Mission: Seduce the Master!

"Will of the Empress of Swords... Cursed Sword."

Xie Qing's words echoed in the ears of those present, creating an unknown pressure that seemed to grip their hearts, causing tension. Xie Hui was covered in cold sweat and froze, but after two seconds, he looked around in confusion when he felt no changes.

"What? Nothing happened?"

"Was that a bluff? Seriously, man, I was a little scared..."

"Pfft, this bastard made me tense up!"

Xie Qing just coldly watched Xie Hui's every move as he regained his composure.

"Haha... so you were bluffing! I was indeed scared when you mentioned the Empress of Swords, but who would have thought it was a fake!" Xie Hui laughed loudly, ignoring Xie Qing's cold gaze. Then he sneered, "Enough games. You've talked too much, now it's time to die."

However, Xie Qing only faintly smiled at this provocation. Afterward, Xie Hui took a step forward and...

"Huh?"

Suddenly, he let out a surprised gasp, as if his soul was torn from his chest. His eyes widened dramatically, filled with endless black terror. Everyone present froze, not understanding what was happening.

His body, which until this moment seemed solid and unyielding, began to tremble and sway as if it was made of small cubes that were now starting to scatter in different directions. It seemed that an invisible force was tearing him apart, and he was helpless against it.

The cubes of his body, which initially seemed dense and hard, now turned into something soft and gel-like. They deformed and flowed, merging and forming disgusting patterns. Some of them fell to the floor with a dull sound, leaving trails of slime behind.

His screams turned into a hoarse groan, and he began to fall to the floor, his body continuing to disintegrate and deform. Everyone watched in horror, unable to believe what was happening before their eyes.

"Eh?!"

The crowd gasped in surprise when they discovered that some people were also showing a similar reaction. And strangely enough, these were the ones who had an indirect or direct connection to that fateful night.

"AAA!"

"Heavens... how horrible!"

"Mom... save me, Mom..."

Chaos ensued due to the cruel and surreal death of the potential heir and family members of the Xie family of varying importance.

Even the elders could not survive. The only survivors were those who had no direct connection to the incident with Xie Meiling. However, there was an exception.

Of the listed culprits, only Xie Hai, Xiao Yui, and the chief elder remained. The trio was frozen in shock, their knees trembling, and their bodies weakened, as if poisoned.

In stark contrast, the young man standing on stage showed a completely different reaction, which under normal circumstances would have seemed attractive, but...

"An amusing spectacle," commented Xie Qing.

He casually smiled. During this time, he had not uttered a single word, yet he managed to kill his opponent so easily, which undoubtedly looked impressive and cool.

The surviving members of the Xie family, with deep horror in their hearts, slowly knelt and bowed, lowering their faces to the ground. This was a very humiliating pose, but no one at this moment was thinking about honor.

What pride? What honor? Faced with the superior power of the young man, whose strength was comparable to that of a monster, they preferred to become slaves rather than die in agony.

"M-mercy, master!"

"Spare our lives!"

"Master, oh great master, my child is innocent... kill me, but spare this child's life!"

A pitiful sight, isn't it? That's what happened to the once-proud people. Just five minutes ago, they were cheering for Xie Hui to defeat the monster in human form, and now they were bowing to him in deep fear, like devoted slaves.

However, Xie Qing did not show any reaction, only smiling – an attractive and sweet smile, but considering the context of the events, it seemed creepy and scary.

There was not a drop of blood on his face, his sword gleamed as if it had just been cleaned, and the air was clean – there was no smell of blood.

However, there was a deep sense of horror.

Mercy... don't kill.

Great master... don't kill.

Respected immortal... don't kill.

Where are your smiles, friends? Let's support Mr. Xie Hui!

You were... very worried about him, weren't you?

***

"They're yours. I don't care how you deal with them, feel free to do whatever you want," replied Xie Qing, and his eyes coldly flickered as he met Xie Hai's gaze, who was kneeling and silent. Then, looking at Xie Meiling, the young man raised the corners of his mouth, seeing her face: "You're so beautiful, Xie Meiling."

"Huh?"

Xie Meiling raised her eyebrows in surprise, which, combined with her wide smile, looked scary. However, Xie Qing only faintly smiled and returned to his business, fulfilling his promise.

As soon as the monster left, Xiao Yui's mouth was untied. The old maid fell to her knees, begged for mercy, cried, and laughed, trying to evoke pity from Xie Meiling.

