Lü Yuehua stood with her hands behind her back, assuming the posture of a master, awaiting Qiao Ling'er's reply.
At this moment, Qiao Ling'er, seeing her young lady's self-deceptive behavior, was almost laughing her head off.
Suppressing a smile, Qiao Ling'er began to vividly recount the entire process of how Wu Tao defeated Hong Bai in one fell swoop.
Lü Yuehua listened attentively, occasionally interjecting with specific questions.
...
Meanwhile.
"What's wrong, son? Your aura is so chaotic. Can it be that you can't even defeat a junior at the Foundation Establishment stage?"
"It seems you not only lost, but you're also seriously injured?"
In the Hong Manor, the grand elder of Tong Guan City, Hong Tongtian, a hoary voice coldly emanated.
Immediately after, a green Nascent Soul, resembling an infant, appeared. After scrutinizing Hong Bai, who was kneeling on the ground, a cold glint flashed in its eyes as it asked.
...
"My son is unfilial, I have disgraced your esteemed person, Father. That shameless brat at the Foundation Establishment stage attacked first, causing me to be defeated without unleashing my full strength."
"In the end, if it weren't for Wan Yanwu intervening, your son would have been nearly killed by that ruthless brat with a single sword strike. Father, you must seek justice for your son."
Upon seeing his father's Nascent Soul, Hong Bai quickly lowered his head and stood with his hands clasped at his sides.
...
"He's merely a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage, and you not only lost but want me to seek justice for you?"
"Seek justice for what? Do you know how much face you've made me lose among other Nascent Soul cultivators? When did you become so useless?"
"Do you want me, a cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage, to personally eliminate a Foundation Establishment cultivator?"
"You have no shame, but I still want to preserve my old face."
"It's a joke for a cultivator at the Core Formation stage to fight a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage on a martial stage. Defeating a Foundation Establishment cultivator by a Core Formation cultivator is as easy as a father beating his son, right?"
"But you, you waste, have done the exact opposite, turning it into a grandfather beating his father..."
"This matter was already a joke, and with this further complication, it has directly become a widely circulated jest and topic of conversation."
"When this news arrived, your father, that is I..."
"I couldn't hold my head up among more than a dozen fellow Nascent Soul cultivators... "
"Although they didn't mock me to my face, they must have been roaring with laughter behind my back. All because of you."
"Fortunately, I don't have you as my only son. This youngest son is a failure, but your elder brother is quite capable."
Hong Tongtian's gaze turned extremely grim upon hearing this. He cursed vehemently, spittle flying everywhere, scolding Hong Bai so severely that he dared not even raise his head.
...
Facing his youngest son, he truly had nothing more to say.
In fact, he understood in his heart that it wasn't that the brat Wu Tao, at the Foundation Establishment stage, could truly defeat his son Hong Bai.
Rather, it was that Hong Bai had been too arrogant. If he had unleashed his divine abilities and magic treasures from the start, attacking with full force, the outcome would have been entirely different.
But who could have imagined that someone could possess the strength to contend with a Core Formation cultivator while still at the Foundation Establishment stage?
...
Before he could even treat his wounds, Hong Bai, under the erosion of the destructive sword qi, began to falter as time passed.
Seeing his son's extreme discomfort, Hong Tongtian sighed inwardly. He assumed his son was feeling ashamed due to this failure and thus appeared that way, not paying it much mind.
Therefore, Hong Tongtian's tone became slightly gentler, and he hastily offered some comfort. However, he couldn't help but feel a degree of reluctance.
This was because the daughter of that old man Lü had so effortlessly captured that Foundation Establishment cultivator named Wu Tao.
...
"Could the gap truly be this vast?"
Hong Tongtian thought unwillingly.
The most foolish aspect of his son's actions in this matter was that it benefited no one.
Winning would bring no advantage, only contempt, and losing was even worse, bringing utter disgrace.
In reality, Hong Tongtian was aware of this beforehand, but he had not expected his son to be so disappointing.
Since a battle was engaged, one should fight to win, regardless of the reason. Yet now he was injured by another.
...
Originally, the disturbance at the West City conscription area had caused old man Lü to lose considerable face, and the Lü family became a laughingstock.
However, with his son's blunder, his own Hong family appeared even more incompetent and useless, utterly foolish.
The more Hong Tongtian thought about it, the angrier he became. But even a tiger doesn't eat its cubs; Hong Bai was, after all, his son. No matter how angry he was, he couldn't kill his own son.
Taking a deep breath and calming down, Hong Tongtian finally noticed something amiss with Hong Bai.
If it were merely fear and shame, his complexion wouldn't be so deathly pale.
