"What? Fan'er was kidnapped along the way?"
When Chen Xin heard the news, his expression changed instantly. "How were you keeping watch?"
"More than half our elders and nearly ten Soul Douluo, and you couldn't even keep one person safe!?"
The elders who had taken part in the wedding procession all lowered their heads at Chen Xin's reprimand, their expressions awkward.
To put it plainly, they had been inactive for too long and had let their guard down. They'd assumed that with Chen Jianjun there, no one would dare attack them.
"Grand Sect Master, this subordinate failed in his duty and couldn't protect the Sect Master. I beg you to punish me!"
The Third Elder knelt in the middle of the Seven Kill Sect's main hall, his forehead pressed against the cold floor tiles, his voice trembling.
Behind him, nearly ten elders who had taken part in the wedding procession knelt in a neat row, all with their heads bowed, not daring to make a sound.
Chen Xin stood to one side. When he heard the Third Elder's report, his expression changed instantly. "How were you keeping watch? More than half our elders and nearly ten Soul Douluo, and you couldn't even keep one person safe!?"
His voice echoed through the main hall, shaking dust loose from the rafters.
The elders didn't dare argue. They could only lower their heads and endure the reprimand in silence.
"The Young Sect Master is right. We were at fault."
Elder Shan spoke with difficulty, his voice full of shame. "The beast tide came too suddenly, and the Soul Beasts were acting strangely. They weren't afraid of death at all..."
"Excuses!"
Chen Xin cut him off. "The Soul Beasts were acting strangely, so you were helpless?"
"What use are you, then?!"
Elder Shan opened his mouth, but in the end swallowed his words and bowed his head to the floor with a heavy thud.
As the Grand Sect Master, Chen Jianjun was much more composed.
He sat in the seat of honor, lightly tapping the armrest with his fingers. His expression gave nothing away; it was impossible to tell whether he was pleased or angry.
"That's enough."
Only after a full two and a half minutes of silence did Chen Jianjun speak calmly. "All of you, get up."
"Grand Sect Master..."
"Get up."
Chen Jianjun's voice was quiet, but left no room for argument. "It's already happened. Assigning blame won't change anything."
The elders glanced at one another, then cautiously rose to their feet, standing with their hands at their sides and their eyes lowered.
"How is Fan'er now?" Chen Jianjun asked.
The Third Elder hurriedly replied, "After the Sect Master returned, he wasn't fully conscious. He collapsed into bed and fell asleep."
"Ling... uh, the Sect Master's wife is looking after him."
Chen Jianjun nodded. "You may leave for now. Go and take good care of Fan'er."
"While he's recovering, nothing else must go wrong."
"Yes!"
The nearly ten elders withdrew, their faces full of shame. Each of them swore inwardly that they would protect Chen Fan properly while he recovered. Otherwise, they'd have no face left to show.
Their footsteps gradually faded, and the main hall doors closed softly.
The vast hall was left with only Chen Jianjun and his son, Chen Xin.
"Father." Chen Xin gritted his teeth, his voice tight with anger. "We have to get to the bottom of this!"
"Fan'er had only just taken the position when this happened, and during the wedding procession, no less. They've slapped the Seven Kill Sect right in the face!"
"Oh?" Chen Jianjun lifted his teacup and gently blew aside the foam, his expression calm. "And who do you think did it?"
Chen Xin answered without thinking. "It must have been the Spirit Hall, unwilling to accept things!"
"Who else besides the Spirit Hall would do something like this?"
"Father, don't forget, we were going to propose to the Spirit Hall's Saintess. But Qian Xunji rejected us outright. Only because you were there did he reluctantly agree to offer us the position of a Red-robed Bishop's daughter in marriage."
"He must be furious about it!"
Chen Xin already knew that Chen Jianjun had initially intended to propose to the Spirit Hall's Saintess, only for Qian Xunji to reject him sternly.
So.
He had reason to suspect that Qian Xunji had deliberately stirred up trouble.
"Heh..."
At that, Chen Jianjun's hand paused slightly as he held the teacup. He looked up at his son, heard him rattle off his argument, and rolled his eyes in exasperation.
Sometimes, when people were speechless, they really did laugh.
"Xin'er."
"Father?"
"If the Spirit Hall did this, what do you think they stood to gain?"
Chen Xin blinked. "What would they gain? To... to give us a warning?"
"A warning?" Chen Jianjun set down his teacup and slowly rose to his feet. "I don't know Qian Xunji well, but no fool could have made it to the position of Pope."
"He just allied our families through marriage. What good would it do him to turn around and slap us in the face?"
Chen Xin opened his mouth to argue, but found that he had nothing to say.
"Besides," Chen Jianjun said evenly, standing with his hands behind his back and his back to Chen Xin, "if the Spirit Hall really had attacked, do you think they would have left anyone alive?"
"That beast tide was fierce, but it didn't even injure one elder. It only kidnapped Fan'er... and then sent him back."
He turned around and looked Chen Xin in the eye. "Don't you find that strange?"
Chen Xin furrowed his brow and thought it over. There really was something off about it.
