"Ah… this is the good stuff!"

  After hearing all the revelations from Xue Hui, Chen Zhenlong no longer hesitated to uncork one of his most treasured liquors.

  That one bottle he had once planned to save for his eldest son's coming-of-age celebration.

  Now, such distant hopes felt meaningless.

  If the demon beast horde from Xue Hui's past life truly descended upon them, everything would be reduced to ashes within nine or ten years time.

  No one would be able to stop it… not even Lord Ye Mo.

  Pouring himself another glass, Chen Zhenlong took a slow sip before stealing a sidelong glance at the boy seated across the table.

  Honestly, if not for the truth-detection soul technique, he would never have believed a word the boy told him. Yet the technique confirmed that everything Xue Hui had revealed was true.

  Moreover, Chen Zhenlong was a super expert, second only to Lord Ye Mo. His keen eyes could easily catch the slightest telltale sign of deceit, but none appeared in Xue Hui's actions.

  When Xue Hui spoke of his daughter's fate, subtle emotions betrayed his usually calm demeanor.

  From that alone, Chen Zhenlong could tell that the boy's concern for his daughter had not lessened, even with his new disposition.

  "Here. Do you drink?" Chen Zhenlong asked, offering him a glass of liquor. "How old were you when… we all died in your previous life?"

  Xue Hui shook his head and declined the glass.

  "I don't drink, Lord Patriarch. I only tried it once. Lord Li Jiang dragged me out for a drink, and we both ended up being scolded by Linlin."

  Chen Zhenlong snorted.

  It seemed his daughter had inherited her mother's temper.

  "And my age…" Xue Hui paused briefly. "I was seventeen when Glory City fell."

  "Damn… died at seventeen? That sucks," Chen Zhenlong muttered as he downed the contents of the glass he had originally offered to Xue Hui.

  By now, he no longer cared about maintaining the dignity of a patriarch in front of the boy.

  Titles and status felt meaningless in the face of everything he had just heard.

  At this moment, he felt completely lost, unsure how to move forward after learning everything.

  His daughter, Glory City, everything he knew and cared for… all of it would perish from the demon beast hordes attack, and he would be powerless to stop it.

  He felt like a complete failure—both as a father and as the patriarch of the Divine Family.

  Sighing, he decided he might as well cling to any hope the boy might offer.

  "Xiao Hui… you mentioned having a plan. Can you really do anything to prevent the future of your previous life from repeating?"

  Drawing a blank, he could only ask the boy directly.

  Hearing the defeat in Chen Zhenlong's voice, Xue Hui pressed on.

  "As long as Lord Patriarch's belief in me does not waver even once, I promise that none of the tragedies from my previous life will come to pass in this lifetime."

  Chen Zhenlong stared at the boy. Xue Hui's confident tone, reinforced by the truth-detection soul technique confirming his sincerity, made him wonder just how this child intended to achieve something so impossible.

  "Do I even have a choice?" Chen Zhenlong asked quietly.

  "Lord Patriarch, you always have a choice. No one can take that away from you. I am only asking whether you are willing to place your bet on me."

  Chen Zhenlong sighed, then slowly nodded.

  "Alright, let me hear it—what's your plan? If you can save both my Lin'er and Glory City, then I, Chen Zhenlong, will stand as your greatest ally. You can rely on me no matter what."

  Hearing his words, Xue Hui nodded with a faint smile, knowing he was already halfway toward saving his friend.

  He hopped down from his chair and headed for the door. "Then I'll hold you to your words. Let's continue this discussion later. I'll go tell Linlin that everything went fine—she's probably extremely anxious by now."

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  The mention of his daughter immediately pulled Chen Zhenlong out of his thoughts. He sent a sweep of his Soul Force toward Chen Linlin's room, and just as Xue Hui had said, she looked on the verge of tears, her mental state deteriorating by the second.

  Seeing this, Chen Zhenlong quickly stood and followed after Xue Hui, intending to personally reassure his daughter that she no longer had to worry.

  "By the way, Xiao Hui," he asked as he walked, "did you tell my daughter everything about her condition?"

  Xue Hui shook his head.

