"What?"
Hearing Ying Chen's words, Elder Hu was stunned.
He didn't understand. How had he offended Ying Chen?
To the extent that Ying Chen wanted to revive him, only to kill him again with his own hands.
"Mr. Ying, I believe I have always treated you with courtesy and respect. I even visited you personally before. Since you were not at home, I left a batch of gifts and departed. If I hadn't suddenly fallen gravely ill this time, I would have visited again."
"Have I really offended you in some way?"
Facing Elder Hu's confusion, Ying Chen's gaze flickered. "Are you truly ignorant, or are you feigning ignorance?"
"You were disingenuous. You had already sent your nephew into prison, but after obtaining my prescription, you had him released. I told you before, a life for a life. If you want to live, your nephew cannot; if your nephew lives, you cannot!"
"What's laughable is that you were so greedy, wanting both lives. Do you take my words as idle chatter, or do you not put me in your eyes?"
Elder Hu's expression changed dramatically.
He finally understood!
The problem was here!
"Mr. Ying, as heaven is my witness, I, Hu, have never broken my word in my life! Let alone the crimes committed by Hu Quanan were indeed deserving of death. How could I possibly have him released?"
"Before I fell ill, Hu Quanan was safely in prison, never having left. Later, my condition worsened, and I fell into a coma. I know absolutely nothing of what happened afterward!"
"I don't know how Hu Quanan left prison, nor did I ever ask anyone to show him leniency. If Mr. Ying wishes to kill me for any other reason, I have nothing to say and will readily accept my fate."
"But if Mr. Ying intends to kill me for this reason, I, Hu, will not accept it!"
Elder Hu said solemnly and with great conviction.
Ying Chen stared at Elder Hu silently.
Judging by Elder Hu's reaction, he did not seem to be lying.
Moreover, Elder Hu had no reason to lie. As long as Ying Chen investigated the time Elder Hu fell ill and the time Hu Quanan was released, it would all become clear.
However...
Ying Chen glanced at Hu Quanan, who was lying nearby, still trembling uncontrollably.
"Then why does he repeatedly claim to be repaying your kindness and thanking you for releasing him from prison?"
Upon hearing this, Elder Hu's face instantly darkened, and his eyes ignited with fierce rage.
The normally weak man, fueled by anger, suddenly found a surge of strength and rose to his feet, walking towards Hu Quanan!
Like an enraged Vajra, he loomed over Hu Quanan and sternly questioned, "Bastard! Speak, who exactly released you from prison! Speak, why are you spreading rumors that I released you! Speak, what are you trying to achieve with this charade!"
Facing Elder Hu's furious outburst, Hu Quanan instinctively flinched.
It was clear that deep down, he still feared his granduncle immensely.
But soon, he began to laugh. "I never expected you old geezer to be so tenacious. You were already dead, and he brought you back from the gates of hell! Of course, I wasn't released by you. After all, a person like you, who would send their own nephew to prison to save their own life, could never be so kind-hearted, could they?"
"But you'll never know who it was that released me! Because..."
"I dare not say, and you dare not listen!"
Hearing this, Elder Hu was enraged.
His body trembled violently like a leaf in the wind. He reached for a teacup on the table, intending to smash it down on Hu Quanan's head.
But after raising his arm for a long time, he finally let it fall powerlessly.
At the same time, he coughed up a mouthful of blood from the corner of his mouth and staggered backward.
Ying Chen's arm shot out, steadying Elder Hu as if by chance.
With his other hand, he grasped the silver needles that had been used for his qi-controlled acupuncture, immediately drawing several needles into his palm.
Chirr!
Chirr!
Chirr!
After a few sounds, Elder Hu's eyes slowly opened, and his complexion improved considerably.
"Alas, I have troubled you again, Mr. Ying..." Elder Hu sighed.
Then Elder Hu looked at Hu Quanan. "As for this scoundrel... I will have him taken back to prison immediately!"
Unexpectedly, upon hearing Elder Hu's decision, Hu Quanan laughed with extreme delight. "Old geezer, that's the first correct decision you've made. Hurry, hurry and send me back to prison! I feel at home in prison. Everyone there is so talented, and they speak so nicely... it's much better than staying in this heartless home!"
Elder Hu trembled with anger and was about to make a call to have Hu Quanan taken back to prison.
However, to his surprise, Ying Chen reached out and stopped Elder Hu.
"There's no rush."
"If you send him back now, wouldn't that be equivalent to granting him freedom? The person who managed to get him out before can do so again later."
"Furthermore, there's a question I haven't clarified yet!"
"What question?" Elder Hu asked instinctively.
Ying Chen did not answer. Instead, he flicked his toe on the ground.
Hu Quanan, like a toy, was lifted into the air by Ying Chen.
Ying Chen's hand clamped onto Hu Quanan's neck. "Since you refuse to say who released you, then tell me how those three Yin Cranes came to be! Don't you dare tell me you made them yourself. If you had such abilities, you wouldn't have ended up as a failure."
Hu Quanan felt deeply insulted.
Who was a failure?
Just this morning, a throng of people were fawning over him!
Just this morning, a multitude praised him as the new star of Yan Jing!
"Hmph, the Yin Cranes were naturally not made by me. If I knew how to make Yin Cranes, this old geezer would have been dead long ago. Why would I have to wait until now?"
"As for who made the Yin Cranes, it's the same as the previous question. I dare not say, and you dare not listen!"
"If you hear it, you will die!"
"Is that so?" Ying Chen's expression turned cold.
Suddenly, a ball of flame leaped from his fingertip.
"Then I'll let you die first!"
The next second, he sent this viscous, green, cold yet menacing flame into Hu Quanan's mouth!
Hu Quanan was terrified.
Although he didn't know what it was, he could feel an intense sense of danger!
This sense of danger made his hair stand on end, and goosebumps covered his entire body!
"No!" Hu Quanan cried out in terror.
Alas, it was too late.
The green flame, like a living creature, burrowed into Hu Quanan's body.
Instantly, Hu Quanan felt as if ten thousand ants were crawling and biting within his internal organs. Intense pain emanated from every pore!
Concurrently, small sparks of green fire emerged from his pores, scorching the edges of his pores, seeming to enlarge them until they were riddled with holes, engulfed in flames!
"This is Zi Zhu Ming Huo (子烛冥火). Its effect on burning the physical body is limited, like cutting flesh with a blunt knife. It will take over ten hours to completely burn the entire physical body. Its primary function is to burn the soul."
"Therefore, each time it burns, the pain is doubled. The body and soul ache together until there is nothing left to burn, at which point it will extinguish."
"Since you are so loyal and tight-lipped, I will help you. I will make your loyalty more valuable! When those two people you refuse to betray come to collect your ashes, perhaps they will give you a thumbs-up and shout – Good brother!"