[A week later…]
In the hospital room, surrounded by humming machines and monitors, Wang Xiaotian slowly opened his eyes.
"Huh? Where am I? This place looks fancier than my own room".
He tried to move, but pain wracked through his body. With great effort and gritting his teeth, he forced himself to sit up on the bed.
On the other hand, a mysterious person calls someone as Wang Xiaotian, who has woken up.
A moment later, Ji Yuan stepped into the room, a faint smile curling on his lips.
"Well, well, look who finally woke up after brushing past death itself. Aren't you quite the fortunate one?"
Wang Xiaotian rubbed his eyes and muttered, "Of all things to see after waking up, why must it be your ugly face?"
Ji Yuan narrowed his eyes. "What did you just say?"
Wang Xiaotian scoffed, "What do you think I said?"
"Anyway, I feel pity towards you. When you were sleeping, I did some investigation. However, the master doesn't want to investigate who poisoned you, but as your junior brother, I can't keep myself from finding the bastard who poisoned you. In the end, I find that person, any guess who is that person?"
Ji Yuan looked at him, pity lingering in his eyes, but it felt hollow.
Wang Xiaotian's brows furrowed, a trace of doubt flashing in his eyes.
"You?"
Ji Yuan, pupils shrank slightly, and his jaw tightened as though swallowing words.
Wang Xiaotian noticed Ji Yuan, whose expression changed for a split second.
Wang Xiaotian pointed his finger toward Ji Yuan. "So, it was you who poisoned me".
Ji Yuan, eyes shimmered, tears gathering yet refusing to fall. "Senior brother, how can you accuse me of poisoning you? I know we have some misunderstanding between us, but how could you blame me like this?"
Wang Xiaotian's lips parted in disbelief, but the shock soon turned into a sharp, calculating gaze. He thought to himself, "Since when did we become so close? He never called me 'Senior Brother' before. Master accepted me first, and he came later as the second disciple. Yet, until now, he's never once addressed me with that title".
Wang Xiaotian instinctively covered himself with his arm, glaring at him with eyes filled with unmasked disgust.
"What do you want?"
Ji Yuan's frowned, eyes darkening as he cursed Wang Xiaotian under his breath.
But almost immediately, his expression shifted, the anger fading into a pitiful smile that failed to reach his eyes.
"Senior brother, please stop messing around. I am not that kind of person".
"Don't you want to know who poisoned you?"
Wang Xiaotian sighed, "Fine, who poisoned me?"
"Senior brother, do you remember masters and Su Moyan give you some tonic and medicine for your health recovery?" Ji Yuan eyes softened.
Wang Xiaotian nodded. "Yes, I remember, and what do you want to say?"
Ji Yuan shook his head in disappointment.
"The medicine given by Master and Su Moyan is indeed the best in the world—powerful enough for other factions to wage war over".
"However, when refined into pills through alchemy fire, their impurities are burned away, making them true healing medicine. But when those same herbs are served as soup or tonic and consumed together, they turn into poison".
"A poison strong enough to kill even immortal cultivators. Master and Su Moyan have been feeding you small doses for a long time, so when you finally die, it will look like your enemies were behind it, not them".
Wang Xiaotian's hands trembled, but he forced them still and met Ji Yuan with a feral glare.
"You know this—if you lie to me or try to deceive me, I will rip your mouth apart, right?".
Ji Yuan shrugged off the warning. "Why don't you use your brain and think. Until now, why do you only eat the prodigy, not the pill refined by master wang, and why does your health never recover even after eating such a rare treasure?"
Silently, Wang Xiaotian pushed himself from the bed, seized Ji Yuan by the throat, and slammed him against the wall.
"I told you not to lie to me".
He snarled. "You dare deceive me? I may be a martial artist, but I possess knowledge of every spirit herb and medicine—my insight in alchemy surpasses even those who walk the Dao of Alchemy. And you're telling me my masters and my wife have been poisoning me for three years without my knowing?"
A slight smile appeared on Ji Yuan lips, but he quickly hid it. He speaks in his mind. "Finally, his emotions start fluctuating, he is trying not to circulate his inner energy, but poor guy, he can't resist himself from killing me".
Ji Yuan struggled to free himself from Wang Xiaotian's grip, speaking in a trembling voice, "Senior Brother, you're a martial artist, not a cultivator. This poison was made to kill cultivators. Even they can't sense it without spiritual qi or divine sense—so how could a mere martial artist possibly know he's been poisoned?"
Wang Xiaotian gritted his teeth, veins bulging with rage. He didn't want to believe Ji Yuan's words, yet he couldn't deny it.
