C71 I This Little Maid Don't Want Them Either!!

"You dare!" Old Master Sun bellowed, his foot slamming down with such force that a limestone slab beneath him shattered. It was clear that he was prepared to fight if Lin Chen persisted in taking Sun Qing'er away.

"Old fool, I have no idea what promises have been made to you by the person backing her," Lin Chen said, his eyes piercing as he locked gazes with the elder. "But you should know that while the Sun family may seem like a behemoth to others, to me, they're nothing more than ants!"

"Well said, 'nothing more than ants,'" Old Master Sun conceded. "Lin Chen, you may take Qing'er. However, before you do, I would like to have a few words with her. Surely you have no objections?"

Suppressing the fury within, Old Master Sun addressed Lin Chen with a veneer of calm. Yet, hidden within the murkiness of his eyes, a fierce determination flickered. If this scoundrel was going to make life difficult for the Sun family, why not use this chance to entangle Lin Chen with the enigmatic figure behind Sun Qing'er?

Lin Chen's brow creased slightly, sensing that Old Master Sun was up to something. But before he could ponder further, Sun Qing'er stepped forward of her own accord.

"Grandfather, I'm sorry. It's my fault that you've been put in this position," she said, her voice tinged with guilt. She couldn't help but feel responsible; if Lin Chen hadn't taken an interest in her, her grandfather wouldn't be enduring such indignity.

"Qing'er, the Sun family has nurtured you for twenty years," Old Master Sun said, his hand resting gently on her head. "Now, as you're about to leave, I have one last favor to ask of you. Would you be willing?"

"Grandfather, please, just tell me what it is," Sun Qing'er implored, her usual composure shaken by Lin Chen's aggressive actions. "I won't hesitate if it's within my power to help."

"The favor I ask is simple," the old man said, his voice soft yet heavy with an unspoken gravity. "I want you to leave this world at once."

As the words left his lips, Old Master Sun's fist struck Sun Qing'er's abdomen with brutal force. A terrifying energy instantly surged through her, propelling her backward. Her eyes, wide with shock and disbelief, remained fixed on Old Master Sun as she was flung through the air.

She couldn't fathom why her once doting grandfather would now want her dead.

"Old fool, you're asking for it!"

As Sun Qing'er was sent flying backward, Lin Chen instantly grasped Old Master Sun's murderous intent.

His icy gaze, filled with a desire to kill, bore into Old Master Sun before he charged toward Sun Qing'er.

"Pfft!"

The moment Lin Chen caught Sun Qing'er, her once rosy cheeks were now deathly pale.

A bright red stream of blood spilled from her lips.

Through his Magical Third Eye, Lin Chen saw the extent of the damage to Sun Qing'er's internal organs from Old Master Sun's punch.

Normally, she wouldn't last more than half an hour!

"You monster, have you lost all humanity?"

"Just because my boss wants Qing'er as his personal maid, you'd go as far as to kill her?"

Chung Yu's eyes reddened as he saw Sun Qing'er struggling for life.

"Maid?"

"The naivety!"

Old Master Sun let out a cold laugh, devoid of any remorse as he gazed upon Sun Qing'er.

Rather, he seemed to take pleasure in Lin Chen's predicament as he revealed, "Do you know why I've done this?"

"Because you've pushed the Sun family too far!"

"The moment Sun Qing'er dies, her backers will ensure you and the entire Ann family pay dearly!"

Old Master Sun's declaration only confirmed Lin Chen's suspicions, sending a wave of cold dread through him.

To think this man would kill his own granddaughter, whom he had raised for twenty years, just to set him up—it was the epitome of heartlessness!

"Boss, I want to take this old man down!"

Chung Yu was shaking with rage. He might not have fully grasped Old Master Sun's words, but he saw no remorse in the man's eyes.

He was itching to tear the beast apart.

"First, we save her."

Lin Chen, too, was eager to deal with Old Master Sun, but Sun Qing'er's critical condition couldn't wait. Any further delay and not even he could save her.

"Old Master Sun, this grudge for harming my maid—I won't forget it."

With a final, piercing look at Old Master Sun, Lin Chen wasted no more words. He turned on his heel and strode swiftly toward the door.

Once in the car, he instructed Chung Yu to head for the outskirts of the suburbs.

