"Hahahaha..."

Luo Xiu suddenly lay on the ground, laughing at himself in derision. "Luo Xiu, oh Luo Xiu, you're a fucking idiot, getting played like a fiddle by some woman. Chu Qingchan... so that's your real name. No wonder I could never find any information on you."

Xia Chan bit her lower lip, her heart twisting as if being sliced by a knife as she watched Luo Xiu laugh hysterically on the ground. She could somewhat understand how he felt. The woman he'd risk his life to protect turned out to be a liar... How devastating must that blow be?

"If I could, I'd want to be your Xia Chan too," she said softly. "Luo Xiu, you think I tricked you, that I played you... but in the end, I'm the one who lost! I'm the one who lost to you!"

Luo Xiu stopped laughing and stared at her with a strange expression. "So?"

Xia Chan suddenly grabbed his collar, yanking him up from the ground. She gritted her teeth and spat, "You bastard! I hate you to the bone! I want to kill you every second of every day... but when it comes down to it, I can never go through with it! Instead, I end up feeling sorry for you, worrying about you... If I could do it all over again, I would've never gotten close to you!"

"Let him go!" a sharp voice cried out.

Xu Qianqing, who had been stealthily approaching, chose her moment to reveal herself from the shadows. She thrust a palm at Xia Chan, hoping to rescue Luo Xiu in the chaos.

Xia Chan, however, remained unfazed, merely shooting her an indifferent glance. "Your Wicked Tenderness Technique is still amateur."

With a casual wave of her hand, a strange Palm Force warped the air, deflecting Xu Qianqing's strike off its path. The twisting void forced the unstoppable Xu Qianqing to stumble past Xia Chan.

As their eyes met, Xu Qianqing was struck with disbelief.

How does this woman also know the Chu Family's Wicked Tenderness Technique?! And she's so ridiculously skilled at it!

But she had no time to dwell on it. Rescuing Luo Xiu was the priority.

After steadying herself, Xu Qianqing spun around and launched another palm strike at Xia Chan.

"I told you, you're still an amateur. Stop wasting your energy," Xia Chan said, calmly sidestepping the blow. She then flowed with the movement, chopping Xu Qianqing on the back of the neck and knocking her unconscious. "We can't stay here. Luo Ying, let's go!"

Luo Ying commanded the Dragon Drill to transform into a thin chain, which wrapped tightly around Luo Xiu. Then, grabbing Xia Chan with one hand and Luo Xiu with the other, she soared into the night sky, vanishing in an instant.

…

…

Chu Aoran stared at the deep crater, several dozen meters in diameter, his expression thoughtful as he felt the powerful residual energy lingering in the air. He had just gotten the gist of what happened from the Chu Family Disciples.

This power… is truly terrifying.

"Old Master, the young miss is awake!" a Chu Family Disciple reported, hurrying over.

Chu Aoran nodded and walked to the side.

He hadn't gone far before Xu Qianqing ran up, grabbed his hand, and cried, "Grandpa, Luo Xiu was taken! You have to help me save him!"

Chu Aoran sighed, stroking her head. "Silly girl, don't panic. Since they wanted to take him alive, it means he isn't in immediate danger of losing his life. First, we need to figure out who we're dealing with. We at least have to know where they are before we can mount a rescue."

Xu Qianqing gradually calmed down. She suddenly recalled something and said quickly, "Oh, right! Grandpa, I think I heard them say that the woman with Luo Xiu is named Chu Qingchan. And she knows the Wicked Tenderness Technique, even better than I do."

"Her surname is Chu, she knows the Wicked Tenderness Technique, and she's likely familiar with the Formation routes around Lake Chu Tian, which is how they were able to so easily corner Luo Xiu... Do you think she could be from the Chu Family?"

"What did you say?" Chu Aoran frowned, finding it incredible. The Wicked Tenderness Technique was an ancestral art of the Chu Family, and only female disciples who had inherited the complete ancestral Bloodline could cultivate it.

Could it be... one of his descendants?

"Who are you talking about, Grandpa?"

"Never mind... Xie Rou, let's head back for now. Grandpa will investigate this thoroughly once we're home."

