The Eternal Supreme Chapter 2398: 2398-fool

The elderly man who had shared his thoughts earlier wore a faint grin. Stroking his whiskers, he remarked, "If Shenxiao Palace discovers that Peiqing possesses the Nine Yang Divine Body, they will undoubtedly dispatch someone to claim her. Even if the Thunder Hold Sect attempts to interrogate us, we will have a solid justification. If they possess the courage, let them go to the Divine Cloud Palace and demand her back themselves, hahaha!"

Within the main hall, the tension finally began to dissipate, replaced by rare expressions of relief and smiles.

"Let us not be overly confident just yet," Su Mo cautioned. "While I have instructed Su Da to travel through the night, we likely won’t receive any news until the day after tomorrow at the very earliest."

“What? You sent Su Da?”

Abruptly, the countenance of one of the elders shifted dramatically, his face twisting into a mask of pure shock.

“Is there a problem?” Su Mo asked, his brow furrowing.

The elder’s skin turned deathly pale. “Are you absolutely certain you dispatched Su Da?”

Visible irritation flashed across Su Mo’s face as he let out a cold snort. “Do you honestly believe I would deceive you regarding this?”

The elder suddenly slapped his thigh and bolted upright with a sharp movement. He exclaimed, "I witnessed Su Da emerging from the Thunder Hold Sect yesterday! I assumed some business was being conducted, so I didn't give it much thought at the time!"

“What did you say?!”

Su Mo was so startled that the teacup slipped from his grasp and shattered. In a flustered tone, he stammered, “That’s impossible! You must have been mistaken!”

The old man let out a heavy sigh. “Ah, Lord Clan Leader, how can you say that? How could I possibly fail to recognize my own brother?”

Su Mo’s face darkened as he cursed, “Vile wretch! Su Da, how dare you commit treason against the Su family!”

A sudden peal of laughter echoed from outside the hall. Before the dozen or so people inside could react, a group of intruders marched in, their faces grim and radiating a thick intent to kill.

“Lei Ba!”

Su Mo’s expression shifted violently. When his gaze landed on the figure standing beside Lei Ba, his face drained of all color. He shouted in fury, “Su Da, it is you! You despicable traitor!”

“I am a traitor?” Su Da replied with a sneer. “Big brother, you were the one who betrayed Lord Lei Ba first. I simply followed suit, didn't I? As the saying goes, ‘those who act with virtue find many allies, while those who stray find themselves alone.’ If you hadn't turned your back on me first, would I have ever betrayed you?”

Lei Ba possessed a massive frame and a rugged, fierce appearance. His glaring eyes were as intimidating as a Vajra’s as he bellowed, “Su Mo, you had the audacity to be two-faced! You gave me your word on the surface while secretly plotting to bring in people from Shenxiao Palace to suppress me. If you cannot provide a satisfactory explanation today, the Su family will cease to exist!”

Su Mo’s heart sank, and the faces of the other high-ranking members turned ashen with dread.

“You are pushing us too far!” an old woman shrieked in rage. “I’ll kill every last one of you!”

Swinging her heavy metal walking stick, the old woman crossed the distance to Lei Ba in a few strides, thrusting the tip toward his throat.

Lei Ba let out a boisterous, wild laugh. “Haha, old crone, you are courting death! Fine, I shall make an example of you to ensure no one else thinks of stabbing me in the back!”

He tightened his fist, and a crackle of thunder filled the air as he struck the iron crutch. With a violent ‘boom,’ the old woman coughed up a spray of blood and was sent hurtling backward until she collapsed on the floor.

The Su family fell into an even deeper silence; not a single soul dared to utter a word.

Lei Ba showed no mercy, stepping forward immediately to deliver a final, lethal palm strike. Su Mo suddenly cried out, “Stop! She is Peiqing’s third grandmother. If you take her life, Peiqing will harbor a lifelong hatred for you, which will bring no benefit to your Lei family.”

Lei Ba’s movement halted. After a brief moment of consideration, he pulled back his hand and snorted coldly, “I shall grant her a reprieve this once!”

Su Mo rushed over to assist the elderly woman, saying, “Is your objective not Peiqing? I will allow her to depart with you.”

The old woman spat out more blood, her body wracked by a series of coughs.

Lei Ba sneered, “Hehe, that won't be necessary. To avoid any further ‘accidents,’ I will collect her myself. My son has already headed to the rear courtyard to find Peiqing; it’s a good opportunity for them to develop their relationship.”

“You dare to trespass into the depths of my Su family!” Su Mo shouted, his voice thick with anger.

Lei Ba replied icily, “If your Su family remains obedient and behaves, I will naturally follow etiquette. But if you continue to play these games, do not blame me for using my lightning-fast methods to crush you!”

Between coughs of blood, the old woman cursed, “Retribution will find you for your crimes. I will find a way to report this to the Holy Region and let the Sanctum pass judgment upon you!”

“Hahaha, a judgment from the Holy Region?”

A glint of mockery appeared in Lei Ba’s eyes as he snorted disdainfully. “Do not forget that I spent twelve years Cultivating in Yanwu. Even the Yunxiao Alliance Leader has seen me from a distance on several occasions. Those currently on duty in the Holy Region are my close associates. If you seek justice there, you are merely walking to your own execution.”

The members of the Su family felt their hope vanish, their faces turning pale.

Suddenly, a disciple from the Lei family hurried forward, cupping his hands in respect. “Sect Leader, we have scoured the entire back courtyard, but Miss Peiqing is nowhere to be found. According to the servants, she left early this morning to go shopping.”

