Every eye in the courtyard turned toward Wang Yu and his companions.
Compared to the Taihua Sect's sway over Hangu Prefecture or the Great Vajra Monastery's influence in Daxing Prefecture, the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor commanded slightly less standing in the martial world. Even so, the late Prince of Zhenxi, Zhao Zheng, had swept across the Northwest with his Fire Cloud Saber and commanded fifty thousand seasoned troops, making him the de facto leader of the three northwestern prefectures.
Though Zhao Zheng was dead, little else had changed. Now that an expert had targeted Qianliu Manor, a subordinate power of the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor, wouldn't the manor have to step in and help?
Moreover, the current Prince of Zhenxi was present in person. If he couldn't protect his own subordinate faction, their allegiance would surely crumble.
Qianqian cast a sidelong glance at Ding Jianshen, a flicker of killing intent flashing through her eyes.
Li Yunxiu's eyes narrowed slightly; Qianliu Manor was already written down in her mental ledger.
Zhao Yingjie's expression shifted. He knew full well just how formidable the couple accompanying the young woman was. From their brief display alone, he could tell they were at least on par with his father, Zhao Rong—and Zhao Rong was currently the manor's sole Xiantian expert!
Zhao Yingjie shoved back from the table and rose, intending to sever all ties between the incident and the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor.
Yet before he could speak, Wang Yu raised a hand to cut him off. "Sit down. Don't be in a rush."
Pressing Zhao Yingjie back down, Wang Yu gave Ding Jianshen an approving nod and said with grand, pompous airs, "Fret not. With this prince here, no one will bully the Ding family!"
Ding Jianshen felt a surge of wild joy. Solemnly cupping his fists, he said, "Many thanks, Your Highness!"
Wang Yu nodded and called out loudly toward the courtyard outside the main hall, "The Ding family earns their living under my banner. As long as they walk straight and act honorably, anyone wishing to humiliate them must first step over the threshold of the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor!"
The assembled wedding guests erupted into thunderous cheers.
"Of course, power and responsibility go hand in hand. If the Ding family colluded with bandits to slaughter an entire household, stirred up a vendetta on their own, and tried to use the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor as a weapon, the blades of our manor are equally sharp!"
The moment the words fell, the courtyard fell utterly silent once more.
Only Wang Yu wore a faint smile, his gaze turning to Yuan Feifei. "Just now, you claimed the groom colluded with bandits to slaughter your family and drive you over a cliff, but the Ding family flatly denies it. As a friend to the Dings, this prince naturally believes in their character. If you cannot produce evidence, this prince can only treat your words as reckless slander."
Yuan Feifei asked coldly, "And what if I can produce evidence?"
Wang Yu said with an air of noble arrogance, "The Prince of Zhenxi's Manor oversees the Northwest, governing three prefectures and guarding the Northwest trade route. We are sworn enemies of the Mount Qi bandits and the Northwest horse bandits. If someone colluded with outlaws and committed heinous crimes, there would be no need for you to speak—this prince would clean up our own house. What do you think of that?"
Ding Jianshen's heart pounded violently. He blurted in haste, "Your Highness, please do not listen to her wild nonsense! Qianliu Manor is located in Longshan Prefecture—how could we possibly reach into Shanhe Circuit to conspire with the Taiheng Thirty-Six Strongholds? My son's martial arts are meager; how could he possess the ability to wipe out an entire clan?"
"Rest assured! I believe you!" Wang Yu waved a hand reassuringly. "It is precisely because I believe you that I must let her speak. Otherwise, executing someone without fair warning would tarnish your family's reputation. Once she fails to produce evidence, all suspicion will naturally be lifted from Qianliu Manor. The Prince of Zhenxi's Manor can then deal with her with full justification, and your esteemed son will not have to bear the vile infamy of colluding with bandits and butchering a household."
Ding Jianshen stood dumbfounded, momentarily unable to tell whether Wang Yu truly believed him or was deliberately digging a pit for the Ding family to fall into.
The guests attending the banquet had, of course, suspected the Ding family right from the start. But they were friends with the Dings, had no acquaintance with Yuan Feifei, and the Dings posed no threat to them. Naturally, they sided with the hosts; those with even a shred of conscience remained neutral at best, refusing to take Yuan Feifei's side.
Logically, Wang Yu should have realized this immediately.
