Chapter 65: Chapter 61: Mental Block

“Senior Sister!”

Qin Lie’s voice was hoarse and trembling with emotion as he called out to stop her. “Is it because of my family background? Or is it because… I’ve been crippled, with no hope of recovery?!”

Zhou Yu stopped at the doorway and turned around, struggling to maintain a comforting expression. “Junior Brother Qin, don’t let your imagination run wild. Just focus on recuperating. Your injuries… a recovery isn’t impossible.”

“Recovery?!”

Qin Lie let out a miserable laugh as if he had just heard the world’s most absurd joke. His eyes instantly became bloodshot, and the indignation in his heart erupted like a volcano. “Don’t I know whether I can recover or not?! I’m not going to recover! You! And Master! How long are you going to keep lying to me?!”

“CRASH!”

The piercing sound of shattering ceramic exploded through the room as medicinal liquid splashed everywhere and shards scattered across the floor.

Startled by the sudden violence, Zhou Yu took a step back. A trace of helplessness flashed in her eyes as she looked at the mess on the ground.

’Having studied medicine for years, how could I not know what Qin Lie’s injuries truly meant?’

’That so-called secret formula was nothing more than a faint, desperate hope born from Father’s unwillingness to accept the truth. It’s clear now that the situation is beyond saving.’

“Junior Brother Qin…”

She sighed, her voice heavy with a profound sense of powerlessness.

“Senior Sister,”

Qin Lie panted heavily, like a wounded, trapped beast. His crimson eyes were fixed on Zhou Yu. “Do you look down on me too? Do you also think I’m a burden? A good-for-nothing?!”

Zhou Yu shook her head, her tone sincere. “I don’t.”

“You obviously do!”

Qin Lie roared, advancing on her step by step. “You weren’t like this before! Before…”

The sharp contrast between Zhou Yu’s past gentle concern and her current detachment, this immense disparity, completely shattered the last of his sanity.

As he spoke, he grabbed Zhou Yu’s arm.

Zhou Yu took a deep breath and frowned. “Junior Brother Qin, let go!”

“Senior Sister!”

Qin Lie’s voice was pleading, and his eyes even welled up with tears. “My feelings for you… can’t you sense them? I know I’m a cripple now and not worthy of you, but I, Qin Lie, swear it! I will use what’s left of my ruined life to be good to you! I’ll use everything I have left to be good to you! Just give me one chance! Trust me! I’m begging you… trust me just this once!”

“Junior Brother Qin! Have some self-respect!”

Zhou Yu suddenly exerted her strength, using a skillful technique to shove Qin Lie away forcefully.

Still recovering from his severe injuries, Qin Lie staggered back several steps from the push and slammed hard against the back of a chair behind him. A sharp pain shot through his internal organs, and his vision went black.

He clutched the back of the chair, staring at Zhou Yu in disbelief.

Zhou Yu quickly put distance between them and straightened her wrinkled collar. She looked directly at Qin Lie and said, “I, Zhou Yu, have only ever seen you as my junior brother. Nothing more. I have never had, nor will I ever have, any other thoughts.”

“Only ever… as your junior brother?”

All the color drained from Qin Lie’s face, leaving it deathly pale.

The feeling of being abandoned and humiliated by the entire world washed over him in an instant.

Luo Qian’s coldness, the distance from his fellow disciples, Zhou Yu’s heartlessness… All these images exploded in his mind!

“Heh heh… HAHAHAHA!”

Qin Lie’s miserable chuckle turned into a crazed, skyward laugh. “Of course! Of course, you’re all the same! HAHAHAHA!”

“Insolence!”

A thunderous shout, filled with rage, erupted from outside the door.

The door was slammed open with a CLANG.

At the doorway stood Zhou Liang, his face ashen. Behind him were a horrified Sun Shun and a calm Chen Qing, whose eyes were deep and inscrutable.

Zhou Liang’s gaze swept over the mess of spilled medicine and broken ceramic inside, then fell upon Qin Lie, who was leaning on the chair, laughing maniacally, his eyes filled with nothing but madness and resentment.

