The Root-Severing Water

Su Hua raised her delicate eyebrows. "What’s wrong? Don’t you want me to wake up, Ah Xuan?"

"No, no," Lin Xuan shook his head, his mind racing to come up with an excuse. "I was just worried that if you woke up midway, you wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep."

"No need for Ah Xuan to worry," Su Hua murmured, her crimson lips brushing against the corner of his mouth, her warm breath sending shivers down his spine. "Because I wasn’t asleep just now. I’ve grown used to having you beside me. Without you, I can’t sleep well."

Two words flashed through Lin Xuan’s mind:

I’m doomed.

Hua Bao seemed wide awake now.

Was she going to drag him into those things again?

At that moment, Su Hua’s fingers slipped beneath his robe, teasing his chest with practiced ease.

She set his skin ablaze, and Lin Xuan’s body grew feverish under her touch.

The desire in Su Hua’s eyes was unmistakable.

Just as Lin Xuan braced himself for what she might do next, her hand suddenly withdrew.

Lin Xuan frowned.

Why did Hua Bao stop?

Su Hua smiled faintly. "Ah Xuan, you’ve had a long day. You must be tired. Let’s sleep."

Tomorrow was the Jiang family’s recognition banquet.

Though she didn’t want Lin Xuan to discover his connection to the Jiang family, nor did she want the Jiangs to learn that he was Jiang Shuqin’s real son, she couldn’t—and didn’t dare—stop him.

Their relationship was finally in a good place, and she wouldn’t allow anything to jeopardize it.

If that was the case, she’d let him enjoy himself at the banquet.

Su Hua nestled into Lin Xuan’s arms and closed her eyes.

With him beside her, she quickly drifted into a deep slumber.

Lin Xuan sighed helplessly, glancing down at his own predicament.

Lately, Hua Bao had developed a habit of teasing him without following through.

He had no choice but to endure it.

Only after his desires had settled did he finally close his eyes.

---

This time, Old Liu arrived with his men to play along with Lin Li’s act.

The moment Old Liu saw the bruises on Lin Li’s face, he felt a kinship—like two brothers in misfortune.

"Master Lin Li, what happened to your face?" Old Liu slung an arm over Lin Li’s shoulder. "I got hurt today too—set up by some sneaky bastard."

Lin Xuan was truly ruthless.

No wonder Tianmu Group had flourished while Starlight Group had been crushed under his schemes.

When it came to cunning, who could match him?

Lin Li clenched his fists.

These injuries? All thanks to Lin Xuan!

If Jiang Qing knew what Lin Li was thinking, he’d scoff.

Our boss Su was the one who did this.

Young Master Lin is just taking the blame for her.

Boss Su and Young Master Lin are a perfect match—even their methods of tormenting people align.

Lin Li shrugged off Old Liu’s hand in disgust.

"I want to know—what condition is Lin Xuan in now?"

Though he already knew Lin Xuan must be suffering, he craved the details.

Old Liu put on a masterful performance, shaking his head with a dramatic sigh. "Oh, it’s bad. Really bad."

"You should’ve seen it. We dragged him before our boss, and he dropped to his knees, begging like a dog—offering us tens of millions. But we’re professionals! Once we take a job, we see it through."

"So our boss righteously refused."

The underlings exchanged glances.

Who knew Old Liu was such a convincing actor?

If they hadn’t known the truth, even they might’ve believed him.

"After that, Lin Xuan kept pleading, clutching at our boss’s pants, crying like a pathetic mess. Our boss got annoyed, so we tied him up—hands, feet, even gagged him with tape." Old Liu painted the scene vividly, making it sound all too real.

Lin Li nodded.

This matched the photos they’d sent him.

"Then I took matters into my own hands. That bastard’s face is annoyingly handsome, so I beat him black and blue. He was bawling, snot and tears everywhere—utterly pitiful."

Lin Li smirked coldly.

So Lin Xuan had hired thugs to beat him? Now he’d made Lin Xuan taste the same pain.

"What happened next?" Lin Li pressed eagerly.

"Then I yanked out his nails—all ten of them. His hands trembled in agony. We even ground the nails into powder, mixed it with water, and forced him to drink it." Old Liu lied without batting an eye.

With all the movies and novels he’d consumed, spinning gruesome tales was child’s play.

As Lin Li listened, memories of his own torture—the nails ripped out, the unbearable pain—flooded back.

Even now, his nails hadn’t fully regrown.

His fingers throbbed at the mere thought.

"After he chugged his own nail water, I took a club and shattered his legs. They’re probably useless now. Even if he recovers, it’ll take ages."

Lin Li’s lips curled.

Perfect. No way Lin Xuan would show up at the banquet now.

"There’s this thing in the underground world—Root-Severing Water. Turns men into eunuchs." Old Liu added with relish.

This concoction was developed by Night Rose.

Their leader had a penchant for inventing twisted, torturous substances.

But Night Rose’s products weren’t easy to acquire. Old Liu had only heard of Root-Severing Water through rumors.

Root-Severing Water…

Lin Li’s fists clenched.

That was what had turned him into a eunuch.

Old Liu’s words dredged up his most excruciating memories.

Rubbing his chin, Old Liu continued enthusiastically, "You’ve probably never heard of it, right? After I fed it to Lin Xuan, his… parts turned red, then black, then just… fell off—"

"Shut up! Stop talking!" Lin Li roared, the images of his own castration flashing before his eyes.

"Alright, alright, I’ll stop."

Old Liu eyed Lin Li curiously.

Why was he reacting so strongly?

Something wasn’t right here.

Lin Li’s fists trembled, the memories still torturing him.

---

Today’s another day with a stuffy nose.

Ah, my lychees… can’t eat them.

Hey, lovelies, have you gotten your lychee fix yet?

Thanks to Su Mei from Baichang Road, Bingyan Sword Saint, Candied Chestnut, and other sweethearts for the gifts!

Uu.