Framing Him, Mantis Stalks Cicada

Su Hao hesitated for a moment before calmly opening the door.

In the center of the courtyard, Liu Mei was dressed in a white, chest-high ruqun. Her face was cool and serene, appearing even more perfect and ethereal under the moonlight.

A pink butterfly fluttered around her.

"Senior Disciple Sister Liu."

Su Hao blinked in surprise. She's dressed so conservatively today?

"It's so late, Senior Disciple Sister. Is there something you need?"

Su Hao stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

"One of my junior disciples died on Heavenly Medicine Mountain."

Liu Mei glanced at Su Hao.

Qi Refining Level 3? She's definitely not the killer.

But after not seeing him for over ten days, this kid seems to have become even more handsome.

"What?!" Su Hao exclaimed. "How did that junior disciple die? You... you don't suspect me, do you? I've been cultivating these past few days and haven't even stepped out of my courtyard. Master is about to come out of seclusion soon, and he might test me."

"Hmph, what's the rush! Junior Disciple Sister Zhou was at Qi Refining Level 5. How could you possibly have that ability?

Besides, she was killed through Essence Absorption, her Yin energy drained."

Liu Mei's eyes glinted with killing intent.

The sisters of Joy Peak were always united, and she had a deep friendship with Zhou Cui Feng.

"Alas, Senior Disciple Sister Liu, is there anything you need me to do? I will do my utmost to accomplish it for you," Su Hao sighed, feigning sorrow for the passing of a beautiful woman.

"Are you sure your Master hasn't come out of seclusion yet?" Liu Mei narrowed her eyes slightly.

Heavenly Medicine Mountain doesn't have many cultivators. Lin Zhi Shan is considered somewhat talented.

But he's selfish and petty, unwilling to spend resources to cultivate or recruit cultivators.

"You suspect my Master?" Su Hao asked, clearly angered. "My Master is an Alchemist Grandmaster. He has spirit stones and pills aplenty. Why would he harm someone from your Joy Peak?"

Before he could finish speaking.

A sleeve dart shot out from Liu Mei's sleeve, hitting Su Hao heavily in the chest.

Su Hao flew back seven or eight meters, crashing into a pillar.

"Su Hao, I show you respect by calling you junior disciple. Without it, you are nothing and not qualified to yell at me!"

Liu Mei's pretty face turned cold.

"So... so what? I won't allow anyone to slander my Master!"

Su Hao spat out a mouthful of blood, his gaze resolute.

Liu Mei looked at him deeply. "You show filial piety, but if I wanted to kill you, Lin Zhi Shan could only accept his misfortune and wouldn't dare say a word. Do you believe me?"

"Don't kill me, don't kill me! Senior Disciple Sister, the wronged have their accusers, and the debts have their debtors."

Su Hao immediately raised his hands in surrender, his earlier spirit of defiance completely gone.

"Heh, what filial piety and loyalty are you pretending to show? When faced with life and death, you're still just a coward!"

Liu Mei sneered dismissively. "I don't deign to kill you, but since someone died on Heavenly Medicine Mountain, you are all suspects."

"It's also possible someone framed us and dumped the body here," Su Hao said, shakily standing up and leaning on the pillar, looking as if he might collapse at any moment.

"Whether it was dumped here or he did it, I don't need you to analyze," Liu Mei stated.

"Then what do you want me to do?"

Su Hao wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "I'm just a cultivator at Qi Refining Level 3, I can't do anything."

"I came to you because I'm investigating. Without evidence, it's difficult for me to trouble your Master!"

Liu Mei moved with alluring grace, exuding a faint scent of perfume. The butterfly landed on her shoulder. "This Shadow Powder Butterfly is best at tracking and tracing. It will guide us to Junior Disciple Sister Zhou's body.

"I can confirm that she died on your Heavenly Medicine Mountain. She probably came here to absorb the essence of a Medicine Slave, and that other desiccated corpse is likely the Medicine Slave.

"Furthermore, I've killed Medicine Slaves from Heavenly Medicine Mountain before.

Heavenly Medicine Mountain and Joy Peak have a history of animosity.

Moreover, Alchemist Lin is famously petty. If he knew our sisters were harming Medicine Slaves, he wouldn't let it go. However, for her to be killed through Essence Absorption... that's a bit unlikely."

Liu Mei's gaze turned sharp as she spoke slowly.

When Zhou Cui Feng's Life Token shattered, and her other junior disciples came to report, she had borrowed this Shadow Powder Butterfly from a senior disciple brother.

"Investigating? So what? How should I cooperate!" Su Hao's eyes flickered, as if he had thought of something but dared not speak it.

