Chapter Twenty: What you discard is another's treasure.

Her only way out now was to flee, find a place to recuperate, and then seek an opportunity to kill that beast who would not even spare his own parents.

Fortune favors the persistent; at long last, she found the path she had taken to arrive.

Meanwhile, within the Prince’s Mansion in Nanyang City, Xiao Yunchao, dressed in white, wore an expression that shifted between shadow and light.

After a moment, he drew a long, deep breath and said in a low voice, "With so many of you, you cannot catch one injured person. Tell me, how do you think I should punish you?"

"We know our crime; we deserve death!" the three men in black kneeling before him spoke in unison.

At this moment, they were all extremely cautious, not daring to even breathe audibly.

Hearing this, Xiao Yunchao rose slowly from his chair, walked over to the man who had spoken, and said coldly, "Indeed, you deserve to die."

*Clang!*

Before the words had faded, he cleanly drew a blade from the man’s own waist and plunged it straight into his chest.

Blood dripped from the sword onto the floor with a rhythmic *drip-drop*.

Seeing this, the remaining two were drenched in sweat, terrified to the core, and kowtowed incessantly, begging for mercy: "Young Master, please, I beg you, do not kill me!"

"Not kill you? Should I keep you to freeload? You useless, incompetent dogs." No sooner had he finished speaking than he severed the man’s head with one swift, decisive stroke.

Blood splattered everywhere. The scene fell deathly silent; the remaining kneeling man could hear nothing but the pounding of his own heart.

"What about you? Do you have any defense for yourself?" Xiao Yunchao stared coldly at the survivor.

"Death is certain either way. I will kill you, you beast, first! Die!" His eyes were icy as he roared, enunciating every word.

Simultaneously, gritting his teeth and gathering his courage, he sprang to his feet and drew the long blade from his waist.

The surrounding air seemed to freeze, suffocating and heavy. A murderous intent erupted as he swung his blade in a desperate strike.

In the deathly silence, Xiao Yunchao seemed caught off guard by this sudden turn of events.

"You base slave! How dare you!"

Startled, he quickly regained his composure and let out a roar.

At the very instant the sound left his lips, the man’s blade was upon him, its cold edge gleaming. Xiao Yunchao quickly raised his own sword to block the incoming strike.

*Clang!*

The sound of clashing metal rang through the entire room.

The man in black shifted his momentum, rolling his blade, and slashed across Xiao Yunchao’s arm. Flesh and blood flew instantly.

"Aaaah!!!"

Xiao Yunchao shrieked in pain, his eyes filled with terror, and he yelled toward the door: "Quickly... come in... kill this base slave!"

The man in black swung his heavy blade again, lunging forward several paces, striking down with overwhelming rage.

Xiao Yunchao’s right hand was severed by this brutal blow, landing on the floor.

"Aaaah!!!"

Clutching his severed arm, Xiao Yunchao let out a series of agonizing screams, his face twisted in horror as blood sprayed everywhere.

The screams stopped abruptly as Xiao Yunchao fainted on the spot.

At that moment, the other two men in black burst through the door and stabbed their blades into the man’s back.

As the two swords struck, blood spurted from the wounds, splattering their faces.

"My end today is the end that awaits you all," he said, turning his head to look at the two behind him with a bitter, angry laugh.

Both men withdrew their blades simultaneously. One of them said expressionlessly, "I respect you as a man, but if he dies, we will all be buried with him. Go in peace."

*Slash!*

Blood mixed with viscera pooled on the floor—a gruesome, unbearable sight.

As Xiao Yunchao collapsed, the Prince's Mansion descended into chaos, everyone scrambling in a frenzy.

A long time later, Xiao Yunchao finally regained consciousness. He stared at his missing arm, lost in a daze for a long time.

Xiao Yunchao was a man who obsessed over perfection: a perfect body, a perfect appearance, and a perfect family background. The only flaw was his inability to cultivate.

Now, looking at his mutilated body, he was on the verge of a breakdown.

"Aaaah!!! Why? Why?"

In an instant, the room was filled with his furious roars. Tables and chairs were overturned, leaving the place in shambles.

"Absurd! To carry on like this over a mere arm, how unseemly! Once you enter the Inspectorate, do you think you will lack the means to regrow a limb?"

The Prince had not yet arrived, but his voice preceded him.

Hearing this, Xiao Yunchao immediately quieted down, then smiled and asked, "Second Uncle, does the Inspectorate truly have a way to regrow limbs?"

"Hmph! How ignorant. Never mind regrowing limbs; to the Inspectorate, even bringing the dead back to life is a simple matter. But the most urgent task now is to find that wretch quickly. Do not let her ruin our plans," the Prince warned coldly.

The Inspectorate was a cultivation faction within the Imperial City whose power stood nearly above that of the throne. It was filled with talented and extraordinary individuals and was the dream destination for many noble scions. It deserved its reputation as the second-greatest power in the cultivation world; were it not for the fact that some royal family members were quite exceptional, the Imperial City might have changed hands long ago.

Xiao Yunchao nodded. "Yes, I will eliminate her as soon as possible."

Xiao Yunchao did not believe a mere Xiao Yaoyao could ruin their plans, but he dared not disobey the Prince.

"Very well. Rest and recover these next few days. Once you are healed, we shall plan the next steps." The Prince waved his hand and left, instructing the servants to tidy the room.

Soon, two maidservants entered the room one after another, trembling as they cleaned the mess.

Xiao Yunchao looked at the two women with a playful glint in his eyes and walked slowly toward the one with the superior looks.

He reached out and stroked her face without restraint. The woman’s body shuddered. On her fair, jade-like, oval face appeared a flicker of resistance, and she instinctively stepped back.

In a panic, she stammered, "Young Master Xiao, what are you doing?"

"What am I doing? Is that even a question?" Xiao Yunchao wore a malicious, lecherous grin.

Hearing this, the woman turned to run, but was blocked by the guards at the door. She huddled against the wall, shivering and begging for mercy, but Xiao Yunchao approached her slowly with a sneer.

The other woman who had entered with her did not dare to raise her head, watching everything happen in silence.

Before long, the woman’s painful screams echoed through the courtyard. A long time later, the two maids walked out of the room, their clothes disheveled, their steps heavy, and their faces streaked with tears.

When they reached a deserted pavilion, the woman with the oval face collapsed onto the ground and began to sob uncontrollably.

In contrast, the woman beside her looked calm, with even a hint of joy on her face. She bit her lower lip lightly and whispered, "Stop crying. For us, this is already climbing the social ladder. Who is Young Master Xiao? To have him take notice of us is a blessing."

The oval-faced woman, still collapsed on the ground, stared at her companion in disbelief. She shook her head and said, "Sister, we have lost our purity. How can you think this way?"