"Who goes there?"
At this moment, Guan Lun could no longer see clearly. He could only vaguely make out a figure, and knowing something was amiss, he immediately shouted loudly.
Zhao Ya couldn’t be bothered to waste words with him. In a flash, he dashed forward and struck his neck with the back of his blade.
There was no blood.
Because Zhao Ya used the back of the knife.
Yet the force was strong enough, so Guan Lun didn’t even groan before collapsing into unconsciousness.
As he fell, Fu Tingfang naturally rolled to the ground from his embrace.
Her originally fair face was flushed red, her eyes becoming hazy, her body moving unnaturally, and she let out involuntary moans.
It was obvious that not only had Guan Lun drugged her with a sedative, but he had also mixed in some aphrodisiac, otherwise, she wouldn’t be like this.
Seeing this, Zhao Ya frowned.
He didn’t have a shred of fondness for Fu Tingfang.
In fact, he had listed her as one of the people he must kill.
After all, without his own strength and quick response back then, she would have already killed him.
A favor is returned with a favor, a grudge with a grudge.
Regardless of gender, it’s all the same.
Zhao Ya never thought women deserved any special privilege.
However, killing her directly now seemed too easy for her.
So Zhao Ya looked back and saw many wine jars on a rack beside him, walked over, grabbed one, and poured it all over Fu Tingfang.
The cold splash of the wine jolted Fu Tingfang into a much clearer state of mind.
She instinctively felt her body and was relieved to find her clothes were still intact.
But quickly she saw Zhao Ya standing before her, first stunned, then filled with terror on her face.
"You..."
"Miss Fu, long time no see," Zhao Ya said indifferently.
Fu Tingfang was greatly shocked.
She never expected the long-missing Zhao Ya to appear again, and in such a heavily guarded place as the Central Courtyard Stronghold.
This ghostly skill was truly terrifying.
Then she noticed Guan Lun, who had ill intentions toward her, lying unconscious on the ground, and was completely bewildered.
"Did you save me?"
Zhao Ya smiled, "Save you? No, you seem to be overthinking it."
"Then... what do you intend to do?" Fu Tingfang asked, trying to maintain her composure.
"Interesting, weren’t you the one trying to kill me before, even going to Wuxiang City to find me? Why ask my intentions now?" Zhao Ya said coldly.
"You... that was in the past. I admit I was wrong."
Fu Tingfang said solemnly, while her eyes constantly sneaked a glance out the window, hoping the commotion would catch the night patrol’s attention.
Sure enough.
Faint noises of chaotic footsteps began to sound outside.
Fu Tingfang felt a surge of hope; as long as she could stall for a bit longer, there was a chance she could survive.
She must report to her brother; by then, both Zhao Ya and the people of Refining World Sect shall die.
Understanding this, Zhao Ya was in no hurry and instead stepped on Guan Lun’s hand.
"How long do you plan to play dead?"
Guan Lun, unable to bear the pain, finally opened his eyes and began to beg for mercy.
"Spare me, hero. I was only lustful, there were no other evils done, please spare me this once."
"No other evils? I wonder what the dead citizens of Wuxiang City would think of that," Zhao Ya sneered.
Guan Lun turned pale and hurriedly explained, "That was the Gu Master’s orders, it has nothing to do with me!"
"Oh? The Gu Master?"
"Yes, yes, we are under the Golden Silkworm Gu Master, we dare not disobey his orders."
"Where is this Golden Silkworm Gu Master?"
"He is not at Cyan Bamboo Ridge, but he comes every few days to check on us."
"What kind of sect is this Refining World Sect?" Zhao Ya asked.
For the sake of his life, Guan Lun spilled everything he knew like beans from a bamboo tube.
After listening, Zhao Ya finally had a comprehensive understanding of the Refining World Sect.
As he suspected, the Refining World Sect, like the Paradise Sect, belonged to the Demon Sect.
The Refining World Sect specializes in poison and Gu techniques. Besides a mysterious Sect Leader, they have seven major Gu Masters forming the sect’s core power.
Guan Lun and the people who joined Cyan Bamboo Ridge were all under the Golden Silkworm Gu Master.
As for why they wanted to join Cyan Bamboo Ridge and what their purpose was, Guan Lun wasn’t aware.
