Chu Xinghui had originally planned to seek help from his fellow disciples at the gate once the kidnappers left the sect or triggered the Mountain-Guarding Formation.

But the kidnappers didn’t go through the main entrance. They hadn’t even triggered the formation and quietly took the two of them out without a sound.

Chu Xinghui couldn’t help but recall a person.

But… before Mu Zeqing was bailed out by Qin Xueyi, his demonic powers should have been completely eliminated.

The kidnappers took the two of them out of the sect and stuffed Chu Xinghui and Ming Xiao into a modest carriage.

High-level cultivators didn’t usually need such traditional transportation, this method was likely to avoid drawing attention.

The carriage wound through a little-traveled path, quickly moving without being noticeable.

There were two kidnappers—a man and a woman—talking softly outside the carriage.

Unexpectedly, the two people outside were Qin Xueyi and Mu Zeqing, who had just been bailed out by her.

Chu Xinghui kept his breathing slow and steady, pretending to be unconscious, then slowly opened his eyes.

When facing high-level cultivators, visual observation is often more discreet than using spiritual sense.

The voices outside were low, and through the thin walls of the carriage, he could barely make out a few words—something about arriving at their destination.

Then, Chu Xinghui heard Mu Zeqing mention a familiar name… Cultivator Biyun.

His heart stirred.

Since Biyun lost consciousness, there had been little to no trace of her.

Ming Xiao was still unconscious, and no matter what methods Chu Xinghui tried, he couldn’t wake him up.

He had to temporarily abandon waking Ming Xiao and began observing his surroundings.

Through the unsealed gap in the window, he could vaguely see the surrounding mountains and forests—apparently, they were still near Beiyue Sword Sect.

Chu Xinghui waited patiently for an opportunity.

After a while, a noise came from the front of the carriage.

Just when Qin Xueyi and Mu Zeqing seemed to be on high alert, Qin Xueyi immediately stepped forward to investigate.

With Qin Xueyi gone, it was much easier to deceive the half-disabled Mu Zeqing.

Chu Xinghui quickly gathered his spiritual power and struck the horse in front of the carriage.

The horse was startled and neighed loudly, galloping madly.

Mu Zeqing, suffering from the backlash of his powers, couldn’t even control an ordinary wild horse. Cursing under his breath, he quickly jumped out of the carriage.

The horse dragged the carriage and crashed into a mountain wall.

The carriage tumbled down the rocky hillside, completely destroyed.

The horse broke free from the reins and quickly fled into the forest.

Both the unconscious Ming Xiao and the “unconscious” Chu Xinghui were thrown out of the broken carriage, tumbling down to the base of a gentle slope.

Up ahead, there seemed to be no unusual happenings, except for a large animal passing by.

When Qin Xueyi saw the situation from a distance, she immediately turned back.

Chu Xinghui had originally planned to escape with Ming Xiao, but Qin Xueyi was moving too quickly, and with Ming Xiao still unconscious, he would be too noticeable to escape without being caught.

At that moment, he received a communication from Xie Liufeng.

Without hesitation, he quickly responded, then placed the highest-level concealment talisman on Ming Xiao, pushed him down a nearby small cliff, and rolled further away to a more conspicuous spot.

It was clear that the two were coming after him. It was only a matter of time before they realized he and Ming Xiao were missing. The two didn’t have much time to spare.

So, once they found him, they probably wouldn’t waste any more time looking for Ming Xiao.

Furthermore… they had mentioned Biyun, and he was curious about what kind of plans they had.

…Since Xie Liufeng had already discovered the issue on his end, he would likely arrive soon. Taking a slight risk wasn’t a big deal.

Qin Xueyi and Mu Zeqing soon spotted him and immediately rushed over.

Qin Xueyi cursed as she walked: “How did you become so useless? You couldn’t even handle a simple carriage?”

Mu Zeqing felt wronged: “How was I supposed to know that horse would go mad? I only nudged it a little!”

Qin Xueyi slapped him hard, her eyes full of rage: “You touched it? Do you not realize the demonic aura around you? I’ve already got enough trouble dealing with the mess you and your father caused, and now you’re making me miserable every day!”

