Chapter 1034: Framing?

The guards' answers made the air freeze once more. Feng Huituo lamented, "Nephew Yun, these good-for-nothings under my command couldn't even fully protect you. I am truly incompetent... I wonder, where did you go in the past half hour, and did you encounter any danger?"

His voice still carried a polite tone, but anyone could detect the underlying sorrow and hatred. Clearly, Feng Huituo had already concluded that Yun Che was Mu Hanyi's killer. As he implied, only Yun Che could have persuaded Mu Hanyi to secretly open the treasure vault's hidden passage, and coincidentally, Yun Che had been nowhere to be found for half an hour before these events unfolded.

Yun Che's eyebrows twitched; he was just about to speak when Mu Xiaolan said in a flustered voice, "No... that's not it. Yun Che and Senior Brother Hanyi were on such good terms, and Yun Che's profound strength is only at the first level of the Divine Origin Realm. It's impossible for him to have killed Senior Brother Hanyi. You... you've really got it wrong."

"And... and..." Mu Xiaolan's voice trailed off: "And for the past half hour, actually... actually... Yun Che... he was in my room the whole time..."

By the end of her sentence, Mu Xiaolan's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, and her head was deeply bowed; she dared not look anyone in the eye. To outsiders, this seemed like a young girl's shyness, but Yun Che knew it was because she was terrible at lying, especially with such a significant lie.

However, at such a crucial moment, this girl proved to be so loyal, willing to compromise her reputation and lie to protect him... His "affection" for her had not been in vain!

Mu Xiaolan's words stunned everyone. Situ Xiongting was first astonished, then his eyes lit up with wild delight; he nearly leaped up in excitement. He quickly stepped forward, saying with a hint of embarrassment, "Well... Your Majesty of Ice Wind, everyone, actually, Nephew Yun and my daughter have long since... *cough*, fallen in love. That's why they came together this time. It's just that my daughter is merely a disciple of the Ice Phoenix Sect, and her status truly doesn't match Nephew Yun's. Moreover, with the Great Realm King having just betrothed Fairy Feixue to Nephew Yun, it became even harder to speak of, so... But since things have come to this, I must speak. Earlier, Nephew Yun was indeed in my daughter's room. I... I hope you all won't make light of it."

As an independent domain master, Situ Xiongting was, of course, no novice like Mu Xiaolan. His tone, demeanor, and even the flicker in his eyes were incredibly natural. His choice of words, coherence, and logic were flawless, making the whole story seamless.

After he finished speaking, everyone present showed expressions of sudden understanding. Yun Che's profound strength was only at the first level of the Divine Origin Realm, which anyone could sense. Mu Hanyi, however, was at the fifth level of the Divine Tribulation Realm. Yun Che became a direct disciple because his ice talent far surpassed Mu Hanyi's. If they were to fight, a hundred Yun Ches wouldn't be a match for Mu Hanyi. How then could he have killed him... especially without alarming anyone?

Therefore, the suspicion that Mu Hanyi was killed by Yun Che was already difficult to believe; Feng Huituo's accusation was merely a guess. In contrast, Situ Xiongting's explanation was much more logical. Originally, many people had wondered why Yun Che, given his extraordinarily noble status, would bring such a female disciple to the Ice Wind Empire. If the two had "that kind of relationship," then it made perfect sense.

As for Yun Che not allowing anyone to follow him when he left the Ice Ceremony Palace half an hour ago, that was even more understandable.

"So that's it, Domain Master Situ... Congratulations!" responded a middle-aged man nearest to Situ Xiongting, his face full of envy and jealousy. His daughter got involved with the Great Realm King's direct disciple. This was truly a blessing accumulated over eighteen generations of ancestors!

"Ah, not at all, not at all," Situ Xiongting quickly waved his hand, his face beaming like a flower.

"They're just young people, full of vigor, so... it's perfectly normal." The speaker, who had been stern-faced in front of Situ Xiongting earlier in the day, now spoke with a hint of flattery.

"Ah, I'm simply inept at raising daughters, truly inept. Once daughters grow up, they ultimately belong to others. Well, let them be." Situ Xiongting wore a look of helplessness.

"Ah, I said it. How could someone like Young Master Yun commit such an evil act? So that's how it is... Your Majesty of Ice Wind, the villain should not have escaped the imperial city yet. You should immediately order the imperial city sealed and launch a city-wide search."

Mu Xiaolan kept her head bowed, her fingers twisted around her sash so tightly they almost tore it.

"Hmm? It seems there's something in the Thirteenth Prince's hand!"

Elder Yan, who was examining Mu Hanyi's corpse, frowned. He quickly picked up Mu Hanyi's left hand; shockingly, clutched within his completely deformed fingers was a short piece of white silk.

Elder Yan carefully removed the short silk piece from Mu Hanyi's hand.

About three inches long, it was embroidered with an exceptionally exquisite Ice Phoenix pattern. The tear mark at its lower end clearly indicated it had been forcefully ripped off, and judging by its color, it had obviously been torn off recently.

Seeing the short silk piece, Yun Che's gaze abruptly shifted, then he quickly glanced at his own right hand.

"This is... a sleeve band from the Ice Phoenix Divine Sect, and it's clearly just been torn off!"

