Wandering Swordsman |

Immediately afterward, Huangfu Haotian slowly rose to his feet. As the head of the Huangfu family, each step he took was steady and powerful, as if every footprint left a deep mark on the earth. He surveyed his surroundings, his tone solemn and resolute:

"Our Huangfu family cannot stand idly by in the face of such injustice. Since this young lady has been wronged, we will certainly uphold justice for her."

He paused, his gaze falling on the woman, his tone softening slightly: "She's not feeling well right now and shouldn't stay here any longer. Someone, take her away to rest."

As soon as he finished speaking, several guards from the Huangfu family stepped forward and helped the woman to leave.

At this moment, Huangfu Haotian had achieved his goal—in such a grand occasion, they had smeared Shen Mo's reputation, tarnished his image, and caused the Murong family to lose face. More importantly, they had successfully planted a rumor in everyone's minds: Had Shen Mo truly betrayed a woman who deeply loved him?

Huangfu Haotian understood that if things continued to escalate, and Zhang Taixuan and the others actually brought in a doctor for a thorough investigation, or if Shen Mo calmly handled the situation, the truth would eventually come out, putting the Huangfu family in an awkward position. Therefore, he chose to stop while he was ahead, leaving the matter as a mystery, letting it slowly ferment in the martial arts world, becoming an indelible shadow.

Just when everyone thought the matter was about to come to an end, a clear voice suddenly broke the silence—

"Patriarch Huangfu! Wait!"

Shen Mo took a step forward, his voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable power. His expression was calm, but his eyes revealed a hint of coldness, as if he had already seen through the other party's scheme.

Huangfu Haotian paused, turned to look at Shen Mo, and frowned slightly: "Does Young Master Shen have anything else to say?"

Shen Mo smiled slightly, cupped his hands in a respectful bow, and said in a tone that was neither humble nor arrogant: "Every word that young lady said concerns my reputation, and I dare not be negligent. However, to determine the truth, we still need to question her carefully, so as not to wrong an innocent person."

As he spoke, he slowly walked up to the woman, his expression gentle and his tone tender: "Miss, you just said that we've spent a lot of time together. Could you recall if I have a mole on my chest? What was its shape like?"

The woman was taken aback, clearly not expecting Shen Mo to suddenly ask about such details. She subconsciously glanced up at Shen Mo's chest; nothing was visible through his clothes, but to make her answer sound as truthful as possible, she could only bite the bullet and reply:

"Moles, naturally, are all...round."

She spoke without hesitation, even revealing a smug smile on her face, as if victory was already assured.

However, the next moment, Shen Mo smiled slightly, his eyes narrowed, as if he had already anticipated her answer.

"Oh?" His tone was casual, yet tinged with a hint of probing. "Do you remember whether it was slightly to the left or right? What was the size like? Was the color dark or light?"

The woman's expression changed, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on her forehead. She had only made it up randomly; she never expected Shen Mo to ask such detailed questions.

She hesitated for a moment, then finally realized there might be a problem with her answer, and quickly defended herself: "How could I possibly remember such details so clearly!"

Her eyes darted around as she spoke, clearly a last-minute attempt to salvage the situation.

Shen Mo remained expressionless, only nodding slowly, as if lost in thought. After a moment, he suddenly raised his hand and yanked off his outer robe with a clean and decisive motion!

His movements were clean and swift, without any hesitation. All eyes instantly focused on Shen Mo's tall, sturdy frame—his skin was fair, his muscles perfectly defined, like a flawless sculpture. On the left side of his chest, a faint sword wound clearly marked the mark left when he was chased by Master Ma in Liaocheng years ago.

But there is nothing else.

Seeing that Shen Mo had no moles on his upper body, the courtyard fell into a deathly silence.

Some people gasped, some whispered among themselves, and many more stared at the woman in shock, their eyes filled with doubt and disdain.

Shen Mo put on his outer robe, slowly turned around, faced the crowd, and said calmly, "As you all have seen, I have no mole on my chest. This young lady just now contradicted herself and spoke recklessly; I'm afraid it's not the truth, is it?"

At this moment, the truth was revealed, and a burst of enthusiastic applause erupted from the crowd, mixed with whispered praises and cheers.

"Brilliant!" an elderly guest stroked his beard and chuckled. "Shen Mo's move is indeed brilliant!"

"Impeccable and logically sound, this is no heartless man at all, but a young man of great wisdom and resourcefulness." Another guest nodded repeatedly.

At this moment, before the guests could recover from the shock of Shen Mo exposing the lie in public, a sharp killing intent suddenly swept through the air—the aura was like a sudden gust of cold wind, carrying the chill of death.

Huangfu Haotian stood behind the woman, his eyes sharp as a hawk's. A slight smile played on his lips, and in the next instant, a sinister and domineering true energy quietly gathered in his right palm. He didn't speak, nor did he hesitate; his movements were clean and swift, like a hunter pouncing on its defenseless prey.

"Snapped!"

He struck out with a palm, landing on the woman's back without warning!

Before the woman could even scream, she was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground. Blood gushed from her mouth, staining her white clothes red.

This happened so fast that many guests hadn't even had time to react before they heard a muffled thud, and when they looked again, the woman was already lying in a pool of blood.

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

Some gasped, some backed away, and others covered their faces, unable to bear the sudden bloodshed. Those who had been whispering about the truth of the matter fell silent, their gazes fixed on Huangfu Haotian with complex emotions.

Shen Mo was standing not far away.

His eyes were clear as water, his expression calm, as if all of this was within his expectations. He even pretended not to have reacted, simply standing there, letting Huangfu Haotian complete this cold-blooded performance.

He knew the Huangfu family would never let this woman leave alive. If she fell into the hands of the Murong family and revealed the truth, the Huangfu family would not only be disgraced but might also face condemnation from the entire martial arts world. Therefore, she had to die—the sooner the better, and the cleaner the better.

Shen Mo wasn't incapable of saving the woman; rather, he deliberately didn't stop Huangfu Haotian because he wanted to use this opportunity to put the Huangfu family firmly on the moral judgment seat.

Sure enough, Huangfu Haotian clapped his hands, a hint of regret and sorrow appearing on his face: "Alas, it was my Huangfu family that listened to slander and wronged Young Hero Shen... This vile woman dared to deceive my Huangfu family, she deserves to die."