Hikaru gave a slight smile and shook his head, as if rejecting so assumption Zhao Guizhen had made.
This caused Zhao Guizhen to feel a faint sense of relief—
perhaps Hikaru didn't actually harbor any animosity toward him.
But the next words out of Hikaru's mouth plunged him into an icy abyss.
"There's no particular reason," Hikaru said casually.
"I just didn't like the things you've done.
And killing you happens to be convenient for ."
He spoke with the ease of discussing the weather,
as if what he had just said was a trivial matter.
Zhao Guizhen's pupils shrank, panic surging through him like a tidal wave.
He tried to open his mouth and beg for rcy—
only to realize in horror that he couldn't move a muscle.
It was as if an invisible force had locked him in place.
Then, the world around him blurred.
So unknown power pulled him into a hellish nightmare.
And just like Wang Bing before him, Zhao Guizhen now experienced the joy of all eighteen layers.
His eyes quickly went blank,
and the breath of life faded from his body.
With his death, the wicked technique he had practiced—Sevenfold Soul Cluster—was naturally broken.
Seven young souls drifted out from Zhao Guizhen's body.
The mont they appeared, they rushed furiously toward his corpse,
seeking vengeance.
But being spirits, they could not touch the physical world.
After a few futile attempts,
they gave up, full of unwillingness.
Then they turned to Hikaru and bowed deeply.
They had no words,
but their eyes were full of gratitude and reverence.
Slowly, they began to fade.
With a gentle wave of his hand,
the laws of reincarnation blood in Hikaru's palm.
Under his power, these children would reincarnate into good hos in their next lives—
and live happy, peaceful lives.
All of this took place on the level of souls.
To those with mortal eyes,
none of it could be seen.
To Fu Rong and the others,
all they saw was Zhao Guizhen's body suddenly going rigid and then collapsing—lifeless.
They had no idea what had truly occurred.
But the sight doused their righteous fervor for rescuing Ma Hongxian
like a bucket of cold water dumped over their heads.
As Hikaru turned his gaze slowly toward them,
they all instinctively lowered their heads,
unable to et those eyes that seed to see through everything.
Then Hikaru smiled lightly and spoke.
"No need to be nervous. This is a law-abiding society.
I won't do anything to you."
Fu Rong nearly choked on the irony.
Say that again while looking at Zhao Guizhen's body, and maybe I'll believe it.
But on the surface, she nodded repeatedly,
feigning full agreent.
Hikaru, as if reading their thoughts, continued:
"Zhao Guizhen's health was always poor.
Dying suddenly like this isn't too surprising.
Do I look like I did anything?"
Fu Rong thought for a mont.
Indeed, Hikaru hadn't touched Zhao Guizhen once.
She even began to doubt herself...
...What a load of crap.
'You literally said, just now, that killing him was convenient!'
Fu Rong fud inwardly.
'Now you're blaming his death on poor health? Do you think we're idiots?!'
Lost in her internal monologue,
she didn't notice Hikaru glancing at her with a mischievous smirk.
When she finally looked up and t those all-seeing eyes again,
her heart skipped a beat.
Hikaru spoke evenly:
"You're Fu Rong, right?"
Fu Rong nodded stiffly, nervous and confused.
How does he know who I am?
Then she heard the words that felt like they ca from the depths of hell:
"ICBC, 150,000. China rchants Bank, 100,000.
Lu Zhong Bank, 200,000.
Credit maxed at 30,000..."
Every word hit Fu Rong like a hamr to the chest.
Her world collapsed in an instant.
She had thought she could start over in Biyu Village,
leave the shadows of her past behind.
Yet now, Hikaru had effortlessly exposed everything.
She wanted nothing more than to vanish into the ground.
"Stop! Please stop! I get it—I was wrong! Just let go!"
She couldn't take it anymore.
Her voice cracked with desperation.
She couldn't bear the thought of Hikaru airing more of her secrets,
especially not in front of Hari Chagai, who was also from Biyu Village.
Thankfully, Hikaru had no intention of pushing further.
He cut off his words at her plea.
Fu Rong let out a breath of relief.
She knew he held enough dirt on her to destroy her reputation.
The gleam of amusent in Hikaru's eyes confird it.
If he wanted to air her relationship history for all to hear,
she'd never recover.
At that mont, Chen Duo leaned close to Hikaru, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
She clearly wanted to know more.
Fu Rong's heart leapt into her throat.
And sure enough, Hikaru began to explain Fu Rong's romantic past—
in detail.
"She dated a few guys—all jerks."
"That wouldn't be so bad… if she didn't have the mindset of a romance-addled fool."
"She expected nothing from them, got swindled out of a ton of money.
What I read out loud just now? Her debts."
Chen Duo tilted her head, confused.
She didn't yet understand romantic feelings.
She only sensed that Fu Rong had been deceived.
anwhile, Hari Chagai stared at Fu Rong with a look that scread:
"Didn't expect you to be that kind of person."
Fu Rong wanted to crawl into a hole.
She hunched over, burying her face in her arms like an old man with a flip phone.
After this round of public embarrassnt, the tension finally eased.
In the original plot, Qu Tong had killed off any excess witnesses during the Ma Hongxian abduction.
So Hikaru had no plans to drag Fu Rong and the others into it.
They had done nothing evil,
nor had they wronged him.
There was no need to get them killed.
So after letting them go,
Hikaru left with Chen Duo.
At the sa ti, Chen Duo relayed Ma Hongxian's status back to the Company.
The truth was, the Company had long been aware of Ma Hongxian—
they simply hadn't intervened yet.
The reason was simple:
Qu Tong had planted a mole among the Company's upper ranks.
If not for Chen Duo's unexpected interference,
the developnt of the Body Refinent Furnace would likely have continued to completion without issue.
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