Chapter 105 His cooking skills are quite good
The King of Xiling was stiff all over. Perhaps only at this moment did he clearly realize that the incompetent child who had once been kicked by him, coughed up blood, and almost died under his blade, and could only cry out, would grow up.
He shouldn't have brought this up on purpose to distract Bai Xiuming.
It's too late to regret it now.
"Why are her remains placed there?" Bai Xiuming asked.
The King of Xiling lowered his head and after a long while, he spoke in a hoarse voice: "Just as the Queen Consort said, I despise her. I listened to the sorcerer's words and suppressed her underground, so that she would never be reincarnated."
Bai Xiuming reached for his waist, but he hadn't brought a knife with him.
"Does the Prince of Xiling think I'm easy to fool?"
"What I said is true. If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do."
"The Prince of Xiling is truly rebellious by nature. You think that because I can't kill you, I can't do anything to you, is that it?"
The King of Xiling remained silent, but inwardly he was relieved that the King of Ming had not allowed Bai Xiuming, that madman, to harm him.
“Since the King of Xiling is unwilling to cooperate, it doesn’t matter, someone else will be willing to speak up.”
The many family members of the Prince of Xiling kneeling to the side thought that Bai Xiuming was talking about them, and they turned pale with fright. Some of the women even burst into tears on the spot.
Among the concubines of the Prince of Xiling, one of them boldly spoke up: "Lord Bai, we really don't know anything about the Prince's affairs. Why don't you ask the Princess and her son? They are the Prince's favorites."
Princess Xiling turned her head and glared fiercely at the person who spoke, but the woman glared back defiantly. With the fall of the Xiling Royal Palace, everyone would end up the same way. What could the princess do? Who cared now?
"The Princess Consort of Xiling?"
When Bai Xiuming called her name again, the Princess of Xiling trembled. She had long lost the courage to challenge him before, and stammered, "I... I didn't know either. The late Princess's affairs are taboo. The Prince never allows anyone to mention them."
"So, you're useless to me now." Bai Xiuming's tone made it seem as if he thought she was worthless and wanted to execute her immediately.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her son, who had fainted from the pain, and the blood all over the ground. Suddenly, Princess Xiling realized something: "Lord Bai, I remember now, yes, that woman knows."
She pointed to the eight-tailed cat demon, who was also shackled and half-dead: "I remember, after the late princess died, this woman, no, this monster, appeared in the palace, and then the prince had the Star-Picking Tower demolished."
"The princess is indeed a pragmatic person."
Princess Xiling forced an awkward smile.
The King of Xiling couldn't help but curse angrily: "You stupid woman!"
"What makes you any better? You're so capable, but you've dragged me and my son down with you to our deaths!" The Princess of Xiling was no longer the dignified and generous woman she once was. All she wanted was wealth and glory, and for her son to become the heir apparent.
But what did the King of Xiling give them?
"You vile woman, I shouldn't have made you my official wife in the first place."
"Ha, I'm a slut, and what kind of filthy thing are you? If it weren't for my father intervening for you back then, do you think you'd still be sitting on this throne!"
The couple, who had been living in harmony for over a decade, suddenly started arguing in public without any restraint.
"Gag them." Bai Xiuming said impatiently, and immediately someone stepped forward and stuffed the two men's mouths with handkerchiefs, and their voices immediately disappeared.
Bai Xiuming arrived in front of Miss Xuan, still maintaining its original form, with its tail drooping and its body undulating slightly.
Although several of its bones were crushed and it was shackled, preventing it from channeling its demonic power, its demonic core was still intact, so it wasn't that fragile.
This appearance is nothing more than a facade for others to see.
Bai Xiuming squatted down in front of him, the hem of his robe trailing on the ground, and said in a gentle tone, "Tell me about your deal with the King of Xiling."
Miss Xuan raised her head, bared her teeth at him, and spat out two words: "corrupt official."
They are clearly unwilling to cooperate.
Bai Xiuming smiled, a smile that appeared even more chilling in the firelight: "Very well, I like stubborn demons."
He stood up and ordered his subordinates, "Hang it up."