“Shopping?”

Lei Ba paused for a moment. He then dismissed the concern with a wave of his hand. “The day is growing late. Even if she is out, she should return shortly. We shall wait here.”

“Understood.”

“The Young Master also wishes to wait,” the disciple added, bowing again.

Meanwhile, outside the Su family estate, Su Peiqing was strolling back home, completely unaware of the crisis unfolding. Following behind her were a maidservant dressed in yellow and a rather dim-witted-looking male servant.

The male servant walked with an unsteady gait, laughing incessantly. His entire demeanor was that of a simpleton.

Su Peiqing’s steps were light and cheerful. “I have finally secured the Spring Stalactites. Now, I can commission an Alchemist to craft eighth-tier Heart-Nourishing Pills for Third Grandma. With that pill, she can finally break through to the realm of a Nine Heavens Martial Sovereign!”

“If the Third Elder knew how much you cared, she would be overjoyed,” the maidservant said with a bright smile.

The servant joined in with a foolish laugh, then suddenly remarked, “Level eight Heart-Nourishing Pills aren't actually that good. In truth, Level seven Qi-Protecting Pills are more effective than Heart-Nourishing Pills. It’s just that the Heart-Nourishing Pill is a higher rank, so people think it’s more precious.”

Su Peiqing blinked in surprise and laughed. “Xiao Sha, you’re talking nonsense again. Such knowledge is reserved for Great Alchemists. How could a little fool like you know anything about that?”

“Hehe, hehe.”

The servant scratched his head and chuckled vacantly. He didn’t actually know how he possessed that information; the words had just spilled out of his mouth.

The maidservant glanced at him skeptically. “Miss, I find this fool quite odd. He seems to know a great deal. Why don't we record what he says and consult an Alchemist about it later?”

Su Peiqing playfully tapped the maid’s head and laughed. “You shouldn't joke like that. What if we offend a Great Alchemist? Third Aunt would be furious with me.”

The maidservant nodded after a moment. “That’s true. Still, I wonder where this fool came from. There is definitely something strange about him.”

“His past doesn't matter; he is with me now, so he is part of the Su family.”

Su Peiqing ruffled the servant’s hair and smiled. “Don't worry, Baobao. As long as I am here, I won't let anyone mistreat you.”

Three years ago, while out in the city, Su Peiqing had spotted a disheveled little fool wandering the streets. Children were pelting him with rocks. Moved by pity, she had brought him home.

To her surprise, once he was cleaned up, the young man turned out to be quite handsome and refined. Had it not been for the vacant, foolish expression he always wore, he might have been mistaken for a Prince.

Unfortunately, he remained a simpleton. He could never answer questions about himself, though he occasionally blurted out very strange things.

Su Peiqing had even hired several physicians to examine him. Their consensus was that his brain had been severely injured, resulting in total memory loss.

After many failed attempts to help him, Su Peiqing had eventually given up on a cure.

The Su family held significant status in Star Luo City, and the doctors they could afford were top-tier. If they couldn't help him, it was unlikely anyone in the world could.

Five years ago, a world-shaking conflict occurred in the Southern Region between Yunxiao, the leader of the Heavenly Martial League, and the Demon Lord Six-Winged. Following Six-Winged’s defeat, his essence split into six streams of spirit energy that scattered across the continent.

One of those streams landed near South Fire City in the Northern Region. This caused the local Qi to surge, turning the city into the new heart of the North.

Star Luo City, being situated close to South Fire City, also benefited from the lingering spirit primordial energy that had seeped into the land. This transformed the once-ordinary city into a bustling hub of activity.

Over the last five years, over a hundred different organizations had flooded into Star Luo City. Among them, the Thunder Hold Sect had risen to dominance, backed by the strength of their Sect Master, the peak nine-stars Martial Emperor Lei Ba.

As they approached the estate, Su Peiqing’s sharp intuition told her something was wrong. The courtyard appeared to be surrounded by a large crowd.

The maidservant gasped, “The Lei family? Young Miss, look at their uniforms!”

Su Peiqing’s face clouded over. “Come, we will enter through the back. I have no desire to deal with the Lei family right now.”

Her cheerful mood vanished instantly, replaced by a heavy sense of dread.

Sensing her distress, the fool quickly spoke up, “Miss, please don't be sad. If the Lei family is mean to you, I’ll drive them away!” He raised a fist and swung it through the air a few times.

Su Peiqing could only offer a bitter smile and a small shake of her head.

The maidservant giggled. “You? Drive them away? You’d better watch out or they’ll give you a beating. I heard some Lei family members calling you an idiot who follows our Miss around all day. They said you’re an eyesore and threatened to thrash you.”

“Beat me? I’m not scared!”

The little fool held his head high, wearing a look of total fearlessness.

“You aren't scared?”

“The Lei family is ruthless. If things go south, they might even kill you,” the maidservant teased.

Su Peiqing’s expression hardened as she scolded, “Bi’er, stop trying to frighten him!”

“Kill me?”

The corner of the fool’s mouth suddenly twitched upward into a mocking smile. Almost instinctively, he muttered, “In this world, everyone who has ever said those words to me is already dead.”

Both Su Peiqing and the maidservant felt a sudden shiver run down their spines, inexplicably unsettled by the aura radiating from the boy.

Su Peiqing stood frozen, staring at him in stunned silence.

In that brief moment, the young man who was usually a simpleton had lost all traces of foolishness. He looked, for all the world, like someone who looked down upon the entire universe!