Chapter 33: Star Concealing, Offering Blood to Hatred (Part 1)

In the outskirts of the Cloud Flowing City, in a corner of a dilapidated building.

Xiao Che sat quietly there, his body pressed weakly against the icy wall behind him, his eyes, devoid of focus, staring blankly ahead, as though his soul had fled his body.

He had maintained this posture for several hours.

In this life, he was abandoned by his parents, never knowing his true parents even until death. The only thing connected to them was the pendant he wore at his chest.

In another life, in the Wind and Cloud Land, his parents both perished in childhood, yet at least he knew their names, had an grandfather, an aunt… but Heaven played another cruel joke. All of it was a lie.

His grandfather was not his real grandfather, his aunt was not his real aunt…

He still did not know his parents, nor did he know his surname.

Two lifetimes had given him a broad heart, yet he could not yet accept this rootless drifting feeling.

Who am I, really? Where should I go next?

Expelled from the Xiao Sect, he could never step foot in their grounds again. And he knew, it was not just the Xiao Sect—he could no longer remain in the entire Cloud Flowing City. He had not yet left, for he feared for his grandfather and aunt, at least to confirm their safety.

Time slowly passed, from morning to noon, then the sky darkened gradually.

Despite going a day without food, Xiao Che felt no hunger. When the sun had fully set, Xiao Che finally lifted his head. In his previously lifeless eyes, a terrifying, demonic light slowly coalesced. In silence, he smiled—a chilling, ghostly grin, his mouth twisted into a grotesque smile.

In that heartless smile, he slowly extended his left hand, and in his palm, a sprig of jade-green grass appeared… one of the two hidden grasses he had found in the mountains on the night he was to marry Summer Bright Moon. He gazed at the hidden grass, and in his palm, jade-green light erupted, enveloping the grass.

Beneath the jade-green light, the hidden grass twisted, contracted, changed color… and finally turned into a pile of dark green powder.

Xiao Che gently blew, and the dark green powder scattered at once. In his palm remained a single, transparent bead, appearing without his knowing when.

This was the core, the most abominable ability of the Heavenly Poison Bead—forging!

The creation of a pill often requires multiple ingredients, ground and refined, fired, infused with mystical energy, and many steps. The process is arduous, inevitably causing some loss of medicinal power, and carries a certain failure rate. Especially for high-grade pills, vast sums are needed for rare materials, and the failure rate is extremely high. If it fails, all is lost. Moreover, only those of great skill can forge such pills, requiring mastery of alchemy, cauldrons, environmental conditions, and mystical energy.

But the Heavenly Poison Bead requires none of this. In a short time, it rapidly refines the most exquisite parts of the materials, perfectly fusing them. The entire process wastes no medicinal power, and there is no failure. The useless parts are entirely excluded by the bead. Once bound to a master, it can, by the master’s will, forge and fuse specific components.

This ability was so terrifying that all people in the world went mad with fear! The top sects of the Cloud Flowing Land had united to hunt him down, not because of the poison’s power, but because of its unfathomable, law-defying forging and fusing ability!

As long as suitable and sufficient materials were present, the Heavenly Poison Bead would, in a short time, flawlessly forge the most perfect pill, with no risk.

If this ability of the Heavenly Poison Bead spread across the Tianxuan Land, the Tianxuan Land would surely erupt in chaos, and those hunting Xiao Che would be no fewer than in the Cloud Flowing Land.

Looking at the transparent bead in his hand, Xiao Che’s smile grew darker, more terrifying. He opened his mouth, and the bead was thrust into his throat, swallowed down. Instantly, his body seemed to flicker, then slowly vanished from where he stood… as if he had completely evaporated.

[Xingyuan Dan]: Requires only one hidden grass to forge directly. Upon consumption, grants [Perfect Invisibility] for three hours. The body, voice, breath, and all possessions are fully hidden.

The hidden grass is an extraordinary substance. The Xingyuan Dan forged from it is even more extraordinary! For it grants an effect beyond the comprehension of the Tianxuan Land, beyond human understanding, and has never been imagined by anyone. Xiao Che fully believed he was using the first Xingyuan Dan in the Tianxuan Land, for only the hidden grass can form the Xingyuan Dan, and only the Heavenly Poison Bead can forge the hidden grass.

Without a sound or a trace, Xiao Che rose and walked toward the Xiao Sect.

The sky had darkened, yet within the Xiao Sect, lights blazed brightly.

Xiao Che stepped through the Xiao Sect’s main gate, walking straight ahead, his movements casual, showing no caution or care. Passersby among the Sect’s disciples did not even glance his way. The invisibility from the Xingyuan Dan was flawless, for it did not merely render his body transparent—it fully concealed his breath, his internal energy, as if hiding him entirely in the unseen spaces between. In the Cloud Flowing Land, the first time he used the Xingyuan Dan, even a Sect’s patriarch powerful enough to rank among the top ten in the land failed to detect him within ten steps.

Xiao Che walked forward, his face calm and steady. Along the way, listening to whispered conversations, he knew that Summer Bright Moon had been taken by her master, and Xiao Lie and Xiao Lingxi had been locked away in the mountain behind, sealed for a full fifteen years.

