Dual Cultivation System: My Cultivation Was Crippled, So I Rely on Intimacy to Level Up

Chapter 274: A Family Divided, A Den of Evil Revealed

A deathly silence descended upon the hall.

Shu Wu and Shu Hong, who had just been arguing until they were red in the face, now looked as though they’d been seized by the throat. Along with the other five Golden Core Elders, they stared blankly at their ancestor, their eyes wide with disbelief.

Split the family? A prestigious clan of a thousand years, about to be torn asunder?

“Ancestor…” The blood drained from Shu Wu’s face. His lips trembled, but he couldn’t form a single coherent sentence.

The Shu Ancestor raised a hand, silencing him. “Hear me out.”

“Tomorrow, announce that we are holding a Grand Assembly of Martial Discourse. Invite guests from far and wide. Every treasure intended for trade at the Appreciation Conference will be repurposed as prizes for the victors. Draft a charter immediately and proclaim it throughout the city.”

His words sent a fresh wave of unease through the quieted hall. The elders exchanged bewildered glances, utterly lost.

With their doom at the gates, they were going to host a grand assembly? And give away their own treasures to curry favor?

The mid-stage Golden Core cultivator named Shu Ping, the one who had received Zhou Kai, couldn’t stop himself from cupping his hands. “Ancestor, what… what is the meaning of this?”

“The meaning?” The Shu Ancestor let out a self-mocking laugh. “It is a show for the Heavenly Spring Sect, and for everyone in this city. Of the eleven sects in the Eastern Region, which of them—save for the annihilated Lone Goose Palace—does not desire vassals? With the demonic path in remission, they are free to expand their influence. Our Shu Family of Meixi Slope… we are a piece of meat they will not let escape.”

“Tomorrow, I want every eye in this city fixed upon that combat arena. The more boisterous, the better…”

The Ancestor’s gaze swept across the elders before finally settling on a young Golden Core cultivator. It was his most promising descendant, the recently ascended Steward of Plum Branch Lane, Shu Fan.

“Fan’er.”

“Disciple is here!” Shu Fan’s heart seized, and he instantly straightened his back.

“You will select the most promising young disciples and the direct bloodlines from each branch. Prepare resources, travel far to the north, find a secluded place, and live under new names. You will rebuild the Shu Family.”

“You reached the Golden Core realm before your hundredth year; your talent is extraordinary. With the *Primordial Star Body Script* in your possession, you may yet glimpse the Great Dao of the Nascent Soul.”

“Ancestor!” Shu Wu’s eyes turned bloodshot. He dropped to his knees with such force that the stone tiles cracked beneath him. “You cannot! Our Shu Family is not native to the Heavenly Spring Sect’s lands! In their eyes, we will never be one of their own! If the main branch submits, will we not have to beg them for every Foundation Establishment Pill? To say nothing of the Barrier-Breaking Pills needed for the Golden Core! If—and I am only saying *if*—Fan’er and the others fail to rebuild… then our Shu Family will truly rot, wither away, and be severed from this world forever!”

The Shu Ancestor ignored his blood-soaked plea, simply waving a hand dismissively as he continued his instructions. “Announce to the public that I received too many gifts for my longevity celebration and my heart is uneasy. Therefore, I am holding this grand event and offering treasures as prizes to share my joy with all. Remember, the more magnificent the spectacle, the better.”

After speaking, he waved his hand again.

“All of you, leave.”

“In a few days, the one presiding over Shu Family City will likely be a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Heavenly Spring Sect.”

A tremor ran through everyone’s heart. Not another word could be spoken.

Numbly, they rose, bowed, and retreated from the hall in silence.

The great doors of the Council Hall swung shut, sealing off the outside light.

The moment the doors closed, the taut string inside the Shu Ancestor finally snapped. He collapsed back, his body sinking heavily into the depths of his wide chair.

He snatched the long-cold teacup from the table and drained it in one gulp. The cool liquid slid down his throat, but it did nothing to quell the bitter tide rising in his heart.

As he sat lost in thought, a maidservant’s respectful voice came from outside the door.

“Ancestor, Elder Zhou Kai from Calamity Abyss Valley requests an audience regarding an important matter. He has been waiting in the side hall for over an hour.”

“Calamity Abyss Valley?” The Shu Ancestor frowned. “Did we send them an invitation?”

“Reporting to the Ancestor, we did not,” the maidservant replied immediately. “Elder Zhou claims he was sent by Chief Li of Calamity Abyss Valley to offer his congratulations on your longevity.”

*Chief Li…*

The Shu Ancestor’s mind drifted to the name. He had indeed met Li Juefeng of Calamity Abyss Valley a few times, but they were no more than nodding acquaintances.

At a time like this, any contact with a major sect was akin to dancing on a razor’s edge. If the Heavenly Spring Sect were to misunderstand and think the Shu Family was seeking a new patron, their thunderous wrath would descend in an instant. There could be no complications.

“Go and give him my reply.” The Ancestor’s voice was calm once more. “Tell him I am currently coordinating the grand assembly for tomorrow and am utterly occupied. My apologies to Junior Zhou for the long wait. If he does not mind, invite him to the venue tomorrow for a talk.”

“Yes.” The maidservant acknowledged the order and withdrew.

…

In the side hall, Zhou Kai listened to the maidservant’s apologetic report and couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

An hour wasted, and he hadn’t even laid eyes on the man himself.

He also learned from her that the Shu Family was holding some grand assembly tomorrow and was giving away all the treasures from their Appreciation Conference as prizes.

Zhou Kai stroked his chin, a strange feeling washing over him.

No matter how he looked at it, the Shu Family’s actions felt deeply wrong.