Yet Wang Yu was young and had a terrible reputation back in the capital; there was no ruling out the possibility that he was simply an incompetent fool.
Ding Jianshen remained suspicious and uneasy. But seeing his son trembling in panic, he felt a surge of disappointment at such lack of backbone. He slapped the back of Ding Xian's head, forced down his own anxiety, and said, "Your Highness speaks truly. A clear conscience fears no knock on the door at midnight. I, too, would like to see what evidence she can produce!"
Hearing this, Ding Xian also steadied himself.
That's right! When he colluded with the outlaws of Mount Taiheng to exterminate the Yuan family and corner Yuan Feifei until she jumped, he had never shown his face or left any trace. How could she possibly have proof to point at him?
At that thought, Ding Xian could not help smiling, turning to comfort the bride beside him.
Yet the bride who had just been standing by his side was suddenly gone.
Where had she gone?
Just then, Yuan Feifei's cold sneer rang through the courtyard. "You were indeed discreet, leaving no trace in your actions. But since you sought to destroy my family, you naturally had an objective. You left no evidence behind, but you still wanted the spoils!"
The hatred in Yuan Feifei's eyes was sharp enough to forge twin blades. "My family's heirloom guqin, Bingquan Ming, is right inside your manor!"
Ding Jianshen and Ding Xian both blanched.
Yuan Feifei turned to Wang Yu. "Your Highness may search the Ding residence yourself! Bingquan Ming has been passed down for a hundred years, adorned with patterns like frozen cracks and flowing water, its tone icy and pure. Anyone can recognize it at a single glance!"
Ding Xian whipped his head around. "Father!"
Ding Jianshen's eyes darted frantically. He said to Wang Yu, "This woman is spouting utter nonsense! That Bingquan Ming was an accidental find of mine when I traveled to Hexi Circuit on business six months ago. Somehow she caught wind of it and is using it to frame us. I beg Your Highness to see through her deceit!"
Before his voice could fade, piercing sonic shrieks suddenly erupted from the rear courtyard.
"Who would have thought that the gentle, refined Madam Ziyu could stoop to sneaking into someone else's back quarters and thieving their property?" a flirtatious, mocking voice laughed.
A poised, elegant voice rang out, "And I wondered who was skulking around in the rear courtyard. Alas, after a master like Mei Yanqiu passed away, the Qianyin Sect has only grown more pathetic. Rong Qingying, you are in your fifties, yet you still dress up as a young bride to deceive others. Don't you feel disgraced?"
The flirtatious voice gave a disdainful snort. Then, a peculiar musical note rang out—neither fully human nor purely instrumental. Bewitching and soul-stirring, it seemed capable of pulling every emotion of joy, anger, sorrow, and delight to the surface.
The moment the notes washed over the courtyard, those with weaker internal strength unconsciously displayed expressions of glee, fury, or grief. Only a handful of people were able to circulate their true qi, anchoring their minds to remain unaffected.
The next instant, three sharp plucks—*zheng, zheng, zheng*—shattered the rhythm of the music.
"Gutong and Ziyu, inseparable as shadow and form," the flirtatious voice hissed resentfully. "Relying on numbers—what kind of skill is that?"
Yan Ziyu gave a gentle laugh. "My husband merely wished to avoid harming the innocent; he hasn't laid a finger on you himself. How about we go another three hundred rounds?"
"Bah! With your husband at your side, how am I supposed to fight you? If you have the guts, come duel me at Qianyin Pavilion!" Though Rong Qingying sounded angry, her voice remained alluring.
Yan Ziyu chuckled. "Oh, that is something I wouldn't dare do."
A moment later, a red silhouette streaked across the sky, sweeping past half the manor in the blink of an eye before vanishing over the western wall.
Immediately afterward, a beautiful woman dressed in purple appeared beside Yuan Feifei, holding an ancient zither marked with ice fissures and spring-water patterns. She looked calmly toward Ding Jianshen.
"Manor Lord Ding, this Bingquan Ming was the prized instrument of the great master Yuan Shanggui a century ago. Ever since his passing, it has been treasured in the Yuan family. May I ask where you bought it?" Yan Ziyu asked evenly.
Ding Jianshen was struck speechless, his heart plunging to rock bottom.
