Chapter 35

"Ah!!!!"

A large splash of blood burst from Xiaoyulong's lower abdomen. Xiaoyulong, who was still in a drunken state, let out a pig-like scream and fell off the bed, clutching his stomach and rolling on the ground in agony.

The door was suddenly pushed open. Xiaoyang, who had not gone far, rushed back in a panic after hearing the scream. When he saw the situation, his face turned pale, and his hands trembled nervously: "Big... Big Brother!"

He wanted to help Xiaoyulong but was afraid to touch him. After a moment of panic, he rushed out as fast as he could, and soon his frantic shouts could be heard outside: "Patriarch... Patriarch! Xiaoyulong... Xiaoyulong has been attacked... Patriarch!!"

Under the night sky, Xiaoyang's voice carried far, turning the previously quiet Xiaomen into a chaotic mess. Looking at Xiaoyulong, who was writhing on the ground in pain, Xiaocheng smiled coldly, pushed the door open, and walked out unhurriedly.

Before long, Xiaoyunhai, Xiaogu, and several elders rushed in. Seeing Xiaoyulong, who had been stabbed in the abdomen with a short knife and was covered in blood, Xiaoyunhai's head spun, and he staggered forward: "Yulong... Yulong!!"

"Father..." Xiaoyulong's consciousness had not faded, and he was now fully sober. He reached out to grab Xiaoyunhai's sleeve, his voice weak and pained.

"Quick! Get him to the bed!" Xiaogu said, quickly fetching the medicine box. The other elders who had followed were also shocked... Who! Who did this?!

Xiaoyulong was laid on the bed, and Xiaoyunhai and the head elder used their spiritual energy to stop the bleeding. Xiaoyunhai, with a twisted face, asked: "Xiaogu, how is the situation?"

Xiaogu's brows were tightly furrowed. Hearing Xiaoyunhai's question, he sighed deeply and said, "His life is not in danger. The attacker clearly did not intend to kill him, but this stab... it's too vicious. It hit the 'Xin Heart' of the spiritual meridian. If this point is pierced, the spiritual meridian will be like a punctured balloon, not only damaging the meridian but also draining all his spiritual energy."

"What...!?"

"The complete draining of all his spiritual energy" made Xiaoyunhai feel as if he had been struck by thunder, his face turning white. He tried to remain calm and asked with a glimmer of hope: "Then... how long will it take to recover?"

Xiaogu shook his head: "It's not just drained but completely exhausted, making it impossible to recover. But fortunately, the damage to the spiritual meridian can be repaired. After repair, he can... start over from the beginning."

Xiaoyunhai's body swayed, and Xiaoyulong's face was filled with despair.

This stab did not take Xiaoyulong's life, but it completely drained his spiritual energy! And it happened at the most crucial turning point in his life!

As if a pie had fallen from the sky, the Xiaomen suddenly got a chance to enter the Xiaozong. Xiaoyulong had gone to great lengths to secure this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, finally able to soar to new heights. But just as this dream was about to come true, he was completely drained of his spiritual energy... They could all imagine that Xiaokuangyun would never take a useless person with no spiritual energy back to the Xiaozong!

"Who... Who is it... Who could be so vicious!! Who!!"

Xiaoyunhai's face was ashen, and his body trembled. He had been in an unprecedentedly good mood because Xiaoyulong was about to go to the Xiaozong. He had even prepared Xiaoyulong's travel gear in the afternoon. But just as he had taken two steps on the path to paradise, he fell back into hell.

"Patriarch, calm down! Yulong is still conscious; he might know who did this." Xiaoli said with a grim face.

Xiaoyunhai snapped out of his daze and quickly came to Xiaoyulong's side, asking in a stern voice: "Yulong! Did you see who stabbed you?"

At this moment, Xiaoyulong's abdomen had been wrapped in a bandage by Xiaogu, and his condition was temporarily stable. He shook his head and said painfully, "I don't know... I didn't see anyone..."

