NOVPUB
Chapter 132: Chapter 132: Murder
Zhan Lan quickly caught up, passing through the bustling crowd and walking along the riverbank. Gradually, the lights dimmed.
And people became fewer and fewer.
Zhan Lan caught sight of several fleeting shadows, carrying a sack over their shoulders.
It seemed as though someone was struggling inside the sack; Zhan Lan’s first thought was of Little Heye.
She briskly approached and shouted, "Stop right there!"
Seeing such a handsome and beautiful youth as Zhan Lan under the moonlight, the men stopped in their tracks.
The leader spoke, "Look at how pretty he is, even more delicate and fair than a lady, the Master will definitely like him."
"Seize him. If the Master is pleased, he might even reward us with him to have some fun!"
The underlings, hearing their boss’s words, immediately surrounded Zhan Lan with lecherous laughter.
But before they could make a move, they were promptly laid out by Zhan Lan.
Though these men were trained in martial arts, they stood no chance against Zhan Lan who had experienced the trials of battle.
In the blink of an eye, they were lying on the ground, clutching their stomachs and heads, groaning and moaning in pain.
The man with the sack, terrified, stuttered, "Big... big brother... what do we do now?"
The boss, steadying his nerves, said, "Esteemed hero, we are people of the Heavenly Slaughter Sect, could you show a modicum of respect?"
"You’ve got some nerve; what the hell is the Heavenly Slaughter Sect!" The aura emitting from Zhan Lan was so intimidating that the boss trembled all over.
He took a moment to compose himself and said coldly, "How audacious, daring to make an enemy of the number one sect in the world!"
As he finished speaking, he reached for the sword at his waist, ready to attack Zhan Lan.
But as he drew the sword halfway, an immense force pressed it back into its sheath.
Like a phantom, Zhan Lan was already in front of him, landing a punch on his chest.
"Ah!" The boss staggered back a few steps, barely keeping his footing, and glared viciously at Zhan Lan.
"So you prefer punishment to toasting," he finally managed to draw his sword.
The underling carrying the sack, terrified, dropped the sack and ran back to report the incident.
Zhan Lan kicked the man into the river.
"Ah, big brother save me, I can’t swim! Glug glug..."
After struggling for a while, the man sank into the river.
Zhan Lan loathed the Heavenly Slaughter Sect because her sister, Zhan Rui, had suffered greatly at their hands in her previous life.
The Great Elder of the Heavenly Slaughter Sect was a man with peculiar tastes; he had a fondness for young girls and extremely handsome men.
But before Zhan Lan could deal with them, they had brazenly shown up.
They were certainly running errands for the Great Elder and must have committed no small number of bad deeds.
"Brother, save me!" Little Heye’s cries came from the sack.
Zhan Lan drew her Soft Sword from her waist, slit open the sack, and rescued Little Heye.
"Child!" At that moment, an old man came running from a distance.
It was Little Heye’s grandfather, come to pick her up. Little Heye quickly ran up to her grandfather.
Zhan Lan yelled at them, "Get out of here!"
The two of them were powerless and would only slow her down.
Little Heye was grateful to Zhan Lan, but fear prevailed, and she ran away, pulled along by her grandfather.
The leader no longer cared about the grandparent and grandchild; enraged by Zhan Lan, he swung his sword, slashing at her.
"Damn it, today I’ll indulge myself and have some fun with a man, I’ll play you to death!"
His sword wind whistled past Zhan Lan’s ear, Zhan Lan sidestepped to dodge, and, wielding the Soft Sword, countered. Within three moves, the sword in the hands of the leader dropped to the ground, and Zhan Lan’s sword was now pressed against his throat.
"Are you called Qin Laoer!" Zhan Lan’s voice was cold.
The leader felt the icy touch of Zhan Lan’s sword against his throat, the stinging pain of the blade breaking skin sent shivers down his spine.
He finally felt fear and stammered, "So what if I am? You... you... who in the world are you!"
Zhan Lan said in a deep voice, "The one here to take your dog life!"
It was Qin Laoer and his lot that took advantage of the chaos in the Zhan Family in the last life, abducting Zhan Rui.
It could also be a clue provided by someone from the second branch.
"Move towards the forest! Have your brothers follow too!" Zhan Lan’s sword grew closer.
She couldn’t just kill these men on the main road; it was better to do it in the woods where Xiao Chen could come and clean up afterward.
"Fine, hero, spare my life!" Qin Laoer said to his men wailing on the ground, "Do as he says, into the woods nearby."
Having witnessed Zhan Lan’s strength, none dared to run.
One by one, they struggled to their feet and entered the forest, with Zhan Lan pressing her sword against Qin Laoer’s neck as she followed.
No sooner had they entered, Zhan Lan’s sword swiftly dispatched Qin Laoer’s men, who hadn’t even the chance to make a noise before dropping dead on the spot.
Blood dripped steadily onto the grass from Zhan Lan’s sword, and soon it was held once again at Qin Laoer’s neck.
In the dark, Qin Laoer’s eyes were shadowy, and he suddenly flung his sleeve at Zhan Lan, tossing a powder that spread over her body and into her nose.
"Courting death!" Zhan Lan’s sword pierced through his back.
The man fell to the ground, coughing up blood, yet he did not die.
"Where’s the antidote?" Zhan Lan quickly swallowed the Detoxification Pill she carried, despite not knowing what poison she had been afflicted with.
But whether it was an aphrodisiac or poison, she always had a way to hold out for a while.
Qin Laoer suddenly let out an eerie laugh, "Haha... You’ve inhaled Confusion Love Powder. In a moment, you won’t even be able to walk... just wait for death..."
"Ah!" Qin Laoer screamed miserably, for Zhan Lan had pulled out the sword from his back and then cut off both of his ears.
Qin Laoer was terrified, no longer daring to provoke Zhan Lan.
Zhan Lan’s sword plunged into Qin Laoer’s heart once more, and with this thrust, Qin Laoer’s eyes stared wide as he finally died.
Zhan Lan launched a signal flare firework, a bright light shooting up into the sky with a loud noise.
Her legs had started to weaken, and Zhan Lan sent out a signal to Xiao Chen.
During the day, Xiao Chen was training the Hidden Guards and would return to Ding’an City by night.
Hearing the familiar sound of the signal flare, Xiao Chen immediately left the house; he had said he would accompany Zhan Lan, but the Hidden Guards were not yet ready.
Fortunately, they had already communicated, and Xiao Chen knew where Zhan Lan would appear.
Xiao Chen at once rode a horse toward the direction of the signal flare.
Staggering out of the woods to the riverbank, Zhan Lan splashed cool water on her face and sobered up a little.
She had heard of Confusion Love Powder. Men or women, once inhaled even slightly, would become muddled and even controlled by desire, engaging in indescribable acts.
Zhan Lan then took several more Detoxification Pills, barely keeping her mind in control.
Her cheeks flushed, her mouth dry and parched, she also worried about someone from the Heavenly Slaughter Sect meeting up with Qin Laoer.
She needed to leave quickly.
Heading towards a crowded area, only a few hundred steps out, she felt her legs softening, barely able to walk.
Fortuitously, she saw a pleasure boat moored at the shore.
Observing only one lamp lit on the large upper and lower decks of the boat, Zhan Lan quickly hid aboard.
As long as the Detoxification Pills she took took effect within an hour, she would be able to recover her martial abilities.
