaking ill, they would share Mei Yan’s fate.
“Enough,” Li Mu Sheng said, patting the big cat’s head gently. “It’s merely a cat. With me here, could it truly overturn the heavens?”
The cat immediately withdrew its claws, meowing softly, purring contentedly as it nudged Li Mu Sheng’s hand.
Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong exchanged a quick glance, not daring to say anything further. Nearby, Shen An Ran, delicate and lovely as a painting, quietly thought, [I haven’t even touched Your Highness, yet this big cat has already gotten ahead.]
Seeing her husband killed by a mere cat under everyone’s tacit consent, Mu Qing Xia’s eyes filled with furious grief. But restrained, she could only watch helplessly.
At this time, Hu Rui An turned his gaze toward her, pausing momentarily before speaking slowly, “In the past, others were fish, and you wielded the knife. Did you ever consider that one day the roles would reverse?”
He stepped toward Mu Qing Xia, continuing, “Since your husband has gone ahead, Madam Mu surely has no intention of living alone. Allow me to send you to join him.”
With those words, Hu Rui An struck directly with his palm, landing on Mu Qing Xia’s crown amidst her terrified stare. She died instantly.
Having finished, Hu Rui An took a deep breath and turned back bitterly to Li Mu Sheng, who was still playing with the cat, lamenting, “Your Highness, after this, Martial Saint Mu Tian Xing and I are mortal enemies. He won’t rest until he’s torn me apart.”
Li Mu Sheng gently shook his head, calmly replying, “Actually, I believe once word spreads that Lord Hu personally killed the daughter of a Martial Saint, your name will shake the Martial World. Madam Ruan of Deer Slaying Manor, for one, will greatly admire Lord Hu.”
At this, Hu Rui An’s old face flushed with embarrassment.
Beside them, Shen An Ran pressed her red lips together softly, saying, “Only we here know about this matter. If we don’t tell anyone, no one will know it was Uncle who did this.”
Wu Shang added reassuringly, “My lord, don’t worry. The Mei family deserved their fate. Even if news spreads, we acted justly. At worst, we’ll hide in the Imperial Capital. Martial Saint Mu wouldn’t dare openly oppose Great Li’s imperial court.”
Cheng Zhong nodded in agreement. Just as he was about to speak again, he suddenly opened his mouth and spat out sharply. A streak of condensed Qi, ice-cold and swift, shot from his mouth directly toward Hu Rui An’s forehead.
Hu Rui An’s expression drastically changed. Raising his hand, he swiftly intercepted the incoming Qi while angrily shouting, “Cheng Zhong, what are you doing?”
However, as soon as Hu Rui An’s palm, wrapped in protective Qi, touched the ice-cold blade of Qi, it exploded abruptly. The horrifying surge of Qi immediately cracked open his palm, shocking him into disbelief.