The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife
Chapter 240: Severing an Arm to Save a Life

Chapter 240: Severing an Arm to Save a Life

Nanli rolled her eyes at him and said, "Although life and death are fated, if you remain cautious, you can extend your life a bit longer."

Xie Beihan waved his hand dismissively. The feeling of impending death had already dissipated, and he barely remembered it.

"Sixth Sister, let’s focus on capturing Fan Guizong," he suggested.

Finally addressing the main issue, Fan Shizhong nodded urgently, "Yes, he has evil intentions. We must catch him quickly to prevent him from harming others."

The members of the Fan family were still shaken by Fan Guizong’s ruthless behavior. Fan Jiang, thinking of his brother’s only offspring turning out this way, couldn’t help but sigh.

Fan Shizhong wanted to return to the yamen and send people to capture him.

"No need. I placed a tracking talisman on him," Nanli said. They only needed the paper crane to guide them. Nanli didn’t trust the guards to handle Fan Guizong’s sinister and cunning techniques alone, so she insisted on going along to capture him. Xie Beihan would stay with the Fan family to guard the skulls until she returned.

Despite the chaos at the Fan residence, the streets of Ruyang City were quiet in the dead of night. Fan Guizong had used a teleportation talisman, which had only transported him to a location in the western part of the city. He stumbled and fell to the ground. His insides felt like they had been crushed, causing immense pain.

Even though he had escaped the Fan residence, he couldn’t relax. He realized that Nanli had marked him with a tracking talisman. It was the first time he had encountered such a talisman. He formed a hand seal, attempting to expel the talisman’s aura from his body, which would render it ineffective. However, his efforts were in vain.

Beads of sweat appeared on Fan Guizong’s forehead. His body and hands trembled, but he couldn’t expel the tracking talisman. Instead, his internal energy churned, his complexion changed, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

"How is this possible..." he muttered in disbelief under the moonlight. The tracking talisman seemed to have merged with his flesh and blood, making it impossible to expel. At that moment, he noticed thunderclouds gathering in the direction of the Fan residence, followed by three bolts of thunder striking down.

Fan Guizong’s eyes widened in shock, finally accepting that Nanli’s Taoist skills were far superior to his own. He collapsed, not wanting to struggle any longer.

"Are you giving up just like that?" A voice echoed from a dark alley. Fan Guizong shivered and looked over, his entire body tense.

"Who’s there?!" he demanded. Had Nanli’s people caught up so quickly?

A tall figure stood in the alley, partially obscured so that the moonlight didn’t reach his face. His posture indicated he was a skilled martial artist, and his steps revealed that he was highly trained. Had he been following and monitoring Fan Guizong?

The man chuckled, the sound deep and eerie in the night. "I’m here to save you."

Fan Guizong remained wary, his eyes fixed on the man. "What do you mean? Judging by your skills, you’re just proficient in martial arts. Do you also know Taoist techniques?"

"I don’t, but I can see quite a bit," the man replied as he approached. "Your arm has been marked with the tracking talisman. The Ninth Princess’s talismans aren’t truly unbreakable."

"Do you have another way?" Hope flared in Fan Guizong’s heart.

"Yes," the man answered. He drew a sharp longsword, which hummed ominously. Under the moonlight, the blade’s gleam was even more chilling. With a swift slash, the sword cut through flesh.

Fan Guizong’s arm was severed and fell to the ground, blood pouring out only moments later. Clutching his stump, Fan Guizong writhed and screamed in agony.

The man watched impassively, saying, "Endure it. This way, you won’t be tracked and can save your life."

Fan Guizong, however, thought that if surviving meant this, he might as well be dead! Blood flowed uncontrollably, pooling around him. The man, seemingly accustomed to such scenes, squatted down and sealed Fan Guizong’s pressure points to staunch the bleeding. He then applied a hemostatic powder from his pouch and bandaged the wound.

Fan Guizong, in a haze of pain, could only let the man handle him.

"Why...why save me?" Fan Guizong asked, confused. He was just a man abandoned by his family.

The man’s mouth twitched into a slight smile. "My master needs someone with your talents. Don’t you want another chance to compete against Chu Nanli?"

Hearing this, a spark of determination rekindled in Fan Guizong’s heart. Seeing no further resistance, the man quickly finished bandaging the stump, then hoisted Fan Guizong onto his shoulder and left.

Shortly after, Nanli and her guards arrived, guided by the paper crane. Smelling the heavy scent of blood, Nanli’s heart sank. She quickly summoned a fire talisman, illuminating the area. They saw a pool of blood and a severed arm.

The guards, their scalps tingling, asked, "Princess, did he cut off his arm to evade the tracking?"

Nanli nodded. "He couldn’t counter my tracking talisman, so this was his only option. He’s a ruthless man."

The guards fell silent, unsure of what to say. Believing Fan Guizong couldn’t have gone far with a severed arm, they searched the area but found no trace of him. There were no blood trails left behind.

Nanli used another talisman, hoping to track Fan Guizong through the arm’s remaining aura. However, Fan Guizong had taken measures to obscure his trail, leaving no trace behind.

Nanli surmised that someone had assisted Fan Guizong, noting his mastery of dark arts and vengeful nature. Letting him escape posed a significant threat.

"Let’s go back," Nanli said, though she felt a lingering unease. They needed to inform the Black Armor Guard to aid in the search.

The Fan family had endured a harrowing night, and with the headless corpse formation still unresolved, they couldn’t relax. Fan Jiang, frail and elderly, forced himself to stay awake for the family’s sake, refusing to rest despite Fan Shizhong and Fan Yunxi’s pleas.

Fortunately, Nanli returned by midnight. Seeing they hadn’t captured Fan Guizong, disappointment shadowed the faces of the Fan family.

Second Master Fan began to wail, "What do we do if we can’t catch him? Can this formation be broken? Are we all doomed?"

Xie Beihan, displeased by the negativity, retorted, "What are you saying? With my sixth sister here, how could the formation not be broken? Look, we have all five skulls!"

Fan Yunxi, unconvinced by Xie Beihan’s assurance, looked at Nanli with a soft voice, "Princess, can we really break the formation with just these skulls?"

Nanli met her gaze steadily. "Yes, with these skulls, we can break the formation. Trust me."