PWE – Chapter 166

“Trying to rescue someone under my watch isn’t going to be that easy,” Xiao Wange said lightly, her tone full of disdain and mockery.

Tang Huaijing’s face suddenly turned pale. He knew he was finished today—absolutely finished—unless heaven intervened.

But after all the evil deeds he had done, how could heaven possibly help him? Hoping for divine assistance was nothing but a fool’s dream.

“You’ve committed countless evil acts, harming both heaven and mankind. I think I’ll strip you of your cultivation entirely and reduce you to a worthless cripple,” Xiao Wange said as she flicked her wrist lightly. Several spells struck Tang Huaijing’s body at once.

Tang Huaijing felt a sudden, excruciating pain, as if knives were slicing through his body.

Sweat poured down his face, his features twisted in agony.

Qin Xiaoling and Hou Dayong, standing nearby, dared not speak or even breathe, their eyes glued to the scene.

Watching Tang Huaijing in pain, they silently reflected: one should never do evil; retribution will inevitably follow.

Qin Xiaole, on the other hand, felt her blood turn ice-cold as she watched Tang Huaijing suffer.

She swallowed hard and tried to take a few steps away, desperate to leave this dangerous place. She knew that once the commander’s wife finished with Tang Huaijing, she would turn to her—after all, she had also committed evil deeds.

But after only two steps, Xiao Wange looked at her.

Xiao Wange said, “Where do you think you’re going?”

All eyes turned to Qin Xiaole.

Her feet froze. Pale and panicked, she shook her head. “I… I’m not going anywhere. I just… I just…”

“You wretched girl, you’re trying to run?” Qin Xiaole’s mother glared at her and strode forward.

She grabbed Qin Xiaole’s arm. “You little brat! You nearly killed Tiedan. Do you think you can just walk away and solve this? I’ll tell you—this isn’t over. Even if Xiao Xu doesn’t seek revenge, I will!”

Her mother’s disappointment in her was absolute. This daughter had appeared obedient when young, but she was actually extremely unruly.

She couldn’t understand how her daughter had become this way. Both daughters were raised the same, yet the younger one remained pure and kind, never harming anyone, while the eldest could even harm her own son.

“Mom, I was wrong. It’s my fault,” Qin Xiaole said, knowing she couldn’t escape. The only option now was to admit her mistake sincerely.

She grabbed her mother, full of remorse. “I shouldn’t have hurt Tiedan like that. I shouldn’t have treated him that way. I am a failed mother. I’ve wronged him. But I know my mistake—I really do. Mom, please forgive me. I beg you.”

She hoped that by first obtaining her mother’s forgiveness, her mother would then speak on her behalf.

But her mother’s disappointment ran too deep to be moved by a few words of apology. She looked at Qin Xiaole coldly. “Every time you do something wrong, you say you’re sorry. But every time, you continue to make mistakes. Qin Xiaole, I will no longer tolerate you. This time, you must be punished!”

“Mom…” Qin Xiaole cried out in shock, staring at her mother in disbelief at her harshness.

She tried to speak again, but suddenly a sharp pain shot through her body, like someone was tearing at her muscles and bones.

She doubled over, collapsing to the ground.

She rolled once and cried out in pain, “It hurts! It hurts so much!”

What was happening? Why did it hurt so badly? What was happening to her body?

She looked up at Xiao Wange. Could that woman have cast a spell on her?

Xiao Wange caught her gaze and sneered. “You think I cast a spell on you? Haha, I haven’t even touched you. This is your own doing. You’re suffering a backlash from Tang Huaijing’s evil magic. He took ten years of your lifespan and added it to his own. If nothing had gone wrong, you wouldn’t be in this state. But now his power is gone, and he can no longer control those ten years of life, so his evil spell naturally backfired. And when he suffers the backlash, so do you.”

Terror filled Qin Xiaole’s eyes. A backlash? Would it leave her body like this forever? Would she ever have a healthy body again?

Xiao Wange seemed to anticipate her fear. “The backlash will end. But this time, it will take twenty years of your life. You already lost ten years, and now another twenty. Qin Xiaole… you don’t have many years left to live.”

Hearing this, Qin Xiaole froze. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

She had so few years left… only a handful of years? How could this be? How could this possibly be?

Meanwhile, Tang Huaijing had calmed down.

