Wandering Swordsman |

He turned to the weeping woman, his eyes filled with pity and helplessness. "Young lady, if you are truly in trouble, I can help you. But please don't use such methods to ruin my reputation." His tone was calm yet firm, without a trace of anger or blame, as if he were trying to resolve the misunderstanding rather than escalate the conflict.

However, the woman refused to give up. She continued to sob, "You, Shen Mo! You promised to love me for life, until we grow old. Now that you've climbed the social ladder with the Murong family, you're pretending not to know me? You can't treat me like this! What about our child? Can you really bear to let him be a bastard born without a father?"

Her voice grew increasingly shrill, as if she were pouring out all her pain and grievances. Tears streamed down her face like broken beads, her cheeks flushed with emotion, and her expression was almost manic. She rolled on the ground clutching her stomach, seemingly on the verge of fainting, leading many present to believe that what she said was true.

As the woman's outburst grew louder, people around began to discuss how the seventh young lady of the Murong family could be so blind as to have chosen a married man.

Just as public opinion was rising, a majestic voice pierced the night sky, as powerful as a morning bell or evening drum.

"Enough!" Murong Liang stepped forward, his voice deep yet powerful, like thunder rolling through the clouds. He walked out slowly, his robes fluttering, exuding the air of a family head. His gaze was piercing, sweeping across the entire scene before finally settling on the woman, his eyes filled with both scrutiny and pity.

Murong Liang knew, of course, that the Huangfu family's uninvited visit today was for some kind of conspiracy, but he never expected it to be something like this—slandering Shen Mo's reputation and embarrassing the Murong family.

"You say you and Shen Mo are secretly engaged and that you are pregnant with his child?" Murong Liang's voice, though not loud, carried an undeniable authority. "Then do you have any proof? If it's true, why have you only shown yourself today? If you are truly an innocent woman, why would you resort to such a tactic in such an important setting?"

The woman was momentarily speechless, a flicker of panic crossing her eyes, but she quickly composed herself and gritted her teeth, saying, "Evidence? The child in my womb is the best evidence! In any other situation, I would be outnumbered and easily fooled by the Murong family and Shen Mo. With so many witnesses today, I demand an explanation from Shen Mo." Her gaze was firm and resolute, as if she had made up her mind to make this a big deal.

Seeing that the woman seemed determined to make a scene, Yang Zhi slowly rose and stepped out from the crowd. He walked towards the woman, his gaze sharp as a knife, piercing her heart. "Young lady," Yang Zhi began, his voice gentle yet carrying an undeniable force, "you say Shen Mo is the father of your child. Do you dare to recount the details of how you met in front of everyone? For example, when and where did you first meet? What vows did he make? Where is the token he gave you?"

The woman's face changed drastically, her eyes darting around, her lips trembling, clearly unable to answer these specific questions. She stammered for a long time, looking pleadingly at Huangfu Haotian. Ultimately, she couldn't utter a complete sentence. Yang Zhi sneered, turned to Murong Liang, and cupped his hands, saying, "Patriarch, this person's words and actions are contradictory, and his behavior is erratic; he is likely not a good person. In my opinion, there must be someone pulling the strings behind this."

Murong Liang nodded, his gaze turning coldly toward the Huangfu family. Though he didn't say it aloud, his meaningful look clearly expressed his attitude.

However, at this moment, as if instructed by something, the woman began to fabricate a story, which sounded surprisingly plausible. "Master Yang, please listen to me." She stood up, wiped away her tears, straightened her clothes, and began to tell her story. "Three years ago, on a spring day, I met Shen Mo in a small village in Jiangnan. We fell in love at first sight and quickly became deeply in love. He once told me that he would love me forever and would never abandon me."

Her eyes reddened again, and her voice became even more sorrowful: "We made a vow under the moonlight. He said he would marry me. He also gave me a jade pendant as a token of our love." As she spoke, she took out a seemingly ordinary jade pendant from her bosom, on which the two characters "Shen Mo" were clearly engraved. She held it up high and showed it to everyone.

"But what about now?" she cried, tears streaming down her face. "He's climbed up the ladder of the Murong family and completely forgotten about me. He doesn't even acknowledge our child. Is all of this my fault?"

The guests below the stage whispered amongst themselves, some with skeptical expressions, others looking at the poor woman with pity. Huangfu Haotian and his entourage, on the other hand, wore smug expressions, as if they saw the dawn of victory.

Shen Mo stood aside, listening to the woman's fabricated story, a cold laugh rising in his heart. He knew that this must be a conspiracy by the Huangfu family, but faced with such an absurd accusation, he had to remain calm.

"Young lady," Shen Mo stepped forward, his gaze firm and composed, "I know absolutely nothing about what you've said. Furthermore, three years ago, I was in the Northern Desert, always by my master's side, and I never saw you, nor did we have any relationship. As for the jade pendant in your hand, it was absolutely possible that I gave it to you!"

The woman laughed loudly, her laughter filled with irony and despair: "Shen Mo, you've been pretending not to know me, so of course you won't admit it. But there's only one truth: you betrayed me and abandoned me and our child."

At this moment, the Huangfu family also stepped forward, like dark clouds rising quietly in the night, intending to stir up the storm and put Shen Mo and the Murong family in a passive position.

"Heh—" Huangfu Hui was the first to speak. He stepped forward slowly, a mocking smile playing on his lips, his gaze sweeping across the room like a knife. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a hint of contempt and smugness: "Shen Mo, Shen Mo, I never thought you were this kind of person. A grown man, you did something but refuse to admit it. Even a woman is more responsible than you!"

As he spoke, he shook his head and sighed, as if genuinely indignant on behalf of the woman. "If you were truly a man of integrity, you should face your past with honesty. This excuse makes you a laughingstock in front of everyone here."

After saying that, Huangfu Hui turned his attention to Murong Qing: "Murong Qing, it's not too late for you to regret it now. Shen Mo, a man who dares to do things but not to admit them, is not a good match for you at all. Today he dares to abandon his old love, tomorrow he will dare to abandon his new love!"

As soon as he finished speaking, several whispers arose from the crowd. Some people frowned, some chuckled, and some even began to doubt Shen Mo's character.