Yuan Feng was quickly brought over with Yuan Jun’s promise.
When Yuan Feng saw that Su Xi was still alive, his expression became incredibly rich. He looked at Su Xi in disbelief and instinctively blurted out, "How are you still alive?"
Others did not know the secret within the moonstone, but that did not mean he didn’t.
He had heard about the strangeness within the spare moonstone a long time ago, so he believed that once Su Xi opened the box, she would perish without a burial place.
In all this time, no one who had seen the moonstone had ever left alive.
So, seeing Su Xi still alive now, he was astonished as if in a dream.
Su Xi heard Yuan Feng’s words, smiled, and nodded, "You are truly exceptional. It seems you’ve confessed on your own and admitted it yourself."
Hearing Su Xi expose the secret, Yuan Feng hurriedly covered his mouth, his face turning pale.
He had spoken the truth in his emotional agitation without paying attention.
Now that so many people had heard it, how was he supposed to salvage the situation?
Yuan Jun also did not expect Yuan Feng to be so incompetent, blurting out the truth without any means used. What was he supposed to do now?
Fortunately, Yuan Jun was a man of considerable depth. Sensing that something was amiss, he stepped forward decisively.
He slapped Yuan Feng across the face, causing half of Yuan Feng’s face to instantly swell up.
"Cough cough."
Yuan Feng suffered a fierce blow, and blood began to flow from his mouth.
Clearly, Yuan Jun had not held back when he struck.
After hitting Yuan Feng, Yuan Jun still angrily berated him, "You scoundrel, what kind of person are you to dare do such a thing?"
"Do you know the identities of these two individuals, and you, with your status, dare to plot against them?"
"It’s fortunate they are unharmed today. Otherwise, I would flay you and boil your bones as a warning to their souls in heaven."
Su Xi’s expression was calm as she listened to Yuan Jun, a hint of undisguised mockery playing on her lips.
There was no need to put on such a clumsy act in front of her.
Although Yuan Jun was scolding fiercely, it was obvious he had no intention of holding Yuan Feng accountable. In other words, this was all a performance for them.
Unfortunately, the acting was too poor, lacking any aesthetic appeal.
Yuan Jun had expected Su Xi, out of politeness, to step forward and try to dissuade him when she saw him disciplining his son. But to his surprise, Su Xi showed no reaction at all, even with a hint of mockery on her face.
Upon discovering Su Xi's lack of reaction, Yuan Jun stopped his actions and looked at Su Xi, begging for mercy. "Fellow Daoist, we were wrong in this matter. Now, as you can see, I have punished him, and you are unharmed. Whatever compensation you require, please name it, and I will do my utmost to satisfy you."
Su Xi smiled upon hearing Yuan Jun’s words and asked, "Do you think everything can be decided by compensation?"
"Then what do you want?" Yuan Jun’s expression turned grim upon hearing Su Xi’s words, a suspicion beginning to form in his heart.
Su Xi touched her nose and said, "I once swore that anyone who harms me must eventually pay the price."
Hearing Su Xi's words, Yuan Jun became even more certain of his thoughts.
However, he did not want his son to lose his life at this moment and still wanted to find an opportunity to plead his case. "Senior, as long as you are willing to spare my son, I will ensure you are satisfied."
Su Xi shook her head and refused unsparingly, "You are mistaken. I need nothing. The only thing I require is your son's life."
Seeing Su Xi’s resolute expression, a cascade of dark lines appeared on Yuan Jun's forehead. He anxiously looked towards the Grand Elder not far away, hoping for his assistance.
His cultivation was far too inferior to Su Xi’s, making an equal conversation impossible. Thus, he could only rely on the Grand Elder to help him.
The Grand Elder, at this moment, only wished to find an opportunity to continue his cultivation and did not want to engage in a conflict with Su Xi at this time, thereby incurring losses for himself.
Therefore, he directly ignored Yuan Jun's pleading gaze.
Without the Grand Elder’s support, Yuan Jun knew he could not refuse Su Xi and could only nod, agreeing to Su Xi’s demand.
Yuan Feng, hearing Su Xi’s words, instantly felt despair.
He was young and had a bright future ahead of him; he did not wish to die so soon.
Su Xi, witnessing this scene, instantly shook her head.
If repentance were useful, why would there be a need for revenge?
Strength was the key to solving problems.
Yuan Jun looked at Su Xi, a resolute expression in his eyes, and said, "Since death is unavoidable, how about I be the one to take my son's life myself?"
Su Xi, facing Yuan Jun's peculiar request, nodded and did not refuse.
Since someone else was willing to take action, it saved her a lot of trouble. There was no reason to disagree.
