The Eternal Sin-Chapter 24: Cut the grass and pull the roots.

Flames climbed into the sky like greedy tongues. Rows of cultivated land behind the residence had collapsed beneath the spreading blaze as it devoured dried stalks and spirit infused soil alike. Thick smoke rose coiled into the night, carrying a bitter medicinal stench.

A clone stood among the fields holding a crude wooden torch. Its movements were methodical as it guided the flames into every corner, ensuring that nothing of value remained.

Near the courtyard entrance, Jiang Chen stood beside the corpse of the middle aged man. Azure light bloomed from the information disc in his hand as it swept across the corpse, recording the kill.

Jiang Chen then shifted his wrist and turned the disc toward the burning spirit fields. Only after the flames had fully taken hold did he nod once.

The clone planted the torch into the ground. Without a sound, its form blurred and scattered into motes of light that vanished into the air.

Jiang Chen stored the information path treasure, stretched his limbs lightly, bones cracking softly beneath his skin. His breathing slowed as his gaze turned toward the residence. He walked forward at an unhurried pace.

Jiang Chen pushed open the door.

The interior revealed itself under the dim glow of oil lamps. Polished wooden beams supported a high ceiling carved with cloud patterns. Silver tiles covered the floor, cool beneath his feet. Shelves lined the walls, displaying porcelain vessels, golden ornaments, and bugs sealed in wax.

In the far corner of the hall, two figures huddled together.

A woman stood with her back pressed against a wooden cabinet. Her arms wrapped around the boy as if trying to fuse him into her own body.

In her right hand, she clutched a kitchen knife, its blade shaking so badly it nearly slipped from her grasp.

When she saw Jiang Chen step inside, she screamed.

"Do not come any closer! I swear, I will—"

She raised the knife high, trying to appear fierce, though tears streamed down her face. The child buried his face against her chest, clutching her clothes with tiny fingers.

"Do you hear me? Stay back! You demon!"

Jiang Chen closed the door behind him and walked forward.

The woman continued shouting, her voice rising, filled with desperation and panic. "This is Heavenly Tiger Sect territory. My husband has served the sect faithfully. If you dare harm us, they’ll definitely kill you!"

"Stop! I will stab you!"

"Ahh! If don’t stop now, I swear I will kill myself with this child and haunt you forever!"

Her knife waved erratically.

But with every step Jiang Chen took, her voice grew weaker. Fear seeped into her eyes, drowning out the forced bravado.

"My husband is already dead! What more do you want from us?"

"Don’t... don’t come any closer..."

When Jiang Chen reached arm’s length, her knees finally gave out. She fell forward, dragging the child down with her. Her forehead struck the silver tile with a dull sound. She lowered herself completely, curling her body over the child.

"Please... Please spare us..."

Her voice broke entirely.

"We are just mortals. We are nothing! We do not understand cultivation. We know nothing... we will leave... we will leave tonight."

She sobbed uncontrollably.

"I swear on my life... on my ancestors... we will go far away from the Heavenly Tiger Sect. Please... please just let my child live."

Her head struck the floor again.

And again.

Tears pooled beneath her face.

"I beg you, lord... do not kill us."

Her hands spread open, palms up, in a helpless display.

Jiang Chen stood silently, watching.

The woman continued crying, her voice breaking until only wet gasps remained. She did not dare look up.

Time dragged on.

For a moment, Jiang Chen’s gaze drifted.

A memory rose from somewhere he had long since buried.

He saw a small courtyard filled with dust and broken furniture. There he saw his mother kneeling over him, shielding him with her body. He remembered her arms wrapped tightly around him, trembling as she tried to protect him from his father’s fists.

He vividly remembered the blood on the floor and the way her thin back curved like a bending tree in a storm, each strike bending her without ever breaking her resolve.

He never forgot the warmth in her words.

The fear in her eyes.

And her refusal to let even a shadow of harm fall upon him.

At that time, he had believed her back was the safest place in the world.

For a long moment, Jiang Chen did not move.

Because he remained still, the child slowly peeked out from beneath his mother. His face was pale and streaked with tears. Wide eyes filled with fear and curiosity looked up at the masked figure standing before them.

Their gazes met.

The child did not understand what stood before him. He simply stared.

That gaze pulled Jiang Chen back.

