Huo Zhang didn’t survive the night.

Ye Tinglan, hiding in the Lu residence half a street away, secretly extended her divine sense to observe, clearly seeing the situation at the Huo family. The so-called “great offering,” though heavily cloaked in black robes and wearing a human skin mask, emitted a striking Buddha light while treating Huo Zhang.

It was unfortunate; he couldn’t be saved. Huo Zhang’s injuries were too fatal. His survival until then was due to Lu Xingzhou; otherwise, he would have died on the spot.

“It’s Zhao’en,” Ye Tinglan concluded directly.

Her beautiful eyes glanced at Lu Xingzhou beside her. Even though she knew the young man was a very reliable strategist, at this moment, she couldn’t help but marvel, “You… temporarily sustained Huo Zhang’s life just to find Zhao’en?”

“Yes, otherwise, why keep him alive? To let him say his last words? That would only prolong his suffering,” Lu Xingzhou said calmly. “Huo Er and I don’t have direct enmity, but I didn’t intend for any of the Huo family to survive. Dying at the hands of Huo Da is the most fitting end, without me needing to act.”

“What if Zhao’en had saved him?”

“He couldn’t be saved… Huo Er is merely a martial cultivator, only third-rank, with a very weak Yin-Spirit. Such fatal injuries are unsurvivable, and Zhao’en’s skill level is only moderate.” Lu Xingzhou didn’t elaborate further on this, changing the subject: “Now that the Huo family’s hidden strength has been fully exposed, I can proceed with the next step.”

His expression was icy cold. It was the first time Ye Tinglan had seen the young man with such a malevolent aura, contemplating wiping out an entire family. Ever since she had known him, he had always been amiable and quite generous and magnanimous. For example, Yang Dechang, Si Han, and Qi Tuizhi had all offended him previously, yet he never held a grudge and even managed to bring them over to his side, treating them with a warmth that was like a spring breeze.

But from this, one could glimpse how grim Lu Xingzhou’s face must have been in the past.

Ye Tinglan couldn’t quite imagine what kind of interaction they would have had if she had met the old Lu Xingzhou. She simply sighed, whispering, “Ten years, Fuyao didn’t make you move on… Did Shen Tang only take one or two months?”

“In the first few years by her side, I smiled quite a bit, and Old Ji and the others were also cheerful. Don’t assume that the Hall of Yama is all grim. It became gloomier day by day later; instead, she brought this to me…” Lu Xingzhou smiled, then added, “Actually, my current cheerful mood isn’t entirely because of Tangtang.”

Ye Tinglan tilted her head, “And what else?”

“Of course, you too.” Lu Xingzhou squeezed her face, “A’Nuo, Chuyun, Yuanyao, Teacher… haven’t they all helped me dispel my malevolence day by day?”

Ye Tinglan smiled slightly, “So, has it been dispelled?”

“When my revenge is fully complete, then all the burdens in my heart will be removed, and my thoughts will be clear. I suspect my cultivation will even benefit from it.”

“Then go do it,” Ye Tinglan gently stroked his face. “I’ll be waiting for you to shed all your shackles and soar through the Nine Heavens.”

With Huo Zhang’s death, Huo Qi’s verdict also came down. Huo Zhang was not only Huo Qi’s brother but also a general of Daqian, having fought for ten years on the northern frontier and recently distinguished himself in battle. The evidence was conclusive: a brother killing a brother, the murder of a high-ranking court general. Such a crime could not be pardoned even by the emperor. If high officials could behave so recklessly, the entire legal foundation of Daqian would collapse. An example of severe punishment had to be made.

Thus, he was dismissed from office, his pipa bones were pierced, his cultivation was abolished, and he was exiled for ten thousand li, never to return to the capital. While normally this would warrant execution, the abolition of cultivation and exile wasn’t considered a severe punishment, as his life was spared. However, that wasn’t an act of mercy, but rather an effort to preserve the Huo family’s lineage… otherwise, there would be very few descendants left in the Huo family, only the Fifth Master in prison.

But for Huo Qi, this punishment was worse than a direct execution. To have a pampered young master, who had lived in luxury for thirty years, stripped of all cultivation and exiled for ten thousand li… even if the Huo family sent people to secretly care for him in exile, it would be a life worse than death, an existence of torment. In fact, Huo Xingyuan himself had given up on this son. Perhaps his only value in surviving was to leave an heir. If Lu Xingzhou wanted his life, any former subordinate could easily accomplish it, and no one would sigh upon hearing the news of his death in the capital.

It was in this atmosphere that Lu Xingzhou entered the prison to visit.

“It wasn’t me, it wasn’t me!” Huo Qi was locked in the cell with chains clanging loudly. “This young master is a Vice Minister, my father is the Marquis Zhenyuan, my grandfather is the Grand Tutor. You cannot lock me up like this!”

Even the jailer scoffed, “What nonsense. At a time like this, you’re still putting on airs for us.”

With a “slap,” a palm struck down. “Do you really think it’s like before, where even in prison you’d be served good food and drink? What does ‘dismissed and exiled’ mean? If your grandfather didn’t teach you, then your Elder Wang will teach you!”

Then, “thump, thump, thump,” several consecutive punches landed on Huo Qi’s stomach. Huo Qi groaned in pain, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

“Oh, what kind of look is that? Go ahead and report it? As long as there are no external injuries on your body, no one can say we abused you. Do you think Grand Tutor Huo will still stand up for you?” The jailer spat, “Killing his own younger brother, and not just one, what a beast!”