After Elder Yan finished speaking, his gaze quickly shifted, and almost everyone present instinctively looked at Yun Che... Immediately, all their pupils constricted as if pricked by needles.

The sleeve band on Yun Che's left arm was intact, but on his right arm, there was no sleeve band at all. Instead, there was only a similarly fresh tear mark.

Yun Che's mind was in turmoil.

He recognized at a glance that it was indeed his sleeve band... But there was absolutely no way Mu Hanyi could have torn it off him. Clearly, someone else had torn it off him, and they had done so without him noticing even slightly!

This was a hundred times more difficult than silently killing him!

Yun Che's heart pounded, and he sucked in a cold breath through clenched teeth.

Silently removing Mu Hanyi's corpse, and then silently tearing off the sleeve band from his right arm—this must have been done by the same person... Who was this terrifying person hidden in the shadows, and why were they doing this?

To have Mu Hanyi's body discovered immediately, point the finger at him, and then use his sleeve band as undeniable evidence—this was clearly intended to "frame" him. But if the goal was truly to harm him, with that person's terrifying strength, which sent shivers down his spine, they could have instantly taken his life, killing him beyond revival and leaving no trace... So why go to such great lengths!?

The sleeve band in Mu Hanyi's hand and the tear mark on Yun Che's white robe immediately became undeniable evidence that everyone could clearly see. The scene instantly froze, and no one dared to speak for a moment. Situ Xiongting, who had been filled with joy, instantly stiffened. Mu Xiaolan's eyes widened, and she became utterly terrified and distraught.

"Nephew Yun..." Feng Huituo took the sleeve band from Elder Yan's hand, his palm and voice trembling violently: "You are the Great Realm King's direct disciple; your status is incredibly honorable, beyond anyone else's reach. We of Ice Wind treated you as an honored guest, not daring to show the slightest disrespect. Hanyi held you in even greater esteem, always praising you in his words..."

"Where did my Ice Wind ever wrong you!! What unforgivable mistake did my Hanyi commit!! That you would resort to such a cruel hand!!"

Feng Huituo's voice was initially restrained, but by the end, it was a hoarse, desperate roar.

In a calm state, he would never dare to show Yun Che the slightest disrespect... But with his most beloved son tragically dead before him, and the nation-guarding sacred object stolen, all while they were blameless, how could he possibly remain rational? How could he control himself?

Indeed, in his current state of fury, grief, and breakdown, it was not impossible for him to order Yun Che's death. Although the consequences of such an act would be incredibly dire, potentially causing the entire Ice Wind Empire to perish with Yun Che, he could, as a fallen emperor, also be a father who died with a smile.

And if Feng Huituo, in his furious loss of control, truly chose the latter, then the guests present were also very likely to be implicated, which was a source of deep fear for them. Situ Xiongting hastily stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty of Ice Wind, please calm down first! There are many flaws in this matter. Not to mention that Nephew Yun couldn't possibly kill Prince Hanyi given his strength, just regarding the sleeve band: if it was forcefully torn off, how could he not have noticed? And since Young Master Hanyi had enough strength to tear off the sleeve band, why didn't he cry out to alert someone? Furthermore, that sleeve band was from the right arm, and..."

"Silence!!"

Situ Xiongting's voice was interrupted by a hoarse roar. Feng Huituo's face contorted into a terrifying snarl: "Just because he's the Great Realm King's direct disciple, he can kill indiscriminately!? You would disregard the most basic principles of Heaven and humanity!?"

Feng Huituo's terrifying appearance made Situ Xiongting hastily retreat, not daring to utter another word.

"Alright, you don't need to speak for me." With things having come to this, Yun Che instead calmed down and said very plainly, "I'll just admit it generously. Mu Hanyi, I did indeed kill him!"

His words caused a heaven-shaking shock, making everyone's expressions drastically change. Even with undeniable evidence, a verbal confession was still an entirely different concept.

"Yun Che..." Feng Huituo took a step forward, extending a trembling finger: "I am no fool. From the very beginning, I sensed something was amiss... It was merely my humble birthday; how could I be worthy of such immense grace from the Great Realm King? So... so... it was for my Ice Wind's nation-guarding sacred object!"

"Heh, heh heh heh..." Feng Huituo laughed, his laughter exceptionally bitter: "With just one word from the Great Realm King, with just one word from you, even if it were a nation-guarding sacred object, how could my small Ice Wind nation be qualified or dare to refuse? Hanyi secretly brought you into the treasure vault, surely thinking of my difficulties and fearing my reluctance, so he wanted to shoulder it alone... And you!! Since you already obtained the nation-guarding sacred object, why did you still so cruelly kill Hanyi!! Why!!"

"Give me a reason!!"

"A reason!!!!"

"Father!" Feng Hange rushed over to support him. Feng Huituo was gasping for breath like an ox, his body swaying precariously, his aura in extreme disarray. If he were to suddenly attack Yun Che, no one would be surprised.

"Yun Che... what... what do we do?" Mu Xiaolan fearfully stood beside Yun Che. With Yun Che's status, he could indeed walk unhindered in the Snow Song Realm. But now, they were outnumbered and isolated on someone else's territory, and Feng Huituo, opposite them, had completely lost control of his emotions.

In contrast to the frenzied Feng Huituo, Yun Che sneered: "Since you're so eager to know why, I'll enlighten you! I hope that after you know... you won't regret it!"