Although Mu Zeqing’s powers were indeed unorthodox, he wasn’t fully consumed by demonic energy. Qin Xueyi’s words were more of an outburst than a factual statement.

Mu Zeqing felt dejected.

He didn’t understand why the mother, who had always been gentle and obedient to him, treated him like this after being bailed out.

The two began to argue.

Chu Xinghui, originally worried that they might discover his actions, was now surprised that the two of them were quarreling instead, leaving him with no suspicion.

In the midst of their argument, the two of them reached Chu Xinghui’s location.

Seeing only Chu Xinghui lying on the ground, Qin Xueyi furrowed her brow: “Where’s the other one?”

She finally began to suspect: “Could he have done something and secretly run away?”

Chu Xinghui continued to lie there, giving off no sense of suspicion.

The two searched for a while. Afraid of delaying things further, Mu Zeqing urged: “Mother, he’s not important. We used the methods we found from Cultivator Biyun. Even if he wakes up, he’ll be too weak to stop us. Don’t waste any more time. Once we reach… there, even if Ming Xiao tries to find help, no one will be able to locate us.”

Chu Xinghui began to piece together the situation.

The methods they found from Biyun… Ming Xiao’s current status was still as a “sacrifice.” No wonder he was so sensitive to this stuff.

Qin Xueyi thought for a moment, then agreed with her son’s reasoning. She took Chu Xinghui and continued their journey.

Chu Xinghui let out a slight sigh of relief.

He had guessed correctly.

Although they were in a desolate area, there weren’t many beasts in the surroundings.

If he wasn’t unlucky enough for the concealment talisman to fail, and if no large beasts passing through the area were to carry Ming Xiao away, he should be safe for now.

It was almost time to reach the destination. Since the carriage had been destroyed, Qin Xueyi and Mu Zeqing wasted no more time and took Chu Xinghui straight to their destination.

It was an unremarkable stretch of forest, with a dry creek bed nearby, a relic of the dry season.

Winter had already arrived, and the air was frigid, with dry, brittle branches and fallen leaves scattered everywhere.

The two of them carefully checked the surroundings, confirming there was no one following them. Only then did Mu Zeqing form a strange and complex magical seal in the air.

He then bit his finger, letting blood drip onto a point in the air.

Suddenly, an ancient-style building appeared in front of them.

Qin Xueyi’s eyes flashed with surprise.

… What a brilliant concealment formation. Even she, a peak-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, hadn’t sensed anything unusual.

She scrutinized Mu Zeqing with a sharp gaze: “How did you find this place?”

“Someone told me about it,” Mu Zeqing said vaguely, opening the door: “Mother, come inside quickly. We can’t let anyone see us.”

The two of them brought the “unconscious” Chu Xinghui into the building, and as soon as the door closed, the whole structure flickered and vanished from sight.

Just before the door shut, Chu Xinghui secretly tossed an item infused with his own aura outside.

This place wasn’t far from where Ming Xiao was. If Xie Liufeng and the others could find Ming Xiao, they would most likely discover this item.

The building was large, with seemingly many rooms.

Chu Xinghui could sense some familiar auras nearby.

It was the scent of that black mist.

He vaguely understood what this place was.

If he wasn’t mistaken… it should be Cultivator Biyun lair.

Who was the “someone” Mu Zeqing had mentioned?

Mu Zeqing led the way, quickly finding a room. He pushed open the door: “This is it.”

Inside the room was a strange setup. On each side were two beds covered in bizarre runes, with a complex array of small formations nested underneath.

Chu Xinghui detected the familiar scent of Crimson Crane Feathers.

Mu Zeqing stared at the device, swallowing nervously: “As long as we use this device to extract our souls, and then I transfer my soul into Chu Xinghui’s body, I can replace him and help my father.”

Possession was a forbidden evil art in the cultivation world. When the soul didn’t match the body, it was easy to detect.

But this device… according to the person who told him about it, it could even deceive the Heavenly Dao, meaning it wouldn’t be detected by any means.

Once that was done… he wouldn’t have to suffer from his demonic powers anymore. Everything Chu Xinghui had would be his.