Long Yufeng shows up, and suddenly they’re putting on this impromptu show?

He walked out of the Shu Estate and melted into the river of people on the street.

His gaze swept around casually and was drawn to the third-floor balcony of a nearby tavern, where the two brothers, Shu Mingxuan and Shu Xingyao, were seated.

The table before them was bare; no food, no wine. Each clutched a communication jade token, their expressions a storm of uncertainty, shifting from grim to stunned.

A thought flickered in Zhou Kai’s mind, and he silently activated Cicada Chirp Steals Heaven.

He only caught the end of the message.

“—pack up. We leave tomorrow. There can be no delays!”

Shu Mingxuan and Shu Xingyao exchanged a look. Without a shred of hesitation, they put away their jade tokens, vaulted over the railing, and landed lightly in the crowd below. They immediately vanished into the throng, their pace quick.

Leaving tomorrow?

A playful smirk touched Zhou Kai’s lips.

Put on a big show to draw every eye in the city, while your core family packs its bags to run? Interesting.

He thought no more of it. With a flicker, he was gone, tailing them from the shadows.

“Big brother, what about the concubines in my courtyard? We can’t just leave them, can we?” Shu Xingyao’s voice was laced with irritation.

“Is your brain made of mush? Look at the time! And you’re still thinking about your women! Today, you offended two Golden Core experts over that Shu Xiaofu! You’re going to get yourself killed over a woman, sooner or later!”

“The Ancestor is here. Would they dare murder someone on the street? I’m just praying that Senior Di An slaps that bastard Zhou Kai to death at the assembly tomorrow!”

“Shut up!” Shu Mingxuan roared, his steps faltering for a moment, clearly incensed by his idiotic brother.

A moment later, Shu Xingyao’s voice piped up again, a shameless, pleading tone in it. “Big brother, just let me take two women. Please? Just two, my absolute favorites!”

Shu Mingxuan’s footsteps grew heavy. He was silent for a long time.

Finally, his weary voice drifted back. “…Fine. Take them. Just don’t cause me any more trouble!”

The brothers parted ways at a fork in the road. Shu Mingxuan’s shoulders were slumped as his figure quickly disappeared down another street.

Every word of their conversation had reached Zhou Kai’s ears. His eyes turned cold.

“You want me dead? Whether I die remains to be seen. But you, Shu Xingyao, will not live to see the sunrise.”

Shu Xingyao quickly left the clamor of the main street behind, weaving through a labyrinth of alleyways with practiced ease. He finally stopped before an utterly inconspicuous courtyard.

The walls were mottled, the main gate was shut tight, and a pile of junk at the entrance made it look like the home of a family that had moved out long ago.

Shu Xingyao paused, pretending to straighten his robes while his eyes darted about like a rat’s. Once he was certain he hadn’t been followed, he hurried to the door.

He produced a brass key and pressed it into a recess in the lower-right corner of the wooden door.

The door swung open without a sound, leaving a gap just wide enough for one person to slip through.

Shu Xingyao darted inside. The moment he vanished, the gate swung silently shut.

Zhou Kai had already concealed his form and followed him in. The instant he set foot in the courtyard, a vile stench—a mix of cheap perfume, stale blood, and rot—assaulted him, forcing a deep frown onto his face.

He spread his Divine Sense. There were over thirty female auras within the courtyard. Six had faint traces of Qi, marking them as Qi Condensation cultivators. The rest were all Mortals.

In a room in the east wing, three Mortal women were chained by their hands and feet, huddled in a corner. They were barely clothed, their eyes hollow and numb with despair. Their bodies were a canvas of overlapping whip marks and burns, old scars layered with new, leaving almost no inch of skin untouched. One girl’s arm was bent at an unnatural angle, clearly snapped.

Zhou Kai turned his gaze to the west wing. A bloody stench ten times stronger than the east wing hit him. The scene revealed by his True Insight Eye was nothing short of a living hell.

Inside, six female cultivators were held captive. Despite the torment they had endured, their beautiful features were still discernible. Zhou Kai’s gaze sharpened. A woman was nailed to the wall, several black spikes driven through her collarbones, hanging her like a torn painting. Her aura was terrifyingly weak.

From a roof beam, another woman hung upside down by iron chains. Her long black hair cascaded down, its tips soaking in a filthy wooden bucket. It was impossible to tell if she was alive or dead.

In a corner, a small iron cage held a mangled stump of flesh and blood. It was a woman whose limbs had been severed, leaving only her head outside the cage. She had been turned into a human swine.

Shu Xingyao stood before the woman on the wall, a barbed leather whip in his hand. His eyes were bloodshot, his face a mask of pure brutality as he heaved for breath.

*CRACK!*

The tip of the whip tore through the air, landing viciously on the woman’s body and ripping open a fresh, bloody wound.

He lunged forward, grabbed her by the hair, and yanked her face toward his. “You’re just like that Shu Xiaofu!” he roared, spittle flying from his mouth. “Both of you are trouble-making whores! I offended two Golden Core experts because of her! Now my brother scolds me, and the family is falling apart! I have fucking nothing left!”

*CRACK!*

Another lash!

“It’s all your fault! All because of women! Why don’t you all just die?! HUH?!”

Shu Xingyao’s eyes were wide, completely unhinged. He swung the whip wildly, striking the walls, the floor, the empty air, a stream of venomous curses spewing from his lips.

“Whore! Are you happy now?! HUH?!”

Killing intent flared within Zhou Kai. *Good,* he thought. *No other cultivators. No formations or restrictions to get in my way.*

He didn’t even bother with a single word. His palm simply descended, pressing down on Shu Xingyao’s skull.