The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 23: This Seat Cannot Hold Him Back

The youngest son of the Chen family trembled, his legs jelly as he lifted his head to look at his father.

Bailang Chen's gaze wandered, but after a moment, he declared resolutely, "I... I don't know him. I didn't recognize him!"

Chu Wanning's face was like a nine-foot sheet of frozen frost. He whispered, "Lies."

His appearance was already strikingly fierce, and with his lowered sword brows and explosive rage, he exuded an even more menacing aura. He seemed even more terrifying than a vengeful ghost.

Mr. Chen involuntarily took two steps back as Chu Wanning violently slashed Tianwen unsheathed in the air. Sparks flew and green leaves were sent whirling, causing Mr. Chen to stumble and fall with a thud.

"Was the Hundred Butterfly Fragrance Powder formulated by your family? Is it your eldest son's first marriage? And who is Luo Xianxian? At your age, do you still have any shame?!"

Mr. Chen's mouth opened and closed repeatedly, but in the end, he found himself unable to utter a single word. His face gradually turned from pale to flushed.

Meanwhile, the youngest daughter of the Chen family, who had been cowering on the side, suddenly burst into tears at the mention of "Luo Xianxian."

She rushed over, knelt before her mother, and frantically shook the unconscious body. "Sister Luo! Sister Luo, was it actually you? I knew you left unwillingly, but please, for my sake, beg you to spare our family... Sister Luo..."

Chu Wanning leaned forward, grasping the Heaven-Questioning sword with its vine handle and lifting Eunuch Chen's face by it.

This was Chu Wanning's psychological quirk; he would never touch someone he found repulsive with his hands. The mere thought made him shiver.

"Do you really think I wouldn't know when someone is lying to me?" He stared coldly at Eunuch Chen, seeing his own reflection in the man's terrified eyes.

Indeed, he was as unlikable as ever, cold and harsh, like a frost-covered blade.

But so what?

Yuhan, the celestial being of the Night, didn't need anyone's affection.

"Master Daoist, aren't you from the Peak of Life and Death? As the client, how can you pry into my private affairs? I—"

Chu Wanning replied, "Fine, I'll leave you to your fate. Wait for death then."

"No! No, no, no! You can't—"

"Can't I?" Chu Wanning narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint shimmering in his phoenix-like irises. "What can't I do?"

"I am... You are... You..."

"If someone like you were a disciple of my sect," Chu Wanning stroked Tianwen with a grave tone, "I would beat you until your skin was flayed and your bones shattered today."

At this point, Chen Yuan couldn't pretend any longer. Seeing Chu Wanning's fierce demeanor and lack of mercy as a cultivator, his knees went weak. He abandoned all pride and fell to the ground, wailing, "Master Daoist, we... we had no choice. We can't afford to offend the daughter of the county magistrate! We... we couldn't even eat or sleep in peace, Master Daoist—"

He then reached for Chu Wanning's leg.

Chu Wanning was very particular about cleanliness, and at the sight of Chen Yuan approaching him, he struck out with his willow vine without hesitation, repulsed. "Don't touch me!"

"Ahh!" Struck by Tianwen on the back of his hand, even without spiritual energy imbued, Chen Yuan howled in pain, crying, "This is unjust! A Daoist from Death's Peak is attacking an ordinary person! This is—this is outrageous!"

"Mister Mo supported the two injured men into the house just as he saw Chen Yuan kneeling on the ground, sniffling and sobbing as he pointed at Chu Wanning, shouting, "Does any sect act this way? Your Death's Peak took the payment, but not only didn't protect the client, you even assaulted them. This is truly, truly shameless! I—I'll make it known to the world! I'll spread the word! I—I'll make sure everyone knows your kind of... attitude! Ruin your reputation and make you unable to earn a single copper coin!"

Chu Wanning raged, "What if they're wealthy? Does having money mean they can twist right and wrong, repay kindness with malice? Can they do whatever they want and break their promises?"

