Nothing to do with me

Meng Huai had just finished dealing with the desiccated corpses when a dozen or so people rushed in from outside. Every one of them held a gun, and the weapons were clearly military issue.

He immediately did as they ordered. Although his life-bound Gu protected him, he could not guarantee that he would escape unscathed at such close range.

A stern-faced man walked in from outside. Every stride was exactly the same length, and his upper body did not sway at all. He was clearly a trained fighter.

Meng Huai sensed faint fluctuations of magical power from him. This man was evidently a cultivator too, and a martial cultivator at that. He wondered where the man had come from.

Two of the armed men had already gone upstairs. Secretly startled as well, they checked the bodies' necks for a pulse. The victims seemed to have been dead for some time. Only then did the men come back downstairs.

Yun Zimo looked at them and said, "Who are you? What gives you the right to point guns at us? We live under the rule of law now. You can't just do whatever you please."

The man smiled calmly. "I'm Li Can, from the Military Special Operations Office. This is merely a precaution against unnecessary trouble. Please forgive us, miss. Everyone, put your guns away!"

Once Yun Zimo saw them lower their guns, she glared with her beautiful eyes, her cheeks puffed in anger. She was clearly furious.

Meng Huai took her slender, delicate hand and whispered in her ear, "The Military Special Operations Office has special privileges. Even if they executed us first and reported it afterward, they wouldn't get into any trouble!

"That man is no ordinary person. If we fought, there's no telling which of us would win. Let's not argue with them."

He looked at Li Can and said, "It seems you're a fellow cultivator. May I ask which sect you're from? I only came here to investigate. What happened upstairs has nothing to do with me!

"I originally thought these people were trying to set me up, but it seems I was wrong. You must have been their target. I was wondering why anyone trying to deal with me would use such crude Gu arts!"

Li Can beamed. "Then I really must thank you. I'm from the Reincarnation Sect's Asura Path. These fists of mine are tough enough, but there's nothing particularly impressive about me otherwise!

"Fortunately, you were the one who acted today, so the bodies are still intact and can be laid to rest. If I'd taken action, I'm afraid they would have ended up in pieces."

Meng Huai's eyes brightened slightly. The Reincarnation Sect was one of the cultivation world's two great powers. All six of its paths possessed formidable combat strength, and any one of them could rival a major sect!

The Asura Path was renowned as the epitome of martial cultivation. Everyone who came from it was a battle fanatic with ferocious fighting ability. They absolutely could not be underestimated!

Those fools really were idiots. These decrepit, desiccated corpses would barely have tickled him, yet they had tried to ambush him with them. They were simply asking to be humiliated!

Meng Huai spread his hands. "Since we're all fellow cultivators, and we've cleared this matter up, I'll head home if there's nothing else. I won't interfere with your work."

Li Can showed no intention of moving aside. Still smiling, he said, "You must be a Gu Master. Now that you've become involved in this matter, how can you expect to stay out of it?

"The Night God Church is wreaking havoc in Miaojiang and will surely become a grave threat. Now that you've become entangled in this chain of cause and effect, why not join us in wiping them out?"

Meng Huai pulled a flask from his pocket and took a drink. "I've always been lazy, and I don't like meddling in other people's business. I've already said this has nothing to do with me, so it has nothing to do with me!

"As for whatever consequences come later, I'll deal with them when they arrive. I don't like planning that far ahead. Taking things one step at a time often makes life much happier!"

Only then did Li Can step aside and gesture for him to leave. "Walking out of here is easy, but extricating yourself from this affair won't be so simple!

"I'm sure we'll meet again. Perhaps we can become good friends. After all, we have a common enemy, and a very powerful one at that."

Meng Huai raised his flask with an amiable smile. "I like making friends. When you have time, I'll treat you to a drink. As for this enemy, we'll talk about that when we meet them."

Yun Zimo was a very clever young woman. She knew the two men had been testing each other, and so far, they seemed evenly matched.

After the two of them left, one of Li Can's subordinates said, "We're just letting them go?"

Li Can smiled calmly. "It's not that simple. If walking away were so easy, we wouldn't have been fighting the Night God Church for so long.

"Now we have an ally. The Night God Church's Gu arts may be formidable, but a Gu Master is precisely their nemesis. Those people certainly won't let this go!

"Many things can't be rushed. Fate has its own arrangements. That young man and I are destined to be colleagues. We'll definitely be working together someday.

"These matters are too profound for you to understand even if I explained them. Get to work first. I'll teach you later, so don't be impatient."

The men were bewildered by his words, but they continued working in an orderly fashion. They dragged the bodies into one place and thoroughly drenched them in gasoline.

Then they splashed gasoline throughout the villa before everyone withdrew outside.

Li Can flicked away a cigarette butt, and flames immediately roared to life. Tomorrow's news would report that a group of female students had gone camping, accidentally started a fire, and died in the blaze!

With his hands on the steering wheel, Meng Huai watched the raging flames in the rearview mirror and sighed helplessly. He felt the girls had died for nothing, and mourned their loss.

Beside him, Yun Zimo looked at him and said, "This is despicable. What should we do next?"

Meng Huai grinned. "Go home, of course. With a fiancée as beautiful as you, surely I deserve a little taste of pleasure. Favor me with your attention tonight!"

Yun Zimo blushed and spat lightly. "You're never serious! We can talk about that tonight. Are we really going to stop investigating?"

Meng Huai sighed. "Li Can was right. Now that I've been dragged into this mess, I can't stop investigating. Even if I'm willing to back off, the Night God Church won't let me!

"I can disregard my own safety, but not yours. You're my first woman, and the most important woman in my heart. I can't let you suffer the slightest harm!"

Yun Zimo's pretty face flushed crimson, but her heart brimmed with sweetness. The man beside her was so good to her, always keeping her in his thoughts.

Meng Huai continued, "Actually, this trip wasn't fruitless. We've stirred them up and put them on alert. Tomorrow, we'll visit the Golden Flower Tour Group and look for that Golden Flower."

Yun Zimo nodded obediently. Just then, her phone rang. She checked the number and saw that Fan Yuli was calling. The moment she answered, a scream came through the phone.

Both of them were alarmed. They immediately turned the car around and sped toward the staff dormitory.