A soft and heavy sigh escaped his mouth.

The woman shuddered violently at the sound. She cried harder, her words turning incoherent as she begged again and again.

"Anything... anything you ask, I will do it! Just spare us. Please! Please show mercy, lord!" As she begged, her left hand slowly slid across the floor, inching toward the fallen knife.

Jiang Chen knelt before them.

His mask hid his expression entirely. Only his eyes were visible through the slits. The usual cold indifference within them seemed slightly dulled.

He reached out and gently placed his hand on the child’s head. His fingers softly ruffled the boy’s hair.

The child’s tear-stained lashes trembled as he looked at him, instinctively trying to pull back.

The woman screamed.

She lunged forward in a burst of madness. The knife slashed upward toward Jiang Chen’s face with all the strength she could muster.

Jiang Chen caught it effortlessly.

Two fingers closed around the blade tip, stopping it an inch from his mask. With a slight twist and minimal force, he snapped the knife cleanly in half. The broken blade fell to the floor with a metallic clatter.

The woman screamed again, this time in pure horror. Her mind shattered completely.

Jiang Chen did not even look at her.

He stood calmly and surveyed the interior of the house.

"I will borrow this place for cultivation. Gather all valuables your husband owned," he said, his voice stripped of emotion.

Then he turned his back on them.

The woman stared at him in disbelief. Her mouth opened, but no words came out.

She did not understand why.

But hope bloomed.

Jiang Chen moved to the door and leaned his back against it, sliding down until he was seated on the floor. From his bag, he took out two spirit stones and held one in each palm. He closed his eyes and began circulating spiritual essence.

Jiang Chen had finished with both marked locations on his map. But the mission was not complete until he left the plantation.

Five hours still remained before the talisman faded. And he had no intention of wasting this opportunity. He intended to use the time to recover to peak condition before continuing the hunt.

The woman remained frozen for a long while, clutching the child tightly. She watched Jiang Chen with fear and distrust as he continued cultivating.

Time passed.

The women’s panic slowly dulled into exhaustion. Jiang Chen remained completely indifferent to their presence, as if they did not exist at all.

Conflicting emotions tore at her heart. Slowly, a thought took shape.

’Maybe... maybe he will not kill us...’

She noticed the spirit stones in his hands growing dull. Light faded from them little by little.

With extreme caution, she began searching the house, still keeping the child close. She overturned furniture, pried open hidden compartments, lifted loose floor tiles, and retrieved valuables from the chimney wrapped in cloth. Storage bags, special herbs, and loose spirit stones were gathered.

Everything was placed carefully in front of Jiang Chen.

Another half hour passed.

Jiang Chen opened his eyes. The spirit stones in his hands had turned completely to dust. He let the gray powder fall between his fingers.

With a flick of his wrist, he drew all herbs and loose stones into the storage bag that was taken from Zhou Mei’s residence. His original bag was already full. The two additional storage bags were tucked inside his robes.

He stood up slowly.

The mother and child cowered in the corner, watching him.

Jiang Chen’s hand moved toward his blade.

The woman shrieked.

The sound had barely left her lips when Jiang Chen vanished from where he stood.

Cold light flashed.

The sword passed through the woman’s body first, opening her from shoulder through chest without slowing. In the same stroke, the blade continued downward and cut through the child in her arms as well, his small body offering no resistance as it was brutally cleaved apart.

Hot blood sprayed in thick arcs, splashing across the silver tiles and staining the walls. Their bodies separated as they fell. The woman collapsed into two twitching halves, her face still twisted in horror, mouth half open, lungs leaking their final breath into the air. The child’s remains struck the floor with a dull slap, eyes glassy and unfocused, his life severed before pain could even register.

Jiang Chen did not care to look back and simply walked away without hesitation.

Not once, did the thought of sparing them cross his mind.

The memories they stirred had once been tightly bound to him, threads of the past he had carried long and painfully in heart.

But such memories meant nothing in the face of a man’s ambition.

Letting even a single seed of resentment live today could invite a blade at his back tomorrow. If trivial emotions could shake his resolve, then what right did he have to pursue immortality?

The path he walked demanded sacrifice, and he was more than willing to pay the price.

Jiang Chen discarded the past without regret and continued forward into the burning night.