Chapter 598: Repaying Resentment with Honesty

Zu An gasped, a chilling sensation running through his legs. He instinctively reached down to cover himself. "That's truly awful," he thought. "He might have to change his name after this."

It wasn't just Zu An; everyone present instinctively clenched their legs. Even the eunuchs, Xiao Xuzi and Xiao Hezi, swallowed hard, the sight before them recalling their own castration.

Back then, before the procedure, there were extensive preparations: days without water, staying in a warm silkworm room, and sterilizing the knife. Those who could afford to bribe even received anesthetics to alleviate the pain. Yet, despite all this, the agony was so severe that people were left incapacitated.

But this Shi Kun, he was completely unprepared for such a brutal castration. And yet, he didn't scream or cry out from beginning to end. What a true man!

No, wait, he won't be able to be a man ever again.

Shi Kun's face was ashen, and beads of sweat the size of soybeans streamed down it. It wasn't that he didn't want to scream; he was simply in too much pain to utter a sound.

This pain was not only physical but also spiritual.

The Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger, after all, could harm one's spirit.

Shi Kun felt as if something had been instantly torn from his mind. He knew, with high probability, that he would never advance further on the path of cultivation.

The crucial point was that he had also injured his private parts; he could no longer be a man.

Originally, if Zu An had been responsible, with his family's influence, they might have been able to demand his life in retribution. But instead, he had been injured by the Crown Princess...

Realizing he could only swallow this bitter pill, he was overcome with both pain and rage. Then, he rolled his eyes and fainted.

"What exactly were you doing? Why did this happen...?" Bi Linglong was also bewildered. She knew Shi Kun's identity was special; he was not someone who could be casually dealt with. Now that he had sustained such a severe injury here at the Crown Prince's residence, it could easily trigger court turmoil if not handled carefully.

Everyone looked at him with strange expressions, but only the Crown Prince, utterly unconcerned, said with a smile, "He was just standing behind the door, waving the knife around. You suddenly opened the door and effectively helped him stab himself. Didn't you hear the sound of the blade entering flesh just now?"

Bi Linglong was speechless.

Now that he mentioned it, she vaguely recalled hearing a similar sound at the time. However, she had been in a fit of rage then and hadn't paid it any mind.

She was nearly going mad. What kind of mess was this? And she, the dignified Crown Princess, had personally castrated a man! If this news were to spread, there was no telling what kind of scandalous scenarios people might imagine.

Zu An cleared his throat and spoke up. "This cannot be blamed on the Crown Princess. Even if she hadn't entered, he still would have been injured there. He and I had a wager, witnessed by the heavens, where life and death are fated. Had the Crown Princess not intervened, and the wager continued as planned, he might have died here on the spot. In a way, the Crown Princess actually saved his life."

At this point, Xiao Xuzi and Xiao Hezi also chimed in agreement. "Hmph," they thought. "The score we just settled can be cleared so quickly. You can offend anyone, but certainly not us eunuchs!"

Bi Linglong finally recovered her composure, and even Zu An seemed much more agreeable in her eyes. She quickly seized the opportunity to say, "Ahem, someone! Quickly summon the imperial physicians... no, just send him directly to the Imperial Hospital. Ensure the imperial physicians treat him with the very best medicine."

The sight of a man bleeding from *there* was truly disturbing; it was better to have him out of sight and out of mind.

After Shi Kun was carried away, Bi Linglong clearly had no further inclination to blame the Crown Prince. Instead, she urgently instructed the eunuchs and guards present to gather detailed information and ensure they all maintained a consistent narrative, so as not to incur the Shi family's resentment towards her and the Crown Prince.

Zu An, in contrast, seemed to be the only idle person, standing alone with no one paying him any mind.

He glanced at the flying daggers lying on the ground. Clearly, the Crown Prince, fearing a scolding from the Crown Princess, had quietly tossed them aside.

He picked them up curiously. In fact, he had sensed the extraordinary nature of these flying daggers from the very beginning.

Given his current strength and regenerative abilities, even a Heavenly-grade divine weapon shouldn't have posed such a significant threat to him.

Shi Kun's recent experience also illustrated this point. He was, after all, a sixth-rank master; even an injury to *that* area shouldn't have been enough to make him faint from pain.

At that moment, he seemed unable to even speak. The pain appeared to target not just the physical body but also the spirit.

He reached out and touched the flying daggers. A chilling coldness emanated from the blades, making his spirit profoundly uneasy.

On the path of cultivation, one initially tempers the physical body with the primal energy of heaven and earth. Only upon reaching the Grandmaster realm does one begin to perceive and temper the spirit.

