0120 The Reason It Matters

Shangguan Qing relaxed his brow and smiled gently. “I’m just guessing here. If you have something to say, just ask directly.”

He motioned with his hand, and two prison guards hurried over to unlock the cell door. Two others stepped forward and entered first. They stood before Jiang Feng, simultaneously removing their hoods — at that moment, the light above the cell flickered violently and dimmed noticeably. An inexplicable chill radiated outward, causing the two guards to shudder involuntarily.

Shangguan Qing smiled and nodded to them. “You two step out for now. Don’t come back in unless we call you.”

The guards breathed a sigh of relief and quickly left without so much as a glance backward.

Shangguan Qing then gestured to the two men beside Jiang Feng. “Begin.”

They stepped forward simultaneously, standing one on each side of Jiang Feng. Each reached out to grab his shoulders.

Their hands were withered and skeletal, fingers thick and rough, veins bulging like gnarled roots across their backs. As their palms moved, faint snowflakes seemed to swirl, and the cold grew even more intense.

The moment their hands touched Jiang Feng’s shoulders, their expressions changed abruptly. Both staggered backward as if struck by an invisible force, stumbling several steps before crashing heavily against the cell wall.

The impact was tremendous, causing the wall to tremble with a loud crack.

Shangguan Qing’s face darkened. “What happened?”

Neither of the two men was injured. One rasped, “This kid… seems to have some kind of shield protecting him naturally!”

Shangguan Qing snorted disdainfully. “Strange? What’s so strange about a kid at the Dawn Realm?”

He slipped his hands down to his sides and drew two slim, sharp knives, slashing toward Jiang Feng’s shoulders.

A faint golden light shimmered along the blades, carving a profoundly intricate arc. Confidence was written all over Shangguan Qing’s face. Though the knives seemed ordinary, they were his secret killing move—once locked onto a target, even a Yangming warrior could not escape. Using them on a mere Dawn Realm youth was clearly an overestimation.

The blades came with astonishing speed, nearly touching Jiang Feng’s skin in an instant. Jiang Feng lowered his gaze slightly, completely still, showing no reaction—not even enough time to react.

A smug smile curled on Shangguan Qing’s lips.

Just as the blades were about to strike, Jiang Feng’s body trembled ever so slightly. The two knives sliced through the gray fabric covering his shoulders, sending shreds fluttering in the air. But beneath the torn cloth, there wasn’t a single drop of blood.

Shangguan Qing’s assured strikes had only shredded Jiang Feng’s clothes without harming even a single hair.

Is this really a Dawn Realm youth?

His face shifted completely. He growled and swung again. This time the knives came down like a golden net, enveloping Jiang Feng’s entire body.

The two men closed in simultaneously, standing to his left and right, each striking a palm aimed to trap Jiang Feng outside the golden net.

The air in the cell seemed frozen by the golden net and their palms, falling into an eerie stillness.

But moments later, a far stronger current of energy burst outward from Jiang Feng’s center like an explosion. The three were too close and unable to dodge, flung backward to slam heavily against the cell walls.

Struggling to rise, Shangguan Qing’s shock turned to fury as he assumed a defensive stance.

At the cell’s center, Jiang Feng opened his eyes.

The energy currents surrounding him vanished, and the unusual spiritual energy dissipated. Now he appeared as nothing more than an ordinary Dawn martial cultivator, his gaze calm and steady as if expecting this all along.

Shangguan Qing met his eyes and gradually regained his composure.

He straightened, hands resting naturally by his sides, utterly relaxed. Yet the small knives clenched tightly in his palms were not returning to their sheaths.

He smiled faintly, voice low. “It seems Lord Jiang harbors quite a few secrets…”

As he spoke, two silver lights arced through the air, and suddenly eight blood splatters blossomed from Jiang Feng’s body.

He groaned softly, expression still serene. His thumb unconsciously brushed his fingertip before withdrawing.

Shangguan Qing whispered, “I advise you to obediently reveal those secrets…”

His words barely faded before the two men grasped Jiang Feng’s shoulders again. Two heavy fists slammed into his body—one to the chest, the other to the abdomen—with surgical precision.

Jiang Feng immediately spat a mouthful of blood shimmering with golden light—the two assailants were powerful, instantly injuring his Yuan branch (vital energy root), causing his spiritual energy to spiral out of control, spewing from his mouth alongside the blood.

Shangguan Qing dipped a finger into the blood and tasted it, eyes squinting in delight. “Unexpectedly, your blood tastes so exquisite… Ah!”