Mu Zeqing looked at Qin Xueyi, his thoughts growing more intense. He grabbed her arm: “This device can only be controlled by cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage or higher. Mother, you must help me!”

Chu Xinghui hadn’t expected these two to be scheming like this, and almost opened his eyes in surprise.

He quickly calmed himself and began to think.

Mu Zeqing’s combat power was negligible, and Qin Xueyi… Although she wasn’t particularly skilled in combat, the suppression from a peak Nascent Soul cultivator over a Golden Core cultivator was absolute.

Unless he could break through to a higher level on the spot.

But a cultivator in the process of a breakthrough was extremely vulnerable, and even if he forcibly broke through, he would likely be ambushed and fail.

Chu Xinghui discarded this plan and began considering the items in his storage bag.

Xie Liufeng had stuffed him with many life-saving items.

They were typically unnecessary, but this time… if he could strike first and injure Qin Xueyi, there might be a slim chance to escape despite being severely injured.

Perhaps Qin Xueyi had been silent for too long, but Mu Zeqing cautiously called out: “Mother?”

Chu Xinghui’s train of thought was interrupted, and a sudden idea came to him.

Maybe he didn’t have to go all out. Since Qin Xueyi could suppress him with her cultivation, he could just as easily suppress Mu Zeqing with his own powers and find a chance to use him as a hostage.

He made up his mind and continued to feign unconsciousness.

Finally, Qin Xueyi spoke, her voice laced with doubt: “Is there any risk in using this device?”

Mu Zeqing mumbled: “If it fails… both Chu Xinghui and I could be injured, or possibly even die.”

He was afraid that Qin Xueyi wouldn’t help him, so he quickly hid the risks of operating the device from her.

The person who had told him about the device had warned that it could only be used by cultivators at the Transformation Stage or higher, or there would be a risk of backlash.

But now, he was nothing but a wanted man, unable to find a Transformation Stage cultivator to help him take this dangerous risk.

Qin Xueyi was his only option, as she was the highest-level cultivator he could find. After all, the difference between a peak Nascent Soul and Transformation wasn’t that vast.

Qin Xueyi had no idea that Mu Zeqing was deceiving her.

She hesitated for a moment, then made her decision: “At this point, we have no choice but to take the risk.”

Mu Zeqing practiced evil arts and was destined to die eventually. If he couldn’t survive this… then that was just fate.

As for Chu Xinghui… He had been so disobedient. If he didn’t make it through this, at least it would be for the good of the family.

Qin Xueyi gently placed Chu Xinghui onto the bed on the right, caressing his cheek with a hint of sorrow: “Don’t blame your mother for being harsh. I gave you a chance before, but you refused to return with me.”

She couldn’t hold back her tears as she said: “I had no other choice. I could only choose a child who would listen to me.”

While speaking, she carefully sealed off the spiritual power within Chu Xinghui’s body.

Chu Xinghui: “…”

It wasn’t a big issue, he could barely break free from it if needed.

But the moment she touched his face, he felt a wave of nausea and almost vomited.

Even Mu Zeqing found it repulsive: “…Mother, why are you saying all this to him?”

Qin Xueyi scolded him: “Don’t speak like that! No matter what, he’s still your older brother, and soon he’ll be the one to help our family rise again. After you take over his body, remember that he helped us.”

Chu Xinghui: “…”

As the victim in this mother-son plot, he honestly didn’t know what to say.

From any perspective, this was absolutely absurd.

Mu Zeqing secretly rolled his eyes.

The plan was hers, the person was brought by her, and now she was starting to act like a loving mother.

But since he was the one benefiting from this, he didn’t voice his true thoughts. Instead, he half-heartedly reassured her: “Mother, don’t worry. Older brother will understand your good intentions.”

Qin Xueyi suddenly repeated her previous words: “I’m helping you because you listen to me more than he does. Zeqing, you understand what I mean, right? You will listen to me, just like before, won’t you?”

Mu Zeqing suddenly realized something, his gaze turning strange as he looked at her.

He lowered his head and quickly replied: “Of course, Mother. I will always listen to you.”

For the first time, he examined this mother who had always seemed kind and gentle, yet lacked any strong will throughout his life.

