The Culprit

Su Yingbo grabbed Si Ming's collar and said in a deep voice, "I don't care about other people's lives. I only want to protect the people around me. To me, the lives of everyone in this city combined are not as precious as my wife's life... Perhaps your master would sacrifice his lover to save the world, but I won't!"

The last sentence was a scathing remark, but Si Ming couldn't accuse the other person. One can choose to become noble, but one shouldn't force others to become noble as well.

Besides, putting himself in Su Yingbo's shoes, could he possibly have been more calm and rational?

Without firsthand experience, one has no right to speak; any assumptions made are meaningless.

"... I see."

Si Ming pushed the other person's hand away, turned to He Qichang and said, "Let's go. We can save as many people as we can. It would be best if we could rally all the Mohist Knight Guard to act together. We should also be wary of the Remote Heaven Society; they might take advantage of the chaos to destroy the Divine Pillar."

He Qichang glanced at Su Yingbo, then silently followed Si Ming away. The two came and went in a hurry.

The corridor quickly quieted down, and Su Yingbo continued to wait anxiously.

The surgery did not last too long. After all, the people in this world all possess extraordinary martial arts skills, striking with lightning speed and precision. They can also use various forms of True Qi to treat wounds. The highly skilled physicians are comparable to precision instruments, with control reaching the micrometer level. Therefore, there are no surgeries in the Sea Continent that last for ten or even twenty hours. Even major surgeries will not exceed four hours, and they are quick and decisive.

Of course, they expend not only their physical energy but also their cultivation level, so a major operation will leave them even more exhausted. However, considering their cultivation level, their recovery will be faster.

Soon there was movement in the emergency room, and Su Yingbo quickly used his internal energy to listen carefully.

"Physician Yan. Physician Yan arrived yet? The patient's life force is getting weaker and weaker; they need his Ziqi Wind Valley Flying Needles to keep him alive!"

"Physician Yan can't make it. He was supposed to be off today, but he was caught in the crossfire while trying to save people on his way here and was seriously injured. He's still in the emergency room being treated!"

"What can we do? He's the only one in our hospital who knows the Ziqi Wind Valley Flying Needles. Without his help, it's almost impossible to save the patient."

Su Yingbo was extremely anxious and knocked on the door, saying, "Doctor, is there anything I can help you with?"

The chief physician immediately pushed open the door and said, "This is troublesome. Ziqi Wind Valley Flying Needles is an extremely difficult acupuncture technique to master. Although I have studied it, I can only say I have a superficial understanding. In the entire Faxian City, besides Physician Yan from our hospital, only Physician Huang Qi Imperial Physician Huang from the Imperial Medical Academy knows this technique."

"Is it Imperial Physician Huang? I understand. Go and fetch him now." Su Yingbo hurriedly turned and left.

The chief physician urged, "You must act quickly! The patient's condition is deteriorating rapidly; we can't afford to delay any longer!"

"I see!"

Half an hour later, Su Yingbo grabbed a pale-faced old doctor and broke through the window, crashing into the hospital corridor.

"Imperial Physician Huang, I'm counting on you now. I'll grant you any request as long as you can save my wife!"

As they were talking, Su Yingbo arrived at the emergency room and found that the red light on the door had gone out. A group of doctors stood at the door, their tired faces showing remorse.

The chief physician noticed Su Yingbo, opened his mouth, and with difficulty squeezed out the deeply humiliating words. "I'm sorry, we did our best..."

Su Yingbo stood frozen in place, feeling as if darkness had enveloped her and her heart was sinking deeper and deeper, seemingly without end.

Chapter 510 The Murderer

Xiao Xuan displayed his divine power, defeating two Spirit Transformation in three moves. The Second Prince was captured and imprisoned, while the Third Prince ascended the throne as Emperor. The victor is king, the loser is villain, and the promise of benefits stabilized the political situation. This is everything that has happened in the seven days following the anniversary celebration of the Codex University.

Two tigers cannot share one mountain. Anyone with even a slight interest in national politics had anticipated the struggle between the two princes, so no one was shocked; at most, they were astonished that "this is happening today."