A poison made to kill cultivators—how could a mere martial artist like him resist it, let alone realize he'd been poisoned?
He could not stop thinking—why would his masters, who had raised him as their own, and his beloved wife, turn against him? What had he done to deserve such betrayal from those he trusted most?
Ji Yuan secretly enjoyed Wang Xiaotian's inner turmoil as he watched his qi grow restless and violent, threatening to spiral out of control.
Before Wang Xiaotian could calm his mind, Ji Yuan spoke again, his expression filled with pity and regret.
"Senior Brother, I need to tell you a secret about your best friend's death—and why the masters refused to investigate its cause".
The moment Ji Yuan mentioned his best friend, Wang Xiaotian's eyes narrowed with fury. He grabbed Ji Yuan by the collar, his voice thundering, "Ji Yuan, stop playing with fire! You have no idea what you're saying!"
Ji Yuan act like he is struggling to speak. "Senior Brother, I know what I am saying. Please hear me out".
He reluctantly released Ji Yuan's collar.
"The night before your best friend death, he was tasked with cleaning the Heavenly Library, where our sect's secret techniques and scriptures are kept".
"While there, he caught me and the library's guardian elder trying to smuggle a secret technique".
"Before he could report it to the master, I framed him, placing all the blame on him. Shockingly, the master didn't even hear his side—she reduced him to a mist of blood instantly, leaving no chance for a proper burial".
A drop of blood welled from Wang Xiaotian's eye. His body trembled violently as his inner energy surged uncontrollably.
He didn't spit out the blood; instead, swallowing it, biting his lip so hard that fresh blood trickled forth, a silent mark of his seething fury.
He closed his eyes, memories flooding back to the days when everyone despised him—except for that one person who always stood by his side.
And now, that person was gone, taken before his master even bothered to hear his side of the story.
He opened his eyes, blood streaming from them, and spoke to Ji Yuan with a cold, emotionless tone.
"Now I understand why the master beat me when I begged her to find out who killed him".
"She knew it was you who tried to smuggle out the secret technique, yet my best friend was killed instead—so the truth wouldn't spread and tarnish the sect's reputation".
Wang Xiaotian clenched his fist, his aura radiating like a feral beast. He thrust it toward Ji Yuan's face with terrifying force.
The moment it landed, a powerful gust of wind erupted, tearing through the room and obliterating everything in its path.
As the dust settled, Ji Yuan's voice emerged cautiously. "Senior Brother, why unleash your anger? I am only speaking the truth… and there is yet another truth you must know".
Wang Xiaotian froze in shock, noticing that Ji Yuan was unharmed—and then he saw him enveloped in a layer of spiritual energy.
"So, you are a cultivator, that's why masters prefer you more than me, good, good!"
Ji Yuan only let out a small chuckle. "Senior Brother, let me tell you another secret. Did you never feel something odd when you called Su Wanran as your daughter, and do you notice how Su Moyan starts acting strangely?".
Wang Xiaotian shook his head as he didn't want to accept what he was thinking.
"No, that can't be true".
He looked at Wang Xiaotian with a mixture of pity and amusement.
"Yes, your daughter, Su Wanran, is my child. One night, Su Moyan was heavily drunk, and in a moment of weakness, we slept together".
"The next day, to overcome her guilt, she sought to make amends and slept with you. After that, she was only with me".
"And guess what—everyone in the family, including our five masters, knows of my affair with your wife, and Su Wanran is my daughter".
"Even if we set aside the fact that she is my daughter, do you have no respect at all? The Su family gave her their surname—Su, not Wang".
"How could they give her your surname, when no one even knows who your real parents are? And Master Wang gave you the surname Wang".
"Do you remember that? I hope you never forget your roots, you lowly beggar".
Snap!!
Something snapped inside Wang Xiaotian. His inner energy surged out of control, consumed by rage and vengeance.
He hurled his fist toward Ji Yuan once more, his inner energy circulating violently.
The poison in his blood awakened again, causing his veins to rupture.
Warm blood seeped from every pore, giving him a savage, beast-like appearance.
His bloodshot eyes rolled back into their sockets as reason vanished, leaving only fury and madness behind.
Wang Xiaotian's voice rolled like thunder, shaking the hospital to its foundations.
"I will kill you".
"I will kill those worthless masters".
"I will kill every member of the Su family".
"I will watch you beg for a painless death—and you will not receive it".
"I will torture you, tear your limbs apart piece by piece. Even if you hide in hell, I will hunt you down, you wretched dogs".
