Gu Manzhi's face lost all color and turned pale as paper…
No, she completely turned into paper.
Her body rapidly collapsed; skin, muscles, and bones peeled away layer by layer like shedding a shell, revealing the "core" inside, which turned out to be a paper puppet the size of a palm!
"It really is the Paper Puppet Technique..."
Faced with this bizarre scene, Chen Mo was not the least bit surprised.
Given the methods of the Moonlit Holy Maiden, it would have been abnormal if she were killed so easily.
He reached out his hand to pick up the paper puppet, and as firelight flashed across his fingertips, the paper puppet spontaneously combusted.
Vaguely, a wailing sound seemed to echo faintly.
A translucent shadow appeared, struggling to detach itself from the paper puppet.
A dark red talisman glowed between the paper puppet's eyebrows, firmly suppressing it until it completely turned to fine ash.
At the same time, a notification appeared:
[Killed "Nameless Wandering Soul," True Spirit +5.]
"An unexpected gain?"
*Chen Mo's heart fluttered slightly, but his expression remained unchanged, as he calmly said,* "Come out, how long do you plan on hiding?"
A moment later, a figure emerged from behind the screen.
Her appearance and figure were exactly the same as the "Gu Manzhi" who had just died.
However, there was less allure in her eyes and more aloofness, as a pair of almond-shaped eyes looked at Chen Mo in surprise.
...
"How did he discover it?"
*Gu Manzhi was completely perplexed.*
*Her Paper Puppet Technique had reached the Transformation Realm. To achieve perfection, she even used a secret technique to attach a wandering soul to it, making its behavior almost indistinguishable from that of a real person.*
*Unless a magician who is much more advanced than her sees through it, no one else should detect any flaws.*
*Chen Mo, being a Martial Artist, shouldn't fit into that category.*
*Logically, it should have been foolproof…*
Suddenly, Chen Mo stood up.
Gu Manzhi retreated half a step, staring at him vigilantly.
Chen Mo walked to the tea table by himself, sat down, and tapped the table.
"Pour the tea."
"..."
Seeing him so composed, Gu Manzhi became even more unsure.
After a slight hesitation, she decided to play it by ear.
After all, they were in the imperial capital; causing too much trouble would only lead to bigger problems.
She gracefully moved towards him, sat across from Chen Mo, rolled up her sleeves, and lifted the teapot with delicate hands.
Warming the teapot, placing the tea leaves, pouring the water, and rinsing the cup.
Her movements were skilled and pleasing to the eye.
And Chen Mo's attention was entirely on the frame floating above her head.
[Moonlit Holy Maiden・Luohua Juexian Feng Ningyu・Gu Manzhi]
[Realm: Sixth-rank Mage]
[Cultivation Technique: Green Jade Scripture]
[Magic: Six Armored Spirit, Paper Puppet Technique, Soul Capturing Absolute String Zither]
[Favorability Rating: 0/100 (Locked)]
[Note: Favorability ratings range from 0-100, divided into four stages, each corresponding to different rewards. Reaching 100 points unlocks a special reward.]
When he saw the "Favorability Rating" section, Chen Mo frowned slightly.
*One of the unique features of "Unmatched Immortal" was the strategy of winning over female leads to acquire substantial rewards.*
*Such a setup wasn't a problem for a protagonist.*
*But now, he was a villain.*
*Any relationship with the female lead spelled doom.*
*The previous person was a bloody example…*
"A woman's heart is like a cow's horn, the more you lick it, the harder it gets."
*Chen Mo fully understood this, and naturally wouldn't repeat the same mistakes.*
*Now he pondered whether a Sixth-rank Mage would be easy to kill.*
...
"Lord, please enjoy the tea."
Gu Manzhi filled his teacup to seven-tenths full.
Chen Mo picked up the cup, savoring it slowly, the sweet fragrance spreading between his lips and teeth.
"Heavenly Mountain Silver Needle, the first buds of early spring, excellent tea."
"A connoisseur."
Gu Manzhi praised him, then said with a wry smile, "However, isn't the lord afraid there's poison in the tea?"
