Cultivation Nerd-Chapter 232: The Compromise

Liu Bo stood to the side, clutching his mangled arm with a trembling hand. His face was pale, and a sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead despite the biting cold. His left arm hung at an unnatural angle, broken in multiple places, with jagged bone piercing through torn flesh. Blood seeped steadily from the wound, staining the snow beneath him in dark, uneven splotches.

His breaths came in ragged gasps, each one shaking as though his body might give out at any moment. He muttered a curse under his breath, his voice cracking, his expression shifting between fury and despair. Tears threatened to fall, but he swallowed them back, forcing himself to stand tall. The stubborn remnants of pride refused to let him collapse in front of the others.

Still, he moved to stand beside Liu Nu, the elder, without making a sound. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead as his breathing quickened, each inhale an effort to distract himself from the searing pain.

But it was futile. Liu Bo glanced down at his arm and winced. It no longer even resembled a limb, just a mangled, fleshy wreck.

Where was his finger? His elbow? The damage was so severe it was hard to tell.

This wasn’t just a simple heavy injury. It might not kill him outright, but if it didn’t heal properly… could it even heal properly? At best, he’d get back something resembling an arm. But even that would cut down on the power he could exert in his left arm.

He didn’t regret using the arm to block that attack; it had saved his life against some Jie Clan member. But the price… He bit his lip, stifling a groan. Would he ever be able to break through to Foundation Establishment now? Probably not... fuck...

Heavy injuries like this were no small matter for cultivators. Their body and Qi were the bedrock of their growth. Without them, advancement was nearly impossible. Unless they were important higher-ups from one of those big clans to ensure a perfect recovery, the odds were slim that this wound would heal right.

“Take the prisoners and tie them up,” Liu Nu commanded.

The few uninjured members of the Liu Clan sprang into action, binding the injured from the Fu and Jie Clans. The others seemed to have surrendered without further resistance, acknowledging their overwhelming defeat. Some tried to resist, but they were too injured to do anything.

The cost of victory had been high. Fewer than half of the Liu Clan remained standing, and most of those bore wounds of their own. Yet even so, Liu Bo couldn’t suppress a wild, almost delirious urge to laugh. After all, the other clans also had similar numbers! This showed how great the Liu Clan was, and this was only the beginning!

They had won! With the other clans defeated, nothing could hold the Liu Clan back. They would become a local powerhouse, and who could say how much further they might rise? One day, either Liu Feng or Liu Qian might even claim the position of Sect Leader.

He had always thought Liu Qian would make the better leader. Her dedication to the clan was obvious to anyone with eyes, in stark contrast to the aloofness of cousin Liu Feng. But today had shifted his perspective. Liu Feng’s seeming indifference didn’t make him a weaker leader. The harsh truth was that even his half-assed efforts might surpass Liu Qian.

Today, Liu Feng’s actions turned the tide against a monstrous Core Formation beast. As much as Liu Bo loved Liu Qian, she was like a sister to him, and her support in the Blazing Sun Sect had been priceless. But he couldn’t ignore the harsh truth. For the future of the Liu Clan, Liu Feng had proven himself the stronger candidate by far.

It didn’t take long for the cultivators from the other clans to be bound with chains, ropes, or whatever the Liu Clan had at hand. By the injured Clan Head’s orders, the prisoners were forced to their knees.

Some of them wept openly, their eyes fixed on the corpses of fallen comrades. Many of the survivors were around Liu Bo’s age, and their looks of despair struck a deep chord within him. He understood all too well what they must be feeling. If he were in their place and if Liu Heng, Liu Qian, Liu Feng, or the twins had died, he knew he’d wear the same haunted expression.

They were experiencing what had haunted his dreams before the battle.

“Please, find Jie Ma,” a young woman cried, her voice trembling with desperation. “I beg you. He’s my brother, my little brother… He wasn’t even supposed to be here.”

She looked to be in her mid-twenties, her clothes torn from the battle. One side of her tunic had been ripped away, exposing her breast, but she didn’t seem to notice or care about her modesty.

Liu Bo felt a sharp twist in his stomach, like a knife being driven deeper. When he had imagined the Liu Clan’s victory, this wasn’t the scene he had envisioned.

