Chapter 3920 — Let Her Go!

The situation reversed in an instant. The shadow of death that had loomed over Shangguan Lan'er quietly shifted and settled over her own head.

Cold sweat dripped bit by bit from Murong Zhen's forehead. Time in that moment seemed to congeal, dragging on with an agonizing slowness that frayed the nerves and bred dread.

At last, while Murong Zhen was still shaken to the core, Wei Zhao spoke again, slowly: "If you have no last words, I'll send you on your way now."

There was no deep enmity between him and Murong Zhen, which was why even in the final round of the newcomers' challenge tournament he had never meant to kill her. But today, having seen what she had done to Shangguan Lan'er, a hidden murderous intent had been stirred in him.

What grudge existed between Murong Zhen and Shangguan Lan'er, Shangguan Lan'er herself could not recall, and naturally Wei Zhao did not know either. But for the venomous act of repaying kindness with malice he had just witnessed, the woman already deserved death.

Scum like that had no right to live in this world.

"Wait—wait!" Seeing that Wei Zhao was about to strike, Murong Zhen cried out in frantic alarm.

She had already been no match for Wei Zhao at the final round of the challenge tournament, and now he seemed to have advanced even further. What was more, she was caught in his grip. If he truly struck, she would lose without question.

In her terror, Murong Zhen's gaze darted back and forth between Wei Zhao and Shangguan Lan'er. Before he could act, she asked, "You—what is your relationship with her?"

That Miss Shangguan detested Wei Zhao was common knowledge throughout the Welcome Pavilion, and Murong Zhen had naturally found it easy to learn. She had therefore assumed Wei Zhao would be her natural ally, and had gone to such lengths to try to win him over.

Never had she imagined that now, for the sake of that cheap woman Shangguan Lan'er, Wei Zhao would actually want to kill her!

"Those are your last words? My apologies—I'm under no obligation to answer. So let's end it here." With that, an incomparably vast and surging true qi abruptly gathered in Wei Zhao's right palm. Murong Zhen's arm was already seized in his left hand; even if she used a technique like the Phantom Finger now, she could not escape the palm strike to come.

Looking at Wei Zhao, his killing intent sharp and close enough to touch, Murong Zhen could sense openings all over his body—yet instinct told her that if she truly mistook them for openings and struck rashly, she would be the one to die in the end.

What to do? What to do? At this rate I really will die!

Watching helplessly as the killing intent radiating from Wei Zhao grew fiercer by the moment, Murong Zhen was sweating profusely with anxiety. For all her cunning and treachery, when it truly came to a moment like this, her mind went blank as a sheet.

They were too close. Even if she severed her own arm now, abandoning the right arm Wei Zhao held, she could not dodge the palm strike that followed—death was still certain.

With no way out and nothing to do but wait for death, facing the merciless palm strike Wei Zhao delivered, Murong Zhen's heart sank into ashen despair. Her prime of life had come to an end so abruptly—unwilling, a thousand times unwilling!

Yet the palm strike halted midway—not because Wei Zhao had softened, but because Shangguan Lan'er had spoken.

"Little Junior Brother, let her go after all." One hand pressed to the wound on her shoulder, the other soothing the little curly-furred bear that Murong Zhen's palm strike had left dazed, Shangguan Lan'er gasped through the pain.

At that single sentence, both Wei Zhao and Murong Zhen were startled, and both stood somewhat stupefied.

"She was dead set on killing you just now—don't tell me you think she was joking?" Wei Zhao said with a frown.

At any time, mercy toward an enemy is cruelty toward oneself; examples of bitter lessons bought by a moment's softness are beyond counting, wherever one goes.

However much of a young miss Shangguan Lan'er might be, however little experience she had of the jianghu, Wei Zhao did not believe she could be ignorant of so simple and basic a truth—and even if she were, her grandfather Shangguan Tianxia would surely have made certain she knew it.

"I know. If Little Junior Brother hadn't come back in time, I'd already be dead," Shangguan Lan'er said with a solemn nod.

"Then you still want to spare her? If you don't kill her this time, next time she'll still find a chance to kill you." Wei Zhao rolled his eyes, speechless.

Human hearts are treacherous. Even if she were let off this once, a venomous woman like Murong Zhen would only grow worse. To imagine she would turn over a new leaf from now on could only mean this little senior sister of his was truly too naive.

Unexpectedly, Shangguan Lan'er persisted: "I know. But I still don't want her to die because of me. So, Little Junior Brother, let me be willful just this once—please spare her this time."

Hearing these words, not only Wei Zhao but even Murong Zhen herself could scarcely believe her ears.

In her understanding of the world, such a thing was laughably, childishly incomprehensible. Had it not been for the position she was in at that moment, she would long since have mocked it aloud.

Judging by the earnest expression on Shangguan Lan'er's face, it was not that she failed to understand the dangers of the jianghu—it was that even so, she wished to go on doing this naive, ridiculous thing, even at the cost of bearing the enormous risk of future retaliation.

If this was naivety, then this sheltered young miss Shangguan Lan'er seemed to have resolved to go on being naive.

Wei Zhao looked deeply at Shangguan Lan'er and let Murong Zhen wait in agonized suspense for a long while before he finally said, "Since she is your enemy, as long as you have that resolve, her life and death are yours to decide."

"Mm, mm. Thank you, Little Junior Brother." Shangguan Lan'er nodded emphatically.

"Fine." Wei Zhao raised no further objection and nodded earnestly.

Murong Zhen was overjoyed. To escape death this time was something she would not have dared even dream of. She had thought that even if this young miss Shangguan Lan'er was naive and childish, she herself might not get away—because that creature Wei Zhao would certainly not let her off easily.

What she had not expected was that Wei Zhao, that creature, would play the fool along with her and actually agree.

Murong Zhen sneered inwardly. This pair of shameless lovebirds really were naive and childish to the extreme. This humiliation today would be repaid a thousandfold, ten thousandfold in days to come—and just before you die, I'll let you fully taste what the dangers of the jianghu truly mean!

Yet just as Murong Zhen was gloating in secret, Wei Zhao released the right arm he had been holding—and in the same instant, his figure flickered, and he struck her on the back with one palm!

Pfft! Murong Zhen was blasted straight back more than a dozen zhang, spewing a great mouthful of blood. She turned, fixing a look of venomous hatred on Wei Zhao, her face hideous as she cried in unwilling fury, "Wh—why?" R1152