"Didn't see anyone?" Xiaoyunhai's eyes widened. At this moment, Xiaocheng suddenly noticed something and exclaimed, "Look at that window!"

On the opposite window, there was a fist-sized hole. Xiaoyunhai placed his hand on it, his body radiating a killing intent.

"Clearly, someone was hiding behind the window, waiting for Yulong to come in. Taking advantage of his drunken state, they threw the short knife to injure him!" Xiaoli said solemnly. "This courtyard is in the middle of the Xiaomen, yet someone managed to sneak in and carry out the attack without being detected... This person either knows the Xiaomen very well or is someone from within the Xiaomen itself!!"

As he spoke, Xiaoli's gaze inadvertently swept over Xiaobo, Xiaoze, and Xiaocheng.

Xiaoli's words made Xiaoyunhai's heart race... The Xiaomen was a top-tier spiritual cultivation family in Liuyuncheng. Sneaking into the Xiaomen to attack the patriarch's son was extremely difficult and risky. And Xiaoyulong was known for his polite and well-mannered demeanor, so who would have a reason to attack him?

But if the attacker was from within the Xiaomen, it would be much easier to explain!

If the attacker was from within the Xiaomen, "sneaking in" would be incredibly simple, and they could easily catch Xiaoyulong in his drunken state. The motive... would naturally be jealousy over Xiaoyulong being taken back to the Xiaozong! By disabling or killing him, the Xiaozong would choose someone else, giving the attacker a chance!

Thinking about this, Xiaoyunhai felt a chill run down his spine, and his vigilance soared... Because the second, third, and fourth elders all had significant motives! They dreamed of sending their grandsons to the Xiaozong! Faced with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, they could do anything, no matter how insane.

"Xiaogu, how is Yulong's condition now?" Xiaoyunhai asked through gritted teeth, trying to remain calm.

"The wound has been stopped and treated, and there's no immediate danger. With Yulong's constitution, he should recover to about 70-80% in a couple of weeks. However, repairing the spiritual meridian will take a few months. When that's done, he will have to start cultivating his spiritual energy from scratch." Xiaogu said honestly.

Just then, a frantic cry came from outside the door: "Fire!! Fire!! The medicine room and the southern courtyard... are on fire!!"

"What!!"

Xiaogu turned around and ran out as if his life depended on it. The medicine room stored countless herbs and formulas, which he valued like his life. Xiaoyunhai and the others were also shocked because the southern courtyard was where the patriarch and the elders lived!

Without a word, the four elders sprinted out. Xiaoyunhai hesitated for a moment and then said urgently to Xiaoyulong: "Yulong, your wound is not serious now. Rest well and don't worry about anything else. I will catch the person who attacked you as soon as possible!!"

With that, Xiaoyunhai quickly left, heading straight for the southern courtyard. That place contained all the important things he had accumulated in his life. Hearing about the fire, he could not stay away.

The room was left with Xiaoyulong alone. With his spiritual meridian damaged and severely injured, Xiaoyulong lay motionless... He was too weak to move, let alone lift a finger. He stared blankly at the ceiling, his eyes dark, hoping this was just a nightmare...

Tap, tap, tap...

Despite the room being empty, Xiaoyulong suddenly heard a low, heavy footsteps. This sound made him shudder, and he strained to turn his head toward the source... He saw a figure approaching him... A person who should not be there...

"Xia... Cheng!?" Seeing the person who appeared like a ghost at the foot of his bed, Xiaoyulong's eyes widened in disbelief. He had been expelled from the Xiaomen and was never allowed to return... How could he be here?

During the three hours of "Star Concealment," unless the concealment was passively removed, Xiaocheng could freely cancel and re-enter the concealment until the three hours were up. Standing at Xiaoyulong's bedside, he looked at him coldly: "Xiaoyulong, you look surprised."

"You... How... How can you be here!!" Xiaoyulong's voice was hoarse and strained. He struggled to sit up but only managed to lift half an arm before collapsing again.

