The man in the hood, pinned to the ground, had eyes that turned red. "Damn it, damn it, damn it! Why are you stopping me? They deserve to die, they all deserve to die!"
Just then, Chu Xiao, who had been standing by, finally reacted. "You are... Cao Jian?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the man who had been roaring fell silent and looked at Chu Xiao. "Heh, the eldest young master of the Chu family finally remembers me."
After speaking, he slightly raised his head, revealing half of his disfigured face.
The man before him was neither handsome nor ugly. Only one half of his face was normal, while the other half was as terrifying as a ghostly apparition. It was clearly a face ravaged by fire and consumed.
"What happened to your face?"
The man chuckled mockingly. "My face became like this because of you."
Chu Xiao was stunned. "Me?"
The man said fiercely, "Have you forgotten? More than ten years ago, when my father was still a bodyguard at your Chu family. You were only eight years old. Someone gave you a bear as a pet. One time, whether out of curiosity or sheer capriciousness, you opened the cage where the beast was kept and ran inside."
At these words, Chu Xiao's face turned ashen.
Seeing this, the man continued, "My father was your bodyguard at the time. When he saw the enraged male bear about to attack you, he rushed in without a second thought. To save you, my father drew the bear away, buying you time to escape. But after you got out of the cage, you heartlessly slammed it shut!"
That day, he had watched from the side as his father was trapped in the cage, eventually torn to pieces and consumed by the bear.
That scene was the nightmare of his life.
Chu Xiao, usually calm and radiating confidence, now had a face as pale as paper. "I'm sorry, I, I didn't mean to. I was too young then, I just wanted to lock the terrible bear in the cage, I..."
The man said venomously, "Not intentional? Heh, can 'not intentional' repay a life? Oh, no, three and a half lives!"
Chu Xiao clenched his fists.
The man said indifferently, "At that time, I testified in front of everyone that you were the one who caused my father's death, but no one listened to me. After that, every time the lawyer came to our house, from initial temptation, it gradually turned into threats and intimidation. They warned us not to speak out, or we might die in some unknown place one day. We were forced to remain silent, feigning ignorance."
To protect Chu Xiao's reputation, some even forced them to leave Shangyang.
For a long time, they lived lives where they had neither enough to eat nor enough to wear.
Yet, they had once had a happy family.
And at that time, he had considered Chu Xiao a very good friend.
Because of this, his hatred grew more intense, and he became even more unforgiving!
Chu Xiao clenched his hands. "I admit, I closed the bear's cage out of fear. But I always told my parents that I wanted to compensate you and uncle! I never intended to threaten or drive you away."
The man laughed sarcastically, "Stop being so hypocritical. After we were driven out of Shangyang, my mother died from exhaustion within a few years, having to support the family and care for us. From then on, my sister was the only hope in my life. But just six months ago... my sister also died, at the hands of a young master from a prominent family. He abused and toyed with her, and then claimed that my sister had seduced him!"
Chu Xiao was stunned. "Your sister, Cao Hua? That beast did that? I can help you get revenge."
The man raised his eyebrows, his eyes filled with bloodlust and madness. "I already avenged my sister with my own hands. My facial injuries came from that. Now, I only have half a life left. So I've returned to get revenge, to get revenge on you, the instigator, and on the entire filthy and unbearable upper-class society of Shangyang!"
Chu Xiao saw Cao Jian's eyes and instinctively took two steps back, terrified. "I truly was young and ignorant back then. We were good friends in childhood. I'm willing to atone for my mistakes. Can't you truly forgive me?"
Cao Jian said indifferently, "Didn't you always say I was your best friend? Then come here, and I'll tell you how I can forgive you."
Chu Xiao hesitated, but did not move.
Cao Jian sneered, "What, afraid?"
Chu Meng immediately said, "Brother, don't pay attention to him. He's just a madman. Who knows what terrifying things he might do."
Cao Jian said mockingly, "You're so afraid of me even when I'm tied up. How can you talk about forgiveness?"
Hearing this, Chu Xiao hesitated for a second, then finally stepped forward.
Chu Meng grunted, "Brother!"
Seeing Chu Xiao standing before him, Cao Jian said softly, "Young master, must you be so condescending in asking for my forgiveness? You are truly precious."
Chu Xiao also felt it was inappropriate, but truthfully, he felt a deep sense of dread and fear towards Cao Jian, and dared not approach. But since Cao Jian had already spoken, he had to go along with it, even if it meant bracing himself.
With that thought, he squatted beside Cao Jian. "Tell me, how can you forgive me."
"I am no longer qualified," Cao Jian's eyes held only coldness and bloodlust. "However, I can give you a chance, a chance to descend to hell and ask my father properly!"
After saying this, his eyes turned red, and he bit down fiercely on a small bottle hanging around his neck.
The bottle contained some white powder. Cao Jian mixed the powder with the shattered glass bottle and swallowed it.
Bai Xi frowned. "What is that?"
Han Mo also frowned. "If I'm not mistaken, that's ashes."
Bai Xi's frown deepened.
Chu Xiao was frozen in place by Cao Jian's terrifying words and actions, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
Cao Jian's mouth was full of blood, his smile contorted into a grotesque, terrifying grimace due to the burns on his face. The next second, his entire complexion changed.
From its normal skin tone, it slowly turned red, eventually becoming almost purplish-blue...
Chu Xiao exclaimed in alarm, "What's happening to him?"
Han Mo immediately reacted and shouted, "Get back, he's going to self-destruct!"
As he spoke, he immediately hugged Bai Xi, turned, and used his own back to shield her.
When Bai Xi heard this, her initial intention was to pull Han Mo away to safety, but instead, she found herself shielded by him. At that moment, as if deaf to the screams and explosions from behind, all she could hear was the strong, powerful beat of his heart in her ears.
Xuan Feng also immediately pulled Han Rui back.
Cao Jian's sudden self-detonation stunned everyone present.
Witnessing a living person self-destruct before one's eyes was far more horrifying than seeing a normal explosion site. In an instant, flesh, bone, and even fragments of internal organs filled the air, a truly terrifying scene. The banquet hall once again echoed with "soul-stirring" screams.