Within the dungeon, Zhuo Yifeng remained suspended in mid-air, his head tilted and his body in tatters.

“Well? I heard that you’ve thought things through.” Master Shade walked to Zhuo Yifeng’s side, where he dumbly nodded. “I’ll agree to sign a contract with you, so remove this maggot from my body.”

“There’s no need for that,” Master Shade laughed. “Trying to turn you into a puppet will require the use of the soul-gnawing maggot, but as long as you’re willing to sign a contract with me, the procedure will be painless.”

“Oh? Is that so?” Zhuo Yifeng’s weak voice morphed into something darker and more sinister as he opened his pitch-black eyes and stared at Master Shade. He leapt down from mid-air, a length of steel chain still in his hands. 

Master Shade extended a gnarled claw , but Zhuo Yifeng caught it with the chain in his hands. Master Shade’s claw suddenly grew larger and broke the chain. He tried to retreat, but Zhuo Yifeng was blocking the exit.

“Who are you?” Master Shade asked hoarsely.

“I’m your daddy.” Zhuo Yifeng drew a black whip, with which he struck at Master Shade. Although Master Shade dodged, the whip banked sharply and caught him by his neck. The more Master Shade tried to resist, the tighter the whip’s grip became. Just as he was about to be choked to death, Master Shade suddenly reached into his robes and removed the bottle containing Yun Ruoyan’s shade. 

However, Zhuo Yifeng raised his leg and kicked the bottle into mid-air, then took it for himself. “This is Ruoyan’s, so I’ll return it to her on your behalf.”

“You—don’t kill me!” Master Shade finally sensed how completely their positions had reversed. “If you promise not to kill me, I’ll remove the soul-gnawing maggot in your body. Otherwise, you’ll be forced to live with the spiritual torture forever!”

“Heh.” Zhuo Yifeng cackled again, and his pupils turned pitch black. “You think your maggot’s something amazing? I’ve already digested it.”

Master Shade opened his eyes wide. “You… digested it?”

“Heh heh.” The demonic spirit clearly enjoyed seeing others’ pain, suffering, and despair, but his voice was quickly taken over by Zhuo Yifeng’s.

“I can promise not to kill you, but you need to bring me to Yun Ruoyan. Once she’s saved, I’ll let you go,” Zhuo Yifeng proposed.

“Swear on it.”

Zhuo Yifeng did so without any hesitation, and Master Shade brought him to the secret chamber where she was currently being kept.

In the evening, Li Mo once again diverted the guards’ attention and entered Pi Batian’s rooms, while Pi Yang sat in his garden in a daze, waiting for news. He expected that Li Mo would leave immediately with Yun Ruoyan after saving her, so he wouldn’t get an opportunity to meet with her. If Yun Ruoyan were to be rescued, his father would certainly fall into a rage, but he had been circumspect enough that he wouldn’t be implicated. As for his brother, Pi Batian… he wouldn’t be able to escape responsibility.

However, he knew that his elder brother surely wouldn’t be punished. Ever since he lost his arm, he had become Pi Yan’s precious child. Pi Yan was far less strict to him than before, and all he thought of seemed to be his elder son. Meanwhile, Pi Yang had been neglected.

Ever since he was a child, Pi Yang had thought himself his father’s favorite. No matter how poor his own cultivation, he wasn’t reprimanded, and he didn’t have to take part in many of the family ventures. His life was filled with enjoyment after enjoyment, and although his father wasn’t particularly doting, he had also never hit or scolded him. On the other hand, his father was far stricter to his elder brother, Pi Batian.

Pi Yang thought that his father’s leniency was because Pi Yan was doting on him, but he only realized the truth while Yun Ruoyan was holding him hostage: his father, Pi Yan, didn’t dote on him at all. Instead, he treated Pi Yang like a useless existence, one for whom he had no hopes.

“Lord Pi!” Housekeeper Hu’s voice broke Pi Yang out of his reverie. “Second Young Master, Lord Pi’s here.”

Pi Yang raised his head to see Pi Yan heading in his direction, and he immediately stood up and bowed. “Father.”

Pi Yan was rather surprised by the polite greeting. In front of his father, Pi Yan had always been a brash, thoughtless youth. Although he didn’t disregard courtesy, he was never quite so polite.

“Rise,” Pi Yan said, then sat down beside Pi Yang.

