Chapter Fifty-One: Shi Xuexi Awakens

The hall and its surroundings were in complete chaos. Quite apart from the inexplicable explosions outside, the sight of Chen Hongxu’s ghostlike figure inside the hall had sent everyone into a frenzy of screams.

Eyes bloodshot, Chen Hongxu held three warheads that still retained a trace of warmth between his fingers and stared coldly at the man in the tailcoat before him.

Lan Zhao swallowed with difficulty. It was not that he had never witnessed great events; it was simply that being accustomed to killing people and being killed were two entirely different things. All his past experiences did now was make him appear slightly calmer than ordinary people.

He released the firearm in his hand. The fist hidden behind his back clenched tightly, making his intention to show weakness unmistakable. Yet he had no idea what to say. After all, he was about to marry the other man’s girlfriend, and had just fired a shot intending to kill him. At a time like this, any words of supplication would clearly sound ridiculous.

Chen Hongxu naturally had a deep impression of this man who had always coveted Xue Xi. If not for Lan Zhao’s relentless pursuit, perhaps Xue Xi would never have been driven into a corner and forced to seek the help of an obscure nobody like himself. Then the entire chain of events arising from the Xue family would never have occurred.

Should he thank him for that?

A trace of humanlike amusement finally appeared on Chen Hongxu’s face, though unfortunately it was a cold smile. He had no intention of wasting words on this man. Although he still could not be certain who had injured Xue Xi, the Lan family’s attempt to take advantage of her misfortune was enough to warrant a thousand deaths.

He swung his fist in a sweeping arc, intending to kill outright the man who had once regarded him as an ant and who now was not even worthy of that comparison. Yet Chen Hongxu discovered that his blow had struck nothing.

Had he been too slow?

Chen Hongxu’s brows drew together slightly.

Lan Zhao had always believed that he was not afraid of death. Even if he had to die, he could do so standing upright, with dignity. But when he saw that cold smile at the corner of Chen Hongxu’s mouth, he suddenly recalled the expression he himself had worn before killing people. It seemed exactly the same: profound contempt, perhaps with a trace of indifference.

Feeling the forceful wind sweep over his head, Lan Zhao had no time to lament that he had knelt too early. He immediately flattened himself on the ground and, choking with sobs, began listing every sin he had ever committed.

“Finished?” Chen Hongxu listened for a while. It was all petty accounts of bullying men and violating women, and he asked impatiently, “The only reason I gave you time to talk was because I wanted to hear about the Xue family’s plans. After all, I still don’t know whether Su Xiaoxiao had any involvement in this.”

“Y-yes. Brother Chen, you’re a magnanimous man. Please spare me.” Lan Zhao raised his head slightly and glanced at Chen Hongxu’s impatient expression before speaking through his tears and running nose.

“As for Xue Baishu, your people captured Uncle De’s daughter and used her as leverage, then killed him through an inside-outside conspiracy. I have no questions about that. There are countless ways to seize a person’s weakness. But didn’t you leave something out? How did Xue Xi become a vegetable?” Chen Hongxu’s voice was cold.

The reason Lan Zhao had avoided mentioning Xue Xi was naturally because she was Chen Hongxu’s Achilles’ heel. Besides, he had been trying to stall for time. With so many extraordinary experts outside, if even one of them entered and managed to fight Chen Hongxu to a draw, Lan Zhao had already decided that he would immediately drive away and flee as far as possible. As for revenge, he had abandoned the thought entirely.

But now, the other man was clearly giving him no chance to muddle through. Clinging to the principle of sacrificing everyone else to save himself, Lan Zhao cast family affection, friendship, and love aside without hesitation.

“Xue Xi is the only direct heir of the Xue family. After my father, Lan Yangsheng, learned that Xue Baishu had died, he thought of having me marry her. But given Xue Xi’s temperament, she would have seen through the Lan family’s scheme at a glance, and there was no possibility that she would ever fall in love with me. My father feared that she might lose her mind and fight the Lan family to mutual destruction, so he contacted the Xue family’s collateral branch through intermediaries. He found the relevant people directly and had Xue Xi turned into a vegetable.”

Chen Hongxu exhaled slowly.

The only reason he had been so uncertain was that Su Xiaoxiao’s death had been far too coincidental. If that shrewd woman had not been plotting something, Chen Hongxu simply could not believe it. After witnessing the Weapon Spirit abandon its chance at rebirth, he had also come to understand that an origin inheritance could potentially carry its will along with it.

Could Su Xiaoxiao really have abandoned the chance to seize another body?

When he had returned and heard the terrible news, the first thought that came to Chen Hongxu was whether Su Xiaoxiao had laid out this entire scheme. There was no denying that exchanging one’s life for rebirth was cruel to oneself. If it failed, one might be doomed beyond redemption. But there were plenty of people ruthless enough to gamble everything on a single throw. Chen Hongxu himself was one of them. He had asked himself honestly: if it were necessary to achieve his goal, could he carry out such a desperate and merciless plan?

