Chapter 74 - 73: 7 Years of Suffering

Han Qing sat by the window with her eyes closed. She was incredibly beautiful, but her expression was freezing cold, making her look like a sculpture of ice.

In truth, she had every right to be arrogant. She had stepped into the Refining Viscera stage before turning thirty. Even though she had the Han Family backing her, this achievement was inseparable from her innate talent and grueling cultivation.

Perhaps her only regret was that she failed to awaken her bloodline and become one of the Abnormal People.

However, her strength was absolutely not to be underestimated.

After all, the Han Family was not an ancient lineage, and their bloodline had not been passed down strongly. Through decades of trials and tribulations, only two ancestors among the Abnormal People were enshrined in the ancestral hall.

"Chun, tell me, will we really be able to save Xuan this time?"

The maid beside her hurriedly replied, "Of course we can. Great Mage Zhang Qing possesses Tongtian abilities. The master saw him summon Celestial Thunder with his own eyes."

She revered Zhang Qing. The light in her eyes mirrored that of the Yellow Heaven Sect Members.

Han Qing kept her eyes closed and remained silent. Suddenly, the sounds of a scuffle echoed from outside.

A shift broke her cold demeanor. "Lowly scum. They can’t behave for even a single moment."

The maid, Ms. Chun, quickly offered a fawning smile. "They are all guests invited by the master. Please just bear with it, Miss."

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! A series of knocks echoed on the door.

Displeasure washed over Ms. Chun’s face. She stood up, shoved the door open, and scolded, "What are you knocking for? Didn’t I tell you not to disturb the young lady?"

The waiter was instantly startled. The maid’s aggressive attitude filled him with panic.

"I-it’s a guest. He asked me to deliver something to the young lady."

"What is it?"

Ms. Chun dubiously took the parcel from the waiter. When she got a clear look at its contents, her expression drastically changed.

THUD ROLL ROLL! The sound of Han Po’s severed head rolling across the floor was unmistakably crisp.

Han Qing also saw her younger brother’s head. With no time to grieve, she reacted with lightning speed. She launched herself forward like a swooping swallow and snatched the Horizontal Saber hanging on the wall.

"Po!"

CLAP CLAP CLAP!

Xu Guang gently pushed the waiter aside and stood at the doorway, observing the sorrow on Han Qing’s face.

"Does it hurt?"

"Who are you?! Did you kill Po?" Han Qing roared in fury. "What grudge or enmity did he ever have against you?!"

Xu Guang paused. He thought back carefully and realized he truly had no direct grievances with Han Po.

"He died because of you," he said.

"Because of me?"

Han Qing tightened her grip on her Horizontal Saber, murderous intent slowly seeping into her eyes.

"Who exactly are you?!"

Xu Guang shook his head. "You’ve lost the flair you had seven years ago. The old you would have already attacked by now. It seems your arrogance depends on who you’re facing."

He spoke methodically while slowly lowering his Big Spear, opting instead to draw a long whip from his waist.

A silent, oppressive pressure instantly flooded Han Qing’s room and the hallway outside.

Han Qing immediately sensed it. Her brows furrowed slightly. "As expected... you’re at Refining Viscera?"

"Do you know how long I’ve waited for this day?"

With an explosive shout, Xu Guang lashed out. The black whip in his hand morphed into a Black Dragon, stirring up layers of afterimages as it tore through the air with a deafening crack.

Han Qing’s Horizontal Saber flashed. Her aura was like a dazzling rainbow, erupting with a brilliant radiance. Without a shred of hesitation, she lunged at Xu Guang, nimbly dodging the long whip.

CRACK!

The long whip struck the wall, instantly splintering it with deep gashes. The deepest fissures completely breached the masonry, revealing the scenery outside the window.

Han Qing was struck with horror, marveling at his terrifying physical strength!

After all, the absolute limit of the One Viscera Realm was ten thousand catties! This man was definitely not in the One Viscera Realm.

Countless thoughts flashed through Han Qing’s mind in an instant, but she didn’t dare hesitate, for the long whip was already striking at her again.

Xu Guang didn’t actually know how to use a whip. He was wielding it with the same technique used to snap a Big Spear. For the most part, he relied solely on his physical strength, which was virtually Invincible among his peers.

He showed absolutely no mercy. Even though Han Qing was a beauty, an enemy was an enemy. He had never entertained any thoughts of domesticating his foes.

