Douluo: A Century-old Legend I Am the Second Uncle Chenxin

Chapter 1589 Old Zhu's Martial Soul is Destroyed
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Five more today.

……

The next day marked the fourth day since the attack on Chen Mansion.

The autumn sun's rays pierced through the windowpanes, slanting across the low table beside the window, making even the smallest dust particles in the air appear as if they were tiny objects drifting in a river of light.

Chen Xiaojun's eyelashes trembled, and he slowly opened his eyes.

The view gradually cleared from blurry to clear, and the room was empty and deserted.

He tried to sit up, and his bones and muscles felt as if they were being repeatedly twisted and pressed by countless blunt needles. The soreness, numbness, and tingling pain were mixed with a deeper sense of weakness that came from the very marrow of his bones.

His head throbbed intermittently, forcing him to stop and lean back against a soft pillow.

The warm sunlight shone on the back of my hand; it was nearly noon.

He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into his body.

The meridians throbbed slightly, carrying a feeling of atrophy like parched land cracking; the muscles were even worse, each breath pulling at a tearing, lingering pain.

The perception continued to penetrate deeper, reaching the upper soul nest—that deep and ferocious crack, which almost spanned three-fifths of the array wall.

The nearly six months of gentle rest and repair were completely wasted due to the near-burning exhaustion that night.

A faint sigh escaped from the corner of his mouth, tinged with bitterness and helplessness.

After a moment of silence, he raised his hand and pulled the thin rope hanging from the headboard.

The clear, melodious sound of the copper bell echoed in the quiet room, and soon, light footsteps approached from afar.

A pretty young girl wearing a light purple short jacket pushed open the door and entered. She was Tao Ruyin, a chef, medicinal food supplement, and pharmacist from the Tao family, a second-rank official under the Chen family.

In the battle at Chen Mansion, apart from the head chef of the Xin family, who was a fifth-rank official, the Tao and Jiao families could only watch helplessly and offer some assistance.

However, after the war, they had their busy time.

"Young Master, you're awake!" Tao Ruyin said hurriedly when she saw Chen Xiaojun leaning against something. "I'll go get you your medicine right away."

"Wait, Sister Ruyin," Chen Xiaojun's voice was slightly hoarse, "who is still in the manor...?"

"Most of the adults are busy, and Fifth Master (Chen Zhang) is in charge of the manor affairs and is still at home. As for the young masters and ladies..."

Tao Ruyin paused for a moment, then said, "According to the schedule, today is a crucial match in the knockout stage. Except for those who are seriously injured, everyone else has gone to the stadium."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaojun's eyes flashed with understanding, then quickly narrowed as he gently shook his head: "There's no need to disturb Second Uncle. Is Wuneng... in the manor?"

Tao Ruyin looked at Chen Xiaojun's pale face and replied, "Young Master Zhu is at the nursing home. He... has difficulty walking and may not be able to walk quickly. I'll go and call him over right away."

The footsteps faded into the distance, then soon resumed, accompanied by a dull thud like wood hitting the ground and cloth rubbing against the floor.

Zhu Wuneng moved in.

His arms and legs were wrapped in thick, medicinal-smelling white bandages, with only a little skin showing at his joints. He looked like a moving mummy as he limped in, leaning on a cane.

“Young Master…” Zhu Wuneng raised his face and forced a smile, which looked particularly forced because of the small, unhealed scars on his face.

Chen Xiaojun's heart sank slightly: "You... tell me everything that happened after that night."

Zhu Wuneng leaned against the door frame, his voice hoarse as he recounted everything he knew: Xiao Yi's treatment of Zhu Hongzhen, followed by her forceful transfer of life force (she didn't need to treat him, as a physician would handle it), and her support for Ding Bingming, Lian Changzhi, Ximen Shaohen, Yan Nanfei, Zhu Changyun... until finally falling into a coma...

"Xiao Yi... has fainted?!" Chen Xiaojun's voice suddenly changed, his knuckles digging into his palm, the piercing pain far less intense than the sharp throbbing in his heart.

That silly girl... did she really risk her life just because he said, "It's up to you"?
"Young Master, don't worry!" Zhu Wuneng hurriedly added, "Sister Xiaoyi was exhausted in both her soul power and mental energy. She slept for three whole days. She woke up yesterday... but she's a little weak."

