Chapter 281: Ximen Ren’s Aftermath
In the end, Ximen Ren had been reduced to a grotesque mess. His spiritual veins had ruptured, and demonic qi seeped into the air, fully exposing his true nature.
Unsurprisingly, as his life force ebbed away, his body began to change. His demonic cultivation instinctively went to work, desperately trying to keep him alive.
Now, all the lies, all the pretense, and the mask he had carefully maintained to hide his true nature had been stripped away.
Everyone now knew that everything Song Wan had said just moments ago was true.
Ximen Hong looked at his second son. Even though Ximen Ren had been born to a concubine, he still felt conflicted.
He had never loved Ximen Ren’s mother as deeply as he had loved his main wife, Ximen Hao’s mother.
But a father was still a father.
Before Ximen Hao had turned over a new leaf, Ximen Hong had even considered naming Ximen Ren as his heir because the boy had seemed to embody everything he had wished Ximen Hao would become.
Unfortunately.... Like everyone else, he had been deceived by the mask of a benevolent and virtuous young lord that Ximen Ren had worn.
Fortunately, however, he had seen his son’s true face before it was too late. Otherwise, the Ximen Clan might have met its end under Ximen Ren’s leadership.
Even so, the conflict in his heart remained.
Such was the nature of emotion. It was irrational, even when the rational mind understood the truth.
— A Few Days Later —
After everything had been exposed, Ximen Ren was confined to a newly built courtyard. The backlash from the destruction of the Control Gu was far more than his body could withstand. He lost all of his cultivation and was left completely crippled. His bones had been shattered by the backlash, while his muscles and tendons had been torn apart.
The investigation of Ximen Ren’s courtyard led to the discovery of the Blood Garden, a place where thousands of humans had been sacrificed to refine Blood Pellets and increase Ximen Ren’s cultivation.
Wei Chen assisted with the investigation. His techniques, which were closely related to souls and death, allowed him to uncover many clues. With the combined efforts of the Underworld Palace and the Ximen Clan’s investigation team, they eventually identified many of the victims.
Among them were the family members of Official Ke.
When Official Ke learned the truth, he completely broke down and attempted to storm Ximen Ren’s courtyard to kill him.
However, when he saw Ximen Ren’s current condition, he stopped.
Ximen Ren’s eyes were vacant. His face was covered in tears, snot, and drool, leaving him little more than a broken shell of his former self.
Official Ke suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Heaven! Heaven’s retribution has finally descended! HAHAHAHA! This is karma! This is all karma!"
He laughed like a madman for hours until his voice became hoarse.
Then he collapsed into tears once again.
Official Ke shut himself away from the world. He stopped going to work, stopped buying groceries, and even abandoned his cultivation.
Several days later, a servant responsible for maintaining his residence let out a terrified scream that drew the attention of everyone nearby.
She had discovered Official Ke’s body.
He had taken his own life by driving a short sword through his heart.
Later, during the investigation, Wei Chen learned from a passing remark by one of the investigators that the sword had been a gift from Official Ke’s wife and daughter, both of whom had become victims of Ximen Ren.
"Ke Xuan... the Ximen Clan has wronged you..."
Ximen Hong quietly muttered those words as he watched the recovery team carry away Official Ke’s remains.
As for Bodyguard Zhao, he was devastated, though not to the same extent as Official Ke.
He secluded himself for several days before submitting his resignation from the Ximen Clan. He decided to become a wandering cultivator.
The reason he gave Ximen Hong was simple.
He admitted that he had been too naive and had not experienced enough of the world. Because of that, he had failed to see through Ximen Ren’s facade.
Before leaving, he apologized to Ximen Hao for all the disrespect he had shown him.
Ximen Hao simply smiled and brushed it aside. He even gave Bodyguard Zhao some spirit stones as traveling funds.
Thus, the Ximen Ren incident finally came to an end.
For Wei Chen, however, his work was only just beginning.
No...
Perhaps it shouldn’t even be called work.
It was more like a final act of kindness for Official Ke.
Official Ke had been a devoted family man. He had only joined Ximen Ren because he had seen through the man’s true nature and had been forced into submission after Ximen Ren kidnapped his family.
