Aiding the State Without Troops, Avenging Without Swords

In Gao Xu's layout, sabotaging Tang Mei'er's plan was never the difficult part.

For one, he operated from the shadows, striking with intent against the unsuspecting; for another, the more intricate a plan, the less room it had for error. Had the link involving the abducted girls not gone wrong, Tang Mei'er would not have been forced to trigger her Succubus transformation prematurely, consume precious bloodline-strengthening potions, and sacrifice the lives of two subordinates. Having already exhausted most of her trump cards, she was left helpless against any further variables.

With Su Mei's assistance, Gao Xu's actions became even more covert. In truth, he did not need to reveal himself at all to make Tang Mei'er suffer a defeat so baffling it would leave her in agony.

However, Tang Mei'er's existence had become a thorn in Gao Xu's side. If he simply let her fail and retreat, he might never be able to walk out of the shadow cast by his past life.

Therefore, he had to watch with his own eyes as Tang Mei'er received her due retribution; only then would he be satisfied.

To settle grudges with a swift stroke, seeking only a clear state of mind!

With the Snake Demon and the Fox Demon having severed their ties to the battlefield to save themselves, Tang Mei'er lost her support. At this moment, she hated Gao Xu to the marrow of her bones; she craved nothing more than to capture him and make his life worse than death, the only way to soothe the rage and resentment in her heart.

Seeing the Snake Whip lashing out to cover her head and face, Gao Xu retreated with nimble steps and smiled faintly: "Demon woman, your wicked scheme has failed, yet you still wish to silence the witnesses? Do you truly think there is no one left in Lin Family Fort?"

"Lin Family Fort? Hah, are you still counting on that idiot Lin Tiannan to save you? How naive..." Tang Mei'er sneered. Her mood was at its absolute worst, so her tone was naturally sharp. Besides, in the eyes of most reincarnators, plot characters were merely NPCs in a game, meant to be manipulated at will; there was not a shred of genuine respect for them.

"Do not insult the Fort Master!" Gao Xu's expression shifted as if he could not bear her verbal abuse, and with a flourish of his long sword, he prepared to counterattack.

"Bold demon woman!" But faster than him was a figure like a red glow, accompanied by a voice that was cold yet filled with fury. She landed lightly in the room, and the moment her clear, icy eyes fell upon Tang Mei'er's face, the latter felt a tremor in her heart and involuntarily took half a step back.

The newcomer was about seventeen or eighteen, tall and slender with long, shapely legs. Her flowing hair was tied to one side, and her oval face featured bright, phoenix-like eyes and moist, red lips, making her look charming and moving. Yet, the pair of sword-like brows slanting into her temples added a touch of heroism. She was none other than the heroine of Legend of Sword and Fairy 1, the eldest miss of Lin Family Fort, Lin Yueru!

"You dare insult my father?" Lin Yueru first nodded to Gao Xu, then glared at Tang Mei'er with imposing majesty. Waving the long whip in her hand, she shouted, "At first, when A-Mei told me that evil people had infiltrated the demon-extermination team, I was half-skeptical. I never imagined that among the martial artists my father invited, there would truly be someone as cruel and cunning as a snake demon! Hmph, if not for this Young Hero Gao's keen observation and willingness to risk his own safety, the reputation of our Lin Family Fort would have been completely ruined by a poisonous woman like you!"

"Gao Xu, you are too insidious! You actually set a trap for me to walk into?" Tang Mei'er was highly intelligent; the moment Lin Yueru appeared, she realized why Gao Xu had repeatedly mentioned Lin Family Fort and Lin Tiannan, and why his demeanor and tone were so much like a native of this xianxia world. He had known all along that plot characters were lurking in the shadows, and he had been acting from start to finish!

To use the hands of plot characters to kill her, gain their favor, and finally use their power to complete the optional mission—killing three birds with one stone. What a brilliant scheme!

"This boy is still a newcomer, yet he can calculate everything without a single flaw. He is clearly a freak! Damn it!" Seeing Gao Xu's endless array of methods, as if no one would ever know what his next trump card was, Tang Mei'er finally felt the urge to retreat.

If she didn't retreat, she would die!

Lin Yueru was known as invincible among her peers, a reputation not earned in vain. Her martial foundation was extremely solid, far beyond that of a small maid like Dongmei. She opened with the Benhui Art, a technique notoriously difficult to master. With a swirl of whip shadows, she had Tang Mei'er completely surrounded, clearly intending to leave her no chance of escape.

In terms of whip technique alone, ten Tang Mei'ers would be no match for Lin Yueru, but reincarnators did not rely solely on martial arts. Tang Mei'er did not attempt to clash head-on with Lin Yueru; instead, her body swayed, and a phantom image rushed toward Lin Yueru. Taking advantage of the moment the latter used her whip to defend, she ducked her head and bolted toward the room's exit.

