Chapter 79

Face to face, eye to eye, large eyes meeting small eyes.

Wu Fan stared at Lan's face and said with a smile, "Tell me, how cunning can you be? I tested you so many times before I finally caught your fox's tail. Tsk tsk, it was really hard for me, wasn't it?"

Lan's face was extremely embarrassed, and she coldly snorted, "But in the end, wasn't I still seen through by you?" She paused and then asked curiously, "I really want to know, how did you start suspecting me, and why did you suspect me? I thought I did quite well."

Wu Fan juggled the fine steel saber in his hand and said thoughtfully, "Three reasons. First, when I came to pay respects to Zhou Ling yesterday, I was carrying Wang Jiao's head. You, a weak woman, saw a bloody head and were not at all afraid, only crying for Zhou Ling... This was unreasonable. So I had doubts and began to suspect you. The second reason, although I have never met Zhou Ling, I know what he looks like and what kind of person he is! Such a person could actually win the heart of a courtesan like Duan Xiuxiu and have a beautiful woman like you loyal to him? I don't believe it! I think Duan Xiuxiu is your contact, and Zhou Ling is the messenger between you. The third reason, also lies with you. Do you know, when you act too much, it becomes very fake?"

"Ha ha ha ha..."

Lan suddenly laughed, laughing wildly.

After a long time.

Lan shook her head and looked at Wu Fan, saying, "I actually lost to such a ridiculous suspicion! It's unbelievable! But... one thing you said is right, Zhou Ling was indeed the messenger between me and Duan Xiuxiu. I really don't know how you guessed it." She sighed and winked, smiling, "Well! Kill you, and it's all over. I'll leave this place!"

Wu Fan bared his teeth and smiled, slowly stepping back, watching Lan warily, and said, "Actually, I thought of one more thing, but I'm not sure."

Lan took off her mourning clothes, drew a soft sword disguised as a belt from her waist, and said, "Speak! You won't have another chance!"

Wu Fan licked his lips and said, "Your crying was not fake, but the person you were crying for was definitely not Zhou Ling. It should be a relative, and an elder. Your surname is Lan, a very rare surname. Just a while ago... the leader of the Maitreya Sect, Lan Zhuke, was beheaded by the Thousand-Man Commander Wu Zhao of the Yingyang Guard in Luoyang!... If we connect it to Luoyang, the big commotion there was probably to cover something, perhaps—Jizhou's grain tax ship? Hmm?"

Lan's face instantly changed, her eyes full of ferocity: "I can't let you live! You... have too many tricks up your sleeve!"

"Ha ha ha!"

Wu Fan patted his head and laughed heartily.

Lan, who was about to attack, stepped back in surprise and asked, "What are you laughing about?"

Wu Fan took a deep breath,收敛了笑容，说道：“我在笑自己脑洞大开，哦！你大概不懂是什么意思，没关系，意思就是……我这么扯淡的想法，居然能猜中？当真是有意思极了！弥勒教，又是你们弥勒教！我就纳了闷儿，你们干嘛这么执着的要闹事儿？要害人？”

Lan looked up at the sky, which was turning white in the east, and said, "Too much talk, I don't want to say more. Go to hell!"

"Swish!"

With a step, Lan's slender figure darted towards Wu Fan, the soft sword in her hand darting out like a snake's tongue, aiming for Wu Fan's vital points in his chest and abdomen.

An expert's move reveals their skill, and Wu Fan's heart sank. Why? Because he had pushed it too far!

"Bang!"

He barely blocked Lan's soft sword with his saber, leaping back. He felt a burning pain in his neck, and when he touched it, blood appeared instantly.

His pupils constricted, and Wu Fan exclaimed, "Is this the release of inner energy? To harm without a trace?"

Lan's soft sword clearly did not hit Wu Fan, and the blade was a distance away, yet Wu Fan was injured. In a flash, Wu Fan saw a green gas attached to the soft sword, which must be inner energy. Wu Fan had seen experts who could release inner energy, like the eunuch Man Ning and the woman Yu Xiang. But he had never seen them use it like Lan, so he was unsure what it meant, hence the question.

"Exactly! That's why I said, knowing too much can get you killed."

Lan sneered, waved her soft sword, and was about to charge forward.

Knowing Lan's prowess, even after just one move, Wu Fan knew he was no match for her. So, he suddenly had a cylindrical object in his hand, and in the face of Lan's relentless advance, he shook it calmly.

Wu Fan smiled and said, "Do you know what this is?"

Lan narrowed her eyes but said nothing.

Wu Fan nodded and said proudly, "Do you know 'a single arrow through the clouds, a thousand troops come to meet'? It's a cloud-piercing arrow! I can't beat you, but you won't be able to kill me and leave! Hehehe..."

【Damn! If I had known this delicate woman was so ruthless, I would have definitely dragged Man Ning, that little eunuch, along! Now I can only use a monocular to pretend it's a cloud-piercing arrow!】

Wu Fan inwardly blamed himself for taking the risk alone, but his face showed no expression.

Lan's expression changed, and she shook her head, smiling, "Alright! Then call for help!" Her smile faded, and she glared at Wu Fan, "You scoundrel! You pervert! You're a scum! Do you think I haven't seen a cloud-piercing arrow? Do you know what a cloud-piercing arrow looks like? You're trying to fool me, aren't you?"

【Uh...】

【Shit! Cloud-piercing arrow... it actually exists?】

Wu Fan was instantly petrified.

"Let me kill you! It's all over!"

With a sharp cry, Lan's soft sword circled in a flower-like pattern, advancing towards Wu Fan with a mix of real and feint moves.

Wu Fan had no choice but to put away the monocular and draw his saber to meet the enemy.

Then...

In less than ten moves, Wu Fan was defeated by Lan's bizarre and elusive techniques and the unique weapon, the soft sword. His clothes were torn in over a dozen places, and his body was covered in flowing blood and open wounds, looking as miserable as a beggar drenched in dog's blood.

In contrast, Lan, whether in inner energy cultivation or technique, had the upper hand over Wu Fan. Wu Fan was quick, but she was quicker. Wu Fan was agile, but she was more agile... The only thing that seemed disheveled about her was the loose strands of hair from her vigorous movements.

"Wu... Fan..."

Lan tilted her head and stared at Wu Fan, her expression strange.

Wu Fan touched his wounds; he had only been defeated, not killed, and he had not given up. He still firmly held his saber.

Lan shook the blood off her soft sword, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, and then sighed, "I've been... a bit slow lately. I should have realized it earlier, you're the Wu Fan from Luoyang! Very good! Very good! Although... the deaths of those people were all arranged by me, they were still members of the Maitreya Sect. Losing so many at once... I have to kill you to feel a bit better! After all, everyone knows you were the one who played a key role in the downfall of the Maitreya Sect!"

Her casual tone was truly chilling.

Suddenly—

"Hey! Isn't this Wu Baihu? What's up? Crawling on a widow's wall, did you anger her?"

The eunuch Man Ning appeared out of nowhere, standing on the wall next to Wu Fan, the morning light shining on him...

Wu Fan wanted to say, "You are my goddess of dawn," but he couldn't, because Man Ning was just a dead eunuch.

Regardless, Wu Fan knew that the appearance of the eunuch Man Ning meant he was saved, which was a good thing.

Wu Fan tilted his head and smiled bitterly, "Lord Man! Don't tease me! Besides, I didn't crawl on the wall, I just squatted at the base of it!" His expression changed, and he pointed at Lan, "Lord Man, she is the daughter or relative of the Maitreya Sect's Lan Zhuke. The Jizhou grain tax ship incident is related to her. Capture her quickly!"

...

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