Bai Zihe narrowed his eyes, the chill emanating from them making one feel as if they were in an icy land, on the verge of being swallowed.
"I was merely a traveler."
"When I came to Jiangdong Province, I had no intention of dealing with your Four Great Powers. Yet, you have provoked me again and again..."
Bai Zihe's voice turned cold, his barely concealed killing intent making Dongfang Mingyue's scalp tingle.
Beside her, Lin Tian was even worse, already trembling uncontrollably.
"And then you set your sights on me..."
Bai Zihe gazed into Dongfang Mingyue's eyes, showing no hint of pity or tenderness. He spoke coldly, "Then you are seeking your own doom!"
"Now, I give you two choices."
"First, surrender to me."
"Second, be killed on the spot!"
As these words were spoken, the suppressed killing intent erupted, causing Dongfang Mingyue and Lin Tian to simultaneously shudder.
Cold sweat dripped heavily from their foreheads.
A flicker of fear flashed in Dongfang Mingyue's eyes, but she gritted her teeth and said, "I, I... refuse!"
"You court death!"
Bai Zihe increased the pressure on his grip.
"Ugh..."
Dongfang Mingyue instantly felt the suffocation intensify, death drawing nearer!
Sensing the approach of death, Dongfang Mingyue panicked. She tried to pry Bai Zihe's hand from her throat, but it was utterly futile.
Death was closing in...
She couldn't bear it any longer. With difficulty, she said, "Mr. Bai, listen... listen to me."
Bai Zihe let out a cold snort and loosened his grip slightly.
Dongfang Mingyue, having just returned from the brink of death, her face flushed red, gasped for fresh air. It took her a long time to recover.
"Mr. Bai, I cannot make this decision..."
Dongfang Mingyue's face was etched with bitterness. "Although I am the mistress of Mingyue Tower on the surface, the one who truly controls it is someone else."
"Without my master's command, even if you kill me, I would never dare to surrender to you."
Bai Zihe let out a cold snort, released his hand, and threw Dongfang Mingyue to the ground.
Then, he turned, paused briefly, his killing intent unrestrained.
"Dongfang Mingyue, I give you one day."
"At this time tomorrow, if I do not receive the answer I desire..."
"I will come to your doorstep!"
"And then, it will not be just you who dies!"
"There will be a mountain of corpses and a river of blood!"
With that, Bai Zihe strode away.
In the private room.
Silence reigned, as if death had descended.
Even long after Bai Zihe had left, Dongfang Mingyue and Lin Tian dared not breathe heavily.
After a long while.
Dongfang Mingyue slowly regained her normal breathing, but her complexion remained extremely grim.
Lin Tian was even more pathetic.
He asked in a low voice, "Mistress, how should we respond?"
Dongfang Mingyue shot him a cold glance, her eyes filled with killing intent that made Lin Tian's heart chill.
He immediately recoiled, not daring to speak further.
Immediately after, Dongfang Mingyue quickly left the room and went to her master.
Half an hour later.
On top of a tall building in Jiangdong Province.
Dongfang Mingyue knelt motionless, filled with trepidation.
In front of her.
A graceful figure stood with her back to her, her curves so exquisite they evoked boundless imagination.
Suddenly, she turned around. Though veiled, the color in her eyes was enough to prove she was stunningly beautiful and possessed an extraordinary aura!
If Bai Zihe were present, he would surely recognize her as the young lady of the martial arts family, Long Qinglian, who had killed Jiang Biyun and Zhu Longtian that day and presented their heads to him.
She had also tested Bai Zihe's strength and extended an olive branch to him.
However, Bai Zihe had refused both.
"Master."
Dongfang Mingyue felt the atmosphere growing increasingly heavy, and she couldn't help but sweat profusely. She spoke, "That young expert not only killed people in Zuixian Tower but also went to Mingyue Tower."
"Seeing his formidable strength, I attempted to control him with aphrodisiacs and seductive arts for my own use."
"I never expected... he was too powerful and unaffected. Instead, my actions angered him, and he threatened to kill me on the spot if I didn't surrender!"
"After I mentioned your existence, he asked me to give him a reply before tomorrow evening."
"Otherwise..."
She looked up, casting a fearful glance at Long Qinglian.
"Otherwise, what?"
Long Qinglian's tone was devoid of any fluctuation.
But precisely because of this, Dongfang Mingyue felt even more terrified and uneasy.
"Otherwise, he would come to our doorstep."
"At that time... there would likely be a mountain of corpses and a river of blood..."
Having said this, Dongfang Mingyue immediately buried her head.
Long Qinglian's pupils suddenly constricted.
Young expert...
Coming to their doorstep...
After a moment of contemplation, a glint of shrewdness flashed in Long Qinglian's eyes.
She was the eldest daughter of the Long family, a renowned martial arts lineage, once enjoying boundless glory and envy.
But that was in the past.
Now, she...
Was not as glamorous as outsiders perceived.
Because a week ago, a catastrophic event had occurred within her Long family.
The Long family was originally led by Long Qinglian's father.
But a week ago, her father met with misfortune.
Logically...
Long Qinglian, as the eldest daughter with considerable strength, should have inherited the Long family in succession.
However, her cousin, Long Teng, had been prepared. He had secretly colluded with several influential figures within the family and had driven her out of the Long family!
Long Qinglian was naturally unwilling.
Unwilling to be driven out, and unwilling to see the vast Long family her father had built fall into the hands of others.
Thus, she established her own power under the banner of the Long family, leveraging her previous influence, intending to grow strong and return to the Long family.
And Mingyue Tower was one of Long Qinglian's right-hand forces.
To surrender to others...
Was absolutely impossible, equivalent to cutting off an arm.
However, if she truly provoked that young expert, it would likely cause significant damage, which Long Qinglian did not wish to see.
Therefore.
Long Qinglian conceived a bold idea.
Her cousin, Long Teng, had learned of her newly established force and had been contacting her, saying he could consider accepting her, which was essentially coveting this force.
But Long Qinglian had not responded.
Now, she saw hope.
Since this young expert possessed such immense power, she could make a great deal out of this matter.
On one hand, she would agree to her cousin's invitation. On the other hand, she would also agree to the young expert's invitation, and then let them clash.
This was, in essence, using a borrowed knife to kill!
If the young expert could kill her cousin, that would be the best outcome.
If not...
Long Qinglian herself would not suffer any loss. Instead, Long Teng would mistakenly believe she had a powerful helper, causing him to hesitate and refrain from rashly attacking her.
This was killing two birds with one stone!
With this thought, Long Qinglian's mood greatly improved.
She looked down at Dongfang Mingyue on the ground and instructed, "Go and reply to that young expert. I will personally receive him at Zuixian Tower tomorrow night."