But the pleas fell on deaf ears. The Clan Head, his voice cold and unyielding, gave the order, “Slit their throats.”

Liu Bo froze, his body stiff as stone. His mangled arm spared him from carrying out the grisly task, but that was little comfort. As the others carried out the executions, Liu Bo couldn’t look away.

He stared into the eyes of their captives, young and old, men and women. Some begged, their voices breaking, while others spat curses at their killers. A few looked calm and not bothered by their deaths. But no matter, the blades slashed from one ear, across the jugular, and then to the other ear. Their throats were split the same, no matter what they felt or said. Blood sprayed out in arcs, soaking the crimson-stained snow a deeper, darker red.

This wasn’t how revenge was supposed to feel, Liu Bo thought. In his dreams, it had been triumphant, even sweet. But standing here now, surrounded by the dead and dying, all he felt was a hollow ache.

His gaze landed on the woman who had begged for her younger brother. She lay face-down in the bloody snow; her lifeless body had landed on the ground unnaturally. Red seeped from the gash in her throat, pooling beneath her. Her mouth hung open as though frozen mid-plea and her tear-streaked face was locked in an expression of horror. The despair that had once burned in her eyes was gone, replaced by emptiness.

“Are you okay?”

The voice startled Liu Bo out of his thoughts. He turned to see Liu Feng standing beside him, his expression unreadable. There wasn’t a scratch on him; his pristine clothes and calm demeanor made him seem almost detached from the carnage around them.

“Yes… just thinking,” Liu Bo replied, his voice low.

“Just thinking?” Liu Feng raised a brow. “What about your arm? I’m no expert, but that doesn’t look like an easy injury to heal. We might need to head back to the Blazing Sun Sect. They’ll need to restructure the damaged bones, and you’ll probably need a healing pill to recover fully.”

Liu Bo had almost forgotten about his arm until Liu Feng mentioned it. The searing pain, which he had managed to push aside, flared back to life, crawling up his arm and making his breath hitch.

“Well, take care of yourself,” Liu Feng said, his tone neutral. He turned his attention to the rest of the clan, or more precisely, the Clan Head who was being hastily patched up just enough to stand.

"What should we do next, Clan Leader?" one of the elders asked.

"First, we need to move out of here," the Clan Head said, forcing himself to stand. His movements were slow, and each one staining his bandages deeper red. "The smell of blood will attract monstrous beasts, and we can't handle another attack."

"We should move into the forest," another elder suggested. "The trees will provide cover, even from flying beasts."

There wasn't much more discussion after that. The group began moving quickly. The Clan Head gave no orders about what to do with the dead, but some, unable to abandon their loved ones, carried the corpses on their backs.

Liu Bo wished he could do the same, especially for some people he had been closer to during this journey. He wanted to ensure the families of his fallen clanmates had bodies to bury. But with his mangled arm and other minor injuries, he knew he didn't have the luxury. So, with many heavy hearts, a large number of the corpses of those who had died from the Liu Clan were left behind.

As they entered the forest and the battlefield faded behind them, Liu Feng walked beside Liu Bo. His gaze flitted around, sharp and calculating, as though memorizing every shadow, movement, and trim detail.

"Publicly, we'll declare that the monstrous beasts killed everyone," the Clan Head announced, leaning heavily against a tree. Blood dripped steadily from his wounds, staining the snow at his feet. Healers surrounded him, pleading for him to rest, but he waved them off. Liu Bo understood why; the Clan Head couldn't afford to show weakness at a time like this.

"We can't have the people we're going to rule fearing us," the Clan Head continued, his voice firm despite his obvious pain.

Then his tone sharpened, ringing with authority. "And from today onward, the Liu Clan has no rivals! We will eliminate the remnants of the Fu and Jie Clans!"

The words sent a surge of adrenaline through Liu Bo. His heart pounded faster as he clenched his good hand into a fist. His parents had been victims of the rivalry between the three clans. When the Liu Clan rose to dominate the region, no more families would be shattered by the Fu and Jie Clans. No more orphans. No more tragedies like his own.

Heck, even deaths from monstrous beasts were going to become rare after this!