Meanwhile, Lin Chen retrieved a box of silver needles from his belt. After sterilizing them, he addressed Sun Qing'er with a solemn tone, "Your injuries are severe. The treatment might hurt, but try to endure it, just for a little while."

After finishing his statement, Lin Chen ripped Sun Qing'er's clothes without a second thought for the enticing view it revealed. His hands moved swiftly, inserting several silver needles into her body.

Sun Qing'er, already tinged with sorrow, felt the fabric tear and the sharp pain that followed. Anger flared within her as she exclaimed, "Lin Chen, if you have any shred of manhood left, just kill me! Why must you degrade me like this?"

Lin Chen's eyebrows arched at her outburst. He retorted with a cold laugh, "As my servant, humiliation is the least of your concerns. If I commanded you to warm my bed, you'd have to comply without question. Remember, no one but me can save your life, now or ever."

Lin Chen's feelings towards Sun Qing'er were complex. Initially, he had wanted to end her life, but recent events had revealed to him that she was nothing more than an innocent victim.

"I neither need nor want your salvation," Sun Qing'er declared, her teeth clenched and lips quivering, her eyes a mix of despair and profound disillusionment. The betrayal by Old Master Sun, whom she had always regarded as family, was a devastating blow.

"Sun Qing'er, I suspect that old man never truly saw you as family," Lin Chen said as he continued with the acupuncture. "He only raised you for twenty years because he was coerced. It's clear he intended to kill you and pin the blame on me."

From the driver's seat, Chung Yu voiced his confusion, "Boss, if it's as you say, then why didn't the person behind Qing'er just have the Sun family raise her?"

Lin Chen scoffed dismissively, "Use your head for once. If that old man were truly allied with the forces behind Sun Qing'er, would he have stood by while I treated her this way?"

He paused, his gaze returning to Sun Qing'er. "You were born with innate Spiritual Qi, a rare treasure in the Cultivation World, the perfect cauldron. The question of why they didn't raise you themselves, instead forcing the Sun family to do so, is something I can't fathom."

"I can assure you that their only aim is to use you as a sacrificial pawn on their path of cultivation," Lin Chen declared. At his words, Chung Yu, who was behind the wheel, hit the brakes hard. If Lin Chen hadn't been single for years, with a steady hand, that silver needle might have ended up embedded in Sun Qing'er's stuffed bear!

"Boss, are you saying Sun Qing'er was born with innate spiritual energy?" he asked, incredulous. "If that gets out, she'll be a magnet for every cultivator out there!"

Chung Yu was beside himself, turning to Lin Chen with a mix of shock and concern. He had a soft spot for Sun Qing'er, especially now, seeing her so vulnerable. The last thing he wanted was for her to be reduced to someone else's cauldron.

As a scion of a prominent family, he was well aware of what being a cauldron entailed. It might sound benign, but in reality, it meant being reduced to a mere object, exploited for the innate spiritual energy within, leaving the cauldron aged and depleted.

Chung Yu might have been better off not bringing it up, as it only made Lin Chen feel a twinge of regret. Resolutely, he turned to Sun Qing'er and said, "I'm saving your life this time."

"Once you've healed, find somewhere remote to live out your days in peace. I don't need the headache of being on every cultivator's radar because of you."

Sun Qing'er's temper flared under Lin Chen's scornful look. He had already taken so much from her, and now, knowing she was a liability, he was ready to abandon her?

"You've saved my life, so I owe it to you to stick by your side!" she retorted. "Unless you're ready to stop treating me right now!"

She wasn't naive. If someone like Chung Yu, from a powerful family, was concerned, then the innate spiritual energy Lin Chen spoke of must be something formidable. Without him, she could only imagine the dire straits she might find herself in.

"Oh, come on!" Lin Chen exclaimed in frustration. "Sun Qing'er, I save your life and this is how you repay my kindness?"

Lin Chen glared at Sun Qing'er, visibly annoyed.

"Ha, you only saved me to avoid being saddled with the blame."

"Furthermore, I'm willing to serve as your maid, but on one condition: you must not bring any harm to the Sun family over this incident!"

"And as for the future, I will have no further ties to the Sun family!"

Sun Qing'er paused briefly after her declaration.

She then added, "If you refuse, just wait until the person supporting me shows up."

"I'll take my own life right in front of him and make it clear that you drove me to it!"