Song Jue's Sadness . . .
The concealed figure in the shadows couldn't help but sneer as her spiritual consciousness unfurled. In the span of a single breath, her awareness enveloped the entire Chen-Xing City, covering a radius of five thousand miles. Nothing escaped her perception.
However, she promptly withdrew her awareness, narrowing her focus to lock onto Cha-Eun Xiao, who was sprinting through the dark night. Her retreat had nothing to do with conserving energy; rather, it was an instinctive response to the overwhelming and unsavory sensations she had encountered.
A deep blush flushed her face crimson. "Impudent!" she muttered vehemently under her breath. Her sudden embarrassment was due to the fact that, while extending her spiritual senses throughout the city, she had inadvertently stumbled upon countless couples engaged in intimate activities.
In addition, she had witnessed the despicable acts of perverts coercing young girls against their will. Her disgust surged.
With a decisive harrumph, she dispatched several strands of her spiritual consciousness imbued with lethal intent. Like celestial swords descending from above, they struck various locations within Chen-Xing City. That night, all the wrongdoers who had been mistreating innocent girls and women, along with their entire families, met a grisly fate.
Only the girls were spared from the retribution that befell their tormentors. Any who dared to intervene met a swift end before they could even react.
On that fateful night, more than four thousand three hundred individuals met their demise in a most mysterious manner. Their lifeless bodies remained outwardly unharmed, but internally, their heads and bodies were reduced to a mushy mess, their vital organs shredded into pieces, and their dantians reduced to a pulpy ruin.
Their souls, too, were obliterated.
This enigmatic incident left a lasting impression on Chen-Xing City, serving as a chilling cautionary tale that deterred ill-intentioned individuals for years to come.
"Men like them deserve nothing but death! Their families are equally guilty for not stopping them, and those who aided and abetted them in their crimes deserve the same fate! I have no qualms about eliminating them all," she declared, unapologetic for her ruthless judgment.
The shadowy figure silently ascended into the air, her demeanor seemingly unaffected by the gruesome carnage she had just wrought. Like a wisp of pale cyan smoke, she effortlessly soared upwards, her spiritual consciousness firmly locked onto Cha-Eun Xiao, who was making his way towards the General's House.
"Humph. So, he is one of the occupants of the General's House," she muttered disdainfully, making her move.
In the blink of an eye, she had landed gracefully on the roof directly above Cha-Eun Xiao's room. She remained silent, an ominous presence veiled in darkness. Cha-Eun Xiao was oblivious to her presence, as she exuded an aura of strength and mastery that was beyond anyone's reckoning.
Not even the Xiao Monarch had ever surpassed her level of power.
Inside the room, Song Jue awaited Cha-Eun Xiao with a mixture of anxiety and frustration etched on his face. His expression resembled the darkest depths of a pot.
It was not entirely unwarranted for Song Jue to feel this way. Since the departure of his elder brother, Cha Nan-Tian, his nephew Cha-Eun Xiao had been prone to mysteriously vanishing and reappearing. Each time he disappeared, Song Jue would frantically search for him in vain.
This time, Cha-Eun Xiao's absence had stretched to an unreasonable two-day duration.
"Cough..." Cha-Eun Xiao coughed nervously as he began to explain, but Song Jue interrupted him angrily, "Hold on! I understand. I see right through you. Every time you cough before speaking, you're about to tell a lie. Just tell me the truth."
Cha-Eun Xiao was taken aback. "Cough? Telling a lie? Seriously?"
Song Jue couldn't help but feel smug. "Your little tricks won't work on me, young man. I can read you like an open book. Every time you so much as twitch, I can tell whether you're about to pee or poop. Cough again, and I'll beat you senseless."
Cha-Eun Xiao was left speechless. He thought to himself, [Fine, I'll heed your advice. No more coughing. When did I develop such a habit? I'll just lie without coughing. It's not a big deal. To hell with coughing; I'll never cough again.]
"In truth, yesterday I..." he began, only to halt abruptly after a few words. He pondered, [What should I say? I can't tell him the truth. Can I really confess that I was captured? How would I explain my return? It doesn't matter what I say; if Song Jue hears that I was captured, he'll surely rush to the ladies' house. That's an inevitable outcome.]
In the quiet confines of the General's House, Cha-Eun Xiao, now returned, stood before his uncle, Song Jue, who was far from pleased. There was an unmistakable tension in the air, and Cha-Eun Xiao knew that he had to choose his words carefully when explaining his unexplained absence of two days. He was well aware that he could not reveal the true reason for his disappearance, as it involved powerful individuals from the Cha Clan, individuals so formidable that not even ten or twenty Song Jues combined could hope to confront them.
Attempting to craft an explanation, Cha-Eun Xiao began, "I wasn't feeling well yesterday, so I decided to drown my sorrows in alcohol," he said with an air of uncertainty. "I returned as soon as I felt better. I didn't miss anything important," he added, coughing again in an attempt to lend some credibility to his words.
"You coughed again? Are you lying once more?" Song Jue's voice was laced with anger, and the frustration in his eyes was apparent. "Speak! Where have you been?"
Caught in a dilemma, Cha-Eun Xiao hesitated. As he opened his mouth, he contemplated constructing another deceitful explanation. However, he immediately covered his mouth with his hands, realizing that his habitual coughing had become an unmistakable tell.
"Cough? Do you plan to persist with your falsehoods?" Song Jue's voice thundered in exasperation, his patience wearing thin. "You rascal, can't you simply be honest with me? Do you have no other words in your vocabulary besides lies?" He shouted once more.
Cha-Eun Xiao was taken aback by his uncle's outburst, falling into an uncomfortable silence. He cast his eyes downward, fully aware of the difficulty of his predicament.
After a protracted and strained silence, Song Jue let out a deep sigh and lowered his head as well. His tone held a hint of vulnerability as he addressed Cha-Eun Xiao. "Please, my dear boy, no matter where you may go in the future, if you're unwilling to disclose your destination, could you at least inform me of the duration of your absence? That is the sole favor I ask of you, my nephew. Do you understand the anguish I experienced during the days when you were missing? I prayed to every deity imaginable, fearing that some calamity had befallen you."
"Do you have any idea how I prayed to every deity during those days when you were missing? I was consumed by worry, fearing that something terrible might befall you," Song Jue lamented with a heavy heart, his voice quivering with emotion.
He appeared on the verge of tears as he continued, "Your father holds you in the highest regard, as if you were the most precious treasure in his heart. Yet he prioritizes the well-being of our nation to such an extent that he chose to depart, leaving me here to watch over you—a strong-willed and unruly young man—with my feeble limbs and advancing age. To you, causing trouble is akin to having a daily meal; you, you little rascal."
Despite his frustration, Song Jue paused to take a deep breath before continuing, "I may not be your biological father, but your father has honored me with the title of steward. What kind of steward, though, constantly raises his voice at his young master? Regrettably, I'm caught in a predicament where I must look after you. But the infuriating truth is, I can't seem to instill any discipline in you. Regardless, I cannot bear to see you exposed to danger."
He clutched his own hair in frustration and shouted with a profound sense of despair, "What have I done to deserve the debt of raising both a son and a father? How many immeasurable debts must I repay within a single lifetime for you two? Oh, divine beings, why do you refuse to show me mercy?"