"How can I be here?" Xiaocheng smiled, a smile that seemed friendly but sent a chill down Xiaoyulong's spine. He slowly picked up the short knife that Xiaogu had removed from Xiaoyulong and pointed it at him: "Of course, I'm here to collect a debt."

"Collect a debt? What debt? Do you know what you're doing!" Xiaoyulong's body twitched, and his pupils dilated in terror: "The person who attacked me was you? No... Impossible! Impossible!!"

"Do you have the nerve to ask me what debt I should collect!" Xiaocheng's smile vanished, replaced by a demonic, twisted expression. His features contorted in a terrifying way, and his hand holding the short knife trembled with boundless killing intent and hatred...

"On my wedding day, you used the Heart-Killing Powder to poison me! If it weren't for fate's favor, I would already be dead!!"

"To advance your own career, you fawned over Xiaokuangyun, framing my aunt, forcing me and Xia Qingyue apart, and driving me out of the Xiaomen... Ha, driving me out of the Xiaomen was one thing, but if it weren't for Xia Qingyue being a disciple of the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace and her master being nearby, Xia Qingyue would have suffered a terrible fate, and my aunt would have been taken back to the Xiaozong, enduring endless humiliation! My grandfather would have been left alone, living in sorrow..."

"Xiaoyulong... Tell me... What debt should I collect from you!!!!"

"How should I treat you to make you pay this debt!!!!"

With a roar of hatred, Xiaocheng raised the short knife and stabbed it into Xiaoyulong.

"Stop... Stop!! Ah!!!!"

The gleaming short knife sliced through Xiaoyulong's legs, and blood splattered as it mercilessly severed his Achilles tendons.

Xiaoyulong let out a blood-curdling scream and convulsed in excruciating pain. Seeing his agony, Xiaocheng's face was filled with satisfaction. He raised the knife again and, with a low growl, slashed at Xiaoyulong's hands, causing two jets of blood to spray as his hand tendons were cruelly severed.

"Ah ah ah!!!!"

Xiaoyulong's screams were like the wails of a demon, his limbs covered in blood, and he was plunged into a deep abyss of pain and fear. He never imagined that the usually weak and insecure Xiaocheng would really try to kill him, and his methods were so cruel and vicious.

"No... No... Spare me... Spare me... I don't want to die... I don't want to die..."

Xiaoyulong's face was as pale as paper, his pupils dilated several times over from pain and extreme fear. Xiaocheng raised the knife again and smiled cruelly: "Die? No, don't worry, I won't let you die... How could I let you die so easily! I won't just let you die; I'll make you live... a life worse than death! I'll make you spend the rest of your life in pain, remembering the consequences of angering me and hurting my loved ones!!"

"This stab, I want you to be blind!!"

Squish!!

Two swift stabs pierced Xiaoyulong's eyes, turning his wide-open eyeballs into a black and white mush.

"Ugh ah ah ah ah ah!!!"

This scream was like a cry from hell, so惨烈 that it could make anyone who heard it shudder and their scalp tingle. But Xiaocheng's face was full of smiles, as if he was listening to heavenly music. He pulled the knife out, narrowed his eyes, and said with a faint smile: "Tsk tsk, what a powerful scream. Enjoy it while you can, because you won't be able to make such a beautiful sound again."

Rip!!

"This stab, I want you to be mute for the rest of your life!!"

The short knife was thrust fiercely into Xiaoyulong's mouth, and when it was pulled out, a blood-red tongue and several teeth flew out.

"This stab, I want you to be deaf for the rest of your life!!"

Squish!!

The knife flashed, and blood splattered as Xiaoyulong's ears were severed and fell to the cold ground, dripping with blood.

"This stab, I want you to... be childless!! You, a despicable person, do not deserve to have offspring!!"

The blood-soaked short knife was raised and plunged into Xiaoyulong's groin...

"Ugh ah ah..."

Xiaoyulong's body stiffened, and even his hoarse screams gradually faded away...

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