From the very beginning, he only had one goal in mind: to slaughter Han Qing. He wanted her to die in the most agonizing way possible, overwhelmed by utter despair, so she could truly understand the five years of suffering his father endured while bedridden!

Severed heads had already rolled throughout the Mandarin Duck Tower. As he unleashed his full power, the walls proved utterly fragile against his tens of thousands of catties of tremendous force.

In just a few strikes, he practically tore the room apart. Had he not been intentionally controlling his power, the entire building would have already collapsed.

A long whip was, ultimately, a bizarre and unpredictable long-reach Weapon. Just as chaotic punches could overwhelm an experienced master, the confined space left Han Qing with nowhere to maneuver. Eventually, Xu Guang landed a vicious blow on her.

"Ah!"

The excruciating agony forced her to cry out at the ceiling. Her black hair fell into a disheveled mess, completely stripping away the image of the aloof, icy beauty from just moments ago.

She clutched her injured arm while holding her long saber horizontally across her chest.

"Who exactly are you?!"

Xu Guang stepped forward slowly, bringing the long whip down once more.

"My father is Xu Xiu!"

Han Qing didn’t understand. She had asked for his name, so why did he suddenly introduce his father?

CRACK!

In that brief moment of distraction, the whip struck her back again. The intense pain brought tears to her eyes, painting the perfect picture of a weeping beauty.

But the more beautiful and pitiful she looked, the angrier Xu Guang became.

On what grounds?!

On what grounds did she get to act like a victim after killing his father?!

"Five years ago, you trampled a farmland on horseback. You lashed out with your whip and gravely injured an old farmer. Do you remember?

"Perhaps you’ve already forgotten, but don’t worry. I will help you remember."

Xu Guang’s tone was gentle, carrying a chill that paradoxically felt like a warm spring breeze.

Han Qing was astonished but didn’t dare let her focus slip. However, Xu Guang’s words sparked a connection in her mind.

Xu Xiu was likely that injured old farmer from that day. As for when exactly she had hurt him, that wasn’t important, mostly because she genuinely couldn’t remember.

"Impossible! How could a figure like you come from such a lowly and impoverished background?!"

"Lowly?" Xu Guang’s expression turned bizarre. The blazing fury in his chest was instantly extinguished, as if drenched by a bucket of cold water.

So this was the Noble Families’ true attitude toward commoners.

Suddenly, he felt it was all so pointless. The unforgettable, bone-deep hatred he carried was, to the woman before him, nothing more than... the petty rebellion of a lowly peasant?

His lifelong obsession only mattered to him.

Staring at Xu Guang’s face, Han Qing suddenly remembered something. Starting a few months ago, someone had been secretly spying on the Han Family. Even the Yellow Heaven Sect had developed some friction with them over a certain matter. Looking at Xu Guang now, she finally understood.

"It was you! The one who infiltrated the Han Family’s satellite city a few months ago was you! The one who killed the Jade Elephant Canon Seat was you! And the one who destroyed the Great Mage’s Array in Hedong was also you!"

The maid beside them widened her eyes in absolute disbelief. The battle for the city’s Marshal position had been heavily publicized today, and countless people were eagerly anticipating who the new Marshal would be.

The Han Family naturally possessed portraits of both Xu Guang and Yang Sha. Yet, in this moment, no one could have ever connected Xu Guang to such an incredibly simple—almost unimaginably humble—background.

She cautiously approached Han Qing, a flurry of emotions surging in her eyes.

"Miss..."

Han Qing finally seemed to recall the man from the depths of her distant memories.

She had a fourth younger brother who had been bedridden for a long time. A long time ago, rumors had surfaced from somewhere about a Divine Medicine capable of curing him. She had taken her men to retrieve it, and along the way, it seemed she had indeed injured a farmer.

And she had used a whip to do it.

Han Qing released her grip on her injured arm. Calmness returned to her eyes. She looked at Xu Guang with a hint of tenderness, speaking in a tone the maid had never heard from her before.

"I had my own bitter difficulties regarding what happened back then. I was deceived by others when I went into the mountains to retrieve the medicine. When your father blocked the road, I mistook him for an assassin sent by my enemies, so I instinctively lashed out with my whip. I apologize for my inappropriate actions at the time. If I had known he was your father, I definitely wouldn’t have done that..."

She paused. As if feeling her words were too soft, she deliberately displayed a hint of her usual unyielding nature.

"I was truly just too anxious that day. If you were in my shoes, I imagine you would have been just as desperate."