knife

Chapter 714 Performance
Cui Shu's house was once again packed with people.

Unlike last time when it was sparse, this time even the third and fifth branches of the family actually sent people.

Everyone's face was filled with fear.

Cui Ming is practicing the Blood Jade Technique.

Every day, fewer and fewer people are leaving the house, and those who are mysteriously disappearing are becoming increasingly powerful.

Yesterday, one of the top experts from the third branch, a cultivator at the seventh rank of the Profound Origin Realm, died.

"Second Brother, our third branch went to Nanyang on the special arrangements of the patriarch. Why are you blocking the road and forbidding anyone from leaving?" From the crowd, a scholar with a long beard questioned Cui Shu angrily.

Cui Shu gave him a cold look and said, "Everyone knows the reason. At this time, whoever tries to run away will be next!"

"On what grounds?" the scholar roared.

"To sacrifice oneself for the honor of the family, you, me, and him are all capable of it."

"Anything is fine? It's still up to you to decide!"

Cui Shu slammed her hand on the table and roared, "Cui Dong, do you think I wanted this? Do you think I wanted to send living people into that bottomless pit? But what could I do? Come on, tell me!"

Cui Dong noticed a word in Cui Shu's words.

Bottomless pit!
"What is a bottomless pit? Haven't we filled so many people into it these past few days enough?"

Cui Shu sneered: "The people who have been put in these past few days have only alleviated the patriarch's injuries and prevented them from worsening. The patriarch wants to repair his meridians and recover in a short time, which those small fry cannot satisfy. Next up is the seventh rank of Xuan Yuan!"

Everyone in the room turned pale upon hearing this.

No wonder there wasn't a single Xuan Yuan Rank 7 cultivator yesterday; it turns out that lower-rank cultivators were no longer effective in helping the family head recover.

If previously everyone thought that a large number of low-ranking people could be used to fill the gaps, and that those above the Xuan Yuan rank would be fine and could remain indifferent, then now things are completely different.

Cui Shu slowly sat down, tears welling in her eyes. "I am more heartbroken than you are, but what can I do? My cultivation is the highest, but because I was ambushed by Li Dachui, the true energy I cultivated only added fuel to the fire for the patriarch's injuries. Otherwise, if I had taken the hit myself, it wouldn't have made much difference!"

"No, can't we arrest other people?" Cui Dong asked in a low voice.

"The Blood Jade Technique itself has endless consequences, but if it absorbs all the true energy that the family head has been practicing since childhood, such as the Long River Technique, it will not produce much rejection." Cui Shu shook his head and sighed.

Cui Dong's face turned pale, and he lowered his head.

The direct descendants of the third and fifth branches left the Cui family's old residence for Nanyang. Although it was arranged by the head of the family, it was in fact a betrayal of Cui Shu. I'm afraid that the first to be replaced will be the people under the third and fifth branches. How could Cui Shu not take the opportunity to take revenge?
"Second Brother!" Cui Tu of the Fourth Branch suddenly stood up, glanced at the people in the room, and said loudly, "I am a straightforward person, and I will speak my mind. I just want to ask one question: how much can the Patriarch recover after absorbing the true energy of the Long River with the Blood Jade Technique, and how long will it take?"

"I don't know," Cui Shu said. "But what is certain is that this process will take a very long time, and the purity of the Long River True Qi required will also increase. In other words, the higher the grade required, the further along the process will go."

"In other words, we will all become targets!" Cui Tu said. Cui Shu remained silent.

"Second Brother, you are the patriarch's biological son, so I don't blame you for doing this. But if you try to harm me, I will definitely fight back!" Cui Tu shouted. "I know you are a master of the Innate Realm, and I can't beat you, but I will definitely fight back. I don't want to become a mere skin!"

Cui Tu's words resonated throughout the room, and everyone started shouting.

Must we sacrifice all the elite descendants of the Cui family for an uncertain future?

The sixth brother, Cui Peng, stood up, looked at Cui Shu, and said softly, "Second brother, you are the heir chosen by the family head, and you are also the only innate master in our Cui family right now. Only you can stop this matter!"

"How could I stop him? That's the head of the family, that's my father!" Cui Shu covered her face with one hand, tears streaming down her face.

"Second Brother, this is not the time for blind filial piety!" Cui Peng said sternly. "We all know that in the end, those who practice the Blood Jade Technique will all turn themselves into demons. The records of the Dayong royal family in our clan clearly show this. Are we going to use the strength of the entire clan to cultivate a demon who may not even be of any help to our Cui family?"

"Shut up!" Cui Shu shouted sternly.

"Second Brother, even if you kill me, I'll still say it today!" Cui Peng turned to the crowd and shouted, "There are several ninth-grade Xuan Yuan cultivators in this room, more than ten eighth-grade Xuan Yuan cultivators, and even more seventh-grade Xuan Yuan cultivators. Does this mean there aren't any future innate talents among them? Take your eighteenth son, for example. He was already an eighth-grade Xuan Yuan cultivator at the age of twenty-six. Won't he become an innate cultivator in the future? We just need to get through this period! Second Brother, although you're injured, you can still hold on for a few more years, right?"

"What should we do, patriarch?" Cui Shu asked in a low voice.

The room fell silent. After a long while, someone in the crowd said, "Second Brother, the Blood Jade Technique is a demonic martial art, unacceptable to the world. We are a prestigious family, a model for the world. How can we tolerate such an outcast within our family? Once outsiders find out, the Cui family is finished. We won't even need Li Dachui to attack; we'll be unable to stand in this world anymore!"

Cui Shu suddenly stood up, pointed his halberd in the direction of the person who spoke, his body trembling slightly. He mumbled something for a long time, but in the end, he didn't say the words of accusation. Then he slumped back into his chair with a thud.

"Second Brother, what he said makes sense. Now, only you can turn the tide!" someone else added from the crowd. "Given the current situation, I support Second Brother taking over as head of the family immediately!"

"I support it too!" Cui Tu and Cui Peng turned to look at everyone and said loudly, "At this moment, we need a calm leader."

Everyone saw the current situation clearly. The only person left who could and dared to stop this was Cui Shu. Anyone who objected would definitely be the next one to be fed to Cui Ming.

Who would want to die like this?

Of course, no one would want that.

Even the members of the third and fifth branches of the family firmly expressed their support for Cui Shu to immediately become the head of the family and replace Cui Ming in exercising the power of the head of the family.

As for Cui Ming, since his injuries are severe and he needs to rest, he is unable to manage affairs and should step down.

"Second brother, what are you still hesitating for?" Cui Tu from the fourth branch said sternly.

Cui Shu slowly stood up, glanced at everyone, and said, "Alright, since everyone says so, then I'll take the blame for this enormous responsibility! I'll accept the crime of being disobedient and unfilial!"

(End of this chapter)