Wandering Swordsman |

He spoke with sincerity, as if he were truly remorseful, but his eyes showed no remorse, only indifference and sarcasm.

He paused for a moment, then continued, "To make up for my mistake, our Huangfu family will handle the aftermath. We ask Patriarch Murong for your understanding."

After saying this, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, as if he were truly a righteous elder who knew his mistakes and could correct them.

But everyone present was a seasoned veteran. Who couldn't see that this was clearly a murder to silence witnesses?

Whispers rose and fell among the crowd. Some shook their heads and sighed, some secretly rejoiced that they hadn't been involved, and many others felt a chill run down their spines at the Huangfu family's methods.

Just as everyone remained silent, a clear and melodious voice pierced the night sky:

"Patriarch Huangfu, don't you say that a bit too lightly?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Murong Qing slowly stepping forward. Her red dress, illuminated by the candlelight, made her resemble a blooming red lotus. Although her face still retained the delicate beauty of a young girl, her brows now exuded a stern aura that commanded respect.

She stood before the crowd, her gaze piercing, staring directly at Huangfu Haotian: "That young lady was nothing but a pitiful person, used by you to slander Shen Mo, and now she's been executed on the spot for 'deceiving the Murong family.' Such actions are disheartening to the world!"

Her voice was not loud, but every word was powerful, like a morning bell and an evening drum, striking the hearts of everyone.

"Moreover," she added with a cold laugh, "this matter almost damaged the reputation of the Murong family. Do you think you can just brush it off with a simple 'hearing slander'? Do you think you can settle things with a mere 'we'll clean up the mess'?"

She glanced around, her gaze sweeping over the guests present, and slowly said, "Today's matter not only involves Shen Mo's reputation, but also concerns the face of my Murong family. If Patriarch Huangfu is truly sincere, why not publicly draw up a contract promising to compensate for the losses and impact this incident has caused to my Murong family?"

As soon as she finished speaking, a murmur of amazement rippled through the room.

What a remarkable seventh young lady of the Murong family!

Far from being intimidated by the Huangfu family's imposing manner, she seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack, firmly taking control of the situation. Instead of directly accusing Huangfu Haotian of murder, which would only provoke a fierce counterattack, she cleverly shifted the focus to the damage to the Murong family's reputation, thus preserving the Huangfu family's face while forcing them to make substantial compensation.

Murong Liang nodded slightly to the side, secretly praising in his heart: This is the next head of my Murong family!

Zhang Taixuan stroked his beard and smiled, his eyes full of admiration. Yang Zhi nodded slightly, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

Huangfu Haotian's expression turned extremely grim. He had thought that today's events were settled—with the woman dead, the truth would be buried; although the rumors hadn't been completely confirmed, they had already left an indelible rift in the hearts of the martial arts world. But he never expected that Murong Qing would step forward at this crucial moment, not only exposing his intentions to the public but also taking the opportunity to demand compensation, as if she had already laid a trap, just waiting for him to step into it.

If you refuse, it means you have a guilty conscience; if you agree, it means you admit that you are in the wrong.

Huangfu Haotian was seething with anger, but he remained outwardly calm. He merely narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Murong Qing and Shen Mo, as if he were assessing the situation and weighing the pros and cons.

After a moment of contemplation, he slowly raised his head, his expression solemn, his tone steady and powerful: "Seventh Miss's words are quite reasonable."

Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback.

No one expected that Huangfu Haotian, who was always arrogant and domineering, would respond so decisively. What was even more surprising was that his tone was extremely sincere, as if he were truly repenting for his impulsive actions just now.

"However, in today's events, my Huangfu family is also a victim." He paused, looked around, and his gaze swept over the guests present. His tone became increasingly solemn. "That woman was eloquent and deceitful, attempting to use the name of the Huangfu family to disrupt the overall situation. If it weren't for Young Hero Shen's quick thinking in seeing through her scheme, I'm afraid my Huangfu family would have been implicated and become someone else's pawn."

He spoke with righteous indignation and conviction, each word ringing out as if he were the most innocent party. Many unsuspecting guests nodded in agreement, some even whispering among themselves, "So that's how it is, the Huangfu family was also deceived..."

"Yes, as the saying goes, the taller the tree, the more the wind will blow against it. They have it tough too."

Seeing this, Huangfu Haotian raised the corners of his mouth slightly and continued, "However, as a martial arts family, we have always acted with integrity and uprightness. Since this matter originated from our Huangfu family, we naturally have a responsibility to bear."

He turned to Murong Liang, cupped his hands in a respectful bow, and said sincerely, "Uncle Murong, today's events were indeed due to the Huangfu family's lack of foresight, bringing shame upon the Murong family and alarm to all our guests. Therefore, on behalf of the Huangfu family, I would like to apologize to Young Hero Shen and promise to handle the aftermath properly."

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping across the entire room, his voice low and firm: "Furthermore, my Huangfu family is willing to bear the negative impact caused by this incident and will present you with generous gifts to express our sincerity."

When he spoke these words, his expression was frank and his tone sincere, as if he were truly a wise and upright elder in the martial arts world who could admit his mistakes and correct them. If one did not know the inside story, one would probably be moved by his eloquent words and even feel a bit of respect for him.

However, the few people present who truly understood the whole story—Murong Liang, Murong Qing, and Shen Mo—clearly saw the fleeting coldness and scheming in his eyes.

This is hardly an apology.

This is clearly a strategic retreat, an attempt to use a seemingly sincere apology to cover up the true purpose of the Huangfu family. He wants to use this "apology" to whitewash the whole incident, steer public opinion towards "misunderstanding" and "being deceived," and make the world believe that the Huangfu family merely meant well but did something wrong, rather than deliberately provoking.

This move was undeniably brilliant.

The woman was now dead, unable to speak, and all the truth was buried with her in the dust. No matter what Huangfu Haotian said, no one could refute him. His words were like an invisible net, quietly enveloping him on a moral high ground, both preserving his reputation and shirking responsibility.

Most of the guests nodded in agreement, and many who were unaware of the situation even began to feel some sympathy for the Huangfu family—after all, who hasn't been deceived before? And who can remain completely undetected in the martial arts world?

Just as a confident smile appeared on Huangfu Haotian's face, a calm and authoritative voice slowly rang out:

"It's good that the misunderstanding has been cleared up."

It was Murong Liang who spoke. His gaze was piercing, sweeping across the entire room before finally landing on Huangfu Haotian. In that instant, their eyes met in mid-air, as if invisible sword light were clashing between them.