32: Chapter 32 The Lion Hides and the Rat Disappears

True Person Yuanyang admitted before his death that he had cooperated with the Eastern Depot to seize the position of Sect Head.

Meng Zhongliu deflecting an attack using Zhao Qianhe at a crucial moment clearly shows he's no good, and there's a high possibility he's colluding with the Eastern Depot.

With a divine opponent and a treacherous teammate, even if Tie Ruyun were a god, he couldn't carry them.

Not to mention, after these few battles, he realized he wasn't truly a great master yet.

Therefore, Tie Ruyun felt weary and helpless.

At this moment, Li Gao brought up the old topic again: "Alliance Leader Tie, what are your plans next?"

Tie Ruyun said helplessly: "I plan to go home and hide my family for a period, waiting until the Seven Stars Align event passes. Although there are only you and I left among the Five Yang experts, Liu's eunuch's plan to practice Remote Energy Absorption Skill will likely come to nothing. However, the Eastern Depot's power is vast, and he might still be able to find three more Pure Yang experts."

"If I hide, he will likely split his forces to search, which might delay his progress."

"Once the opportune moment of the Seven Stars Align passes, even if he gathers the Five Yang and Two Yin, it will be useless."

"At that point, Eunuch Liu's plan will truly be beyond salvation."

Li Gao thought it made sense, but then asked in confusion: "But isn't this Cultivation Technique illusory and impossible to master?"

Tie Ruyun said: "But Eunuch Liu won't believe it, and that mysterious expert who helped us multiple times publicly used Remote Energy Absorption Skill. Although I deduce that it's likely not the so-called 'Remote Energy Absorption Skill' but another profound Martial Arts, Eunuch Liu might not think so."

"He might become even more convinced that Remote Energy Absorption Skill can be mastered, and thus become even more fanatical."

"That's true." Li Gao nodded, then said: "If only that mysterious expert could make a move, with his strength, he could definitely kill Eunuch Liu."

Hearing this, Tie Ruyun gave a bitter smile: "That eunuch is cunning and treacherous; he's not so easy to kill. At first, we also thought that five of us working together to set a trap could kill him, but we only killed one of his body doubles."

"That mysterious expert seized the opportunity, but was dragged down by us and failed."

"You and I can't blame him for saving us, can we?"

Li Gao said decisively: "Of course not! That expert has saved us multiple times and shown us great kindness. Even if Eunuch Liu escaped because of it, we can only blame our own insufficient strength. How can we blame our benefactor for saving us?"

"I just regret losing such a good opportunity."

"Furthermore, after Eunuch Liu escaped and realized he couldn't defeat our benefactor, he will undoubtedly be doubly cautious."

"It will be even harder for us to eliminate him."

Tie Ruyun stroked his beard and said: "I naturally know this."

"This is also another reason why I don't plan to try and kill him again and choose to go into hiding. Although that mysterious benefactor failed to kill Eunuch Liu before, it must have made him wary and afraid of encountering him again. Therefore, until he finds a way to deal with it, he probably won't dare to leave Chang'an, and may even keep some people to protect himself."

"If Eunuch Liu doesn't leave Chang'an, I am confident I can hide for longer."

"If he keeps people to protect himself, the speed at which he searches for other Pure Yang and Pure Yin will inevitably be affected."

"This way, the success rate of the delaying tactic will be greater."

Li Gao nodded and said: "That makes sense, then I'll also find a place to hide."

Tie Ruyun said: "Alright, then let's go our separate ways and part here."

He had originally wanted to invite Li Gao to come with him so they could look out for each other, but thinking of the precedent of True Person Yuanyang, he worried about planting a bomb for himself. Although Li Gao seemed fine at the moment, one never knows another's true intentions, and their acquaintance wasn't deep enough to truly know each other.

Most importantly, he wasn't alone; he had a daughter and a future son-in-law, so he had to be cautious.