Liu Bo felt a rush of excitement that made him feel lighter despite the ache in his body.

But as the main discussions wrapped up, the group's attention shifted. All eyes turned toward a girl standing quietly near Liu Feng, trying to appear invisible.

Oh, right. Fu Yating. She was from the Fu Clan.

Liu Bo’s gaze lingered on her. She looked harmless, small, and unassuming in the shadow of the others. Despite her lineage, Liu Bo couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for the girl. Fu Yating was known for her gentle nature. Unlike many of her clan, she never flaunted her status or behaved arrogantly. She had always been helpful and kind.

And now, she stood alone, the weight of her family's fall pressing down on her shoulders.

"What should we do with her?" one of the elders asked, voicing the question on everyone's mind.

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"Her marriage to my grandson is useless now," said Liu Feng's grandfather.

"She's talented," another elder suggested. "She could still be used to birth the next generation of the Liu Clan."

"As if I'd allow my seed to mix with Fu Clan scum!" Liu Feng's grandfather retorted sharply.

"She's with the Fu Clan. She needs to be eliminated," someone declared.

"Agreed," another elder chimed in. Soon, the majority consensus was clear: Fu Yating was too dangerous to be kept alive. It wasn't her gentle demeanor they feared but her lineage.

"As the Fu Clan Head's daughter, any remnants would rally around her," one elder pointed out. And with that, the decision was made.

"It would be an honor for me to do the job," a young cultivator offered eagerly. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, a one-star Qi Gathering cultivator. Liu Bo recognized the hunger in his eyes and the desperation to prove his worth. Judging by his relatively uninjured state, the young man had contributed little in the earlier battle. Unless your name was Liu Feng, no one could come out of this battlefield uninjured when they were only Qi Gathering Cultivators.

The young cultivator stepped forward, unsheathing a large knife. His expression was serene as he approached Fu Yating. But when he was no more than half a dozen steps away, Liu Feng moved between them.

"What are you doing?" Liu Feng asked.

"I'm going to kill her," he answered, confused as to why Liu Feng was stopping him.

"This is for the best," Liu Feng's grandfather interjected. "We won't defile her body. A quick cut to the throat, and it will be over."

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From the corner of his eye, Liu Bo saw Fu Yating. She stood behind Liu Feng, staring numbly at the snow. Her pale face betrayed her fear, and silent tears rolled down her cheeks, glistening against her ashen skin. She didn't make a sound, but her anguish was palpable.

"She is my fiancée," Liu Feng said evenly, his voice slicing through the tense air.

"We'll find you another fiancée," an elder replied, gesturing toward the young cultivator with the knife. "Get on with it. Let's not drag this out and make it harder for Liu Feng."

The young man nodded and took another step forward. Liu Feng's presence didn't deter him, at least, not yet.

Then it happened.

A dark, ominous glint flickered in Liu Feng's eyes like an endless black void devoid of emotion. An oppressive, murderous aura exploded from him, heavy and suffocating. The young cultivator froze mid-step, his knuckles whitening around the knife's hilt.

The air grew colder. Snow swirled around Liu Feng, and even the nearby trees seemed to wither in his presence.

"If anyone touches her," Liu Feng said, his voice eerily calm, "I will murder them."

The weight of his words crushed the air from Liu Bo's lungs. He froze, unable to move. He had faced overwhelming pressure before, but this… this was different.

It wasn't just the murderous intent. It was the feeling behind it, something primal, suffocating, and disturbingly familiar. Tendrils of imaginary crimson darkness seemed to ripple outward from Liu Feng. For a fleeting moment, the dark aura twisted and warped, and Liu Bo's breath caught.

The figure cloaked in that malevolent darkness… overlapped with someone else. A memory. A dark-haired woman with her cruel, piercing blue eyes staring into his soul.

Even though the forest was silent, Liu Bo could hear a scream-like maddening laughter echoing in his mind. The space between illusion and reality blurred.

Suddenly, everything about Liu Feng's relationship with her made perfect sense.

