Chapter 33

"Master?"

Yang Ji was taken aback, completely stunned.

What did Zhou the Butler mean by this? Was he being mysterious? Or... was there something he didn't know?

"Zhou the Butler, what do you mean by this?"

Yang Ji said this calmly, while quickly surveying the surroundings, looking for any possible ambush and a way to retreat.

"Good people don't come, and those who come are not good." Zhou the Butler appeared in the middle of the night in this desolate place, clearly not to "catch up" with him.

Yang Ji sensed a huge crisis.

"Hei, Yang Ji, you don't need to pretend in front of me."

Zhou the Butler gave a cold smile, his every move exuding a strong confidence, as if he wasn't afraid of Yang Ji escaping at all:

"Without someone's help, could you have achieved what you have today with just your own abilities?"

The wind howled, and Zhou the Butler's gaze flickered, subtly scanning the various hidden corners of the mountain top. His expression revealed a great sense of caution, as if a very dangerous expert was hiding in some dark corner.

As for Yang Ji, he was not in his line of sight.

Yang Ji originally felt the danger was overwhelming, and his mind was preoccupied with how to escape. But after hearing Zhou the Butler's words, he suddenly calmed down.

Yang Ji had considered various possibilities, but he never thought that "Madam" and the others would attribute his martial arts advancement to someone secretly helping him.

"Yes, yes, ... no wonder Zhou the Butler asked me about my 'Master' in such a confusing way. I made no progress for eight years, but in just a few months, I advanced from the third level of Breathing to the ninth level. Anyone would be suspicious."

Yang Ji had always been thinking about how to deal with Madam and how to protect himself, but he never considered what his performance would make Madam think.

In a flash, Yang Ji recalled the two guards he had killed who had poisoned his food:

"Could it be that Madam suppressed the matter without a word? With the heavy protection in the clan's core area, she must have attributed the incident to my 'Master.'"

Surprised, unexpected, and completely unprepared!...

Various emotions flashed through Yang Ji's mind, but he quickly suppressed them. For this kind of unexpected outcome, he didn't know whether to cry or laugh.

But there was no doubt that it was a good thing for him.

Yang Ji quickly thought through the entire situation. He understood that Madam had not taken action against him for a long time, probably because she was wary of the so-called "Master" behind him.

The only thing Yang Ji still didn't understand was why Madam was so certain about the idea of him having a Master, which should still be just a guess.

"Zhou the Butler, what you're saying is wrong. I have what I have today because of my own talent. What does it have to do with others?"

Yang Ji probed, not knowing how much Zhou the Butler knew about his situation.

"Heihei, boasting, if it weren't for your Master's intervention, could you have blocked the final move with your meager skills?"

Yang Ji's words confirmed to Zhou the Butler that he had a "Master," further validating his suspicions.

"Whoosh!"

Yang Ji took a deep breath, and the tension in his heart eased.

"He didn't see, he actually didn't see..."

Yang Ji appeared calm, but his body under the robe was trembling with excitement.

Zhou the Butler had been tracking him, but it was unclear how much he had seen. Yang Ji was most worried about "Xiao Ji's" secret being exposed, especially just now when he used Xiao Ji to subdue the three venomous snakes raised by the White Bone Envoy.

If this secret were exposed, Zhou the Butler would naturally know that he had no "Master" behind him, and that all his martial arts skills were learned from "Xiao Ji," and the two guards were killed by "Xiao Ji."

Once this was confirmed, Madam would have no qualms and would certainly order his execution. But Yang Ji never expected that Zhou the Butler, who had been following him, would not have seen anything.

Yang Ji didn't know that "Zhou the Butler" had not seen clearly due to the darkness and distance. Moreover, Xiao Ji was always hidden in Yang Ji's sleeve, and no one else could see him. Even the White Bone Envoy didn't know how he died.

In the end, the existence of the Crown King Snake was too special. Apart from a few people, almost no one knew about it. After recognizing its master, Xiao Ji's body changed significantly, and at first glance, it looked like an "Iron Wire Snake." Even if someone saw it, it would be hard to associate it with the highly venomous "Snake Emperor."

Thinking of this, Yang Ji's mind was at ease.

"Brother, we've reached this point, do you still want to hide?"

Zhou the Butler ignored Yang Ji, carefully surveying the surroundings, as if always on guard against someone.

The wind howled on the mountain top, and there was no one else besides the dead White Bone Envoy.

"Heihei, Zhou the Butler, you're thinking too simply. What kind of person is my Master? Do you think you can just see him whenever you want?"

Yang Ji took a step forward and said loudly.

Now that he knew Madam's concerns, his mind was at ease, and many ideas came to him.

"Oh?"

Zhou the Butler's eyes narrowed, suddenly turning around and giving Yang Ji a sinister smile:

"So, you're saying I have to kill you, the disciple, first, and then draw out the Master?"

Buzz!

