Translated by: Hypersheep325Edited by: Michyrr
"Good! Good! The students of Basking Moon truly deserve their reputation. I, Lin Lang, cultivated for five years, but I couldn't even beat a student who had cultivated for only one year. You win this battle!" Lin Lang coughed up blood and laughed.
His face gloomy, Tang Jie replied, "There is no honor in a victory won by taking a hostage."
"But it was her interference that rendered your last attack ineffective, no? Did you think I couldn't tell? That final attack could penetrate through metal and shatter jade. If Mo Xiang hadn't come to my rescue, I would have lost right then," Lin Lang bitterly chuckled.
Tang Jie felt a deep admiration.
Regardless of anything else, this was a real man. He was unwilling to strike a loyal servant, and he frankly admitted to his loss. In this situation, Tang Jie couldn't help but sympathize with Lin Lang.
Mo Xiang wailed, "Young Sir, you're so stupid! So stupid! What's the point of mercy? You have to live! The young lady and the little master still need you!"
"Little master"?
Tang Jie was startled by this term.
If he remembered correctly, the Xu Estate only had Xu Mujun as its sole progeny!
Could it be…
He shivered.
Lin Lang affectionally stroked her head. "Silly girl, Basking Moon Academy has already found this place. Even if we kill them, more will come in the future… There's no way to kill everyone from the Basking Moon Sect."
"But…" Mo Xiang wanted to say more, but Lin Lang pushed her aside.
He staggered to his feet and said to Tang Jie, "You want to use my head in exchange for resources to ascend the Immortal path? Alright then; take it!"
Tang Jie frowned and was about to say something when an old nanny ran out of the forest, shouting, "Young Sir, Young Sir! The young miss and the little master… it's bad!"
"What?" Lin Lang shuddered, and a moment later, he who had been ready to boldly face death suddenly rushed into the forest.
"Don't even try to run!" Wei Tianchong shouted. But as he went to chase after him, he was stopped by Tang Jie.
Tang Jie looked around at the crowd, pausing for a few moments on the figure of Master Xu, noticing how the man was trembling in agitation. Only then did Tang Jie follow Lin Lang into the forest.
Following the little path through the forest, he made his way through the trees and past a field of flowers, then spotted a little wooden hut in the distance.
The door to the hut was open, and Lin Lang was standing in front of the bed inside the hut. On the bed was a haggard woman, but despite her wan appearance, it was easy to tell that she was a beauty. Her face was rather similar to Xu Xi'an, so this was presumably the real Xu Mujun.
In her arms was a baby. The baby was wailing, but their face was a strange blue-green shade.
Lin Lang placed a hand on the baby, and as he constantly stroked, the blue-green energy faded, and the baby slowly stopped crying.
After some time, the baby fell back to sleep.
Lin Lang sighed in relief.
"The Yi Wood Azure Essence Palm…" Tang Jie commented, his voice ringing out behind Lin Lang. "Is this the reason you refused to leave the Xu Clan?"
Lin Lang trembled, but he finally said, "When I was running, a Basking Moon disciple caught up to me. Together, Mujun, Mo Xiang, and I managed to kill him, but that man was too powerful. Before dying, he used the Yi Wood Azure Essence Palm and injured Mujun. She was about to give birth then, so when the Wood poison attacked her, it affected the child…"
As he spoke, he turned to face Tang Jie.
Tang Jie, Wei Tianchong, and Shi Meng stood next to each other.
Outside the hut, Xu Xi'an, helped along by the servants, had arrived, but though he was worried, he did not dare to step into the hut.
This old man had also suffered a lot, no?
On one side was the intimidating pressure of the Basking Moon Sect while on the other was his grandson whose life was in dire peril and who needed treatment.
And they couldn't find anyone else to help.
Traitors to the country were all enemies, their entire families to be executed!
This was not just the law of the Sageheart Kingdom, but of the entire Rosecloud Domain!
According to the laws of the Sageheart Kingdom, only the direct line of the clan was under the scope of this law, not in-laws and distant relatives. But the child born between Lin Lang and Xu Mujun had to die.
While Xu Mujun herself might not need to die, she would assuredly be imprisoned.
But this was something that this old man couldn't accept. After all, this was his only daughter and his only grandson. This was why he was willing to take such a big risk of sheltering his son-in-law and granting treatment.
"No wonder I felt like you had already been through a big battle when I fought you, and you were lacking in both spiritual and physical energy. You must have tired yourself a lot for this child," Tang Jie muttered.
While Tang Jie's strength had played a role in the ability for a second-year to draw with a sixth-year, there was also the fact that Lin Lang had exhausted himself too much. Otherwise, even if Tang Jie had won, it would have been after an arduous battle that involved relying on his formidable healing powers to exhaust his opponent to death, not a proper battle that resulted in a draw.
Tang Jie's true expertise lay in protracted battles.
"What's the point in saying that now?" Lin Lang bitterly smiled. "If you had just given me a few more days, I could have completely expelled the Wood poison from the child's body, but alas, you still came…"
Tang Jie walked over and picked up the child.
Xu Mujun nervously looked at him.
As Tang Jie held the infant and looked at his sweetly sleeping face, he sent a strand of spiritual energy into his body.
He soon confirmed that Lin Lang had not lied. The Wood poison in this child's body had mostly been cleaned out, leaving only a small remainder. If they hadn't come, perhaps he would have been entirely clear of the poison after only a few days.
He then grabbed Xu Mujun's arm and frowned. "The poison in your body hasn't been cleared up much at all. It has already penetrated into your organs, so even if you survive, you won't be able to cultivate anymore."
Xu Mujun simply smiled. It was clear that she already knew and didn't care.