Furthermore, if the two of them hid separately, their targets would be smaller, making it easier to conceal themselves.

Li Gao didn't think much of it and simply cupped his fists to bid farewell: "Alliance Leader Tie, take care, I shall take my leave first."

After speaking, he turned and left, carrying his iron staff.

Tie Ruyun also didn't linger, watching Li Gao depart before heading in another direction.

Meng Li pondered for a moment, then, instead of following Tie Ruyun, he discarded his night clothes and then channeled his internal energy.

Instantly, his bones and muscles crackled like popping beans, and after fully stretching, his height increased by a segment, and his physique also changed considerably.

The Bone Shrinking and Form Changing Skill, or "Bone Shrinking Skill" for short, is one of the essential Cultivation Techniques for Jianghu individuals to alter their appearance and disguise their identity. Meng Li 'learned' it by accident from a Flower Thief during a sting operation, and it worked quite well.

However, it couldn't compare to the one Xiao Yuer displayed in the original drama.

Xiao Yuer's Bone Shrinking Skill could allow a grown man to shrink into a single steamer basket, which was simply incredible.

Meng Li's Bone Shrinking Skill couldn't reach that level, but it was sufficient.

After returning to his original physique, Meng Li tidied his clothes and hair, and after confirming everything was in order, he set off for Chang'an.

Tie Ruyun's delaying tactic of hiding was flawless from his own perspective.

He couldn't compare to Liu Xi in terms of power or influence, so he could only hide and bide his time.

But Meng Li was different.

In his opinion, it's always easier to be the thief for a thousand days than to guard against a thief for a thousand days, because thieves are usually more patient than those who guard.

Instead of constantly hiding and defending day and night, it's better to send the thief to the ancestral hall.

Especially when one possesses the ability to do so.

He might have hesitated before the confrontation, but now that he confirmed Liu Xi was no match for him, Meng Li naturally wanted to solve the problem once and for all.

After entering Chang'an, Meng Li didn't immediately go to kill Liu Xi. Instead, he first found a place to settle down, then wandered around, gathering information. He learned that Liu Xi had gone directly into the Imperial Palace after returning and hadn't come out yet.

Other than that, there was nothing unusual.

Was Liu Xi scared by him and went to the Imperial Palace to seek refuge?

The time was too short for Meng Li to determine the answer, so he could only wait.

He waited for three days.

During this period, he inquired in disguise and could basically confirm that Liu Xi was hiding from him.

Because according to Liu Xi's usual habits, he would return to his residence every day to rest, and even with exceptions, he wouldn't stay away for more than two days, unless something major happened in the palace or the Eastern Depot that required his presence.

Currently, no major events had occurred, yet Liu Xi hadn't returned to his residence for three days, nor had he even left the Imperial Palace.

Meng Li couldn't think of any other reason besides him hiding.

This gave Meng Li a headache.

Scared once and now afraid to show his face, truly as timid as a mouse, "Eastern Depot Jerry" is a well-deserved title!

How about trying to infiltrate the Imperial Palace?

The thought just surfaced, and Meng Li immediately dismissed it.

The Imperial Palace wasn't that easy to infiltrate; strict security was one thing, but the main issue was its immense size, and he didn't know the way.

If he alerted the enemy, Liu Xi would probably hide even deeper.

If he was determined to find a place to burrow, Meng Li would truly be out of options.

So, Meng Li decided to wait a little longer; he didn't believe Liu Xi could stay hidden in the Imperial Palace forever.

It was his first time as an assassin, and he was targeting the director of the Eastern Depot, so he had to have some patience.

It turns out that when it comes to patience, older people have a higher ceiling than younger ones.

This guy Liu Xi actually didn't leave the Imperial Palace for a whole month!

He's truly a master of playing dead!

Just as Meng Li's patience was about to run out, and he was preparing to infiltrate the Imperial Palace to investigate, Liu Xi came out...