181: The deadline is approaching

Faced with the terms of the deal Li Xiu proposed, the red light in Murong Che's eyes flickered as he weighed his options.

He glanced at the rock-solid golden shield surrounding Li Xiu; though its light had dimmed, it remained steadfast. He cursed inwardly, "What a turtle shell."

He realized that in the short term, he truly couldn't do anything to this "fat sheep" decked out in top-tier equipment.

More importantly, the matters regarding his "old man dying" and "Concubine Liu" were far too sensitive, striking directly at his weakness.

"Hmph!"

After a long silence, Murong Che gave a cold snort.

He withdrew the violent, boiling spiritual power from around his body and dispersed the Spiritual Qi in his palm.

"Fine."

With a dark expression, Murong Che said coldly,

"This Young Lord will give you a chance to explain. If you can't give me a clear and logical account, or if you dare to lie to me... I'll wear you down until you're dead!"

Seeing the other party finally stop, the heavy stone in Li Xiu's heart finally fell.

"Whew..."

He quietly let out a sigh of relief, but he didn't lower his guard completely.

He continued to maintain the Golden Heart-Protecting Mirror, merely reducing the spiritual power output to the minimum maintenance level to save on the agonizingly expensive Spirit Stone consumption.

This ensured that if a madman like Murong Che suddenly lashed out or went back on his word, he could react immediately.

At the same time, concealed by his wide sleeves, Li Xiu's fingers silently crushed a specially made Communication Jade Talisman hidden within.

Siyao had given it to him before he left; he hadn't expected it to come in handy the moment he stepped out the door.

Once the situation had temporarily stabilized,

Li Xiu tidied his somewhat disheveled robes and resumed his unfathomable demeanor.

Across the shield, he looked directly at Murong Che and said in a deep voice,

"According to the definitive intelligence I possess, your father, Murong Cheng, may appear healthy and possess profound cultivation as the local tyrant of Cangyuan City. But in reality... his Lifespan is already at its end."

"Utter nonsense!!"

Upon hearing this, Murong Che's brow furrowed, his face full of disbelief and disdain.

"My father may be several hundred years old, but in the cultivation world, he is in his prime! How could his Lifespan be at its end?"

In his view, this was purely an alarmist lie fabricated by Li Xiu just to stay alive.

Li Xiu continued,

"This isn't because his natural Lifespan has run out, but because... he has a hidden Dao Wound within his body from years ago that is extremely difficult to heal."

Facing the doubt, Li Xiu simply shook his head and explained calmly,

"It's normal that you haven't heard of it. Because that injury occurred around the time of your birth and was kept extremely secret. No one knows except those involved."

"It is a malicious injury targeting the Origin Foundation, perhaps even a curse. For all these years, your father has relied on his profound cultivation to forcibly suppress it. But now... with the erosion of time, that injury has reached the point where it can no longer be suppressed and is on the verge of a total breakout."

Seeing that Murong Che was still half-doubting, his eyes flickering,

Li Xiu decided to throw out the most crucial and irrefutable piece of evidence.

"Young Lord Murong."

Li Xiu suddenly asked,

"Have you... never suspected one thing?"

"Suspected what?"

Murong Che asked subconsciously.

"Murong Cheng is the lord of a city, with a harem full of beauties. Over the years, the number of concubines and chambermaids he has taken must be at least eighty or a hundred, right?"

Li Xiu's gaze was sharp, piercing straight to the heart:

"But... why is it that after so many years, you are his only offspring?"

Before Murong Che could react, Li Xiu continued to twist the knife:

"While it's true that the higher a cultivator's Realm, the more they defy the heavens and the harder it is to produce offspring, it hasn't reached the point of total infertility. Dozens of women, decades of time. Aside from you, not a single one was born? Young Lord Murong, do you think... that's reasonable?"

Murong Che froze on the spot, his pupils contracting violently.

It was true!

From childhood, he had always thought he was just lucky, the chosen one, which was why he was showered with all the affection and was the sole heir.

But thinking about it now... it simply defied common sense!

There were so many women in the inner court, and many were Mortals or low-level female cultivators who should have conceived easily.

How could there have been no news for decades?

Murong Che's thoughts began to branch out rapidly, making wild connections.

Combining what Li Xiu just said about "Origin injury" and "targeting the Foundation"... he understood!

"Could it be..."

Murong Che cried out in his heart,

"Could it be that the old man's injury back then was... down there?! Leading to a total loss of reproductive ability, or even... making him inadequate in that department? A silver-coated lead spear?"

Following this line of thought,

Murong Che felt as if his meridians had suddenly been cleared; many details he couldn't figure out before were now perfectly explained!

Why was the young, beautiful, and proud Concubine Liu so easily seduced by him?

It wasn't because Murong Cheng was busy! It was because Murong Cheng was impotent!

Everything was a closed loop!

Once he confirmed this point,

Instead of feeling sad about his father's poor health,

A strange, twisted sense of superiority welled up in Murong Che's heart, along with a thrill of sudden realization.

"So that's how it is..."

Having figured everything out, the killing intent on Murong Che's face vanished completely.

In its place was an extremely complex, even somewhat shrewd, calculating look.

He looked at Li Xiu, no longer with the hostility reserved for a dead man,

But with the kind of look one gives a "miracle doctor" or a "strategist."

"Whew..."

Murong Che took a deep breath and stepped forward.

He lowered his voice, his tone actually carrying a hint of earnestness:

"Since you can find the cause of the illness and even know such secrets, then... do you have a way to cure it? Or... even just help me delay the injury for my father, so he can live a few more years?"

Li Xiu was stunned for a moment and looked at him with some surprise:

"Hmm? You're this filial? Just now... shouldn't you have wished he'd hurry up and 'be gone' so it's easier for you to take over, monopolizing the family property and the beauties?"

Hearing this, a meaningful smile appeared on Murong Che's face.

He spread his hands matter-of-factly and said,

"You don't understand. With my current strength, I can't yet suppress the various factions in Cangyuan City. I still need that old man to back me up for a few more years."

Murong Che licked his lips, a strange light flashing in his eyes:

"Besides... if he really dies, wouldn't I have to be out in the open? That would be boring. I like this... feeling of being sneaky..."

"Ahem! I've said too much. Just say if you have a way! After all that buildup, if you say you don't have a way, this Young Lord will definitely not let you off!"