Chapter 595: Repay Injury with Justice

Zu'an gasped, feeling a sudden chill between his legs. He instinctively reached down to shield himself, thinking, "That's truly terrible! He'll probably have to change his name after this."

It wasn't just him; everyone present instinctively squeezed their legs together. Even eunuchs like Xiao Xuzi and Xiao Hezi swallowed hard, as the scene before them reminded them of their own castration.

Back then, a lot of preparatory work was involved before castration. One had to abstain from water for several days, stay in a warm silk-rearing room, and ensure the knives were sterilized. Those who could afford bribes might even receive some anesthetic to lessen the agony. Yet, despite all this, the pain was still so severe that people were incapacitated.

But Shi Kun, right before their eyes, was castrated without any preparation whatsoever. And he didn't utter a single scream from beginning to end – a true man!

No, wait. He wouldn’t be a man anymore after this.

Shi Kun's face was as pale as paper, and beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolled down his face. He didn't *not* want to scream; he was simply in too much pain to cry out.

This kind of pain wasn't just physical; it was also spiritual.

The Immortal-Slaying Flying Daggers could wound one’s soul!

Shi Kun felt as if something was missing from his mind in that instant. He knew, with a high degree of certainty, that he likely wouldn't be able to progress further on the path of cultivation.

Crucially, he had also injured his penis. He couldn't even be a man anymore.

If Zu'an had been the one to inflict the injury, Shi Kun’s family, with their influence, might have been able to demand Zu’an’s life in return. But he had been injured by the Crown Princess herself…

The thought that he had no choice but to endure this injustice made him both pained and furious. Then, he rolled his eyes and fainted.

"What exactly are you doing? Why did this happen?" Bi Linglong was somewhat bewildered. She knew Shi Kun’s identity was special; he wasn't someone who could be casually dealt with. Now that he had suffered such a severe injury in the Crown Prince's presence, it could easily lead to unrest in the court if not handled with extreme care.

Everyone looked at him with strange expressions, except for the Crown Prince, who, completely unconcerned, chuckled and said, "He was just standing behind the door, holding a knife and gesturing with it. Then you suddenly opened the door and directly helped him thrust the knife in. Didn't you hear the sound of the blade entering flesh just now?"

Bi Linglong was speechless.

Now that he mentioned it, she did vaguely recall hearing a similar sound at the time. But she had been in a fit of pique then, so how could she have paid attention to such details?

She was close to losing her mind. What kind of situation was this? And she, the dignified Crown Princess, had personally castrated a man! If this news spread, there was no telling what kind of bizarre scenarios people would concoct.

Zu'an cleared his throat and spoke, "This isn't the Crown Princess's fault. Even if she hadn't entered, he would still have been injured there. He and I had a bet witnessed by the Way of Heaven; life and death are fated, and no one can be blamed. If the Crown Princess hadn't come in, and the bet had continued, he might have died here on the spot. In a way, the Crown Princess actually saved his life."

At this, Xiao Xuzi and Xiao Hezi also chimed in, "Hmph! The score we just settled was quickly paid back. One must never offend us eunuchs!"

Bi Linglong finally collected herself. She even found Zu'an much more agreeable now and quickly seized the opportunity to say, "Ahem, guards, quickly summon the imperial physicians... Er, no, just take him directly to the Imperial Hospital. Tell the physicians to ensure he receives the best possible treatment."

Seeing a man bleeding from *there* was truly disturbing; it was better to simply be out of sight, out of mind.

After Shi Kun was carried away, Bi Linglong clearly had no more energy to scold the Crown Prince. Instead, she urgently instructed the eunuchs and guards present to investigate the full details. She also made sure they would coordinate their statements to prevent the Shi family from holding a grudge against her and the Crown Prince.

Zu'an, meanwhile, seemed like the only idle person there, standing alone with no one paying him any mind.

He glanced at the flying daggers on the ground. Apparently, the Crown Prince, fearing a scolding from the Crown Princess, had quietly tossed them aside.

He picked them up curiously. In fact, he had sensed the extraordinary nature of these flying daggers from the moment he first saw them.

Considering his current strength and recovery abilities, even a Heaven-grade divine weapon shouldn't have given him such an overwhelming sense of threat.

Shi Kun's recent ordeal explained everything. He was, after all, a sixth-rank master; even with such an injury, he shouldn't have been in enough pain to faint.

At the time, he seemed unable to even speak. That pain appeared to target not only the physical body but also the soul.

He reached out and touched a flying dagger. A cold chill emanated from the blade, making his soul extremely uncomfortable.

On the path of cultivation, practitioners initially use the elemental energy of heaven and earth to temper their physical bodies. Only after reaching the Grandmaster stage do they begin to perceive and refine their souls.

