Xun Liu’s arm fell limp.
Xun Qi had never thought that Sixth Brother would die in such a way right before his eyes.
Clearly, Sixth Brother was exceptionally skilled in martial arts. If not for himself, Sixth Brother could have left the Pri Minister’s Mansion and road the world freely.
He might never have beco a killer.
Grief and guilt overwheld Xun Qi’s heart, transforming into countless blades scraping against his bones, endlessly tearing at his flesh.
"Sixth Brother... Sixth Brother... Sixth Brother—"
Xun Qi knelt on the ground, holding the lifeless body of Xun Liu, wailing in anguish.
Chief of Staff Xing had seen plenty of life and death—and the complexities of human nature—yet found himself speechless in this mont, unable to utter a word.
Steward Hu sighed repeatedly, "If only we had known it would end like this, why bother with regrets now?"
Only Lu Yuan remained composed, calmly stepping forward.
Xun Qi, his face streaming with tears, hugged Xun Liu’s corpse tightly and glared venomously at Lu Yuan, shouting with murderous intent, "Stay back! No one is allowed to touch Sixth Brother!"
"Let him go."
Lu Yuan said.
Xun Qi roared, "Don’t even think about taking Sixth Brother away... Don’t even think about it!"
Lu Yuan took a deep breath, frowned impatiently, and with a single move separated the two.
Xun Qi fell to the side in a disheveled heap.
Seeing Lu Yuan grab Xun Liu’s head, Xun Qi’s fury erupted like fireworks, reaching its peak instantly.
"I’ll fight you to the death!"
Xun Qi lunged at Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan waved his sleeve, unleashing a gust of wind.
Xun Qi did not dodge but instead risked everything for mutual destruction, firing a concealed sleeve arrow.
It was a chanism crafted especially for him by Sixth Brother, designed for self-defense.
Even in death, Sixth Brother was protecting him.
Lu Yuan tilted his head to the side, evading the sleeve arrow without changing his expression.
At the sa ti, Xun Qi was struck by Lu Yuan’s palm wind, though he was uninjured. Instead, he was simply pushed away by the moderate force.
Xun Qi froze montarily.
Then, he saw Lu Yuan pry open Xun Liu’s mouth and stuff a dark pill inside.
Startled, he shouted, "What did you do to Sixth Brother?"
"If you keep yelling, Old Six really won’t make it."
Lu Yuan said as he closed Xun Liu’s mouth and smacked his chest, forcing him to swallow the pill.
Xun Qi, ignoring his disgrace, scrambled to his feet and staggered toward the pair, incredulous as he looked at Lu Yuan. "What... What do you an?"
Lu Yuan gripped Xun Liu’s pulse and said, "Have you ever heard of the secret techniques from Miaojiang Witch Mountain?"
"Are you referring to the Goddess’s Resurrection Technique?"
Of course Xun Qi had heard of it. When Lu Yuan was "killed" by Chen Long, Xun Qi had been the one to inform his foster father of this secret technique.
But the technique had to be perford within twelve hours of death—it was said to bring people back to life.
Yet whether it truly worked or not, he had never seen it for himself.
Back then, he’d shared the information with his foster father solely out of precaution, ensuring nothing was left to chance.
Xun Qi frowned. "Could the technique actually be real?"
Lu Yuan chuckled. "You don’t even believe it yourself, so why did you convince the Pri Minister to ’kill my corpse’?"
Xun Qi hesitated for a mont before answering truthfully. "It’s better to act first than regret later, sacrificing accuracy for thoroughness."
Lu Yuan’s gaze betrayed no surprise. "A fine approach—better to act first than regret later. Old Six has a pulse."
Xun Qi, astonished, grabbed Xun Liu’s other wrist, placing his fingers on the pulse point.
Though faint, it was indeed there.
Xun Qi grew excited instantly.
Lu Yuan gave him a sidelong glance and reminded him, "Don’t celebrate too soon. Old Six went too hard on himself; when he severed his ridians, he showed no rcy. Now his entire body’s muscular system is shattered—his organs are being sustained by the Miao King’s Gu Worm, preserving his last monts of life. If you truly want Old Six to co back to life, you’ll need to take him to Miaojiang Witch Mountain and ask the Goddess to intervene."