Liu Bo had always wondered how his bookish cousin had gotten along with someone so violently opposite. One was obsessed with reading, the other with killing. Now he realized the truth; beneath Liu Feng's composed exterior was a vein of malice. If it came down to it, Liu Feng wouldn't hesitate to kill everyone here just to have his way. The studious cousin wasn't as studious as he seemed.

The Foundation Establishment cultivators were the first to recover from the oppressive bloodlust, and their experience helped them to steel themselves. Liu Bo had the advantage of experiencing this multiple times, and at much higher doses since he had seen Song Song release it a couple of times. But even he could tell this wasn't a bluff.

This release of bloodlust showed that he would fight anyone who went against his wishes.

Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't have been a big deal. Liu Feng was just a Qi Gathering cultivator, after all. But everyone here had seen what he was capable of with his arrays. Most were injured and unwilling to risk wasting their energy fighting one of their own.

The elders stared at Liu Feng, who met their gazes with unsettling calm. Liu Bo could see the unease in their expressions. They were all thinking the same thing; Liu Feng wouldn't act this boldly unless he had a plan. Likely, an array was already prepared to back up his confidence.

"I know what you're all thinking," Liu Feng began, his voice low and controlled. "But Fu Yating is more useful to us alive than dead. A known enemy is better than an unknown one. If the Liu Clan ever faces an uprising, any revolutionaries will rally around her. And she'll be here, in our grasp, where we can watch her every move. Let her be the face of rebellion, one we control. Also, who knows if she has connections in the Azure Frost Sect..."

Liu Bo disagreed with that first part, but that last sentence made him weary. Usually, he wouldn't take such things at face value since the chances of someone like them making connections with others from the higher-ups were slim to none. But Liu Feng was the best example they had right before them; if something happened to Liu Feng, that crazy woman might just wipe out the three clans and the whole region of all life.

Liu Feng's words hung heavy in the air as he met the Clan Head's gaze. Their silent exchange stretched for a long, tense moment.

Finally, the Clan Head broke the silence. "I agree to your request," he said, his voice heavy with authority. "But know this, Liu Feng, you will take full responsibility for her. If she betrays us or acts against the clan, the consequences will fall on you."

"I accept," Liu Feng replied. "And if I even suspect treachery, I will deal with her myself."

With that, the suffocating murderous intent dissipated, leaving behind an almost unsettling calm. Liu Bo exhaled, only now realizing he'd been holding his breath. But as he looked at Liu Feng, he couldn't shake the unease. There was something off about his cousin's calm demeanor, something that felt unnatural and deeply unsettling.

It was… creepy.

Still, Liu Bo understood why the elders relented. Liu Feng's contributions to the battle were invaluable, and his arrays turned the tide against impossible odds. Few were willing to challenge the compromise the Clan Head had proposed.

"We still need to cripple her cultivation," Liu Feng's grandfather said, his voice laced with adamant disapproval. Of all the elders, he seemed the most opposed to sparing Fu Yating.

"What cultivation?" Liu Feng asked dryly. "She's a Body Tempering cultivator. She hasn't even gathered Qi to crush her spiritual roots."

"Then we'll cripple her physically," Liu Nu interjected. "We can't take the risk of her breaking through later."

Liu Feng frowned, but his grandfather cut him off before he could speak. "This is not up for debate, Liu Feng."

Liu Feng sighed, his shoulders sagging slightly in resignation.

"Fine," he said. "Then I'll do it myself."

Before anyone could react, Liu Nu moved at an incredible speed. The only sign of his movement was the wind brushing against Liu Bo’s hair. His figure blurred, leaving an afterimage as he appeared before Fu Yating.

Liu Bo turned just in time to see the grand elder’s palm strike Fu Yating’s stomach, Qi surging through her body like a storm. Purple veins crawled beneath her skin, spreading like cracks in porcelain. She coughed up blood, her eyes rolling back as her body began to collapse.

Liu Bo glanced at his cousin. Liu Feng’s expression hadn’t changed. Despite his earlier threats, he seemed unfazed by his demands being ignored.

Before Fu Yating could hit the snow, Liu Feng appeared beside her, catching her effortlessly in a princess carry. His gaze lingered on her pale, blood-streaked face.

Liu Bo couldn’t help but wonder what was going through his cousin’s mind.