Having received Su Xi's consent, a fierce look instantly appeared on Yuan Jun's face.
Yuan Feng knew the situation was dire and wanted to escape immediately, but Yuan Jun grabbed him back. With his son firmly in his grasp, Yuan Jun directly struck towards Yuan Feng's head. Before this palm could land, a powerful gust of wind arrived first.
"Bang."
With a sound like a ripe watermelon splitting, Yuan Feng’s head instantly burst open, and his body collapsed limply onto the ground.
Yuan Jun, having witnessed all this, his eyes filled with tears, looked at Su Xi. "Do you think this is acceptable?"
His heart was bleeding. His son had died at his own hands; it was truly heartbreaking.
Su Xi nodded when faced with Yuan Jun's question. "You did very well, but I don't think it's enough."
"Not enough?" All eyes turned to Su Xi, wondering why she had suddenly changed her mind.
The person was already dead; what more could be lacking?
The Grand Elder, who had remained silent by the side, couldn't help but speak. "Fellow Daoist, is this not a bit unreasonable of you?"
Going back on one's word was a great taboo.
The man had lost his son; how could Su Xi still be unsatisfied?
The debt belonged to the debtor; if Su Xi wanted revenge, he would not interfere. However, having received patronage from the Yuan family for so many years, he could not allow Su Xi to go too far.
Otherwise, who would be willing to be their patron in the future?
Su Xi smiled in the face of everyone's accusations.
Things had unfolded as she had expected. They had actually done as she surmised. But since she was prepared, how could she be deceived?
Su Xi walked to Yuan Feng’s corpse and suddenly threw a ball of flame from her hand onto the body.
"What are you doing?" Yuan Jun, seeing Su Xi's action, instantly became enraged and rushed forward.
Even if his cultivation was inferior to Su Xi’s, he could not tolerate his son being bullied like this. The person was dead, and yet not even a complete corpse was left.
However, despite Yuan Jun's agitation, he was no match for Su Xi.
Ou Yang Chu Ge directly intercepted him before he could approach Su Xi.
The flame that had been on Yuan Feng’s body suddenly erupted with a blue light, and a foul odor emanated from it, causing everyone to involuntarily step back.
"What is happening?" The Grand Elder's eyes widened in astonishment upon seeing this.
A normal person's corpse should not be this color.
Could it be?
A different guess suddenly formed in his mind.
Su Xi nodded and explained, "You are not wrong. A normal person's corpse would not be this color, but an abnormal one would be."
As Su Xi spoke, Yuan Jun, who had been struggling, immediately stopped, staring at Su Xi in disbelief.
Why would Su Xi know such a well-kept secret?
Su Xi looked at the bewilderment on Yuan Jun’s face and smiled. "Are you very curious about how I knew this secret? I will tell you the truth now; it was still because of you that you were exposed."
Yuan Jun's eyes widened upon hearing Su Xi's words.
He had clearly behaved so normally; how could he have been discovered?
Was Su Xi lying to him?
Su Xi, knowing Yuan Jun’s disbelief, continued, "You acted normally at first, so normally that I almost believed you. But even to survive, a normal person would not be so cruel as to directly blow off their son's head."
"I did it for my son to avoid suffering!" Yuan Jun immediately retorted, disagreeing with Su Xi’s statement.
Su Xi smiled and conceded, "Yes, you have a point. However, it was precisely because your actions showed such a stark contrast that you were exposed to me."
Even if a normal person was reluctant to act, they wouldn’t kill so quickly.
Furthermore, when Yuan Jun was about to make his move, Yuan Feng, apart from continuously crying out, showed no resistance. Even if Yuan Feng’s cultivation was low, someone daring to plot against her could not be an ordinary person.
Moreover, Yuan Jun didn't even need Su Xi to threaten him before he acted to kill. What further solidified her suspicion was the smell emanating from Yuan Feng.
The smell the first Yuan Feng had was different from the smell now. A person's scent could not change so quickly; therefore, the only explanation was that the person in front of her was not real.
Coupled with the many decoys at the previous location, she realized that this might all be a trap. It was all a ploy orchestrated by Yuan Jun to make her spare the Yuan family.
Upon hearing Su Xi's analysis, Yuan Jun suddenly clapped his hands and laughed.
He had truly not expected that despite his meticulous planning, Su Xi had still seen through it.
But since Su Xi had seen through it, she could not blame him in the end.
Intelligent people, inevitably, did not live long.
"What are you laughing at?" The Grand Elder asked, looking at the peculiar Yuan Jun.
Yuan Jun heard the Grand Elder’s question and laughed. "I originally wanted you all to live well, but now that you know too much, you all must die."
This secret was of great importance, and anyone who knew about it could not survive.