Chapter 84 - 85: Clever As I Am, Zuo Chong Dies

Chapter 84: Chapter 85: Clever As I Am, Zuo Chong Dies

"Zuo Chong was sent out of the city by Lord Tao. He hasn’t returned yet, and I have no idea where he is!" the soldier answered without hesitation. Inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief, glad that his interrogator hadn’t asked when Zuo Chong would return.

"Then when is he coming back?"

Before the soldier could fully relax, Su Chen’s second question followed immediately, freezing the expression on his face.

"Th-this... I don’t know either. I only know he set out very early." Despite his nervousness, the soldier answered quickly because he genuinely didn’t know the answer. Fortunately, Su Chen hadn’t asked if Zuo Chong would return tonight.

"Looking at his attire, it’s obvious he means harm to Zuo Chong," the soldier thought. "Could he be a remnant of the Rebirth Sect? If I tell this person Zuo Chong’s whereabouts, will he go after him?"

While a myriad of thoughts raced through the soldier’s mind, Su Chen remained silent for a moment before asking, "Will he come back tonight?"

The soldier was left speechless. He felt completely miserable. Why was Su Chen only asking questions he didn’t want to answer?!

Although these were all things he was unsure of, saying them out loud changed everything. If there was an investigation later, wouldn’t he take the blame?

"Speak!" Su Chen snapped, ignoring the soldier’s weird expression when he hesitated to open his mouth.

"I-I don’t know."

Now it was Su Chen’s turn to be speechless. Three questions, zero answers!

Su Chen’s face instantly darkened. Although the soldier couldn’t see Su Chen’s expression, he could feel the surrounding temperature plummeting.

"But he should be back tonight!" Fearing that Su Chen might kill him to silence him, the soldier hurriedly added, "P-please don’t kill me. I won’t tell anyone else."

THWACK!

Su Chen knocked the man out cold and left.

About fifteen minutes later, Su Chen left White Stone City and arrived at the main road leading into the city.

In the woods.

Zuo Chong led a group of his subordinates along the road. The atmosphere was heavy, with only the dull thud of their footsteps echoing along the way.

Ever since receiving Tao Dingfang’s orders, Zuo Chong had immediately taken his men to Lianyun Stronghold. He figured that since Zhu Bao was injured, he might have fled back there.

However, by the time he reached Lianyun Stronghold, he found that it had long been burned to the ground.

With the trail completely cold, Zuo Chong and his men searched the vicinity of Lianyun Mountain for half a day to no avail, ultimately forcing them to turn back in frustration.

All along the way, he kept wondering where Zhu Bao could have run off to. Given Zhu Bao’s current injuries, his best option would be to find a place to heal first. Now that Lianyun Stronghold was destroyed, he certainly couldn’t stay there. So where would he go?

He racked his brains but couldn’t pinpoint Zhu Bao’s destination. There were simply too many possibilities; even putting himself in Zhu Bao’s shoes didn’t help him guess.

"No, that’s not right!"

Suddenly, as if struck by a realization, a flash of inspiration cut through the chaos in his mind, causing him to abruptly halt in his tracks.

"The most dangerous place is the safest place. He might still be at Lianyun Stronghold!"

This thought popped into his head and began to grow uncontrollably, instantly occupying his entire mind. His tense expression quickly relaxed as the idea took root. After muttering to himself for a moment, a smile crept onto his face, his heart growing increasingly certain of this conjecture.

"The fire at Lianyun Stronghold was set beautifully, brilliantly even! It almost fooled me. What a pity, you underestimated me in the end!"

He then waved his hand, signaling everyone to stop. As his men looked at him in confusion, Zuo Chong announced loudly, "We’ll rest here for a moment, and then you will follow me back to Lianyun Stronghold!"

Hearing this, the soldiers stared blankly for a moment. White Stone City was just up ahead. They were about to go back and get a good night’s sleep, but now he was saying they had to go to Lianyun Stronghold again?

Intimidated by Zuo Chong’s temper and authority, the men had no choice but to curse inwardly as they rested on the spot, trying to recover their energy.

After forcing himself to wait for ten minutes, Zuo Chong stood up, full of vigor. "Alright, that’s enough rest. Move out!"

He couldn’t wait to return to Lianyun Stronghold. If they rushed back now, they might just run into the self-righteous Zhu Bao and catch him completely off guard!

"Yes, sir!"

The soldiers, who hadn’t rested nearly enough, replied weakly. Zuo Chong frowned at their lack of enthusiasm and said sternly, "If we catch Zhu Bao this time, I will report it to Lord Tao and ensure you are all rewarded!"

"Thank you, sir!" The soldiers’ voices rose slightly, their previous dejection swept away.

"Good, then let’s go!"

Zuo Chong nodded in satisfaction. He turned around and was just about to leave when he suddenly saw a burly man in black walking toward them. Under the starlight, the man’s severed arm was particularly conspicuous, his empty sleeve swaying with his body’s movements.

"Halt! Who are you?"

Faintly sensing that something was wrong, Zuo Chong shouted for the man to stop. However, to his annoyance, the stranger acted as if he hadn’t heard a word, continuing to walk forward step by step.

Seeing this, the other soldiers couldn’t help but grip their weapons tightly, watching the burly man in black with vigilant expressions.

"Damn it, I’m asking you a question!"

Enraged by the man’s disregard, Zuo Chong drew the saber from his waist and pointed it at him. Yet, the man in black remained unfazed and headed straight toward them.

Zuo Chong’s face darkened like ink. He didn’t make a move, but his eyes gleamed with malice as he stared the man down.

Just as the man in black was about to brush past him, a cold glint flashed in Zuo Chong’s eyes. He abruptly raised his long saber and lunged forward, charging at the man in black.

But at that exact moment, the man in black stopped dead in his tracks and whipped around. His profoundly deep gaze landed on Zuo Chong and his men. An icy aura emanated from him, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet so drastically that everyone felt as if they had been plunged into a freezing cellar.

"Die!"

Su Chen spat out the single word. Holding nothing back, he unleashed his Sleeve Saber. The lightning-fast blade howled through the air at the critical moment.

The strike was incredibly fast. The shadow of the blade couldn’t even be seen; there was only the trembling sound tearing through the air. Before Zuo Chong could even react, his vision went black, and his movements abruptly froze.

"Lord Zuo Chong... is dead!"

Witnessing this, the soldiers behind him stood rooted to the spot, their faces filled with shock.

After killing Zuo Chong, Su Chen didn’t pause. His figure flickered like a phantom, arriving before them in the blink of an eye like the Grim Reaper.

He was impossibly fast—not just in swinging his saber, but in killing. In less than three breaths, the dozen or so subordinates Zuo Chong had brought were entirely slaughtered by Su Chen.

Two slashes per person, just to prevent them from playing dead.

As for Zuo Chong, he was outright beheaded!

Having finished off the soldiers, Su Chen crouched down and searched their bodies. However, he didn’t hold much hope, as he doubted these men would carry much silver while out on a mission.

Yet, when Su Chen finished searching everyone, a hint of astonishment appeared on his face...