Soon, guards from the Mingjing Division brought over wooden frames, nailed them firmly to the ground, and then hung Miss Xuan on them.
The young lady's limbs were spread wide and chained to the frame. She kept making warning cries, but the guards of the Mingjing Division didn't even look at her.
Someone brought over a chair and placed it next to Bai Xiuming.
Bai Xiuming leaned back in his chair, seemingly waiting for something.
Then a guard from the Mingjing Division took out a black bottle, poured out a pill, strode forward, forcibly pried open the cat demon's mouth, and stuffed the pill inside.
After waiting a short while, the man took out a cloth bag from his bosom. Inside the bag was a dagger with a white blade, which appeared to be made of some kind of bone.
This series of skillful arrangements prompted Shen Zhuo, who was standing quietly to the side, to ask Qin Heng in a low voice, "Sir, what are they doing?"
Bai Xiuming only said one sentence, and these people immediately got busy, though no one knew what they were busy with.
"How would I know?" Qin Heng was also staring at it.
"Weren't those people brought by you?"
“Those are all subordinates that Bai Xiuming usually uses. I just brought them over from the capital.”
Although he felt he could sweep through the Xiling Prince's mansion by himself, it would seem less impressive with fewer people. His four direct subordinates were all disobedient, so this time he brought some obedient ones with him.
Qin Heng felt that while the style was impressive, it didn't belong to him.
Before long, after being given the medicine, Miss Xuan felt weak all over. The pungent smell of the pills seemed to linger in her mouth, and her vision blurred.
Seeing that the time was almost up, the Mingjing Guard turned to look at Bai Xiuming, seemingly waiting for his command: "My lord?"
"Hmm." Bai Xiuming only uttered a single sound.
A smile appeared on the man's face. He turned around, and pressed the dagger in his hand directly against Miss Xuan's abdomen, slicing down. His strength was just right; he only broke through the outermost layer of skin, without damaging the fascia inside.
The girl let out a sharp and painful wail. It wasn't that she hadn't been injured before, but for some reason, the pain this time was a thousand times more intense than when she was injured before.
It immediately realized that the problem lay with the pill that had been forcibly fed to it, but it quickly had no time to think about it.
The person in front of him remained unmoved. His hand holding the dagger was extremely steady as he calmly peeled off the skin amidst Miss Xuan's screams, which had already gone awry.
Screams echoed over the Xiling Prince's mansion. Bai Xiuming crossed his legs and calmly watched the scene unfold before him.
In just a short while, a small portion of the cat demon's skin had been peeled off. Because the eight tails were quite unruly and difficult to handle, the Mirror Guard temporarily stopped and was considering whether to peel them off from a different angle.
At this moment, Bai Xiuming slowly asked, "Do you want to talk now?"
"Human, you will die a horrible death!" Miss Xuan's voice was so shrill that it sounded like the mournful cry of livestock being slaughtered.
"Then let's continue."
"yes."
The tip of the knife cut the cat demon's tail. The demon's tail is a symbol of power, but it is also unusually sensitive.
Seeing his subordinate struggling to make the cut, Bai Xiuming said calmly, "Just cut it off."
Only at this moment did Miss Xuan finally begin to feel fear; she absolutely could not lose her tail.
"Wait, what do you want to know? I'll tell you!"
Bai Xiuming seemed not to hear its words until his subordinates chopped off the tail, at which point he gently waved his hand.
The guard from the Mingjing Guard immediately took his dagger and axe and respectfully stepped aside.
Miss Xuan's screams echoed throughout the entire palace. Bai Xiuming lowered his eyes and tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of his chair, as if providing accompaniment.
Only when Miss Xuan had lost the strength to shout did Bai Xiuming speak: "I ask, you answer, do you understand?"
Miss Xuan raised her head and looked at the human in front of her. A strong sense of fear rose in her heart. It was really... in too much pain.
“…I understand,” it replied in a rough, unpleasant voice.
"What were the terms of your deal with the King of Xiling?"
"He helped me steal the Demon Seal hidden in the Great Xia Forbidden Treasury, and I promised to give him three Nine Yuan Pills as payment," Miss Xuan replied quickly.
