Chapter 63: His Person is Detestable

“Hey, is that really you two kneeling here?”

Wu Jinliang, who was being led up Wukang Mountain to the gate, turned to look at the two people kneeling on the steps, exclaiming in surprise.

Shi Chun was also there and looked back at the two kneeling figures, but he said nothing.

Xia Fuli, who was leading the group, had a tense expression. It was just a trip down the mountain, but now there were two extra people to bring back. It wouldn't be appropriate not to take them; the other party had made it so obvious. If he left the two in the city again, it would be handing them over to Bian Weiying. If anything else happened, would he be considered intentional?

When bringing people down the mountain, they hadn't used the main entrance, naturally knowing who was kneeling outside. Now, he couldn't afford to worry about that.

Bian Weikang and Xiang Lan’er, who were kneeling, were somewhat dumbfounded. They thought they had seen wrongly, and before they could even understand what was happening, they saw Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang being led into the mountain gate and up the mountain.

What did this mean? The thoughts of the two kneeling individuals were a bit muddled. They hadn't gone up the mountain yet, so why had those two gone up first?

The scene was also a bit chaotic. Their two benefactors were barefoot and very dirty, and they were also being escorted up the mountain.

Bian Weikang was suddenly startled. He shouted loudly, “Elder Xia, this matter has nothing to do with them. All the mistakes are mine alone; there’s no need to make things difficult for them!”

He tried to stand up and follow, but his legs, numb from long kneeling, buckled. He had to brace himself with his hands on the steps.

Xiang Lan’er supported him.

The people going up the mountain had already disappeared into the darkness. The two looked at each other in silence, unsure whether they should continue kneeling. Xiang Lan’er wanted to first understand what had happened, but it felt inappropriate to get up and leave alone. So, at her urging, they both got up and returned to the city.

Upon returning to the inn entrance, it was immediately clear that something had happened. The innkeeper also recounted what had transpired.

As soon as Bian Weikang heard, he became furious and headed straight for the City Lord’s Manor. At a slight nod from Xiang Lan’er, the innkeeper immediately sent someone to follow and protect him.

Soon after, Feng Chi arrived in a hurry to meet them. She expressed her gratitude repeatedly, saying it was a blessing, otherwise she wouldn’t have known how to get word to them.

Xiang Lan’er ignored the pleasantries and went straight to the point. “Was it really Bian Weiying who did it?”

Feng Chi replied, “Who knows if it’s true? But from what that fellow said, that’s what he implied.”

Xiang Lan’er was puzzled, “What was Bian Weiying’s purpose in doing this?”

Feng Chi smiled bitterly and shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s a fact that a Wukang Mountain disciple was killed in the street, and it was Yin Huixin’s direct disciple. Even if they aren’t executed, Wukang Mountain certainly won’t take them in. If we hadn’t made alternative arrangements, Miss would have been implicated by him this time and wouldn’t have been able to go up the mountain. Perhaps it’s not a bad thing; that fellow is too crazy. No matter what, you just need to expose and explain it; there’s no need for public assassination. It’s more dangerous to stay on the mountain with such an uncontrollable person; it’s better to send him away.”

After a long frown, Xiang Lan’er seemed to have a doubt. “Given his shrewd calculations behind redeeming and selling people, do you think he could be such a crude and reckless person?”

Feng Chi responded, “Whether he is or isn’t, things have come to this; there’s no other way but to let him go.”

Xiang Lan’er pondered for a long time, eventually letting out a soft sigh. The sigh seemed to carry a different meaning, surprising Feng Chi. She asked, “Miss doesn’t want him to leave?”

The question had no other hidden meaning, but Xiang Lan’er reacted quite strongly. She retorted definitively, “No!”

Feng Chi, who was accustomed to seeing all kinds of people at Liyun Tower, paused slightly. Then she quickly thought she was overthinking it and reassured, “The problem shouldn’t be big. The mountain will contact us and advise us on when it’s appropriate to retrieve him. If that小子 (kid) hadn’t prepared a fallback, someone like him should just be killed outright for peace of mind!”

Just then, there was a flurry of hurried footsteps outside, followed by urgent knocking at the door. The innkeeper’s voice came through: “It’s me.”

Feng Chi said, “Come in.”

The innkeeper opened the door, entered, and quickly closed it again. He approached the two women and reported urgently, “Something has happened. A body has been found in an upstairs room. It’s a Wukang Mountain disciple, known to everyone at the inn, and he’s from the City Lord’s Manor.”

The two women were slightly startled. What kind of evil wind was blowing now? One incident after another, was it never going to end? One must know that Bian Weikang and Xiang Lan’er were staying there. If incidents kept happening there, and a Wukang Mountain disciple even died inside the inn, Wukang Mountain would surely grow suspicious if they found out. It was too frightening; their plans were almost ruined by fright. Could they still proceed as normal if things continued like this?

Feng Chi was both worried and puzzled. “What’s the situation? Explain clearly. How could a Wukang Mountain disciple die in your inn for no reason?”

