He shifted his gaze to the Discipline Hall Master behind him.
The Discipline Hall Master understood. His expression stern, he said to the guard in a low voice, "Take the Second Attendant to the dungeon and show him what Nanyang did."
The guard obeyed.
Before long, a heart-rending cry came from the direction of the dungeon. "No... no!!!! Yang'er... Yang'er!!!"
The voice seemed powerful enough to pierce the heavens, filled with boundless anguish and despair.
Everyone in the hall heard it clearly, but no one dared speak. Their faces were tense, and they fell as silent as cicadas in winter.
Soon, the guard brought the Second Attendant back to the hall.
In front of everyone, the Discipline Hall Master said coldly to him, "Look at your fine grandson. He used an Evil Art in an attempt to murder the Divine Son and even dragged your entire branch down with him. You brought this on yourselves."
At his words, everyone was plunged into utter panic.
The Second Attendant, meanwhile, looked as though his soul had left him, numb and dazed.
"Lord Divine Son... Lord Divine Son, spare us!"
"This has nothing to do with us!!"
"Please spare us, Lord Divine Son!"
"This is all the Second Attendant's fault..."
For a moment, the hall was filled with their terrified voices, throwing the once-quiet space into chaos.
Nan Xunran frowned slightly.
Then a woman's voice rang out.
"If he can't discipline his grandson, he can stop being an Attendant."
As soon as the words fell, a line of blood appeared on the Second Attendant's neck out of thin air.
His head dropped straight to the floor, and blood gushed out, staining a patch of ground red.
Behind the headless corpse, Shangguan Xieyue smiled at Nan Xunran.
She hurried toward Nan Xunran, then threw herself into his arms.
"Shangguan Xieyue? What are you doing here?" Nan Xunran raised an eyebrow, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.
"I went to the Divine Son Hall to find you, but you weren't there, so I used a tracking technique."
As she spoke, she watched Nan Xunran's face closely, studying every subtle change in his expression, afraid he would be angry.
"Don't be angry, A-Xun. I just missed you so much!"
As she spoke, she tugged gently at the hem of Nan Xunran's robe, like a child who had done something wrong.
Nan Xunran lowered his gaze to Shangguan Xieyue, who was plainly feeling guilty, and said coolly, "Use a tracking technique on me again, and don't expect to enter the Nan Clan next time."
"Okay, okay," Shangguan Xieyue muttered under her breath.
She dared not say another word. She merely buried her head deeper in Nan Xunran's chest and tightened her arms around him.
Nan Xunran frowned slightly. "Let go. I still have things to deal with."
Shangguan Xieyue raised her head from his chest and swept her gaze over the people on the floor. "Kill them all. They actually wanted to hurt you!"
Her voice was icy, and a fierce, violent presence radiated from her.
Sensing that terrifying presence, everyone began trembling, their faces as white as paper. They did not even dare breathe loudly.
Nan Xunran gave her an indifferent glance. "Shangguan Xieyue, go back to the Divine Son Hall and wait for me."
Though Shangguan Xieyue was thoroughly unwilling, she did not dare behave recklessly. She obediently let go and answered softly, "All right."
Then she turned and left.
After Shangguan Xieyue left, Nan Xunran called out, "Alioth."
The air around him rippled faintly, and Alioth appeared. "At your service."
"Tell me about the branch family."
"Master, aside from Nanyang, several other disciples of the branch family have also behaved improperly and caused a great deal of trouble."
Hearing this, Nan Xunran said, "Tell the Discipline Hall Master about every one of them. This branch family does need to be put in order."
With that, he looked at the Discipline Hall Master again.
A faint smile rested on his face, but it sent a chill down the spine. "If I come back and find something like this again, you should know the consequences."
The Discipline Hall Master felt a chill run down his back. He nodded hastily and said in alarm, "Yes, Lord Divine Son. Rest assured."
Nan Xunran nodded slightly. His tone calm, he gave another faint smile. "Then I'll take my leave."
With that, he turned and left.
Divine Son Hall
Before Nan Xunran had even approached, he heard a burst of hurried footsteps.
"A-Xun, you're back!"
The voice rang out clearly before he even saw her.
"Mm."
He did not much feel like talking. He had spent the entire day dealing with all manner of affairs, and even he was having trouble bearing it. His head felt as though it were splitting apart.
Nan Xunran frowned slightly, and Shangguan Xieyue keenly noticed the subtle change.
"A-Xun, where does it hurt?"
Her voice was full of concern and worry, and her face betrayed an anxiety she could not hide.
Inside the room
Shangguan Xieyue sat by the bed and had Nan Xunran lie with his head on her lap.
Then she gently pressed her slender fingers against Nan Xunran's head, her movements slow and soothing.
"I heard Teacher say that A-Xun will be leading the team for the secret realm trial in two days?" Shangguan Xieyue asked softly.
"Mm."
"Great! Then I'll definitely return to the Holy Land before the trial!" Shangguan Xieyue said cheerfully, her eyes full of anticipation.
Nan Xunran glanced up. "Do you have something else to do?"
"I do. I only came to see you, A-Xun. I'll be leaving in a little while. I still haven't refined the spiritual herbs I picked for you last time into pills. Once I'm done, I'll return to the Holy Land!"
"All right."
A moment later, Shangguan Xieyue stood up, ready to leave.
She turned to Jiang Ruxi, who was in the room, and called with a slight smile, "Sister Ruxi, come out for a moment. I have something to tell you."
Her smile looked innocent and harmless.
Jiang Ruxi glanced at Nan Xunran. Seeing no reaction from him, she nodded and followed Shangguan Xieyue out of the room.
Once outside, the smile vanished from Shangguan Xieyue's face. She lowered her voice and said, "Sister Ruxi, if you weren't A-Xun's maid, I would have killed you long ago."
"Try it and see who kills whom." Jiang Ruxi's expression remained impassive.
Except when she was in Nan Xunran's presence, where she behaved obediently, she seemed indifferent to everyone else.
Both women were like ferocious beasts, and the chains that bound them were in Nan Xunran's hands.
With a shing, a blade slid from its sheath.
"Hmph!"
Shangguan Xieyue was just about to teach Jiang Ruxi a lesson.
Just then, a thump came from inside the room.
Shangguan Xieyue swiftly sheathed her blade and pretended nothing had happened. Then she walked away, shooting Jiang Ruxi a fierce glare as she passed.
Jiang Ruxi silently returned to the room.
Nan Xunran was sitting quietly by the bed, holding a book.
His eyes were lowered slightly, his gaze fixed on the pages. He looked as gentle as jade, yet carried a sense of distance that made him difficult to approach.