Azure Heaven Saber
Chapter 808 - 808 275 Too Ashamed to Report

Chapter 808: Chapter 275: Too Ashamed to Report Chapter 808: Chapter 275: Too Ashamed to Report Ximen Qianqiu spoke indifferently, “Our Ximen family’s reputation, one of the prominent ones, sounds impressive at first! If it is a trivial vendetta, others might indeed give way due to certain concerns. However, those with deep-seated hatred—if they find an opportunity, who would then care about this or that?”

Ximen Qianqiu wryly smiled, “What is the martial arts world? It’s a step-by-step life and death, constantly escaping doom.”

“That they could rampage for so many years without incident, I feel it’s as if the heavens have been taking care of them. If they don’t repent, once the day of reckoning comes, it won’t be light.”

As the two brothers walked and talked, they resolved to discipline their sons when they returned home.

At this moment, both of them felt relaxed and their spirits were uplifted.

Especially Ximen Qianqiu, who truly felt that he was once again filled with hope and confidence for the future.

Now that his foundational injury had been healed, not only had his cultivation fully recovered and his lifespan increased, but the vitality of life had also returned with agility. When it came to disciplining his sons, he no longer had any reservations or fear of inadequacy.

With the will and ability in hand, straightening his sons’ bad habits naturally carried a greater chance of success.

When they returned to the inn, they were surprised that Ximen Huaide and the others had not yet come back!

Luckily, the guests from last night had not departed, clearly wanting to witness the rejuvenated Ximen Qianqiu, whose foundational injury had been healed, returning to his peak.

Filled with joy, Ximen Qianqiu and his brother decided to celebrate another day, drinking merrily with everyone until complete intoxication, not returning until they were thoroughly drunk.

After they had seen off the guests, the two sons still hadn’t returned.

Ximen Qianqiu, who had resolved to correct his sons, although displeased in his heart, still endured. He simply switched to drinking tea and playing chess with his brother, continuing to wait, wondering when these unworthy sons would stop loafing around outside.

As time slowly passed, Ximen Qianqiu’s face became darker and more displeased.

Unbelievable, this is truly outrageous!

Knowing that their father went to seek treatment, these sons, as his children, had disappeared!

This… for instance,

is like a father going into surgery for cancer, and outside the operating room, there’s no one waiting?!

The absence of both sons, how could a father bear this?

Even if physically healed, the emotional toll is insurmountable!

“What use is there in raising such sons!”

Later, it was Ximen Qianli who kept comforting his brother, who seemed like a volcano about to erupt: “Maybe they indeed encountered some urgent matter, otherwise, they would not dare to offend so. When they come back, we’ll settle the score together, keeping them confined a bit longer wouldn’t hurt…”

Ximen Qianqiu didn’t say a word, just sipped his tea with a stern face.

However, this waiting… turned into two days and still no one came back. Not only did the unworthy sons not return, but also the guards who went out with them were similarly unaccounted for.

Only then did the two brothers sense something was amiss. They each extended their divine senses to search but found nothing. They tried to communicate through their jade amulets, yet there was still no response.

Despite this, they didn’t assume the worst, thinking that Ximen Huaide and the others had been held up by some matters.

After all, it was a common occurrence for Ximen Huaide and his brothers to be away from home for years at a time. They had been listed on the Heavenly Judgment’s hit list for quite some time without harm, leading the Ximen household to almost forget that they were also marked by Heavenly Judgment.

Ximen Qianqiu’s face turned ashen, “Look at other people’s sons! Then look at ours!”

Ximen Qianqiu finally couldn’t contain his rage any longer, “Others don’t even need to hit or scold them, they listen on their own. As for ours, damn it, I’m almost sick from trying to discipline them, and what kind of behavior do they show? Having sons like these, I should have just… smeared them on the wall in the beginning!”

As the two brothers sat in silence, sighing deeply, a commotion suddenly erupted from outside the inn. Unwilling to pay attention, the situation seemed to escalate even further.

Shortly after, Ximen Qianqiu was shocked to see his eldest disciple stumbling and scrambling inside.

“Master, Master!”

“What’s the panic for!?”

Already furious about his sons’ poor conduct, Ximen Qianqiu’s face grew even more displeased when he saw his promising disciple in such a fluster, and he immediately scolded him.

“Outside…”

The face of the eldest disciple, that was normally composed, showed panic as he pointed outside, “Master… this… please, please go outside and look… You must… you must stay strong…”

Stay strong?! Ximen Qianqiu felt a moment of bewilderment upon hearing this, and a sense of foreboding surged in his heart.

He got up and swept outside in a flash.

But as soon as he stepped out, the sight before him left him stunned, as if he had been dealt a heavy blow to the head, seeing only stars, his mind reeling.

As Ximen Qianqiu felt dizzy and unstable, he swayed and then spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

“Big brother!”

His frail body collapsed backward, powerless.

