Chapter 150: The Demonic Clan Slaughters the Estate (Part I)

The Seventh Prince had already made up his mind. "Once it grows dark, you will accompany me to the Sixth Prince's estate to seize Qiao Qingyao."

Mu Shu looked hesitant. "There are numerous guards at night; I fear it may not be appropriate to act."

"Just wait and see."

With that, the Seventh Prince produced a slender dagger, carved a complex pattern into the palm of his left hand, and pressed his palms together. A red glow flickered across both of his hands, surging up his arms all the way to his forehead, where it seeped into the pair of eyes resting there.

The red eyes grew increasingly bright and vivid until, eventually, this pair of eyes detached from his forehead and grew outward, looking exceedingly ferocious.

The Seventh Prince withdrew his cultivation technique, and the eyes gradually faded from sight.

Mu Shu had witnessed the entire process and, feeling somewhat terrified, could not help asking, "What is this?"

"Previously, to avoid arousing the Heavenly Emperor's suspicion, I sealed my own cultivation."

Mu Shu was utterly baffled. "Why not simply usurp him?"

"He is still of some use."

Night had fallen, and dark clouds obscured the moon—truly a prime time for killing.

The Seventh Prince hoisted Mu Shu into mid-air, stepping upon a cluster of red light as he drifted toward the Sixth Prince's estate.

Mu Shu was on the verge of a breakdown; the Seventh Prince could actually fly!

He wanted to ask, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the howling wind rushed in, forcing him to keep it shut.

Shielded by the dark clouds, the two of them quickly infiltrated the Sixth Prince's estate.

Rage burned fiercely within the Seventh Prince's heart. Everyone inside the Sixth Prince's estate, innocent or not, was marked for death; he had no intention of sparing a single soul.

Thus, he struck without mercy. The moment the red light touched anyone, that victim would immediately clutch their own throat, struggling in silent agony, before collapsing to the ground and dissolving into piles of black dust. The red light that flew back to him appeared somewhat richer and denser than before.

Mu Shu had virtually no room to intervene, following close behind the Seventh Prince the entire way as he harvested one vibrant life after another.

As the Seventh Prince killed more and more people, the red glow flickering around his body became increasingly solid and vibrant, resembling viscous blood that sent shivers through the soul.

The Sixth Prince, bedridden and recovering from his injuries, could not escape his fate either; his life was taken by the Seventh Prince just like all the rest.

Before long, within the vast Sixth Prince's estate, only Qiao Qingyao, Ruoliu, and old nurse Wu remained.

The three of them watched in horror as the domestic servants who had been tending to the room clutched their throats with twisted, terrifying expressions, causing the trio to huddle together tightly in the corner of the bed.

Like a cat toying with a mouse, the Seventh Prince walked slowly toward the three of them.

"Imperial Uncle, have you come to rescue me?" Qiao Qingyao still clung to a final shred of illusion.

The Seventh Prince remained silent. The red light flew toward Ruoliu and old nurse Wu, and after struggling for a long while, the two of them breathed their last.

"Imperial Uncle, I am your niece!" Qiao Qingyao still could not comprehend what wrong she had committed.

Too lazy to waste words on her, the Seventh Prince directed the red light to surge into her body. Once she lost consciousness, he bound her tightly and carried her away.

Thinking that murder and arson always went hand in hand, Mu Shu asked, "Master, shall we set a fire?"

The Seventh Prince turned and strode out the door. "No, lest it spread to the neighbors."

Mu Shu followed closely behind. "Then I shall clean up the scene."

Without a hint of emotion in his voice, the Seventh Prince replied, "The demons have slaughtered the Sixth Prince's estate; who would ever suspect me?"

The two of them returned all the way to the Seventh Prince's estate.

"Master, what are your plans for the future?" Having learned far too much today, Mu Shu naturally wished to plan for the days ahead.

The Seventh Prince looked surprised. "Rebellion, of course. You've known that all along."

Mu Shu remained utterly perplexed. "Why must we rebel?"

Recalling his past life, the Seventh Prince said, "Where the demons reside, there are no sun, moon, or stars. The soil is barren, and most essential supplies—including food, cloth, and utensils—must be obtained from this side of Weishui."