Wei Chen couldn’t help but think back to his own parents in his previous life.
They had been wonderful parents.
The best parents he could have ever asked for.
If they hadn’t truly loved him, they would never have endured all the harassment from those haters until he eventually discovered that they had been suffering because of him.
Even then, they had never once complained or tried to stop him from pursuing what he loved.
He could only hope they had lived the rest of their lives peacefully.
The massive insurance payout should have been enough to guarantee a comfortable retirement.
Now, Wei Chen stood in front of Official Ke’s old house, looking toward a quiet corner.
Official Ke’s soul stood there silently, gazing at his abandoned home.
The residence had already been scheduled for demolition by Ximen Hong. Before that could happen, however, a specialist in spiritual purification and curse removal would first cleanse the property.
"Do you want to see them? Your family..." Wei Chen asked the lonely soul.
Official Ke was startled when he realized Wei Chen had spoken directly to him.
"My lord... you... you can see me? Wait... the Underworld Palace... don’t tell me..."
The realization slowly dawned on him.
"Yes. Just as you’ve guessed, it’s that Underworld. The literal place where the dead go," Wei Chen replied.
Hearing that, Official Ke immediately dropped to his knees and repeatedly kowtowed.
"Please, my lord! Please! I’m willing to accept any punishment for every wrong I’ve committed during my life. No, I’m willing to endure hundreds or even thousands of times that punishment! Just... just let me see them one last time!" Official Ke pleaded as he continued knocking his head against the ground.
Wei Chen let out a quiet sigh before helping him to his feet.
He looked at the man who now existed only as a lonely soul.
His eyes continuously shed tears of blood.
Souls often reflected their deepest emotions in their appearance.
Those blood-red tears carried overwhelming love, regret, and self-blame.
He blamed himself for being too naive.
For trusting the mask Ximen Ren had worn.
By the time he realized the truth...
It had already been too late.
"The Underworld isn’t as cruel as you imagine. It’s dull, and in its own way, that can be a form of torture. But it isn’t the inhumane hell you think it is." Wei Chen smiled knowingly, leaving Official Ke thoroughly confused.
Afterward, Wei Chen brought Official Ke to the Underworld.
Using his authority, he helped Official Ke bypass the endless immigration queue to register as a citizen of the Underworld.
It had to be said that the entire process was a novelty for Official Ke.
The immigration line was incredibly long.
No.
Legendary long!
After several rounds of authorization, countless documents, and an exhausting cycle of approvals and administrative procedures...
Official Ke was finally brought to an apartment on the outskirts of one of the Underworld City’s satellite districts.
There...
He was finally reunited with his deceased wife and daughter.
As for Wei Chen, he fully intended to take advantage of the situation.
From Ximen Hao, he had learned that Official Ke was exceptionally talented at administration and had spent years cleaning up the countless problems left behind by Ximen Ren.
Wei Chen planned to recruit Official Ke into his own division.
After all, his department’s budget was still operating at a... pitifully deficit amount, and he desperately needed someone with Official Ke’s administrative abilities.
Alfred was certainly good, but only up to a point.
When he was alive, Alfred had been both a butler and a bodyguard.
Administrative management simply wasn’t his specialty.
Official Ke, on the other hand, was far more qualified in that regard.
But for now, Wei Chen left the man with his family to enjoy their long awaited reunion. All he needed to do was mark him and send Alfred to fetch him after a few days of rest.
After making sure everything was in order, including the approval for Official Ke to stay in his wife’s apartment and the remaining arrangements, Wei Chen finally returned to the Mortal Realm.
He arrived at the residence Ximen Hao had prepared for him. It now had another frequent guest, Lady Song Wan of the Song Clan.
She was enjoying the company of Mo Xingyao and Dream Butterfly, and she was also helping them take care of the little troublemaker, Ningning.
For some reason, Wei Chen had a strange feeling about the scene before him. He could only hope it was just his own paranoia and not some kind of foreshadowing of the ever growing Wives’ Council...
After all, when women gathered together... they were terrifying.