The Crazy Son-In-Law

“Ha ha!”

Ruan Jinshui suddenly burst into loud laughter, his helpless chuckles echoing far and wide in the empty factory hall.

After his laughter subsided, Ruan Jinshui adopted a compromising expression and nodded towards the stoic Xiao Shun. “Your intelligence has exceeded my expectations!”

“Tricks and schemes are of no use to me!”

Xiao Shun took a casual drag of his cigarette, his tone somewhat arrogant.

Ruan Jinshui found himself unable to refute these words, deeply feeling his powerlessness in the face of Xiao Shun.

His plan to capture Song Linger had been impeccably laid out, every step executed to perfection.

Yet, despite such meticulous planning, it had been thwarted entirely by his adversary alone.

Now, he was the only survivor of that operation; the Xia family’s servant and Meng Cai had been dealt with long ago.

Ruan Jinshui knew that no matter what, his end was imminent. Since clinging to life was no longer an option, he found himself without a choice.

Even so, he chose to reveal a secret to Xiao Shun.

“In the primitive jungles east of Laogua, there lies a perilous place, perpetually shrouded in poison mist. Rumors say that at its heart is a poisonous mire, a treasure of extraordinary value to those who practice Gu arts!”

Hearing this, Xiao Shun smirked. “Heh, you’re trying to lure me there to meet my demise, aren’t you?”

“Since schemes are futile against you, I might as well share the secret directly!” Ruan Jinshui said coldly, a sly look in his eyes.

Having failed with his covert plan, he resorted to revealing the truth, hoping to send Xiao Shun to his death.

Seeing his unwavering confidence, Xiao Shun taunted, “Why are you so sure I would go there? After all, I am not a practitioner of Gu arts, and even if that poison mire has great properties, it won’t affect me!”

“Do you really think it’s just a simple mire?” Ruan Jinshui said enigmatically.This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

Xiao Shun chuckled softly. “Then perhaps you should tell me what else there is that could tempt me.”

“You possess the art of Danhuo and are a master of the Dan path. I wonder what kind of superior elixirs you could create if you had the ‘Mandragora’?” Ruan Jinshui suggested with a smile.

Without hesitation, Xiao Shun shook his head. “A single ‘Mandragora’ would not compel me to brave such dangers.”

“If it were just one, do you think I would bother mentioning it to you?”

At this, a barely concealable smile spread across Ruan Jinshui’s face.

“Not just one?” Xiao Shun was taken aback.

The “Mandragora” was a rare treasure, its significance to Gu practitioners no less than that of the “Five Spirit Stone” to martial cultivators, perhaps even more so in some respects.

Though it offered no enhancement to Xiao Shun’s cultivation, the potent characteristics of the “Mandragora” could indeed help him concoct many extraordinary elixirs.

As he pondered this, Ruan Jinshui continued, “If a garden full of ‘Mandragora’ isn’t enough to tempt you, what about adding a garden full of ‘Nether Soil’?”

“Nether Soil?” Xiao Shun looked at Ruan Jinshui, puzzled.

He had never even heard of it before, but if it was mentioned in the same breath as the “Mandragora,” it must be an incredibly valuable treasure.

“This soil in your country has another name,” he began, his voice rich with intrigue. “It bursts with endless vitality and emits a spectrum of colors every night at exactly ten. You call it…”

Before Ruan Jinshui could finish, Xiao Shun interrupted with three words.

“Hallowed Chromatic Earth!”

Hearing this, Ruan Jinshui laughed heartily. “Ah, are you tempted now?”

“I am indeed tempted, but it’s time for you to be on your way!”

With those words, Xiao Shun flicked his cigarette butt towards Ruan Jinshui.

The faint glow of the ember cut through the air, dragging a sinister blue streak, before landing on Ruan Jinshui’s abdomen.

In an instant, the flame seeped into his dantian, burning fiercely within.

Despite the agony spreading through his body, Ruan Jinshui, enduring the pain, shouted back at Xiao Shun, “I’ll be waiting for you below. I believe we’ll meet again soon!”

He had divulged the secret of the Hallowed Chromatic Earth and the finest “Mandragora” to Xiao Shun today, confident that the temptation would be irresistible.

Should Xiao Shun succumb to the lure, numerous powerful “Wild Gu People” and the “Eternal Elder” awaited in the mire, ready for his descent.

Ruan Jinshui had never witnessed the full extent of the Eternal Elder’s powers, but his family had long-standing ties with the Wild Gu People and had heard tales.

Even a formidable master like Ada was said to be no match for that terrifying existence, crushed into dust by mere presence.

The disparity in power was as clear as the difference between Xiao Shun’s recent encounter with those five siblings-decisively overwhelming!

“Ah!”

Screams erupted from Ruan Jinshui’s throat.

He was no tough guy, lacking the fortitude of his boss. The excruciating pain of being burned from the inside out was too much to bear.

Xiao Shun, having promised the boss to make Ruan Jinshui suffer a more agonizing death, occasionally intervened to stabilize his heart, delaying the inevitable.

After five grueling minutes, Ruan Jinshui watched helplessly as his limbs, and then his torso, were burned to nothingness.

The pain was intense, and watching his body slowly disintegrate was enough to break him.

Yet Xiao Shun gave him no chance to collapse, forcibly using his formidable skills and medical knowledge to prolong the longest five minutes of Ruan Jinshui’s life.

“Please, kill me, just kill me now!”

Ruan Jinshui, writhing in pain, begged Xiao Shun.

The tough boss had only lasted less than a minute under similar torment, but Ruan Jinshui had endured five minutes of excruciating pain, suspended between life and death.

He had never longed for death so fervently, as the will to live was a basic human instinct.

But at that moment, Ruan Jinshui yearned to escape the agony, even if it meant descending into the deepest hells without hesitation!

Watching the dazed Ruan Jinshui, Xiao Shun withdrew his hand from the man’s forehead and stood up to leave the factory.

As he turned, a deep blue flame spread from behind him.

In moments, it engulfed the entire factory, the intense heat turning the abandoned materials bright red within seconds.

Amidst the inferno, Xiao Shun, carrying Song Linger on his back, slowly walked out.

He then moved to a picturesque spot by the riverbank, pulling out a firearm once used by the boss from over his shoulder.

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