The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife
Chapter 417: The Moment of Testing Human Nature

Chapter 417: The Moment of Testing Human Nature

The vengeful spirit let out a few eerie laughs and, with a sudden swoosh, lunged at Xue Zhaoxiang. For someone unconscious like him, extracting the soul was the easiest task. With little effort, the spirit grasped Xue Zhaoxiang’s soul and pulled it out of his body.

Lady Xue saw only a fleeting glimpse of the soul being extracted, but she had previously experienced soul extraction herself and knew well how dangerous the situation was for her son. She cried out urgently, "Third Young Master, save my son!"

However, the distance was too great, and by the time Chu Huan and the two shadow guards looked over, the vengeful spirit had already opened its bloody maw and torn Xue Zhaoxiang’s soul in half, devouring it piece by piece.

The spirit gulped down Xue Zhaoxiang’s soul and then retched a few times, complaining, "This kid’s soul is so foul and tasteless. It’s utterly useless."

It didn’t help to strengthen the spirit’s own power at all! It turned to Chu Huan, its long tongue flicking over its lips, eyes showing greed and desire. A soul like Chu Huan’s could not only fill its stomach but also enhance its strength.

However, Shuang’er had already warned him, and the spirit knew it couldn’t risk attacking. With nothing more to do, the vengeful spirit soon drifted away.

Only then did Lady Xue dare to rush forward, but having just experienced soul extraction herself, her body was still in pain, and she stumbled and almost fell.

"Mother..." Xue Yan’er, younger and more resilient, helped her up. The mother and daughter staggered to the bed.

Seeing Xue Zhaoxiang’s face pale and his condition grave, Lady Xue felt a sudden shock and trembled as she checked for his breath.

Indeed, there was no breath left.

Lady Xue was overwhelmed with grief and screamed. Xue Yan’er, terrified and unable to recover from the shock, could only sit in a daze.

Lady Xue held her son’s lifeless body, tears streaming uncontrollably. No matter how much she called out, Xue Zhaoxiang would never open his eyes again.

Suddenly, she turned and glared at Chu Huan, accusing, "Are you holding a grudge and deliberately didn’t save my son?"

Chu Huan frowned. He understood that Lady Xue was heartbroken and in denial, which was why she was lashing out. However, he had done all he could and replied solemnly, "Lady Xue, if I were holding a grudge, I wouldn’t have saved any of you. Even Sixth Sister has people she cannot save. I am merely a scholar, not someone with divine powers."

Lady Xue was speechless and could not refute him. Chu Huan didn’t want to waste any more time, so he called the two shadow guards to continue searching for people to save elsewhere in the Xue residence.

The Xue residence was in chaos. It was not just the vengeful spirits consuming souls; it was also a test of human nature.

The noble families knew about the disturbances caused by evil spirits in the capital and had bought House Protection Talismans and Protection Talismans. They had previously thought the talismans were too expensive, but now that they were proving effective, they felt they were worth the cost.

However, with numerous vengeful spirits surrounding the main house of the second branch, assaulting from all directions, the House Protection Talisman was growing increasingly dim with each collision.

Outside, the atmosphere was thick with evil energy, and cold winds howled. The sounds of cracking doors and windows made everyone inside the house shudder, fearing that the spirits might break in at any moment.

The House Protection Talisman’s runes had already become very faint!

Second Master Xue’s face was pale, his voice tight as he scolded his wife, "Why didn’t you buy an extra House Protection Talisman back then?! Is a bit of extra money really a problem for us?!"

The second wife, terrified and aggrieved, replied, "Sir, you don’t understand how expensive rice is. We in the second branch have more people and less money. It’s already very difficult for me to spare funds for talismans."

Second Master Xue looked at his more than ten children around him, his expression grim. The House Protection Talisman was on the verge of failing.

He had only five Protection Talismans. One for himself, and since his wife was old and no longer useful, he gave the second one to his most favored concubine. The remaining three went to the children of that concubine.

The second wife was stunned and then horrified as she saw how her husband distributed the talismans, "Sir, I am your wife, and they are your legitimate children. How could you be so unjust as to give the Protection Talismans to those lowly people?!"

The concubine clutched the Protection Talismans tightly and sneered, "Sir can give the talismans to whoever he wants. Do you have the right to question it?"

Second Master Xue added, "Madam, there are only five talismans. How should I divide them? If you had bought more, everyone would have had one."

He turned the blame on his wife, accusing her of bringing this on herself.

The second wife, bewildered, looked up and laughed bitterly. It turned out that the real horror was not the vengeful spirits outside but her own husband!

As she laughed, tears started to fall. She dismissed them with a wave and looked around the room, "Everyone understands the principle of ’self-preservation,’ right? Whoever gets the Protection Talismans will have a chance to survive."

The children of the second branch looked eager. The servants, traditionally submissive, were also stirred up by the second wife’s words and began to consider their chances. After all, they were humans too and had no reason to wait to die.

They also wanted to fight for a chance at survival!

"Wretch, what nonsense are you talking?!" Second Master Xue, enraged, moved to punish his wife. But the legitimate children had already rushed forward to snatch the Protection Talismans from Second Master Xue.

Weak as he was, it took only two people to knock him down. The Protection Talismans were soon seized.

The talisman was grabbed by this legitimate child and then snatched away by that legitimate daughter. In the end, they fought fiercely, even siblings showed no mercy in the face of life and death.

The concubine, originally protecting her young children, found it useless to scold as the servants stormed in to grab the talismans.

The room quickly became a bloody scene.

The second wife, smelling the blood and seeing the chaos, felt a strange sense of peace.

Bang----

Another violent crash echoed outside. The house seemed on the brink of collapse. The House Protection Talisman’s vermilion color had completely faded, and a cold wind blew through, lifting the yellow talisman and dropping it to the ground.

The ornate wooden doors and windows were broken apart.

The evil energy quickly spread inside, and the vengeful spirits began to drift in from all directions.

Seeing the living inside the house fighting, some were severely wounded and weak, while others had already lost their breath, their souls drifting out of their bodies.

It was quite convenient for the spirits; they didn’t have to exert any effort. They were thrilled, devouring soul after soul.

The second wife glanced at Second Master Xue, seeing him surrounded by vengeful spirits, and finally closed her eyes, spreading her arms, giving up on survival.

A vengeful spirit floated over and devoured her soul completely.

The Protection Talismans that the second branch had fought over were already torn to shreds.

With only a fragment left, what use could it serve?

The spirits, having been hungry for a long time in the mass grave, were not going to be polite. They eagerly feasted on the numerous souls.