Gutong and Ziyu were renowned figures in the martial world. Even when Zhao Zheng was alive, he had treated them with great deference. Their word alone was proof—how could he refute it?
More to the point, he couldn't refute it at all!
Zhao Yingjie lightly slapped his own cheek and clicked his tongue in an undertone. "So they were Mister Gutong and Madam Ziyu all along! I should have known!"
Wang Yu nodded. "Colluding with bandits and deceiving the prince's manor—what is the punishment?"
Zhao Yingjie sneered, "Death!"
Wang Yu said placidly, "Let us not overstep. This is a jianghu feud, and the Ding family was at fault first. Hand them over to Miss Yuan."
Zhao Yingjie immediately complied. He clapped his hands, and four figures leaped from the front courtyard into the main hall—two moved toward Ding Xian and Madame Ding, while the other two converged on Ding Jianshen.
With a flick of his right sleeve, Ding Jianshen slipped a willow-leaf saber into his palm. A snap of his wrist unleashed a flurry of blade blooms, fending off all four plainclothes guards. Turning toward Wang Yu, he pleaded in desperation, "I beg Your Highness to spare my family's lives! I am willing to surrender all my family's assets to the manor!"
Even now, he was digging a hole!
Ding Jianshen was placing Wang Yu over an open fire. If Wang Yu refused to save the Ding family and subsequently absorbed their estate, all the martial factions in Longshan Prefecture would feel cold sympathy for a fallen peer and wonder if the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor would do the same to them.
Wang Yu's eyes narrowed, but beside him, Li Yunxiu spoke in a faint tone: "Rest assured, Manor Lord Ding. Calamity does not extend to one's family. We will transfer the Ding family's estate to your collateral branches on your behalf, so that your life's work does not come to nothing."
Li Yunxiu claimed the moral high ground with that promise. Of course, whether the collateral branches could hold on to Qianliu Manor, or whether they would sell it off at a discount and flee to distant lands, remained another matter entirely.
Ding Jianshen's face drained of color. Twice he had tried to roast Wang Yu over the fire, and twice Wang Yu and Li Yunxiu had met his moves and dismantled them completely.
If he still failed to see that Wang Yu had deliberately baited him into a trap, his decades of life would have been lived in vain.
Knowing there was no way out, Ding Jianshen let out a fierce roar, forced the guards back, and lunged straight toward Wang Yu. His willow-leaf saber danced like fluttering leaves, unleashing the absolute pinnacle strike of his lifetime.
Yet he still held back slightly, aiming only to take Wang Yu hostage—their family's sole chance of survival.
Wang Yu did not flinch. Li Yunxiu and Qianqian did not flinch. Even Zhao Yingjie did not move an inch.
*Chi—!*
A sharp whistle pierced the air. A locust stone slammed into Ding Jianshen's willow-leaf saber, shattering the blade in two.
A silhouette instantly materialized behind Ding Jianshen, gripping him by the spine. With a pulse of internal energy, the figure sealed his acupoints and threw Ding Jianshen out of the main hall, crashing him at the feet of Yuan Feifei and Yan Ziyu.
These two were the covert experts assigned to protect Wang Yu—one specializing in hidden projectiles, the other in grappling techniques. Both were first-rate masters in the martial world; subduing a distraught, unhinged Ding Jianshen was child's play.
At the same time, the remaining four guards struck the acupoints of Ding Xian and Madame Ding, tossing them beside Ding Jianshen.
On one side stood the illustrious martial duo of Gutong and Ziyu; on the other, the regional hegemon, the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor. With both sides in complete accord, absolute silence gripped the entire manor. Even the Ding family's closest friends dared not utter a single word.
Yuan Feifei looked toward Yan Ziyu. Seeing her nod, she showed no further hesitation and wasted no breath. Drawing her longsword, she thrust a blade into each of them, slaughtering all three of the Ding family.
Watching the father and son draw their last breaths, Yuan Feifei let out a ragged shriek, cast the sword aside, and threw herself into Yan Ziyu's arms, weeping uncontrollably.
Wang Yu rose, gestured to the three vacant seats at the head table, and clasped his hands. "Today was meant to be the Ding family's wedding feast. Although it has now turned into a celebration of Miss Yuan's grand vengeance, both are joyful occasions worthy of celebration. Won't the three of you take your seats and join us in celebration?"
Chapter 23