23: Chapter 23 Wu Suanzi

"Chen Tianxiao's body couldn't help but tremble at this moment."

"He still stepped forward, shielding you behind him."

"You are very moved."

"But it is completely useless."

"The Grand Elder stepped forward and tapped Chen Tianxiao on the shoulder, knocking him unconscious instantly."

"'This time it was my failure to discipline him properly. I will punish this brat severely after we return,' the Grand Elder said to the surrounding Grandmasters while hoisting Chen Tianxiao up."

"You looked at the old man, Pill King, and held out your hands."

"You knew there was no escaping, so you could only resign yourself to fate."

"'Hurry up, old man, otherwise I'll just leave in a bit.'"

"Pill King looked at you and sighed."

"'I wish that when you have children in your old age, they turn out to be the neighbor's!'"

"After you finished speaking, you were knocked unconscious by Pill King."

"When you opened your eyes again, you found yourself back in that prison cell."

"You were tied up from head to toe."

"You really wanted to commit suicide, but now you couldn't even do that."

"'It seems Lin Si is truly miserable,' Lin Heng said, clicking his tongue while looking at the content on the simulator."

"Lin One and Lin Two both lived their lives as ordinary people, and in the end, they likely both died in the great upheaval at the age of fifty."

"Lin Three joined the Dragon Group; although he was also locked up, that was a misunderstanding, and he only stayed there for one day."

"Only poor Lin Si remains, and who knows how many more days he will be locked up by Pill King."

"The next evening, Chen Tianxiao ran in again. He was covered in injuries, looking like he had been severely punished by the Grand Elder."

"'Brother Lin,' Chen Tianxiao said, looking at you with some self-reproach, 'It's all my fault for not letting you escape.'"

"'It's fine.'"

"You knew it wasn't his fault. It was already good enough that he had the heart to care. You were just a Transcendent and a Dark Realm practitioner; how could you possibly escape from the hands of a Grandmaster?"

"Chen Tianxiao told you that you would be taken away tomorrow to be used as a vessel, and that he had begged his Master for a long time just to see you one last time."

"Tears streamed from his eyes as he spoke."

"Chen Tianxiao took out a lot of delicious food and placed it in front of you, wanting you to be able to taste the delicacies of the human world one last time."

"You were indeed hungry. For the past two days, the people of the Liehuo Sect had only fed you thin porridge, and your mouth was truly bored to tears right now."

"Your hands and feet were tied, so you could only let Chen Tianxiao feed you mouthful by mouthful."

"'Brother Chen, no, Tianxiao.'"

"Actually, you weren't sure if you were older than Chen Tianxiao, but he had always called you Brother Lin."

"'If I can survive, I...'"

"Before you could finish, your mouth was stuffed with the food Chen Tianxiao fed you."

"'I know, I know, Brother Lin. Eat, eat more.'"

"You didn't continue speaking but instead ate the delicious food Chen Tianxiao fed you in large mouthfuls."

"You didn't know how long you ate, but you felt your stomach was stuffed full."

"That's fine too; at least you can be a well-fed ghost in the end."

"'Tianxiao!' The Grand Elder appeared at the door at some point. He glanced at you coldly and then looked at Chen Tianxiao, 'It's time to go.'"

"Chen Tianxiao replied and gave you one last affectionate look."

"The next morning, you were woken up."

"Six figures stood before you; Pill King and the Grand Elder of Liehuo Sect were among them."

"You could feel that these six were all Innate powerhouses."

"It was impossible for you to escape; it looked like you were definitely going to die."

"It's fine, I'm just simulating anyway. Next time, if I don't beat you until you call me Daddy, I lose."

"You were brought to the side of a thatched cottage."

"There was an old man inside the thatched cottage."

"At this moment, he was... taking a bath in the latrine?"

"Your hands and feet had been released; with so many Grandmasters here, they weren't afraid of you escaping."

"You covered your nose: 'Where did this lunatic come from?'"

"The old man was playing with... some kind of unknown object in the large vat in the latrine."

"He was playing with it happily."

"'Shut your mouth!' Pill King barked at you."

"Feeling the majesty of the Grandmaster, you shuddered subconsciously and shut your mouth."

"But it really stank right now."

"Could it be that these people brought you here just to watch an old man play with... this?"

"Heavens, what kind of punishment is this?"

