# Chapter 119: Incinerating the Curse
"Stop! Don't hurt him! As long as you release Zu'er, I'll agree to anything." Feng Zu'er's life aura was already faint and weak, and now that she had fallen into the clutches of an evil person, Feng Baichuan's usual calm was completely gone. His face pale, he raised his hand and shouted in panic.
"Then hand over the treasure you're guarding right now!" the Black Demon mercenary roared ferociously, almost maniacally.
"But... but we really don't have any treasure..."
"Still trying to be stubborn? Looks like you don't want your son's life anymore!" The Black Demon mercenary revealed a sinister grin, the hand gripping Feng Zu'er's neck suddenly tightening. Although Feng Zu'er was unconscious, a pained expression still appeared on her pale little face.
"Stop!" Lan Xueruo stepped forward, pointing her sword at the Black Demon mercenary. Her whole body trembled with anger, but she had no way to act. In her heart, she was filled with immense regret. If she had listened to Yun Che's words earlier and slain them, none of this would have happened, and there would have been no future worries. But now that things had come to this, what use was regret?
Behind her, Yun Che expressionlessly raised his hand, his palm facing the Black Demon mercenary, and calmly uttered a single word: "Explode."
Whoosh!!
With a muffled sound, a large ball of blazing flame suddenly burst forth from the back and head of the Black Demon mercenary. The crimson flames severed the vital points of his neck within two breaths, causing his eyes to bulge outward. He released Feng Zu'er limply, and his body fell forward like a toppled log, dead in an instant.
With Yun Che's nature, there was no way he would actually allow a dangerous "fish that slipped through the net" to appear. He had deliberately left these two Black Demon mercenaries alive. The Burning Star Demon Lotus had not harmed them, but it had infused unburned profound energy into their bodies. Under the immense shock they were experiencing, even if they detected foreign profound energy entering their bodies, they would not calmly expel it. At the right moment, Yun Che would ignite that energy, causing the Phoenix Flame to blaze within them.
He left these two alive precisely to teach Lan Xueruo a necessary "lesson." It was a well-intentioned effort, because he did not want to see Lan Xueruo suffer harm in the future due to her excessive softheartedness and mercy.
Feng Baichuan was stunned for a moment, then rushed forward and gathered Feng Zu'er into his arms. The other Black Demon mercenary, seeing this, changed expression drastically, let out a strange screech, and fled wildly.
Yun Che lowered his arm. Due to extreme exhaustion, he slowly crouched to the ground and let out an anxious whisper: "Senior Sister Xue Ruo!"
Watching the Black Demon mercenary fleeing farther and farther away, Lan Xueruo's right hand, which held the Tiger Soul Sword, began to tremble slightly. Yun Che's piercing words, along with the scene of her regretful hesitation just moments ago, flashed heavily through her mind. Finally, she raised her right arm, condensed profound energy, and the Tiger Soul Sword shot toward the back of the fleeing mercenary... At the very moment the sword left her hand, she turned her head away and closed her eyes.
Thud!
The Tiger Soul Sword mercilessly pierced the mercenary's back, passed through his body, shot out from his chest, and nailed into a rock with a clang. The Black Demon mercenary fell to the ground, silent.
The sound of the blade entering flesh came clearly to her ears, causing Lan Xueruo's body to tremble violently. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and for a long time, she dared not open them. Looking at the corpse of the last Black Demon mercenary in the distance, Yun Che sighed softly in his heart and said quietly: "This should be Senior Sister Xue Ruo's first time killing someone, right? The feeling of killing for the first time is hard to bear, painful. Afterwards, you might even have terrible nightmares for several nights in a row... I know all this. If Senior Sister Xue Ruo were just an ordinary girl, I would not have made you do something so painful. But... although I don't know your true identity, your aura, demeanor, profound strength, and that contract profound beast capable of soaring high in the sky... many signs tell me that your origins are far from ordinary. Either you come from a major sect, or you are from a noble family of extremely high status."
"Since you exist at such a level, it is inevitably filled with power struggles, scheming, and intrigue. Your overly soft and merciful nature could bring you repeated harm, even fatal injury. I don't want to see you suffer such harm. Therefore, you must at least learn how to distinguish between friends and enemies. This next sentence may be cruel to you, but I believe that someone around you—perhaps even you yourself—has suffered irreparable harm because of your softheartedness toward your enemies."
Yun Che's words initially made Lan Xueruo fall silent. But when he finished his last sentence, her entire body trembled violently, and she shook for a long time, a pained expression appearing on her face.
A long while later, when she opened her eyes, Yun Che had already walked far away, helped by two young members of the Phoenix Remnant Clan. Her gaze drifted, and a soft murmur escaped her lips: "Yun Che... thank you..."
