"Xiao Ru!!" The old man panicked the moment he saw Xiao Ru's state. He hurried forward and took Xiao Ru from Luo Lian's arms. After examining the boy closely, he asked furiously, "Lian, what happened? Who dug out Xiao Ru's eyes?"
"Grandpa, it was the Hidden Blood Sect." Luo Lian sobbed.
"What? The Hidden Blood Sect?" At those words, the old man's expression changed drastically once more. An irrepressible surge of fury and alarm welled up in his eyes as he demanded, "How did you run into the Hidden Blood Sect?"
"We encountered them at the Crocodile Beast Mountain Range. The three of us went there to hunt crocodile beasts, but the Hidden Blood Sect was there hunting too. We figured we'd each do our own thing — just go around the areas they'd claimed and not bother each other."
"But we never imagined the Hidden Blood Sect could be so twisted. One of their groups spotted us and wouldn't let us leave. Then one of their women said Xiao Ru's eyes were prettier than hers and she couldn't tolerate that. So right in front of Xiao Ru, she used her own fingers to dig his eyes out." The deeper Luo Lian spoke, the more her sobs turned to anguish.
"You fool! Don't you know what the Hidden Blood Sect really is? They're nothing but a demonic cult! When you encounter them, you should be running, not thinking about hunting!" At this, the old man shook with rage — but more than anything, his heart ached for Xiao Ru.
The boy was still so young, and to go through something like this — it was unimaginable. It could very well scar him for life.
"I only ever heard you say the Hidden Blood Sect was a demonic cult. I didn't expect them to truly be that inhuman. Besides, Shaoqiu was with us — he's at the Heaven Martial Realm, you know," Luo Lian said.
"Shaoqiu? Hmph — and what exactly was your Shaoqiu doing at the time?" The old man snorted coldly and shot a glance toward
"I..." Zhao Shaoqiu's face turned even uglier. He opened his mouth but faltered, not knowing how to explain — because he had watched everything happen, yet stood aside without daring to intervene, without even daring to utter a single word.
"You really can't blame Shaoqiu. The ones from the Hidden Blood Sect this time weren't ordinary disciples. Their cultivation wasn't just at the Heaven Martial Realm — they were all Martial Lord-realm experts." Luo Lian hurried to explain. She had witnessed firsthand how powerful they were.
"What? All Martial Lord-realm experts? Then you're saying they were Core Disciples of the Hidden Blood Sect?" The old man looked even more alarmed.
"Regardless of who did this, treating Xiao Ru is what matters right now.
"Stop! Who do you think you are? You can heal Xiao Ru? Do you even know who did this to him?" Before the old man could respond, Luo Lian blocked Chu Feng and shot him a vicious glare. Three words were written plain across her eyes: I don't trust you.
"Silence!" The old man flew into a rage. After giving Luo Lian a sharp rebuke, his expression softened and he turned to Chu Feng. "Young friend Chu Feng, I'll entrust Xiao Ru to you." With that, he handed Xiao Ru over.
"Rest assured, Senior Luo. I'll make sure Xiao Ru is perfectly fine." Chu Feng accepted Xiao Ru without another word and headed straight for the room.
"Grandpa Luo, how can you trust him? He's from the Southern Seas! As far as I know, his cultivation is only at the Xuan Martial Realm at best. You're giving Xiao Ru to him? Aren't you afraid he'll make things worse?" After Chu Feng went inside, Zhao Shaoqiu stepped forward.
"If I can't trust him, should I trust you instead? I gave Xiao Ru to you — and look at the state he's in now!"
"A pair of eyes! Do you have any idea how important that is to a child? If I hadn't given Xiao Ru to Chu Feng, could you have given him back his eyes?" The old man roared in fury.
"I..." Under the old man's barrage of questions, Zhao Shaoqiu's face shifted between green and white, wretched beyond words. But he said nothing more, only turning away to mutter something unpleasant under his breath.
By now, Chu Feng had entered the room and sealed the door. He did this because what he was about to do might appear somewhat cruel, and he didn't want the old man to see.
Truthfully, restoring a pair of eyes — if any other martial cultivator had lost theirs, with the techniques Chu Feng currently possessed, fixing them would have been child's play.
But for Xiao Ru, it was somewhat trickier. The boy was far too young. Forget any meaningful cultivation — he hadn't even begun to train in martial arts. His body was about as ordinary and mundane as a body could get.
Such a body possessed no spiritual vitality whatsoever, making the repair considerably more complex. Still, it wasn't beyond Chu Feng's capabilities. It was just that the treatment process was rather… gory.
In just half an hour, Chu Feng had fully restored Xiao Ru's eyes and even ensured they were more beautiful and brighter than before. When the boy woke, he would feel not the slightest hint of pain.
After completing the treatment, Chu Feng came out.
"Young friend Chu Feng, how is Xiao Ru?" The old man rushed over, anxiety written all over his face.
"Rest assured, Senior Luo. Xiao Ru is perfectly fine now and should wake up soon," Chu Feng said with a smile.
"What? Xiao Ru is fine? Are you sure?" At Chu Feng's words, Luo Lian looked skeptical.
Chu Feng paid no attention to Luo Lian's doubts and instead asked the old man, "Senior Luo, how powerful is the Hidden Blood Sect? What is the cultivation level of their strongest member?"
"Sigh, the Hidden Blood Sect's origins are far from simple. They're extremely powerful, and several Martial King-level powerhouses preside over them. In particular, the Sect Master of the Hidden Blood Sect was already at the peak of first-grade Martial King many years ago. By now, he has most likely stepped into the second-grade Martial King realm."
"Then do you know where the Hidden Blood Sect is located, Senior?" Chu Feng asked.
"Young friend Chu Feng, why are you asking about this?" The old man's brows furrowed slightly, as if he had realized something.
Chu Feng knew the old man was experienced. He had long seen that Chu Feng was no ordinary person — otherwise he wouldn't have entrusted Xiao Ru to him. So Chu Feng made no attempt to hide his intentions. "To lay hands on a child like Xiao Ru — they're undeniably a demonic sect. I want to get justice for Xiao Ru."
"What? Justice? Against the Hidden Blood Sect? With just you? Aren't you blowing this out of all proportion?" At Chu Feng's words, Luo Lian arched her delicate brows and launched into a string of cold sarcasm.