It seemed that beneath her soft and gentle exterior, there was a selfish and self-centered nature.

Mu Zeqing began to plan that, once he succeeded, he would have to deal with Qin Xueyi too.

He made up his mind, walking over to Qin Xueyi’s side and reminding her: “Mother, you have to remember—once this device starts drawing in spiritual energy, it cannot stop. Otherwise, it will result in an explosion that is ten times the energy input.”

Qin Xueyi had already heard Mu Zeqing mention this before. She nodded absently.

Chu Xinghui’s heart stirred, but he didn’t move yet. He remained lying down.

The two didn’t waste any more time.

Soon, Mu Zeqing lay down on the other bed, and Qin Xueyi began channeling spiritual energy into the device.

A semi-transparent shield slowly rose around the formation, sealing the device within.

As the shield began to close, Chu Xinghui suddenly jumped off the bed and quickly moved out of the device’s range.

The sudden change shocked the other two: “You—”

Chu Xinghui politely nodded toward them: “Sorry, I wasn’t unconscious.”

Mu Zeqing immediately tried to get out of bed, but the formation had already completely closed. He was forcefully pulled back onto the bed and lost consciousness on the spot.

The formation began to activate, and Mu Zeqing’s soul seemed to be on the verge of leaving his body.

Qin Xueyi’s face darkened as she reached for Chu Xinghui.

Chu Xinghui took a graceful step back and reminded her: “Watch your hands, that thing doesn’t seem very stable.”

Qin Xueyi instinctively poured more spiritual energy into the formation.

She soon realized something was wrong.

Her spiritual energy was being drained too quickly.

To maintain the device… it was far beyond what her spiritual energy could supply.

But she had already put so much energy into it that if she stopped now… the consequences were unimaginable.

Qin Xueyi poured most of her spiritual energy into trying to stabilize the device, and inevitably, her hold on Chu Xinghui’s energy weakened.

Seizing the opportunity, Chu Xinghui broke free from her control over his spiritual energy.

Breaking the restraint wasn’t pleasant. His internal energy surged, and a trace of blood appeared at the corner of his lips.

Chu Xinghui calmly suppressed his injuries, raised his hand, and summoned his spiritual sword.

He poured all his spiritual energy into the sword and decisively swung it at the unstable device.

The device shook even more from the strike, and cracks like spider webs began to form on the shield outside.

Seeing his actions, Qin Xueyi had no choice but to pour more energy into stabilizing the device. She yelled: “What are you doing? Are you out of your mind? We’re all going to die!”

Given the amount of energy she had already put in… if the device exploded, she couldn’t even be sure she would survive.

Chu Xinghui paid no attention to her and decisively swung another strike.

The more time passed, the more reluctant Qin Xueyi was to stop pouring in her energy.

She could only try to play the emotional card: “Xinghui… we’re doing this for the good of the family. You’re a good child. You won’t hold this against us, right?”

Chu Xinghui suddenly stopped.

Qin Xueyi’s eyes lit up, thinking her words had worked. She continued to play on his emotions: “If you stop, and help mother and your brother shut this thing down, would you?”

Chu Xinghui didn’t care about her words at all. He simply felt that his spiritual energy wasn’t enough, so he stopped to take a recovery pill, and then resumed hacking at the shield.

Qin Xueyi: “…”

She finally realized that Chu Xinghui would never listen to her. Reluctantly, she split some of her spiritual energy and tried to attack Chu Xinghui.

Chu Xinghui wasn’t planning to fight her. He started dodging in the small space.

He made sure to keep enough distance between himself and Qin Xueyi, using the device to keep her from attacking him.

After persistently attacking for about fifteen minutes, the top layer of the shield finally couldn’t hold and shattered completely.

The formation on the ground began to glow ominously with a red light.

Qin Xueyi was hit by the backlash and immediately spat out a large mouthful of blood, her face turning pale.

Mu Zeqing’s soul had completely detached from his body.

As he passed by, Chu Xinghui casually stabbed a sword into Mu Zeqing’s chest, then shattered his soul to ensure he was truly dead. Afterward, he tossed some injury-causing talismans at the heavily wounded Qin Xueyi, not waiting to see if they worked, before turning and leaping out the window.