The elders stood tense, bracing for an outburst. Still, Liu Feng remained unnervingly calm, as if this outcome had been within his expectations.

“From today onward, Fu Yating is my woman, and no one can touch her,” Liu Feng declared. His cold eyes shifted to his grandfather. “I will kill anyone who so much as touches a hair on her head.”

The air grew heavy, and Liu Bo winced at the weight of the declaration.

What was his cousin thinking? Fu Yating might have been his fiancée, but she wasn’t family. There was a vast difference between protecting someone from harm and threatening your own clan over someone from another. Liu Feng’s words marked a line that could not be erased.

From this moment, Liu Feng had eliminated his chance of ever becoming the Liu Clan Head.

“This is quite the heavy declaration, nephew,” the Clan Head said, straightening despite his injuries. Even pale and bloodied, he exuded a quiet authority.

“You murderer! I hate you!” Fu Yating groaned weakly, her voice filled with anguish.

The reaction didn’t surprise Liu Bo; it was what anyone would expect from someone in her position. But he couldn’t help but wonder how Liu Feng felt. The woman he had just risked everything to protect was cursing him. Yet, Liu Feng’s face remained cold and impassive, offering no clue to his thoughts.

“Family or not,” Liu Feng said evenly, “I do not tolerate others touching what is mine. I forgave my grandfather today because he is close family, and I respect him. But I will not swallow my words a second time. From now on, if anyone harms my family or my future wife, do not blame me when I come for their life.”

Though it was a threat, it didn’t sound like one. Liu Feng spoke with an almost casual calm as if discussing the weather rather than warning his clansmen of potential death.

The tension hung thick in the air, but there was no time to dwell on Liu Feng’s declarations. The clan had more pressing matters; two other clans still needed to be dealt with, or at least what was left of them.

…

After some deliberation, the Liu Clan forces were divided into three groups. One was sent to attack the remnants of the Fu Clan, another to deal with the Jie Clan, and the injured were ordered to return home. Liu Feng was in charge of the latter group, and Liu Bo accompanied him.

Despite their exhaustion, there was no time to rest. The groups set off immediately. This wasn't the safety of a walled city where they could loiter around.

Liu Bo glanced at the injured members of the group. Their movements were slow and pained, some dragging themselves forward with visible effort. For those who couldn't walk, Liu Feng had created a translucent green platform, levitating it through the air to carry them. The platform also served as a temporary resting spot for anyone who became too fatigued to continue.

Maintaining such a construct couldn't be easy, yet Liu Feng showed no sign of strain. He carried Fu Yating in his arms the entire time as though she were a princess.

The contrast between his earlier threats and this display of care wasn't lost on Liu Bo. Watching his cousin now, he couldn't help but ask, "How do you feel about this whole thing? This war..."

The cold wind had eased slightly, and with the sun sinking toward the horizon, it was clear they'd need to stop soon and make camp. Liu Feng had already volunteered to handle those preparations and had even wrapped Liu Bo's arm in several layers of bandages to protect it from the chill.

"It's just people killing each other," Liu Feng replied with a shrug. "If I can't stop it, then I don't waste time worrying about it. They're adults; they've made their choices. Who am I to coddle them?"

Liu Bo nodded but found himself unsettled by the answer. As he stared at the distant horizon, he realized he couldn't be as calm and detached about the situation as his cousin seemed to be.

A sudden wet, rasping cough broke through his thoughts. Startled, Liu Bo turned toward the sound. It was Fu Yating, still cradled in Liu Feng's arms.

Her eyes fluttered open, glassy and unfocused, as she stared at Liu Feng. Her lips curved into a faint smile for a moment as though she were lost in some dreamlike haze.

Then her eyes widened. Another cough wracked her body, wet and gurgling, the sound unnatural and harsh. Her gaze darted around, taking in her surroundings as though waking from a nightmare. Awareness seemed to hit her all at once, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Without warning, she began to cry. Weak as she was, she pounded her fists feebly against Liu Feng's chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

Liu Bo watched the scene in silence, unsure of what to say or do. It was an uncomfortable, raw moment… one he couldn’t quite tear his eyes away from.