Suddenly he cried out as the blood ignited like a fiery thread, burning straight down his throat and coursing through his veins. His entire body seemed aflame, filled with intense heat.

His eyes gleamed brighter still. The taste was even more delicious than the finest wine he had ever known.

Suppressing the urge to savor more, he smiled and said, “Come, tell me, how do you control that Guoyi demon clan?”

Jiang Feng gasped several breaths, suppressing the excruciating pain from his injured Yuan branch. He forced a smile. “Wasn’t it supposed to be tomorrow afternoon? I thought I had a whole day to think.”

Shangguan Qing nodded nonchalantly. “I’d like to wait longer myself. You care deeply about the Great Exam, don’t you? Watching the time creep closer while utterly helpless—that slow despair is thrilling to imagine!”

A malicious smile curled his lips. “But that doesn’t stop me from asking a few questions first. You’re not going to tell me so soon, are you?”

Leaning close, he brushed his finger across Jiang Feng’s face, drawing a thin red line on the skin that instantly ruptured, revealing raw flesh beneath.

Shangguan Qing’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he stared at the fresh blood. Jiang Feng’s face twisted in pain, yet his expression remained unreadable. Inside, his heart sank.

He could see clearly that this seemingly refined scholar, Shangguan Qing, was a sadistic pervert who reveled in human blood and suffering—truly deriving pleasure from pain and despair.

Jiang Feng’s injured Yuan branch triggered his spiritual energy to begin automatic repair. The bleeding accelerated, and the golden spiritual energy within surged faster as well.

Just as Shangguan Qing prepared to speak again, he suddenly widened his eyes in disbelief, touching Jiang Feng’s cheek.

His blade had been laced with hidden energy and spiritual power, designed to prevent the wound from healing by constantly tearing at the edges. Yet now, before his eyes, Jiang Feng’s wound was healing visibly, shrinking rapidly until only a fine scar remained—and moments later, even that vanished.

As Shangguan Qing’s expression shifted, Jiang Feng cursed inwardly.

Even without the golden spiritual energy, his regenerative abilities far exceeded normal men. The two black-clad men had struck his Yuan branch, throwing his spiritual energy into chaos, making control impossible.

Sure enough, the golden spiritual energy began reacting automatically, healing the wound in an instant.

Shangguan Qing was both shocked and delighted, probing Jiang Feng’s face again and again, causing waves of nausea. Jiang Feng tried to recoil, but his shoulders were firmly held by the black-clad men, leaving him immobile.

Shangguan Qing laughed uproariously. “No wonder Lord Moqi values you so highly! No wonder that Jiang girl chose to adopt and train you!”

At the mention of the young lady, Jiang Feng’s eyes betrayed a flicker of emotion despite his best efforts to conceal it.

Shangguan Qing patted his face and whispered, “Did you really think you could keep this hidden? A southern Jiang boy suddenly adopted by a northern Jiang lady? Everyone says it’s because she’s kind-hearted, but in this world, who does anything without benefit?”

After a brief flicker of turmoil, Jiang Feng’s gaze calmed. Bowing his head slightly, he asked, “What else do you know?”

Shangguan Qing smiled serenely. “Why not tell us what you know, and we’ll compare notes?”

As he spoke, he casually sliced Jiang Feng’s neck again, watching with satisfaction as the wound healed at an astonishing speed.

Jiang Feng shuddered and said, “If you know my story, then you should know I was placed with the southern Jiang family because of my mixed bloodline.”

Shangguan Qing withdrew his blade, nodding thoughtfully. “Indeed, I’ve heard that. But in the end, you still merged with the Mingxin seed. Oh, right!” He clapped his hands, surprised. “You’re not even sixteen yet, not truly an adult? Fascinating. Mixed bloodline, not yet grown, and already merged with the Mingxin seed… By the way, which ring of the seed did you merge?”

He grabbed Jiang Feng’s wrist, directing a thread of spiritual energy inside to examine his internal condition.

An invisible defensive barrier blocked his way.

Within the disciples of the Fuliu Sect, Shangguan Qing had his own tricks, though he was only a Yangming martial artist—not very high level. Yet even as a Yangming, he was two ranks above Jiang Feng, with a vast disparity in spiritual energy. How could he be stopped?

A smirk played on Shangguan Qing’s lips. Instantly, a surge of powerful spiritual energy flooded into Jiang Feng’s body, crashing hard against the barrier.

Jiang Feng groaned, blood trickling from his mouth. The Mingxin defensive barrier he set exploded open, allowing Shangguan Qing to penetrate deeply and see the true state of his body.