From a distance, everyone watched the scene unfold, with Bai Zhier reacting most violently of all. Mo Fei did not dare to disobey and stood aside. Chu Ruo watched helplessly as her clothes were torn open bit by bit. Suddenly, she looked behind Nan Menghua and cried out, "Xue’er!"
Nan Menghua was in the throes of triumph. "Using such a trick... do you think I would believe—"
Before she could finish, a wave of frigid ice energy swept toward her. Nan Menghua flinched and dodged instantly. In that heartbeat, Nan Muxue reached Chu Ruo’s side, striking her pressure points a few times to release the seal and pulling her into a protective embrace. "Are you hurt?"
"If you had come a step later, I might not have been so lucky," Chu Ruo replied.
Seeing Chu Ruo’s calm and unruffled demeanor, Nan Menghua realized the truth immediately. "You dared to notify this wench!"
"Oh, let me think... why would I be so foolish as to do exactly what you said?" Chu Ruo smirked. "You told me not to tell anyone, so I made sure to tell everyone—especially Xue’er. I promised her I wouldn’t keep anything from her. Besides, you aren't exactly the type to keep your word. Why should I bother with martial honor when dealing with you? As it turns out, I was right; you never intended to let Zhier and the others go. But you don't need to worry about 'letting' them go. Look."
Nan Menghua looked over. In the distance, Duan Ning and several disciples had already rescued Bai Zhier and the rest. She flew into a rage. "Fine! Good! Today, none of you shall leave this place alive!"
"In your dreams!" Chu Ruo gripped Nan Muxue’s hand. "It’s just as we suspected. She’s injured, which is why she’s been acting so stealthily."
Nan Muxue held Bingpo in her hand, its blade gleaming with cold light. "Be careful. Even if her vitality is damaged, we cannot be careless. As long as her vital gate remains unbroken, we cannot harm her."
Nan Menghua had no patience left and lunged forward. For the moment, only Nan Muxue and Chu Ruo could stand against her.
Over by the trees, Bai Zhier had just been freed from her ropes and tried to rush forward. "Ruo’er!"
"Sister!" Bai Shan grabbed her. "Don't go!"
"Let go! Ruo’er came here to save us—to save me!"
"She owes you that! How many times have you saved her? If it weren't for her, would we even have been captured?"
"Nan Menghua is our enemy. Without Ruo’er, she still would have come for us. Didn't you hear her? She’s been sending assassins after me this whole time!"
Bai Shan continued to hold her back. "Oh, sister, if we go up there, we’re just seeking death! We’re no match for Nan Menghua. It’s better to watch them fight and wait for the right moment..."
Duan Ning snorted with disdain. "My, what a loud abacus you're playing. My Baihua Palace people are still here, and yet you act like this? Truly, a dog that falls into a latrine isn't worth saving; once pulled out, it’ll only bite the hand that helped!"
"What did you say?!"
"Stop arguing," Fenghuang interrupted. "Instead of fighting here, you should go help them. None of us can take Nan Menghua alone, but if we go together, there’s a glimmer of hope. Besides, Chu Ruo did this for us. I’m going to help. The rest of you can do as you please." With that, she joined the fray. Seeing this, Lin Jianghong and Shen Ruoxuan followed suit.
Yin Luli pulled back the fuming Duan Ning. "Right now, the priority is helping Xue’er." she glanced at the Bai sisters. "Whether you help or not is up to you, but at the very least, don't stab them in the back. The Saintess told Ning’er and me to save you—especially you. She gave strict instructions to ensure your safety." In truth, the instructions weren't quite so specific, but Yin Luli knew how much Chu Ruo cared for Bai Zhier. By saying this, she ensured Bai Zhier would help, or at the very least, prevent Bai Shan from causing trouble.
"Ruo’er..." Sure enough, Bai Zhier looked on anxiously and joined the battle. Bai Shan stomped her foot in frustration but had no choice but to follow.
"Luli, where is Yan’er?"
Yin Luli replied while parrying an attack, "Xue’er didn't want her to know, fearing Yunshuang might find out. You know Yunshuang’s temperament. To avoid unnecessary complications, we’re keeping her in the dark for now."
"True. If she came, she’d probably just think of some rotten scheme to pit against Xue’er."
The group fought with all their might, yet they hadn't expected Nan Menghua’s strength to be so formidable. Even knowing she was injured, they couldn't land a single blow. Instead, they were being pushed back step by step.
"We can't keep fighting like this," Shen Ruoxuan gasped after taking a palm strike. One by one, others were being hit. "We can't win this way."
Lin Jianghong wiped blood from the corner of her mouth. "We have the numbers. We’ll wear her down! I don't believe we can't outlast her!"
Shen Ruoxuan shook her head. "As we wear her down, we’re exhausting ourselves too. Her cultivation is far deeper than ours. It’s better if we pool all our strength into one person for a single, decisive strike. That might be our only chance."