Beside them, Chen Yuan's youngest son timidly spoke up, "That Luo Xianxian wasn't killed by us. We only hit her lightly and chased her away. She chose to end her own life; she didn't find shelter during the snowy weather. Can you blame us for that? We didn't kill anyone. Even if you're a mighty Immortal Lord, you can't just accuse people randomly."

His words were acerbic and cutting. Legally speaking, the Chen family had not committed any transgressions. Even if Chu Wanning were to take them to court, the authorities would at most criticize the Chens for their lack of affection and faithfulness, but they could not condemn any one of them with a crime.

"I did not slay Bo Ren, yet he perished because of me. You have indeed left no trace behind."

Chu Wanning held the willow vine in his hand, trembling slightly with anger.

Chen the Wealthy Elder, sly and cunning, had recovered from his initial panic. He had initially feared that if the malevolent spirits were not thoroughly eradicated, Chu Wanning would abandon them without care. But upon further reflection, this stern Taoist priest was dispatched from Life-and-Death Apex, the foremost sect in the Lower Immortal Realm. A fact known far and wide is that once a commission is accepted by Life-and-Death Apex, the Taoist tasked with exorcism must see their mission through to completion.

With this realization, his fear subsided significantly.

Holding his hoof with a small tear in it, he wept bitterly, "Cleanse it thoroughly? My old Chen family has never committed any heinous acts, neither have we killed nor set fires. Can Luo Xianxian blame us for her own desire to die? You, if you don't exorcise this vengeful spirit completely today, I'll go to the Peak of Life and Death to file a complaint against you! How can you people be like this? Taking money to alleviate others' calamities, yet you don't even understand such a basic principle. You—"

Before he could finish speaking, Chu Wanning snatched up his purse, his gaze unwavering as he angrily hurled it at Chen Yuanmian's feet. "The sect has taken your money, and I shall repay every last copper today. As for lodging a complaint, go ahead if you wish!"

Heavenly Inquiry's light ascends, willow leaves like blades.

Unprepared, Chen Yuanwai was struck with a loud screech, dodging about like a panicked rat while clutching his head. In his chaos, he even pulled his youngest daughter in front of him to shield himself from the willow vines.

It was fortunate that Chu Wanning, accustomed to wielding his whip with precision and familiarity, had his spirit seamlessly intertwined with Tianwen. In an instant, he retracted his strike, deftly sidestepping the young Miss Chen, then swiftly circled around to deliver a fierce diagonal slash at the face of the very same Mr. Chen, causing blood to spray violently and eliciting a bone-chilling scream that echoed through the heavens.

Mr. Chen never expected that Chu Wanning wouldn't fall for his act. All his previous bravado had turned into a pathetic display as he fled with diarrhea and urine, shouting, "Stop! Stop! Immortal! Those were all lies! Lies! Ah! Immortal, have mercy! Please, I'm old and can't take it! Immortal, show compassion! It was our Chen family's fault! Our fault!"

Chu Wanning couldn't hear him anymore. His chest was filled with rage, his phoenix eyes fierce. The Heavenly Question sword danced with a flurry of afterimages, slamming Mr. Chen to the ground in agony, tears and snot streaming down his face.

Mo Ran, standing at the door, was stunned. "......"

It was the first time he had seen Chu Wanning use the Heavenly Question on an ordinary person, and without any mercy. The way he swung the whip was like he was dealing with livestock, making the vine and willow almost invisible from its rapid motion.

How could this be allowed? For the client to assault the one who had been entrusted to protect them, this would ruin the reputation of any celestial cultivator, regardless of whether they were from the Upper or Lower Realms. Chu Wanning might be hot-tempered and impulsive, but surely he wouldn't make such a grave mistake?

This was even more severe than his supposed crime of "theft and debauchery."

Shi Mo also paled with fright and hurriedly tugged at Mo Ran. "Quick, go stop Master!"

Mo Ran handed over the still-unconscious Madam Chen Yao, the daughter of the Yao family, to Shi Mo and went forward to grab Chu Wanning's wrist, his voice a mix of shock and urgency. "Master – what – what are you doing?"