"Mistress Xie Meiling, do you remember when I bought you your first stuffed bear as a child? And when the old master scolded you and you cried, I comforted you?"

Xiao Yui spoke incoherently as if trying to grab onto a thin thread while being submerged in a deep well.

No matter how thin and unreliable this thread was, for Xiao Yui, it was her last chance for survival. She lowered her head, not wanting to meet Xie Meiling's gaze – whether out of shame or fear.

"..." Xie Hai shuddered, seeing the gaze of his former wife, and a terrifying smell of urine began to emanate from him... hey, man, you're an adult!

Xiao Yui continued to speak and recount, clearly pressing on Xie Meiling's conscience. All the moments from childhood where the old maid helped her mistress – she listed them all.

However, Xie Meiling looked at her with a cold gaze from the very beginning, as if made of ice – which does not melt under fierce fire, which repels light and turns you into an ice statue upon contact.

"Mistress... please... I beg you... spare me!" cried Xiao Yui, feeling the cold. Her eyes were filled with horror, discovering that her fingers had turned into ice, but she only raised her head and tearfully begged: "Please, spare this old woman! I made a mistake...

a very serious mistake! But I have always loved you and treated you like my own daughter! I swear by the Heavens, I will never make this mistake again!"

Xie Hai slowly turned away and clenched his teeth, trying to somehow stop the trembling. He was afraid, terribly afraid. From the very beginning, he was not brave, especially when it came to his wife, who resembled a devil when angry.

In the end, Xiao Yui's pleas led to some results. Xie Meiling opened her mouth and sighed.

"Mistress..."

Xiao Yui whimpered plaintively, feeling a shiver. This sigh... she would recognize it from a thousand sighs in a crowd.

"P-please... spare me..."

The old woman's eyes filled with tears, and she could not see anything in front of her because of the tears. Her face was as pale as snow, and her old body trembled helplessly.

And only when Xiao Yui blinked and the tears were wiped away, did she see the cold face of her mistress.

"M-mistress..."

Emotions... seemed to have left Xie Meiling. And only coldness remained.

"P-please... I beg you... I swear... by the Heavens!"

However, Xie Meiling remained silent. Xiao Yui trembled with fear and finally closed her mouth, whimpering on the dirty ground. Her expensive dress was covered with a thick layer of dirt, and insects crawled on her, but the old woman no longer cared.

She knew... Xie Meiling's silence was the worst answer.

"Are you begging me? Swearing by the Heavens?" Xie Meiling finally spoke.

"Y-yes... please!" exclaimed Xiao Yui, seemingly finding hope, and raised her gaze, but froze, seeing Xie Meiling's piercing gaze: "M-mistress..."

"All this time, I thought it was someone else. That it wasn't you who poisoned my food. My mind said 'yes,' but my heart denied it. However, I could no longer deceive myself, especially when on the last day, you no longer hid it," Xie Meiling began to speak coldly, and her hands clenched into fists, and the aura of a Soul Nascent cultivator began to be released: "Loved me like your own daughter?

How funny."

"N-no... I was telling the truth..."

Xiao Yui whimpered pitifully, writhing on the ground, and trying to persuade Xie Meiling, but at some point, she froze and fell silent. Her pupils widened, and her breathing became heavy.

"Telling the truth? What nonsense. But I am a very fair person. How about this..." said Xie Meiling and waved her hand, taking out a vial of poison: "While you were writhing on the ground, I injected this poison into you, which was still in me for several months. However, this is not just poison... but poison enhanced by the Qi of a cultivator at the Transcendence level.

Which makes it ten times more dangerous and deadly."

Xie Hai shuddered with fear, and his lips turned blue, his face as pale as a sheet of paper. He could no longer resist his fear.

Who, if not him, knew the effect of the poison? This poison was a curse for cultivators and could easily kill a cultivator.

And being strengthened tenfold...

"Crazy!"

Xie Hai shuddered and lost consciousness from fear. But Xiao Yui could not do so. She fought against the horrifying pain as if she were being torn apart from the inside into hundreds of thousands of pieces.

Moreover, with each second she was alive, her aura weakened, her life drained away, and she aged rapidly.

In the last moment of her life, she discovered that time had slowed down. What was a second for the outside world was a year for her.

Soon, the old maid was covered in ice, and she turned into a statue. Xie Meiling coldly snorted and brushed the hair from her face.

"In this circle of suffering, you will spend a hundred thousand years without the possibility of dying."

Welcome to the world of suffering, Xiao Yui.