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Chapter 7: The Mischievous Eldest Son
Xia Zhou gasped, "A single sword can cleave a gap! This flesh and blood body can't withstand it at all!"
Jiang Chun laughed maniacally, "Let everyone who stands in my way die!"
As Jiang Chun moved his fingers, Elder swung his sword towards Ling Xuan. Ling Xuan raised his sword to block, but with a clang, his weapon shattered into two pieces. A chill ran through Ling Xuan; his face drained of color as Elder's eyes turned white, showing no mercy. Just as the broken blade fell to the ground, Elder pivoted, unleashing a fierce gust of sword energy.
Elder's target was Ling Xuan's neck. Ji Zichen sensed the danger and could no longer delay. Extending the Demon-Slaying Sword, Ji Zichen collided it with Elder's Sharp Sword. Surprisingly, Ji Zichen's Demon-Slaying Sword did not break; instead, it pushed Elder back several steps. Elder stumbled, causing Jiang Chun to retreat as well. Ling Xuan exclaimed in astonishment, "Your sword didn't break!"
Ji Zichen shot a sideways glance at Ling Xuan and replied, "Are you hoping my sword would break?"
Ling Xuan looked at Ji Zichen's sword with curiosity but remained silent.
In the midst of the struggle, Xia Zhou reminded Ji Zichen, "Did you see that? Elder retreated; he also stepped back."
Ji Zichen noticed this too and said, "Let everyone else go up the hill; we’ll stay here."
Xia Zhou nodded and signaled for everyone to retreat to the hill.
Jiang Chun sneered, "Such simple minds; no one is allowed to leave!"
The three from Elder charged forward with lightning speed. Ji Zichen and Yu Ren moved in unison to engage them while Ling Xuan stood back with the half-broken sword, observing to see who would falter before offering assistance.
The three from Elder formed a tight shield in front of Jiang Chun. Ji Zichen understood the principle of "Capture the Thief, Capture the King" and knew that their opponents were not benevolent. Suddenly, Ji Zichen unleashed a fire dragon towards the three of them and shouted, "I'll turn you into ashes!"
Jiang Chun's figure flickered as three fingers moved to control Elder and the other two, dodging the fire dragon's attack. The fiery breath brushed past Jiang Chun's cheek, and he caught a whiff of something burning, perhaps fur or skin.
Jiang Chun stared blankly at Ji Zichen's Five Elements Pearl and said in a deep voice, "That pearl of yours is a magical artifact!"
Ji Zichen replied, "Only just realizing that now? Don’t you think it’s a bit late?"
Jiang Chun met her gaze coldly, his fingers moving again to control Zhu Qi, who unleashed a move called "One Slash of Wind and Moon." Above Ji Zichen, a massive shadow of the Burial Sun Blade appeared, resembling a thick pillar. The crowd's expressions darkened upon seeing the blade shadow; as it descended, Ji Zichen conjured an even larger fire dragon.
The fire dragon roared as it charged toward the blade shadow. Upon impact, the blade shadow tilted to the side with a thunderous crash, causing half of the nearby hill to collapse.
The practitioners and soldiers who had ascended the left hill turned pale. They were relieved they had chosen the left hill instead of the one across from them; had they been on that hill, even if they survived, they would surely have been buried alive.
As the hill crumbled, dust and smoke billowed into the air.
Jiang Chun gritted his teeth in frustration, glaring at Ji Zichen. "This person can actually block the blade shadow. At this rate, we will definitely be delayed here."
He glanced at the Elders he was controlling and thought bitterly, "I took control of them without their consent. I initially wanted to achieve something in front of them, but now things have gone awry. If I release them now, they'll surely mock me. No, Zhu Qi might very well chop me down."
Neither side moved. Ji Zichen noticed Jiang Chun's eyes darting around; he was clearly plotting something.
Xia Zhou reflected on Ji Zichen's conjured fire dragon, still feeling unsettled. "That magical artifact is indeed impressive. I wonder which divine race uses this Five Elements Pearl."
Xia Zhou looked at Jiang Chun and saw him lost in thought. He mused to himself, "Jiang Chun’s artifact gloves have already allowed him to counter her Five Elements Pearl. Although it doesn’t mean he has won yet, there’s a significant chance he won’t lose."
Ling Xuan silently gazed at Ji Zichen, and after a moment, suddenly smiled and said, "I almost forgot, you still have the Five Elements Pearl. Why didn’t you use it earlier? I thought we were heading to the Underworld Passage together."
Ji Zichen shot a glance at Ling Xuan and replied, "Who wants to go to the Underworld Passage with you?"
Just as Jiang Chun was deep in thought, he felt the threads controlling his body tremble violently. The trembling threads belonged to Mo Cang and Zhu Qi, indicating that they were furious.
Although they were under the control of the threads and lacked autonomy, their subconscious still existed. Jiang Chun forced a smile and said, "They are warning me. If I don’t help them break free, they might really get angry."
---
After Ling Xuan and her group left the camp, the Chen Family Brothers entered Ling Xuan's tent. They had just stepped out of their own tent and were unaware that Ling Xuan had already left. Not seeing her inside, Chen Er exclaimed, "Hey, where did she go?"
Chen Si also found it strange and said, "Where could Chief Justice be if she’s not in the tent?"
Chen Er grumbled, "Don’t just repeat what I said, okay?"
Chen Da called over a soldier to inquire and learned that Ling Xuan and Elder Zhu Qi had left the camp. Chen Da remarked, "Strange. Why would they leave together without informing us?"
