"Shi Chong is dead?"
Ye Liuyun was pretty surprised too; he thought he’d only crippled that Shi Chong, didn’t actually finish him off.
"Didn’t expect your son could actually muster up that kind of guts."
But Ye Liuyun quickly figured it out—Shi Chong probably couldn’t bear the humiliation and offed himself.
That was a bit unexpected.
He’d thought a coward like that would be scared to death, wouldn’t have the balls to kill himself.
"You!"
Even now, the bastard still dares to spew sarcasm.
Shi Xing’an had just barely calmed down, and now he was losing control again.
"Ye Liuyun, you’re a Lord Hundred Households, yet you attacked my son, who is also a Lord Hundred. You broke the law knowingly—how should you be punished!"
"Don’t you think it’s hilarious to say something like that?"
Hearing such righteous words from Shi Chong, Ye Liuyun couldn’t help it—he just laughed out loud.
"Since when has the Embroidered Uniform Guard ever cared about rules?"
He didn’t know how the Embroidered Uniform Guard operated before, but since Ye Liuyun joined, he hadn’t seen a single decent person.
Even investigating cases was supposedly about evidence.
But that’s just for appearances’ sake.
Some cases—if you can close it, close it, if you can investigate, investigate, and for those you just can’t solve, the outcome is always simple.
Just grab some random vagrant off the street and pin the crime on him.
Everyone’s rotten, so it feels like no one’s going to bother to look any deeper.
"You!"
Shi Chong knew Ye Liuyun was telling the truth, but—
That was still his own son, dammit.
"I’ll make sure to report this to the Southern Governor, Ye Liuyun. Don’t get cocky!"
Southern Governor, eh? Hearing that title, a flicker of thought passed through Ye Liuyun’s eyes.
Come to think of it...
That Southern Governor has been hiding in the shadows as Old Number Six for long enough—it’s time to throw some trouble his way.
Otherwise, if he keeps scheming from behind the scenes, it’ll make it look like I’ve got no way to deal with him at all.
Narrowing his eyes, Ye Liuyun looked at the furious Shi Xing’an before him, and made up his mind.
Since that Southern Governor Qi Yuanliang likes to put on a show, I’ll make sure you can’t keep acting anymore.
"Do you really think the Southern Governor will help you?"
Switching his tone, Ye Liuyun grinned at Shi Xing’an before him.
"What do you mean by that?"
For a moment, Shi Xing’an didn’t quite understand what Ye Liuyun was getting at.
"Isn’t it obvious? Your Lord Thousand Households position—you only got it by bribing the Southern Governor, right?"
"How did you know!"
"Why, the Southern Governor himself told me, of course."
As he spoke, Ye Liuyun even tilted his head back a little, looking down on Shi Xing’an with utter disdain.
He was bluffing, actually.
But what other possibility was there? If you tried to bribe the Northern Garrison Commander’s Office, they’d barely give you the time of day.
"You really think that seat belongs to you? What a joke. You’re just a placeholder. The Southern Governor simply thought my accomplishments weren’t enough yet to convince everyone, that’s all."
"Once a little more time’s passed, that Lord Thousand Households position will be mine anyway. As for you? You’re nothing but a disposable stepping-stone. Do you really think the Southern Governor would pass over an Innate Martial Artist like me for a Postnatal nobody like you?"
Ye Liuyun spoke with perfect ease.
Every other word was ’Southern Governor,’ like he actually had that much respect for the man.
"You!"
Shi Xing’an badly wanted to argue back.
But for a second, he honestly had no idea what to say.
After all, Ye Liuyun’s Innate Realm strength was undeniable. Even if it were him, he’d always choose the subordinate with greater cultivation.
"N-no, that’s impossible. The Southern Governor took my money—he thinks highly of me!"
Shi Xing’an couldn’t accept it.
His only remaining support now was the Southern Governor.
"That’s why I’m saying you’re an idiot!"
Ye Liuyun laughed and walked up to Shi Xing’an, lifting a hand to lightly slap him on the face.
"Everyone could figure it out but you. You can’t seriously think you’re the only one ruthless enough to sell off your entire family fortune for a bribe, right? The others all knew it’s just money down the drain, so they just keep up appearances."
"You, on the other hand, handed over everything—and that’s perfect. With a sucker like you, everyone else couldn’t be happier!"
The more Ye Liuyun spoke,
the faster Shi Xing’an shook his head.
"No! Impossible! It can’t be like this!"
But even as he said it, deep down Shi Xing’an was already starting to believe Ye Liuyun’s words.
Maybe... he really was just the fool after all.
That’s enough!
Seeing Shi Xing’an’s mood growing more and more unstable, Ye Liuyun curled his lips into a smile.
Shi Xing’an didn’t notice, at all, the strange gleam that flashed through Ye Liuyun’s eyes.
Illusion Heart Magic!
It was the very technique Ye Liuyun had given Ye Qinzhen not long ago.
Illusion Heart Magic could quietly bewilder a person’s mind or stir up their emotions; honestly, if Shi Xing’an could just calm down and think, he’d realize there were plenty of holes in Ye Liuyun’s story.
But...
In this moment, all of Shi Xing’an’s thoughts were already completely affected by Ye Liuyun’s Illusion Heart Magic.
He couldn’t calm down at all.
All that was left was to add one final spark.
With this in mind, Ye Liuyun softly added,
"Actually, crippling your son was based on the Southern Governor’s orders. You can’t possibly believe you’re the only one who wants to train his son as a successor—everyone knows your little plan."
Boom!
Shi Xing’an felt like his brain was about to explode.