"Three Nine Yuan Pills?" Bai Xiuming chuckled. "Who gave you the Nine Yuan Pills?"
Miss Xuan did not want to betray the princess, but when she saw the smile on Bai Xiuming's face, she suddenly became alert and quickly replied, "It was given to me by the princess."
"And who is the princess?"
“Princess Xueyao, she is the daughter of the Demon Emperor. Cang and I both obey her.” At this moment, Miss Xuan suddenly realized that the reason she hadn’t been able to sense Cang’s presence before might not be because he wasn’t in the Shen family, but because he was already dead.
Thinking about this, it became even more terrified. Could it really go back alive?
"What does she want the Demon Seal for?"
"I have no idea."
Bai Xiuming raised an eyebrow, seemingly not satisfied with the answer: "You don't know?"
"I... I suspect the princess might want to restore her kingdom." Miss Xuan's heart pounded, afraid that her answer would displease the other party.
The idea that the demon race wanted to restore their kingdom sounded terrifying, but the three officials from the Mingjing Bureau present didn't react much.
The demon race has never been peaceful. She is just the daughter of the demon emperor. Unless the demon emperor crawls out of the ground, there is nothing to be surprised about.
"Is this the only deal you and the King of Xiling have?"
Seeing that Miss Xuan was looking in the direction of the King of Xiling, he slowly reminded her, "My patience is limited. Think it over before you speak."
"More than ten years ago, I... helped him refine the Endless Bone."
After he finished speaking, the King of Xiling collapsed to the ground, and that was the end for him.
Bai Xiu asked, "What is the Inexhaustible Bone?"
Miss Xuan looked up at him, shrank back slightly, and spoke even softer, as if this would make Bai Xiuming less angry when he heard the answer.
"It is... a rare treasure crafted from the remains of humans with exceptional talent. The stronger the resentment and the deeper the obsession before death, the higher the success rate of its crafting." It closed its eyes and finished speaking in one breath, "The Inexhaustible Bone can assist people in their cultivation after it is crafted."
Bai Xiuming remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "So, that person with exceptional talent is my mother?"
"……yes."
Bai Xiuming's reaction was so calm that it sent chills down one's spine.
The next moment, his figure suddenly disappeared. The King of Xiling realized something was wrong and tried to escape by using his hands and feet, but he suddenly lost his balance and fell forward, his mouth full of mud.
He turned his head and looked at his legs. It felt as if the bones below his shin had been suddenly pulled out. Only then did the excruciating pain of his bones being crushed engulf his entire body.
He stared wide-eyed, making muffled noises, and large beads of sweat streamed down his face.
Qin Heng stood in front of Bai Xiuming; if he hadn't acted in time, it wouldn't have been just his shinbone that was shattered.
"Bai Xiuming, calm down." Qin Heng was on edge, afraid that Bai Xiuming would lose control and fight him to the death.
Even he didn't expect that Bai Xiuming's mother would die because of this.
If it were him, he would also want to kill the King of Xiling with his own hands.
That's an absolute beast!
"I won't kill him, please step aside."
Qin Heng, of course, could not give in. He was unsure of Bai Xiuming's thoughts, so he could only earnestly advise, "He's not worth dirtying your hands. Take him back to the capital, and you can choose any way you want to die."
While he was trying to persuade Bai Xiuming, he was also desperately trying to give Shen Zhuo meaningful glances.
Shen Zhuo, who rarely found himself in agreement with Bai Xiuming, braced himself and dragged the King of Xiling away, despite Bai Xiuming's calm and stagnant gaze.
Qin Heng only relaxed a little after the person was taken away, and tentatively asked, "Why don't you go and rest for a while, and I'll question him?"
"……Need not."
Bai Xiuming spoke calmly. He turned around and stared at Miss Xuan for a long time, making her tremble involuntarily, before asking, "What's the deal with that fox demon named Qingniang?"
More than a decade later, he still remembers the events of that year clearly; he even remembers what the fox demon looked like.
"That fox demon was a gift we gave to the King of Xiling. Unexpectedly, he used that fox demon to force the queen to her death."
At first, Miss Xuan thought that the King of Xiling's move was brilliant.