The result of today’s Xiao Sect gathering was undoubtedly Xiao Yu Long, who would leave with Xiao Chaoyun and the others to return to the Xiao Sect tomorrow.

Approaching the meeting hall, Xiao Che stopped, standing still, listening to their conversation inside.

“Yu Long, tomorrow you’ll accompany Xiao Gongzi back to the Xiao Sect—be sure to remember the kindness he showed you today!”

“Of course, Xiao Gongzi’s kindness and grace are beyond measure, Yu Long can never forget… Yu Long will salute Xiao Gongzi three times…”

“…Xiao Yu Long, today’s events, though all fell apart, are not your fault. Who could have known that Summer Bright Moon was actually a disciple of the Frost Cloud Sage Hall? Your personality does suit me. Within the Xiao Sect, as long as you follow instructions, I won’t mistreat you.”

“Thank… thank you, Xiao Gongzi! You are truly my lucky star, Yu Long will be loyal and faithful to Xiao Gongzi, never wavering… Summer Bright Moon’s matter, I never anticipated… but my plan to betray Xiao Lingxi… ah, it wasn’t entirely in vain. Though there was Chu Yuelu, Xiao Gongzi can’t act on her now, but in a year and a half, when Xiao Gongzi returns here for some reason, Xiao Lingxi might still escape… hehehehe…”

………………

Xiao Yu Long’s voice was slurred, clearly quite drunk. Xiao Che’s face grew colder, his hands gripping tightly. Then, he turned and walked away, heading toward the East Courtyard. When he emerged from the East Courtyard, he now held a short blade that seemed to have appeared from nowhere, and he strode directly toward the North Courtyard.

North Courtyard, Room 11—this belonged to Xiao Yu Long. It was empty. Xiao Che pushed the door open, glanced at the room’s layout, then coldly smiled, walking toward the opposite window, raising the short blade, and thrusting it into the window. When he pulled it out, a fist-sized hole had been carved into the glass.

Then, Xiao Che stood beside it, waiting silently for Xiao Yu Long’s arrival.

Not long before he waited, two minutes later, the door outside creaked open, and Xiao Yu Long stumbled in, supported by Xiao Yang, drunk as ever, the scent of alcohol clinging to him.

“Brother, these years I’ve been at your side, supporting you. After you go to the Xiao Sect, you must remember me.” Xiao Yang helped him to the bed, saying with a fawning smile.

He couldn’t imagine that at this moment, someone was silently standing two steps to his left, staring coldly at him.

“Oh… hiccup…”

Xiao Yu Long, clearly drunk, nodded twice vaguely, then collapsed face-first onto the bed, humming a tune. Xiao Yang, seeing this, shoved him back onto the bed, then turned and left, closing the door.

Xiao Che approached Xiao Yu Long’s bed, slowly raising his short blade.

Facing opposition, he could never match Xiao Yu Long. Even with the hidden grass, he might not be able to kill him. For even in a state of vulnerability, when attacked, the body’s mystical energy would reflexively protect it. With his barely developed mystical energy, a regular blade might not even pierce Xiao Yu Long’s body, which had reached the third level of mystical energy.

The invisibility of the Xingyuan Dan was not flawless. If someone touched the concealed body, the invisibility would immediately vanish. If he failed to strike, and the opponent touched him instead, he would be forced into a disadvantageous position… even death.

But now, Xiao Yu Long was heavily drunk—a perfect opportunity.

He glanced at the hole he had made in the window earlier, calculated the position, squinted his eyes, and suddenly brought the short blade down with all his strength, thrusting it into Xiao Yu Long’s lower dantian, to the left… At the moment of the thrust, his body leaped, landing in the corner.

This blade could have severed Xiao Yu Long’s throat, ending his life—but he did not.

How could he let Xiao Yu Long die? If he died so simply, how could he vent his hatred?

He wanted to completely crush Xiao Yu Long’s dream, letting him fall from heaven to hell, making him live not to die!

The show was just beginning.

————————————————

Thank you to the ten thousand rewards from Zhi Wei Jun—yes, yes, a longtime friend.

Thank you to the genius magician Tian Jiang for ten thousand rewards—our great friend… well, who doesn’t know?

Thank you to the ten thousand rewards from the end Xiao Xi… ceramic sister, you must have really gotten rich, right? (⊙o⊙)…

Thank you to the ten thousand rewards from the love of Cheng He for another ten thousand—truly a top-tier big spender on Tieba, bowing…

Thank you to the ten thousand rewards from the sorrowful Luo—embracing the white jade companion’s thigh!

Thank you to the twelve thousand rewards from Na Xi—oh, this name… it’s not even a girl’s name—||

Finally, thank you to the one million rewards from Xuan Yu EX—sacred +1! Yes! Oh, and Xuan Baiwan Jun, you’re not just a true big spender, but also an author, currently serializing “Spirit Contract” on this platform. This book… well, to put it simply, you just need to glance at the introduction to see how scandalous it is!!!