Chu Lingtian eased the pressure of his right foot, but he was still treading on the black leopard's head.
The black leopard glanced at his lover, whose neck was pierced by a fruit knife and nailed to the wall, then at his own severed left arm that was still bleeding. He knew that if this continued, even if Chu Lingtian didn't kill him, he would die from excessive blood loss.
"Ten years ago, the Jiang family in the capital somehow learned that the Chu family in Dachang City possessed a medical scripture passed down for thousands of years. It was rumored that the book not only contained extraordinary medical skills capable of mending bones and reviving the dead but also magical cultivation methods from ancient times. Therefore, the Jiang family began devising ways to obtain this ancient medical scripture from the Chu family."
"However, the Jiang family sent people to Dachang City to visit the Chu family multiple times, resorting to various forms of threats and inducements. But the Chu family always maintained that the ancient medical scripture was an heirloom passed down for millennia and absolutely could not be given to outsiders, thus rejecting the Jiang family's demands."
"Later, the Jiang family approached the Lu, Zhao, Qi, and Wei families in Dachang City. They promised that if they united to annihilate the entire Chu family overnight, the Jiang family would only take the ancient medical scripture, and all the cash and assets of the Chu family would be divided among the four great families."
"The four great families agreed to cooperate with the Jiang family without hesitation. On a stormy night with thunder and heavy rain, the Jiang family and the four great families first deployed armed bodyguards to surround the Chu family's courtyard, preventing anyone from entering or leaving. Then they charged in and captured all the members of the Chu family present in the courtyard. They employed various threats and inducements, coercing them to reveal the whereabouts of the ancient medical scripture. However, unexpectedly, the members of the Chu family were all iron-willed. No matter how they were beaten, scolded, or even forced to witness the murder of their own kin, or the live death of infants in their cradles, not a single one yielded or softened."
"In the end, the Jiang family and the four great families, enraged, cruelly murdered all the members of the Chu family. They also dispatched a large contingent of personnel to search the courtyard for a day and a night, sparing no corner or brick. The ground was even dug up entirely, but the ancient medical scripture was never found."
"To cover up the truth of the brutal massacre of the Chu family, the Jiang family and the four great families set fire to the entire Chu family courtyard, destroying the evidence and leaving no trace. Coupled with the suppression of public opinion by these five families and the official police ruling that the fire was accidentally caused by members of the Chu family themselves, this horrific case of family annihilation was hastily closed."
After hearing the black leopard's account of the truth behind the Chu family's massacre and the events that transpired, Chu Lingtian's eyes turned bloodshot, and the killing intent emanating from him felt as terrifying as the Grim Reaper descending upon the mortal world.
Seeing Chu Lingtian standing motionless, the air in the room growing cold due to his presence, the black leopard was completely stunned.
He had never encountered such a powerful and unfathomable young man in his entire life.
"Brother, brother, the massacre of the Chu family has nothing to do with me. Although I was involved and present that night, I didn't kill any member of the Chu family. I was merely on guard duty outside, and I was acting under orders, with no choice in the matter. Please be merciful and spare my life."
The black leopard felt the killing intent and chill emanating from Chu Lingtian becoming increasingly terrifying. He desperately pleaded for his life.
Chu Lingtian asked in a deep voice, "How many people from the Chu family did you kill that night?"
"Thirty-seven. To prevent any future trouble, the Jiang family and the four great families unanimously decided to kill everyone in the Chu family, leaving no one behind, to completely eradicate them. So, they sent people to count the numbers... However, I heard that there was a young man from the Chu family named Chu Feng who joined the army. For years, the Jiang family and the four great families have been using their influence to search for Chu Feng, intending to kill him as well, but they have never found him. Perhaps this Chu Feng is still alive."
The black leopard, thoroughly terrified by Chu Lingtian's overwhelming killing intent, quickly and truthfully replied.
Chu Lingtian frowned, a flicker of surprise mixed with a hint of joy in his heart. All the members of his Chu family totaled thirty-nine. Excluding himself, there were thirty-eight. But the black leopard said that only thirty-seven people were killed by the Jiang family and the four great families. This meant that one member of the Chu family had survived. This undoubtedly filled him with joy and excitement, but who was this survivor, and how could he be found?
"Brother, I, I've told you everything I know about the Chu family massacre. I haven't hidden or held back a single word. Please let me go. You've cut off my hand, and I'll be a cripple for the rest of my life. Moreover, your priority now is to quickly find Chu Feng, find him before the Jiang family and the four great families do, and protect him. Only then can it be said that the Chu family of Dachang City has not completely perished."
Seeing that Chu Lingtian was unmoved by his earlier plea, the black leopard quickly spoke again.
Chu Lingtian sneered and asked, "The Jiang family and the four great families have such immense power; if they can't find him, can I?"
"This... it is indeed very difficult to find him. For ten years, these five powerful forces – the Jiang family and the four great families – have been unable to find Chu Feng. Therefore, they believe that Chu Feng either died in the army or, knowing about the Chu family's massacre, is hiding somewhere, living a life of cowardice, and will never dare to appear again or return to Dachang City."
The black leopard paused. He knew that someone as powerful and terrifying as Chu Lingtian couldn't possibly be foolish, so he could only tell the truth.
"Chu Feng is still alive, and no matter whether it's the Jiang family, the four great families, or anyone else involved in the persecution of the Chu family, they will pay an extremely heavy price and suffer a miserable death!"
Chu Lingtian's eyes were chillingly cold, and his tone was resolute.
The black leopard was greatly shocked, his voice trembling as he asked, "Who, who exactly are you? What is your relationship with this Chu family of Dachang City?"
"I'll tell you a secret..."
Chu Lingtian whispered to the black leopard.
When the black leopard heard the secret Chu Lingtian revealed, his eyes widened in disbelief, and he stared at Chu Lingtian's face with extreme panic, unable to comprehend.
"What! You, you are actually..."
Before the black leopard could finish speaking, Chu Lingtian interrupted him.
Chu Lingtian grinned and said, "I just said it was a secret. Since it's a secret, it must be kept forever."
"Alright, alright, you, you can rest assured, I will absolutely keep this secret forever and never tell anyone else."
The black leopard trembled with shock, but his heart was overjoyed, as Chu Lingtian's words implied he would spare his life.
Bang!
In the next second, with a loud bang, the black leopard's head exploded under Chu Lingtian's stomp.
Chu Lingtian looked at the mixture of blood and brain matter splattered at his feet, at the black leopard whose head was reduced to nothing but scalp, and said coldly, "Don't you know that only the dead can keep secrets forever!"
"Jiang family, the four great families of Dachang City, I never imagined you were the ones who killed all my relatives, Chu Lingtian! You all wait, I will make you wish you were dead rather than alive, regret your evil deeds, and regret ever coming into this world!!!"
Chu Lingtian's heart was filled with boundless rage and world-shattering killing intent.