Xiang Xueyuan felt no surprise at the reactions of Nie Qingkong and Xif.
He simply looked at them, maintaining the smile on his face, and continued, "Time is limited. Once they break through this wall, you'll have no choice."
"Father, why..." Xif murmured, her emerald eyes reflecting Xiang Xueyuan's face. "I and Tarik are useful to you! Tarik is the young master, the one you've poured all your effort into cultivating. I, I am also irreplaceable!"
Xif wanted to express what made her irreplaceable, but she couldn't.
She had only heard Xiang Xueyuan say many times that she was still useful, that she was irreplaceable.
But what exactly her use was, Xif herself didn't know.
Yet, she had always believed that as long as Xiang Xueyuan knew, it was enough. She was useful and would not be abandoned.
"Tarik is the young master I personally trained, my future successor. I don't want anything to happen to him either," Xiang Xueyuan's tone was as if he were stating a simple, trivial matter. "You are indeed useful, and indeed irreplaceable."
Hearing Xiang Xueyuan's words, Xif's eyes lit up. Since that was the case, Xiang Xueyuan must have other methods.
Methods that could let both of them live!
"Killing you only holds meaning if Tarik does it himself," Xiang Xueyuan's words completely stunned Xif.
"Wh-what?" Xif stared blankly at Xiang Xueyuan, unable to believe her ears.
"When we were at the orphanage, I saw how Tarik doted on you, and how you couldn't bear to see Tarik leave. I knew then that only by letting you die at Tarik's hands could I obtain the most perfect heir," Xiang Xueyuan spoke the most cruel words with the gentlest tone. "Therefore, you are irreplaceable."
What Xiang Xueyuan needed was a perfect successor, one who was ruthless and decisive, not a cowardly man with misplaced compassion.
Back then, due to a moment of leniency, Yue Ningyan had managed to tamper with things right under his nose.
Xiang Xueyuan would not allow such a mistake to happen again, nor would he allow his successor to make the same foolish error.
This was why he adopted Xif along with Tarik in the first place, all for this very day.
As Tarik's final trial.
"Tarik, kill her. As soon as we return, I will hand everything over to you – wealth, fame, power," Xiang Xueyuan's lips curved upwards slightly as he looked at Nie Qingkong. "Even my own biological daughter, Xia Qingyu."
Hearing Xia Qingyu's name, Nie Qingkong finally reacted. He looked at Xiang Xueyuan in astonishment, then turned to look at Xif, who was either stunned by fear or overwhelmed by shock, his childhood sweetheart who had come from the orphanage with him and grown up by his side.
Nie Qingkong clenched his fists by his sides, pushing himself up with one hand. He then knelt on the ground and kowtowed heavily, "Father, I will be obedient. I will complete all the tasks you assign me, with unwavering loyalty.
I will be the blade in your hand, and I will never disappoint you again.
Please... please spare Xif's life...
Please!"
After saying this, Nie Qingkong kowtowed again, forcefully, one after another.
His muddled mind cleared considerably with the pain.
"You're saying you will complete all the tasks I assign you, with unwavering loyalty, and never disappoint me again, right?" Xiang Xueyuan looked at Nie Qingkong.
Hearing Xiang Xueyuan's words, Nie Qingkong immediately looked up, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Yes, Father, I..."
Before Nie Qingkong could finish, Xiang Xueyuan interrupted him.
Xiang Xueyuan took out a dagger and handed it to Nie Qingkong, "Kill her."
Looking at the dagger Xiang Xueyuan offered, Nie Qingkong's mind went blank. His pale face contrasted sharply with his bleeding forehead.
"Didn't you say you would never disappoint me again?" Xiang Xueyuan chuckled, a smile playing on his lips. "Now, kill her."
Nie Qingkong's gaze shifted from Xiang Xueyuan's face to the dagger, and then to Xif.
Xif was looking at Xiang Xueyuan. Somehow, though she had been terrified moments ago and couldn't believe her ears, she seemed to have calmed down instantly after seeing Nie Qingkong kowtow and beg Xiang Xueyuan.
She looked at Xiang Xueyuan's face, and a question arose in her heart: why was he smiling?
Why would he smile?
In a daze, Xif seemed to recall her father again.
That man also always smiled when he shouldn't have.
Xif remembered that time too.
Her father had apparently won a lot of money and drunk a lot. He came back stumbling, humming a tune.
He seemed very happy, and even bought her candy, ruffling her hair and saying, "Eat it quickly, grow up to be a beautiful great beauty just like your mother!"
Little Xif, hearing this, hadn't quite understood what it meant. Her mother, who had just entered the room, suddenly lost strength in her legs and collapsed on the floor.
Her father soon tilted his head and fell asleep. Xif, eating candy, ran to her mother. "Mom? What's wrong? Does it hurt? Do you want some candy?"
Her mother said nothing then. She walked into the room alone.
Xif waited a long time, but her mother didn't come out, so she pushed open the door and went in.
"Mom?" Xif looked at her mother's back and noticed something reflective in her mother's hand.
"Xif... Mom... Mom is so useless..." her mother looked at Xif, tears streaming down her face.
She wanted to kill that demon, but she didn't dare.
She wanted to commit suicide, but couldn't go through with it.
She couldn't protect herself, nor could she protect her daughter.
"Mom..." Xif knelt beside her mother, resting her head on her shoulder, and said, "Mom, when I grow up, grow up to be a beautiful great beauty like you, I'll replace Mom, and Mom won't hurt anymore."
Hearing Xif's words, her mother stiffened. She tightened her grip on the dagger, pressed it against her abdomen, and gritted her teeth, but still couldn't stab herself.
"Mom? What are you doing?" Xif asked, blinking.
"Xif..." her mother looked at the face that was a mirror image of her own, took a deep breath, and finally, as if having made a decision, her gaze became determined and firm.
Her mother wrapped Xif's hand with cloth, making Xif hold the dagger.
"Xif, do you want to help Mom?" her mother said, looking at Xif. "Remember the game we used to play? I'll say one, two, you push me hard, then run and hide somewhere safe until Mom finds you, okay?"
"Mom?" Xif didn't quite understand. She looked at the knife in her hand, then at her mother. "Mom, I'm scared."
"Xif, I'm sorry, Mom is useless... Please... help me..." her mother wept uncontrollably, trembling all over. "Help me, okay? Just pretend it's a game... alright?"
"Okay..."