The Furious Song Jue . . .
Cha-Eun Xiao departed from the grandeur of the Crown Prince's Palace, flanked by his companions Lan Lang-Lang and Zuo Wu-Ji. Laughter and conversation filled the air as they strolled away from the palace's opulent halls. Upon reaching his home, Cha-Eun Xiao, now comfortably settled, displayed an air of indifference, as though the palace visit had never occurred.
As they prepared to bid farewell to one another, Cha-Eun Xiao produced a small dan bead and presented it to Lan Lang-Lang. He spoke, his voice filled with genuine concern, "Lang-Lang, accept this dan bead. Dissolve it in warm water and divide the solution into three portions. Each morning at sunrise, use one portion to cleanse your hair. After three days, your favus condition will be completely healed."
Lan Lang-Lang's eyes widened in astonishment as he exclaimed, "Really?!" His crossed eyes expressed pure disbelief.
Cha-Eun Xiao's brow furrowed, and he replied earnestly, "This concerns your lifelong personal appearance. Do you think I would jest about such matters?"
"Hey, hey, hey... Even if it doesn't work, I'm grateful. Favus truly tarnishes my handsome appearance. You're right; it's a significant issue in my life," Lan Lang-Lang eagerly snatched the dan bead. "I'll leave you two to continue your conversation. I need to head home now. Hey, hey, I can't wait to wash my hair tomorrow. Hahaha. No more suffering from favus in just three days..."
With that, he hurriedly departed.
Zuo Wu-Ji, wearing a look of disdain, commented, "Even without favus, he still looks obnoxious, yet he considers himself handsome... Eww..." He waved his hand dismissively and added, "If we have nothing else to discuss, I should head home too. I was thinking of sharing a drink with you, but Lan Lang-Lang's antics are off-putting... Eww... I need to recover from this."
And with that, he too made his exit.
Cha-Eun Xiao watched them both leave, his smile fading. The frigid intensity in his eyes finally found release. His hands, concealed within his sleeves, clenched into tight fists.
[The Crown Prince has finally shown his murderous intent!
What a vicious scheme!]
In the darkness, Cha-Eun Xiao operated the East-rising Purple Qi. Accompanied by the cool night air, he returned to the General's House.
The steward observed him with concern and inquired in a low voice, "How did it go? Did anything happen?"
Cha-Eun Xiao hesitated briefly before replying, "Nothing out of the ordinary. Let's go inside."
The steward followed Cha-Eun Xiao into his room, his anxiety evident. "What do you mean 'nothing out of the ordinary'?"
Cha-Eun Xiao grinned and said, "Nothing significant. The Crown Prince's men attacked me with the Melting Bone Palm technique, delivering 18 strikes, that's all."
"What? Melting Bone Palm? 18 strikes?!" The steward was shocked.
Suddenly, a mass of eerie blue mist surged forth from Cha-Eun Xiao's body. It expanded rapidly in all directions, threatening to detonate. The walls quivered as this sinister aura permeated the room, causing multiple cracks to form.
The mist breached the walls and continued to spread, resembling an exploding bomb.
In the next moment, the steward turned and dashed out, his face contorted with fury. He yelled, "I'll annihilate the Crown Prince's Palace tonight!"
"Wait, wait, wait..." Cha-Eun Xiao was taken aback by the steward's extreme reaction and hurriedly grabbed him. "Uncle Song... Please calm down..."
"CALM DOWN? CALM DOWN MY ASS!" Song Jue continued shouting as he stomped on the floor. "I've had enough of this wretched Kingdom of Chen! To hell with heaven and hell! If it weren't for that foolish promise made by Brother Ye, why would we endure this wretched place? Damn it! Now my brother has pledged to protect their kingdom for twenty years, and his only son has been struck 18 times with the Melting Bone Palm! Damn Chen Xuan-Tian and anyone related to him..."
Chen Xuan-Tian was the name of the King of the Kingdom of Chen.
Cha-Eun Xiao spoke in a hushed tone, "Uncle Song, please lower your voice... Calm down... Don't let your emotions get the best of you..."
"PLEASE DON'T LET YOUR EMOTIONS GET THE BEST OF YOU!" Song Jue's face contorted in anguish as he stomped his feet, and his hair seemed to stand on end. His eyes, bloodshot with rage, conveyed the depth of his frustration. "I accepted the role of steward in this house to keep your worthless hide safe! And now, you stand before me, having endured 18 strikes of the dreaded Melting Bone Palm! I... I'm worse than a senseless tortoise! I'm... I'm ready to lay waste to every wretched soul in that despicable household! I'll hang every last one of them by their necks! I won't have anyone think I'm a spineless coward!"
Cha-Eun Xiao couldn't help but twitch his mouth.
[He's overflowing with emotion, to say the least!
Talking about hanging an entire clan sounds like something a king would decree with a royal edict. Now he wants to hang everyone in the royal clan... That's quite extraordinary.]
"Uncle Song, please, calm down. Just listen to me first, alright?" Cha-Eun Xiao firmly grasped Song Jue and gently guided him to sit within a room that appeared more dilapidated than simply old—it was utterly ruined.