“You…” Huo Qi gasped weakly, “Just a low-class person, how dare you…”

“Oh?” The jailer raised his fist, as big as a vinegar pot, again.

The next moment, his expression suddenly changed, bowing deeply, “Medic Lu.”

Huo Qi looked up sharply and saw Lu Xingzhou standing at the cell door with a half-smile.

“Are you here to gloat?” Huo Qi gritted his teeth.

Lu Xingzhou grinned, “Isn’t that obvious? Oh, you finally got something right, that’s truly rare, aren’t you proud of yourself?”

Huo Qi had a mouthful of words stuck in his throat, unable to speak.

“Actually, a long time ago, I thought dealing with you would be quite difficult. After all, the position of Vice Minister is significant, and if I didn’t plan to use assassination, there would be almost no other way,” Lu Xingzhou said, squatting in front of him with a smile, patting his cheek. “I never imagined you could be so foolish…”

Huo Qi gritted his teeth, “You planned this…”

“Don’t spread rumors. Didn’t you kill them yourself? I didn’t do anything,” Lu Xingzhou sighed. “And precisely because I did nothing, it makes me think you’re so useless… At least Huo Yu required a great deal of effort from me, but you, as the elder brother, didn’t.”

Huo Qi struggled, his chains rattling. “It was indeed you who killed them! Did you hear that? Go report it! What are you standing there for?”

The jailers and guards stood by with folded arms, their faces expressionless.

“Don’t waste your breath,” Lu Xingzhou sighed. “What kind of testimony is ‘a great deal of effort’? Does your father and grandfather not know that those matters are related to me?”

Huo Qi, consumed by impotent rage, yanked at the chains. “Huo Shang, may you die a terrible death!”

Lu Xingzhou suddenly changed to a whispered message: “The moment you killed your dear younger brother, it was destined that you, too, would meet your end for killing a brother. This is the explanation I owe Huo Shang, and it is your necessary death.”

Huo Qi suddenly widened his eyes: “You are not…”

At this moment, Huo Qi was unusually lucid, but it was meaningless. Lu Xingzhou smiled and said, “You can shout and tell anyone that Lu Xingzhou is not Huo Shang… A vicious murderer of brothers making wild accusations, who do you think will believe it?”

“Pfft!” Huo Qi spat out a mouthful of blood in anger.

It was precisely because Lu Xingzhou was using Huo Shang’s name that Huo Liancheng and Huo Xingyuan thought he was merely seeking revenge and never suspected he harbored intentions of wiping out the entire family, completely misjudging him. If they had known earlier that he wasn’t Huo Shang, the family’s response would never have been like this. Perhaps Lu Xingzhou would have been eliminated long ago, instead of waiting until now!

But now, if Huo Qi spoke, who would listen? You killed several brothers, and now you want to continue slandering your brother?

And the only accomplished brother at that.

“Rest assured,” Lu Xingzhou continued in a whispered voice with a smile, “I will take over the entire Huo family, making them willingly surrender everything to me… and then, die.”

“Ah ah ah ah!” Huo Qi writhed wildly.

Lu Xingzhou slowly stood up, then suddenly delivered a swift kick, landing squarely between Huo Qi’s legs.

The jailers and guards all seemed to hear the sound of shattering, instinctively showing expressions of not wanting to witness it. The phantom pain…

Huo Qi’s eyes widened, unable to even let out a scream, his throat making gurgling sounds as he curled up on the ground.

“They still wanted you to have offspring… Hmph. What a beautiful dream,” Lu Xingzhou turned around leisurely. “Treat him, don’t let him die directly from this kick.”

The jailer nodded and bowed, “Rest assured, my lord, we’ll handle it. Yes, Huo Qi was thrashing and bumping around, hitting a wooden post, which led to this.”

“Hmm, just make it plausible… Actually, it doesn’t matter much. Most likely no one will even inquire, because the Old Marquis and Old Grand Tutor will have other matters to deal with next and won’t be able to spare any attention.”

Lu Xingzhou leisurely left the prison, Huo Qi’s weak moans fading into the distance behind him, becoming a pleasant accompaniment to his mood. For the others, killing them was enough; there was no need to gloat or psychologically torment them, which was a bit boring. Only for Huo Qi was it like this… not just because Huo Shang was killed by Huo Qi.

It was also because Huo Qi was already an adult back then, and among the enemies who destroyed his family, Huo Qi was a direct perpetrator. The other was the third brother, Huo Heng.

Leaving the prison, Lu Xingzhou looked at the falling snow, let out a long breath, and muttered to himself, “You’ve been waiting for this day for a long time, haven’t you… Please forgive my filial impiety, that I’ve only reached this point now… But handling it this way, should it make you happier than if I had asked my sister and Old Ji to assassinate them early on?”

Someone rushed over, and upon reaching him, lowered his voice, “My lord, the Fifth Master, Huo Jin, ‘died of a sudden illness’ in his cell just now.”

At present, Lu Xingzhou had come to “visit” Huo Qi in the Zhenmosi prison, where he was being held after interrogation and before transfer. The Fifth Master, Huo Jin, had previously been held in the Dali Temple prison, and the two were quite far apart.

Lu Xingzhou showed a hint of a smile: “That’s quite timely. Then I should also go to the Huo family, pay my respects to my second brother, and incidentally visit the current sole heir, Huo Heng.”