Chapter 76 - The Inn Massacre

Lin Qian was sitting on her bed, looking alright—but tired. Her hair was neatly styled, her clothes immaculate. She sat on the edge of the bed, slipping on her shoes, just as Ling Yu entered the room.

She looked up, and her eyes instantly welled with tears. Silent drops streamed down her cheeks. She didn't speak. She didn't move. She simply kept putting on her shoes as tears continued to fall.

Still seated, she barely had time to react before Ling Yu rushed over and hugged her tightly, crying.

As Ling Yu wrapped her arms around her, Lin Qian's tears fell harder.

"Lin Qian Jie-jie," Ling Yu murmured between sobs, clutching her tightly.

Lin Qian gently patted her back, trying to soothe her—while calming herself in the process.

Xu Yun stood nearby, crying quietly. She watched the two women embrace, her heart aching.

Zhao Zhi's eyes were red. Tears brimmed but didn't fall.

Xuan Tian remained by the door, forcing his focus on observing Lin Qian rather than listening to the weeping.

After a while, Ling Yu's sobs began to fade, softening into occasional shudders. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came. She feared that if she spoke, she'd start crying all over again.

Lin Qian held her hand tightly. Her gaze swept the room until it landed on Zhao Zhi. A silent exchange passed between them—one filled with understanding and grief. Her eyes welled again, but she held the tears back. She had cried enough.

Then her eyes shifted to Xuan Tian, firm with determination.

"General," she rasped, her voice weak. "Tell me—how did he die?"

Xuan Tian knew who she meant: Tie Yanfang.

He stepped forward, approaching slowly. When he was only a few steps away, he revealed a pure white crystal orb in his palm.

"I extracted it while he was screaming," he said. "He felt everything."

Hearing that, Lin Qian could no longer contain her grief. She broke down, sobbing hard. Her hand clutched the pendant at her chest—the one that held what remained of him—as she cried out, "Husband! Justice has been served!"

Her cry tore through the room.

Ling Yu's eyes widened. She pulled Lin Qian into a tighter embrace.

Xu Yun stepped forward and wrapped her arms around both of them, silently joining the grief-stricken moment.

A while later, the three women had stopped crying. Lin Qian rose and approached Xuan Tian, offering him a deep bow and salute.

"Thank you, General. Lin Qian will never forget this."

Xuan Tian stepped to the side, avoiding her bow.

"I'm at fault. I couldn't protect him."

He paused, then added softly, "Or you."

Lin Qian straightened. "No, General. Don't blame yourself. You can't. This was all Tie Yanfang's fault. He didn't deserve to be called human."

Silence fell over the room.

It felt like a shared moment of remembrance—for Lei Wen.

For some reason, Ling Yu didn't ask about his grave. Somehow, it didn't feel important. Not anymore.

After a quiet moment, Xuan Tian said, "Doctor, if you don't mind, please tell me what happened that day."

Lin Qian nodded. "Of course, General."

"After leaving the cavern, we went straight back to the inn," she began. "At the inn, our guests had just finished their lunch. Chen Wei asked if he could return home to see his mother."

The doctors agreed, and Lei Wen went with him.

They didn't return until dinner. Lei Wen came back alone and said Chen Wei had asked to stay at his house for the night. He promised to return in the morning with his mother. Lei Wen agreed, so he returned alone to the inn.

The next morning, Chen Wei returned as promised—with his mother and his uncle. He begged the doctors to let his uncle stay with them, saying the man had no one else.

Again, Lei Wen saw no harm in it and agreed. They had plenty of room anyway.

After staying a while, Chen Wei's uncle left, saying he was going to open his pork stall. He hadn't opened it in days, since he'd been searching for his nephew. He promised to return that night after closing.

The doctors and Elder Mo began preparing for Tie Yanfang's arrival. Elder Mo kept checking the barrier, testing every corner of it. Lei Wen monitored the four awakened cultivators.

After finishing his checks, Elder Mo announced he was heading out to gather information and scout Xue Qin Lou. He believed it would be the first place Tie Yanfang visited to indulge his earthly desires before bothering to check the cavern. Elder Mo was certain Tie Yanfang wouldn't think much about the broken barrier.

Lin Qian and the mothers cleaned the courtyard, preparing for lunch—just another day of normal household activity.