The innkeeper immediately explained in detail, “Besides the overturned roof needing repair, the City Lord’s Manor people had thoroughly searched all the rooms up and down. We naturally had to take inventory, so I sent a waiter to check each room. In the furthest corner room upstairs, we found the quilt missing from the bed, and a faint smell of blood. The waiter immediately investigated thoroughly, and found a body wrapped in a quilt under the bed. Upon pulling it out, we saw the deceased was from the City Lord’s Manor; I saw it myself. Oh, and his outer coat had been stripped off and was also thrown under the bed.”

Xiang Lan’er still didn’t quite understand what had happened, but Feng Chi, who had witnessed the incident unfold, suddenly realized. She patted her chest, relieved, and said thankfully, “So that’s how it is! I wondered why the City Lord’s Manor people couldn’t find him when he was hiding in the inn. So that’s it!”

Xiang Lan’er immediately asked what had happened.

Feng Chi immediately recounted a fabricated story of Shi Chun killing someone and using the deceased’s coat to bluff his way through. Her conjectured process was surprisingly close to the truth.

After hearing it, Xiang Lan’er was speechless.

The innkeeper smiled wryly, “What Your Excellency imagined is similar to my own guess. It must have been Shi Chun and that Wu Jinliang who did it while evading the search. If you don’t mind me saying, those two are truly audacious. If they keep staying here, this inn definitely won’t be able to stay open. If things go on like this, I’ll be scared away myself.”

Feng Chi gritted her teeth and said, “Those two are lunatics! I probably understand now why that tile fell and exposed them. It fell too coincidentally; they must have deliberately exposed themselves. The search party was going to search a second time, and it would have been hard for them to hide any longer without being exposed. Finding a corpse would have been even more troublesome, so the exposure was meant to stop the search from continuing. And that Wei Bian, what was he so eager for? If he hadn’t searched a second time and those two had gotten away, he wouldn’t have been stabbed to death. He really was looking for death. And that Shi Chun, he’s someone who doesn’t let a grudge last overnight. Assassinating someone in broad daylight — this wretch must have been certain we’d bail him out, right?”

She then turned to the innkeeper and said, “None of that matters now. A living person is missing; the City Lord’s Manor will surely discover it. What if they get suspicious of this place? You need to quickly dispose of the body and destroy all traces.”

“Alright, I’ll go do it now.” The innkeeper quickly acknowledged the order and left.

Feng Chi turned back and started grumbling again, “What is this? All I do is clean up his messes…”

Meanwhile, the enraged Bian Weikang ran to the City Lord’s Manor but did not find his sister, Bian Weiying. The people at the City Lord’s Manor hadn’t lied to Bian Weikang; Bian Weiying had indeed gone up the mountain at that time, summoned by the Sect Master.

Inside an elegant residence deep within the ornate Jade Palace, Yin Huixin sat silently on a chair, her expression calm and unruffled. Bian Jixiong paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back.

Soon after, Bian Weiying arrived, having changed into dry clothes and tied her hair into a ponytail. Upon entering, she saluted her parents as usual.

However, what greeted her was Bian Jixiong’s angry roar: “Was it you who instigated it?” He had clearly already been informed and knew the full details.

Bian Weiying paused slightly, glanced at her mother who was staring at her, and finally admitted frankly: “Yes.” She knew very well that if Shi Chun hadn’t brought up the issue of the assassin’s body, she could have kept it hidden. But now that he had, it would be very difficult for her to conceal it further, because that assassin was a Wukang Mountain disciple. With a living person missing, where could they find a similar person to replace him?

Bian Jixiong’s face instantly darkened. He paced up to her and asked word for word, “Why?”

Bian Weiying, unhurried, showed indignation on her face and said, “That person is detestable! If he hadn’t interfered, how could my brother have ended up with a courtesan?”

This reason for assassination was indeed given logically and reasonably.

Bian Jixiong was choking with rage. He raised a hand to slap her, but ultimately didn’t bring it down. Pointing at her nose, he angrily rebuked, “I had my own plans for this matter. Did I need you to interfere?”

Bian Weiying’s eyes reddened as she shouted back, “That’s my brother! His whole life has been pure. How could I just stand by and do nothing?”

“You…” Bian Jixiong’s hand, pointed at her, trembled for a long time. Finally, he pointed outside and roared, “Get out!”

Bian Weiying turned and left immediately, wiping away tears as she went.

Yin Huixin slowly rose from her chair and quietly left without a word.

Only Bian Jixiong was left in the hall, pacing back and forth furiously. If his daughter had truly instigated the murders, leading to the deaths of two Wukang Mountain disciples, how could he explain it to the entire sect? Could he really severely punish his own daughter?

Suddenly, a soft light appeared from the study on one side. Someone had lit the lamp in the study, bringing a touch of warmth to the otherwise desolate atmosphere.

“Who?” He felt slightly surprised. He quickly walked over and saw a familiar figure in a loose white robe pacing back and forth behind the gauze curtain. He quickly went to the curtain and bowed: “Father, why are you here?”

An aged voice came from within: “Has there been a change regarding their ascent to the mountain?”

Bian Jixiong sighed, “After killing Wei Bian in public, allowing Shi Chun to reside on the mountain long-term is simply indefensible.”