Fellow Daoist! That scoundrel has written a new book again.

Chapter 268 Shen Xun

Zhu Wuyao walked out of the Seeking Dao Hall, pondering the words of Sect Leader Fang: "Perhaps we brushed past each other."

Of all the recent events, the one most noteworthy is A-Meng.

However, Zhu Wuyao was certain that A Meng was not related to the prophecy of Sect Leader Fang, so they could only continue to push the line forward.

Before she entered Lake Fitow.

But before that, Zhu Wuyao had been to far too many places and experienced far too many things.

As she was deep in thought, suddenly, someone stopped not far in front of her.

Zhu Wuyao looked up and saw a cultivator who looked somewhat familiar, but whom she did not recognize.

She nodded slightly.

I wanted to slip past by sideways.

The young, unfamiliar cultivator took the initiative to speak:

"Sister Zhu, you've changed your sword?"

The bladeless sword couldn't be carried around, but carrying a kitchen knife all day would be a bit unrefined. Therefore, Zhu Wuyao casually picked a sword from Qi Jianxian.

It's just for show.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Wuyao looked up and finally recognized who it was.

With clear eyes and a tall, upright posture, this was a child taught by Senior Brother Shen, yet he also possessed a touch of the sharpness and fierceness unique to youth—

It was Shen Xun.

That glance they exchanged seemed like a collision of cause and effect.

The dust that had been temporarily suppressed by the horses' hooves seemed to have been raised again after many years.

He is now in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, just one step away from matching Zhu Wuyao's cultivation level. His aura is steady, his cultivation is solid, and he seems to have a lot of confidence, probably due to many fortuitous encounters.

It might be a bit prickly.

When the monks who passed by saw him, they all nodded with smiles, some with encouragement and others with a hint of reverence.

The most influential figures of this generation.

I just returned to Zhaixing Tower, and although there are many rumors about Shen Xun, I haven't had a chance to hear them yet.

However, this did not prevent Zhu Wuyao from judging from the past attitudes of other cultivators that Shen Xun had been doing quite well during the years she was away.

She looked Shen Xun up and down.

I instinctively assessed the strength of both sides and didn't know whether they would be difficult to kill.

The moment the thought popped into Zhu Wuyao's head, he immediately felt guilty, thinking that Ye Xiaozhou must have corrupted him.

That being said, Zhu Wuyao still couldn't help but begin to plan—

Xu San'er can help gather information and find out what kind of cultivation technique this kid is practicing and what kind of connections he has.

You can also go to Huayingting to buy a few more doses of deadly poison; that should be effective.

Shen Anzhi will probably get involved, so maybe we can ask Senior Sister Gu for help in keeping things in check. It would be best if Ye Xiaozhou were there.

You can also go to Song Kezi and praise Shen Xun's rapid progress, saying he deserves to be called the pride of the Star-Picking Tower...

It wasn't until the moment she met Shen Xun's gaze that Zhu Wuyao finally understood the feeling Ye Xiaozhou had instilled in her a sense of threat, the feeling of sharpening her knife every night, and the increasingly strange look in her eyes.

Thanks to Ye Xiaozhou, who had a premonition that she would betray her, she still did not make the first move.

It is indeed a very difficult thing to watch a dagger approach without eliminating the risk beforehand.

"Ah."

I wish to remain silent without being invited.

She once had the chance to kill Shen Xun before he grew up.

But at that time, apart from the thought that "Shen Xun might pose a threat to me in the future," Zhu Wuyao could not find any other reason to take action.

Including now.

She was being chased and the old beggar was caught in the crossfire and died. She couldn't just kill the old beggar's grandson because she felt threatened.

What kind of logic is that?

Therefore, Shen Xun has no choice but to make the first move. If he tries to kill me, I will naturally have to retaliate.

Zhu Wuyao was really hoping that Shen Xun would make some moves, such as trying to kill her.

As long as he dares to make a move—

Even inside the Star-Picking Tower, Zhu Wuyao had to try and see if he could eliminate this potential threat.

Zhu Wuyao feels like she has a disease, a kind of paranoia.

She paused for a moment, then continued walking forward.

"Wishing you well, Sister Zhu."

Zhu Wuyao suddenly raised her right arm to block Shen Xun's outstretched hand that tried to grab her. Her spiritual power silently struck the hand, passing through the fallen leaf pattern on her right arm and carrying a murderous aura.

Shen Xun remained calm, as if he had expected this.

He could have taken the opportunity to deflect the force, but instead of dodging or avoiding it, he used the Yin-Yang Tiger-Elephant Technique to clash head-on with it.

"It's been a long time, how about we catch up on how you've been these past few years?"

Zhu Wuyao felt the force that was resisting him, and immediately changed his fist into a palm, unleashing spiritual power from his palm without any mercy.

She was barely maintaining a semblance of peace, which was not what she wanted.

You can only be a thief for a thousand days, but you can't guard against a thief for a thousand days.

As long as the facade of peace remains intact, Zhu Wuyao must remain vigilant in the Star-Picking Tower, constantly on guard against Shen Xun's potential attack.

As expected, the power of that palm strike was blocked.

Zhu Wuyao slightly curled the corners of his lips, and said meaningfully:

"To contend with others for fate, to fight against Heaven for fate, what good or bad is there in the path of divination?"

Shen Xun saw the phantom of the bladeless sword he had seen before, and said in a low voice:

"Sister Zhu, if a sword is truly drawn in front of the Seeking the Dao Hall, the situation will be quite different."

"Why has it come to this between us?"

The sword's shadow dissipated, and Zhu Wuyao pressed down on Shen Xun's wrist with his arm. Before the next attack could strike, he smiled and said:

"I don't believe it, and you won't believe it either."

Ultimately, it's nothing more than a crisis of trust.

Zhu Wuyao did not believe that Shen Xun could live peacefully with her.

Shen Xun also didn't believe that Zhu Wuyao would get along with him peacefully.

Even if Shen Xun promised to wipe the slate clean of past grievances, even if Zhu Wuyao said not to escalate the conflict to a life-or-death struggle, even if I didn't intend to kill and could restrain the urge to retaliate—

But they couldn't believe that the other party could also refrain from attacking them.

To prevent any potential threat from the other party, one must be constantly vigilant and find opportunities to eliminate the threat.

To guard against potential threats, they first erected sharp spikes.

But in the eyes of the other side, this is a signal to start a war.

Is it fair to entrust your life to the self-control of another person?

What a joke.

Even if the previous grudges no longer exist, the two of them cultivate the same technique and even share the same destiny. This is a structural contradiction. If you have it, I don't have it. There is absolutely no room for reconciliation.

"cough……"

A third person appeared and coughed.

Zhu Wuyao and Shen Xun separated immediately after their initial encounter, as if the conflict had never occurred, each standing on opposite sides with their arms crossed.

The visitor was none other than Shen Anzhi.

He walked forward somewhat slowly, looked left and right, and finally said:

"The exchange of cultivation techniques shows that both of you are very ambitious. This is a good thing."

"How about coming to my place for a cup of tea?"

Two voices rang out simultaneously—

"it is good."

"Don't go."

Hearing Zhu Wuyao's firm refusal, Shen Xun walked to Shen Anzhi's side, looked at her, and said with a hint of hurt:

"Sister Zhu, I really didn't mean to go against you."

"I also cultivate the art of seeing the heavens, so how could I not understand all the twists and turns of the past? I have long since let go of what happened back then."