The others heard this. Just then, Nan Menghua’s internal energy swept out, forcing them all back. They shared a look of silent understanding and stood together, pouring all their collective power into Nan Muxue.
Seeing this, Nan Menghua did not dare to be careless. She cautiously gathered her energy to meet the blow.
However, no one noticed that one person was not in the lineup. Bai Zhier sighed, "If only my adoptive father were here instead of searching for Brother Jie. With his strength added to ours, I don't believe we couldn't defeat her."
"Not necessarily," Nan Muxue said, focusing her energy. "If we can't find her vital gate, no amount of power will be enough."
Both sides gathered their total strength. Nan Menghua glared viciously at her daughter. *Boom!*
Palm met palm. It was now a pure contest of internal energy. Neither side dared to pull back, for the resulting backlash would be catastrophic.
Soon, the strain showed on their faces; the group was slightly outmatched. A smile began to spread across Nan Menghua’s face. "So much internal energy... though it’s not quite strong enough, the more the merrier."
She began to drain their energy, intending to suck them dry as she had done to others before. But she overlooked one person. This person had been holding her breath and focusing her mind, and now, she appeared behind Nan Menghua!
A palm struck down, but Nan Menghua managed to free one hand to intercept it. Seeing it was Chu Ruo, she laughed even more triumphantly. "And here you call me despicable? Such behavior is utterly shameless."
Chu Ruo tried to pull her palm away, only to find it firmly stuck by the suction! Dammit, her internal energy was being drained too. She spat on the ground. "For someone like you, any tactic goes. A despicable person like you doesn't deserve a fair fight."
"You seek death!"
Chu Ruo focused her spirit and shouted two words: "Shanzhong!"
Everyone was caught off guard. Even knowing the vital gate was the Shanzhong point was useless now; no one could let go without risking death. Just as they were panicking, another figure lunged toward the Shanzhong point.
It was Mo Fei, who had been standing to the side.
Mo Fei struck, but Nan Menghua leaned her upper body back and delivered a kick that sent Mo Fei flying. Having lost the element of surprise, Nan Menghua likely shifted her vital gate again.
However, that sudden movement clearly took a toll on her body. She was forced to release her hold. Because of this, the group escaped death, though they were all sent flying back several yards, most of them coughing up blood. Nan Menghua glared deathly at Mo Fei. "Everyone... everyone betrays me!"
"Because you have no heart," Chu Ruo said, enduring her pain to provoke her further. "Mo Fei has been our person from the start. You said she was smart, didn't you? She’s smart because she knows which side to stand on. You’re the only fool here!"
"I'll kill you!" Nan Menghua marched toward her. Nan Muxue, unable to fully recover her breath, swung Bingpo to intercept.
"Xue’er!"
Duan Ning and a few others with lighter injuries rushed forward, and the chaotic battle resumed. Bai Zhier hurried to Chu Ruo’s side to check her injuries. "Ruo’er, how are you?"
"Dammit," Chu Ruo cursed, slapping the fallen leaves on the ground. "I can't sense her vital gate anymore. Why? I could do it before!"
"Don't panic. You've lost your composure. Before, when you couldn't see, you were naturally more focused in the darkness."
Darkness. Yes, darkness. Chu Ruo tore a strip of cloth from her sleeve and began to blindfold herself. Bai Zhier was confused. "Ruo’er, what are you doing?"
"Using my heart. Only by using my heart can I defeat her!"
Bai Zhier understood instantly. All she could do now was fight alongside the others to buy time, allowing Chu Ruo to sense Nan Menghua’s shifting vital gate. She immediately dove back into the fight.
*Thud!*
Someone was knocked back to Chu Ruo’s side. She was about to pull off the blindfold. "Who is it?"
"Ruo’er..."
"Xue’er!" She reached out frantically. "Xue’er, Xue’er!"
Nan Muxue touched her face. "I’m fine. Don't be nervous."
"I..."
Nan Muxue stopped her hand from pulling the blindfold. "Don't rush. Use what I taught you. Hold your breath and feel her movements, her form, and her spirit. I will be fine. The others are reaching their limit. You know why I chose you—there is only one chance. Think of me, and you will succeed."
"I can't, I..." Nan Muxue was the strongest among them; she was the best suited to lead the delay. Furthermore, her "little scorpion" had said that identifying a vital gate in such a short time required immense talent. Was she truly that person?
The next second, Chu Ruo felt a brief warmth, accompanied by the metallic tang of blood. It was Nan Muxue’s lips. Then came the woman’s voice: "I believe in my Ruo’er."
Those words and that kiss gave her a surge of courage. Chu Ruo stood up, remained still for a moment, and then lunged at Nan Menghua. Nan Menghua had just repelled the others and was laughing arrogantly. "None of you can defeat me!"