Only the Miao King’s Life Gu can prolong the dying’s vitality... Lu Yuan had prepared everything—he had co to save Sixth Brother?
Xun Qi clenched his fists, his emotions tangled.
He lowered his head. "Even with the Miao King’s Gu Worm, it’s impossible for Sixth Brother to reach Witch Mountain within a month, and even if he does, the Goddess won’t necessarily save a Central Plains native."
Lu Yuan closed his eyes briefly. "Old man, how long are you planning to lurk outside and spy?"
"Spy? You brat, can’t you speak properly?"
The Miao King snapped, startling Steward Hu into an uncontrollable shudder.
All this ti, there was a living person standing nearby?
Walking without a sound?!
Chief of Staff Xing cupped his hands in greeting. "Miao King."
The Miao King returned the gesture. "Chief of Staff Xing, no need to be polite."
Sauntering into the interrogation room, the Miao King glanced at Xun Liu, projecting an aura of authority and might—but only for three seconds. Then, he abruptly began wailing pitifully, "My Life Gu... Waaaah..."
Xun Qi was dumbfounded, shocked by the Miao King’s sudden antics.
Lu Yuan addressed the Miao King, "Old man, assign soone to escort Xun Liu to Witch Mountain."
The Miao King flared up again. "Ruan Qing and Ruan Ling were sent to escort Luo San by you; Dragon Slayer and Tiger Tar were also duped by you into hunting down Princess Wanping and that chicken; you’ve ruined everything—I’ve got no one left!"
Lu Yuan: "Once I’ve reached Witch Mountain, I’ll expel all those male concubines of yours."
Miao King: "Tian Gang, Bei Dou!"
Two Hidden Guards stepped out of the shadows.
Steward Hu flinched yet again. Oh dear, where had these two materialized from?
Are Miaojiang’s experts grown out of the ground?
So that’s what "native" ans?
Chief of Staff Xing’s eyes revealed a flicker of surprise.
He had long known that the Miao King was no simple man, but truly hadn’t expected the extent of his hidden might.
At this mont, Chief of Staff Xing couldn’t help but suspect the Miao King had deliberately held back against the Pri Minister all this ti.
Like an apex predator, patiently circling its prey—not rushing in for the kill, instead leaving the honor to fledgling hunters.
Xun Qi’s thoughts were entirely occupied by Xun Liu’s survival, leaving no room to ponder the Miao King’s true strength.
Still uneasy, he asked, "But how can you ensure the Goddess will agree to help?"
Lu Yuan: "Oh, she’s my grandmother."
Xun Qi: "..."
Lu Yuan turned to Chief of Staff Xing. "Uncle Xing, may we take Xun Liu to Miaojiang for treatnt?"
Chief of Staff Xing nodded.
Xun Qi realized that if he had been the one to make the request, Chief of Staff Xing would never have agreed—it was likely he wouldn’t even be allowed to bury Sixth Brother.
Sixth Brother would have been left to the Ministry of Justice, subjected to a forensic autopsy...
Just imagining that scene made Xun Qi shudder with fear.
Tian Gang hoisted Xun Liu onto his back.
Xun Qi took a step forward, opened his mouth, but hesitated.
Lu Yuan said, "I know you want to go too, but I’d suggest against it. Bringing one more person ans consuming additional strength, slowing down the journey, which diminishes Old Six’s chance of survival. Of course, if you distrust and think I’ll use Old Six’s body to threaten you, you’re welco to take him yourself and bury him properly. I’ll report to the Supre Emperor."
Xun Qi asked cautiously, "Why are you helping ?"
"I’m not helping you."
Lu Yuan looked at the unconscious Xun Liu. "Back then, in order to make earn the trust of the late Crown Prince, they forced to endure the cold until my sickness flared up and forbade from taking dication. Old Six gave a bowl of ginger soup for the cold that night."
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