Having casually tossed the corpse to the ground, Sikong Jing's eyes remained ice-cold.
There was nothing wrong with the Liu couple refusing to lend money. Even insulting his mother-in-law wasn't enough to warrant death. But they should never have set their sights on Su Yuexi, and they especially shouldn't have tried to curry favor with Su Zhengtao by driving his father-in-law to his death.
That was why they had only one path left: death.
When Sikong Jing returned to Su Mansion, he spotted Mei Xiaofang sitting in the main hall, staring blankly.
A rush of warmth welled up inside him.
Even if Mei Xiaofang had only refused to let him be driven to his death for Su Yuexi's sake, he would still remember her kindness deeply.
"Mother-in-law..." Sikong Jing walked toward her step by step.
Startled out of her daze, Mei Xiaofang immediately glared at him and snapped, "Don't call me that. If you can't come up with the money tomorrow, you'll kill yourself. I don't want to be haunted by nightmares of you calling out to me."
Before, Sikong Jing would have been uncomfortable hearing those words, even if he didn't take them to heart.
But what he'd seen and heard outside the Liu Family Courtyard had let him understand his mother-in-law completely. She was the classic case of a sharp tongue and a soft heart. Still, Sikong Jing didn't expose her.
It was precisely because he understood her nature that he'd deliberately stayed out of sight at the Liu Family Courtyard.
"Mother-in-law, I went out to earn some money just now. On my way back, I heard that the Liu couple had died." Sikong Jing narrowed his eyes and mentioned it casually.
Bang!
Mei Xiaofang sprang to her feet, her eyes wide with disbelief. "What did you say? The Liu couple are dead? How did they die?"
She'd only just returned from the Liu Family Courtyard, and Madam Liu had been alive and well then.
"I heard someone left a Gold Crystal Coin in their courtyard. Someone must've paid to have them killed," Sikong Jing replied offhandedly.
Mei Xiaofang stood rooted to the spot, her expression shifting over and over.
Suddenly, she burst into a wild laugh. "Good! They got what they deserved. This is retribution!"
As she laughed, tears started streaming down her face. It was bad enough that people in the Su Clan bullied her; now even those outside the family whom Su Zhenglong had once helped were taking advantage of her.
For the past two days, she'd worn herself hoarse begging people everywhere for money. All she'd gotten in return was cold indifference and mockery. Life was just too bitter.
Then Mei Xiaofang shuddered and stared at Sikong Jing. "Could you have killed them?"
Sikong Jing froze for a moment, then shook his head without changing his expression. "Why would I kill them?"
He wasn't going to admit it. First, he didn't want to expose her sharp-tongued, soft-hearted nature and embarrass her. Second, he wanted to spare her from worrying about revenge or other consequences.
"True. It couldn't have been you. Where would you get a Gold Crystal Coin?" Mei Xiaofang nodded firmly, deciding she'd been overthinking it.
Sikong Jing had been about to take out 99 Gold Crystal Coins and surprise his mother-in-law, but he stopped.
For a moment, he was at a loss. Should he take them out or not?
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Just as Sikong Jing hesitated, a fit of violent coughing suddenly came from Su Zhenglong's room.
Mei Xiaofang's face changed drastically. She rushed inside like the wind. "Husband! Husband! Yuexi's father... don't scare me!"
Sikong Jing shuddered from head to toe and hurried after her.
The first thing he saw was Su Zhenglong lying half on the floor as Mei Xiaofang struggled to help him up. His coughing grew worse and worse—then, with a splutter, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Sikong Jing rushed over and helped his mother-in-law lift him up.
Su Zhenglong had come around a little. His face was as pale as paper as he said, "Xiaofang, I'm afraid I won't make it."
Mei Xiaofang went deathly pale, tears pouring from her eyes. "No, you won't die. You won't. I'll go find a doctor right now. You'll be fine!"
Then she turned and shouted at Sikong Jing, "Take good care of your father-in-law. If he dies, I'll take your life!"
Still threatening him, Mei Xiaofang ran out in a frenzy to find a doctor.
Sikong Jing quickly carried Su Zhenglong to the bed and checked his pulse.
Sikong Jing wasn't a doctor, but he'd once been a martial artist at the peak of the Transcendent Realm. He couldn't treat illnesses, but his true qi could heal injuries.
Su Zhenglong wasn't ill. He'd been badly wounded by someone.
But as soon as Sikong Jing felt his pulse, his expression turned grim. Su Zhenglong's internal organs were all severely damaged. The Noble Young Master who'd injured him years ago had also left a strand of true qi inside his body, continually wreaking havoc.
If not for his dantian and true qi, Su Zhenglong would've died long ago.
To heal his injuries, Sikong Jing would have to force the Noble Young Master's true qi out of his body, then slowly nurse his internal organs back to health.
In the past, Sikong Jing could've handled that with ease.
But that strand of true qi had reached the Earth Realm. At his current sixth level of the Bright Realm, Sikong Jing was nowhere near strong enough. Even the Emperor-Slaying Prison-Breaking Art wouldn't be enough.
"Yuexian, your father's useless. Where are you? Are you still alive?"
Just then, Su Zhenglong drifted in and out of consciousness, muttering hoarsely.
Su Yuexian was the elder sister who'd been taken away by the Noble Young Master in Su Yuexi's place. There'd been no word of her for ten years.
"Yuexi, don't blame yourself."
"Your father never blamed you. He knew you only became ugly because Yuexian poisoned you."
Su Zhenglong's voice trembled...
Sikong Jing shuddered again. So it really had been Su Yuexian who'd given her younger sister the Crimson Spider Poison to keep her from being taken away. But how had Su Yuexian, so young at the time, gotten hold of such a poison?
Unfortunately, Su Zhenglong had already fallen completely unconscious and said no more.
Sikong Jing took a deep breath and used his experience to keep Su Zhenglong alive by every means he could, stopping only when Mei Xiaofang finally returned with a doctor.
The doctor was a white-haired old man. He quickly examined Su Zhenglong's pulse, then replied after a long while, "Madam Su, given Master Su's current condition, we'll have to use strong medicine."
"Doctor Sun, then do it!" Mei Xiaofang said without hesitation.
But Doctor Sun looked troubled. "I have the medicine, but I've heard a little about your family's situation. This prescription will cost at least three Gold Crystal Coins. Can Madam Su pay me some of it upfront?"
Mei Xiaofang's mouth fell open, and her face fell. Where could she possibly find three Gold Crystal Coins?
Suddenly, she gritted her teeth. "Doctor Sun, write the prescription first. I'll go beg our Clan Head right now."
There was no other way. Surely Su Xuefeng wouldn't just stand by and let his eldest son die?
Of course, it would probably come at a terrible cost.
"This..." Doctor Sun looked deeply troubled. He'd always treated Su Zhenglong and knew their family's situation all too well.
Even if Mei Xiaofang went to beg, she might not get any money.
Three Gold Crystal Coins were no small sum to Doctor Sun. He couldn't simply give them up.
At that moment, Sikong Jing didn't hesitate. He was about to take out the money...
But before he could move, Su Zhenglong's door was flung open. Su Yuexi rushed in and said, "I have the money. Here are three Gold Crystal Coins. Doctor Sun, please, save my father!"
With that, Su Yuexi quickly handed the three Gold Crystal Coins to Doctor Sun.
Before you continue