Sweat beaded on Jun Moxie's forehead and dropped to the ground. He managed a strained smile, "Third Uncle, your intelligence network is formidable. You weren't there, were you?!"

"That place was teeming with peak experts. Why would I go join the ruckus!" Jun Wuyi scolded him crossly. "This matter is, after all, a major event that occurred within our Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom and has already alarmed His Majesty, who ordered a thorough investigation. If I didn't know about it, then our Jun family would be truly ignorant."

His eyes burned as he looked at Jun Moxie. "None of that matters. What truly matters, and the only thing I want to know, is the identity of that impudent, utterly reckless, black-clad masked bastard who appeared last night with the Profound Pill?!"

"Uh, perhaps it was a legendary senior expert! How could I possibly guess the nature of such a high-level master? Maybe it was even the Supreme Divine Profound Master Yun Biechen himself. No one else possesses such an ethereal demeanor!" Jun Moxie said solemnly and seriously.

"Ethereal, my foot?" Jun Wuyi's expression was like a volcano dormant but about to erupt. "I gave you a Rank Six Profound Pill just a few days ago. Bring that pill out for me to see now."

The Profound Pill was currently nestled in He Chongxiao's embrace. How could he possibly produce it? Did he think he could conjure something from thin air?

"Uh, a mere Rank Six Profound Pill," Jun Moxie's eyes darted around. "I... lost it."

"Good that you lost it. You didn't perhaps lose it to the King of Heavenly Punishment, did you?" Jun Wuyi slowly nodded. "Very good, very powerful. From the moment you woke up until now, I’ve asked you a basketful of questions, and you've repaid me with eight basketfuls of lies. Jun Moxie, Young Master Third Jun, you truly have grown up, you’ve made quite a name for yourself..."

"Although I don't know how you escaped, or by what means, and I certainly don't know how you managed to deceive those people; I also know you're lying to keep me from worrying, but..." Jun Wuyi spoke slowly, his tone placid.

Jun Moxie’s heart pounded in his chest. He tossed the covers aside and tried to swing his legs out of bed. "Third Uncle, I desperately need to pee, I can't hold it in anymore—"

"Hold it in for me! If you truly can't hold it, then wet the bed or your pants!" Jun Wuyi roared. Jun Moxie’s face twisted into a grimace, and he dared not move. Young Master Third Jun then continued, "I still intend to administer family discipline!"

Guan Qinghan was pacing anxiously in the courtyard. Upon hearing that Jun Moxie had woken up and Third Uncle had gone in, although Young Master Third Jun was her husband's younger brother, it was still a young man’s bedchamber. Guan Qinghan naturally felt it was inappropriate to barge in, so she waited outside. After waiting for a while, she suddenly heard a roar from inside the room. Her heart tightened: Third Uncle is furious. Has this fellow caused some new trouble to provoke such rage in Third Uncle?

As she worried,

"CRASH!" A white blur shot out of the room. Guan Qinghan instinctively reached out to catch it, but the sheer force of the impact made her stumble, nearly falling over. As she managed to catch the object in her arms, it cried out, "Third Uncle... gently!"

It turned out to be Young Master First Jun!

Guan Qinghan gasped in shock, throwing him away with a 'thud' onto the ground, her face burning crimson.

Jun Moxie had been kicked out of the room by Third Uncle. Although he yelled loudly, he had already swiftly adjusted his posture in mid-air, absolutely certain of a stable landing. Who knew that he would fall straight into a soft, warm embrace? The cry of alarm he uttered was immediately followed by a wave of soul-refreshing fragrance rushing to his nose. The thing against his back felt exceedingly soft, seeming to rebound slightly.

He couldn't help but feel a wave of comfort wash over him. Just as he was about to savor the moment, he was tossed out again.

This time, he had no time to adjust his posture. Maintaining a free-fall pose, he landed solidly on the ground, instantly feeling dizzy and as if his backside had been smashed into eight pieces. Then, Third Uncle leaped out, and without another word, began a fierce beating—bang, bang, bang, bang—his fists and kicks raining down like a dense shower of raindrops, making the red-faced Guan Qinghan watch with a pounding heart.

Guan Qinghan was well aware that Third Uncle had fully recovered his health, so Jun Wuyi held nothing back and unleashed his full strength.

Jun Moxie covered his head with one hand and his groin with the other, curling his entire body into a remarkably lifelike, round punching bag.

Resigned, he thought, Let him beat me! Hit me however he wants to relieve his anger. This hundred-plus pounds is yours, Third Uncle. Just leave me enough breath to live!

"Third Uncle, stop, please stop hitting me..." Guan Qinghan rushed forward anxiously to try and mediate.

At these words, clearly audible in the voice mixed with urgency and concern, Jun Wuyi stopped his assault with extreme surprise. Even Jun Moxie on the ground opened his eyes in astonishment. The uncle and nephew stared blankly at Guan Qinghan, a moment of perfect synchronicity, then glanced at each other, seeing the disbelief in the other's eyes.

When had Guan Qinghan ever shown concern for Jun Moxie’s well-being?

Had they seen a ghost, or had this sister-in-law gone mad?!

Guan Qinghan saw the two staring at her dumbfounded and, after a moment's thought, understood the situation. She had previously shown extreme disdain for this younger brother-in-law, so suddenly pleading for him was bound to raise suspicion.

But why did I plead for him?

As Guan Qinghan pondered, her usually cool face flushed, the red spreading right to the roots of her ears. She stamped her foot slightly, unable to hide her vexation, and snapped, "I—I just didn't want Third Uncle to get tired... Keep hitting him! Beat him to death!" As she spoke, she realized her voice carried an almost coquettish, clingy tone. Embarrassment flooded her again. Seeing the two pairs of eyes widen even further, threatening to pop out at any moment, she snorted in frustration. "Hmph!" She then turned and scurried away. "Did I just see that right? Did I hear that correctly? Was that really my sister-in-law?" Jun Moxie rubbed his head blankly, scratching it a few times—a posture strangely reminiscent of the clever Ikkyū-san.