Hong Tongtian extended his left hand and made a grasping motion in the air above Hong Bai's head.
With a soft "puff," a ball of terrifying destructive sword qi, enveloped in potent spiritual energy, shot out from Hong Bai's body. After swirling for a moment, it landed in Hong Tongtian's hand.
Hong Tongtian lowered his head and examined it closely. After a moment, his gaze became complicated.
...
Meanwhile.
With the destructive sword qi that had been lingering in his body extracted by Hong Tongtian, Hong Bai's complexion clearly improved.
...
"Such venomous sword qi. You lost this battle deservedly, son. This is a fearsome secret technique that, if prolonged, will backfire and consume one's life."
"You treated this battle as a game, but he was prepared to fight to the death from the very beginning."
"In terms of power and realm, you were stronger than the opponent, but in terms of will, you were far inferior."
Hong Tongtian's Nascent Soul shook its head, and his words carried a hint of admiration.
Hong Bai was slightly stunned upon hearing this. If that were truly the case, then appearances could indeed be deceiving.
Who would have thought that someone who looked ordinary, with a gentle demeanor and seeming easy to bully, would have intended to fight to the death from the start...
If the wronged souls who had perished at Wu Tao's hands knew what Hong Bai was thinking, they would surely curse him to the heavens.
You damnable fool, with which eye did you see Wu Tao as having a gentle demeanor and being easy to bully? Are you blind?
"Father, please give your son another chance. Once my injuries heal, I will immediately go challenge that brat again. This time, I will not be careless, and I will fight with all my might, kill him, and wash away this shame."
Hong Bai knelt before Hong Tongtian, gritting his teeth with killing intent as he spoke each word.
After all, when had he, Hong Bai, ever suffered such humiliation since childhood?
As the son of a dignified Nascent Soul cultivator, a Core Formation cultivator, he could be said to have reached the pinnacle among his peers. Yet he was reduced to such a pathetic state by an unknown individual, unable to even show his face in public.
...
Hong Tongtian's large eyes stared at Hong Bai for a long while.
He stared until Hong Bai's face turned red with embarrassment. Only then did Hong Tongtian let out a cold snort and say unhappily.
"Hmph, haven't you embarrassed yourself enough? Do you want to embarrass yourself again? Let's handle this matter with cold processing for now."
"After the heat surrounding this incident dies down, I will find a way to kill that brat. You don't need to worry about this matter for now."
"Moreover, perhaps we won't even need to act ourselves. This vicious sword qi might backfire and kill its own master..."
Hong Bai dared not retort and could only nod obediently with a subservient expression.
...
And on Wu Tao's end, as Hong Tongtian had speculated, he was not faring any better.
His internal body was also ravaged by the destructive sword qi.
However, it was not as severe as Hong Tongtian had described.
As soon as Wu Tao left the martial stage, he headed for the temporary rented cave dwelling he had secured in Tong Guan City.
Upon returning to this temporary residence, Wu Tao immediately locked the formation and began to treat the injuries caused by the destructive sword qi.
Even so, upon returning to the secret chamber, Wu Tao's vision suddenly went black, his throat filled with the taste of blood, and he vomited violently.
It turned out that as time dragged on, Wu Tao's internal organs had become severely eroded by the destructive sword qi.
As his spiritual energy circulated throughout his body, attempting to expel the destructive sword qi, Wu Tao let out low, pained roars, his breathing becoming increasingly rapid.
Following this, Wu Tao opened his mouth and let out another piercing roar. Wounds began to appear on his skin, rapidly expanding, and flesh split open.
Black destructive sword qi, forced out of his body, shot out like angry arrows, hitting the walls.
The walls were instantly corroded, creating numerous small holes.
A cold glint flashed intensely in Wu Tao's eyes. He chanted incantations, and the destructive sword qi within his body gradually began to decrease.
However, this process was extremely painful and dangerous. If Wu Tao could not endure it and fainted, he would never wake up again.
...
Seven days later, Wu Tao let out a clear whistle. The Chuxi Sword shot up into the sky, its light radiating. Although his complexion was pale due to excessive blood loss, overall, there were no major issues.
...
After his injuries stabilized, Wu Tao immediately went to the cave dwelling he had arduously acquired.
Wu Tao flew through the air and stood in mid-air, briefly surveying the cave dwelling. His eyes narrowed slightly.
Although this cave dwelling was one of the worst within the Core Formation area of the Water Moon Pavilion, it was still a place where cultivators at the Core Formation stage could cultivate. The spiritual energy was dense, and the environment was naturally extraordinary.
Compared to the so-called cave dwellings of Foundation Establishment cultivators, it was a world of difference.