Only through steady and meticulous physical tempering from the first to ninth ranks can the body become strong enough to withstand the consumption and power of the spirit.

However, this does not mean that the spirit is absent below the Grandmaster realm. The spirit is always present; Grandmasters merely materialize it, enabling it to attack enemies.

For cultivators below the Grandmaster realm, the spirit is invisible and intangible, yet it exists.

If a person's spirit is damaged, it means they are destined to have no future on the path of cultivation.

The thought of Shi Kun using such a vicious item against him made his expression turn cold. The other party had harmed others only to harm himself; he truly deserved it.

Seeing that no one was paying attention, he secretly stored this set of flying daggers inside his Glazed Pearl. Although sinister, this item was undoubtedly a valuable magical artifact that might prove useful in the future.

He had just noticed faint patterns of the characters "Immortal-Slayer" on the blades of the flying daggers.

Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger?

Zu An paused, remembering Daoist Lu Ya from the Investiture of the Gods world, whose most proficient magical artifact was also the Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger.

However, he quickly shook his head. Although these daggers were powerful, the mythical Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger could slay gods and demons alike; they were clearly not the same item.

He counted them. There were three in total. For some reason, he had a subtle feeling that this was not a complete set of daggers and that several were still missing.

Wait, there was still one with Shi Kun.

The thought of where that dagger was lodged made Zu An's eyelids twitch, and he even had an urge to simply abandon the soiled dagger.

However, he also understood that the effect of a complete set of magical artifacts could be vastly different from the functions of individual pieces, much like how many equipment sets in his previous life often had set bonuses.

Seeing that the Crown Princess was still lecturing the East Palace staff in the next room, he decided to walk directly to the Imperial Hospital, taking the opportunity to familiarize himself with the palace grounds.

Along the way, he was stopped several times by guards who questioned him. He simply pulled out his Crown Prince's Retainer token and stated he was going to visit the injured Shi Kun on the orders of both the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.

None of the guards suspected him; after all, no one in this world had ever dared to falsely convey the Crown Prince's orders.

As a transmigrator, Zu An did not share the same scruples as the natives. Such words came easily to him. Besides, it was perfectly reasonable for the Crown Princess to send someone to visit the injured. She might not have fully recovered from the shock yet, but she would surely remember to send someone later. By anticipating her needs and addressing them in advance, he figured she would eventually be grateful.

Upon arriving at the Imperial Hospital, the staff were in a flurry, clearly busy with a consultation for the severely injured Shi Kun, with no time to pay him any mind.

Zu An wandered around inside for a while and soon found a blood-stained flying dagger on a table.

The thought of whose blood it was filled Zu An with disgust. He picked up a nearby teapot to rinse off the bloodstains, then found a piece of gauze to wipe the blade clean.

Although passersby found his actions a bit strange, seeing him dressed in the robes of an East Palace official, no one said anything. All their attention was currently focused on Shi Kun inside.

From the inner room, the imperial physicians' conversation continuously drifted:"Has the wound been thoroughly cleaned?""After I reattach the severed limb with water-element magic, quickly apply the Bone-Mending and Muscle-Regenerating Ointment to the wound and then immobilize it. You must be swift.""Also, why isn't the prepared medicinal decoction ready yet? Once we're done here, make sure he drinks it immediately. Oh, and ensure he doesn't drink too much liquid."

Zu An's face showed surprise. He hadn't expected that limb reattachment surgery was possible in this world. The cultivation world and the technological world truly did lead to the same destination through different paths.

As he was marveling, he suddenly heard Shi Kun's mumbled curses from inside:"Damn you, Zu An, you son of a bitch! ...May you be torn into ten thousand pieces!"Rage value from Shi Kun: 999,999,999...

The words were indistinct and hard to make out, clearly unconscious curses from Shi Kun while he was delirious. Zu An could sense the deep malice within them.

Zu An's eyes narrowed. "You were the one who tried to harm me first. Moreover, you were injured by the Crown Princess this time. Why do you hate me instead of going after her?"

The thought of such a twisted, venomous snake constantly plotting against him in the future made Zu An's gaze turn grim. "If kindness is repaid with resentment, how then is kindness itself to be repaid? Repay resentment with righteousness!"

Although he considered himself a good person, he was never a bleeding heart. Since you want me dead, then you'll just have to die first.

He looked around. With so many imperial physicians surrounding Shi Kun, all their attention focused on him, and no lack of masters among them, killing Shi Kun under these circumstances would be incredibly difficult.