---
The incident with the Black Demon mercenaries had caused the Phoenix Remnant Clan to suffer a minor loss of vitality. Fortunately, although many people were weakened for a time—some even fell seriously ill—with Yun Che present, no one's life was endangered. Yun Che had passed the Phoenix Trial, obtained the Phoenix Mark, resolved the crisis for the Phoenix Remnant Clan, and displayed his miraculous medical skills to treat dozens of critically ill clan members. During these days, all the members of the Phoenix Remnant Clan regarded Yun Che as if he were a god, treating him with the utmost respect and reverence.
And on this day, the Giant Snow Eagle finally woke up. It was also time for Yun Che and Lan Xueruo to leave.
When bidding farewell to Feng Baichuan, the clan leader's face was full of reluctance. Looking at Yun Che, he said with some worry: "The reason our clan has remained in seclusion for so long, hiding in this isolated place, is that we bear the Phoenix Mark yet possess only pitifully weak strength. If we did not conceal ourselves entirely, this indelible mark would bring us endless trouble. Even a few ordinary Xuan Entry realm practitioners would be able to overwhelm us, and we could only be slaughtered. This time, thank goodness you were here; otherwise, our dwindling clan might have been completely finished. Although the crisis has passed, I am truly afraid. Our little clan is so fragile; we cannot avoid similar incidents in the future. And next time, if no benefactors like you appear... alas."
Yun Che smiled and said to Feng Baichuan: "Clan Leader Feng, actually, besides bidding you farewell, I have another matter to discuss with you... I want to help you eliminate the curse within your bloodline."
These few words from Yun Che struck Feng Baichuan like a thunderbolt. His body trembled, and every feature on his face froze for an instant. Then, his gaze shook violently. He rushed in front of Yun Che, grabbed his arms tightly, and said in a voice trembling with excitement: "What did you say? What did you say... say that again?"
Feng Baichuan's reaction was entirely within Yun Che's expectations. He looked directly into Feng Baichuan's eyes and said sincerely: "Actually, the curse on your bloodline is very easy to remove. It can be completely eradicated by simply burning it with Phoenix Flame. That day, my profound energy was overly depleted, so I didn't dare to recklessly use it. I only fully recovered today, which is why I am telling you now."
As he spoke, Yun Che suddenly raised his hand and pressed his right index finger against the dark red Phoenix Mark on Feng Baichuan's forehead. A wisp of Phoenix Flame ignited at his fingertip and instantly surged into Feng Baichuan's Phoenix Mark.
A trace of pain appeared on Feng Baichuan's face, but it lasted only an instant. Then, the color of the Phoenix Mark on his forehead began to change. From dark red, it gradually became vibrant, until it turned into a bright, flawless crimson.
Yun Che withdrew his finger and looked at him with a smile. Feng Baichuan raised a trembling hand to touch his now searing hot Phoenix Mark. He was so agitated that he didn't know what to do, tears and snot streaming down his face: "The curse... it's gone... it's really completely gone..."
Yun Che said gently: "After these days of recovery, everyone's bodies are mostly healed. Let's take this opportunity to gather everyone together, and I will eradicate all the cursed marks."
"Alright... alright!" Feng Baichuan nodded, tears glistening in his eyes. Looking at Yun Che, the gratitude in his heart was so profound that no words could express it. Yun Che had annihilated the Black Demon mercenary group, saving the lives of his entire clan. And now, by removing the curse from their bloodline, he was saving their descendants for generations to come! From now on, his clan could regain their strength, their dignity, and the power to protect themselves. In the next generation, they would no longer have to hide so furtively in this desolate mountain range.
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[This week, the updates were scuttled again... On Sunday night, my older sister was assaulted. The forensic assessment concluded it was a minor injury, but particularly, her nasal bone was comminutedly fractured and irreparable. I never imagined something like this could happen to one of my family members. The perpetrator was a professional. The crime was committed at 8:30 PM when my sister closed her shop, with all surrounding stores already shut, no one around, and poor lighting. The assailant had altered the nearby surveillance cameras several days in advance, wore a mask during the act, and fled immediately, leaving no traces or evidence. My sister treats people extremely well and has good relationships with everyone; she has no enemies. The only possible suspects are nearby competitors, because my sister's shop had relatively good business, while theirs was dismal. Moreover, on three occasions before the assault, that competitor had sent people to threaten her... But although we strongly suspect, there is no evidence. We reported it to the police, who only took a brief statement, and then nothing followed.]
[Having my sister suffer something like this made me feel terrible, and not being able to help made it even worse. When I went to visit her the next day, seeing her face bruised and swollen... perhaps people without sisters can't understand this feeling. If you try to imagine your own parents being treated like that, you might understand. This was my first time encountering such a situation, and the anguish was unexpectedly unbearable. It was so hard that I both felt suffocated and wanted to grab a knife and kill someone... This whole week, I've been in that state. I couldn't force myself to write, and when I did, the quality was poor. I don't know if any of you work in public security, prosecution, or the courts, but I would appreciate any effective help you can offer. Thank you.]
[Starting tomorrow, I will begin posting three chapters a day, slowly making up for what I missed. Please forgive me for the repeated delays... I will do my best to compensate.]