Zhou the Butler's robe trembled, and a powerful aura surged from his body, like a tidal wave sweeping in all directions. His gaunt face instantly turned red, and even his eyes turned blood red, looking extremely terrifying in the darkness.

"Wu Dao realm! A Wu Dao realm expert."

Yang Ji was startled, stumbling back several steps.

"Shh!"

A slippery sensation came from his wrist under the robe, and Yang Ji clearly felt Xiao Ji's body tense, ready for battle.

At this moment, both man and snake felt a strong sense of danger.

The red glow on Zhou the Butler's body quickly faded, and he returned to his previous unremarkable appearance.

The person was still the same person, but in Yang Ji's and Xiao Ji's eyes, he was now completely different!

"Second level, third level, no, at least a Wu Dao third level expert!..."

Yang Ji's heart raced, secretly alarmed.

This was not the first time he had seen Zhou the Butler, but he never knew he had such high cultivation. That brief moment had a greater impact on Yang Ji than when he first saw Lü Ling.

He was secretly alarmed, even with Xiao Ji's strength comparable to a martial artist, he still felt a great sense of fear towards Zhou the Butler, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Yang Ji had confidence in fighting a tenth-level Breathing expert; with Xiao Ji, he could hold his own against a first-level Wu Dao expert; he could find a way to escape from a second-level Wu Dao expert, but a third-level Wu Dao expert or higher—

Could he really escape?...

Yang Ji's heart sank.

Zhou the Butler was Madam's subordinate, and with Madam's intent to kill him, his purpose here was clear.

In an instant, countless thoughts raced through Yang Ji's mind, trying to find a way out of the current situation, but all methods were quickly dismissed.

"Who is this person?..."

Yang Ji was secretly alarmed.

Madam had such a hidden expert, and not just him, even the "Elders" in the clan might not know.

He could still fight a tenth-level Breathing expert; he could hold his own against a first-level Wu Dao expert, but a second-level or third-level Wu Dao expert... there was no hope at all!

"Too strong, too strong!... This Zhou the Butler is probably sent by Madam to investigate my so-called Master. Dealing with such a person is not easy. If I can't call out a 'Master' tonight, I'll be exposed, and it will be a dead end."

Yang Ji's heart raced again.

Madam and Zhou the Butler had just guessed wrong, but they were not stupid. Given time, they would definitely find out.

"Heihei, Zhou the Butler, I did kill that cult follower, but I don't understand why you have to bring my Master into it."

Yang Ji gave a cold laugh, suddenly having an idea:

"You want to see him? Not impossible, but you have to get past me first."

Boom!

Yang Ji stomped his foot and shot out with a loud noise. His speed was extremely fast, and in a flash, he appeared on Zhou the Butler's side, striking a powerful blow to his ribs.

Yang Ji used all his strength, showing no mercy. Since Zhou the Butler had mentioned wanting to see his "Master," Yang Ji was not afraid of his suspicions or his lethal moves.

"Hei, young man, it's good to be competitive, but you must also know your limits. Do you think you can challenge me like an egg against a stone?"

Zhou the Butler gave a cold smile. To him, Yang Ji's actions were just the impulsive behavior of a young man. He was not angry, standing still, and with a slight movement of his shoulders, he immediately attacked.

Buzz!

In a flash, a strong wind blew, and Zhou the Butler's arm suddenly became blurry, then split into two, four, six, eight...

"What's happening?"

Yang Ji was greatly surprised. He had seen many martial arts techniques in the clan, but he had never seen anything like this. With his strength, he could only see blurry arms and could not distinguish the real from the fake.

Boom!

Before Yang Ji could react, dark shadows moved between Zhou the Butler's arms, and suddenly, a cloud of mist rose.

Yang Ji's vision darkened, and a powerful force hit his chest, sending him flying over twenty yards, crashing to the ground amidst a cloud of dust.

One move!

Just one move, and Yang Ji had already been defeated without even seeing how Zhou the Butler struck!

"Too fast, too fast... What kind of martial arts technique is this?"

Yang Ji lay on the ground, his energy scattered, his shock indescribable. He had clearly struck first, but in the moment of contact, he felt that Zhou the Butler had hit him first.

"Is this the strength of a Wu Dao realm expert?"

Yang Ji's heart raced.

"This time, I'll just give you a small lesson to teach you your place."

Zhou the Butler walked slowly, hands behind his back, stepping on the fallen leaves. After defeating Yang Ji with one move, he showed no signs of exertion, as if it were a trivial matter, displaying the demeanor of a Wu Dao realm expert.

"The difference between the Breathing realm and the Wu Dao realm is vast. You haven't even achieved 'unification of fist and intent,' yet you want to challenge a higher-level martial artist. It's a joke!—You don't have the qualifications to challenge me, so call out your Master quickly!"

Zhou the Butler's eyes flashed as he spoke slowly.

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