In the past, Pi Yang had always acted up because he thought he was his father’s prized son, but now that he knew how little he was worth to Pi Yan, he didn’t dare to behave poorly.

“Sit down.” Pi Yan glanced at Pi Yang, who reluctantly sat on the bench opposite. “Pi Yang, I came to discuss something with you.” He hesitated for a moment, but eventually spoke up.

“What is it, Father?” Pi Yang was a little surprised that Pi Yan had ventured into his cottage, the first time he could ever remember him doing so. Given his serious expression, Pi Yang suspected that he had an important matter to discuss.

“It took me a long time to make this decision, but I hope you’ll be able to understand it,” Pi Yan began.

Pi Yang frowned. His father had claimed to be discussing a matter with him, but it looked as though he had already made up his mind.

“Father, what’s going on?”

Pi Yan glanced at Pi Yang’s arm. “I convened a meeting of physicians to discuss a treatment for your brother’s missing arm, and they suggested that a new arm be grafted onto your brother’s stump.”

“Oh,” Pi Yang murmured, his facial muscles trembling. “That… that’s not a bad idea. We have so many swordsmen around, each strong and muscular, and their arms—”

“The physicians said that a graft from someone related by blood would be best,” Pi Yan interrupted.

“Father!” Pi Yang trembled as he suddenly raised his head to look at Pi Yan. “Why do I have to be the sacrifice? I don’t want to live with a stump either! Aren’t I your son too?”

Pi Yan frowned. “Your brother will be the next head of the Pi family. If you lose an arm, I can still guarantee you a life of material comfort, but if your brother loses an arm, the whole Pi family is destined to ruin!”

“Why does my brother have to be the one to inherit the Pi family? Why can’t I do it?” Pi Yang stood up and stared stubbornly at Pi Yan.

With a great 

Peng!

, Pi Yan slammed his palm against the stone table, cracking it into pieces. “Don’t you think I understand what you’re like? To think I’ve raised you all these years, only for you to deny my request when I need it most!” Pi Yan also stood up.

“Guards, watch over the second young master. From today onwards, he’s to be placed under house arrest. If he takes half a step out of his yard, I’ll kill all of you.”

“Yes, Lord Pi!” the dozen guards in the yard chorused.

Pi Yang glanced at Pi Yan’s back, disappointment and pain evident in his features. His head blacked out for a moment, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

“Second Young Master, you have to take care of your body!” Housekeeper Hu ran up to console him, then helped him back into his rooms.

“Housekeeper Hu,” Pi Yang whispered.

“Yes, Second Young Master?”

“See if Li Mo needs any help. You must help him save Yun Ruoyan.”

Li Mo waited in Pi Batian’s yard for almost two hours. The sky was turning dark, but Pi Batian hadn’t shown any sign of leaving his rooms. Li Mo couldn’t help becoming a little anxious, and he was deciding whether or not to leave when Pi Yan appeared. He walked into Pi Batian’s room and discussed something with him for over an hour before he emerged once again.

Not long after, Pi Batian finally left his rooms, an unexpectedly happy look on his face.

“Young Master, where are you headed?” Pi Batian’s personal guard asked.

“I’m going to take a walk. Don’t follow me,” Pi Batian commanded, then stepped outside. The guards all glanced at each other, but they didn’t dare disobey their master’s command. Pi Batian was originally a vicious man, and his moods had turned mercurial after the loss of his arm. All his subordinates had had to walk on tenterhooks around him.

Li Mo followed Pi Batian into Pi Yan’s yard. Pi Yan’s guards bowed down to him, not daring to ask what he was doing here; the only one in the Pi family who could enter or leave Pi Yan’s rooms at will was Pi Batian himself.

Pi Batian walked into Pi Yan’s bedroom. The reason he was able to do so without fear of reprisal or getting caught was because Pi Yan had informed him that he would have to spend the whole night preparing a spiritual pill for the grafting operation.

When Pi Batian realized that he could spend the entire night torturing Yun Ruoyan, he was so excited that he wanted to wave his arms about. With only one arm, however, he was unable to complete the motion. He glanced at his empty sleeve, his repressed hatred again flaring into full force. Even with a new arm, the pain of having lost an arm was something that he could never forget. Tonight, he would make Yun Ruoyan feel that exact pain tenfold, hundredfold!

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