Chapter 35: Life Background

The apothecary’s shop and the South Ward both erupted in fires of such peculiar intensity. It was clearly an act of arson, yet not a single soul in the vicinity had witnessed any suspicious shadow. Even the man stationed at the door of the apothecary’s shop saw nothing—no one entered or exited.

But thank heavens the flames were not too fierce; they were quickly brought under control. Xiao Yunhai swiftly organized the troops, then, in a panic, summoned Xiao Gu to race back to the courtyard of Xiao Yulong.

Pushing open the door, Xiao Yunhai had barely begun to call out Xiao Yulong’s name when he was struck as if by a bolt of heaven’s own fury, frozen in place.

Xiao Yulong was nowhere to be seen on his bed. Instead, he lay sprawled on the floor like a dead dog, his body twisted at grotesque angles. His entire frame was drenched in blood, with thick, blackened wounds at his wrists and ankles. His hands and feet were grotesquely twisted, his face obscured by a mask of blood—only two remnants of flesh remained at his temples, his nose and upper lip had vanished entirely, and from his mouth bubbled forth a froth of blood. His eyes were hollow, black voids oozing a mixture of red, white, and black fluid… His manhood, too, had been utterly drenched in fresh crimson.

Xiao Gu trembled all over, his legs buckling beneath him as he sank to his knees. In his lifetime as a healer, he had seen countless wounds and injuries, but never anything so barbaric, so horrifying, so utterly devastating. Yet from Xiao Yulong’s pallid, lifeless complexion, he could tell the boy was not yet dead… his life force still pulsed fiercely. But such a fate—more harrowing than a hundred deaths—was sheer torment.

Xiao Yunhai shook with terror, his heart pounding like a caged beast. His face had drained of all color, leaving him as white as paper. He felt a vague sense of someone approaching, and Xiao Yulong’s body convulsed once, his blood-swollen mouth emitting a sound like sandpaper scraping against bone—a sound of pure, unbearable despair.

Xiao Yunhai staggered forward, then roared like a madman: “Who is it?! Who is it?! Who is it?!”

“Get out! Get out! I’ll skin you alive! I’ll flay you! I’ll cut off your descendants! I’ll make you suffer eternal damnation!”

His rage was a tempest of hatred and madness, as if his chest would burst open, his veins ready to rupture. Before him, his own son—once a living, breathing human—now lay broken, a carcass no more human than a ghost. He longed to weep a thousand tears, to descend into the very madness that consumed him.

“Who is it?! Who is it?! Get out! Get out… AHHHHH!!!”

With a guttural scream that tore through the air, Xiao Yunhai lunged forward two strides, shattering the back window with a single blow. Then, in a moment of horror, he noticed two rows of blood-red characters scrawled on the wall—written in his son’s own blood.

“Xiao Lao Gou! To honor your dogged son, who is about to ascend the Xiao Clan, I offer this grand gift. Please accept my humble regards.”

“Aaahhh!”

Xiao Yunhai’s fist struck the blood-smeared wall with a thunderous crash, shattering it to pieces. Then, with a final, blood-soaked roar, he expelled a jet of blood from his mouth, rolled his eyes skyward, and collapsed face-first onto the floor.

——

After slaughtering Xiao Yulong, Xiao Che returned to his chamber, placing the clothes Xiao Lin Xi had sewn for him, along with all his savings, into the Heavenly Poison Jewel. His savings were modest—just 1,800 Yellow Spirit Coins.

Before leaving, he hesitated, then also tucked the quilt he and Summer Qingyue had shared into the jewel.

“The place I’ve lived for sixteen years… I suppose I won’t come back here again.”

Xiao Che lingered, gazing at the place with a mixture of nostalgia—not for the doorway itself, but for the countless memories it held. Before he was eleven, this room had been both his and Xiao Lin Xi’s. They had lived together day and night, nearly inseparable, always by each other’s side…

After a long pause, he slipped back into hiding, scaling the wall into the rear mountains.

There was still over an hour before the Star Hiding Pill would expire. He intended to use it to meet Xiao Hui and Xiao Lin Xi, to confirm their safety. But Xiao Yulong? Not worth wasting a single pill on. Even on his first day of rebirth, he had found two Star Hiding Grass plants. He was certain that such a rare treasure as Star Hiding Grass would not be found more than ten times across the entire Tianyuan Continent.

Killing Xiao Yulong had been mere collateral. For himself, for his grandfather and aunt, to reclaim some measure of justice… merely a fraction of justice!

What he truly sought was Xiao Huoyun. But even with the Star Hiding Pill’s power, he could not yet strike Xiao Huoyun down. Though he did not know Xiao Huoyun’s cultivation, even a fool like him—born of the Xiao Sect—must possess a cultivation level countless tiers above Xiao Yulong.