His queen died with a vengeance that made his refining process go very smoothly.
But she never dreamed that one day she would be in dire straits because of this.
"Did you come here just for the Demon Seal?" Bai Xiuming asked, looking at the cat demon in front of him.
“Not only that. The King of Xiling said that the Endless Bone he refined years ago no longer works for him, and he…” Miss Xuan looked at Bai Xiuming and said cautiously, “He wants to refine you into the Endless Bone as well, so that he can use you for cultivation.”
This answer failed to elicit any emotional response from Bai Xiuming.
As a child, he believed that his mother was killed by that fox demon, and from then on he hated all demons and resented the King of Xiling for his leniency.
As he grew older, he began to doubt the King of Xiling.
More than a decade later, he finally learned the truth about his mother's death.
It was exactly as he had imagined, except that there was one more damned demon.
After listening to Miss Xuan's explanation, Bai Xiuming looked at his subordinate, who was writing furiously in the corner, and asked, "Have you memorized it?"
"I've written it down." The man stepped forward and showed Bai Xiuming the written confession.
He took it, glanced at it, and handed the statement back: "Make it sign."
The man stepped forward with the confession. The one who had just skinned the girl grabbed one of her front paws, cut a gash on it with a dagger, and waited until the paw was stained with blood before imprinting a claw mark on the paper.
Qin Heng's eyelids twitched as he read it. The process was rigorous yet absurd. He couldn't help but wonder if this was how all the confessions this kid had submitted in the past had come about.
"I've told you everything I know." Miss Xuan looked at Bai Xiuming with anticipation, hoping that he would spare her life because she had been so obedient.
Bai Xiuming didn't even glance at it, but instead instructed the subordinate who had just skinned it: "You clean up the mess."
"yes."
The drama at the Xiling Prince's Mansion had come to a complete end, but for him, the most important thing was still unfinished. Bai Xiuming walked through the group of people kneeling on the ground and headed towards the backyard.
Qin Heng hurriedly followed, fearing that the boy might turn around and kill the King of Xiling halfway.
After walking for a while, he couldn't help but ask, "How do we wrap this up?"
"Skinning, tendon removal, bone removal." Bai Xiuming glanced at Qin Heng and commented, "His skills are quite good."
Qin Heng thought for a moment and then said, "Your obsession with the demon race is too deep, and it won't do you any good."
"I don't think so. Every demon that falls into my hands deserves to die."
Qin Heng was silenced, thinking that he would let Ming Wang persuade him when they got back, since he wasn't his son.
The next morning, when Achan woke up, Huiniang had not yet returned.
She opened the courtyard gate. There seemed to be far fewer pedestrians on the street today, which suggested that the aftermath of the incident at the Shen family yesterday was still lingering.
Achan was a little hungry, so she decided not to wait for Chen Hui at home. She locked the door and went out to get a bowl of noodles.
The noodle stall is right on the street. In the past, the stall was bustling with activity, but today, apart from her, there were only two customers at the next table.
The two men ate their noodles in large mouthfuls while talking in hushed tones.
When Achan was waiting for her shredded chicken noodles to arrive, she heard someone at the next table whisper, "Have you heard? Something happened at the Xiling Prince's Mansion last night too."
Achan rested her chin on her hand, glanced at the person who was speaking, then turned her head back, waiting for him to continue.
"What's up?"
"I heard that the Prince of Xiling committed a crime and his house was ransacked last night."
The man's companion looked incredulous: "How could that be? Who is the prince? He is the ruler of Xiling."
"Tsk, why don't you believe me? Those people in official robes are still surrounding the Xiling Prince's Mansion."
Are the people in official robes referring to the Mirror Guard?
The poison in his body had just been cured, and Bai Xiuming already attacked the King of Xiling? If it were him, it wouldn't be impossible.
Achan couldn't help but admire the man's efficiency. In the blink of an eye, she saw Huiniang hurrying over.
Achan waved to her, and only asked when the person arrived, "Huiniang, why weren't you waiting for me at home?"
Chen Hui let out a soft breath and said, "Just now, the guards of the Mingjing Division took both Miss Qingwu and Huixue away."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