  "I didn't have the heart to tell her how dire her condition would become. I only told her that I was once trapped within my own mind and had been taught the art of healing by a supreme master… and that I would use that knowledge to cure her."

  Chen Zhenlong halted at the mention of a supreme master and the art of healing.

  All this time, the boy had been trapped in his mind, being taught by a supreme master.

  'Is that why he seemed so emotionless and soulless all this time? Was his mind under the control of that supreme master?' he wondered

  He wanted to press for more details, but he ultimately decided to save those questions for later. Right now, what mattered most was comforting his daughter.

  Later that night…

  After reassuring Chen Linlin that there was nothing to worry about and waiting until the girl finally drifted into sleep, Chen Zhenlong and Xue Hui returned to the patriarch's office to continue their discussion.

  "So, Lord Patriarch, what would you like to discuss first?" Xue Hui asked calmly.

  Seating himself behind his desk, Chen Zhenlong poured another glass of liquor before shifting his gaze toward the boy.

  "Tell me about the cause of your previous condition," he said gravely, "and about that supreme master you mentioned earlier. After that… you can explain your plan to save my daughter and Glory City."

  Xue Hui nodded, knowing that beginning there would cover everything he needed to explain.

  "Lord Patriarch, you must understand that I don't have all the answers about my master. Aside from teaching me the arts of healing and cultivation, he never revealed anything about himself. All I know is that he was an incredibly mysterious and powerful figure."

  Chen Zhenlong nodded. After all, a supreme expert capable of sending someone's soul back to their younger self was already beyond mortal comprehension. Expecting Xue Hui to know everything about such a figure would be unreasonable.

  With that, Xue Hui continued.

  "After I died, the only thing I remember was my mind being trapped in a white room. The only person there was an old man, and he told me that from that moment onward, I would be his disciple."

  Xue Hui paused, watching Chen Zhenlong's reaction. At the same time, he used his overwhelming mental strength to reinforce his words, making them resonate as absolute truth.

  He could tell the truth-detection soul technique had deemed his statement genuine. When Chen Zhenlong slowly nodded.

  He remained outwardly calm, though inwardly relieved the truth-detection technique had accepted his words.

  "Over the years, I was forced to learn everything my master taught me—from the very basics of medicinal knowledge to the most profound and mysterious principles. He taught me countless things alongside them as well."

  Xue Hui then took a sip of his now-cold tea, moistening his dry lips after speaking for so long.

  "It's also why I've been so absent-minded since I was an infant,"

  Xue Hui explained calmly.

  "My mind was under my master's control. Only when he deemed my knowledge of healing barely sufficient did he allow me to return, releasing my mind back into my body. But to my surprise, I didn't return to my older self—I returned to this younger one."

  He paused briefly before continuing, his tone firm.

  "I'm not complaining, though. With everything I've learned from my master, I can help Chen Linlin—not only to heal her condition, but also to rebuild her withered soul realm so she can cultivate again."

  The moment those words left his mouth, Chen Zhenlong shot to his feet. In a flash, he leaned forward, grabbed Xue Hui by the shoulders, and lifted the small boy until they were face to face, his hands trembling with shock.

  "Y-You can actually help Lin'er rebuild her withered soul realm?! You can really do that?!"

  Being manhandled like a sack of potatoes certainly didn't feel pleasant, especially when Xue Hui saw himself as a supreme expert filled with boundless knowledge gathered from countless masters of the past. He hated how easily others could overwhelm him with their raw strength.

  He really needed to increase his own power quickly if he wanted to move freely around Glory City without worry.

  Still, Xue Hui didn't make a fuss. He fully understood what Chen Zhenlong was feeling.

  Discovering a solution to a problem everyone had long considered hopeless.

  How many so-called genius doctors of Glory City had already admitted they were completely helpless regarding Chen Linlin's condition?

  For Chen Zhenlong, hearing those words from Xue Hui struck his heart like a thunderclap.

  The shock was so overwhelming that he didn't even question how such a young boy could possibly possess a method capable of restoring his daughter's life. Instead, he instinctively clung to the first rope that offered Lin'er a second chance.

