Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan! Chapter 422 I'm Crippled!

Three days had flown by!

Within the securely protected healing pavilion, the moments dragged on endlessly.

Bai Zihan rested still on the jade bed, his breaths shallow yet consistent, encircled by multiple defensive arrays and subtle scents of healing herbs. His fingers stirred faintly.

Hardly noticeable.

Suddenly-

"Argh!"

A rough, tormented moan slipped from his mouth.

Torment slammed into him like an overwhelming surge.

It filled every part.

Through his arms and legs.

Across his torso.

Deep into his skeleton.

Even inhaling once felt like pulling broken shards across his chest.

Bai Zihan's lids lifted unsteadily.

Hazy brightness overwhelmed his sight.

His skull pounded fiercely, recollections scattered and disjointed, unwilling to connect. "Where... am I...?"

His tone came out feeble, parched, barely like his own.

He attempted to shift.

Immediate remorse hit.

A fierce burst of suffering tore across his frame, drawing a choked breath as he fell back against the bed.

His thoughts spun wildly.

Scenes emerged in sequence.

His eyes contracted sharply.

"...Right."

It all came back to him now.

The battle against Mó Zūn.

The Grand Elders' prompt intervention and the caution given to Mó Zūn.

And after that-

Nothingness.

His respiration sped up a bit as yet another recollection appeared.

"Feilian..."

He reached out on reflex.

No effect.

No reply.

His spirit dropped.

Again, he attempted.

Quiet!

Bai Zihan gritted his teeth.

"...Feilian?"

Yet no sound.

Regret seeped into his core, weighing more than the torment.

He recalled it vividly now.

She had channeled her entire Soul Power to him without a second thought—all just to offer him an escape route.

A route that almost drained her completely.

Yet he denied it and pushed to keep battling.

And his reward?

Zero.

He remained clueless about Luo Qing's location—or if she even survived.

All he earned was almost dying himself, plus Feilian depleting her Soul Power.

It had been a foolish choice.

He sensed Feilian's essence lingering in the Soul-Confining Artifact, though it felt like she was in repose.

That awareness sparked a trace of comfort—but it failed to lift the burden from his soul.

Bai Zihan shut his eyes, his breaths irregular.

(Luo Qing... why did they seize her?)

If the goal was to pressure him—or the Bai Clan—then Mó Zūn would have acted on it by now.

She hadn't been present in that camp anyway.

So why?

A fluke?

The idea arose—but he dismissed it right away.

Maybe... yet he doubted Demonic Cultivators would abduct an ordinary person instead of targeting a Bai Clan figure.

His gaze opened gradually.

Icy determination flickered amid the suffering.

"Just wait..."

His words were soft, yet the resolve cut deep.

"No matter the motive, I'll wrench the truth from you personally."

Whatever the cost.

Right at that instant-

"You're awake?!"

A known voice echoed.

Bai Zihan tilted his head a touch.

Bai Xueqing lingered by the tent's entrance, her eyes wide with obvious surprise.

A slight grin pulled at Bai Zihan's mouth amid the ache.

"What?" he rasped. "Did you expect me to perish?"

"You-!"

Bai Xueqing parted her lips to snap back, but no retort followed.

She halted.

And just gazed at him.

Moments ticked by.

The quiet lingered—dense and uneasy.

Bai Zihan moved a fraction, then flinched.

"Ahem!"

He cleared his throat, shattering the strain.

Bai Xueqing blinked—as though snapping out of a daze.

"I-I'll fetch Father!"

She spun sharply and dashed from the tent.

Soon after, rapid steps sounded beyond.

The entrance flap parted.

Bai Tianheng strode in ahead.

Trailing him were numerous Grand Elders.

Chu Ziyan joined too, her look brimming with concern—and gladness.

Along with the healers.

"Zihan'er... you've come to."

Bai Tianheng's tone was subdued, yet the ease in it shone through.

He advanced quickly, halting near him.

For an instant, the mighty Clan Head resembled not the leader of forces—but solely a parent who dreaded losing his child.

The healers moved swiftly.

The chief healer approached, face serious, and sent out his spiritual sense anew.

Soft currents of Qi flowed over Bai Zihan's form while the group observed quietly.

Moments elapsed.

Then the healer pulled back his palm and breathed out.

"His state has steadied," he declared. "His existence faces no further peril."

A quiet surge of ease spread across the space.

Bai Tianheng shut his eyes for a second.

"Thank the heavens..."

Yet the healer stayed tense.

He paused, then went on. "Still—"

The atmosphere turned thick once more.

"Young Master Bai needs to grasp this firmly," the healer stated, voice stern.

"Your wounds were... without precedent. You endured what ought to have slain you instantly."

He fixed his stare on Bai Zihan.

"Nearly all your meridians lie ruined past mending."

Quiet descended!

"You can lead an ordinary existence," the healer pressed on deliberately. "Yet starting now, cultivation is forbidden."

"Should you try channeling Qi once more," he cautioned, "the surviving meridians will break apart fully. Your dantian might rupture, ending your days."

The pavilion hung utterly still.

This went beyond a mere wound.

It served as a sentence.

A ruined cultivator, reduced to plain mortal status.

Chu Ziyan's features hardened, her grip clenching beside her.

Bai Tianheng faced his son again, eyes laden.

They lingered.

They anticipated rage.

Desolation.

Rejection.

At minimum—a fierce response.

However, Bai Zihan's look stayed unchanged.

His visage held steady.

Nearly detached.

It mirrored the face he showed amid combat.

Bai Tianheng's core tightened.

"Zihan'er," he inquired softly, tone milder than any there had witnessed,

"do you grasp the doctor's words?"

Briefly, they suspected he missed it.

Maybe the blow had dulled his senses.

Maybe the message hadn't landed fully. Then Bai Zihan replied.

"Yeah, doesn't that mean my meridians are mostly wrecked?"

Nothing more.

No resentment.

No objection. No sorrow. Zilch.

The space stayed hushed.

A disturbing hush.

As though the ruling held no sway over him whatsoever.

"Do you really get what that implies?"

Bai Tianheng questioned.

Bai Zihan understood his father's probe.

He sought comfort—to prove it was trivial and readily curable.

But his gaze locked with Chu Ziyan's.

(Maybe... this could be a chance.)

"Isn't it straightforward?" Bai Zihan stated evenly.

"I'm crippled!"