She thought Chu Ruo was already no match for her, and blindfolded, she would be even less of a threat. To her shock, Chu Ruo neutralized her next few palm strikes perfectly. It was as if she had opened a "heart’s eye," predicting every move and even landing hits of her own. Nan Menghua tried to distract her. "So what if you hit me? You can't find my vital gate!"
"Left shoulder!"
Chu Ruo struck at the left shoulder. As expected, the vital gate shifted. "Let’s see if you can guess faster than I can change it!"
"Right abdomen!"
Chu Ruo guessed correctly every time, but Nan Menghua always managed to shift the gate just before the blow landed. Finally, Nan Menghua saw an opening and brought a palm down toward Chu Ruo’s head. Chu Ruo stood motionless, as if her pressure points had been struck. Bai Zhier and Nan Muxue screamed, "Ruo’er!"
Just as the palm was about to land, Chu Ruo shifted her feet slightly, leaning her body to the right to dodge perfectly. She whispered, "Fengfu."
A smile touched Nan Menghua’s lips as she struck again. "Pity, you guessed wrong this time—"
Unexpectedly, Chu Ruo easily caught and pinned her hands. Nan Menghua was stunned, but in the next second, Chu Ruo said something even more shocking: "I know where Bai Xue is."
Nan Menghua’s pupils shrank. she froze for a single second. In that heartbeat, Chu Ruo seized the opportunity and slammed a palm into the Shanzhong point. "It was still Shanzhong!"
*Pfft!*
A massive spray of blood erupted from Nan Menghua’s mouth as she collapsed to her knees. Clearly, Chu Ruo had guessed right.
Chu Ruo removed her blindfold and looked at her. Bai Zhier and Nan Muxue were at her side instantly. "Ruo’er!"
"I’m fine, I’m fine." Chu Ruo looked at the heavily injured Nan Menghua. "I knew your vital gate was at the Shanzhong point the last time. I said 'Fengfu' on purpose to make you lower your guard. Then I mentioned Bai Xue to make you dazed so you wouldn't have time to change it. Xue’er told me that the most powerful thing isn't a defeat, but the backlash. Bai Xue is your inner demon. Do you yield?"
Nan Menghua raised a hand to point at her in hatred, but her injuries were too severe. As soon as she opened her mouth, more blood gushed out, and she could no longer speak a word.
Lin Jianghong dragged her injured body over and patted Chu Ruo. "Hey, you did good this time. I’ll consider challenging you to a duel next time."
"That’s really not necessary!"
Chu Ruo then looked at Bai Zhier. "Are you... are you okay?"
Bai Zhier only looked at Chu Ruo. "Ruo’er..."
In the heat of the moment, Nan Muxue hadn't reacted, but now she pulled Chu Ruo into her arms. "Whether Ruo’er is fine is for me to worry about."
"How funny. Is Ruo’er yours alone?"
"You should go look after your sister. If you try any more little tricks..."
Bai Zhier bit back. "What, you think you're a good person? Don't think that just because you're with Ruo’er and saved a few people that you're a saint. All those filthy deeds you did in the past..."
They were arguing again. Chu Ruo was about to speak when—*Rumble!*
A massive cloud of smoke suddenly filled the area. By the time the smoke cleared, as expected, Nan Menghua had been taken.
"At a time like this, who would save her? I’ve never heard of her having allies." Chu Ruo was annoyed; she shouldn't have been so careless. "Xue’er, do you think it was one of the assassins she trained?"
Nan Muxue shook her head. "Her confidants and assassins have mostly been wiped out by us. To save her with smoke... it seems it was someone we know."
"Tu Aozhi?"
"No. He went to find Tu Jie. If it were him, he would have shown himself directly rather than hiding."
"How hateful. She got away again."
"Forget it," Nan Muxue comforted her lover. "You broke her vital gate. She can no longer pose a threat. Even if she doesn't die, she is severely injured, and her martial arts will never be what they were. She is no longer a concern. Let’s go."
***
"To think you didn't die."
Nan Menghua looked at the person before her. Despite her heavy injuries, she managed a laugh. "If I died, how could you and your son ever hope to get revenge?"
"Where is the Moro manual?"
"Still with Chu Ruo."
The man grabbed her throat. "You are little more than a cripple now."
"Is that so? But only this 'cripple' can help you kill those wenches. Only I can enter Baihua Palace. Liu Songhe, since you saved me, you shouldn't be so stupid."
The man before her was indeed Liu Songhe, accompanied by his son. He released his grip. "I have always seen you as an ally. It was your precious daughter who wanted to destroy my son, Peng’er, and the Liu family. This debt... we will have our revenge!"
***
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Master, Spare My Life: A Disciple's Sweet Rebellion | Chapter 207 | The Demoness Defeated | Novela.app | Novela.app