Lin Qian and Lei Wen weren't worried about Tie Yanfang. They felt safe inside the barrier. They believed in Xuan Tian.

The day passed without incident. As the sun lowered and the sky began to darken, neither Elder Mo nor Chen Wei's uncle had returned. The doctors didn't think much of it.

But when the sun had completely disappeared, Chen Wei's uncle returned—with Tie Yanfang!

As it turned out, Chen Wei's uncle had sold Chen Wei to Zhang Clinic for money. He had gambling debts that were growing worse by the day. When Chen Wei 'disappeared' from the Zhang Clinic, it was because his uncle had sold him to Luo Zixue!

He was very surprised when Chen Wei returned home unharmed. Terrified that Luo Zixue would come looking for him to demand her money back, he went searching for her that same day. He didn't find her until late in the afternoon.

But when he told her that Chen Wei had somehow returned unharmed, Tie Yanfang overheard the conversation.

When Tie Yanfang demanded the Immortal Cores, the doctors refused and stood their ground. Chen Wei's uncle, not understanding the situation, entered the barrier without difficulty—and couldn't understand why Tie Yanfang couldn't follow.

The doctors quickly subdued him and locked him in Chen Wei's room, along with Chen Wei and his mother.

They returned to the barrier—only to find Elder Mo already fighting Tie Yanfang. It didn't take long for Tie Yanfang to beat Elder Mo until he was unconscious.

Then he turned his fury on the barrier. Tie Yanfang was surprised—and increasingly infuriated—when he couldn't break it. He yelled, cursed, and threw a tantrum right there in the courtyard. Again and again, he struck the barrier, each time unleashing stronger waves of spirit energy.

During his attempts, the noise drew the attention of nearby inn residents. One by one, people began to gather, concerned by the commotion. Tie Yanfang didn't care—he wasn't exactly subtle.

On his rampage, he even lashed out at the bystanders, killing several of them in a fit of rage.

But the barrier stood strong. No cracks. Not even a tremble.

Seeing this, the doctors were momentarily relieved. They truly were safe inside the barrier.

Then, to their horror, they saw Tie Yanfang pull out several Immortal Cores from his storage pouch!

"Tie Yanfang muttered like a madman, saying those cores were the only ones he had left. He wanted more. He needed more. He said we forced him to do it. That it was our fault."

Lin Qian paused to take a breath. Up until now, she had recounted everything with a steady calm. But at this point, her breathing turned uneven.

Xu Yun quickly handed her a cup of tea, while Ling Yu gently patted her back in comfort.

Xuan Tian's jaw clenched, his fists tightening. He already knew what had happened—but he needed to hear it. He needed to face his failure.

After a few moments, Lin Qian calmed herself and continued her tale.

"Tie Yanfang threw those cores at the barrier. He also sent wave after wave of overwhelming spirit energy. It was like his reserves were limitless."

When the cores were about to explode, the barrier moved—as if it were alive—and wrapped itself tightly around them.

The next moment, they exploded. The barrier contained the blast, but the shockwave destroyed the rented courtyard and part of the inn.

Tie Yanfang laughed like a madman.

The barrier had broken.

Lei Wen and Lin Qian were disoriented by the shockwave—they couldn't move. Their vision blurred. Their ears rang.

By the time they regained focus, it was too late. Tie Yanfang had already killed the families of the awakened people. 

He extracted A-He's core just as Lei Wen attacked him.

He defeated Lei Wen in a few brutal blasts of spirit energy. Then he moved on to Madam Luo and Xiao Lan. He extracted both of their cores.

When he moved to find Chen Wei, he was stopped by Elder Mo. He had somehow regained consciousness and saw the destruction. He attacked Tie Yanfang with his life on the line.

He shouted at the doctors to take Chen Wei and run.

The doctors rushed to Chen Wei's room, planning to escape with him and his mother. His uncle was curled up in the corner, terrified.

"We were just about to leave, when Elder Mo's body crashed into the room. He was covered in wounds. He fought so bravely."

She choked. "Lei Wen…"

After a moment, she went on.

"He told me to run with Chen Wei and his mother. I knew what he meant. He was going to hold Tie Yanfang off—to sacrifice himself.

"But we didn't even make it to the door before Tie Yanfang killed him."

Tears streamed down her face.

Zhao Zhi closed his eyes, unable to hold back anymore. He cried in silence.