Skinning and Sinew-Tearing

The words had barely left his mouth.

Qin Jiu entered the hall almost at the same time.

Wang Yue followed half a step behind him, head bowed.

"Greetings, Patriarch."

"Uncles, there's no need for formalities."

Qin Jiu waved a hand.

Then he turned and nodded to Wang Yue.

These men were all members of the Qin Family's collateral branches. As for the guest Attendants holding posts in the Qin Family, they had not been summoned. Tonight's business concerned the Qin Family's private affairs, and for now, he did not want outsiders to know.

Seeing this, Wang Yue said nothing and strode toward Qin Xiong.

The latter seemed to sense something.

A vicious glint flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly sprang toward Qin Jiu.

But Wang Yue was faster.

His figure blurred, and his withered palm slammed into Qin Xiong's chest.

"Pfft!"

"Rumble!"

Qin Xiong coughed up blood and flew backward.

He crashed straight into the chair behind him, smashing it to pieces.

It all happened too quickly.

By the time the other four reacted, blood was already spilling from Qin Xiong's mouth and nose, and he was lying on the floor.

"This..."

Their expressions changed dramatically.

But they exchanged glances, and not one of them dared move rashly.

"What a ruthless bastard."

"You actually dared to cripple my meridians!"

Qin Xiong's eyes bulged with fury.

Yet after several attempts to struggle up, he still couldn't get off the floor.

Qin Jiu walked to the seat of honor and sat down, his expression impassive. Only then did he speak in a cool voice. "The main branch bestowed your martial arts upon you so you could protect the Qin Mansion. Yet not only did you fail to defend it, you also developed treacherous ambitions against the main branch, colluded with gangs, and plotted a rebellion."

"Taking back your martial arts is only the beginning."

"According to the Qin Family rules, Uncle Wang, read out his crimes."

"Yes."

Wang Yue bowed to him.

Then he turned to the others and said, "Qin Xiong secretly colluded with the leaders of the Fisher Gang and Chai Gang, plotting to seize the Qin Family's foundation. He promised them the Qin Family's spirit-beast formula and planned to join forces with both gangs tonight to attack our family. This is a grave crime."

"According to the family rules, his martial arts must be abolished, and he must be punished by skinning and sinew-tearing."

"You're slandering me!"

A trace of fear flashed through Qin Xiong's eyes.

Wang Yue gave a cold snort. "Still stubborn, even with death at your door."

As he spoke, he clapped his hands.

A gaunt figure walked in from the doorway.

The moment Qin Xiong saw him, his pupils shrank uncontrollably.

"Greetings, Patriarch. Greetings, stewards and commander."

The man was not very old. He first bowed to everyone, then continued, "This humble one is called Wei Yan, and I was Qin Xiong's confidant. Two months ago, he began secretly contacting the two gangs. During that time, he repeatedly ordered me to send real-time information about the Qin Family's guards and the Hundred Beasts Garden to the Fisher Gang and Chai Gang."

"Yesterday, Qin Xiong heard that the Patriarch intended to form a marriage alliance with the Han Family."

"He then had me pass word to both gangs, telling them to gather their men tonight and prepare to kill Elder Wang and the Patriarch, among others. He intended to divide the Qin Mansion between himself and the two gangs..."

"Shameless!"

The other four were instantly enraged.

Qin Xiong, meanwhile, looked ashen.

He struggled to his knees.

"I beg the Patriarch to show mercy. This was all my doing alone. I, Qin Xiong, am willing to accept punishment. I only ask that you spare my wife, children, and the rest of my family."

"Show mercy?"

"Considering that you've made many contributions to the Qin Family, I can spare you the punishment of skinning and sinew-tearing."

Qin Jiu's expression was indifferent as he said, "Everything else will be handled according to the clan rules. Rest assured, I'll send your entire family off together. Guards, take Qin Xiong away."

"No..."

Terror filled Qin Xiong's eyes as he kowtowed again and again.

But before long, men waiting outside the hall carried him away.

Then,

Qin Jiu looked at the others.

"You are all my uncles, and the blood of the Qin Family runs through your veins. If you think the Qin Family is doomed, you're welcome to leave with your families. I won't stop you. But if you harbor other intentions, I urge you to think carefully."

"Even if you won't think of yourselves..."

"Don't wait until the end, like Qin Xiong, to remember your wives and children."

He showed them no courtesy.

By acting in front of everyone tonight, he had intended to put them on notice.

The Qin Family's foundation had been built up bit by bit by Qin Guihong. It was not the collateral branches that had made the Qin Family strong. Rather, the collateral branches had gradually gathered and grown stronger after the Qin Family rose to power. Now that Qin Guihong was dead, who could say whether Qin Xiong had been the only one to entertain traitorous thoughts?

Even ordinary families had cases of relatives preying on the household after its head died.

How much more so a great clan like the Qin Family?

It was better to warn them now than to have another Qin Xiong appear later.

After those words fell,

the other four in the hall all wore troubled expressions.

"I summoned everyone here tonight not only because of Qin Xiong, but also because I have something else to discuss with you, my uncles."

At this point,

Qin Jiu's expression softened. He spoke again. "Over the past few days, after the Qin Family was attacked by demons, the Han and Qian families were also attacked by demons in quick succession. I'm sure you've all heard something about it."

"I originally thought my father's death was an accident."

"But now, it looks more like a conspiracy."

"What do you all think?"

A tall man in his early thirties frowned and said, "Demons enjoy feeding on human blood, but most of them have no intelligence and know only how to kill. By rights, if such a beast appeared in the city, it should have gone on an indiscriminate killing spree."

"Yet it bypassed the densely populated Outer City..."

"And went straight to the Inner City to attack the three great families."

"Someone must be controlling it from behind the scenes."

Qin Jiu looked at the speaker.

He was the commander of the Qin Family's guard force, Qin Xuanzhou, and one of the most talented martial artists in the Qin Family. Not yet thirty, he had already reached the peak of Three Refinements. Once the force within his body flowed through his meridians, he would be able to enter the Internal Strengthening realm.

He considered this, then nodded to Qin Xuanzhou.

Afterward, he looked at the others.

The other three, however, remained very quiet.

They still seemed troubled by what had happened earlier.

Not one of them spoke.

Qin Jiu wasn't annoyed. He considered the matter for a moment, then said, "I brought everyone back to the Qin Mansion because this matter is far from simple. But for now, nobody knows what the person behind it is planning. All we can do is stay the course and respond as events unfold."

"Commander Xuanzhou, you must keep a close watch on the Hundred Beasts Garden these next few days."

"Don't let anything go wrong over there."

"As for the rest of you, stay home for the time being. I'll assign some men to investigate the demon attacks."

After saying all this,

Qin Jiu paid no mind to what they thought. He got up and left the hall.

"He calls us uncles at every turn, then orders Qin Xiong's family executed without the slightest change in his expression."

Inside the hall,

an old man's eyelid twitched as he watched Qin Jiu disappear into the night. He murmured, "It's a pity he hasn't made anything of himself in martial arts. Such sharp edges may not be a good thing. Even when the Patriarch was at the height of his power, he was never this ruthless."

"Careful what you say."

"Uncle Wang, when will my medicine be ready?"

On the way,

he turned his head and asked Wang Yue.

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

Qin Jiu thought for a moment. "When you go to the Four Seasons Pharmacy to pick up the medicine tomorrow, see if you can arrange for me to meet the deputy hall master."