"KILL!!!"
Wang Xiaotian's veins burst open, blood splattering across the room as his body trembled under the force of his own violent inner energy.
Yet he didn't stop—his bloodshot eyes burned with madness as he hurled punch after punch at Ji Yuan.
Each strike crashed against the unyielding barrier of Ji Yuan's protective qi, shaking the room to its core.
The walls and floor were drenched in Wang Xiaotian's blood, his once-proud body reduced to a vessel of rage and pain.
At the hospital entrance, Master Wang Ruoxi and the other three masters, Xin Lin, weren't present among them, along with the Su family members, who froze at the commotion.
Fear widened their eyes as Wang Xiaotian's thunderous words reached them.
The four masters exchanged grim glances and dashed toward his room without a moment's hesitation.
Meanwhile, the sect disciples moved swiftly to clear out the hospital, their faces pale and their steps cautious, afraid to even breathe too loudly in the aftermath of the dreadful scene.
When they entered the room, the four masters were stunned.
The walls and floor were splattered with Wang Xiaotian's blood, his veins bursting open as blood streamed down his body.
He looked less like a man and more like a wild beast, relentlessly hurling punches at Ji Yuan, driven purely by the instinct to kill.
When Ji Yuan saw the four masters enter the room, he immediately acted weak and pitiful, his voice trembling.
"Senior Brother, please listen to me. I know I was wrong, but don't blame Master or Su Moyan. If you want, then kill me to ease your anger".
When he was acting suddenly, his QI barrier started cracking after seeing the crack.
Ji Yuan was shocked; he had only one thought in his mind. "How can a mere martial artist put the crack on his QI barrier?"
No matter how much QI he poured into the barrier to seal the cracks, they kept reappearing relentlessly.
Seeing Ji Yuan's QI barrier on the verge of collapse, Master Wang lunged forward, grabbing Wang Xiaotian and trying to pull him back.
Even using her full strength, she could not move him. Seeing her senior sister struggle, the other three masters exchanged alarmed glances before immediately stepping forward to intervene.
Xiao Tong, Master of Painting and Music, drew her Zither and played a calming melody, attempting to restore Wang Xiaotian's consciousness and soothe his mind.
Ling Mei, Master of Crafting and Calligraphy, drew characters in the air with her brush; they materialized above Wang Xiaotian's head, restricting his movements.
Hui Ming, Master of Chess and Confucian Studies, transformed the room into a giant chessboard, freezing him in place. She channelled righteous QI and commanded, "Kneel", but Wang Xiaotian didn't kneel.
Ling Mei spoke in a worried tone, "Call Xin Lin here quickly! We can't hold him back much longer. Tell her to bring her weapon, the Golden Treasure Bell — only then can we restrain him".
Wang Xiaotian roared, "You dare make me kneel? I will kill every one of you—die!"
He seized Ji Yuan by the throat and hung him in the air; Ji Yuan thrashed and choked, unable to draw on his qi while trapped.
Seeing Ji Yuan struggle, Master Wang clenched her teeth an ancient sword materialized in her hand.
"Blame yourselves for forcing my hand. Wang Xiaotian, you leave me no choice", Wang Ruoxi said through gritted teeth.
She swung her ancient sword, severing Wang Xiaotian's hand in a single strike.
Ji Yuan fell to the floor and quickly escaped from the room.
The entire Su family witnessed the scene—seeing Wang Xiaotian's hand cut off, Su Moyan nearly fainted on the spot.
Even with his hand severed, Wang Xiaotian didn't flinch. He stood firm, his eyes burning with hatred and fury as he glared at everyone in the room.
"If I get another chance in this life, I will give each of you a dog's death. You will beg for mercy and I will deny it—tormenting you until I grow bored, and then I will free you from this mortal body myself".
"This hatred will not be quelled until I have tortured and slain every betrayer who looked down on me. You destroyed my world — now I will devour yours; I will swallow Heaven and Earth."
"Hahahaha!!!"
With his eyes still rolled back in their sockets and his body drenched in blood, he began to laugh maniacally.
His eerie laugh echoed through the room, chilling everyone present to their core—whether sect masters or peak lords of the elemental sect, or Su family. They trembled as if struck by an unseen force, unable to utter a single word.
A twisted smile spread across his blood-soaked face.
"Before this poison kills me and I die like a coward, I'll take my own life."
In a single, bone-snapping motion, one hand gripped his chin while the other twisted his head—bones cracked and flesh tore as his neck turned a full circle, leaving his lifeless eyes wide open and a chilling smile frozen on his face.