Lying on the ground, pale, sweat dripping from his face, he looked up at Xiao Wange as she stood before him, towering over him. “Tell your Tang Sect people that if they want to cultivate properly, they should follow the right path. Stray down crooked paths, and retribution will inevitably come.”

She cast one final spell, and Tang Huaijing vanished into thin air, disappearing from everyone’s sight.

Qin Xiaoling stared blankly at the spot where he had vanished. She blinked and asked Xiao Wange, “Sister-in-law, did you… send him back to where he belongs?”

Xiao Wange nodded.

Qin Xiaoing’s face lit up with admiration. “Sister-in-law, you’re incredible. How are you so powerful?” She couldn’t believe someone could summon a person out of thin air and then send them away just as easily. A divine being, surely!

Hou Dayong was equally excited. “Sister-in-law, I’ve never seen anyone with skills like yours. From now on, you’re officially my sister-in-law—my true sister-in-law.”

Xiao Wange: “…”

She looked at him, about to reply, when Qin Xiaoling’s mother suddenly grabbed her wrist, emotional. “From now on, you’re like my own daughter—my true daughter.”

Xiao Wange: !

Qin Xiaoling wanted to say “you’re like my eldest sister” too, but realizing she was actually older than Xiao Wange and that Xiao Wange might not want this family attachment, she smiled and said, “Sister-in-law, whatever you need in the future, you can rely on me and Dayong. We’ll follow your lead in everything.”

Xiao Wange was speechless.

She looked at Qin Xiaoling and waved her hand. “No need. Let’s just continue normally—no need for this.”

She picked up Zhaozhao. “It’s getting late. Zhaozhao and I need to go back.”

“Dear, it’s almost noon. Stay here for lunch. Xiaoling and I will prepare it right away,” Qin Xiaoling’s mother said, patting Xiao Wange’s hand and heading to the kitchen.

Qin Xiaoling added, “Yes, Sister-in-law, wait for us. We’ll have lunch ready soon.”

They went into the kitchen together.

Xiao Wange: “…” She really didn’t want to stay for lunch, but their hospitality was overwhelming.

…

Tang Sect, Tang Family Old Residence.

Tang Huaijing was sent back to his own room by Xiao Wange’s spell. When he arrived, he was dropped to the ground with a “thump,” his body immediately weakened, and he spat a mouthful of blood.

Several people had gathered in his room: the Tang Sect’s leader, several elders, and Tang Huaijing’s siblings.

Earlier, one of Tang Huaijing’s brothers had witnessed him being taken and called their father and elders, hoping to retrieve him. But the other party’s power was too strong, and they were repelled, failing to bring him back.

Now, seeing Tang Huaijing returned, but clearly in bad condition, Tang Yuanshan, Tang Huaijing’s father and current leader of the Tang Sect, stepped forward and helped him up. “Huaijing…”

Tang Yuanshan looked worried, yet his face also radiated authority and danger. Whoever harmed his son like this would not escape justice.

Tang Huaijing’s siblings gathered around, asking about his condition.

Pale, Tang Huaijing looked at his father and suddenly cried: “Dad… I’m ruined… I’m ruined…”

“Ruined?”

Tang Yuanshan was stunned. After carefully examining him, his expression hardened. “Who? Who did this to you?”

The Tang Sect elders looked on.

Tang Huaijing clenched his teeth, recalling Xiao Wange’s attack. “It was a woman—under twenty. She’s a military wife. She summoned me to a military residential compound.”

He learned the details from Qin Xiaole’s younger sister, discovering that the woman was a military wife and which unit it was.

He named the unit and looked at his father. “Dad, she’s incredible. Young, but extremely skilled. With a single spell, she subdued me, stripped all my cultivation, and made me return to tell you… that straying down crooked paths will lead to retribution.”

Tang Yuanshan: “…”

His face darkened, the aura of danger around him intensifying.

He snorted coldly. “She’s just a talented young girl. I refuse to believe she can stand against the elites of the Tang Sect!”

He turned to the elders. “She harmed Huaijing this time. We must teach her a lesson. Luckily, Commander He called us to help with something. When we go, we might as well deal with this girl!”

The elders nodded gravely. “She embarrassed the Tang Sect. She deserves punishment.”

One elder said, “I’ll go myself this time. I’ll deal with that girl!”