Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Hidden Malice

Midnight deepened. Insects chirped in the dark, the valley quiet enough to make every sound feel sharp.

While Second Lady Hu sat meditating inside the hut, faint sobbing drifted from the direction of the grave.

Her eyes snapped open.

She rose and stepped outside—only to see Fang Xu Cheng seated before Mo Chou’s cenotaph, a wine cup in hand, crying as he drank.

“What are you doing?” Second Lady Hu’s voice cut like ice.

Fang Xu Cheng looked up, startled, then hurried to stand and bow. “Honored Mother-in-law, did I wake you? I’m truly sorry. I lost control for a moment.”

Second Lady Hu walked closer.

A jug of wine and two cups sat before the grave—one in Fang Xu Cheng’s hand, the other placed opposite, as if waiting for someone to drink with him.

He poured a cup into the empty place, then drank his own, shoulders shaking.

“The night is too quiet,” Fang Xu Cheng said hoarsely. “Sitting here… I started remembering what it was like when A Chou and I were together.”

He swallowed, voice thick with practiced grief. “I remember the first time I brought A Chou back to pay respects to Mother-in-law. It was just like now. A Chou spoke with you inside, and I waited outside for your test… I stared at the hut door, thinking she’d push it open any moment.”

He covered his face and sobbed. “But when I turned my head, all I saw was her cenotaph…”

“I know Mother-in-law blames me,” he continued. “This really was my fault. If I hadn’t taken A Chou to the front lines at the Ming River, it wouldn’t have ended like this. I chased fame and profit, and now I regret it beyond words.”

Those words stirred the endless sorrow Second Lady Hu kept buried under stone.

Regret was the bitterest thing in the world. Just thinking of it felt like needles in the heart.

Without realizing it, she sat down before the grave.

Fang Xu Cheng immediately poured her a cup. “Honored Mother-in-law, I won’t hide it. Before, I didn’t think deeply. I poured all my rage over losing A Chou onto Ling Yun Zhou.”

He lifted his face, eyes reddened. “Today, after what you said, I finally understood. I didn’t dare face reality. So I followed the crowd and pushed the blame onto Ling Yun Zhou—because it was easier than admitting the truth.”

Second Lady Hu let out a slow, silent breath.

She had never been satisfied with this son-in-law. She’d thought her daughter had been bewitched—what kind of man couldn’t she have found, yet she chose this pretty pillow with no substance.

But thinking back… A Chou had been fairly happy with him.

Whether Second Lady Hu drank or not, Fang Xu Cheng downed his own cup in one gulp.

Wine only deepened sorrow.

Fang Xu Cheng cried harder, voice breaking at the right moments. “I used to think Ling Yun Zhou was the killer. These past years were painful, but at least I had someone to hate.”

He laughed wetly through tears. “Now you suddenly say he isn’t… and my heart feels empty. I don’t even know who to hate anymore…”

The words struck Second Lady Hu right in the chest.

After Mo Chou died, she’d always wanted to find Ling Yun Zhou and take revenge. But the Limitless Sect was too powerful. Even if she went to their door, she might not see anyone—let alone get close to the truth.

For more than ten years, she’d waited. Planned. Endured.

Now that the chance had come… her hatred had nowhere to land.

A Chou…

A Chou, what should your mother do?

Even if I dive into the Ming River, I can’t find your soul.

Tears slid down her face as she lifted the wine and drank.

The burn on her tongue gave her an excuse—something to blame for the weakness. Something to let the tears fall without restraint.

She raised the cup again.

Then stopped.

Across from her, Fang Xu Cheng’s gaze flickered—too careful, too sharp, too watchful.

Second Lady Hu’s eyes narrowed. Killing intent leaked out, cold and absolute.

“You poisoned the wine,” she said slowly.

The words were a switch.

A monstrous pressure exploded from Second Lady Hu. Fang Xu Cheng, already prepared, flashed with a burst of light and shot backward.

Second Lady Hu surged to her feet, fury tearing through her grief.

No matter how much she despised Fang Xu Cheng, for her daughter’s sake she had tolerated him.