  "Lord Patriarch… yes, I do have a method to cure Linlin's illness and rebuild her soul realm," Xue Hui said with difficulty, his voice strained. "…but I won't be able to do that if you keep squeezing me to death~"

  Realizing he had completely lost his composure, Chen Zhenlong hastily let go and guided the boy back to his chair, his expression apologetic as he returned to his own seat.

  "Sorry about that, Xiao Hui," he said, taking a steadying breath. "Could you please explain this method in more detail?"

  Xue Hui nodded. He knew this was the moment to reveal the truth about Chen Linlin's condition.

  However, Xue Hui spoke first, his tone carrying a firm warning.

  "Lord Patriarch, I will tell you both the cause of Linlin's illness and the solution. But I need your promise that you will keep your emotions in check. The last thing we want is to alert everyone and cause a commotion within the Divine Family."

  Though unsettled by the ominous weight of the warning, Chen Zhenlong nodded, signaling for him to continue.

  Receiving the confirmation, Xue Hui took a deep breath before speaking.

  "About ten thousand li away from Glory City, there is a forest rich with countless creatures and vegetation of varying degrees of toxicity."

  Chen Zhenlong's brows furrowed slightly as he listened, wondering why Xue Hui began his explanation with a distant forest. Based on the boy's vague description, it could only be…

  "The Toxic Forest," Chen Zhenlong interjected.

  Xue Hui nodded, not at all surprised that a Black Gold–rank demon spiritualist like Chen Zhenlong was familiar with such a notorious place.

  "Deep within the Toxic Forest lies a place as the Valley of Blood Pungent Butterflies," Xue Hui continued. "These Blood Pungent Butterflies are actually considered the least toxic demon beasts in that forest. Because of their rapid reproduction, they are often treated by other creatures as a plentiful source of food."

  He paused briefly, letting the information sink in before continuing his explanation.

  Both Xue Hui and Chen Zhenlong took another sip of their respective drinks. The latter could already tell that the boy was laying out the context behind his daughter's illness, so he listened carefully without interrupting.

  "While the Blood Pungent Butterfly itself is relatively safe to consume—even for humans—the larvae are an entirely different matter," Xue Hui explained.

  "If a person consumes even a tiny drop of the larvae's blood, their muscles, veins, and internal organs would rapidly deteriorate, ultimately leading to death."

  Hearing this, Chen Zhenlong's breathing grew ragged. The symptoms sounded terrifyingly similar to those afflicting his daughter.

  Xue Hui continued, his tone growing solemn.

  "The cruelest part of this toxin is that it doesn't just harm the body. Because the larvae feed on toxic spiritual energy, their blood can also cause the meridians and soul realm of anyone afflicted by it to wither."

  Silence enveloped the room.

  Both of them held each other's gaze. Xue Hui allowed his words to fully sink in, while Chen Zhenlong was overwhelmed by a storm of thoughts.

  His entire body trembled, his breathing unsteady, and even his soul force fluctuated chaotically. Only one question echoed repeatedly in his mind.

  "H-How could my Lin'er have ever come into contact with the Blood Pungent Butterfly larvae?"

  he asked hoarsely.

  "She has never left the walls of Glory City, let alone gone anywhere near the Toxic Forest. So how did my daughter end up like this…? I don't understand… Xiao Hui, do you know how?"

  Seeking the answer from the boy before him, Chen Zhenlong already had a vague suspicion of how that toxin had ended up inside his daughter's body.

  Yet he desperately hoped his conclusion was wrong… because if it was right, it would mean—

  "Lord Patriarch," Xue Hui said quietly, "there is no way for a Blood Pungent Butterfly larva to ever leave its territory on its own. The only way that toxin could have come into contact with Linlin…"

  Xue Hui paused, anticipating what was coming next, and enveloped his body with Soul Force.

  "…is if someone deliberately brought it back and gave it to her."

  Chen Zhenlong's entire body trembled violently.

  A storm of emotions surged within him—shock, disbelief, fury, and an overwhelming sense of dread.

  The concealment array around the room began to crack under the immense pressure of his fluctuating spiritual energy.

  Slowly, he turned his head toward Xue Hui, his eyes blazing as he stared at the boy.

  With gritted teeth and a low, murderous growl, he asked,

  "Who… poisoned my daughter?"

  End of Chapter 13