"The demons have secretly traded with Weishui for tens of thousands of years in peace. However, over the past two thousand years, the people of Weishui have barely had enough to eat or wear themselves; there is simply no surplus left to provide for the demons."

Mu Shu sighed. "The days of the common folk in Weishui indeed grow worse with each passing year."

The Seventh Prince continued, "My primary purpose in coming to Weishui is to find my younger sister, and secondly, to see if I can resolve the hardships of the demons."

"Master, if I may be so bold, what is your status among the demons?"

The Seventh Prince laughed self-deprecatingly. "Merely an insignificant nobody."

...

Ruanruan and Nuonnuo awoke. Seeing Tao Sisi accompanying them, Ruanruan threw herself into Tao Sisi's embrace, clutching her neck as she wept, "Granny, am I dead?"

Tao Sisi feigned anger. "Nonsense, Ruanruan is perfectly fine, how could she die?"

"Grandma choked my neck; I thought I was going to die." Recalling the previous ordeal, Ruanruan still felt a lingering fear, her little mind utterly incapable of understanding why Grandma would choke her.

Nuonnuo touched her own neck. "I thought I was going to die, too."

Tao Sisi pulled both little ones into her arms. "With Granny here from now on, I will never let anyone bully you again."

Ruanruan rubbed against Tao Sisi's chest. "Where is Mommy?"

"Mommy is sick and hasn't woken up yet. Would you like to go see her?"

Tao Sisi led the two little ones into the inner chamber bedroom. Upon seeing her mother and father, Ruanruan's aggrieved tears began to flow once more. "Daddy, why did Grandma choke me?"

Su Nanxing did not know how to respond appropriately, so he diverted the topic. "Be a good girl, Ruanruan. From now on, you have Daddy, Mommy, Granny, and Grandpa to love you! Oh, and Uncle loves you too!"

Ruanruan thought for a moment. With so many people loving her, losing a grandmother didn't seem like such a big deal after all.

She kicked off her shoes, climbed onto the bed, and looked at Tao Ming in Su Nanxing's arms. "What kind of sickness does Mommy have?"

Su Nanxing tried his best to keep his tone light. "Mommy is just too tired and needs a good rest."

"I want Mommy to hold me." What Ruanruan needed most at this moment was her mother's embrace.

"Come, Daddy will hold you."

Su Nanxing placed Ruanruan on Tao Ming's lap and said to Nuonnuo, "Nuonnuo, come here too."

Nuonnuo obediently sat down beside Ruanruan, and Su Nanxing gathered all three of them into his arms. "My little darling Ruanruan, my little sweet Nuonnuo, will the two of you help me wake Mommy up?"

"If we call her, will Mommy wake up?"

"She certainly will. Mommy loves the two of you more than she loves Daddy."

Ruanruan shifted her weight. "Mommy's body is so hot! Is she running a fever?"

"That's right, Mommy has a fever. What should we do?"

Ruanruan pondered for a moment, then pointed to Tao Ming's forehead. "Every time I run a fever, Mommy puts a wet towel on my forehead to make me feel more comfortable."

"Ruanruan is so smart. Shall we help Mommy cool down together?"

"Okay!"

Su Nanxing brought over a basin of water. Watching Ruanruan carefully place the wet towel on Tao Ming's forehead and Nuonnuo wiping Tao Ming's arms with another wet towel, he felt both comforted and heartbroken.

...

At the break of dawn the next day, the merchant delivering vegetables to the Sixth Prince's estate stood outside the side door, pounding and shouting, yet no one came to answer.

Emboldened, the men formed a human ladder and climbed the high wall of the Sixth Prince's estate. The one at the very top straddled the wall and looked inside, only to find that everywhere his sight reached, the ground was covered in piles of black dust, vaguely resembling twisted human shapes.

Utterly shaken to his core, the man let out a terrified scream and tumbled off the wall. The men below scrambled in panic to catch him. Pale-faced, his lips tinged with purple, he trembled and squeezed out a sentence: "There's been a murder! Go report it to the authorities!"

Panicking instantly, those men hoisted him onto the vegetable cart and rushed all the way toward the City Governor's Office.