Chen Mo shook his head, saying, "The traces left by poison are too obvious. You're not that foolish; otherwise, you wouldn't have gone to such lengths, first enchanting me with the zither, then luring me with a paper puppet."
The plan was indeed flawless.
The previous person remained in the dark until his death, believing he was in mutual love and intimacy with Gu Manzhi, only to be dating a paper puppet all along.
The pain was unbearable.
"It's just some playful tricks."
Gu Manzhi's eyes glimmered as her seductive voice made one's bones soften, "Serving the lord with two servants, wouldn't that double the pleasure?"
Chen Mo: "?"
On second thought, it seemed to make some sense…
Ugh, damned woman, you're daring to break my Dao Heart!
*He almost forgot, Gu Manzhi had an Innate Extreme Yin Body, naturally alluring.*
*In later stages, when her physique reached mastery, her every move could captivate thousands, earning her the title of "First Succubus of Unmatched Immortal," even more exaggerated than her devil master!*
*Facing this woman, he needed to be on full alert; a single misstep could lead him astray!*
Chen Mo collected his thoughts and spoke with a colder tone, "Is the Heart Devouring Poisonous Insect also a little trick?"
Gu Manzhi asked in confusion, "What Heart Devouring Poisonous Insect?"
Chen Mo chuckled disdainfully and said, "Still playing dumb at this point? Don't you know what Ji Lianxing has instructed you to do?"
Hearing the name "Ji Lianxing," Gu Manzhi turned pale with fear and trembling, her hand shook, and the teapot fell to the floor.
Crash!
The teapot shattered, splashing tea everywhere!
Gazing at that handsome face, those eyes, black as paint, seemed bottomless, sending a chill creeping up her spine.
*Terror, horror, disbelief…*
*Even someone as deeply calculating as she was thrown into disarray for a moment!*
"For him to know my master's name means he had already discovered my identity!"
"Could it be Yu Youhan sent him? Have they laid a trap outside, ready to catch me like a turtle in a jar?"
Thinking of that woman's terrifying methods, Gu Manzhi couldn't help but shiver.
*If she fell into her hands, she feared she would neither live nor die!*
As her mind was in turmoil, Chen Mo's gaze sharpened.
It was time!
He formed his fingers like a knife and chopped fiercely!
The moment the killing intent dispersed, Gu Manzhi was already alarmed.
Her reaction was swift; her sleeves fluttered as threads of green smoke swirled, quickly forming a green ancient mirror in front of her.
The blade-like palm struck the mirror surface, causing ripples.
The surging force was absorbed and dissolved like a mud ox entering the sea.
Chen Mo had anticipated this and struck a second blow with even more force.
Third strike, fourth strike...
Each strike was fiercer, more intense, more ruthless!
The mirror surface churned like waves, the ripples becoming denser, and the ancient mirror began to vibrate violently.
Until the eighth strike was delivered, the force had increased more than tenfold!
The ancient mirror's ability to dissolve had reached its limit, emitting a piercing wail, and under Gu Manzhi's horrified gaze, it shattered inch by inch, turning into green smoke and dissipating!
A hand, enveloped in blazing flames, pierced through the smoke and struck her chest precisely!
Bam!
Accompanied by the crisp sound of breaking bones, Gu Manzhi spat out a mouthful of blood, flew backward through the air, and slammed hard against the wall!
The entire room seemed to tremble slightly!
In the blink of an eye, the situation had reversed!
...
"Do you have anything else to say?"
Chen Mo toyed with the teacup, his tone indifferent.
Gu Manzhi leaned against the wall, her chest heaving erratically, her pale face stained with blood, appearing as delicate as a broken jade, evoking pity.
She took a breath, shook her head, and said with a bitter smile, "It seems Young Master Chen hides deeper than I... I have nothing to say. Do as you wish, whether to kill or flay."
With that, she resignedly closed her eyes.
Her left hand, hidden behind her back, quietly clasped a jade talisman.
It was inscribed with the "Blazing Thunder Spell," with the power equivalent to a fifth-grade Mage's full-force strike. It only required a wisp of energy to obliterate everything in this room.
