Chapter 132: Chapter 130: Thousand Poisons
Behind where Jiang Jichen had just been standing, a figure suddenly appeared.
It was incredibly fast, silent and traceless. Even someone watching the spot intently wouldn’t have known when that figure had arrived.
But Jiang Jichen’s reaction was astonishing—he had already dodged out of the way.
Where he had just been standing, blades of Spiritual Power materialized, hissing as they slashed through the air. They nearly tore space itself apart, a testament to their terrifying Power of Destruction.
Hua Xiaoling had been stunned by Jiang Jichen’s speed, still dazed for a moment. But when she saw the newly appeared figure, her expression changed instantly. She glared at him and said, "Chief Steward Hua Ming, aren’t you supposed to be away from the Hua Mansion on business today? Why have you appeared now? And what perfect timing, arriving so silently you nearly killed me from behind!"
Hua Ming had attacked from behind with the sole intention of killing Jiang Jichen, not Hua Xiaoling. But the moment she spoke, she accused him of trying to kill her. Clearly, she was no pushover.
Hua Ming was not a member of the Hua Family’s direct line, but in terms of seniority, he was of her uncles’ generation. For someone of his status to become a Steward of the Hua Family was indeed no simple feat.
But when it came to true status, even as Chief Steward, he was no match for the young miss of the Hua Family. Moreover, Hua Xiaoling was the only member of the direct line in her generation.
If the accusation of trying to assassinate the Hua Family’s young miss were to stick, the consequences would be severe, even for the Hua Family’s Chief Steward.
Hua Ming was a lean, middle-aged man. A flicker of surprise flashed through his eyes.
Although he hadn’t used his full strength just now, he had thought it would be more than enough to eliminate the boy at the Innate First Realm Perfect Realm. He never expected the target to sense his sneak attack from behind and dodge in advance.
In response to Hua Xiaoling’s words, Hua Ming remained calm and said evenly, "Young Miss, you misunderstand. I was merely testing your cultivation power. I didn’t expect this young brother to be so formidable!"
But Hua Xiaoling just gave a cold laugh. "Since you know I am the young miss, then fine, who is this man? Not only did he bar me from my own home, he even tried to have me killed. These Hua Family uncles all saw it. It was useless even when they shouted for him to stop! If my husband didn’t have some cultivation, I’m afraid we would have become a pair of ill-fated lovers on the run."
At that moment, the few Hua Family Elders who had shouted for them to stop finally arrived. They had witnessed the entire scene, and they stared at Hua Ming and Lie Xiaoyu with ugly expressions. "Hua Ming, how dare you! To openly try to kill the young miss of our Hua Family! Do you really think you people can blot out the sky with one hand? You must give us an explanation for what happened today, or we will take this to the Grand Elder!"
However, Hua Ming replied calmly, "I just came from the Grand Elder’s side. I didn’t expect something like this to happen. However, Lie Xiaoyu was only acting for the safety of the Hua Family. His actions were a bit extreme, but his intentions were good. Besides, the Grand Elder just said that desperate times call for desperate measures. Therefore, everything that happened today was just a misunderstanding!"
Truly, the older the ginger, the spicier it is. Hua Ming tried to dismiss the entire incident as a misunderstanding. Hua Xiaoling was about to erupt in anger when Jiang Jichen sent her a mental transmission: "There’s no need to argue with them right now. Let’s save your grandfather, the Patriarch, first. As long as the Patriarch recovers, these people are nothing more than jumping clowns!"
Seeing Hua Xiaoling about to speak again, Jiang Jichen secretly sent the reminder via mental transmission.
With Jiang Jichen’s reminder, Hua Xiaoling suddenly understood. Without power, what was the use of arguing? She couldn’t do anything to them at all.
Right now in the Hua Family, the Grand Elder’s faction reigned supreme. Moreover, the Grand Elder was very close with Heavenly Hunting Mountain and the Lin Family, and no one could oppose them.
Hua Xiaoling shot a cold glance at Lie Xiaoyu and Hua Ming. "Fine. I won’t bicker with you now. I’m going to see the Patriarch!"
With that, Hua Xiaoling took Jiang Jichen’s hand and started walking toward the inner courtyards of the Hua estate.
However, Hua Xiaoling had only taken a few steps when Hua Ming suddenly appeared before them, blocking their path. "By order of the Grand Elder, the Patriarch is in seclusion, forcing out the poison. This is a critical moment. No one is to disturb him, and that includes you, Young Miss!"
The expressions of Hua Xiaoling and the few Hua Family Elders beside her changed.
"Hua Ming, what is the meaning of this? The Elder Council never issued such an order! When did the Grand Elder give this command?"
Seventh Elder Hua Jie demanded furiously.
Hua Ming replied faintly, "He just issued it. That’s why I hurried over. I just didn’t expect all this to happen before I could even announce it."
Hua Ming was a Minor Grandmaster at the Innate Seventh Realm Middle Stage, with extraordinary cultivation. The other Elders were only at the Innate Sixth Layer, not yet at the Minor Grandmaster Realm. No wonder they spoke without confidence.
Facing the obstruction of a Minor Grandmaster, it would be difficult to force their way through.
’It’s not as if I haven’t killed a Minor Grandmaster Level existence before. Besides, I’m much stronger now than when I broke out of Qingcheng. I might not even need to use the One Corner of the Sky Killing Array to have a fighting chance against an Innate Seventh Layer Minor Grandmaster. But I don’t want to reveal my trump cards just for the sake of the Hua Family’s internal strife.’
’The situation is actually very clear now. The Hua Family is completely controlled by the Grand Elder, and Hua Ming is his spokesperson. With the support of Heavenly Hunting Mountain and the Lin Family, they can naturally blot out the sky with one hand within the Hua Family.’
’Furthermore, the direct line of the Hua Family is in decline, while the Grand Elder’s branch family has become the sole power.’
’At this moment, I’m actually a little curious about what kind of person this Grand Elder is.’
’He rarely shows his face, but his authority seems astounding. The moment Hua Ming mentioned him, even the few Elders from the direct line didn’t dare to speak up again.’
Hua Xiaoling’s heart sank. ’In a situation like this, I’m afraid the Patriarch is in grave danger.’
’The Grand Elder’s desire to seize the position of Hua Family Patriarch has become blatantly obvious.’
’The Hua Family Patriarch was poisoned with Thousand Poisons. No one believes he can survive.’
The so-called Thousand Poisons was a poison concocted from a thousand different formulas. Once afflicted, even a Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator would be doomed to die. Without a Holy Medicine, they would never last a hundred days!
And according to Hua Xiaoling, the Hua Family Patriarch had been poisoned for nearly three months. Without a Holy Medicine, if this dragged on any longer, he would soon breathe his last.
The Grand Elder was using the pretense of protection to prevent anyone from seeing the Patriarch, clearly intending to let him die by dragging things out.
"Hua Xiaoling, don’t tell them you have the Thousand-Petaled Flower! We have to find a way to see the Patriarch in secret!"
Jiang Jichen instantly understood the crux of the matter and hurriedly sent a mental transmission to Hua Xiaoling.
’If we reveal that we have the Thousand-Petaled Flower, not only will they not let us see the Patriarch, but they will surely try to kill us in secret. They might even use the excuse of saving the Patriarch to openly take the Thousand-Petaled Flower, but they would never use it to save the Hua Family Patriarch. Given how shameless these people are, there’s nothing they wouldn’t do.’
Jiang Jichen’s warning made Hua Xiaoling understand instantly.
"In that case, are you going to stop my husband and me from returning to my own chambers?"
Hua Xiaoling said, her face cold as she looked at Hua Ming.
