A sharp pain shot through her, and Su Jin let out a muffled groan as the impact sent her flying, her back slamming hard against the wall!
"Pfft—!"
A mouthful of blood sprayed out, staining the ground before her crimson.
Su Jin slid to the floor, curling up in the corner. Her left shoulder was a bloody mess, at least two ribs were broken, and her internal organs throbbed as if they had been shattered.
Her vision blurred in and out, but she bit down hard on the tip of her tongue, forcing herself to stay conscious.
Don't faint!
Absolutely must not faint!
If she fainted, it would be all over!
"Su Jin, this is your punishment for bullying Xinrou." Su Ze stepped closer, looking down at her from above, his gaze cold as if she were an ant.
"If you dare bully Xinrou again, I'll make you understand what it means to wish you were dead."
Su Jin struggled to lift her head, blood still trickling from the corner of her mouth, yet she managed a mocking smile:
"Wish I were dead? Second Brother is so impressive… cough… attacking a sister at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer with such force, truly worthy of the Su family's second young master…"
"You!" Su Ze was so furious he almost struck again.
"Enough." Su Chen spoke calmly, holding the unconscious Su Xinrou as he stood up. "Let's take Xinrou to heal first. Her qi and blood are severely disordered; we can't delay."
Madam Su shot Su Jin a fierce glare, her eyes filled with nothing but disgust for this daughter:
"Su Jin, I never knew you could be so vicious! Even Xinrou you bully… She's frail—are you trying to drive her to her death?!"
Su Jin wanted to laugh, but the movement tugged at her wounds, making her grimace in pain. "I drove her? Mother, which eye did you see me touch her? She fainted on her own—what does that have to do with me?"
"You still dare to argue!" Madam Su trembled with rage. "If you hadn't provoked her with those vicious words, how could Xinrou's qi and blood have reversed? You wretched girl!"
Su Chen didn't speak, only glanced at Su Jin indifferently. The coldness and agreement in his eyes chilled Su Jin's heart more than Madam Su's scolding.
Yes!
In this family, Su Xinrou was always right. If Su Xinrou cried, it must be because Su Jin bullied her; if Su Xinrou fainted, it must be Su Jin's fault; if Su Xinrou wanted something, Su Jin had to give it.
There was simply no reasoning with them! This was the Original Host's experience in this family! Since she had become the Original Host, she would not allow herself to be trampled upon.
"Ah! That hurts like hell!" Su Jin hissed through gritted teeth as her wounds were jostled.
—"I, Su Jin, will one day return to beat up all you bastards and confiscate every good thing you have. Just you wait, you old fools!"
"Let's go." Su Chen turned away, carrying Su Xinrou. "To my courtyard. I have high-quality Healing Pills there."
Madam Su hurried after him, muttering as she went, "Chen'er, you must heal Rou'er properly… That poor child has suffered enough; she can't endure any more grievances…"
—Su Jin: "Speechless! Who's the one who's really suffered here?!"
Su Ze trailed behind, turning back to glare at Su Jin once more. His lips moved silently, forming five words: "You just wait."
Then he slammed the door shut as he left.
"Bang!"
The door closed heavily, shaking loose another patch of plaster from the wall.
"…"
Silence returned to Liuguang Pavilion.
Only Su Jin's ragged breathing and the thick scent of blood in the air remained.
"Cough… cough, cough…"
Su Jin coughed up another mouthful of blood, mixed with fragments of her internal organs. If she hadn't been prepared and had taken Su Ze's blow head-on, she would likely have been killed or crippled.
Damn it!
A bunch of unreasonable bastards!
Su Jin cursed fiercely in her heart, forcing herself to get up from the ground. With every movement, her broken bones rubbed together, emitting a grating sound that made her teeth ache, the pain causing her vision to darken.
But she couldn't faint.
Su Xinrou was faking it, and those three would eventually realize it. Once they settled Su Xinrou, they would definitely return—not to check if she was dead, but to retrieve that egg.
"Ouch! This really hurts! Forget it! I'll study this egg later. First, I need to heal."
Not daring to delay, Su Jin immediately stood up and activated all the restrictions in the room.
The restrictions in Liuguang Pavilion had been casually set up by her mother out of guilt when the Original Host was sent here. Their grade wasn't high.
They could only block Spiritual Sense detection and brute-force entry by Qi Refining Stage cultivators. But for her current situation, having them was better than nothing.
Su Jin took a deep breath and pulled out a jade bottle from her storage pouch.
Inside were five First Grade mid-tier Healing Pills—the entire savings the Original Host had scraped together through frugal living.
She poured out one pill and stuffed it into her mouth. The elixir melted instantly upon contact, transforming into a gentle medicinal efficacy that flowed through her limbs and bones.
Her injuries healed at a visible rate.
Broken bones reconnected, flesh regenerated, and the internal trauma from the impact slowly eased. Although she couldn't recover completely immediately, she could at least move freely now.
She immediately sat cross-legged on the bed, forming hand seals and circulating the most basic Qi Condensing Art to accelerate the refinement of the medicinal efficacy.
Time passed minute by minute.
Half an hour later, Su Jin opened her eyes and let out a long sigh.
Her injuries were mostly healed. Although her Spiritual Power had only recovered by thirty percent, she at least had the ability to protect herself now.
She looked at the ugly egg beside her.
The dull, grayish egg lay quietly on the bed, as if it were truly just a dead egg.
If Su Jin hadn't read this book, she might have also believed it was just an ordinary spirit beast egg.
Su Jin had seen a detailed introduction of this egg in the book. While it appeared ordinary on the surface, it was actually a Phoenix Egg.
She reached out and touched the eggshell.
The texture was rough and warm.
"Phoenix Egg…" Su Jin murmured to herself, a complex light flashing in her eyes.
In the book, this Phoenix Egg was the female lead Su Xinrou's first major Opportunity. Its surface was disguised by an ancient restriction, its aura completely concealed, making it look like a lifeless egg devoid of spiritual energy to anyone who saw it.
But once successfully contracted using a special method, it could hatch into a Divine Beast Phoenix, whose combat power in adulthood would rival that of a Nascent Soul cultivator!
Later, this Phoenix became Su Xinrou's strongest battle companion, fighting alongside her as she ascended the immortal ladder.
And now, this egg was in her hands.
Su Jin tugged at the corner of her mouth, her smile bitter.
Staring at the Phoenix Egg, Su Jin sat on the bed, pondering how to handle it.
"Contract the Phoenix Egg? Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"She was just a Cannon Fodder supporting character. She didn't believe she could successfully contract a Phoenix Egg. After all, a Phoenix was still a Divine Beast, no matter what."