Chapter 383

Chapter 383: Killing to Destroy the Heart

This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation

The entire Su family froze in shock.

Only Nan Mu Bai’s expression wavered with confusion, a deep-seated fear rising within him.

This scene… It was eerily familiar!

So familiar that it was horrifying—so vivid that he could even recall that rich, succulent flavor!

“Wretched! Wretched! They actually ate the Old Ancestor! Who did this?!” Old Master Su’s fury erupted, his eyebrows bristling and his hair standing on end.

He slammed the table with a force that made Nan Mu Bai’s knees go weak, his composed expression faltering slightly.

Old Master Su’s mind replayed Lu Chao Chao’s words: “Old turtles are highly nourishing, what if someone eats it?”

A prophecy fulfilled.

She had been right!

Old Master Su shuddered, his scalp tingling. Their revered Old Ancestor had been devoured!

“Who was it?! The entire Southern Kingdom knows the Old Ancestor’s identity, yet someone dared to feast upon him?! That was our Su family’s forefather!” Old Master Su fell to his knees, his eyes filled with murderous intent, his aura suffused with overwhelming rage.

The Su family disciples clenched their teeth, vowing, “We must exact vengeance! Those who feasted upon the Old Ancestor shall be torn to pieces!”

“Yes! We will never rest until justice is served!”

“Avenge the Old Ancestor! Cleanse our Su family of this disgrace!” The crowd knelt before the boiling cauldron, watching in horror as the contents within shattered their faith.

In the reflection of the enchanted mirror, a fleeting image appeared—a familiar figure.

“Wait…” Old Master Su’s eyes narrowed, and he rewound the scene.

Sweat dripped in torrents down Nan Mu Bai’s forehead.

His mind screamed curses, his legs trembled.

Lu Chao Chao! Lu Chao Chao!! You wretched girl! You’ve doomed me!

Memories of that fragrant, delectable broth—the one that made his brows dance with delight—now filled him with terror.

“Grandfather, that man looks… familiar…” a clan member pointed to a figure in the corner of the mirror, hunched over a bowl, devouring its contents.

The man gulped down spoonfuls of soup.

At the moment he lifted his head, the entire Su family froze, their hatred slowly morphing into disbelief.

“Mu Bai!” Old Master Su’s voice trembled with shock.

Thud.

Nan Mu Bai collapsed in cold sweat. Even as the eldest princess’ legitimate son, he dared not offend the Su family—his most powerful support.

The air grew tense, all eyes burning into him with horror.

The Su family, the Empress’ bloodline, was the backbone of Nan Mu Bai’s political ascent!

“It’s all Mu Bai’s fault! It’s all Mu Bai’s fault!”

“Mu Bai did not know it was the Old Ancestor! I was deceived! I deserve death—I have no excuse!” Nan Mu Bai prostrated himself, weeping bitterly, a mix of hatred and remorse flooding his gaze.

Lu Chao Chao was ruthless.

Not only had she led him to this sin—she had aimed to sever his ties with the Su family!

“Your Highness, the Su family has always supported the Empress, tirelessly working to secure your mother’s and your future on the throne. Yet you… you consumed the Old Ancestor?!”

“How could you betray the Su family’s trust?!”

“The Empress shares our blood, and so do you! Before the Old Ancestor, we swore an oath—we would never consume the spirit turtle! And yet, you…” The Su family members’ eyes turned bloodshot, gazes manic with fury.

Their enemy had been among them all along.

“I will kill you! Avenge the Old Ancestor!”

“You have shamed the Su family! You are our greatest disgrace!” A Su family uncle drew his sword, ready to sever his head.

The Su family had gone mad with rage.

Even Nan Mu Bai felt his scalp crawl in terror. “Great-grandfather, great-grandfather! Mu Bai knows his sins! I was deceived by Lu Chao Chao! She seeks to turn us against each other!”

“It was Lu Chao Chao! She brought the spirit turtle soup!”

“On the way back to the Southern Kingdom, she somehow obtained a spirit turtle, slaughtered it on the spot, and cooked it into a stew. She even took the shell back to the Southern Capital…”

Old Master Su’s face darkened to an ominous shade. He gritted his teeth, his eyes piercing into Nan Mu Bai.

Taking a deep breath, he suppressed his murderous rage.

“You say Lu Chao Chao gave you the spirit turtle soup?” His voice was hoarse and deadly.

Nan Mu Bai’s robes were drenched in cold sweat. Even the Emperor would not dare anger the Su family—how could he?

“Yes! Lu Chao Chao and her people butchered the turtle, drained its blood. She even used the shell as a stool!”

“Mu Bai was careless! This all stems from my negligence! Her mother, Shi Yun, was granted the Nine-Turn Golden Lotus at her wedding with General Rong by Northern Zhao. That, too, seemed… unusual.”

Old Master Su’s eyes snapped open, gleaming with cold calculation. “Is this true?”

“Why did you not speak sooner?!” he roared, frustrated beyond words.

Nan Mu Bai could only suffer in silence.

“Back then, I personally tested Shi Yun’s spiritual affinity—but detected nothing. I underestimated the situation…”

“Perhaps the testing orb was faulty. The moment I finished, it shattered as soon as I stepped outside.”

Old Master Su slowly shut his heavy-laden eyes.

“If the spirit testing orb shattered, there is only one possibility.” His voice was deep and foreboding.

“Her divine affinity exceeded the orb’s limits.”

“That daughter born of the Ning clan… she is…” His voice grew raspy with reluctance.

“She is likely an Innate Spirit-friendly Body—naturally favored by the gods…”

“She must be eradicated. Shi Yun cannot remain. Even her bloodline must be purged!”

“With her alive, your mother’s path to the throne will be obstructed! We should have hunted her down long ago!” The killing intent in Old Master Su’s eyes surged violently.

He helped Nan Mu Bai to his feet.

Nan Mu Bai secretly exhaled in relief—he had barely survived.

“Lu Chao Chao… she, too, must possess something divine. Every family she visits—Ming, Lou, Sang—has managed to summon gods…”

Old Master Su clenched his fist. He had underestimated her!

Her age had been deceiving!

“Are you suggesting that Lu Chao Chao can summon deities?” Nan Mu Bai’s voice trembled in disbelief.

Lu Chao Chao was merely three and a half years old. She was greedy, playful, always chasing dogs and birds, clutching her little milk bottle—and still wetting the bed at night!

“Shi Yun’s power remains dormant, but Lu Chao Chao… she cannot be allowed to live. She must be strangled in her cradle! Otherwise, she will become your mother’s greatest rival!”

Nan Mu Bai’s gaze turned ice-cold.

Suddenly, he thought of Xiangliu—the ancient, man-eating beast.

Even if the imperial family refused to acknowledge it, everyone knew—it was a ferocious monster, bloodthirsty and cruel!

Yet in her presence, it was as docile as a lamb.

Even in her absence, it brushed its teeth diligently every day, never daring to slack.

Now, in hindsight, the clues had always been there.

“Look at the mirror…” A clan member pointed to the enchanted stone mirror.

Within its swirling starlit depths, Lu Chao Chao appeared…

They watched as she shattered the turtle shell, muttering, “Turtle herbal jelly is extremely nourishing. This old turtle died a worthy death!”

Before their very eyes, she ground the shell into powder and brewed a massive pot of murky black soup.

Once cooled, the black liquid solidified into a translucent, jiggly texture.

Old Master Su’s heart pounded violently.

Lu Chao Chao was not merely killing people—she was destroying the Su family’s faith!