---
With Ji Zichen dealing with Jiang Chun, Ling Xuan had some time to ponder Elder's intentions. She recalled an incident that occurred before they arrived at Vermilion Bird Territory while they were in Western King City.
It was around ten in the morning at a villa in Western King City. One of Elder's subordinates had a beautiful maid named Chang, who was sixteen years old and very delicate in appearance. That day, Chang had a confrontation with the Eldest Son of Western King. Inside Chang's room, she appeared tense as she held a pair of scissors aimed at him. The Eldest Son was usually unruly and often acted without regard for others.
The Eldest Son wore a sinister smile as he approached Chang. "Chang, why not just give in to me? It would be better than being a servant here."
Chang's face turned pale with fear. "Eldest Son, you mustn't say such things. My status is too lowly to be worthy of you. If you come any closer, I won't hold back."
The Eldest Son chuckled softly, stepping closer to Chang. "Come here, come here. What will you do to me?"
Having learned some martial arts, the Eldest Son knew that Chang, being a frail girl, stood no chance against him. With a swift motion, he grabbed the scissors from her hand and tossed them aside. Suddenly, he forcefully pulled Chang into his embrace. Her face drained of color as she screamed, "Let go of me! Eldest Son, I beg you, please let me go!"
The Eldest Son leered at her. "I didn't realize you were such a fiery girl."
At that moment, Ling Xuan burst through the door. Angrily, she pointed at the Eldest Son and shouted, "Let her go!"
Seeing that it was Ling Xuan who had arrived, the Eldest Son looked at her with disdain. "Oh, it's Chief Justice. Why don't you go interrogate your prisoners instead of meddling in my affairs?"
The Western King was quite fond of this Eldest Son, and Ling Xuan dared not show him disrespect. Although she was furious inside, she managed to suppress her anger and warned him, "Eldest Son, if you don't release her now, I won't hold back."
With a sudden shove, the Eldest Son pushed Chang away. She cried out as she collided with the edge of the table, hitting her forehead and drawing blood. The Eldest Son glared at Ling Xuan in anger. "Ling Xuan! How dare you ruin my fun!"
Ling Xuan stepped forward menacingly, fixing him with a fierce gaze. "This time I'll let it slide. But if you dare disrespect Chang again, I'll tell your father."
Mentioning the Western King made the Eldest Son's heart sink slightly. He gritted his teeth in hatred and spat out, "Just wait! This isn't over between us!"
With that, the Eldest Son stormed off in a huff.
Ling Xuan stepped forward to help Chang up. Chang, filled with anxiety, knelt and said, "Chief Justice..."
Ling Xuan sighed, "You are injured, so there is no need for you to pay your respects."
Ling Xuan called for a servant to take Chang to treat her wounds.
At that moment, Ling Xuan thought the matter was settled. However, a few days later, he remembered Chang and decided to check on her injuries. He knocked on the door outside her room and called out several times, but no one responded. Gently pushing the door, he found it unlatched. As he entered, he was met with a shocking sight: Chang lay on the floor, her clothes torn and motionless.
Ling Xuan was taken aback and rushed forward. Chang lay flat on the ground; she was still breathing, but her eyes were wide open, devoid of any life. "What happened...?" Ling Xuan asked in disbelief.
In that moment, Ling Xuan had an inkling of what might have transpired, but he could not fathom that the Eldest Son would do such a thing. Thus, he felt compelled to ask.
Though Chang was still breathing, she lay there like a corpse, unresponsive to Ling Xuan's words.
Seeing that Chang was in a daze and did not respond, Ling Xuan felt a surge of panic and gently shook her. "Chang, say something."
Chang remained silent as tears streamed down her cheeks. She trembled as she got up and walked to the wardrobe to change her clothes. Ling Xuan's heart burned with anger as he exclaimed, "Was it the Eldest Son? How dare he do this! I will not let him off easily!"
Chang shook her head while sobbing. "Thank you for your concern, Chief Justice. Please do not let my situation come between you and the Eldest Son. My master is returning; I must go attend to him."
Ling Xuan felt both heartbroken and furious. "How can you... be like this?"
Sighing deeply, Ling Xuan said, "You should rest today. I have some matters to discuss with Elder; you need not serve him this time."
Ling Xuan stepped out of the house and closed the door, faint sounds of weeping drifting from within.
A few days later, Ling Xuan suddenly heard the news that Chang had hanged herself inside the house. Ling Xuan's heart jolted with shock. He went to see the Elder, who appeared to have aged significantly in his study. Ling Xuan found this strange; nothing major had happened in the city recently, so the Elder's demeanor must not be due to events in town.
Ling Xuan thought to himself, "Could it be because of Chang? Although she was the Elder's servant, she was still just a maid. Even if she died, the Elder shouldn't be this heartbroken."
Seeing the Elder's face as pale as paper, Ling Xuan asked, "Elder, why do you look like this?"
The Elder immediately changed his expression upon seeing Ling Xuan and forced a smile. "What brings you here?"
"I came because I heard about Chang," Ling Xuan replied.
At the mention of her name, the Elder's face twitched as if someone had stabbed him in the heart. He maintained a somber expression and said, "You came for Chang? Do you know her?"
Ling Xuan bitterly responded, "I spoke with her a few times when I came to find you."
The Elder's eyes turned red as he said, "She has seemed troubled these past few days. Do you know what was bothering her?"
Ling Xuan was puzzled. "Troubled? She's just a maid. You can tell when she's upset? Why do you care so much about a maid?"
The Elder gritted his teeth in sorrow and said, "She is my daughter."
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