Venerable Demon King & The Doting Immortal (QT)
Chapter 404: Peng Xiu’s confession

Chapter 404: Peng Xiu’s confession

Xiang Yu ended the call with the Marshal and leaned back into the couch, emotion swirling in his chest. Thoughts raced through his mind, each one sharper than the last. He had no patience to wait for the Marshal to take action, he had to act first.

An hour later, he lay in bed, the darkness enveloping him like a blanket. In his hand, he held a chain with the rings, each one glinting softly in the dim light. He caressed them delicately, his eyes dazed and lost in a haze of memories. He slid one ring off the chain and slipped it onto his ring finger, recalling the day Han Xin had proposed.

He was thinking of how nervous he could have been while kneeling on one knee and looking at him like he was afraid he would say no.

A smile crossed his face as he lifted his hand, the ring catching the faint light in the room. "This time, I will marry you," he whispered, determination echoing in his voice. "I won’t let that old bastard ruin it." Meanwhile the old bastard who really had nothing to do with what happened in the last world felt a chill creep up his back.

Meanwhile, the imperial lord was grappling with a storm of his own. He didn’t realize how tenacious his daughter could be until today. He was livid, fuming as he led her back to the main palace. The moment he commanded his men to take her to Palea, where her mother’s family had been exiled, she erupted.

"No! I won’t leave without Han Xin!" she cried, her small frame shaking as she fought against the guards. They struggled to maintain their hold as she flailed like a wild animal, tears streaming down her face, snorting in anguish. The sight was reminiscent of her mother. She had on the same pitiful look but it didn’t soften the heart of the imperial lord.

"Take her away!" he barked, his tone rough with anger. He was immovable, unyielding, even as she dropped to her knees, grasping at the hem of his robe. Just like her mother before her, she presented her tears as a weapon, but he remained resolute.

He angrily commanded that they take her awayonly for her to scream frantically and her devil like claws slashed at his face taking him by surpise. Her claw-like grip drew blood from his cheek. He had beaten his son mercilessly, but he had never once raised his hand against him. Yet this infuriating creature, spoiled and wilful, dared to defy him.

"Enough!" he yelled, the words coated in wrath as he raised his hand and slapped her across the face with surprising force. She froze, her eyes wide in shock, stars dancing in her vision.

The grounds fell silent save for the sound of her trembling fingers grazing the throbbing skin of her cheek. The imperial lord touched his own face, feeling the blood on his fingertips staining it red. "Keep this up, and you will never leave Palea," he warned, his voice low and dangerous.

But instead of cowering, her lips curled into a crazed smile. "Just like what you did to my mother for that bitch," she retorted, her tone defiant, venomous.

At the mention of his late wife, the imperial lord’s blood boiled. Rage coursed through him like fire, and with swift, practised movements, he drew his sword, the blade gleaming menacingly in the dim light. He thrust the tip to his daughter’s neck, holding her captive between life and death.

"Do it," Peng Xiu laughed manically, leaning forward until the sharp edge pierced her skin. A small stream of crimson flowed down her throat, a stark contrast against her pale skin. Her eyes sparkled with insanity as she taunted him. "Do you want to know what she said to me before she died?"

The imperial lord’s veins throbbed, anger painting his face a deep crimson as he glared at the girl almost unrecognizable to him. How could she know her last words? Was she there?

Peng Xiu wore a devilish smile, one that twisted his gut with disbelief. "She said, ’Help me, I don’t want to die,’" Peng Xiu continued, her tone dripping with malice as she dangled there as if daring him to end it.

Twitches of disbelief coursed through him at her words. He had never known his daughter had been there that day.

"I saw her," Peng Xiu continued, her voice low and mocking. "She had her tippy toes on the stool, regretting getting up." The words dripped like poison, each one carefully calculated to inflict pain.

The imperial lord trembled with a mixture of fury and horror. Bloodshot eyes locked on his daughter wishing to end her life right now. Peng Xiu leaned in closer, undeterred by the sharp blade pressing against her.

"That’s when she saw me, and her eyes lit up with hope. She said to me, ’Come, come here, child,’" Peng Xiu taunted, her smile widening. "But just as she was relieved... I kicked the stool and watched her struggle."

At that moment, the imperial lord’s shock was overwhelming, and he pulled back the blade, fury and disbelief battling within him.

Feeling smug, Peng Xiu taunted, "Mother was right. You are just a weak, pathetic man from the sewers of the lower city. You are nothi—"

Her words cut off abruptly as the imperial lord, in a flash of crimson rage, drove his blade into her abdomen. The burning sensation of steel puncturing her flesh shocked Peng Xiu. Her eyes widened, disbelief coursing through her.

"Don’t worry," he whispered, voice low and icy. "You won’t die... at least not now. I want you to watch the most important person to you suffer an even more terrible fate than my wife did."

Withdrawing the blade, he shoved her away, leaving her stunned. As she stumbled, the imperial guards, frozen in surprise, failed to catch her, and she tumbled headfirst down the stairs, rolling like discarded trash.

"Make sure she lives!" he barked. "If she dies, I will bury you with her."

Turning his back, he strode into the palace, tossing his blood-soaked sword to the steward, who caught it effortlessly. The man’s expression betrayed neither shock nor fear as he fell in line, moving to follow his lord.

Peng Xiu lay on the cold floor, gasping for breath, not because of the wound, but because of the insufferable thought that Han Xin was in trouble. The guards rushed to her side, attempting to revive her, concern etching their faces, but all she could think about was the danger that loomed over her sweetheart.

Fury thrummed in the imperial lord as he entered his study. He marched towards the wall, frustration spilling over. The wall illuminated, revealing a hidden door that disintegrated to grant him passage. He stepped into the elevator, and as it descended, his thoughts darkened further.

When the doors opened, he found himself in his secret lab, each flickering light illuminating the space with a chilling glow. There, tied and cuffed, was Han Xin, his head bowed low, helpless.

Since all this chaos began because of Han Xin’s mere existence, the imperial lord felt a primal need to vent his anger on him. Just like his father, Han Xin had the uncanny ability to capture everyone’s attention, including his children. One was ready to throw away everything for love, and the other had gone into a crazed rampage for him like

they were under a spell.

The oracle of vengeance glimmered in the imperial lord’s eyes as he stepped forward. He would make Han Xin pay for the betrayal of his own blood.