Chapter Thirty-Four: Hiding Within the Walls

Unable to speak? Oh, I nearly forgot—my father and uncles are all dead. Surely this has left you with psychological scars, hasn’t it? You wouldn’t dare wish for a son anymore. But can you honestly claim their deaths had nothing to do with you? Not just my father and uncles—my four elder brothers are gone as well. Do you dare say you had no part in their deaths? Now, there’s only me left in the Xiao family… You claim the Xiao family has failed my sister-in-law, but who exactly has failed her? Don’t always assume you alone represent the entire Xiao family.

These words, so ruthless and true, Xiao Cheng had long wanted to ask, but he’d always refrained for fear of wounding the old man’s heart. Yet now, since everything had been spoken plainly, he had nothing left to hold back.

He lost his father at three, his mother at six, then was raised by his uncles. Later, his uncles passed away, and his four brothers took care of him. But in time, they too died. From beginning to end, the old man never bestowed him a kind look. People speak of deep bonds between grandfather and grandson—where was this depth? Since he was neglected from childhood, what right did the old man have to criticize him now? And all this talk of test-tube babies—on what grounds?

His father, uncles, and four brothers’ deaths seemed unconnected to the old master, but sometimes, the lack of connection was the greatest connection of all…

Xiao Fusheng, reminded of years of pain by Xiao Cheng’s words, paled, his spirit suddenly drained, aging several years in an instant.

Truly a cursed child—after decades of effort for the Xiao family, now it was a junior who dared to accuse him. He admitted he had done many things out of necessity, but all for the sake of the family. Now, this cursed child had become involved with his sister-in-law, a grave crime, and yet still dared to rebuke him.

“Qi Yi, seize this cursed child, and return him to the family for proper punishment!” Xiao Fusheng had no desire for further words; best to capture Xiao Cheng now and deal with him later—break his legs and see what more evil he could do.

Xiao Cheng sneered. As always, when words failed, violence followed. Couldn’t they try something new?

“How do you plan to punish me? Another brutal beating?” he mocked.

“Hmph! First, you’ll be locked away, and after your great-grandmother’s birthday, you’ll be dealt with!” Xiao Fusheng glared at him. To punish Xiao Cheng was nothing more than a word from him.

“Heh! Surely you won’t charge me with adultery. Perhaps you’ll come up with another accusation? Maybe hire a fortune-teller to claim my fate is too hard, that I’ve cursed the entire family to death. This way, all the blame falls on others, and you’re seen as righteous and self-sacrificing—how noble!” Xiao Cheng spoke calmly.

Xiao Fusheng cared most about appearances. Since appearances mattered, he wouldn’t use adultery as the charge.

At this moment, Xiao Cheng was unafraid of being captured by Xiao Fusheng. If he wished to escape, without a golden core master to guard, they couldn’t hold him.

“You! Hmph, perhaps that’s true—maybe your fate really is too hard, killing three sons and four grandsons. Perhaps I should have a master take a look! Qi Yi, what are you waiting for? Seize him!” Xiao Fusheng’s patience was exhausted.

Hearing this, Xiao Cheng smiled indifferently. Indeed, the old man was just as before—face above all.

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“Come with me, young master. Don’t make things difficult for me,” Wang Qi Yi urged gently.

At this moment, Wang Qi Yi was secretly elated. He hadn’t expected that a single word from him would spark suspicion in the old master, leading him to believe Xiao Cheng and Fang Yu Jia had been involved. Now, the grandfather and grandson were nearly enemies.

“Difficult for you? Who do you think you are? Wasn’t it you who told them about my affairs? Don’t act so innocent—it’s disgusting!”

After speaking, Xiao Cheng glanced at Xiao Fusheng, feeling ever more repulsed. In the old man’s heart, he probably weighed less than Wang Qi Yi.

Wang Qi Yi’s face darkened—he’d been seen through. All along, he’d thought Xiao Cheng was slow-witted, but now his mind was swift, deducing everything instantly.

Not wanting to give Xiao Cheng another chance, Wang Qi Yi reached out to grab his arm, but caught only air. Xiao Cheng was already at the bedroom door. Wang Qi Yi was astounded—how could Xiao Cheng move faster than him?