His chest heaved violently, and his voice was bone-chillingly cold. “Wretched disciple! How dare you be so insolent!!”

Sun Shun quickly tried to mediate. “Junior Brother Qin, hurry and apologize to Master!”

“Apologize!?”

Qin Lie sneered. “What have I done wrong? Why should I apologize!? The one who should be apologizing is this ’good master’ of mine!”

Zhou Liang’s face was ashen, so dark it looked like water could be wrung from it.

’Junior Brother Qin has gone mad!’

Sun Shun stared at Qin Lie as if seeing him for the first time.

Chen Qing stood silently to the side, his gaze profound, not uttering a single word.

Qin Lie glared at Zhou Liang and questioned him hoarsely, “You knew that secret formula was useless all along, so why did you lie to me?! Why keep stringing me along with these roots and tree bark?!”

The question was blunt, like a poisoned dagger striking a vital point.

Zhou Liang’s brow furrowed. He said in a low voice, “As your master, when have I ever lied to you? Even if there was just a sliver of a chance, I had to try everything…”

“Enough with the act! Cut the phony benevolence! Do you really want me to get better, or were you just hoping that even as a cripple, I could still block your enemies’ blows and take care of you in your old age?!”

Qin Lie seemed to have descended into madness. “If it weren’t for my good Root Bone and my chance to break through to Transmutation Force, would you have ever given me a second glance? It was always because I was useful to you! All that talk about treating me like your own son was bullshit! It was all lies!!”

He suddenly pointed at Zhou Liang, his voice shrill and grating, somewhere between a sob and a laugh. “Besides, if it weren’t for you, would I have ended up like this?! If you truly cared about me, you would have gone and killed Gao Sheng to avenge me! Not just placate me day after day with this useless mix of roots and bark!”

Zhou Liang looked at the beloved disciple in whom he had once placed such high hopes. Qin Lie’s every word was like an awl, piercing his heart and making it bleed.

But the truth was just as Qin Lie said. He was, indeed, a large part of the reason he was crippled.

Sun Shun stared at the man before him, who seemed like a completely different person from the Qin Lie he knew. His voice was strained. “Junior Brother Qin…”

Zhou Yu took a deep breath. “Junior Brother Qin, my father is still your master. How can you be so…”

“Enough!”

Zhou Liang’s gaze swept over Qin Lie like a blade of ice. His voice was decisive, leaving no room for negotiation. “Qin Lie! Your temperament is wild and your character is corrupt. Today, you even dared to commit such gross insubordination. For the sake of our past master-disciple relationship, I will spare your life.”

He paused, his every word carrying immense weight. “But from this moment on, you are no longer a disciple under me, Zhou Liang!”

“You old bastard…” A vicious, miserable smile twisted Qin Lie’s lips. “Now that I’m a cripple, you’ve finally decided to drop that benevolent facade, have you?”

“You wretched creature!”

That last sentence was like a spark landing in boiling oil, completely detonating the fury and anguish that had been building in Zhou Liang’s chest!

His figure suddenly moved, faster than a phantom! Chen Qing’s vision blurred as a gust of wind struck his face.

A palm like iron, containing a vast power sufficient to shatter stone steles, whistled through the air and struck Qin Lie’s chest without reservation!

“BANG!”

A muffled thud, like a heavy hammer striking a drum!

Zhou Liang’s palm landed squarely on Qin Lie’s chest.

As if struck by a massive log, Qin Lie was thrown backward, slamming hard against the solid wall behind him. He let out a muffled grunt and collapsed to the ground, his state between life and death.

“Father!” Zhou Yu cried out in alarm.

“Master!” Sun Shun exclaimed, horrified.

Zhou Liang slowly retracted his palm, his chest heaving violently. In that instant, he seemed to have aged ten years.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the churning of his qi and blood. His voice was tinged with exhaustion and coldness. “Sun Shun, send him… home.”

After speaking, he didn’t spare another glance at the limp figure on the floor and departed with heavy steps.

Chen Qing’s gaze fell on Zhou Liang’s slightly stooped back.

In that moment, Chen Qing felt with absolute clarity, ’Master… he has truly grown old.’

…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep