Chapter 24. When Will the Last Night Come?

A few days later.

Hugong, under the guise of meditation, spared no effort to practice Yunqixingong, carefully controlling his entry and exit. His focus was on mastering "Jiaoling."

To confront the Ximen family, "Jiaoling" was essential. However, the level he had demonstrated against the head of the guard, Tian Guiyin, was not enough. He needed to achieve a state where his movements were so natural that the opponent would not even realize their acupoints had been struck, even after hitting seven of them. It had to be as if he was merely caressing them, just a light touch.

On the fourth night,

Hugong tested his mastery of Jiaoling.

Crack, crack.

The sound of his joints cracking grew louder as his body rapidly shrank. The speed at which his muscles and bones contracted was so fast that the process was almost invisible.

His form, including his arms, legs, and torso, reduced to about one-third of their original size. The reflection in the mirror showed a figure smaller than a three- or four-year-old child.

"Hmm, not bad."

Hugong was satisfied. Although his current appearance was ridiculous,

He measured his achievement by the speed of transformation when applying it to himself. At this level, he could likely strike seven acupoints on another person with a mere touch.

Furthermore, he could add his secret technique, Yinweifa (Hidden Vulgar Technique), a sophisticated point-striking method known in the martial world as "Houxue."

At the Fenghuazheng, Yun had asked Banjiao about the so-called "预约点穴法" (预约 means reservation, 点穴法 means point-striking technique).

At that moment, Hugong almost widened his eyes, wondering what this guy knew.

The reason Houxue was not well-known and its originator remained a mystery was simple.

The person struck by Houxue could not determine when they had been hit. It could be a day, half a day, or even after a meal. This depended on the skill and intent of the practitioner.

Crack, crack.

Hugong instantly returned to his original size.

"Well then."

That night, Hugong left his room and headed to the chief steward.

It was late, but Songhua, who called himself a shadow, appeared as if he had been waiting and followed closely behind. Hugong's expression naturally turned sour.

"Does this kid never sleep?"

The chief steward was tied to a chair.

He was barely conscious, his head hanging low, looking like a lifeless corpse.

"Untie him."

"Yes, Young Master."

The two guards immediately untied the chief steward.

As the ropes were removed, the chief steward's body began to lean to the side. The guards quickly caught him.

"Master, are you going to tie him up again?"

Songhua smiled triumphantly, as if he had seen through everything.

Hugong frowned.

"You should go to sleep. Why are you following me in your nightclothes and making so much noise!"

"I am your shadow, Young Master."

"Hmph, what kind of shadow in the world has such beautiful, sparkling eyes?"

Songhua blinked and shut his mouth.

Hugong snorted and then lightly touched the chief steward's shoulder, arm, side, back, and neck, striking seven acupoints.

Songhua and the guards looked on with confusion.

Seeing Hugong, who should have been eager to kill the chief steward, gently touching and caressing him, they couldn't understand the meaning.

But no one dared to ask and just watched.

When they thought Hugong might be planning to release or heal the chief steward, he turned around.

"Retie him."

***

The next morning.

"Brothers."

"Yes, Elder Brother."

Yun and Fumeng, called by their eldest brother, respectfully responded.

Yun was holding a brush, and Fumeng was grinding ink. Their eldest brother had said he was going to send a letter, but they hadn't heard where it was going or what it contained.

"Last night, I had a dream. In the dream, I met a Daoist who seemed like an immortal."

"Wow, a good omen, Elder Brother!"

"Elder Brother, an immortal! It seems our Tianhua Library will receive great fortune. What did he say?"

Yun and Fumeng were already excited, their bottoms fidgeting.

Hugong spoke solemnly and softly.

"Run!"

"Huh?"

"He shouted that one word and then rode the clouds and left."

"Run? Run from what?"

"Yes."

"What does he mean by run from what?"

"The Ximen family, of course."

Yun and Fumeng looked at their brushes and ink.

Then they opened their eyes wide.

"What! Just because of a dream, you're going to send a peace letter to the Ximen family?"

"Elder Brother! After all this, you're going to act as if nothing happened? After all your meditation, is this the conclusion?"

"There's nothing we can do."

As Hugong's voice carried a tone of resignation, the two younger brothers were furious.

"That's not acceptable. They tried to destroy our family."

"It's about accepting reality."

"Reality? Bah!"

Yun, in a fit of anger, threw his brush, and Fumeng tossed the ink to the floor, staining the room black.

Yun and Fumeng shouted.

"Do you want to live so badly, Elder Brother?"

"Are you afraid of dying, Elder Brother?"

Hugong knew how to calm them down.

He just needed to look at them steadily.

That was enough.

Sure enough, the two brothers, who had been raging a moment ago, now stood frozen, their faces bewildered.

