Later, Yu Zhui was sentenced to exile, causing the sixth branch of the Yu family to completely turn against the main branch, constantly seeking revenge. Eventually, Yu Zhang'an and Yu Zhangping, through Yu Ningrou, came into contact with Xu Changyue.

Initially, the brothers only intended to retaliate against the main branch, but they soon realized they had boarded Xu Changyue's treacherous ship, becoming spies for Beili. At the same time, they also sought to profit from the downfall of the main branch.

Thus, the two sides joined forces. Yu Qi stepped forward to distract your grandfather, while Yu Zhang'an and Yu Zhangping, along with Yu Ningrou, deceived your father, Yu Zhongchun, by falsely claiming they had obtained partial military deployment maps of Beili's border.

Your father was initially skeptical, but on one hand, Yu Ningrou played her part convincingly, and on the other, he thought there was no harm in checking, even if it was a lie. So, he went to meet Yu Ningrou.

Little did he know, they had set a trap for the main branch, and in the end, not a single one escaped.

"What happened to the sixth branch afterward?"

"All their efforts came to nothing. When the Beili forces invaded the capital, they spared the sixth branch from plunder, but the neighboring branches suffered greatly.

Later, when the Western Qiang troops arrived, the sixth branch wasn’t spared either. The wealth they had taken from the main branch, along with their own family fortune, was completely looted.

The women of the household were violated and killed by the Western Qiang soldiers, while the men were slaughtered on the spot. The old man Yu Qi was kicked in the chest by a soldier, his heart shattered.

Watching his sons and grandsons perish one after another, whether from his severe injuries or sheer rage, the old man didn’t survive the night.

From then on, the sixth branch was completely wiped out."

"The sixth branch—wiped out!"

"The sixth branch—wiped out!"

These words echoed relentlessly in Yu Qi’s ears, pounding heavily against his heart.

Conspiring with the enemy, betraying the nation—his entire family annihilated. Retribution, this was retribution!

Cough!

His face deathly pale, Yu Qi couldn’t hold back any longer. A mouthful of blood sprayed out as he collapsed, unconscious. Before his consciousness sank into the abyss of darkness, one thought reverberated endlessly in his mind:

"The ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‍sixth branch is finished!"

"Finished!"

Yu Zhang'an and Yu Zhangping also knew their branch was doomed. Though these events hadn’t yet occurred, did it even matter?

No!

The brothers supported their unconscious father, their expressions as grim as if mourning his death, their gazes fixed on Yu Zhui, the one who had caused all this.

At this moment, Yu Zhangping truly wanted to strangle him.

Even now, their father had never reflected on his own failings. The fault of a child’s misdeeds lies with the parents.

If they had disciplined Yu Zhui strictly the first time he erred, instead of shielding him and cleaning up his messes without consequence, none of this would have happened.

Yu Zhui’s monstrous future was inseparable from the indulgence and leniency of Yu Zhangping and Song Yuniang. It was their constant cover-ups that nurtured this little demon.

The expressions of the other branches were equally grim. Hearing that they had turned a blind eye to these events in the future, their family’s reputation would undoubtedly be ruined beyond repair.

And upon learning that their own households had been plundered by Beili troops—though the details weren’t specified—given the devastation the sixth branch suffered at the hands of the Western Qiang, how could they possibly escape unscathed?

"Weren’t they Beili’s spies? Didn’t Yu Ningrou protect them?"

"Due to disputes over the division of the main branch’s wealth, the two sides fell out. Naturally, no protection was extended to the sixth branch. Moreover, Beili and the Western Qiang had an uneasy alliance.

So, you understand..."

"Since these future events haven’t happened yet, we can’t just kill off the entire sixth branch. But collecting some interest is necessary."

"Master, how would you like to collect this interest?"

Yue Fuguang pondered for a moment before coldly shifting her gaze to Yu Zhui, the instigator.

"Let’s take it out on this little brat. Xiao Zhu, go and castrate him. Since he enjoys tormenting young girls, we’ll confiscate his ‘tools.’ Let’s see how he continues his misdeeds!"

The system loved this idea. Punishing evil and upholding justice was its favorite duty as a virtue system.

"Master, Xiao Zhu guarantees his ‘tools’ will be removed cleaner than a eunuch in the palace!"

Qian Gui, who had heard everything, suddenly felt a chill between his legs and instinctively tightened his thighs.

He wasn’t the only one. Every man present broke out in a cold sweat.

The young immortal and the divine artifact were truly ruthless!

They were terrified—yet also felt an odd sense of vindication.

Especially the women present, who felt a mix of fury and helplessness, a shared sorrow for their own kind.

Though Yu Zhui hadn’t victimized their daughters, as fellow women, their empathy was natural. They couldn’t help but recall the horrors of the chaotic future they had just heard about—where lives were worthless, and women were reduced to objects of desire or even emergency rations.

Besides, it wasn’t that Yu Zhui didn’t want to prey on noblewomen—he simply lacked the means. If he had the power, who among them might have been next?

So when they heard he was to be castrated, even the most compassionate mothers and devout elderly ladies felt an overwhelming sense of justice—and relief.

"No! You can’t do this—!"

Amid the silent cheers and fearful leg-clenching, a woman suddenly lunged forward, her words half-mad.

Before she could finish, someone clamped a hand over her mouth. She struggled violently, but the grip only tightened, nearly suffocating her.

Tears welled in her widened eyes as she looked up—only to realize the one restraining her was her husband of over a decade.

Yu Zhangping leaned close, his voice a whisper. "Yuniang, if you want our son to live, if you want our daughters and this family to survive—shut your mouth."

His gaze turned icy. "One more word, and the entire sixth branch dies with you."

"My lord... this concubine... this concubine is filled with hatred..." Song Yuniang covered her face with her sleeve, hiding eyes brimming with venom.

Yu Zhangping wasn’t without hatred—he was simply powerless. If their enemy were human, even the emperor himself could be opposed.

But this time, they faced a god.

What could they possibly do?

Provoking such a being today and escaping immediate execution was already a stroke of luck.

If they dared voice their grievances aloud, they wouldn’t need divine intervention—a dozen people nearby would tear them apart on the spot.

His gaze shifted to his son, pale-faced and trembling, clutching his now-empty crotch in terror.

The boy couldn’t hear the inner voices and had no idea why his manhood had suddenly vanished. The fear of the unknown was the most terrifying of all.

Yu Zhangping opened his mouth, wanting to offer comfort, but no words came out.

This was his only legitimate son. The child’s fate today was partly his fault as a father. And the future...

The thought of his future self dragging his parents and brothers into betraying their nation and clan, all for this child’s revenge...

His heart was shrouded in despair. Though those events hadn’t yet happened, for their branch...

He cast a pleading glance toward the nephews of the main branch, but Yu Qingyu silently turned his head away, refusing to meet his gaze.

Not retaliating was already a mercy granted for the sake of family ties—did he really expect them to plead on his behalf? What a joke!

A sharp glint flashed in Emperor Mingxi's eyes. When he looked up and saw Yu Chongshan's ashen face, barely concealing his fury, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.