Chapter Thirty-Two: Murder and Arson

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In the stillness of the deep night, Chu Bing had already fallen asleep.

Perhaps because her mind was burdened with worries, her sleep was restless; she kept feeling as if someone in the room was watching her.

Creak.

Suddenly, the window was pushed open from outside, and a dark figure leaped in. Bathed in faint moonlight, he turned and saw the woman on the bed, then slowly walked toward Chu Bing.

Though his footsteps were light, in the silence of the night, they sounded painfully sharp.

Chu Bing, who had been sound asleep, suddenly stirred, her eyes moving beneath her lids. Hidden beneath the quilt, her hands clenched tightly into fists.

She was waiting for the intruder to approach, ready to strike him with a punch!

But when Chu Bing cautiously opened her eyes and, by the dim light, saw the masked face of the person standing before her, her whole body froze.

It was Li Yuxi!

In the dead of night, why was he standing beside her bed?

Chu Bing nearly jumped up from the bed, but rationality held her back—she was no match for Li Yuxi. Getting up now would only mean getting pinned down and beaten!

The footsteps came closer and closer; Chu Bing could even sense the cold aura emanating from Li Yuxi.

Her heart was in her throat.

Just then, voices sounded outside the window. Chu Bing recognized Chu Wenyan’s voice. Li Yuxi paused, turned, and hid in the shadow by the wall. Only after the voices outside faded did he leap out the window and disappear.

Chu Bing let out a long breath, her whole body drenched in cold sweat.

She struggled to sit up, jumped out of bed, and closed the window tightly. Still feeling unsafe, she dragged a stool to brace against the door.

“System, this world is too dangerous!”

The system was silent as a chicken, giving no response.

Trembling, Chu Bing leaned against the corner. Most people here were highly skilled in martial arts; even a couple of them appearing at random could easily take her life!

She only felt herself surrounded by danger, all hope of sleep lost.

Gritting her teeth, she glanced at the sky outside, then suddenly pushed the door open and walked out.

It wasn’t safe to stay in the room—she might as well wander outside. Perhaps she’d even stumble upon a red packet!

The moon hung high, the temple lay silent, and Chu Bing cautiously slipped into the bamboo grove.

In those time-travel dramas, wasn’t it always like this? The protagonist took a stroll outside and would inevitably encounter rare treasures.

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With a spirit of hopeful curiosity, Chu Bing crept through the bamboo grove. Suddenly, the sound of fighting came from ahead.

She immediately held her breath and moved quietly in that direction.

In a small clearing, she saw a group of men in black locked in a skirmish with imperial soldiers.

“Li Mohan, what are you doing? We are officers of the court...”

“Just a pack of lapdogs. What officials? Besides, a court as rotten and corrupt as this isn’t worth serving!”

“You traitors!”

A man in black interrupted the soldier with a sneer, his tone thick with mockery.

Chu Bing’s heart gave a jolt—another man surnamed Li! Could he be kin to Li Haoran as well?

She became even more cautious, concealing her presence. There seemed to be no ordinary people in the Li family!

“Shut up! The affairs of the court are not for ambitious scoundrels like you to judge!”

Listening to the exchange between the two, Chu Bing found it unexpectedly entertaining.

Just what kind of family was the Li clan, to treat the court with such disregard?

The Li family... they clearly had secrets.

At that moment, the situation in the clearing changed. The men in black had surrounded the soldiers, their swords ceaselessly harvesting lives—like emotionless killing machines, knowing only bloodshed.

The air was thick with the metallic tang of blood.

Chu Bing’s heart pounded wildly. Ever since coming to this world, it seemed she was constantly faced with moral trials!

It was as if murder had become a mundane, everyday affair.

She shut her eyes, forcing herself not to witness the gory scene.

Only when the ground was piled with corpses did the men in black finally stop.

A figure in white suddenly emerged from the depths of the bamboo grove.

Moonlight poured over him, casting a phosphorescent glow about his form, making him appear mesmerizing.

His narrow eyes were devoid of emotion, impossibly cold.

“Master. They’re all dead.”

Chu Bing was momentarily stunned.

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Could this be the eldest of the Li brothers, Li Mohan?

Though the three Li brothers were different in temperament, all were strikingly handsome, each with his own allure.

Chu Bing couldn’t help but marvel—such beauty, and yet such ruthless methods.

Suddenly, Li Mohan looked directly in her direction.

His chilling gaze landed unerringly on the trunk behind which Chu Bing was hiding.

Only now did she realize how cold Li Mohan’s aura was—especially his eyes, which looked at everyone as if they were already dead.

Fright drained the color from her face. She clamped her hand over her mouth, not daring to make the slightest sound.

“Master, what about these bodies?” a man in black asked.

Li Mohan withdrew his gaze, lowered his head, and replied with icy detachment, “Burn them.”

“Yes, sir.”

One of the men in black struck a flint and tossed it onto the corpses, watching the fire roar up without a flicker of emotion.

Chu Bing bit her lip hard—this was outright murder and arson!

She shifted her feet, preparing to slip away.

Just then, as if sensing something, Li Mohan struck out with a palm in Chu Bing’s direction.

A blast of chilling force slammed into the tree trunk near her, and Chu Bing, terror-stricken, didn’t have time to think—she turned and ran!

If she stayed a moment longer, she’d surely become one of the bodies littering the ground.

She darted through the bamboo grove as fast as she could, gritting her teeth and mustering every last ounce of strength, her meridians aching as if on the verge of snapping.

But the sound of wind behind her never ceased. Chu Bing dared not stop; her only choice was to keep running.

Fortunately, she had already traversed this bamboo grove earlier in the day and knew the terrain, managing to widen the gap between herself and Li Mohan.

She found a hidden spot and remained motionless for a long time, only relaxing when she was certain she was alone.

She gasped for breath, as if only by doing so could she vent her terror and frustration.

“Well, well, what have we here? A young lady hiding deep in the bamboo grove in the middle of the night—could she be a spirit of the mountains, transformed into human form?”

Suddenly, a voice laced with amusement sounded nearby.

Chu Bing froze, turning her head slowly, to see a masked man standing not far away, tall and poised, his eyes fixed on her with a smile.