"We must not wrong a good person, nor let a bad one go free—Hall Master Peng must not die in vain, and Mianshui County must not be devoid of Royal Law!"
"Please remember this, everyone, there is Royal Law in Mianshui County!"
Qimu Ge’s purpose was clear: he intended to deter the myriad Jianghu forces in Mianshui County. Therefore, at this moment his voice, cold and clear, addressed everyone, sending shivers through the spines of the heroes around him, striking fear into their hearts.
Now, Qimu Ge spoke: "Miss Huadie, speak up, who killed Peng Shizhong, what exactly happened that day?"
At this moment, Huadie trembled all over; she seemed to be caught in a vortex.
Then, Chen Jie began to speak, "Say it, today Lord Darugachi will see justice is done for you."
Hearing these words, Huadie, calming her emotions, said, "The matter is such, I truly loved Mr. Peng wholeheartedly... Feng Xuan captured my brother and forced me to poison Mr. Peng’s drink..."
Huadie recounted what she had said the day before.
She strategically omitted any mention of Nan Batian, as per Lord Darugachi’s intentions.
This time the objective was to reclaim White Tiger Hall, not to take Nan Batian’s life.
Moreover, this matter alone was not enough to bring down Nan Batian; thus, since they could not take him down, they chose not to implicate him, so they purposefully left Nan Batian out of the equation.
They did not want to cast the net too wide.
Nan Batian was an important chess piece for Lord Darugachi in balancing the powers of Mianshui, not someone easily removed. Yet, this time, a message had to be sent.
Thus, they let Huadie push all the blame onto Feng Xuan.
With Huadie’s narrative, everyone understood—Peng Shizhong’s infatuation, Feng Xuan’s vile shamelessness, Peng Shizhong’s doting affection, Feng Xuan’s ingratitude. The resignation of Peng Shizhong after death, and Feng Xuan’s venomous scheming were laid bare for all to see. Now everyone knew, Chen Jiusi had been wronged.
It was all Feng Xuan, the gratitude-forgetting, heaven-defying scoundrel who had wronged him.
At this moment, everyone’s gaze turned to Feng Xuan with unbridled scorn in their eyes.
What of the respectable Old Master, Eight-faced Buddha Feng Xuan? He was but a beast, one who would stoop to any lows to achieve his end, murdering his adoptive father, framing his brother—a matter despised by gods and men alike.
And as for Chen Jie, the crowd mostly felt sympathy.
He had been shouted down and attacked for so many days, enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden. He found evidence vindicating himself, and despite the danger, had dared to storm into what might well be called the dragon’s lair and tiger’s den—this was the mark of a true hero!
A man of passion and loyalty!
At this moment, every gaze turned to Feng Xuan, who stood on the high stage, and in that instant, he appeared as nothing more than a clown!
Nan Batian, his expression complex, took a look at Feng Xuan and then, his face turning furious, exclaimed, "How dare you, Feng Xuan! You’ve deceived me, killed your own adoptive father, my brother—your sin is colossal, you deserve to die!"
Upon hearing Nan Batian’s statement, Qin Ying immediately shouted, "Feng Xuan, you cur! How dare you deceive us, and we actually fell for your lies, wrongly accusing Jiu Si. You ungrateful wretch, you deserve death!"
"You ungrateful brute, you beast, you deserve death!"
"Bah, you bastard, you even killed your own adoptive father, you’re nothing but a beast, you deserve death!"
In an instant, the crowd was ablaze with anger, as if each one had become a warrior of justice. The entire Fishing Guild was in an uproar, full of curses directed at Feng Xuan.
The hatred people once felt for Chen Jie had now doubled towards Feng Xuan.
That was the height of public condemnation, the complete and utter ruination of one’s name and reputation.
Listening to the angry shouts of the crowd, and seeing the furious gaze of Nan Batian, Feng Xuan felt extremely bitter inside. I’ve been your dog all this time, and now you won’t even protect me?
At this moment, Nan Batian looked as stern as still water. Protect you? If I did that, I wouldn’t be able to extricate myself. Only with your death can I avoid getting dragged down.
At that moment, Feng Xuan finally realized that once a dog, always a dog.
There was no way out for a dog.
Confronted with the accusations of the crowd, he looked up at the sky, his heart filled with immense sorrow and utter unwillingness.
He had plotted and schemed, tried every possible way, and thought he held a winning hand, never expecting that Chen Jie could overturn the situation so easily.
He had betrayed his soul, his conscience, his dignity.
And what he got in return was complete and utter disgrace.
At this moment, he thought of the way Peng Shizhong had looked at him on that last day.
"I regret it... I regret that I didn’t raise you all properly, I regret it!"
This phrase lingered in his ears, tormenting him. He could never face his adoptive father directly. He really did try, he was smart, but his adoptive father had favored the brutish Zheng Chuan.
That fool—why did he deserve the adoptive father’s affection?
He had once questioned the adoptive father, who replied that Zheng was his brother, not as smart as him, and that he should be more accommodating.
Why should I, as the elder brother, need to accommodate my younger brother? If he is a fool, why doesn’t he just die?
Why couldn’t the adoptive father love only me? Why!
Am I too smart? Hah, then I’ll play dumb, I’ll be mediocre, would that earn me more of the adoptive father’s love?
No, the adoptive father still treated me the same.
I asked the adoptive father for power, and he said: "Xuanxuan, you’re mediocre; managing these is already enough. Don’t rush. Let your brothers practice too."
Practice? Practice your forefathers!
I’m smart, and you tell me to accommodate my brothers. I’m mediocre, and you say I’m not capable enough.
Peng Shizhong, damn your ancestors, what do you want from me?
I hate you, I hate you!
When I killed you, didn’t you bear any fault at all?