He gave a self-mocking smile, sighing inwardly that he was still far too suspicious. Then he glanced at Lan Zhao, who was wagging his tail like a dog in supplication, and said淡ly, “Actually, even if you were a good man, I would still want to kill you.”

The look of astonishment remained frozen on Lan Zhao’s face, but his body collapsed as though its supports had been removed. At least he departed peacefully, without the slightest pain.

Chen Hongxu surveyed the hall. Several members of the Xue family’s collateral branch whom he had seen at the Xue residence were trembling violently. He shook his head, then turned and walked back to Xue Xi’s side. Crouching down, he struck the forehead of Liu Yixian, who was on the verge of death, with his palm. Countless red threads surged into Liu Yixian’s body.

Chen Hongxu withdrew his hand and took the stretcher carrying Liu Yixian. He gestured for Gu Jiesong to lower it slowly. Then, lowering his head to gaze at Xue Xi, he muttered to himself, “Neither the Lan family nor the Xue family needs to exist anymore. The future is something you fight for. Now let’s see what you will do.”

Gu Jiesong froze for a moment, then was overwhelmed by wild joy. An indescribable excitement flashed through his eyes as he nodded and slowly rose to his feet, walking toward those who believed Chen Hongxu had spared them.

Gu Jiesong had no interest in whether these people lived or died. At present, he no longer cared whether he lived or died himself. It was rare enough that Chen Hongxu was willing to take him in. He was not doing it because he coveted the possibility that Chen Hongxu might increase his strength—he did not possess that much insight. Rather, Chen Hongxu’s words were an unmistakable acceptance of him, allowing a man who had lost his purpose to find a reason to keep living once more.

…

Two different worlds had emerged within the hall.

Over there, bloodshed raged like a storm.

Here, Chen Hongxu looked at Xue Xi’s pallid little face and her slightly yellowed hair, withered from malnutrition, and felt as though something had seized his heart. He glanced at Liu Yixian, whose aura was growing stronger by the moment, then sighed and spoke to the Weapon Spirit in his mind.

“Are you certain the Lotus Guard won’t have any effect on her?”

“With her bodily functions completely restored and her strength rising explosively, there is truly no drawback apart from her absolute obedience to you,” the Weapon Spirit replied candidly.

“Then can we directly put those killing threads into Xue Xi’s body and turn her into a Lotus Guard as well?” Chen Hongxu hesitated before asking. After all, the woman Su Xiaoxiao had left him with a shadow far darker than ordinary.

“Wonderful! Wonderful!”

The Weapon Spirit was practically dancing with delight.

“Forget it. You’re hardly a good thing in this matter either.” Chen Hongxu rolled his eyes and severed the connection with the Weapon Spirit.

Women were eternally incomprehensible creatures. Although he already knew what the Weapon Spirit had given up for his sake, and believed that it would come to love the master of the weapon embryo, there had been something distinctly strange about its expression just now.

Having decided to act according to his own methods, Chen Hongxu exhaled a heavy breath. He turned his palm over, and a bead appeared within it. Inside, a tiny green snake and a miniature sword were playing together.

With his other hand, he pried open Xue Xi’s mouth and slipped the bead inside.

Five or six seconds later, a number of visible miniature swords appeared around Xue Xi’s body. They encircled her, their sword-light so fierce that even Chen Hongxu was forced to retreat several steps.

In an instant, all the miniature swords hovered above Xue Xi’s upper body.

Chen Hongxu was horrified. Though these things were merely manifestations, their sword energy alone could have torn Xue Xi into pieces. He had no time to stop them. As cold sweat broke out over his body and his heart trembled with fear, every miniature sword plunged into Xue Xi’s body.

“She’s all right?”

Sweat poured down Chen Hongxu’s back, and his legs felt faintly weak.

“Er… Xue Xi?”

After the miniature swords had completely entered her body, Xue Xi slowly opened her eyes. Two streams of sword energy shot directly from between her opening lids, pierced through the roof of the hall, and flew into the distance. A terrifying aura and oppressive force instantly spread through the area.

Xue Xi blinked in confusion. She raised a hand and patted her head, looking as though she were suffering from a headache. Suddenly, she sensed something unbelievable from the corner of her eye.

Slowly, she lifted her head and looked at Chen Hongxu. She blinked once, then rubbed her eyes as though uncertain and looked again. At last, after confirming that she was not hallucinating, she rose as if possessed and lunged toward Chen Hongxu.

Hidden Saint 51 | Full Text | Chapter Fifty-One: Xue Xi Awakens — Update Complete!