Including herself.
*She would rather go down in flames than be killed without a fight!*
"Master, forgive this disciple's incompetence for failing your trust. If there is a next life..."
At this moment, a cold voice entered her ear:
"Tell Ji Lianxing not to dare provoke the Empress or else, no matter how vast Jiu Zhou is, there will be no place for her!"
"Between you and me, the grievances are settled. From now on, we have no ties. Next time, you won't be so lucky."
"...Hmm?"
Gu Manzhi looked up.
Chen Mo had already turned and walked out of the room.
Staring at his upright back, she stood in a daze for a long while, absent-minded.
...
"What a pity, almost killed her."
Chen Mo's face was stormy as he walked toward the door.
The reason he spared Gu Manzhi was not out of kindness but sheer exhaustion.
Those eight slashes had already drained all his True Qi.
The Blazing Eight Slashes, a top-tier Earth Rank Martial Technique.
This was originally a sword technique with eight moves, each layer building on the previous one, extremely powerful, and imbued with Blazing Flame Energy, which would continuously burn the opponent's meridians and organs when it entered their body.
In terms of sheer destructiveness, it was almost comparable to a Heavenly Rank Martial Technique!
Such a powerful move was naturally hard to master, consuming copious amounts of True Qi and requiring profound understanding of the Sword Way.
Upon entry, two slashes could be performed consecutively.
When mastered, four slashes could be executed.
His predecessor was extraordinarily gifted, and with guidance from a Grandmaster, was only a step away from mastery, but could never fully comprehend it, at best slashing six times in succession.
To overcome this threshold required effort, perception, and opportunity, none of which could be lacking.
However, for Chen Mo, who had a system panel, there was only one thing to consider:
Extra points.
By killing fierce beasts and Demon Ghosts to obtain "True Spirit," he could use it to elevate the realms of his cultivation technique and martial arts.
He placed the 5 points of True Spirit he just gained into the Blazing Eight Slashes, elevating the martial technique from "Small Success" to "Mastery" instantly!
Though it seemed a word apart, it was like night and day!
It felt like piercing a membrane, the previously obscure parts suddenly became clear, and his heart surged with infinite insight...
In an instant, he reached a state of perfect harmony!
Once one method was understood, all methods became clear, and once the sword technique reached mastery, it was no longer limited to weapons.
Chen Mo deliberately closed the distance, seizing the moment of Gu Manzhi's mental shock to strike suddenly, compressing his entire body's True Qi into a line, turning his palm into a sword, and injured her severely!
The cost, however, was overextending his True Qi, leaving him completely exhausted!
Now, his condition was not much better than Gu Manzhi's!
"With my Seventh-Level Martial Artist level, using this move was still too much."
"There was no other way, as the Magician's methods were unpredictable. The longer the delay, the more dangerous it became, so I had to go all out."
"Unfortunately, the realm gap is too wide. Even with the initiative, I still couldn't kill her... She might have a contingency, and this place isn't safe to linger."
Chen Mo panted heavily, his legs feeling as if they weighed a thousand pounds.
Every step he took caused excruciating pain in his meridians, and his consciousness was gradually becoming fuzzy.
"No, this place isn't safe..."
He pushed himself to walk out the door, glancing around.
Not far away, he saw a two-horse carriage, covered in black canvas with a tin top — a style only officials of fourth-rank and above had the right to use.
Without time to think, he went directly over, lifted the curtain, and slipped into the carriage.
Inside sat a young girl with delicate features, her cheeks puffed from the Osmanthus Sweet Cake she held, looking bewildered at the unexpected visitor.
Chen Mo tore off the jade pendant from his waist and tossed it over, his voice hoarse:
"My father is the Right Deputy Imperial Censor, lives on Ming'an Street in the east of the city, take me home, quickly!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, his body completely gave out, collapsing straight into the girl's arms.
Thud.
The Osmanthus Sweet Cake dropped to the floor.
The girl glanced at the man in her arms, then at the cake on the ground.
(⊙ˍ⊙)
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