"Uh..."

"Uh..."

After shouting so angrily, they realized they were facing their eldest brother.

The dark root of the family.

A man who had lived despite numerous attempts to end his own life.

A man who had tried to commit suicide over two hundred times.

Such a man stood before them.

Seeming afraid of death.

Swallowing hard.

The two brothers swallowed hard, and Hugong frowned.

"Can't I live a little longer?"

"No, you can."

"Of course you can. Elder Brother, you must live."

Hugong snorted.

"Rude brats. How dare you defy me. We're all trying to survive. Songhua!"

"Yes, Young Master. I'm here."

As soon as he was called, Songhua appeared with a stick, holding it out respectfully.

Hugong narrowed his eyes.

"What is this? Clean the room!"

"Huh? Yes, Young Master!"

Fumeng started grinding ink again, and Yun prepared to write the letter.

A peace letter to the Ximen family's patriarch.

Hugong read out the content word by word, occasionally glancing out the window.

"It's time..."

"Elder Brother, should I write that too?"

"No."

The two younger brothers felt that Hugong was waiting for something as he kept looking out the window, but they also felt a sense of despair due to their situation, making them feel sad.

At that moment,

"Eldest Young Master!"

An urgent voice came from outside.

Hugong smiled inwardly.

'It's done.'

Though he was confident, the worry that it might not work had vanished.

"What's the commotion?"

"The chief steward suddenly had a seizure. His joints shrank and twisted. His legs bent backward and even went over his waist. It's terrifying. Eldest Young Master, we swear we didn't touch him. What could have happened?"

Hugong was pleased.

Houxue? No, to Hugong, it was Yinweifa.

Jiaoling had taken effect.

The Jiaoling he had applied to the chief steward last night, which seemed like mere caressing, had manifested at the scheduled time.

But he couldn't reveal this.

Hugong sternly shouted to the outside.

"What nonsense are you spouting at this hour! Why is the chief steward shrinking! What if he dies!"

***

In the Ximen family's patriarch's office.

"I was negligent."

The bald old man bowed, seeking forgiveness.

The blue veins on his head stood out in the sunlight. He was a strategist known as "Bainao" (Hundred Brains) for his strategic and tactical prowess.

Ximen Chui, the patriarch of the Ximen family, shook his head.

His gentle smile appeared.

"Hehe, it's not your fault. If everything went as planned, life would be easier, but that's not how the world works. The Tianhua Library incident was unexpected, even to me. I didn't think their eldest son would change. It's almost like a natural disaster. Since the Tianhua Library has acted quickly and submitted, let's cover it up."

"Yes."

"Bring the eldest son here."

A moment later, the eldest son of the Ximen family, Ximen Xiong, entered the office.

"Did you call for me, Father?"

"A letter has come from the Tianhua Library. They want to meet in person to apologize for the unpleasant rumors. You will handle this. Question them strictly to ensure this doesn't happen again, but don't push too hard. Show leniency and make them rely on you while they struggle."

"Yes, I will."

"One more thing. Don't meet them outside. Invite them to the main house. I want to see what has happened to the Tianhua Library's eldest son and how much he has changed. It would also be good to invite the children of other prestigious families. Host a simple banquet to naturally clarify the situation and demonstrate the main house's power."

"Yes, Father."

Ximen Xiong bowed deeply.

***

Four days later.

The Ximen family's reply arrived at the Tianhua Library.

Hugong was extremely pleased after reading the letter.

Originally, his letter had requested a meeting outside, but the reply invited them to the main house.

What pleased him even more was that the children of nearby prestigious families were also invited, creating a natural atmosphere for using Jiaoling.

The Ximen family's intention was likely to humiliate them in front of everyone, but that was not a problem.

However, regardless of Hugong's inner thoughts, the Tianhua Library held a "First Heaven Scolding Conference" due to this letter.

First, the old patriarch.

"How can a prestigious family like the Ximen family be so shameless? What do these polite expressions mean! They act as if they don't understand anything, not even an apology!"

Then, Yun and Fumeng.

"Grandfather, the Ximen people are not human. Their behavior is that of beasts in human form. The letter was written by the eldest son, not the patriarch!"

"Is this what power allows? They cover up their evil deeds with their authority and turn truth into lies. Grandfather, can we really live in such a world?"

The faces of the two younger brothers were flushed red,

"Cough, cough... You scoundrels... Cough..."

The uncle, whose health had improved enough to move, also expressed his anger with harsh coughs. The entire family was in a state of fury.

Hugong, of course, could not remain silent and joined in, talking about divine punishment.

When the "First Heaven Scolding Conference" turned into a weeping and consoling session, Hugong slipped away.

"I need some fresh air."

As Hugong walked out, Songhua and the four guards followed like shadows.