Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery
Chapter 38: No Other Choice

Chapter 38: Chapter 38: No Other Choice

After persuading Zhou Hong to rest earlier,

Chen Li adjusted the wick of the oil lamp and settled down. After sipping some tea, he prepared to continue his research on the Arrow-Evasion Talisman.

Unfortunately, he still couldn’t calm his mind.

He simply stood up and paced back and forth on the spot.

He suddenly felt that he must thoroughly consider this matter.

First, was he really being surveilled?

Second, if indeed he was being watched, what was Qiao Guanyuan’s purpose?

Third, did this purpose harbor ill will toward him, and was there a threat to his personal safety?

Fourth, if he took no action and allowed himself to be surveilled, burying his head in the sand like an ostrich pretending to be unaware, was that the best solution at the moment?

Fifth, if that wasn’t the best solution, what was?

Lastly, and most crucially, if the worst-case scenario occurred, did he have the strength to turn the tables?

Of course, all these questions were predicated on the fact that he really was being surveilled.

And this question, Chen Li found, didn’t seem hard to confirm.

If it turned out to be just a misunderstanding, he could simply apologize; but if there was malice...

Thinking of the vast power of the Spirit Tiger Gang, he couldn’t help worrying more and more, and his fear grew.

He was no longer a lone wanderer; in this world, he had attachments. If he were to be surrounded and killed by the Spirit Tiger Gang, being outnumbered... wouldn’t both of them perish?

Chen Li’s gaze flickered, suddenly he set his face in determination, took a few Silencing Talismans and stuffed them into his sleeve. He put on all the Featherweight and Amulet Talismans, then picked up his long sword and walked out of the talisman-making room with light footsteps.

He pressed his ear against the main door, quietly listening for any sounds from outside.

The night was deep.

Outside, it was extremely quiet, with only the occasional soft voices of conversation faintly drifting from afar.

He gently opened a sliver of the door, and taking advantage of the situation when no one was paying attention, his figure flashed and he was already hidden in a dark corner—he was a little grateful for choosing a gray robe that didn’t stand out at all in the darkness.

...

"Does your face still hurt?" Zhang Shouyi asked with a smile.

"Hiss, it started hurting again as soon as you mentioned it. That guy really hit hard; my head still feels a bit dizzy," Wang Fugui said, taking in a breath of cool air, "All day and all night, when will this end? "

"Who told you we’re short on hands in the gang recently? It’s tough now, but once we’ve taken out Ju Xiong Bang, we’ll be living large. Just hold on a bit longer; we can take a nap in the latter half of the night," Zhang Shouyi consoled.

In the midst of their conversation, a figure suddenly stepped out from the shadows.

The two of them were startled and just opened their mouths to shout in alarm.

But they heard Chen Li clear his throat gently, and the two men’s minds blurred for a moment. Before they could react, Chen Li had stepped behind them and delivered a heavy blow to the back of each of their heads.

The two of them had no power to resist and collapsed neatly on the ground.

Chen Li grabbed the collar of each person with one hand and quickly dragged them toward a secluded corner.

The night streets were empty and silent.

After walking quickly for over a hundred meters, Chen Li stopped in a small grove.

He first collected all the Magic Artifacts and Talismans from their bodies, then took out a Silencing Talisman, flicked it casually, and the talisman burnt up in the air, eventually forming a colorless protective dome that enveloped them all.

Chen Li faced the Loose Cultivator he had struck during the day and slapped him several more times.

Fortunately, the punch to the back of the head earlier wasn’t too severe; Wang Fugui moaned as he slowly regained consciousness, his head splitting with pain.

"You..." As soon as Wang Fugui cleared recognized Chen Li, his expression turned to horror.

"Don’t be agitated. We didn’t finish our conversation during the day, so let’s continue now. We have plenty of time," Chen Li said emotionlessly, "Why are you surveilling me?"

"Fellow Daoist Chen, it’s really a misunderstanding. Didn’t I tell you during the day? We were watching Lin Gui!" Wang Fugui said, panicked, hurriedly pleading his case.

"Smack!" A crisp sound.

Chen Li’s hand struck down heavily again, the tremendous force causing Wang Fugui’s head to buzz violently, his mouth filling with blood, his facial skin tearing apart to reveal the raw, red muscle underneath.

"Wrong answer."

"I really didn’t lie..."

"Smack!" Chen Li slapped down hard once more.

Wang Fugui’s teeth came loose from the slap, his vision darkening in waves. He felt as if he could no longer feel his face, and one ear had gone completely deaf.

"You are wrong again; there’s one last chance. Why were you spying on me?" Chen Li asked again.

Looking at Chen Li, whose face was expressionless but eyes were full of killing intent, the nearly broken Wang Fugui couldn’t suppress his fear of death.

He felt that if he answered wrong again, he would truly die.

"I... I don’t know... It’s not my business, it’s all... it was Qiao’s orders; we were just following them," Wang Fugui finally broke down, his voice trembling, tears and snot mixing with the blood on his face.

"This time you’ve answered well. Think again, think harder. Why would Qiao monitor me? There must be a reason," Chen Li said gently, coaxing; he had to get to the bottom of this question.

"I... I heard Zhang say that Qiao doesn’t like you, thinks you’re an unsettling element," Wang Fugui said.

"Doesn’t like me!?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Li’s face twisted with displeasure. On Earth, a powerful person’s dislike might only mean a ruined family, but here, it could very well mean death!

He couldn’t understand; he had stayed at home every day, never venturing out of his door or even his gate, not causing trouble or meddling with anyone, and yet he had become an unsettling element?

"Right, and who exactly is Zhang?"

Wang Fugui shifted his aching head with difficulty and looked towards Zhang Shouyi, lying nearby.

"Understood!" Chen Li nodded and said.

"Can... can I live?" Wang Fugui, seeming to sense something, asked tremulously, his eyes filled with intense hope and a desperate desire to live.

Chen Li couldn’t help but avert his gaze.

The next moment,

a "snap" sounded as Chen Li reached out and broke his neck.

Looking at the body with its head eerily tilted and violently convulsing,

"Don’t blame me," Chen Li whispered softly.

Just then, the previously motionless Zhang Shouyi suddenly burst into action, trying to run away.

However, he had barely taken a step when a sword light flashed past like a rainbow piercing the sun, and with a jolt, his head fell to the ground. The headless body wobbled in place for a moment before collapsing with a thud.

"I’ve been noticing you weren’t behaving yourself, and even thought you’d wait for the moment I acted to launch a sneak attack," Chen Li said in a soft voice as he looked at the rolling head.

But alas, he would never get an answer.

"Why is it so hard just to live a peaceful life?"

Chen Li sighed, found a clean spot, and sat down, casually holding his sword, which had just been used to kill.

The sword was spotless, not tainted by a single drop of blood.

This time, killing did not cause him the same excitement and nervousness as before.

Very calm.

Even his heartbeat hadn’t quickened much.

It was as if he had grown accustomed to it.

This damned world forced him to kill.

Waiting until the bodies had stopped their final struggle, Chen Li finally stood up. He removed a cleaner robe from one of the two corpses, put it on himself, and then tore a strip of cloth to carefully cover his face.

Tonight might be busy.

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