Phantom Assault was the only C-rank skill Tang Mei'er possessed—a restrictive type—and she calculated it could entangle Lin Yueru for at least three seconds.

This precious escape time was extremely tight, and Tang Mei'er could not afford a single mistake, so she kept most of her attention on Gao Xu.

Her intuition told her that Gao Xu would never let her leave safely!

But the reality exceeded Tang Mei'er's expectations. Gao Xu stood to the side, sword in hand, watching her quietly without making any move to intercept.

However, his gaze made Tang Mei'er feel inexplicably uneasy, a faint sensation rising in her heart that some key factor had been forgotten.

Getting closer and closer to the exit, Tang Mei'er could no longer worry about what the deep meaning in Gao Xu's eyes represented. Once she rushed out and broke combat, she could immediately use an item to return to the space, save her life, and then think about how to properly "repay" Gao Xu.

But just as Tang Mei'er was only a few steps away from a successful escape, several figures suddenly lunged at her from the sides. Ignoring the attacks of the Snake Whip, they clung tightly to her legs!

"No! It's that bunch of trash! How dare they attack me?" Tang Mei'er had been kept busy by Gao Xu's endless schemes, and her vision had been affected by the pink mist released by the Fox Demon before she left. She hadn't noticed that the newcomers, who should have been lying on the ground, had disappeared and blocked the entrance, waiting for her to walk right into the trap!

As for why the newcomers acted with such unity, one could easily guess it was secretly instructed by Gao Xu. Having been betrayed and nearly killed, the newcomers were easily incited and, like ferocious beasts, lunged at Tang Mei'er in unison.

Many of the physically weak newcomers fell quickly under the lashes of the Snake Whip and could not get back up, but three still remained, eyes bloodshot, clinging to Tang Mei'er with all their might.

Among them, Kong Jun had the greatest strength. This man, who had previously been so deeply affectionate toward Tang Mei'er, now wore the most ferocious expression. The veins on his face bulged as if the blood in his entire body were boiling. No matter how Tang Mei'er whipped him, even as he entered a near-death state, he did not retreat in the slightest.

"Get lost! All of you, get lost!" Tang Mei'er had not expected that the weak newcomers could pose a fatal threat once they erupted. This was a massive blow to her confidence, and her mind fell into uncontrollable panic.

Although Lin Yueru's martial arts were formidable, the skills and methods of reincarnators were things she had never seen before. Thus, she was momentarily affected by the Phantom Assault and nearly let the enemy escape. Furious, she finally unleashed the true ultimate technique of the Lin family: the Sword Qi Finger!

A flash of white light streaked by. Tang Mei'er let out a miserable shriek, clutching her wrist as she stumbled backward, and the Snake Whip fell to the ground with a "clatter." The fierce, peerless sword qi had severed her hand tendons, causing her to lose most of her combat power.

Having severely wounded the enemy in one move, Lin Yueru leaped forward like a roc spreading its wings, her power piercing through the whip shadows to strike directly at Tang Mei'er's heart.

Tang Mei'er twisted her waist to dodge by a hair's breadth and used her legs to finally break free from Kong Jun's entanglement, but her heart turned cold. Could it be that after all her planning and calculations, she was ultimately going to be buried here?

"No!!! I am not reconciled! Gao Xu, Gao Xu, Gao Xu, even if I die, I will drag you down with me!!!" The approach of death drove Tang Mei'er into a final, desperate madness.

Tang Mei'er had great confidence that she could drag Gao Xu to the grave with her, for she still had a trump card—a mutual-destruction trump card, one that even Zhu Hao and Qin Guang knew nothing about!

But what Tang Mei'er never expected was that Gao Xu's all-piercing gaze seemed capable of truly probing her thoughts. The moment she turned to lunge at him, his figure had already vanished into the mist like a wild goose in flight.

"Gao Xu, come out! You coward! Do you dare to fight me to the death? Come out!!!" Tang Mei'er screamed and shouted, her dignified and charming demeanor completely ruined by blood and ferocity. She used one item after another, hoping only to delay Lin Yueru's onslaught for a moment so she could find Gao Xu and fulfill the last wish of her life.

But today, she was destined to die with her eyes wide open in resentment!

Until a strand of sword qi pierced into the center of Tang Mei'er's brow. As her consciousness faded, Gao Xu's sigh echoed in her ears: "The cause of a past life, the fruit of this life. Goodbye, the part of my past I least wish to look back upon!"

"What does that mean... what on earth does it mean..." At the moment of death, Tang Mei'er was still pondering how Gao Xu could have seen through her plan so early, and what he meant by a past he didn't wish to look back upon. Filled with unwillingness and confusion, she sank into the endless darkness.