342: Chapter 342 Mutual Destruction

Scarface's five-man team all turned their heads in unison.

They were struck by the sight of an exquisitely beautiful young woman in ancient costume, wearing a light pink long dress. Her features were like a painting, with bright eyes and pearly teeth. She had a spirited figure and a gentle yet lively temperament, looking like a fairy descended from the heavens.

Scarface immediately drew his single-edged blade and pointed it at the woman in the pink ancient costume, shouting sternly, "Who are you?"

Who was this woman in the pink ancient costume?

It was, of course, Zou Shuying.

Zou Shuying chuckled softly. "This humble one is Zou Shuying. Greetings to you, brave warrior. Sir, this is Jiguang Zhai. Please do not brandish your weapons; it would be unfortunate if a misunderstanding were to arise."

"Zou Shuying?" Scarface frowned. There had been no mention of her in the intelligence gathered before the operation, which was a fatal oversight.

In a secret operation, the emergence of unexpected elements could at best disrupt the mission and at worst lead to the total annihilation of the team. This was no exaggeration.

Moreover, this seemingly gorgeous young woman clearly wasn't an ordinary person. An ordinary woman would have been paralyzed with fear upon seeing such a scene; how could she possibly stand up and try to stop them?

Stand up?

Wait, how did she appear?

Scarface was struck with horror!

Their group of five had pried open the sliding door to enter and hadn't moved since.

Yet, this woman named Zou Shuying had appeared silently behind them.

This... this...

As Scarface realized this, his heart filled with terror. He gestured to two of his teammates while shouting sternly again, "Who exactly are you?"

Zou Shuying remained smiling beautifully, like an apricot blossom swaying gently under the warm spring sun. "This humble one is Zou Shuying, one of... Mr. Han's maids at Jiguang Zhai."

"A maid?"

"Indeed. Brave warrior, could you please put down your blade?"

"Put your hands up and walk over here. Don't try any tricks," Scarface's tone became even harsher. "Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Zou Shuying smiled sweetly again. "My apologies, but only Mr. Han can command us."

Scarface tilted his head slightly toward the teammate on his left. "Shitou, you go. Search her first, then cuff her. If she doesn't cooperate, kill her on the spot!"

The small-eyed Shitou nodded heavily and approached Zou Shuying with his sword drawn.

They were the most capable combatants under Zhang Dahai. Each of them was a quasi-first-rate expert who had undergone professional training. With the five of them coordinating, they could exert combat power far exceeding a simple sum of their parts. They had taken the lives of many so-called experts; their track record was nothing short of brilliant.

Therefore, facing Zou Shuying, a gorgeous woman who looked weak and delicate, they did not let down their guard but pressed forward step by step.

They planned to corner Zou Shuying first. Once cornered, whether surrounding her or controlling her would be easy.

However, the moment Shitou approached her with his sword, Zou Shuying gave a charming laugh and vanished on the spot.

The five of them rubbed their eyes in unison, unable to believe what they were seeing.

Scarface even rushed over and slashed several times at the spot where Zou Shuying had been standing, but he hit nothing. He was instantly both furious and shocked. "What's going on? Old Liu? Old Wang?"

Old Liu and Old Wang exchanged a solemn look. "It seems... she's not human."

"Not human?"

"Yes, not human."

"If she's not human, then what is she? A ghost or a demon?"

"This... she doesn't seem like either."

"Then what is she?"

Old Liu and Old Wang couldn't give a clear answer. They were also bewildered because it was their first time encountering an existence like Zou Shuying—not human, not a ghost, and certainly not a demon.

A fairy?

Did such things as fairies exist in this world?

Zou Shuying's appearance had completely confused the two Old Men, who usually spent their days looking at Feng Shui and dealing with dharma instruments.

At that moment, Zou Shuying's playful voice came from inside the shop again. "Hey, I'm warning you, don't act recklessly. Otherwise, I will kill you."