The battle began and ended quickly. With Xiao Xuan's defeat of two Nascent Spirit Transformation and the momentum of his great victory, he captured the Second Prince Han Kun alive from the protection of countless Tiger Guard Army. He then paraded Han Kun through the streets to announce the news to the whole city. The Second Prince's men surrendered one after another, and the few stubborn ones were killed by the Third Prince's men. Thus, the struggle for the throne came to an end.

After all, this is a world with extraordinary powers, where political intrigue takes a backseat, and all calculations ultimately come down to force, making it far simpler than political struggles on Earth.

In a single day, the throne changed hands, and the unrest remained confined to the capital, not spreading outwards. Although countless citizens of Faxian City were accidentally injured, causing hospitals to be overcrowded, this was a matter of numbers. In terms of proportion, it seemed insignificant. Rather, it was fortunate that the armed change of the national leader only affected such a small number of people.

After the third prince ascended the throne in the shortest possible time, he immediately began negotiations with various factions. Soon the situation stabilized, and even the noble forces, after offering only symbolic resistance, chose to submit.

Clearly, the two sides had engaged in some shady deal, as Han Hao had not fulfilled his promise to abolish aristocratic privileges. His internal explanation was that it would take time, the current situation was unstable, and it was not suitable for sweeping reforms. Whether he truly intended to proceed gradually, or whether he was like those candidates on Earth who, after gaining power, would discard the promises he made in his speeches, only he himself knew.

The saying goes, "The victor is king, the loser is villain." Since the second prince, Han Kun, has become the loser, he has the obligation to bear all the responsibility, including regicide, harming the common people, deceiving the nobles, and so on. The citizens who are in grief also need an outlet for their anger, and he is the perfect target.

Han Hao kept his promise and did not kill the Second Prince, but he crippled his martial arts, severed his Achilles tendon, and imprisoned him in Bashidi Prison, sentencing him to life imprisonment and the punishment of being faceless—that is, wearing a mask for life and only being able to show his Zhenmian when necessary.

The country returned to normal operations in an instant, seemingly no different from before. People's attention was focused on the new policies that the new emperor would implement after his ascension to the throne, with either anticipation or worry. No one cared about the innocent people who had sacrificed their lives in the turmoil; they Taiwei.

Si Ming and his entourage attended Ai Qing's funeral. As the wife of the Imperial Army, she received far more attention than ordinary people. On her side were noble relatives and friends, officials with close ties to her in the court, and on her side were her comrades-in-arms in the army. Even the Spirit Transformation Grandmaster sent their personal disciples or came in person. Even the newly appointed Emperor, who had been extremely busy during this period, sent a representative. It could be said that the scale of the event was second only to the coronation of the new emperor.

However, none of this mattered to the deceased, nor to Su Yingbo, who was immersed in grief.

Since that day, Su Yingbo has locked himself in his room, sealed the door with his True Qi, and stayed inside without eating or drinking. He didn't respond to anyone calling him, and he didn't even show up at his wife's funeral, as if he refused to accept the reality.

"I'll give it a try."

"Please, sir."

Su Yingbo's parents expressed their gratitude to Yan Jinghong.

"You're welcome. I'm his friend, and I've also experienced this kind of profound grief. I hope my experience can help him get back on his feet."

Su Yingbo's parents understood what Yan Jinghong meant by "grief," and they were deeply moved.

Yan Jinghong placed her hand on the door frame, used her True Qi to dismantle the obstruction, and then forced her way in. Among those present, Si Ming and Ling Huanxi also possessed the ability to force their way in, but neither of them had the right to persuade her, so they naturally did not bother.

Si Ming wore a black cloth over his shoulder, but his face showed no sadness, making him seem somewhat out of place with the atmosphere.

It wasn't because he held a grudge against Su Yingbo's attitude that day; he wasn't that narrow-minded. It was simply that he wasn't familiar with Ai Qing. He had only met her twice in total, and it was too difficult for such a relationship to touch his emotional nerve. He wasn't the kind of person who would wallow in melancholy.

Perhaps to Su Yingbo, his wife's life was more precious than anyone else in the world, but to Si Ming, she was at most the spouse of an elder he knew, no different from ordinary citizens who died in the turmoil. If he had the ability to save her, of course he would; if he didn't... he had seen quite a few dead people.

"Don't be sad, in-laws. Life and death are preordained. Qing'er was a good child; she certainly wouldn't want you to be so heartbroken in the afterlife..."

"It's all my fault! Why couldn't I control my temper?"