The Price of Blood and the Author’s Regret

Inside the Jiang Residence. Within a shadowy underground passage, unknown to all. The flickering candlelight swayed gently, leaving behind small pools of warm, red wax.

“Master, the Eldest Young Lady has already left the vicinity of the Jiang Residence.”

A house servant followed closely behind a gaunt, white-haired middle-aged man, reporting the situation.

“Alas…”

“Cough, cough…”

“That is good…”

The man let out a faint sigh and coughed twice, as if a heavy stone had finally been lifted from his heart.

“…..”

The house servant remained silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Master, must we truly continue with such deeds?”

“There is no other way… if we do not continue… then the day of her return will never come…”

“The Jiang family’s bloodline…”

“It cannot end with my generation…”

“It cannot be severed like this…”

“…..”

“Now…”

“This is already the best outcome.”

The man sighed, shaking his head, appearing utterly weary.

“Go back and rest…”

“You will need to rise early tomorrow.”

“…..”

A flicker of reluctance passed through the house servant’s eyes before he bowed respectfully and replied, “Yes.”

A roar!

Suddenly, a beast-like roar echoed from the depths of the passage, its deafening sound waves knocking the man to the ground.

His throat tasted sweet, and trickles of dark red blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

“Master! Are you alright?”

The house servant hastily helped the man to his feet.

Meanwhile, a dark, intensely blood-scented shadow flashed past them in an instant.

Yet, neither of them noticed anything amiss.

They only detected the increasingly pungent, fishy odor filling the passage.

“Cough, cough…”

“Another act of murder, it seems…”

The man coughed twice, gazing into the passage’s depths, his eyes narrowing slightly as the conviction in his mind grew stronger.

****

Within the magical array.

Zhuang Xun watched the encroaching horde of poisoned people, his eyes reflecting the rotating Bagua constellations, his expression indifferent as he continuously drew spiritual talismans with his fingertips.

It was as if his spiritual energy was boundless, allowing him to expend it without end.

“Over nine thousand now. The primary host should be emerging soon, I presume.”

He again looked up at the full moon, which was slowly ascending to the zenith of the night sky, and murmured to himself.

Suddenly, Jiang Lishuang, standing before Zhuang Xun, turned pale, her petite frame trembling slightly like a blade of grass swaying in the wind.

“Brother Zhuang Xun…”

“I’m so cold…”

“…..”

“Just hold on a little longer; it will be midnight soon.”

“But…”

“It’s truly so cold…”

Jiang Lishuang was, after all, still a child. To endure such an intense level of extreme Yin energy was a unique and prolonged torment for her.

“…..”

“Give me your other hand.”

Zhuang Xun considered for a moment, then half-crouched before her.

He decided to momentarily divert his attention to share her burden.

After all, for a young girl, this was indeed an unspeakable torment.

He took Jiang Lishuang’s icy small hand, and the dense extreme Yin energy seemed to find another outlet.

Instantly, it surged towards Zhuang Xun’s body.

Yet, Zhuang Xun’s eyelids didn’t even twitch, as if it had no effect on him whatsoever.

‘Brother Zhuang Xun’s hand…’

‘It’s so warm…’

Jiang Lishuang’s face regained its original rosy complexion, and her eyes slowly opened.

“…..”

Ding~ Ding~

Two crisp, wind-chime-like sounds echoed in Zhuang Xun’s mind.

It was the signal that the spiritual talismans had been crushed.

The Blood Crystal Flowers, born from the vital essence of tens of thousands, had indeed matured.

Given the number of people, there should be two of them.

In a leisurely moment, Zhuang Xun perceived two extremely fast auras rushing towards the east and west directions.

These were precisely the locations he had directed the two brothers to go.

A slight smirk touched his lips. With a thought, the array disk, centered on him, began to accelerate its rotation.

In an instant, it pinpointed the figures corresponding to those two auras.

‘He finally couldn’t hold back, could he?’

‘That old fellow who rears evil creatures…’

‘I finally waited for you to dispatch all the primary poisoned hosts.’

“Within my array, to act freely without my permission? That simply won’t do.”

Zhuang Xun gently placed his palm on the ground, drawing upon the power of heaven and earth.

This caused the Eastern and Western Constellations in the night sky to shimmer, adjusting the array into a killing formation.

It was designed to eradicate all malevolent living beings within its bounds.

“Four Sages’ Evil-Slaying Decree: Lightning Descent.”

****

Rumble!

