"How did you get here?" she asked through gritted teeth, despite the pain from her wound.
But she still tried to remain calm in the face of this sudden attacker.
The man was dressed in black, his face covered with a black cloth, revealing only a pair of eyes filled with murderous intent.
He did not answer, but instead swung his sword again and attacked Li Xi.
Li Xi dodged the fatal sword strike with a swift movement, and also swung her sword to defend against the man's attack.
"We have no grudge against each other, why do you want to kill me?" Li Xi asked as she fought, her voice trembling with pain, but she still held her own.
The man in black did not answer, but his attacks became increasingly fierce, as if he wanted to drive Li Xi into a corner.
His swordsmanship was unpredictable and ruthless, with each strike aimed directly at Li Xi's vital points.
Although Li Xi's swordsmanship was not as unpredictable as the man in black, it was more stable and powerful.
Her sword danced amidst the attacks of the men in black, like a silver dragon churning in a black ocean.
The wound was bleeding continuously, but she seemed to feel no pain as she fought back against the man's attack with all her might.
"Since you refuse to tell me, then I'll have to find the answer myself." Li Xi suddenly shouted, and her swordsmanship suddenly changed, becoming even sharper and more ferocious.
She stopped defending and launched a full-scale attack on the man in black.
The man in black was clearly shocked by Li Xi's change, and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes.
But his swordsmanship remained ruthless as he swung his sword toward Li Xi's neck.
However, Li Xi seemed to have anticipated this, and her sword suddenly veered off course, blocking the attack from the man in black.
Then, she suddenly lunged forward.
With a "bang!", the sword in his hand cleaved the opponent's sword in two and was pressed against the man's neck.
The man in black stared at Li Xi in shock, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He never expected that this seemingly frail young man could display such formidable strength while injured.
"You...you..." the man in black stammered, as if he wanted to say something.
"Uncle, why make such a fuss?" She ripped off his face mask, revealing a somewhat aged face.
Li Xi continued, "You could have made your move last night, why did you choose today?"
The old man remained silent.
"You want to see just how capable I am?" Li Xi mocked.
"You actually set a trap to deceive me. I never imagined that you had mastered the secrets of the ancient clan's star power." He originally thought that her abilities were not enough to pose a threat.
Now it seems I was careless.
Upon hearing this, Li Xi was stunned. "You know about the ancient clans?! Who exactly are you, and why are you lying in wait here?"
The old man simply stopped speaking.
She took a pill out of her bag, pinched the old man's chin, and stuffed it into his mouth.
A moment later, the old man's eyes widened, his eyeballs seemed to bulge out of their sockets, and he clutched his stomach tightly with both hands, groaning in pain.
His face was as pale as paper, and sweat streamed down his wrinkled cheeks, soaking his clothes.
His voice trembled as he asked, "What did you feed me?"
"That's poison, old man. You're so picky. You can't even enjoy chicken soup, you want something bitter. I was just planning to hunt a few wild rabbits to make you some spicy rabbit stew."
Li Xi originally thought that she could coax him with good food and drink and see if she could get him to talk, but she didn't expect him to give himself away so quickly.
"Who are you, and why are you so insistent on investigating the Xuanming Sect?" The old man asked her through gritted teeth, suppressing his discomfort.
I didn't expect this person to be so patient; he actually managed to hold on.
“I said from the beginning that the imperial court sent me to investigate the truth of what happened back then. Why don’t you believe me?” Li Xi shook his head, looking helpless.
Without stopping, he took a rope from his bag and tied him up.
Since they won't tell us, let's leave it to Grandma; she has plenty of ways to handle things.
She hoisted him onto her shoulder and headed straight back to the village.
Back at the old man's house, Li Xi tied him to a doorpost.
The old man, who had never suffered such humiliation, was red-faced with shame and indignation, and struggled angrily.
But unfortunately, Li Xi had him tied up tightly, and he couldn't move.
"You... how can you be so rude!" the old man shouted angrily, his eyes filled with astonishment and confusion.
Li Xi didn't seem to care and sat down on a stool nearby.
Seeing his expression, they laughed. "Old man, you're going to kill me, and you expect me to worship you?"
She chuckled softly, her voice tinged with a hint of mockery.
Then, she stood up, walked to the doorpost, gently patted the old man's cheek, and said, "Stop struggling. Since you don't want to talk, we'll have a proper chat when my helper arrives."
The old man stared at her with wide eyes, his gaze filled with anger, yet he was helpless.
He knew he had failed today.
By this time, it was getting dark outside.
Hongying brought Wanyue over as well, and Li Xi told them everything that had happened during the day.
After Li Xi finished speaking, Hong Ying's face instantly turned gloomy.
She strode quickly to the old man's side and, without saying a word, slapped him hard across the face.
Everyone present was stunned by this sudden scene, especially the old man who had been beaten.
He stared at Hongying for a long time with wide eyes.
Suddenly, as if snapping out of his daze, he exclaimed in horror, "You, you are Hongying?"
Hongying glanced at him coldly, her tone fierce: "Liu Kang, you've really made something of yourself, actually committing murder!"
Upon hearing this, both Li Xi and Wan Yue were stunned.
After a long pause, she tentatively asked, "Grandmother, do you know him?"
Li Xi's voice carried a hint of surprise and confusion.
Clearly, this old man named Liu Kang and Hong Ying have a past that no one knows about.
Hongying took a deep breath and looked at the old man in front of her with a complicated expression.
She turned around and slowly explained to Li Xi and Wan Yue, "This Liu Kang is a friend of mine from when I was young, and also a good friend of mine."
“But,” Hongying’s tone shifted, her voice filled with anger, “he betrayed our oath and went astray for profit. He betrayed his friends and was eventually hunted down by his friends in the martial arts world, forced to go into hiding and disappear from the world’s sight.”
Upon hearing this, Li Xi and Wan Yue both understood.
They never expected that this seemingly ordinary old man would have such a deep connection with Hongying.
Liu Kang had already lowered his head; he dared not look directly into Hong Ying's eyes.
He knew he could no longer escape and could only face his crimes.
“Hongying, I…I know I was wrong.” Liu Kang’s voice trembled slightly. “But I had no choice. I thought this young man was testing me and wanted to kill me.”
Hongying looked at him coldly, her voice resolute: "I cannot accept your reasons. You have chosen this path, so you must bear the consequences."
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