Ren Yuanhao wept uncontrollably, his head nodding down.
"Don't, don't cry, my peerless hero~ It's enough to see you one last time~"
Ren Yuanhao cupped Ouyang Rui's face with his left hand, pulling her into his embrace. Regret, sorrow, and unspeakable emotions stabbed at his heart like the sharpest knives in the world.
"Don't die, please don't die. I just arrived in Yun Jin City, and you could still protect me. You're the eldest daughter of the Ouyang family~"
"Don't, don't cry. You make me, me feel so bad~"
Ren Yuanhao felt the body he held tightly gradually losing strength, but he refused to accept it, frantically channeling his internal energy into Ouyang Rui's body.
However, no matter how high his cultivation, it was beyond saving. Ren Yuanhao felt his mind buzzing, and tears continuously fell onto her hand.
"Promise me, don't attend my funeral~ I, I don't want you to see me become a mere urn of ashes~"
As soon as she finished speaking, Ouyang Rui's hand naturally slipped from her face, like a withered leaf falling from a branch.
Thump-thump~
Thump-thump~
The entire space seemed to echo with Ren Yuanhao's unusual heartbeat, like war drums sounding from above.
"DiDi, host's adrenaline has surged, reaching critical levels. Seven Deadly Sins—Wrath buff activated, all attributes further increased by fifty percent!"
Ren Yuanhao lowered his head, slowly rising with the lifeless Ouyang Rui in his arms. He completely ignored Jiang Li and Jiang Yanheng standing not far away, instead slowly walking to a corner of the hall and carefully laying Ouyang Rui's body down.
"You little brat, get up quickly and take your sister away!"
Jiang Yanheng, like facing a formidable enemy, warily watched the transformed Ren Yuanhao.
If the previous Ren Yuanhao was merely an enraged ordinary person, then now he was a devil who had broken free from the chains of the abyss, struck the war drums, and cast the wrath of hell upon the mortal world!
"Give up. From this day forward, Yun Jin City will no longer have your Jiang clan."
The moment Ren Yuanhao turned his head up, they saw only the word 'death' in his eyes.
...
An extremely bloody massacre unfolded in the hall. After an unknown amount of time, when Ouyang Shuo arrived, dragging his weary body, he was utterly stunned by the scene before him.
Three tortured bodies hung from the banners decorating the hall's ceiling, their blood still fresh and flowing down, pooling on the floor like the summoning totems of some Western demon.
When he finally recognized the three corpses, his heart was filled with terror.
Jiang Li had been nearly cut in half by something sharp. Jiang Yanheng was even more grotesquely mutilated, with no intact skin, as if an internal explosion had occurred. The least injured was Jiang Ling'er, who had merely been strangled by a banner.
However, the shock had not ended. When his gaze shifted to the top of the stairs, he saw his headless daughter-in-law. In the dim light to the right, Ouyang Rui's body lay quietly in the embrace of a blood-soaked person.
And that person, with his head hanging low, unconscious, was Ren Yuanhao.
"Brother, what on earth happened?"
Ouyang Shuo's heart ached with immense grief, but as the head of the Ouyang family, he had to control his emotions. Even upon witnessing the tragic deaths of his loved ones, he could only suppress his tears.
Ren Yuanhao did not reply, appearing as lifeless as a corpse.
"Little brother~"
Before the word "brother" could be uttered, Ren Yuanhao suddenly looked up.
His pupils, filled with bloodshot lines, resembled a ghost appearing in the world, filling Ouyang Shuo with dread. Numerous thoughts flashed through his mind: who killed the powerful Jiang clan head, who dared to harm his family, what was their strength, and by what means?
And when Ren Yuanhao finally managed to force out a few words from his throat, Ouyang Shuo's face turned ashen, and he trembled uncontrollably, collapsing to the ground just like Ren Yuanhao.
"I never expected this! The Jiang clan has always been on good terms with our Ouyang family, yet today they have committed such an inhuman act!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ren Yuanhao seemed to lose all his strength and slowly fainted.
...
While Ren Yuanhao was in his stupor, Yun Jin City was in turmoil.
First, the death of the Jiang clan head severely weakened them. Even with the family's foundation supporting them, it was like a drop in the bucket, unable to stand alone. Coupled with the intervention and condemnation of the other three clans, their economy rapidly disintegrated. The former Yun Jin Four Clans had now become a tripartite standoff.
The Xia family, protected by Ren Yuanhao, saw their status subtly rising. Moreover, Xia Xiaomo, more adept at business than her older siblings, along with support from her network, was subtly positioned to replace the Jiangs and become one of the four great families.
As for Ren Yuanhao's feat of single-handedly battling and killing the Jiang clan head, though unknown to ordinary people, it spread extremely rapidly among the great clans and prominent families, making him the second-highest on the 'hunting list.'
At this moment, under a light rain, in the ancient Ji family building, Ji Fu gazed out from a railing, her eyes unfocused. Her maid brought her a piece of clothing.
"Miss, please wear this. This kind of weather makes one catch a cold the most."
Ji Fu took the clothing and inexplicably asked, "Xiao Cui, what do you think is the best way to win a person's heart?"
Xiao Cui, estimated to be around 20 years old, having experienced two relationships herself, pondered for a moment and then said, "To capture a man's heart, you must first capture his stomach."
"Stomach?"
Ji Fu pouted and lightly tapped Xiao Cui's head, muttering, "Are you trying to annoy me? You know my cooking talent is extremely poor."
"Not at all! Miss just doesn't want to learn. However, Miss suddenly mentioning a man~ it must be that Ren Yuanhao who's been making waves recently, right?" Xiao Cui was quite sharp and guessed correctly.
"Yes, if I can't be first, I must at least be second, right?"
Ji Fu's answer was resolute. However, in Xiao Cui's opinion, this approach to romance was too stiff, causing Ji Fu to show no great emotional fluctuation, nor the infatuation of a young girl in love.
At least, this made Xiao Cui find it very strange.
"Miss, please don't blame me for being nosy, but have you ever considered finding someone you truly like?"
Before Xiao Cui could finish, Ji Fu interrupted her.
"Don't say anymore, Xiao Cui. If others hear you say that, it might cause quite a bit of trouble."
"Yes, Miss, I, I shouldn't have asked that."
Ji Fu pinched Xiao Cui's nose and slowly said, "No, your question is very good. It's just that it's a taboo in our family." She hesitated for a moment and then added, "Every woman hopes to find her destined prince charming, and we are no exception. It's just that circumstances and rules force us."