"You didn't know how long had passed, but you felt you were almost getting used to the stench."

"You didn't know if these Grandmasters had some masochistic tendencies or special fetishes, but they were all staring intently at the old man in the latrine."

"The old man's eyes suddenly brightened. He looked at the thing in his hand and threw it away in disgust."

"Seeing this, the Grand Elder immediately ran to the old man."

"The Grand Elder of Liehuo Sect was extremely humble, carefully guiding the way and bowing, not even afraid of dirtying his own body: 'Senior Master Wu Suanzi, please move to rest. This Junior will prepare clothes and serve you immediately.'"

"The remaining Innate powerhouses stood beside the old man named Master Wu Suanzi, their expressions respectful."

"Time passed second by second. The wooden door of the thatched cottage was tightly shut. The hall was so quiet that one could hear everyone's breathing; no one dared to say a word."

"I don't know how long it had been, but finally, a steady and profound voice came from the thatched cottage."

"'Come in.'"

"The few Grandmasters waiting outside breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this voice and brought you in."

"Master Wu Suanzi had changed into clean clothes and now looked like an expert living outside the secular world."

"And the Grand Elder of Liehuo Sect was currently kneeling in front of Master Wu Suanzi with his head bowed like a child."

"Looking at the old man's Transcendent and refined appearance, you couldn't associate him at all with the person who was just playing with... in the latrine."

"Lin Heng took a sip of small wine."

"'Master Wu Suanzi, I think I've heard this name before.'"

"He suddenly remembered; that was back when he was Lin Three. It seemed Chen Tianxiao had mentioned it then, while they were at the Spirit Liquid Pool."

"Chen Tianxiao had told Lin Three about Mu Xue being some kind of vessel for the Zhou Family Empress."

"He seemed to have said at the time that a crazy elder in his Sect had told him about it."

"The name of that crazy person seemed to be Master Wu Suanzi."

"'Looking at how respectful these Grandmasters are, he is at least a Martial Arts Saint,' Lin Heng analyzed."

"You looked at Master Wu Suanzi sitting in the main seat, and your heart suddenly sank. You were probably the body he was going to use as a vessel for this old man."

"You felt a sorrow that was hard to put into words."

"You hated yourself for being too arrogant, hated yourself for trusting others too easily, and in the end, falling into such a fate where you were at the mercy of others."

"'Danwang Valley, the current Pill King Li Qingshui, pays respects to Senior Master Wu Suanzi!' Pill King Li Qingshui bowed first, his tone extremely respectful."

"The other Innate powerhouses followed suit, all bowing in unison, respectfully shouting 'Greetings, Senior,' their expressions humble."

"But Master Wu Suanzi just waved his hand casually, interrupting everyone in a flat tone: 'No need for formalities. Every time I see you all, it's like this; it's very annoying.'"

"Master Wu Suanzi's gaze fell upon you, and the way this old man looked at you made your skin crawl."

"A feeling of being seen through."

"'And this little fellow,' Master Wu Suanzi tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, his gaze scanning you back and forth, 'what did you bring him here for?'"

"As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the hall instantly became strange."

"The few Innate powerhouses looked at each other, exchanging glances. They pushed each other, but no one dared to be the first to speak. Each of them looked uneasy, with a hint of panic hidden in their eyes, and they didn't even dare to breathe loudly."

"You felt the atmosphere was a bit odd."

"What's going on? Weren't they going to use you as a vessel? Why were they cowering and not even daring to speak when faced with Master Wu Suanzi's question? Could it be that there was some unexpected turn of events?"

"After a stalemate for a moment, the Grand Elder of Liehuo Sect finally gritted his teeth, stepped forward, and fell to his knees in front of Master Wu Suanzi with a 'thud'."

"'Please forgive me, Senior!'"

"Immediately after, he explained to Master Wu Suanzi that you were the body they had brought for Master Wu Suanzi to use as a vessel."

"Master Wu Suanzi's originally calm face sank bit by bit. His brows furrowed tighter and tighter, and the aura around him gradually became sharp. In the end, his face was as black as the bottom of a pot."

"You felt like you might still be able to be saved."

"After the Grand Elder finished speaking, his whole body was trembling, his head touching the ground: 'Please forgive me, Senior!'"

"Master Wu Suanzi slammed the table violently, and an aura of fury swept across the entire hall."

"'Nonsense!'"