And this vile thief dared use Mo Chou to do this?

Red Thread erupted like a storm, striking toward him.

Fang Xu Cheng didn’t dare meet her head-on. He shouted, “Move!”

At his command, guards emerged from the shadows, each taking a position with small flags in hand.

Streaks of light shot out and linked together, twisting and weaving until they formed a net—

And at the center of that net stood Second Lady Hu.

Her fury turned incandescent.

This formation was derived from her own technique.

Mo Chou had taught it to Fang Xu Cheng.

And he was using it against her.

“You little thief,” she spat. “How could you be so ungrateful?”

Standing at the formation’s core, Fang Xu Cheng finally dropped the act. He smiled, cold and calculating. “I didn’t want to go this far. But Honored Mother-in-law, you left your son-in-law no way to live.”

His eyes gleamed. “Tomorrow, once we go to the Limitless Sect, you’ll hand me over for interrogation, won’t you? Since you won’t show any old affection, I can only think of myself.”

He snapped, “Activate the formation!”

White strands shot out like spider silk, whipping toward Second Lady Hu from every angle.

Red light burst from her body as she tried to summon her full power—

But her chest seized. Poison tightened around her meridians like iron bands, and she spat a mouthful of blood.

The white strands didn’t hesitate. They lashed down at once.

Normally, she could have shattered them with a flick of her hand.

Now, she could barely deflect them.

Her gaze caught Mo Chou’s name on the grave. Grief and rage surged together, fueling her.

Red Thread shot out like an arrow, streaking straight for Fang Xu Cheng.

Fang Xu Cheng’s face went white. He triggered a protective treasure—

“Ah!”

The protective glow shattered. Fang Xu Cheng was flung backward, crashing hard.

Second Lady Hu’s Red Thread trembled. She tried to gather power again—

It failed.

The Red Thread dispersed, collapsing into nothing. Her dantian throbbed with unbearable pain. The world swam at the edges of her vision.

Fang Xu Cheng crawled up, injured but alive. His eyes turned vicious. “You filthy woman!”

Strike while she was weak. Finish her.

He formed hand seals, pouring everything he had into the formation’s core.

The white strands surged again, whipping down once more.

“Pfft!”

Second Lady Hu was blasted backward, coughing blood. Another strike. Another.

At last, she hit the ground and didn’t rise, breath shallow, body trembling.

Fang Xu Cheng waved the formation flag. White strands wrapped around Second Lady Hu, binding her tight.

He swallowed two pills to stabilize his own injuries, then strode over and kicked her hard, twice, cursing between breaths.

“You old hag! All these years I’ve been respectful and obedient, and you treated me like dirt—never satisfied with anything I did. And now you wanted to drag me to the Limitless Sect to apologize?”

His face twisted. “You were heartless first. Don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

Under the poison, Second Lady Hu’s vision blurred. But the hatred in her eyes remained sharp.

“If you didn’t do anything shameful,” she rasped, “what are you afraid of in going to the Limitless Sect?”

Her voice turned colder, even as she fought to breathe. “Fang Xu Cheng… tell me the truth. Was A Chou’s death connected to you?”

“Mmph—!”

Fang Xu Cheng kicked her again, killing intent flashing. “At a time like this, you still want to settle accounts? You should worry about your own end.”

He turned and barked, “Carry this woman into the hut.”

One henchman hesitated. “Family Head, it’s already come to this. Shouldn’t we kill her to silence her?”

Greed flashed across Fang Xu Cheng’s eyes. “Who knows how many treasures this old hag has hidden. All these years I played grandson in front of her, and she still didn’t let a single thing slip to me. First, find out what assets she has.”

He paused, then added, voice tight with calculation, “And we need to find where Young Sect Master Ling is—and whether he knows the truth. Otherwise, when the Limitless Sect comes knocking, we’re doomed.”

“Yes.”

Inside the tree hollow, Bai Meng Jin—who had been resting with her eyes closed—opened them sharply.

She reached out and shook Ling Bu Fei awake.

“Get up,” she whispered. “Something happened in the valley.”