Chapter 11655 — Which One It Actually Was
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
At some point, a long sword had appeared in Qi Zhuiyun's hand, stabbing straight for Li Hongshou's throat.
Li Hongshou was not merely still lost in her frenzy—even at her most lucid and at the peak of her powers, she could never have withstood this desperate surprise attack from Qi Zhuiyun on her own.
At the final moment, Li Hongshou finally snapped awake, a flicker of astonishment flashing through her eyes.
Instinctively, she looked in Zhang Tailing's direction.
"Master..."
Having come this far, she had long since resigned herself to death, but that did not mean she was incapable of terror, incapable of fear.
However formidable a master might be, when they truly reached death's threshold, they would still be afraid.
The fear of death and of the unknown was the most primal of biological instincts.
Yet more shocking to Li Hongshou than the fear of death was her master Zhang Tailing's attitude.
Even an outsider like Wei Zhao could see it—how could she, the person most familiar with Zhang Tailing, fail to sense his wavering at this moment?
Li Hongshou had imagined every possible scenario, but never once had she imagined that she would be abandoned by Zhang Tailing.
Clang!
A sharp ring stopped Qi Zhuiyun's blade at the last possible instant.
In the end, Zhang Tailing had still made his move.
Looking at her master standing before her, Li Hongshou broke into a gratified smile.
From childhood to adulthood, her master had never refused a single request of hers; no matter how willful she was, he would always indulge her to the end.
Her master was still her master—he had not changed.
Qi Zhuiyun was naturally no match for Zhang Tailing; in a single exchange, he was blasted away once more.
And that was the result of Zhang Tailing holding back again and again.
Had he truly struck with full force, given the gulf in their strength, Qi Zhuiyun would have been killed in a single blow as surely as could be.
The worth of a peak early-stage Venerable of the Heaven Rank was not something just anyone could casually lay claim to.
Twice now he had merely been blasted back, suffering no serious injury beyond some indignity—Zhang Tailing had clearly gone easy on him.
Seeing this, the Third Ancestor of the Prince of Qi's Estate was filled with disappointment.
Qi Zhuiyun's surprise attack had failed this time, and with the other side now on guard, there would be no further opportunities to come.
If things continued to develop along this path, it was hard to say what the Inner Royal Court would become, but at the very least their Prince of Qi's Estate was now thoroughly caught in a dead end, with not the slightest chance of turning things around.
But at that moment, Li Hongshou's expression changed abruptly, and she looked at her own abdomen in disbelief.
At some unknown point, a short blade had been buried there.
"Master, you..."
Li Hongshou turned to Zhang Tailing, shocked beyond words.
Of everyone present, she was without question the weakest in strength, yet given her identity and background, she was not someone who could simply be killed at will.
She had any number of life-preserving trump cards.
Even without Zhang Tailing stepping in just now, she might not have died for certain; in the end it would have come down to whether Qi Zhuiyun could break through her life-preserving trump cards.
But this one blade had pierced straight through the vital point of her fate palace, ignoring every life-preserving trump card she had. It was a killing strike beyond all recovery.
Even in death Li Hongshou could not believe that the one who had finally turned on her was her own master.
Zhang Tailing did not turn his head. He sighed and said, "Foolish child, you went too far. Do not blame your master."
The breath around Li Hongshou dispersed swiftly, and in the blink of an eye she had become a lifeless corpse.
Everyone present was stunned into silence.