Chen Xiaojun's heart eased slightly, but then he frowned again and looked at Zhu Wuneng's face, which was filled with unconcealed sorrow: "What are the casualties in the manor?" Zhu Wuneng's throat bobbed a few times, and his voice became even lower: "In the manor... there are only about a hundred people who can still stand."

"More than fifty people were seriously injured, and we were running out of medicine. Thanks to the emergency allocation of medicine by the Glazed Glass Merchant Guild, plus a large quantity of goods sent from the Sunset City medicinal herb market... their lives were saved."

He paused for a moment before struggling to utter the even more somber number: "...more than sixty people could not be saved."

"Most of them were brothers who were guards in the manor... and some were laborers and servants who didn't have time to avoid them at the time."

His voice grew softer and softer, almost inaudible, “Our Chang’an Academy… thirteen lecturers and teaching assistants went, and Wushan Academy… six.”

If it weren't for Xiaoyi, several more would probably have died, and they would have been mid-to-high-level.

Chen Xiaojun leaned back on the pillow, sunlight casting a quiet profile on his pale face.

The only sounds inside were the faint chirping of birds outside the window and his breathing.

Twenty teachers from the Soul Master Academy... sacrificed their lives that night to protect these so-called "genius teenagers."

Zhu Wuneng continued speaking to himself: "That night, Sect Master Ning and High Priest Luo Su took up residence in the mansion to guard against thieves. Later, Uncle Longma returned."

"The Grand Elder, Grandpa Meng Lin, and Dean Zhuo went after them and have not returned yet."

"The next day, Grandma Jingxue returned, and the mansion was safe and sound. His Excellency Lord Zuo, Tianfu, also visited several times."

"Oh, that night, the eldest sister (Chen Yanwu) and my sister also returned to the manor. They came a few more times afterward, but you and Xiaoyi were both unconscious, so they didn't wake you up."

Chen Xiaojun nodded. With his second uncle in charge, his position as a close confidant and head of external relations was sufficient.

The Grand Elder and the others haven't returned yet; they're definitely not giving up. I wonder if they've alerted the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eyes, and whether they've achieved anything.
……

Chen Xiaojun's gaze lingered on Zhu Wuneng's face, where a deep sorrow seemed to permeate the medicinal scent of bandages.

He was silent for a moment before his hoarse voice finally rang out: "...Is there anything else?"

Zhu Wuneng's Adam's apple bobbed violently, his voice growing even more muffled and tinged with pain: "My great-grandfather..."

Chen Xiaojun's fingers trembled: "What's wrong? You just said that Xiaoyi rescued Grandpa Zhu."

"She...she survived..." Zhu Wuneng lowered his head even further, his gaze fixed on the cold ground. "Miss Xiaoyi exhausted all her strength to preserve her heart meridian; her life is temporarily out of danger. But..."

He took a deep breath. "Teacher Pu and Uncle Shi Yuan were checking and inspecting repeatedly, and several other elders were also there... They said... they said..."

His voice suddenly became heavy with sobs, and his shoulders trembled slightly. "My great-grandfather's martial spirit... was completely eroded by the foul-smelling, blood-stained divine power in that scythe... The 'Stone Armored Pig King'... is gone! It can't be awakened!"

He finally uttered the word that he could hardly bear, "Teacher Pu said... the Martial Soul... its origin has been annihilated, and it has fallen into complete silence!"

The martial spirit was annihilated.

These four words, like a giant rock encased in millennia-old ice, crashed into the depths of Chen Xiaojun's heart.

The lifeblood of a Soul Master!
The foundation of martial arts!
The "Stone Armored Pig King" martial spirit, which could rival mountains and rival titles, was completely erased from existence by that filthy divine power?!
This isn't a devastating blow, it's an erasure!
It is a living, thorough, and fundamental eradication!
In an instant, even the light spots dancing on the window paper froze.

Time seemed to be frozen in this tiny room.

Chen Xiaojun's body, leaning against the pillow, was like a frozen statue. Only his hands, pressed tightly against the brocade quilt, showed their knuckles tightening and turning white in an instant, sinking deep into the soft fabric and leaving wrinkles that could not be smoothed out.

There was dead silence in the house.

The sunlight outside the window moved silently, and the faint footsteps seemed to fade into the distance yet remain close at hand.

Zhu Wuneng, leaning on his wooden crutch, trembled uncontrollably under the bandages wrapped around his body. Large, hot tears fell to the ground, spreading dark water stains. He bit his lower lip tightly, not daring to utter a single sob that would disturb the suffocating sorrow.

(End of this chapter)