After listening, Zhao Ya fell into deep thought.
Guan Lun looked at Zhao Ya with trepidation, not daring to make any sudden moves.
Previously, Huo Tianxiao had mentioned that apart from being adept at poisoning, their real abilities were actually quite mediocre.
So in front of Zhao Ya, he had no strength to fight back, let alone escape.
At this moment, footsteps outside became increasingly clear, accompanied by shouts.
"Surround the central courtyard, don’t let the thieves escape!"
"The Fifth Village Chief is dead, the thieves clearly have some tricks, everyone be careful!"
Upon hearing these shouts, a hint of barely noticeable joy flashed across Fu Tingfang’s face.
But just then, Zhao Ya suddenly said to Guan Lun, "Pick up that sword on the ground!"
Guan Lun shivered all over but dared not disobey, so he tremblingly picked up the sword from the ground.
"Kill her!" Zhao Ya ordered.
Upon hearing these words, both Guan Lun and Fu Tingfang were stunned.
Fu Tingfang looked incredulously at Zhao Ya, "You... you..."
But couldn’t say anything after struggling for a while.
Zhao Ya paid no attention and merely said to Guan Lun, "You have three breaths’ time, she dies or you die!"
"One!"
As the word fell, there was a thrusting sound and the sword in Guan Lun’s hand pierced through Fu Tingfang’s throat.
Fu Tingfang’s eyes widened, full of malice as she looked at Guan Lun and Zhao Ya.
But soon, as blood gushed out, the light in her eyes quickly dimmed and finally went out.
Guan Lun forced a smile and said, "Well... well, hero, is this satisfactory?"
Zhao Ya nodded, "Not bad!"
"Then... then can I leave?"
"Of course, I said I wouldn’t kill you, so I won’t," Zhao Ya replied.
Guan Lun was waiting for this sentence, and just as he turned to leave,
he suddenly felt his whole body stiffen, collapsed to the ground with a thud, unable to move.
The type of poison Zhao Ya had used on Huo Tianxiao was extremely potent.
Huo Tianxiao’s abilities were fairly good, yet even he could only hold on for a minute or two before succumbing.
Guan Lun’s abilities were lacking, and his body was worn out by indulgence, so he succumbed to the poison in the blink of an eye.
Looking at the two corpses on the ground, Zhao Ya manipulated them slightly, creating a scene where they had fought to the death, while eliminating any trace of himself as much as possible.
After doing all this, the footsteps outside were clear and could be heard, along with the clashing of weapons and armor as the troops advanced quickly.
Zhao Ya, however, remained unperturbed, leaping onto the beam and then pulling up the roof tiles, slipping outside.
With the aid of the Concealing Breath Technique, the guards outside didn’t notice there was someone on the rooftop.
Zhao Ya quickly replaced the roof tiles and found an opening, leaping into the darkness and disappearing quickly.
Of course, he knew that the scene he had faked couldn’t fool someone attentive.
With a little investigation, they would surely discover clues.
But Zhao Ya did it anyway.
Because of the conversation he overheard earlier on the mountainside between Huo Tianxiao and Zhan Feng.
It revealed to Zhao Ya an important piece of information.
That was, there was a deep conflict between the people of Cyan Bamboo Ridge and the later-joined Refining World Sect.
And this incident would surely exacerbate the already sharp conflict.
Once suspicion between each other arises, it will be nearly impossible to eliminate.
And with his sister dead, Zhao Ya didn’t believe that Fu Tingyuan could remain indifferent.
So internal turmoil was bound to occur within Cyan Bamboo Ridge.
And this was Zhao Ya’s opportunity.
Just as Zhao Ya was heading down the mountain, frantic shouts suddenly came from the Central Courtyard Stronghold.
"Miss Fu!"
"Quickly inform the Great Village Chief, Miss Fu is dead!"
The shout echoed throughout the entire mountain like a tsunami.
Zhao Ya paused, standing atop a thick bamboo, looking back.
He saw Cyan Bamboo Ridge slowly boiling under the night, with countless lights converging into streams, heading towards the Central Courtyard Stronghold.
A cold smile appeared at the corner of Zhao Ya’s mouth.
The curtain had already risen, and now it was time for the show to begin.