Only through steady, systematic physical tempering from the first to the ninth rank can the body become strong enough to bear the soul's consumption and power.

However, this doesn't mean the soul doesn't exist below the Grandmaster stage. The soul is always present; Grandmasters merely learn to manifest it, enabling them to attack enemies with it.

For cultivators below the Grandmaster stage, the soul is invisible and intangible, yet it undeniably exists.

If a person's soul is injured, it means their future on the path of cultivation is irrevocably sealed.

Realizing Shi Kun had intended to use such a venomous item against him, Zu'an's expression turned cold. He thought, "Harm others and you harm yourself; he truly deserved this."

Seeing no one was paying attention, he secretly placed this set of flying daggers into his Glazed Treasure Bead. Although sinister, these were undoubtedly valuable magical artifacts that might prove useful in the future.

He had just noticed faint patterns of the words "Immortal Slaying" on the blades of the daggers.

Immortal-Slaying Flying Daggers?

Zu'an was startled. He remembered Daoist Lu Ya from the *Investiture of the Gods* world, whose most potent magical artifact was also the Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger.

But he immediately shook his head. While these daggers were powerful, the Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger in the myths could slay gods and demons alike; clearly, they were not the same item.

He counted them; there were three in total. For some reason, he had a vague feeling that this wasn't a complete set and that a few daggers were still missing.

Wait, there was still one with Shi Kun.

Recalling where that dagger was currently lodged, Zu'an’s eyelids twitched. He even felt an impulse to just discard that soiled dagger entirely.

However, he also understood that there was a vast difference between the power of a complete set of magical artifacts and the functions of individual pieces, much like how many equipment sets in his previous life often had special bonuses.

Seeing that the Crown Princess was still lecturing the residents of the Eastern Palace in the next room, he decided to head directly to the Imperial Hospital, taking the opportunity to familiarize himself with the palace environment.

Several times along the way, guards stopped him and questioned him. He simply pulled out his Crown Prince’s Retainer token, stating he was on his way to visit the injured Shi Kun on the orders of both the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.

None of the guards suspected him; after all, no one in this world had ever dared to falsely relay the Crown Prince’s orders.

Having transmigrated, Zu'an didn't share the same native scruples; such pronouncements came easily to him. After all, it was perfectly reasonable for the Crown Princess to send someone to visit the injured. Perhaps she hadn't fully recovered from the shock yet and would surely remember to send someone later. By anticipating her needs, he was simply helping her, and she would likely be grateful.

Upon arriving at the Imperial Hospital, he found everyone in a flurry. They were clearly preoccupied with consulting on the severely injured Shi Kun and had no time to pay him any mind.

Zu'an wandered around inside for a while and soon found a blood-stained flying dagger on a table.

Considering whose blood it was, Zu'an, with a look of disgust, picked up a nearby teapot and rinsed off the bloodstains. Then, he found a piece of gauze and carefully wiped the blade clean.

Although some passersby found his actions a bit strange, seeing him dressed as an Eastern Palace official, no one said anything. All their attention was currently focused on Shi Kun inside.

From the inner room, the imperial physicians' conversation could be continuously heard:

"Is the wound clean?"

"Once I've reattached the severed limb using water-element magic, immediately apply the bone-regeneration paste to the wound and secure it. You must be quick."

"And why isn't the prepared medicinal decoction ready yet? Make sure he drinks it immediately after we finish here. Oh, and don't give him too much."

...

Zu'an’s expression shifted. He hadn’t expected that limb reattachment surgery was possible in this world as well. The world of cultivation and the world of technology truly achieved similar results through different means.

As he was marveling, he suddenly heard Shi Kun's delirious curses from inside:

"That son of a bitch Zu'an! %#@!... May he be torn to pieces!"

"%#￥@*…"

Rage points from Shi Kun +999+999+999...

The words were muffled and indistinct, clearly Shi Kun's unconscious curses while he was unconscious. Yet, the intense venom within them was palpable.

Zu'an narrowed his eyes. "You clearly tried to harm me first," he thought. "And this time, you were injured by the Crown Princess. You don't go after her, yet you hate me instead?"

The thought of such a twisted, venomous person constantly plotting against him in the future made Zu'an's gaze turn cold. "If one repays resentment with kindness, how will kindness be repaid?" he mused. "One should repay resentment with justice!"

Although he considered himself a good person, he was never a bleeding heart. "Since you want me dead," he thought, "then you will be the one to die first."

He looked around. With so many imperial physicians surrounding Shi Kun, all their attention on him, and even masters among them, killing Shi Kun in such a situation would be incredibly difficult.