My Ares Son-in-Law

Sudden……

"Ugh!"

A sharp, muffled groan suddenly exploded out!
Lu Wenhou's body trembled violently, his face instantly turning ashen white, devoid of any color! Black blood seeped from all seven orifices at the same time, sliding down his cheeks in a horrifying sight! His steadily increasing power was suddenly and violently drained away like a receding tide. Even more terrifying, his meridians felt as if they were being pierced by countless steel needles, causing excruciating pain that made him convulse and nearly collapse to the ground!
"Master!"

"Lord Wen!"

Several elders of the Lü family paled and rushed forward to help him, but Lü Wenhou abruptly raised his hand to stop them. His eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging on his forehead, and he roared, "My Heart-Eating Seed... has been pulled out! Who?! In the provincial capital of the Western Region, who has such ability?!"

Lu Wenhou's face twisted in a ferocious grimace, his heart churning with turmoil.

This "Heart-Eating Seed" is the core secret technique of the "Heart-Eating Mantra." It is formed by condensing one's own essence and blood with Yin energy. Once planted in another's heart meridian, it can slowly devour the opponent's life force to nourish the plant itself, making it extremely insidious and deadly. The master once asserted that no more than five people in the world could recognize this technique, and those who could forcibly break it were even rarer!

Now, not only has his secret technique been broken, but the backlash from the technique has also caused his power to drop by 30%, and his meridians to be severely damaged! Even if he carefully nurtures himself for countless months, he will not be able to recover to his peak state, and it may even affect his subsequent journey in the secret realm!

The provincial capital of the western region... something must have happened on the Zhou family's side!

Someone has interfered in the Zhou family's affairs, seen through his methods, and even managed to break his Heart-Eating Seed!

Damn it... who is it?! Is it someone from the Martial Arts Army? Or some reclusive old monster?

"Lord Wen, what exactly happened?" Father Lü strode closer and saw his son bleeding from all seven orifices and breathing erratically. His face instantly darkened to the point of being dripping with water.

Lu Wenhou suppressed the turmoil in his body, trembling as he pulled out his phone and urgently dialed the number of his trusted confidant in the western provincial capital.

Once, twice, three times... all I heard from the receiver was a busy signal; no one answered.

His heart sank, a chill spreading through his body. The Heart-Corroding Seed was broken, his subordinates were out of contact… This was no coincidence! Not only had his technique been broken, but his opponents had also very likely already targeted his men in the west!

"Someone in the western provincial capital... has made a move against our Lü family." Lü Wenhou's voice was hoarse, and his eyes were filled with such intense killing intent that they almost overflowed. "That person must be eliminated as soon as possible! We cannot let him ruin our important plans before we get back to the west!"

After hearing the whole story, Mr. Lü remained silent for a long time. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he slowly said, "In that case... let the Blood Demon Society take action."

The moment the words "Blood Demon Society" were uttered, the expressions of the surrounding elders changed. That was a notorious assassin organization in the Dragon Kingdom, known for its ruthless actions, its indifference to motives, and its sole pursuit of money. Wherever it went, nothing was spared!

Lu Wenhou's pupils contracted sharply, then he slowly grinned, his blood-stained lips parting in a sinister smile: "Fine! Let them go! The Zhou family, and that bastard who destroyed my Heart-Eroding Seed... leave no one alive!"

……

VIP ward at the provincial capital central hospital in the western region.

Xiao Chen exhaled slowly, withdrawing the divine energy flowing around his body. The silver needles at his fingertips trembled slightly as he put them away one by one.

He has done everything he could.

On the hospital bed, the old woman's complexion was noticeably rosier, her chest rose and fell steadily, and her breathing became long and strong, no longer as weak as before. Xiao Chen originally wanted to take a tonifying pill to help her recover, but then he thought that the pill he had refined was too potent, and the old woman's long-ailing body might not be able to withstand it, so he had to give up.

"Xiao Chen, is Grandma... really alright?" Zhou Keying walked to his side, her voice soft, tinged with apprehension and anticipation.

Xiao Chen turned to look at her, a slight smile playing on his lips, his tone gentle yet resolute: "When have I ever broken a promise to you?" Just as Zhou Keying was about to respond, a few soft coughs suddenly came from the hospital bed.

The two turned their heads at the same time and saw the old man's eyelids tremble slightly. His eyes, which had been tightly closed, slowly opened. His cloudy eyes held a trace of confusion as he was just waking up, but then gradually became clear.

"mom!"

"grandmother!"

Zhou Fenfang and Zhou Keying rushed to the bedside almost simultaneously, their voices filled with excitement and sobs.

The old man opened his mouth, his voice hoarse and dry: "Water..."

Zhou Keying quickly turned around, poured a glass of warm water, carefully helped her grandmother up, and slowly fed her the water with a small spoon.

After a few sips of water, the old man felt much better. His gaze slowly swept across the ward and finally landed on Xiao Chen.

Although she had been unconscious for the past few days, she was not entirely without sensation. She could vaguely perceive the conversations in the ward, the movements of the people around her, and even the fluctuations in the airflow when Xiao Chen administered acupuncture. However, her body felt as if it were bound by invisible chains, trapped in endless darkness. She wanted to respond but could not move. The despair and pain she felt were worse than death.

Xiao Chen stepped forward, about to ask about her condition, when the old woman struggled to get up, her withered hands supporting her on the edge of the bed, as if she was about to kneel down to him!

“Mr. Xiao… I have no way to repay your life-saving grace…” The old man’s voice trembled, his eyes filled with gratitude and awe.

"You mustn't do that, old man!" Xiao Chen quickly stepped forward, firmly supporting the old man's arms with both hands, and said sincerely, "I am Keying's friend, and helping is my duty. I can't accept your kneeling; it would be too much for me."

Zhou Keying quickly supported her grandmother's back and gently advised, "Grandma, you're feeling better now, so you can't move around too much! If anyone should thank you, it should be me thanking Xiao Chen. You should lie down and not hurt yourself."

The old man was helped back to bed by the two men. After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly laughed, reached out and patted Xiao Chen's hand, his eyes bright: "Good...good young man! Much, much better than that beast from the Lü family..."

She turned to look at Zhou Keying, her eyes full of affection and teasing: "Keying, Grandma supports you. If I could hold my great-grandchild soon, I would die in peace..."

"Grandma!" Zhou Keying's cheeks flushed instantly, even her ears were tinged with a light blush. She lowered her head shyly and secretly glanced at Xiao Chen.

But Xiao Chen simply sighed softly, his expression calm and unmoved.

Her eyes dimmed instantly, and a sense of loss welled up in her heart.

She knew that there was a world of difference between her and Xiao Chen. He was an unparalleled expert who could easily crush those at the Celestial Realm and break insidious poisonous techniques, while she was just a junior from an ordinary martial arts family. He had saved her and her grandmother; this debt of gratitude was already as heavy as Mount Tai. How could she ask for more?

It's because I'm not good enough for him.

……

At five o'clock in the evening, the setting sun cast its golden rays on the hospital corridor.

Xiao Chen walked out of the hospital alone. The old man had just woken up and needed to rest, so Zhou Keying and Zhou Fenfang naturally stayed by his side to take care of him. He left first. (End of this chapter)