Ximen Qianli stepped forward and helped stabilize his brother. Lagging a step behind Ximen Qianqiu, he hadn’t yet seen what had happened. While supporting Ximen Qianqiu, he looked forward and couldn’t help but cry out in shock, “What… what has happened?”

…

At the entrance of the inn, on the thick snow, a scene of chaos spread across the ground, too gruesome to behold.

Twenty-five corpses lay scattered, flung haphazardly across the area—some face-up towards the sky, some on their sides, some prostrate.

Already a macabre sight, what made it even more horrifying was that each and every corpse was stark naked, not a thread on them.

Beyond being covered in blood, their private areas were also coated with some suspicious, congealed substances…

Ximen Huaide and Ximen Huairou were displayed at the very front, their faces riddled with despair and terror. Though their bodies were long since cold and stiff, it couldn’t conceal the intense fear and despair they experienced at the time, their entire beings a disheveled mess.

Obviously, these people had endured some kind of bizarre torture before death, and even… it’s very likely they died due to not being able to withstand the torture!

That the direct descendants of the esteemed elders of the Ximen family died in such an indescribably shameful manner, the reasons for it seemed trivial!

Those witnessing the scene were silenced into speechlessness, with many quietly slipping away, clearly understanding that this territory had become a place of trouble and it was wise to leave posthaste.

“Huai De!”

“Huai Rou!”

The heart-wrenching voice of Ximen Qianqiu rang out, followed by a roar, “Who did this? Who is responsible?!”

His voice sent the accumulated snow in the sky trembling and scattering into fine dust.

But who would admit to such a vile act?

Like many things, it’s better to let people know than to let them see!

Upon seeing the corpses of his sons again, the unspeakable sights filled Ximen Qianqiu with overwhelming sorrow, hard to contain.

Yet within his sorrow, a trace of dread unexpectedly rose within him, striking at his soul.

Because he remembered his sons’ vows.

“…If I break this oath, may I suffer endless agony, endure limitless humiliation, and die violated by men!”

Before him, didn’t this tragic scene precisely fulfill that oath?

At this thought, he felt weak all over, his grief almost entirely dissipating.

Looking up to the heavens, with tears streaking down his face, he felt a chill in his heart, and for the first time, he truly sensed that heaven was watching, the retribution inevitable.

“Let’s collect the corpses of your Disciples.”

Ximen Qianqiu waved his hand weakly, pale-faced, the whole person seeming to return to his deteriorated state, the vigor and spirited demeanor from before akin to a fleeting illusion, like a cloud that passed by.

The disciples moved together, collecting each rigid corpse, and cleaned up all the bloodstains. In the blink of an eye, there was no trace left in front of the inn, not even the vast expanse of snow.

The bystanders from the martial world had already scattered completely clean. Those still lingering nearby were insignificant Martial Artists or ordinary folks.

Anyone with a shred of sense knew that being a spectator in this matter was a sin in itself.

Why would an ordinary person willingly invite such trouble?

Not a single person spoke up; everyone was as still as statues.

Ximen Qianqiu’s figure grew increasingly bent, as he woodenly turned and headed inside the inn.

As he walked, he murmured, “Huai De, Huai Rou, Huai Dao… I knew long ago… that this day would come. Now can you understand why I was so strict with you…”

“If you had been upstanding and walked the path of righteousness… If such an end had met you then, I would have mobilized the entire Ximen family to seek justice for you… But now, with what reason should I seek justice?”

“I repeatedly exhorted you to be good and follow the righteous path, not to be solely driven by greed or to act recklessly, but you… you just wouldn’t listen, just wouldn’t!”

His tears streamed down with boundless sorrow and pain, as he screamed, “You! Just wouldn’t listen!!”

Ximen Qianli’s face was somber as he followed Ximen Qianqiu closely, saying fiercely, “Big brother, this vengeance… we cannot fail to retaliate!”

Ximen Qianli shook his head in despair.

“No more vengeance!”

“No more vengeance?”

Ximen Qianli exploded, “Are we to let Huai De and Huai Rou die in vain? The enemy resorted to such inhuman means, causing fine men to die in disgrace, and we just leave it at that… just like this?”

“Do you know who the opponent is?” Ximen Qianqiu asked.

“Such extreme methods must stem from a deep hatred, definitely from a family they’ve wiped out…”

Suddenly, Ximen Qianli fell silent.

Compared to Ximen Qianqiu, he knew better about the character and actions of his three nephews, and even the numerous enmities they had incurred.

Never mind how tragic Zhuang Weiran and his family and friends met their ends; there were far too many minor families and factions in the martial world destroyed by the hands of Ximen Huai and his brothers, too numerous to count.

In the past, no one could shake the Ximen family’s name, but that didn’t mean no one wanted revenge.

If wanting revenge was enough, Ximen Huaide and the others would have died countless times over, in deaths much more miserable than now by tens or hundreds of times!

“It was Huai De and the others who destroyed their families first!”

Ximen Qianqiu bitterly smiled with sadness, “You should know the reasons far better than I. Is it really excessive for them to retaliate with such methods?”