Everything looked as normal as ever.
Qin Su stood beside Jin GuangYao. As she watched him play with the dagger, she suddenly reached out and snatched it from his hands!
His features began to twist and tremble, along with her face. Others couldn’t read such an expression, but Wei WuXian could, having seen the argument she had with Jin GuangYao.s
Pain, anger, humiliation!
Jin GuangYao’s smile froze, “A-Su?”
Lan WangJi and Wei WuXian both went for the dagger. However, within a flash, the edge of the dagger had already sunk deeply into her stomach.
Jin GuangYao wailed, “A-Su!”
He rushed forward and grabbed Qin Su’s limp body. Lan XiChen immediately took out medicine. Yet, not only was the dagger’s blade sharper than usual, its energy was heavy as well. Qin Su died within the blink of an eye!
Nobody had expected such an incident; everyone was shocked. Jin GuangYao called his wife’s name mournfully. His eyes were wide open as he cupped her face with one hand. Tears ceaselessly splashed onto her cheeks. Lan XiChen, “A-Yao, Madam Jin… I am sorry.”
Jin GuangYao looked up, “Brother, what is going on? Why would A-Su suddenly take her own life? And, why would you gather in front of the Fragrant Palace and demand me to open my treasure room? Is there anything that you haven’t told me?”
Jiang Cheng, having arrived late, spoke in a cold voice, “ZeWu-Jun, please explain this. All of us are still in the dark.”
Everyone agreed with him. Lan XiChen could only begin, “Sometime ago, a few of the GusuLan Sect’s disciples were on a night-hunt. When they passed Mo Village, they were met with the attack of a left arm that had been dismembered. Both its resentful energy and its killing intent were heavy. Led by it, WangJi had been investigating. However, after we had gathered all parts of the corpse, we discovered that the corpse was… our eldest brother.”
All of the people in and out of the treasure room bursted into an uproar!
Jin GuangYao was more than shocked, “Brother? Hadn’t Brother been buried? Both you and I saw it with our own eyes!”
Nie HuaiSang thought that he might have heard wrong, “Brother? Brother XiChen? You mean my brother? And also your brother???”
Lan XiChen nodded heavily. Nie HuaiSang’s eyes rolled up. He collapsed on the ground with a thud. A circle of people immediately began to shout.
“Sect Leader Nie! Sect Leader Nie!”
“Where’s the medic?!”
Jin GuangYao’s eyes still held tears, but appeared as if they were red with anger. He clenched his hands into fists and shouted with both grief and resentment, “Dismembered… Dismembered! Who in this world could’ve done such an insane act?!”
Lan XiChen shook his head, “I do not know. When we were searching for the head, the clues disappeared.”
Jin GuangYao paused, as though he finally knew what was going on, “The clues disappeared… so you came to search me?”
Lan XiChen was silent. Jin GuangYao looked as if he didn’t believe it. He asked again, “You wanted me to open the treasure room, because you were suspicious… that Brother’s head is at my place?”
A look of guilt passed over Lan XiChen’s face.
Jin GuangYao’s head hung low, Qin Su’s corpse still in his arms. After a while, he spoke, “… Forget it. Drop the matter. But, Brother, how did HanGuang-Jun know that such a treasure chamber was inside my bedchamber? And how was it decided that Brother’s head is inside my room? Koi Tower is quite fortified. If this really was my doing, would I have let Brother’s head be discovered so easily?”
Hearing his questions, Lan XiChen couldn’t seem to find any answers. Not only he, Wei WuXian couldn’t answer them either. Who could’ve expected that, within such a short time, Jin GuangYao was not only able to move the head somewhere else, but also prompt Qin Su to take her own life before everyone’s eyes?!
As he his thoughts spun with desperation, Jin GuangYao sighed, “XuanYu, did you tell this to Brother and all those people? What’s the use of making up this sort of easily exposable lies?”
One of the sect leaders asked, “LianFang-Zun, who are you talking about?”
Somebody spoke coldly, “Who? The one standing beside HanGuang-Jun, of course.”
Everyone turned to look at him. The person who spoke was Su She. He continued, “The people who aren’t from the LanlingJin Sect might not have heard of who he is. His name is Mo XuanYu. He used to be a disciple of the LanlingJin Sect. Back then, because of his indecent conduct, he was thrown out for the reason of harassing LianFang-Zun. Yet, speaking from the hearsay nowadays, he has proven himself to the likings of HanGuang-Jun, even following him wherever he goes. Why would HanGuang-Jun, who has always been known for his grace and righteousness, keep such a person by his side? It truly is difficult to understand.”
Listening to him speak, Jin Ling’s face darkened. Amid the chatters of the crowd, Jin GuangYao lay down Qin Su’s corpse and slowly stood up. One hand on the hilt of Hensheng, he walked a step closer to Wei WuXian, “I won’t bring up anything from the past, but please explain in all honesty. A-Su’s bizarre death—are you involved in this at all?”
When Jin GuangYao lied, it really was unashamed and full of vigor! As others heard this, of course they’d think that Mo XuanYu had slandered LianFang-Zun and caused Madam Jin to take her own life since he held hatred toward him. Even Wei WuXian couldn’t think of anything to say in refutation. What could he say? How he saw Nie MingJue’s head? How he snuck into the secret room? The name of the person whom Qin Su saw before she died? The odd letter that could easily be argued as fictitious and fabricated? Such refutation would only make him look even more suspicious! As he tried to think of a plan, Hensheng had already unsheathed. Lan WangJi stood in front of him as Bichen blocked the attack.
As the other cultivators saw, they unsheathed their swords as well. Two swords came at him from the side. Wei WuXian had no weapons in his hands, and so he was unable to defend himself. Turning around, he happened to see Suibian lie atop the cabinet. He immediately grabbed it and unsheathed the sword!
Jin GuangYao’s expression froze as he exclaimed, “It’s the YiLing Patriarch!”
Within the instant, all of the blades of the LanlingJin Sect’s disciples turned to point at him. Jin Ling’s did as well!
His identity having suddenly been exposed, Wei WuXian stared at Jin Ling’s disordered expression. Facing Suihua’s blade, he was still confused. Jin GuangYao spoke again, “What a surprise that Patriarch YiLing has returned to this world and decided to make an appearance here. Apologies for the lack of reception.”
Wei WuXian still felt puzzled, having not the slightest clue how he revealed himself. Nie HuaiSang spoke dizzily, “Brother? What did you call him? Isn’t this Mo XuanYu?”
Jin GuangYao pointed Hensheng at Wei WuXian, “HuaiSang, A-Ling, come over. Everyone, please be careful. Since he pulled his sword out, he’s most definitely the YiLing Patriarch— Wei WuXian!”
Because of how the name of Wei WuXian’s sword was too embarrassing to say, when people mentioned it, they always referred to it as “this sword”, “that sword”, “his sword”, and so on. The words “the YiLing Patriarch” evoked even more fear than how ChiFeng-Zun had been dismembered. Even the people who didn’t intend on fighting had involuntarily unsheathed their swords, circling this side of the secret room. Wei WuXian glanced across at the field of sword glares in front of him, saying nothing.