…

An unspeakable pain sent Luo Xiu drifting in and out of consciousness. He sensed being carried into a basement and laid on an iron bed. Someone was dressing his wounds while voices spoke softly near his ear. He struggled to open his eyes, but his eyelids were too heavy. He tried to fight, but his entire body was bound by chains formed from the Dragon Drill, leaving him completely immobilized.

"What tenacious life force."

"An ordinary person with these injuries would have died ten times over!"

"And look, his wounds are already healing. The damaged tissue is regenerating on its own."

"This guy's Bloodline genetics are almost identical to Luo Ying's. No, they might even be stronger!"

"Archbishop, this man is terrifying. If he wakes up, no one here will be able to control him, and we can't leave Capital City for a while."

"How much of the serum made from Luo Ying's genes is left?"

"There are eight vials remaining."

"Inject him with all of it. Suppress his Bloodline for now. We can train him properly later."

Soon after, Luo Xiu felt a sharp, stinging pain in his arm, like an ant bite. Then, an intense pressure crushed him from the inside out. His meridians, his organs, his limbs—it felt as if every part of him was being clamped by an invisible shackle. The overwhelming powerlessness plunged him into absolute panic.

An unknown amount of time passed.

When he next awoke, he found himself lying on a bed.

"You're awake. How are you feeling?" Xia Chan's gentle, sweet voice came from beside him.

Luo Xiu bolted upright, but the sudden movement sent an indescribable wave of pain through him, making his entire body tremble.

"Don't move, your wounds just healed," Xia Chan said, quickly reaching out to steady him.

Luo Xiu's gaze turned murderous as he reached out to grab her throat. However, the moment he lifted his right hand, the heart-piercing agony made him shudder again. His entire arm was not only excruciatingly painful but also completely devoid of strength.

"I told you not to move! Can't you just behave yourself for once?" Xia Chan's temper flared. She shoved Luo Xiu back onto the bed. "I don't care how strong you were before, right now you're just an ordinary person!

"So even if you weren't injured, you'd be powerless against me. Instead of being humiliated, you'd be better off just being sensible."

Luo Xiu gritted his teeth. "What did you do to me?"

"Just gave you a few injections," Xia Chan said. "I'll be honest with you. You're related by blood to Luo Ying. We previously used her genetic Bloodline to create a suppression serum, specifically to control her. That same serum is just as effective on you."

Hearing this, Luo Xiu fell silent. In the past, he'd never thought his power was anything special. But now, having lost that incredible strength, he was helpless, forced to endure this humiliation. Only now did he realize how important power was. For the first time, he felt an intense, desperate craving for it.

"So, what's next? Am I the Holy Boi Religion's new guinea pig? You'll run endless experiments on me, use my genes to make your serum, and create more Special Ability Warriors?" he asked, his voice laced with venom. "Xia Chan... no, I should call you Chu Qingchan.

"Chu Qingchan, you'd be better off killing me. Because the moment I find a way out of here... I will tear your Holy Boi Religion apart, just like I did with that church in Africa, and with the Ye Family not long ago..."

Xia Chan sighed and suddenly asked, "Do you hate me?"

"No. You aren't worthy of my hatred. At most, you're just someone who got in my way, no different from the scum in the Ye Family."

Xia Chan lowered her head. "If I could, I truly wish I'd never run into you that night."

Luo Xiu stared at her. "I thought the car crash was an accident. Turns out it was inevitable. Now that I think about it, you getting taken hostage at the Ye estate to force me to hand over the Elixirs, and how people always managed to block our path on the way to the Chu Family... it was all your plan, wasn't it?"

He let out a self-deprecating laugh. "And I was like an idiot, treating you like a treasure, risking my life to protect you."

Xia Chan looked up at him. "What's the point of analyzing all that now? You're a prisoner. You should feel lucky you're still alive, lying on a comfortable bed with me personally taking care of you."

"Luo Xiu, you have two choices now.

"First, be with me. Join the Holy Boi Religion, for good, with no ulterior motives. You will be second to only one person here and enjoy every privilege imaginable.

"Second, you can be a slave, performing Alchemy for the Holy Boi Religion day and night. Meanwhile, our people will periodically take you to a lab to draw your blood."

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