If the Spirit Hall had done it, with their strength, they could have slaughtered the entire wedding procession. At the very least, they could have taken Chen Fan hostage.
But instead, Chen Fan had disappeared for two days and one night, only to be found unharmed.
Why go to all that trouble?
Chen Xin couldn't figure it out.
"Then... who could it have been?"
Chen Jianjun didn't answer. He merely waved a hand. "Don't think about it for now. I'm going to check on Fan'er."
With that, he strode out of the hall.
Chen Xin watched his father's retreating figure, his brow furrowed into a deep crease, his mind a tangled mess.
Chen Fan's courtyard.
Ling Yuan had just finished wiping Chen Fan's body. She was carrying the basin of water outside when she looked up and saw Chen Jianjun enter the courtyard with his hands behind his back.
She hurriedly set down the basin and bowed. "Senior."
Chen Jianjun waved a hand. "Since you've married my nephew, you can call me Uncle along with him."
Ling Yuan froze for a moment, then quickly nodded. "Uncle."
"Mm."
Chen Jianjun nodded and looked past her into the room. "Has Fan'er woken up?"
Ling Yuan nodded, her voice gentle. "He woke up briefly, went to the bathroom, then fell right back asleep."
Chen Jianjun said nothing more and stepped into the room.
Ling Yuan tactfully stayed outside. She gently closed the door and kept watch there.
The room was dim.
The curtains were drawn tight. Only a few faint rays of light squeezed through the gaps, casting thin patches of brightness across the floor.
Chen Fan lay in bed under a light blanket, breathing steadily and heavily, as if fast asleep.
Chen Jianjun walked to the bedside and looked down at him, his brow immediately furrowing.
Chen Fan looked utterly exhausted and haggard, his face drained of vitality.
His eye sockets were especially sunken, with thick gray-black circles beneath them, as if he hadn't slept in days.
His lips were pallid and dry, their edges peeling and cracked, as though he hadn't had water in ages.
The skin on his face had gone slack and drooped. His tear troughs and nasolabial folds stood out sharply, and his skin looked withered and stiff. He looked ten years older.
As someone who'd been through it himself, Chen Jianjun's pupils contracted slightly. He immediately realized that this seemed to be...
Excessive indulgence?
His expression turned strange.
So during the time Chen Fan had been missing, someone had...?
Could this... really be so absurd?
Chen Jianjun looked away and fell silent for a moment, his thoughts racing.
If that really was the case, what had the kidnapper wanted?
It wasn't to kill him, and it wasn't for ransom. Then what...?
He shook his head, trying to dispel those wild thoughts, then reached out and took Chen Fan's hand. He slowly channeled Soul Power into him, nourishing his body.
The gentle Soul Power flowed from Chen Jianjun's palm into Chen Fan, like a trickling stream, nourishing his parched body.
The furrow in Chen Fan's brow eased slightly, and his breathing grew steadier.
Two and a half minutes later.
Chen Fan slowly opened his eyes.
His gaze was unfocused, and it took a while to sharpen. He still felt an indescribable exhaustion and drowsiness throughout his body. His bones felt as though someone had taken them apart and put them back together, leaving them sore and weak.
But when he saw Chen Jianjun, he still struggled to sit up. His voice came out hoarse. "Uncle..."
Chen Jianjun pressed him back down. "Don't move. Lie down."
Chen Fan sank back onto the bed, his throat so dry it felt as if it were smoking. "Uncle... what happened to me...?"
"You were kidnapped. Do you remember?"
Chen Fan furrowed his brow and tried to recall, but his mind was a tangled mess.
"I... I only remember falling to the ground. Then my back went cold, and after that, I don't remember anything..."
He paused, his voice tinged with confusion. "My mind is completely blank. I can't remember a thing."
Chen Jianjun fell silent for a moment. Rather than press him on that, he asked from another angle, "Fan'er, do you have any thoughts or guesses about who was behind it?"
Chen Fan froze, then shook his head. "I... don't have any ideas yet."
Seeing how utterly drained Chen Fan looked, Chen Jianjun knew it wasn't the right time to question him. He nodded slightly. "Rest for now."
"If you think of anything, come to me anytime."
"What did you say?"
"You lost them?"
At Pope Palace.
Qian Xunji was drinking hot tea when he saw Yue Guan and Gui Mei approach, both trembling and shaking with fear. His brow furrowed, and then he watched the two of them drop to their knees with a thump and report what had happened in trembling voices.
After hearing them out, he was utterly stunned. "Wait, you two are both eighty-ninth-level Soul Douluo, on the verge of joining the Elder Hall, and you're telling me you lost track of Dong'er, a little girl who's only just reached the Soul Saint rank?"
"His Holiness the Pope, I, we..."
The two still tried to make excuses, but Qian Xunji had no patience to hear them. He cut them off with a wave of his hand. "Nothing more to say. Get to the Penalty Hall and accept your punishment!"
"...Yes."
After watching the ridiculous pair leave, Qian Xunji shook his head in exasperation. He was just about to get up when Demon Bear Douluo came hurrying over. "Your Holiness, something terrible has happened!"
"What is it?"
"The Seven Kill Sect's wedding procession was ambushed!"
"What!?"