Liu Mei, adept at reading people, immediately caught his abnormal reaction. "Therefore, right now, we need to eliminate your suspicions one by one and search for clues."

"Even if you answer honestly, I won't trust your words!"

"The human heart is unpredictable. Only one's self is truly trustworthy!"

She raised her hand and cupped Su Hao's chin.

Her plump, red lips parted slightly, releasing a fragrant red mist that rushed towards Su Hao's face.

She was using the same trick she'd used to charm Su Hao back then.

Her charm was far superior to Zhou Cui Feng's.

Su Hao's eyes gradually became hazy, and he stared foolishly at Liu Mei.

"Did you absorb Zhou junior sister's essence?"

"No..." Su Hao shook his head blankly.

"Then do you know who did?"

"I... I..." Su Hao struggled for a moment.

"Speak!"

"Master, it was Master!" Su Hao cried out in terror. "If I tell you, he'll kill me..."

Liu Mei's face contorted with rage. She waved her sleeve, sending out another gust of charming fragrance. "How dare he! How could he be so ruthless!"

"Master came out of seclusion today and wanted to test me.

As it happened, by the waterfall's clear pool, he saw senior sister Zhou absorbing the essence of a Medicine Slave alive.

I accidentally revealed that senior sister Liu had also absorbed the essence of a Medicine Slave before.

Master was very angry, saying that cultivating Medicine Slaves was not easy and that he had used many Heart Nurturing Pills and Origin Blood Pills.

Therefore, he said he wanted junior sister Zhou to compensate, so he absorbed her essence!"

Su Hao recounted the entire process. "Master had already broken through and was very happy after the absorption, saying it saved him a lot of time to stabilize his new realm. He also found a bottle of top-grade Moonlight Spirit Pills in senior sister Zhou's storage bag, saying that not only did he break even, but he also made a profit."

"Moonlight Spirit Pills!" Liu Mei's beautiful eyes widened.

Three months ago, the sisters of Joy Peak, along with senior cultivators from the Sect, had plundered a group of righteous path cultivators, yielding immense gains.

When they divided the spoils, Zhou Cui Feng had received a bottle of top-grade Moonlight Spirit Pills.

Su Hao actually knew this.

He was either the murderer or a witness!

"You good-for-nothing, Lin Zhi Shan!"

Liu Mei sent Su Hao flying with a palm strike, then soared into the air. Crimson Silk Ribbons danced around her as she broke through the air and flew out of the courtyard, heading straight for the cave dwelling on the mountaintop.

Without proof, she couldn't easily trouble Lin Zhi Shan. After all, Joy Peak had relied on Lin Zhi Shan to refine some of their pills in the past.

But now, a sister from Joy Peak was dead.

Lin Zhi Shan had to answer for this!

That was close... I didn't expect her to actually believe me. Back then, at Qi Refining Level 3, she tried to charm me with the same technique. Now that I'm at Qi Refining Level 7, you still want to use the same power to charm me!

Su Hao crawled out of the flowerbed, panting.

If Liu Mei had discovered that he hadn't been charmed, he would have had to fight for his life.

Fighting Qi Refining Level 7 against Qi Refining Level 6, he would have had an advantage.

And his Hidden Kill talent was very strong, even fooling Liu Mei, making her not suspect him from the start. That was the most crucial factor for success.

Fortunately, the outcome was a close call.

But can she kill Lin Zhi Shan?

Su Hao completely concealed his aura and sneaked into the bamboo forest.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!

Tonight is a great opportunity!

The cave dwelling on the mountaintop.

As Liu Mei attempted to directly break open the stone door, a barrier rose from the cave dwelling.

The Two Elements Guardian Array, worth over a thousand spirit stones!

"Formation Breaking Hammer!"

Liu Mei had anticipated this. A small, golden hammer appeared in her hand. The moment the golden hammer rose into the air and touched the array's barrier, the hammer shattered, and the great array violently shook and collapsed.

Overcome with rage, she didn't care about the more expensive Formation Breaking Hammer. "Lin Zhi Shan, get out here, you bitch!"

In the quiet room deep within the cave dwelling, Lin Zhi Shan jolted awake.

The Alchemy Furnace nearby now contained only a pile of bones.

He had absorbed Ge Lao Si two days ago and just wanted to continue consolidating for a while longer.

"Who! Liu Mei? Junior sister Liu, what are you doing? You actually used a Formation Breaking Hammer to destroy my array!"

Lin Zhi Shan flew out of the cave dwelling in a rage. Upon seeing the celestial beauty Liu Mei at the entrance and the fragments of the small golden hammer on the ground, he was stunned.

What deep-seated hatred could possibly warrant such a waste of treasure and the direct destruction of his array?