"It seems... it was," Jun Wuyi replied with an uncertain tone. He suddenly roared again, "Who told you to stand up? Still not behaving, are we!"

The training resumed, beating the "sandbag"...

After a long while, Third Uncle seemed quite content as he stretched his arm. "Tomorrow is your father's death anniversary. We will go to the family ancestral hall together to offer incense, and then pay respects at the cenotaph erected for him by the soldiers. You must fulfill your responsibility as a son, understood?"

Mo Xie groaned in response, "Understood."

Third Uncle rubbed his wrist and strode back to his wheelchair, settling in. Pushing the chair himself, he departed leisurely, looking thoroughly satisfied. As he reached the courtyard entrance, he looked back, "The matter of the Blood Soul Manor... what finally happened with that?"

"It's truly resolved," Jun Moxie replied, on the verge of tears.

Third Uncle departed.

Satisfying! One could only say Third Uncle felt truly satisfied! Finding an excuse to discipline this brat was, in his opinion, the greatest pleasure he'd had recently.

The next day, the sky remained overcast.

Jun Moxie and Jun Wuyi stood silently, one in the wheelchair and one standing beside it, gazing at the structure before them that could almost be described using the word "magnificent"—the cenotaph. Both felt deeply unsettled.

This structure had long surpassed the scope of a mere cenotaph; it looked more like a palace built beside a military camp, an exceptionally grand palace.

Upon arrival, even Jun Wuyi had to pass through the scrutiny of eight sentry posts. On both sides, countless hidden sentinels were clearly lurking. A cenotaph guarded with such stern security!

Eight extremely thick stone pillars supported a vaulted roof. On both sides, two immense, solid slabs of stone stood erect. Facing the path of approach, both surfaces were perfectly flat, inscribed with several characters.

Left side: The wind and clouds listen to your commanding roar! Right side: Heaven and earth are yours to traverse freely!

The ground was paved with neat, staggered bluestone steps. On either side of the steps stood a team of majestic stone sculptures, horse-mounted and spear-wielding, the same size as real men. Further ahead, on both the left and right, stood four stalwart, giant stone figures, each gripping the hilt of a sword, their eyes fixed forward. Though mere stone carvings, they were sculpted with such lifelike detail, displaying an imposing, inviolable military spirit.

"These eight stone sculptures were carved based on the true appearances of your father's personal guards, known as the 'Eight White-Clad Generals.' From the moment Big Brother joined the military, these eight men served by his side until... their death at Heavenly Crown Ridge, never leaving even a step behind!" Jun Wuyi looked at the stone figures, deep emotion radiating from his eyes, his voice exceptionally low, thick with memory.

"Sharing life and death, sharing glory and honor; White-Clad Guards, Blood-Clad Fiends; Loyalty flowing like the rainbow, no regrets; Blood soaking Heavenly Crown, who compares to them?" Jun Wuyi chanted softly, moving forward slowly, his gaze lingering on each statue.

Jun Moxie couldn't help but feel a surge of solemn respect, unconsciously straightening his back a little.

The entire cenotaph was spotlessly clean, not a speck of dust remaining. Even though a heavy rain had just fallen, in this late autumn season, there wasn't a single fallen leaf, a blade of grass, or even a trace of water runoff.

"There is a dedicated team from the army responsible for this place. There is an unwritten rule in the military: no matter who it is, if they allow Big Brother's cenotaph to be sullied by dust, it is a capital offense! To be executed immediately! Though not explicitly written, it is far stricter than military law! There are absolutely no exceptions, and no one dares to violate it, nor can anyone violate it!" Jun Wuyi spoke softly, slowly pushing his wheelchair as he moved inside.

Jun Moxie accompanied him silently, his heart deeply shaken. From this single detail alone, one could see the immense degree of love and respect the army held for his father. Perhaps, in the hearts of the Heavenly Fragrance soldiers, the former White-Clad Military Marshal Jun Wuhui was... a God! A God of War!

Beneath the vault, precisely in the center, stood a tall stone sculpture: a middle-aged general mounted on a horse, standing rigidly. His sword-like eyebrows met above eyes gleaming with fierce spirit, his expression possessing the heroic grandeur of one ready to battle the cosmos. His right hand, hanging by his waist, lightly rested on the sword hilt, while his left hand gently held the reins. The sharp contours of his face held a hint of stern, cold amusement, as if the thousands of miles of rivers and mountains before him were already beneath his feet, and the countless living beings were already under his command!

His cape behind him seemed to flutter in the wind. Though merely a static stone image, it subtly exuded a magnificent, heroic aura of one reigning supreme and commanding the world!

At this point, I must tell everyone that future updates for Xie Jun will be concentrated in the afternoon and evening each day. If there are updates in the early morning or late morning, that will signify bonus updates or a burst release. Hehe, concentrating the releases this way might allow everyone to enjoy the reading more thoroughly. Well, if my brothers and sisters have different opinions, feel free to leave comments in the review section.

Yesterday I moved. In the evening, some of the brothers helped out and drank. I don't drink alcohol, so we made a bet: for every glass of strong liquor they drank, I would eat one steamed bun. As a result... I ate nine steamed buns... I was so stuffed that night I couldn't sleep for the life of me. At two in the morning, I got up and did a round of Qin Na to aid digestion; at five in the morning, I was running all over the complex looking for a pharmacy to buy digestive tablets... it was truly miserable!

That was 56-proof Beijing Erguotou, no joke!