Chu Wanning was in no mood to be polite. His sword eyebrows furrowed, and he barked, "Let go."

"Master, this is breaking the precepts—"

"Should I tell you? I'm more familiar with the Seven Hundred and Fifty Commandments of Death's Peak than you are! Let go!"

Mo Ran's voice rose in pitch. "Then why did you still hit me?"

Chu Wanning was too tired to argue and suddenly swiped his sleeve, striking again with the cane, this time landing harshly on Magistrate Chen.

"Master!!"

Chu Wanning growled in a low voice, his eyes icy as snow. "Scram!"

Magistrate Chen, upon seeing how delicate and approachable Mo Ran looked, assumed he must be a kind soul. He stumbled over and cowered behind Mo Ran, reaching out to tug at Mo Ran's sleeves. "Monk, please persuade your master for me. I... I'm just an old man with brittle bones. Even if I made a mistake, I can't endure being beaten like this..."

But when Mo Ran turned around and saw the tears and snot on his face, he showed no pity. Instead, he felt disgusted and quickly stepped away, saying disdainfully, "Don't touch me."

"..." Seeing that Mo Ran couldn't be relied on, Magistrate Chen's gaze shifted to Shi Mo, who was helping Madam Chen Yao sit down in an armchair nearby. With his last bit of hope, he crawled towards Shi Mo, weeping loudly as he went.

"Monk, oh monk, show some mercy, please. I truly know my wrongs. It was my fault, it was all my fault. Please, help me persuade your master. I admit my mistakes... I... I... I'll do anything you ask, just don't let him hit me anymore. I'm old, my body can't take it... It can't take it..."

His cries were heartfelt, driven by the desire to save his life. As he reached Shi Mo, he stretched out his hand to grab at Shi Mo's hem.

"..." Shi Mo, witnessing his pitiful state, lifted his head to address Chu Wanning, "Master, since the elderly man has acknowledged his mistake, please show mercy and let him go."

Chu Wanning replied, "Get out of my way."

Shi Mo: "..."

With a stern tone, Chu Wanning demanded, "Are you still not moving?!"

Shi Mo trembled in fear and stepped aside.

The Tianwen sword sliced through the air, heading straight for Elder Chen who instinctively covered his head, screaming in agony. The cry was so heart-wrenching that Shi Mo, standing nearby, couldn't help but step forward, forcefully taking the blow meant for Elder Chen.

Swish!

Shi Mo's reaction was too swift. Before Chu Wanning could retract his strike, it was already too late.

Blood splattered as Shi Mo, weakened from his previous ordeal, abruptly fell to his knees, covering his delicate, fair cheeks. Despite his efforts, blood continued to seep through his fingers...

Author's Note: This chapter belongs to the Emotions category.

Thread Author ID: Illustrious Monarch Inked in Fish-tending

Query: My ex-boyfriend (if he even counts as that) accidentally hit my idol. What should I do? Urgent, waiting online for an answer.

Location: Chen Manor in Butterfly Town

Floor One: It depends on whether the OP wishes to reconcile with their ex-boyfriend, and whether they have intentions to pursue their male deity.

Second Floor: Brutally defeating the ex-boyfriend, ex's affection decreases by 10, while the White Moonlight's affection increases by 10. Pretending not to see it, the ex-boyfriend's affection remains unchanged, but the White Moonlight's affection decreases by 10. The protagonist should refer to the strategy guide themselves.

Third Floor: Seal your meridians and pretend to be dead, Bun.

Fourth Floor: I'm rather curious (if it could be considered as such) what "probably counts" means. Does an ex-boyfriend still count somehow? Could it be that the OP was the one who took the initiative forcefully?

Fifth Floor: Of course, it's choosing to forgive him.

Sixth Floor: Our establishment permanently offers Heavenly Fragrance Lubricant, Yin-Yang Harmony Bliss Powder, Dual Cultivation Secrets, and more. If interested, please add friend 48481438. Contact person: Ms. Wang from the Peak of Life and Death.