But not yet. There would come a day when he could… This debt he swore to repay a thousandfold! He was no longer the timid, self-doubting Xiao Che of before. His heart now beat with the spirit of one who would stand alone against all the world’s clans. He would crush his master, and swear that every sect would perish with him! He would wound his kin, and swear that the Xiao Sect, and Xiao Huoyun, would rue the day they met him!

His methods of slaughtering Xiao Yulong were so brutal that any who witnessed the scene would sweat through their clothes, haunted by nightmares. Yet in his eyes, it was nothing compared to the cruelty owed to those who dared cross him.

The Xiao Sect was now in chaos, its warning bells ringing endlessly. This, too, was precisely what Xiao Che had desired. His slaughter of Xiao Yulong, his arson within the Sect, had one other purpose: to force the Xiao Sect to issue a full summons. With such a summons, even those stationed in the rear mountains would be compelled to return.

As he had predicted, he had not traveled far before encountering four members of the Xiao Sect rushing toward him, their faces etched with panic, cutting through the air like wind.

Xiao Che quickened his pace, sprinting toward the rear mountains and the Gorge of Si Guo.

The Gorge of Si Guo was where the Xiao Sect exiled children who had erred. It was dark and damp in summer, icy and cold in winter. Fortunately, the entrance was narrow, preventing the most ferocious cultivated beasts from entering.

In Xiao Che’s memory, few had ever been sent there, and none stayed longer than two months. Yet the Sect, fully aware that Xiao Lin Xi had been framed, still chose to imprison them for fifteen years.

Fifteen years… How many such spans does a lifetime hold? Xiao Lin Xi was only fifteen. If she remained here, her most beautiful years would be spent in darkness, cold, and solitude. Such a punishment was monstrous.

Removing his concealment, Xiao Che stood before the gorge’s entrance, his fists clenched. How could he let his grandfather and aunt remain trapped here? But now, he lacked the power to rescue them. He could only watch, endure, and curse…

Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward. Without concealment, his footsteps echoed as he approached. The sound drew Xiao Hui’s attention, who looked up sharply. When their eyes met, Xiao Hui froze, his voice catching: “Chen’er!!”

“Ah!”

A girl’s startled cry echoed, followed by hurried footsteps. Xiao Lin Xi emerged beside Xiao Hui, her face pale and disheveled, her hair tousled. Upon seeing Xiao Che, she raised a hand to cover her mouth, standing rooted to the spot. A torrent of tears welled in her eyes…

“Little Chen!” she called, rushing to him, throwing herself into his arms with a desperate embrace, sobbing uncontrollably. She had believed she would spend fifteen years imprisoned, that Xiao Che would be exiled from the Sect, that she would not see him again for at least fifteen years. Yet here he stood, as if from a dream.

Xiao Hui approached, his face alight with emotion: “Chen’er… you… you came back? Did the Sect send you back?”

Xiao Che shook his head, gently patting Xiao Lin Xi’s trembling back: “I came back on my own. But rest assured, grandfather, something terrible has happened within the Sect. Everyone has been summoned back. No one will suspect me.”

“…” Xiao Hui nodded, saying nothing. Whatever had transpired within the Sect, he no longer cared. Even if the Sect were destroyed, he would feel no great sorrow.

The gorge contained several caves, some deep, some shallow, all stark and simple, save for a few cold stone tables.

Xiao Lin Xi’s sobs had lasted from dawn to dusk, and Xiao Che had said nothing to stop her, letting her pour out all her hurt, fear, and confusion. To leave her here would surely breed a lingering melancholy. After all, she was still just a fifteen-year-old girl.

When her sobs finally ceased, she was near collapse.

Xiao Che and Xiao Hui sat across from each other at the stone table, Xiao Lin Xi clinging to Xiao Che’s arm, her head resting on his shoulder, refusing to let go—even as Xiao Hui stood beside them.

“Grandpa, I want to know…”

“You want to know who your real parents are, don’t you?” Xiao Hui said calmly, meeting his gaze.

“Yes.” Xiao Che nodded, his eyes steady. “I believe I wasn’t just some random child found in the street… Grandfather, you must know something, right?”

Xiao Lin Xi lifted her eyes, her expression filled with astonishment.

Xiao Hui gazed at Xiao Che for a long moment, then exhaled softly, closing his eyes.

“I always thought this secret would remain with me forever, never to be shared with another… Now that the Xiao Sect can no longer shelter you, and you’ve grown up, it’s time you knew. Blood is blood, after all.”

“Your biological father… he has the surname Cloud…”

——