Zu An finally snapped out of it. “What decision?”

“Help me break free of my seal. I’m the only one who can deal with Zhang Han.” There was a hint of majesty in Mi Li’s voice.

“Oh~” The truth finally hit Zu An. “So, you lured me to pluck that Evanescent Lotus in order to create a distraction with those dead spirits, which opens up the opportunity for you to make your escape?”

“Is there a problem? It’s normal to make use of all resources in one’s possession,” replied Mi Li.

“Since you’re that formidable, why don’t you break free of your own seal to deal with Zhang Han? Why must you go about it in such a roundabout manner?” Zu An shot back.

“Ignorant! This seal was constructed by Ying Zheng, using the power of his dynasty! How could it be broken that easily?”

You have successfully trolled Mi Li for 233 Rage points!

“But I don’t know whether you’re telling the truth. Furthermore, based on what I’ve heard, you’re even more terrifying than Zhang Han. In my opinion, only the most tyrannical villains need to be sealed away. If you’re actually a bad person, wouldn’t I be placing myself in greater danger by saving you?” 

Despite Zu An’s words, he had been more or less convinced by Mi Li. After all, all of the details she had provided fitted in with the history he knew.

“What about the two hundred thousand innocent Qin soldiers who were killed and sealed under the lake? Do you think that they’re tyrannical villains?”

Zu An was rendered speechless. 

“Besides, you don’t have any choice. Once Zhang Han finishes dealing with those dead spirits, there’s no doubt that the woman over there will be killed,” continued Mi Li, stubbornly pushing her point. 

Meanwhile, Chu Chuyan and Qiao Xueying were baffled to see Zu An talking to himself, only to jolt in astonishment when a mysterious feminine voice suddenly sounded in their ears.

“W-who is speaking?” Qiao Xueying scanned her surroundings warily.

Chu Chuyan was alarmed as well, but the voice seemed familiar to her. She had a vague impression that she had heard it in her semi-conscious state earlier on.

“Stop looking around. You won’t be able to find her. You can think of her as the owner of this ancient mausoleum,” explained Zu An.

“The owner of this mausoleum…” Qiao Xueying’s face paled. If this general was strong enough to plunge them into despair, she couldn’t fathom just how powerful the owner would be.

“Ah Zu, don’t agree to her request for my sake. In my current state, there’s no point in continuing to live. Quickly, take Snow and escape.” The sharp-witted Chu Chuyan figured out right away that the feminine voice was trying to spur Zu An into doing something for her, using her own plight as a bargaining chip.

At the same time, she also realized that trying to persuade Zu An was futile. She had said as much along the way innumerable times, to no avail. So, she quickly turned to Qiao Xueying and said, “Snow, for the sake of how well I’ve treated you over the years, hurry up and take Ah Zu away! It’ll be too late once the black-armored general returns!”

Qiao Xueying was hesitant. She couldn’t bring herself to abandon Chu Chuyan, but her logical mind was telling her that there was nothing she could do here. After all, they couldn’t even cut the rope tying Chu Chuyan down.

“Hurry up and leave!” shouted Chu Chuyan anxiously.

Qiao Xueying bit her lip. She decided to abide by the young miss’ wishes and flee with Zu An. However, at that very moment, the feminine voice sounded once more, “You believe that it’s meaningless for you to live on because you used a forbidden art and ended up devastating your ki meridians, crippling you. I have a means to help you recover, and even rise to a higher level.”

Chu Chuyan was stunned. She had always been a figure of high standing in Brightmoon City, and losing her cultivation was a huge blow to her. Mi Li’s offer was extremely tempting to her, but she eventually chose to turn it down. “There’s no need for that. Snow, hurry up and take Ah Zu away!”

However, Zu An sighed deeply. “Do you really have a way to make her recover?” he asked.

“Of course!” replied Mi Li proudly.

“What is it?” 

“Do you take me for a fool? How could I possibly tell it to you right now?” Mi Li snapped impatiently.

“Very well, I’ll agree to your request. I’ll unseal you, but in return, you have to save her.”

With the situation the way it was, he decided to gamble once more.

Chu Chuyan was horrified by his statement. “Ah Zu, calm down! Don’t listen to her trickery. Snow, what are you doing? Why aren’t you taking him away?!”

Qiao Xueying shook her head and said, “Young miss, even though I’m not fond of Zu An, I have to admit that I’m impressed by his bravery. This is a rare chance for your recovery; it’s worth taking the risk. At worst, we’ll all die together.” 

I don’t really want to live anymore anyway… And as for Zu An, his very existence is a plague on the world. His death would be a blessing to all living beings! Hmph!

Seeing that the two of them had made up their minds, Chu Chuyan knew that she had no chance of talking them out of it. She was moved by their gesture, but she wasn’t the sort to say sentimental words.

“What does it take to remove your seal? Do I just have to pluck out a talisman or something?” asked Zu An.

“How could it be that easy?” replied Mi Li. “In order to seal me away, Ying Zheng set up this Soul Suppression Seal in order to ensure that I would never be able to reincarnate. Zhang Han was the supervisor of this mausoleum, so he knows how powerful the formation is. He, together with Xiang Yu, made use of the power of this formation and the Evanescent Lotus to construct a pseudo Soul Suppression Seal to contain the two hundred thousand dead spirits.

“The pseudo Soul Suppression Seal is a fake, after all, so you were able to release it easily just by plucking out the Evanescent Lotus. However, the one that has sealed me off is different. If you wish to remove the seal, you’ll have to destroy the three parts of the seal: the Human Seal, the Earth Seal, and the Heaven Seal.”

Zu An was amazed. “Wow, your life sure was tragic. Aren’t the two of you a couple? It seems like he really hated you a lot.”

“Shut your mouth!” Mi Li’s tone was rather sharp. Zu An’s words had dredged up some of the terrible memories in her mind.

You have successfully trolled Mi Li for 250 Rage points!

“How am I going to help you without speaking?” Zu An said with an angry huff. Is this the attitude someone asking for a favor should have? “What are these seals you speak of, and how can they be released?”

Mi Li was silent for a long while. “I… don’t know,” she admitted awkwardly.

What the hell?

“Big sis, you don’t even know what the seals are, or how they can be broken? Are you toying with me?” Zu An couldn’t hide his frustration.

Mi Li was equally frustrated. “Are you brainless? Who in the world would let the person they are sealing away know the way to overcome the seal?”

You have successfully trolled Mi Li for 66 Rage points!

Zu An was amused by the miserable amount of Rage points he had just received. It seems she’s a little embarrassed about this as well.

“If I really wanted to deal with an enemy, I wouldn’t go through all this trouble just to seal him away; I’d have just killed him outright. Speaking of which, isn’t it weird that he went through so much trouble just to keep you down here? Isn’t it much easier to just kill you and be done with it?” asked Zu An.

“Who said he didn’t kill me?” replied Mi Li.

Zu An felt a chill run down his spine. A sudden realization struck him, causing his tone to become much more courteous than before. “That means that you’re currently…”