Kill Wife Without Regret

As the saying goes, if the enemy doesn't move, I won't move either.

Ye Shu firmly believed that even the best disguise would have its flaws, and even if the other party had truly been reborn, he wouldn't be afraid.

He was no longer the version of himself from the system's script.

Whether it was his techniques, martial skills, or combat expertise, every bit of it had been painstakingly developed through his own trial and error, belonging to no one else.

"Why have you come to Cloud Soaring Sect now?" Li Qingran asked again when the other party remained silent.

"To settle some past grudges," Ye Shu said coolly.

"..."

Hearing this, Li Qingran was silent for a moment. She clearly realized what Ye Shu was referring to.

He couldn't wait any longer—he was eager to bring things to a final resolution.

"Fine."

She nodded and agreed. "Since that's what you want, we'll settle this today."

"Miss..."

Upon hearing this, the maid beside Li Qingran tugged at her sleeve, looking at her with concern, and lowered her voice, "But your cultivation..."

"It doesn't matter. This is what I owe him."

Li Qingran's expression remained unchanged. "If I were to back out because of that, what would be the point?"

"Well... alright then..."

"Miss, do your best."

Xiaocui hesitated for a moment, but recalling her mistress's stubborn temperament, she chose not to argue further.

"Qingran, you..."

Old Master Zhao, who had been knocked to the ground, struggled to his feet, but Li Qingran raised her hand to stop him. "Elder Zhao, my mind is made up. Don't try to persuade me. Since this was our agreement from back then, there's no reason to shirk it. I will honor it."

With that, she looked at Ye Shu and pointed to the ground beneath her feet.

"Let's settle it right here. How about that?"

"For something like this, don't you want to find some spectators or anything?" Ye Shu was taken aback, a strange expression crossing his face.

According to the usual formula, there should be a crowd of onlookers.

Then a few bystanders would chime in with commentary, and finally, a fierce battle would ensue, where he would stun everyone and emerge victorious.

Doing it so hastily left him completely unprepared.

"There's no need for that," Li Qingran shook her head. In truth, she was a bit worried. Her master was still in seclusion, unaware of the outside world. If she found out that Ye Shu was here right now, who knew what might happen? So it was better to finish this quickly.

No matter the outcome—win or lose—she didn't want a third party getting involved.

"Since that's the case, let's begin."

Seeing this, Ye Shu didn't dawdle. He slowly drew the Azure Black Sword, held it to one side, and said coldly, "Let me make it clear—I don't have a habit of going easy on anyone."

"Good, that's exactly what I want," Li Qingran replied coldly. Then she took out a round pill from her pocket and tossed it to him.

"What's this?"

Ye Shu caught the pill, a bit bewildered.

Could she be trying to poison me? But this was far too blatant, wasn't it? Did she think he was an idiot?

"A fourth-grade Essence Restoration Pill," Li Qingran said indifferently. "To make up for the spiritual energy you just expended. I don't want anyone saying I won unfairly."

She hits him and then hands him a healing item.

Ye Shu had never seen anything like this in his life.

He swallowed the pill in one gulp, feeling the surge of replenished spiritual power within him, and felt a peculiar sense of unease.

She really hadn't poisoned it.

What was wrong with this woman? Why couldn't he get a read on her intentions at all?

"Once you've recovered, let's start quickly," Li Qingran urged, holding her longsword. She was afraid that if her master found out, things would get complicated.

Miss......" Xiaocui, standing nearby, her big eyes full of worry, said, "You must not get into trouble, or else how will I explain to the master?"

Why does it feel like she's more anxious than I am?

Ye Shu grumbled in his heart.

Oh well, if worst comes to worst, I'll just go all out soon enough.

"Let's get one thing straight—I don't have a habit of holding back."

"Neither do I," Li Qingran said, gripping her sword hilt tightly, her voice cold. "Then let's begin."

"Good."

The instant the words fell, Ye Shu's figure vanished from where he stood. Every star within his body blazed brightly, linking into lines.

"Taichong—Divine Step!"

Whoosh!

It was almost teleportation: Ye Shu appeared right before Li Qingran, face to face, mere inches apart.

Li Qingran's pupils contracted, and she instinctively tried to step back.

"Ruoshui—Bind!"

Ye Shu formed a hand seal, and the stars within him wove another trapping formation, turning into a torrent of flowing water that enveloped her. Li Qingran's expression shifted as she felt the space around her freeze, becoming so viscous that she could barely lift her hand.

Seeing his opponent trapped so easily, a flicker of doubt passed through Ye Shu's eyes.

Wait—this is Li Qingran we're talking about!

One of the most gifted female protagonists, an early-stage boss. With the system's enhancement, she should at least be stronger than her original self, right?

How could she have been caught so easily?

She's definitely still holding back.

Fine, I'll make you show your hand!

Ye Shu gritted his teeth and hardened his resolve.

No matter what tricks she pulled, he would crush them all with raw power.

With that thought, he held nothing back. All his spiritual energy converged onto the Qingxuan Sword. The sword hummed loudly, its runes swirling frantically like chains of gold.

"Slash!!!"

Ye Shu swung his sword with all his might.

The sword light was like a rainbow, dazzling as the sun; heaven and earth dimmed before its brilliance.

"Miss! Dodge!"

Xiaocui's desperate cry echoed across the square.

Ye Shu kept his eyes locked on Li Qingran, waiting to see what she would do next—would she finally counterattack, or had she prepared some secret technique to deflect the blow?

But—Li Qingran did not dodge.

"Is she that cocky?" Ye Shu marveled inwardly. Even he would have had to retreat from this strike, yet she didn't even flinch.

In the next second, he understood why.

Mid-stage Golden Core?!

The moment his sword light made contact, the sensation beneath it made Ye Shu's face contort.

What—what the hell?

Wasn't Li Qingran at the peak of Golden Core a year ago? Why was she now only at the mid stage?

This strike of his, at full power, could kill an Nascent Soul cultivator. By the normal script, Li Qingran—at early Nascent Soul stage, as the female lead—would at most be severely injured even if she couldn't fully block it. But now, she was only at early Golden Core.

That meant...

He might have just become a wife-killer.