Thankfully, while entering the building had been difficult, escaping wasn’t a problem.

Chu Xinghui ran back to the forest where they first entered, quickly strapping on all the life-saving items he could find and then sprinting away with all his strength.

Not long after, a loud explosion rang out behind them.

The shockwave from the blast hit Chu Xinghui, causing several of his spiritual tools to break on the spot. His steps faltered for a moment, and he spat out blood.

He furrowed his brows and wiped the blood from the corner of his lips, turning to glance toward the explosion’s epicenter.

The explosion had destroyed the formation that concealed the building, and the ancient structure became faintly visible in mid-air, gradually solidifying into full view.

It was clear that Cultivator Biyun had put a lot of effort into building this hideout. Even with such a massive explosion, the building itself only had minor damage.

Chu Xinghui was very satisfied with the blast’s intensity.

The center of the explosion should be enough to severely injure a Nascent Soul cultivator.

He continued running outward.

Once he had fully left the explosion’s radius, Chu Xinghui stopped momentarily.

He cleaned his spiritual sword and found a place to sit, quietly healing while waiting for the explosion to settle, planning to go back in and finish the job afterward.

If this family didn’t provoke him, he could pretend they didn’t exist. But since they came after him to kidnap and possess him, if he didn’t take this chance to kill these two people, he didn’t know how many more times he’d have to deal with them in the future.

He preferred a peaceful life and wasn’t too keen on constant interruptions.

*

The massive explosion quickly drew the attention of Xie Liufeng and Xue Heng, who had been searching nearby.

Chu Xinghui sensed their familiar aura and his eyes brightened. He immediately dashed into Xie Liufeng’s arms.

Xie Liufeng was startled to see Chu Xinghui covered in dirt and blood. He quickly caught him, checking his condition: “Are you alright?”

Chu Xinghui shook his head, grabbing his clothes and telling him everything that happened.

Xie Liufeng’s expression darkened.

He sensed the faint life force still lingering inside, and asked Chu Xinghui: “Would you mind if I finish the job?”

Chu Xinghui shook his head.

If Xie Liufeng hadn’t arrived, he had originally planned to go in and finish things himself.

Xie Liufeng lowered his head and gave him a quick kiss, then summoned his spiritual sword. Without caring about the still-active explosion, he strode into the flames alone.

Chu Xinghui finally saw Xue Heng and politely greeted him, but his eyes kept watching Xie Liufeng as he left.

Xue Heng: “…”

He suddenly wasn’t sure why he was even here.

A moment later, Xie Liufeng returned, holding his sword.

He sheathed it with a smile, ruffling Chu Xinghui’s hair: “It’s done, it’s over.”

Chu Xinghui smelled the faint scent of blood mixed with ash and fire from Xie Liufeng’s body.

But he still preferred Xie Liufeng’s original scent.

He quickly used a cleaning spell to get rid of the mixed odors on Xie Liufeng, then hugged him tightly.

Xie Liufeng held him, soothingly patting his back and relaying what he’d seen: “Wait a bit longer. When I went in, I saw that many areas had special defensive formations, so they wouldn’t be affected by the explosion. Once things calm down, we should be able to find something useful.”

The three of them had no objections.

Chu Xinghui and Xie Liufeng decided to find a suitable spot to wait.

Xue Heng looked around, and feeling like there was nothing particularly noteworthy, he followed the other two.

But he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d forgotten something. He frowned and asked the other two: “Don’t you feel like… we’re missing something?”

Xie Liufeng looked around, and then it dawned on him. He reminded Xue Heng: “Where’s your disciple?”

Xue Heng finally realized what he’d forgotten, staring blankly: “Where is my disciple?”

Wasn’t he out here looking for him?

Chu Xinghui: “…”

He pointed in the direction where the disciple was.

That was close—he almost forgot about this unlucky friend.

*

Meanwhile, Ming Xiao was still in deep sleep, completely unaffected by the nearby explosion.

He had initially been unconscious, but after a while, his faint unconsciousness had turned into a deeper fatigue, seamlessly transitioning into a peaceful sleep.

He slept deeply, even turning over freely due to the open space around him.

 

 

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