The five members of Scarface's team turned around together, only to see the previously vanished Zou Shuying standing prettily in front of the counter. A thin layer of anger hung on her face. "If you break the shop's decorations, the Master will be very angry!"

Hearing this, Scarface suddenly raised an eyebrow. "Let me see what skills you, a little woman playing ghost, actually have."

As soon as he finished speaking, he swung his blade toward a cluster of bamboo nearby.

Seeing this, Zou Shuying cried out in alarm, "Don't touch the Master's Xiangfei Bamboo—!"

This cluster of Xiangfei Bamboo was something Han Jingyang had spent 160,000 yuan to buy from the south. There were eight stalks in total, costing 20,000 each. Han Jingyang loved them dearly; even a single falling leaf would make his heart ache for a long time.

This was because Han Jingyang intended to cultivate this cluster of Xiangfei Bamboo as a spiritual pet, blessing them daily with Right Mindfulness. This was a most orthodox method of Consecration and was one of Han Jingyang's experiments.

Of course, it was also a small hobby. After all, this type of spiritual pet couldn't be used for combat. Even if successfully cultivated, it would only have a certain luck-altering effect. While precious to ordinary people, it was just a minor amusement for a big shot like Han Jingyang, who held too many dharma instruments.

But a minor amusement was still an amusement.

If Scarface's blade landed, it would definitely send Han Jingyang into a rage.

Therefore, Zou Shuying shouted urgently, "Flowers do not entrance, but man entrances himself—!"

Scarface's primary goal wasn't actually that cluster of bamboo. He was on a mission; wouldn't he be an idiot to pick a fight with some bamboo?

His goal was to force this eerie beauty, Zou Shuying, to make a move.

Only through a confrontation could a winner be determined.

Otherwise, when would this war of words ever end?

Thus, hearing Zou Shuying speak, he immediately realized this might be some kind of spell. He hastily withdrew his blade and moved closer to the two metaphysics experts, Old Wang and Old Liu. They had a very clear division of labor during missions: the three of them were responsible for breaching, combat, scouting, and defense, while anything involving metaphysics was handled entirely by Old Wang and Old Liu.

In this situation, it was clearly the responsibility of the two metaphysics experts.

The next second, the scenery before Scarface changed. It was as if he had teleported from Jiguang Zhai to a sea of flowers. The view was enchanting, with dense apricot trees everywhere, their branches laden with pink blossoms. As a breeze blew, small pink petals fell like snowflakes. The scenery was mesmerizing, and a thick fragrance wafted into his heart, making him feel intoxicated.

Scarface shouted loudly, "Watch out for poison! Hold your breath!"

He then added, "Don't panic! We're still in Jiguang Zhai. This is an illusion! Close your eyes and don't move randomly. Recall our previous positions and move toward me!"

However, the only response he received was the dense rain of petals and the endless sea of apricot blossoms.

Scarface suppressed his alarm and waited patiently for his teammates to gather. But after counting to two hundred in his head, he still hadn't felt the presence of his teammates.

Could it be that they couldn't hear his voice?

Scarface gritted his teeth and felt his way toward where he remembered Old Liu to be.

One step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

He reached the spot.

He reached out to feel around, but he touched nothing.

This was impossible!

And illogical!

No matter how powerful an illusion was, it couldn't make a living person disappear.

Refusing to believe it, Scarface rushed toward the direction of the rolling shutter door.

Yet, even after rushing several meters, he still didn't hit any obstacles!

Scarface's hair stood on end instantly!

The front hall of Jiguang Zhai was only so big. Even if he had the wrong direction, rushing blindly for four or five meters would have definitely resulted in hitting a wall, a counter, a coffee table, a sofa, or some ornaments.

But now, there was nothing.

Had he really left Jiguang Zhai?

Impossible!

Scarface reached into his clothes and felt around, touching a round object.

A sweet potato grenade!

This was a good thing!

Scarface pulled the pin in one motion. "Dispel the illusion, or we'll all perish together!"