Boom!

The formerly silent night sky became shrouded in a thick, gloomy haze, within which white and azure lightning flickered.

The very air grew heavy and oppressive, making it difficult to breathe.

Crack!

Gulp~

Shangwen swallowed hard as he gazed at the thunderclouds in the sky. “By the heavens, is Fellow Daoist planning to wipe out the entire Yuelong County?”

“To create such an enormous display!”

Swish!

Suddenly, Shangwen sensed a bloody aura rapidly approaching. He immediately summoned his spiritual sword, his expression stern.

“Who’s there!”

“…..”

Shangwen instantly swept his divine sense around him, then suddenly swung his sword behind him.

Clang!

Along with a shower of sparks, his arm felt the immense force transmitted through his spiritual sword.

The assailant was covered in a blood-red aura, with disheveled hair and bare feet. Its face was a dark green, ferocious like a savage beast.

“Haa…”

“Haa…”

“….”

“Your bravado is truly something.”

Shangwen channeled the spiritual energy within his Golden Core, his gaze sharpening. He swept his sword with force, severing the arms of the poisoned creature that had attacked him.

Drip, drip…

The poisoned creature seemed oblivious to the pain of its severed arms. Its blood-red eyes merely reflected Shangwen, who radiated spiritual energy.

Its eyeballs shifted slightly, and its severed arms instantly regenerated as if nothing had happened.

Furthermore, its five fingers now sported sharp, black claws, thirty centimeters long, from which dark green liquid dripped.

“It seems this fellow is entirely composed of poison.”

Shangwen watched the venom corrode the spiritual energy coating his sword, and a sense of alarm involuntarily rose in his eyes.

A monster capable of corroding spiritual energy—he had never encountered such a thing before.

He had to treat it with extreme caution.

However, just as he prepared to activate a spell to fight it, a silver dragon-like lightning tribulation suddenly descended from the black clouds above.

Boom!

In merely an instant, the poisoned creature, which had been radiating a bloody aura before him, was reduced to a heap of charcoal.

Emitting burnt-smelling black smoke, it slowly collapsed to the ground.

“…..”

Shangwen was stunned by the sight for a moment, remaining speechless for a long time.

“Holy shit…”

“Fellow Daoist, you’re truly too fierce…”

At the same time.

A similar scene unfolded on Shangwu’s side.

However, his side was struck by a powerful, fierce azure lightning tribulation, resembling a tiger’s roar.

“Fellow Daoist is truly a divine being.”

****

“Hoo~”

Zhuang Xun, having just summoned two heavenly lightning strikes, exhaled a cloudy breath, his face looking somewhat ethereal.

Yet, the sharp glint in his eyes remained undiminished.

“The primary poisoned host has been executed…”

“Next, it should be time for the real culprit.”

“…..”

“Brother Zhuang Xun… are you alright?”

Jiang Lishuang, seeing Zhuang Xun’s somewhat unusual complexion, asked with concern.

“It’s nothing. I merely expended more mental energy to control the force.”

“If you cannot adapt, then you need not guide the Yin energy for me. I can endure it myself,” Jiang Lishuang declared, a determined light in her eyes.

‘Brother Zhuang Xun is already exhausted from saving us. I cannot let him bear this burden alone.’

“…..”

“What foolish talk…”

“If even I couldn’t endure it, you would have already exploded and died.”

He gently patted her small head, smiling softly for the first time.

‘It’s all my fault…’

‘Setting your background and experiences like this…’

‘If I hadn’t come to experience it myself…’

‘I truly wouldn’t have known…’

‘That your childhood would actually go through such a story…’

Ever since Zhuang Xun had set out with the mother and daughter, he had been deducing.

‘What fate would befall the mother and daughter if he hadn’t intervened?’

‘What kind of tragedy would they endure?’

Now, he had added another factor: a certain evil cultivator slaughtering a city to refine venomous gu for cultivation.

The change in Jiang Lishuang’s disposition became an inevitable outcome.

Without external intervention, her future would undoubtedly turn her into that cold, unfeeling person.

And the reason she had these experiences…

Was simply a single sentence he had typed on a keyboard.

One sentence had created the entirety of her tragic childhood.

However, this also brought a certain saying to mind.

‘When you place yourself in the shoes of those who experience it, can you still calmly observe everything they go through?’

Zhuang Xun admitted to himself that her experiences were not what he had originally envisioned.

Therefore, he had to personally amend some of the details.