Chapter 789: 788: The Cruel Truth Stabs at the Heart of the Greedy

“How is this possible? How could this happen?”

“How could it not be this way?” Wen Xin looked at them and smiled gently, her beautiful fingers tapping intermittently on the chair.

“Would you gentleman please rise and take a seat? We can discuss this slowly.”

At that moment, the annoyance in Wen Xin’s eyes had disappeared completely. Those few people, looking at Wen Xin, obediently stood up and took a seat on the chairs beside them.

Qian Gui looked at Wen Xin, eager to know the secrets behind the contest. In their minds, they recalled the panicked expression on Wen’s face when he heard that Wen Xin was going to participate in the contest.

“Little princess, please hurry and tell us what exactly the contest is all about…”

As Qian Gui spoke, the others quickly nodded in agreement with what he said, as the images of that year filled their minds as well.

“The contest involves listing all the geniuses from different families in a roster, and then locking them all in a specific space, similar to a room made of iron. Outside, you can see devices that seem to draw lightning.”

“I know that each Elder here is no trivial figure, each possessing various skills. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be in the positions you hold today.”

“But why haven’t you ever questioned the issues with this?”

As Wen Xin spoke, her shiny black eyes swept over the five elders present. Everyone wore a look of disbelief, which was within Wen Xin’s expectations.

“I know you elders might find it hard to believe what I’m saying, but this is the cruel reality.”

“Think about it, every instance of the contest is scheduled during the storm season in Independent State, and Kunshan is the highest elevation in Independent State, also known by the people there as the place closest to heaven.”

“Indeed, there’s some truth in that saying, as that place truly has sent many people to heaven.”

“You have no idea what goes on inside, yet you think that those who survive are the proud ones chosen by heaven, sacred and inviolable, sent to bring blessings and stabilize the status of Independent State.”

“But that’s not actually the case…”

At this point, Wen Xin unconsciously glanced at Mu Chengxi, now regretting bringing him along. Knowing her past experiences, she worried he couldn’t handle it.

The five elders, waiting to hear the real situation of the contest, became impatient when they saw Wen Xin suddenly stop.

“Little princess, stop beating around the bush and just tell us what it is, what’s going on?”

Qian Fa’s years of belief were about to be shattered by Wen Xin’s words. He couldn’t believe that Independent State’s contest had a dark side, which was a rule handed down by the ancestors of all families. Could it really be like what Wen Xin was saying?

Hearing the impatient urging around her, Wen Xin shifted her gaze from Mu Chengxi, turned her head, and looked coldly at the waiting elders, ready to continue.

“The list of participants in the contest, I believe you all might have seen it before, consisting of geniuses from various families and top individuals from different fields.”

“Have you ever noticed that almost all of those who participate in the contest are individuals whom the elders of Independent State cannot control?”

“Of course, this includes my father.”

Wen Xin’s shiny eyes glinted coldly; she was reluctant to bring up these events, but… without clarifying, these people wouldn’t believe her.

“Since we have reached this point, I will tell you about what the contest scene was like back then.”

Wen Xin said this and lowered her head, trying not to meet Mu Chengxi’s gaze. She feared seeing the distress in his eyes, which would break her composure.

“Back then, I was young and didn’t fully understand what it meant to participate in the contest. All I knew was that my mother was very uneasy since the day she received the message. She often held me and cried, worried that once I went, I might never return.”

Wen Xin’s words successfully stirred the memories of the five elders. They remembered that whenever they saw Lady Wen, her mood was not good, and she appeared overly worried, with frighteningly red eyes.

At that time, they even comforted Lady Wen, telling her it was an honor to participate in the contest. Thinking back now, they realized how absurd that was and wondered how they could have ever said those words.

Noticing their expressions, Wen Xin knew they probably recalled the way her mother looked back then, so she continued.

“Actually, what they call the contest involves using a special device to channel lightning into that iron room, directly striking the participants to death.”

“The participants all stood barefoot on metal plates, gripping two metal handrails. When lightning struck, there was no chance of survival.”

“No, no, it can’t be true! It cannot be like that! It must be alarmist talk from the little princess, how can that be possible? Both you and your father safely walked away from Kunshan. I can’t believe it…”

Suddenly, one of the previously silent elders stood up from his seat, his emotions surging as he moved aggressively toward Wen Xin.

But before he could reach her, Qian Meng rushed forward and stopped him.

“Uncle Qian Fa, please calm down. The little princess has no reason to lie to us!” Qian Meng pulled Qian Fa back, his voice gentle as he urged Qian Fa to calm down.

“I’m not lying. I still have the internal layout of that room on my computer. If you want to see it, I can show it to you!”

Wen Xin didn’t understand why Qian Fa suddenly got so excited. Her beautiful eyes stared intensely at Qian Fa, trying to discern the reason for his agitation from his face.

“No, I don’t want to see, I don’t believe what you’re saying, I just don’t believe it!”

Without waiting for Wen Xin to present the photo, Qian Fa broke free from Qian Meng’s grip and ran out of the hall, his emotions clearly shattered.

“What… What is going on? Why… would he be so agitated?”

Wen Xin looked puzzledly at the other elders, whose complexions were pale, and asked incomprehensibly.

“Alas, little princess, if what you said is true, then Qian Fa has personally sent his three sons and two grandsons to the gates of hell… and not one of them returned!”

Qian Gui looked deeply at Wen Xin and sighed. He hadn’t expected that something so sacred as the contest could turn out like this.

“Three sons? Two grandsons?” Qian Meng reacted with shock to Qian Gui’s words.

He had previously heard that Qian Fa was a lonely old man with no children. Unexpectedly, his fate today was his own making, having sent his own sons to the gates of hell…