It wasn’t that Xiao Cheng was faster, but his spiritual sense detected Wang Qi Yi circulating his inner energy, so he anticipated his move and slipped away using the Lingxu Step before Wang Qi Yi could act.

“You say you want to catch me, and I must let you? Just because you’re the Xiao family head? You say catch, and I must be caught?” Xiao Cheng shrugged, amused by Xiao Fusheng’s arrogance.

With that, he entered the bedroom and shut the door.

The doors in Tangchen Villa weren’t ordinary—they appeared wooden, but concealed a steel plate inside. Xiao Cheng didn’t expect the door to stop two innate masters, but it could delay them briefly. That was all he needed.

If not for his beloved great-grandmother and four sisters-in-law, he would have left the family long ago. But then, why should he be the one forced out?

Xiao Cheng entered the bedroom, quickly buckled on the Azure Blade and flying dagger. As for the golden star-patterned steel, he had already hidden it within the wall, hard to find and harder still for anyone to recognize.

He moved quickly; the fragile door creaked under pressure. Xiao Cheng formed a hand sign and, as if walking into water, entered the wall.

He didn’t pass through the wall, but wedged himself inside, unable to breathe, but able to hold his breath for half an hour. He’d wait till the old man and Wang Qi Yi left, then break out.

Hidden within the wall, Xiao Cheng listened to the voices outside.

“A mere door—don’t expect it to stop us. Come out yourself.”

Xiao Cheng smiled inwardly, unconcerned. He wasn’t hiding to avoid punishment—solitary confinement didn’t scare him. But in the coming days, he absolutely couldn’t stay in the family. In this period, Fang Yu Jia was likely to suffer a car accident—something he recalled from his past life.

Though his return had changed many things, he couldn’t know if the future would unfold as before, but he had to be cautious.

Xiao Fusheng had no patience left. Seeing Xiao Cheng refuse to open the door, he delivered a kick charged with peak innate energy, shattering the steel-reinforced door to pieces.

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As the door burst open, both men were stunned. The room was empty—no trace of Xiao Cheng, only a wall clock ticking.

Impossible! Both thought the same. From the time Xiao Cheng shut the door to when they broke it open, barely ten seconds had passed. No matter how fast he was, he couldn’t have escaped so quickly. It was as if he had vanished into thin air.

“I refuse to believe this cursed child can disappear. Qi Yi, search—check the wardrobe, under the bed. The room’s only so big. Where could he hide?” Xiao Fusheng wasn’t worried—he was certain Xiao Cheng couldn’t escape.

Wang Qi Yi searched the wardrobe and under the bed, while Xiao Fusheng went to the window, inspecting the glass, which hadn’t been opened.

“Everything’s been checked—he’s not here!” Wang Qi Yi reported, frowning.

Xiao Fusheng clenched his fists behind his back, knuckles white. How could a person vanish into thin air? It was impossible. Refusing to give up, he released his spiritual sense, covering a hundred meters in every direction.

To his disappointment, nothing. Impossible—though the cursed child’s jade pendant could conceal his aura, he should still leave traces. The villa was surrounded by plants; any movement would show. Yet nothing was disturbed.

If he were a golden core master, sword-flying would be possible, but Xiao Cheng was far from that.

“Could that jade have more abilities?” Xiao Fusheng mused.

His mother’s jade was a treasure, but he only knew it could conceal one’s aura; he didn’t know if it had other powers.

A hint of jealousy stirred in his heart—why did his mother dote on her great-grandson more than her own son? She spoiled this cursed child beyond reason, even giving him the family heirloom.

Standing behind him, Wang Qi Yi’s lips curled into a cold smile. Now he understood—Xiao Cheng possessed a treasure.

Neither suspected that Xiao Cheng was hidden within the wall, listening to every word.

Yet Xiao Cheng puzzled over the old man’s mention of jade. Did he believe he carried such a piece? Had he somehow discovered the Three Lives Jade Slip? Impossible—Xiao Cheng was always careful, using spiritual sense to check his surroundings whenever he took out the slip. No one could possibly know.

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[Rolling on the ground, begging for favorites…]