Lin Lang answered, "Mujun sacrificed much more than me for this child…"
He suddenly got on his knees and knocked his head against the floor. "Tang Jie, I beg you. You can kill me, but please don't kill my wife and child."
He began to kowtow over and over, his head striking the floor so hard that the impacts were audible. Mo Xiang shouted, "Young Sir…"
And then her voice dissolved into sobs.
Only the supine Xu Mujun continued to affectionately gaze at the child in her embrace, and when she glanced at Lin Lang on the ground, there was no regret in her eyes, only a tinge of comfort.
It was as if she was saying, "I didn't find the wrong man."
Wei Tianchong and Shi Meng were both rather taken aback by this sight.
They were still novice Basking Moon students who had never experienced the dangers of the world before. They still had some kindness in their nature, and when confronted by this situation, they didn't quite know what to do.
As Lin Lang continued to kowtow, Tang Jie sighed, "Even if I don't kill your child, the poison in his body hasn't been neutralized. If you die, won't they still die as well?"
Lin Lang shuddered.
Tang Jie slowly said, "Fortunately, there's not much poison, so if the method is right, it can still be removed. Lin Lang, you cultivate a Water mantra, right? It's no wonder you found it difficult to clear the Wood poison. Metal counters Wood, so my Lesser Sea Grotto Metal Mantra should be more effective at clearing this Wood poison."
He stroked the child's body with his palm and activated his spiritual energy, sending it swimming over his body.
This baby was too fragile, so Tang Jie had to carefully control his energy, letting it slowly seep through his skin and across his body.
Under the powerful Metal energy of the Lesser Sea Grotto Metal Mantra, the remaining Wood poison was quickly neutralized. After one Circuit Heaven, most of it was cleared away, and the baby's complexion became a healthy red.
Once it was about done, Tang Jie drew back his hand and said to Wei Tianchong, "Essence Supporting Powder."
"What?" Wei Tianchong was startled.
Tang Jie rolled his eyes. "The medicine! Give me a bag of Essence Supporting Powder!"
Wei Tianchong took out a bag of Essence Supporting Powder and handed it to Tang Jie.
Essence Supporting Powder was used by cultivators to regulate their energy flow, and had little use in cultivation itself. However, for ordinary people, it was a miraculous spirit medicine.
Tang Jie had a Xu Estate servant pour him a cup of water, and then he poured the powder into the cup and began to let the baby drink the mixture through a spoon. He then threw out two more bags. "One bag a day. Once these two bags are used up, there should be no problem."
At this point, everyone understood what he was doing.
Whoosh! All the members of the Xu Estate prostrated at Tang Jie's feet.
Xu Xi'an excitedly said, "This old man will never forget Young Master's kindness!"
Tang Jie indifferently said, "As a cultivator, I have things that I want to do and don't want to do. I have done what I want to do, but I must also do what I don't want to do. I can let the child go, and I can spare the life of the young lady of the Xu Clan, but from now on, this child cannot carry the surname of Lin, cannot be raised with resentment and hatred, and cannot leave Sageheart… and he certainly cannot cultivate! There will be no forgiveness for any of this!"
Xu Mujun and Lin Lang took a deep breath, but they understood that Tang Jie would never allow someone he had let go to become an enemy of the Basking Moon Sect.
Even if this child had no chance of toppling a major sect like this, if he were to succeed in cultivation and resent the Basking Moon Sect, even take revenge, then this would be Tang Jie's mistake.
He could let the person go, but he could never plant the roots of an enemy!
Xu Xi'an prostrated to Tang Jie. "This old man will take care of the child and will report to Young Master Tang. I would not dare to raise him with resentment and hatred. From now on, his father will be said to have died in an accident."
Tang Jie nodded. "The Xu Estate harbored a fugitive, which is a treasonous action that must be punished. I don't need you all to die, but starting from now, the Xu Clan is no more. The people can remain, but the assets must all be sold off. From now on, the Xu Clan will cease to exist in Fengyin. Am I understood?"
Xu Xi'an trembled and rapped his head against the ground. "My utmost gratitude for the Immortal's compassion!"
He knew that Tang Jie was already being particularly generous. According to regular procedure, while everyone didn't need to die for harboring a fugitive, they would all have to be arrested and handed over to the government. And once they were in jail, they might suffer fates worse than death!
In truth, by doing this, Tang Jie was taking on a lot of responsibility. As a student, he had no authority, so doing all this was overstepping his bounds.
But he had already committed outrageous crimes, so he didn't take a small matter like this to heart. Once Wei Tianchong became a True Inheritor, nobody would hold a small matter like this against him.
As for Wei Tianchong and Shi Meng, they looked at each other and decided to support him.
If it had been for the sake of profit or some other reason, they would have been willing to see the entire Xu Clan executed. But this was clearly not the situation. All the people of the Xu Estate were righteous people who protected their young lady and young master despite the risks. This sort of loyalty was exactly what society valued and admired, so they were unwilling to mistreat this sort of people.
No matter what, they did not want to cause this kind of tragedy.
Young people were very sentimental, so doing a good thing at times made them even more comfortable than obtaining an Immortal art.
Tang Jie waved his hand, taking back the Alarm Gate Banner and dispersing the formation. He waved his hands and said, "All right, everyone, disperse. I will give you time to sort out your valuables, but come daybreak, this place will no longer belong to you."
The servants glanced at each other, reluctant to leave. Xu Xi'an shouted, "Why aren't you leaving? Do you really plan to just wait here for death?"
The servants had no other option than to prostrate along with Xu Xi'an and kowtow a few times before dispersing.
Only that old man who had opened the gate refused to leave. He helped Master Xu and said, "Master, you still need a few people to take care of you."
A mighty clan had been turned to nothing in a single night. Everyone was overcome with sorrow, and sobbing could be heard throughout the estate.