The commotion had attracted the attention of the blood guards, who hurried to the scene. A timid voice from outside the door inquired, "Chief, is everything alright? Has something happened to the young master?"
Before Song Jue could respond, Cha-Eun Xiao interjected hastily, "No, everything's fine. I'm perfectly alright. All of you should get some rest. I need to have a private conversation with Uncle Song. Heh heh heh heh..."
Despite the room's collapsed walls, Cha-Eun Xiao insisted that everything was in order.
The blood guards remained hesitant, reluctant to leave.
Cha-Eun Xiao took Song Jue's arm and went out to personally reassure them, before escorting Song Jue to his own room.
As they left Cha-Eun Xiao's room, a resounding BOOM echoed behind them, and the entire room crumbled into ruin.
The blast nearly knocked Cha-Eun Xiao off his feet, prompting him to hasten his steps.
Song Jue glanced back, his expression unchanged.
Suddenly, a playful rhyme popped into Cha-Eun Xiao's mind, causing him to stifle a laugh. He murmured, "The first time Uncle Song turns back, his unsightly face topples a building; the second time Uncle Song turns back, his visage shatters mountains and reverses rivers; the third time Uncle Song turns back, his countenance plunges the world into darkness, terrifying even spirits; the fourth time..." (宋大爷一回头,吓倒身后一座楼;宋大爷二回头,山崩地裂水倒流;宋大爷三回头,日月无光鬼神愁;宋大爷四回头...)
Song Jue interrupted angrily, "Enough, three times will suffice. Those lines are quite amusing. When I return to... Well, I'll consider using it as my chant... Hmm... No, it's not the right time for that. I need to send a message to your father immediately and urge him to return as soon as possible. Only his return can provide a chance to heal the wounds inflicted by the Melting Bone Palm. I hope there's still time. There must be!"
Cha-Eun Xiao couldn't help but twitch his mouth slightly. He found Uncle Song's demeanor rather endearing, and this only confirmed it.
He realized his father possessed formidable abilities. Anyone capable of healing Melting Bone Palm wounds must have cultivation skills surpassing even Guan Zheng-Wen.
Once inside Song Jue's room, Cha-Eun Xiao wasted no time in revealing the truth. "Listen, Uncle Song, there's no need for my father to know. The Melting Bone Palm has no effect on me. None at all!"
Frowning with concern, Song Jue responded, "Xiao-Er, this isn't something to joke about. Do you even understand what the Melting Bone Palm entails? It's an incredibly sinister martial art... It employs pure yin energy to harm its victims. Anyone struck by it, unless they're aware of the attack, won't realize the damage until 70 percent of their bones have already melted away. By then, it's too late for a cure. If you don't treat this wound promptly, something truly catastrophic could occur... You know what they say about victims becoming piles of minced meat? That saying was inspired by the Melting Bone Palm."
"I'm aware, Uncle Song. I truly am," Cha-Eun Xiao replied calmly. "But to be honest, today at the Crown Prince's Palace, I considered killing him or simply refusing to negotiate and fleeing. They wouldn't dare harm me forcibly... But I discarded both ideas."
"Our influence in the capital is limited; we can't act recklessly," Cha-Eun Xiao added thoughtfully. "So even if I can't bear it and want to stir up trouble, I must do so discreetly. Given our confrontation with royal power, as proud as we are of our clan, our chances of winning are slim."
"There are many loyal men in our household, and they might have lost their lives due to my reckless actions," Cha-Eun Xiao said with a wry smile. "I can't jeopardize all your lives just to vent my anger."
"So, I had to think of an alternative."
Song Jue remained stoic, his face betraying no emotion, though his lips quivered slightly. It was evident that he was grappling with intense emotions, making a concerted effort to regain his composure.
Cha-Eun Xiao broke the silence, his voice calm and measured, "So, when I stumbled upon their nefarious scheme, I realized they were truly onto me this time. But they were cautious, attempting to employ something 'imperceptible' to end my life. There were only a handful of methods available to achieve such a goal." He lifted six fingers, one by one, signaling each point, "These are the Melting Bone Palm, Soft Cloud Fist, Yin Wind Martial Art, Qiong-Hua Ice Mist, Shade Finger Point, and... Fatality Martial Art."
A perplexed expression washed over Song Jue's face, who found himself at a loss for words. Only four of the six martial arts listed were familiar to him.
Song Jue believed that within the Land of Han-Yang, and even in the broader world beyond it, few possessed a more extensive knowledge of martial arts than he did. Yet here was Cha-Eun Xiao, confidently enumerating these six martial arts as if they were household knowledge.
"Hmm. Qiong-Hua Ice Mist and Fatality Martial Art... What are they?" Song Jue furrowed his brow. "You've been confined to our residence all this time. Even if you had rescued an elderly man who imparted some knowledge, he couldn't have taught you more than a few techniques. How do you possess such extensive knowledge of martial arts? You're acquainted with secret martial arts that I myself am unfamiliar with!"