Chapter 43: Retribution
At this time, Ying Nanxi was no longer the proud daughter of heaven, she was filled with an overwhelming sense of impending doom.
If this had been in another situation, her pitiful appearance would have surely garnered the sympathy of many.
However, now, despite the pain felt by the crowd over the “fall” of the clan’s top genius, when their eyes met that terrifyingly distorted face, they instinctively lowered their heads, unable to look directly at her.
Even Ying Nanxi’s father stepped back a few paces upon seeing his daughter’s state.
In their helplessness, the Ying family told Ying Nanxi the full story about the escape of the vessel.
Upon learning that her current plight was all due to one person, Ying Nanxi’s expression twisted with rage.
Since the Ying family had transferred the curse at a very young age, not many knew about the vessel.
But Ying Nanxi happened to be one of them, as she had been taken to transfer the curse before testing her talents, and she was also the first among the younger generation of the family to undergo the curse transfer.
Thus, she understood very well the significance of the vessel to the entire Ying family.
“Isn’t the dark prison guarded heavily? How could a useless person who had been locked inside since childhood possibly escape? Is there a traitor in the family?!”
When she spoke the word “traitor,” Ying Nanxi nearly ground her teeth in anger.
It was because of this traitor that she had become what she was now, especially after realizing that she was the only one in the entire family experiencing such a situation, her hatred deepened further.
Why was it only her?
She thought about the fact that aside from herself and a very small number of others in the family, the rest had undergone curse transfers at a young age. Could it be because of this that something went wrong with her?
At this thought, Ying Nanxi even felt hatred toward the family members who had helped her transfer the curse.
Why couldn’t they have helped her transfer the curse sooner? If they had, she wouldn’t have ended up like this.
“Although we suspect there might be a traitor, we have thoroughly investigated everyone and found no one.”
“That means you didn’t investigate carefully enough!” Ying Nanxi nearly shouted this in anger.
In the past, people had always regarded Ying Nanxi as courteous and polite; not to mention yelling, she rarely raised her voice at all.
Now, however, she seemed like a completely different person, and with the curse on her face, she resembled a malevolent spirit crawling up from the ground.
“Arrest everyone who has entered the dark prison during this period and torture them for information; we will definitely be able to identify the traitor.”
At this moment, Ying Nanxi didn’t care at all about the lives of those people; she just wanted to quickly return to her former self.
These returning curses not only ruined her appearance but were also continuously devouring her cultivation.
In just a few short days, she had gone from being at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, on the verge of forming her core, to having her cultivation regress to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.
If this situation continued, it wouldn’t be long before all the years of hard work she had put into her cultivation would be destroyed.
Ying Nanxi bore the hope of the Ying family’s return to the Cangqiong Realm, so her situation was naturally taken very seriously by the family.
“Although Nanxi’s method is a bit rash, it is currently the most effective approach,” one elder said.
Just as they were preparing to act on Ying Nanxi’s plan to capture the people involved, a commotion suddenly erupted outside.
“What’s going on out there?” the head of the Ying family frowned in displeasure.
As the noise grew louder, a group of people rushed in from outside.
These individuals bore a striking resemblance to one another, making it clear that they were all from the same family; even the locations of the curse marks on their faces were very similar.
The people present were startled and exclaimed, “What happened to you all…?”
Among them, a young man at the forefront spotted Ying Nanxi, and upon seeing the same marks on her face, a glimmer of understanding flashed in his eyes.
“Nanyang, when did those marks appear on your faces?” one elder asked.
He then cupped his hands toward the many elders in the room and replied, “Three days ago.”
This was around the same time as Ying Nanxi’s incident.
“How is this possible? It’s just a matter of her sacrificing a little for the family; now she’s going to ruin our Ying family!” another elder said meaningfully. “This is probably just the beginning. Patriarch, I now suspect that the one who rescued the vessel is not among us.”
Hearing this, the head of the Ying family abruptly looked up. “What do you mean by that?”
“Patriarch, do you still remember where our curse came from?”
As the words fell, everyone present was taken aback. It was a good question—where did their curse come from? It was bestowed upon them by the main lineage.
This kind of curse would limit their cultivation speed and innate talent, but it would also weaken over generations as the bloodline was passed down.
By the time of Ying Nanxi, the curse had indeed weakened significantly, but they couldn’t afford to wait that long, which was why they considered transferring the curse.
In the decades leading up to the appearance of the vessel, the mortality rate of newborns in the Ying family had reached an astonishing level.
Out of every hundred children, only one would survive.
During that period, the main task of the Ying family was simply to bear children.
One elder nodded. “Since those people were able to place the curse on us, they can naturally lift it as well.”
“Seventh Elder, are you suggesting that someone from the main family has come down to our realm? How is that possible?”
How could anyone in the Cangqiong Realm possibly want to come down here?
Seventh Elder shook his head. “This is the most plausible explanation. The curses on Nanxi and the others are the best evidence of that.”
“But why has it become so severe?” Ying Nanyang asked excitedly. “Could it be a form of revenge for these years?”
“We all know the situation with the vessel over the years; this is likely not something she could control. It’s highly probable that it was orchestrated by that member of the Ying family who came from the Cangqiong Realm.”
“What qualifications do they have to do this? What gives them the right? This is our family matter; what right do they have to interfere—”
Before the last word could escape her lips, Ying Nanxi was struck sharply by her father.
“You unruly child, be quiet! How dare you insult the main lineage like this? You will go to the ancestral hall now, kneel as punishment, and repent for your reckless words!”
“I won’t!” Ying Nanxi retorted, her face set in defiance. “Am I wrong? We’ve already been expelled; our surname has even been taken back. We are no longer members of the Ying family! Whatever we do has nothing to do with them. Now they want to meddle in our affairs—why should they? Just because they are from the main lineage?”
“That’s right, just because they are from the main lineage!” Seventh Elder looked at Ying Nanxi, who wore an expression of defiance, and affirmed his stance.
