Chapter 233: The Third Ring

Chapter 233: The Third Ring

The entire assembly of gang members, gathered from upstairs to downstairs at the Autumn Rain Pavilion, stood collectively dumbfounded.

What was this? Kidnapping Madam Ji, calling out He Lei to come and die?

Could Han Wubing even defeat the Mad Lion He Lei? Wasn't this just asking for death?

Uh, no, did this mean He Lei and Madam Ji were having an affair, and Ji Yinan had found out, so Madam Ji conspired with her lover to kill her husband?

How had the situation veered so wildly in this direction?

Many stole glances at Yan Lianping’s expression, while Zhuque propped her chin on her hand, her eyes brimming with amusement.

As the party involved, Han Wubing’s so-called “testimony” still carried considerable weight. If he insisted Yan Lianping was the killer, most would dismiss it as a counter-accusation. But dragging in a Hu tribesman no one had ever thought of before—that actually sounded somewhat plausible.

Yet the question remained: if He Lei truly killed Ji Yinan, then what was Yan Lianping’s claim of breaking in and finding Han Wubing committing murder?

Was it purely a setup to frame Han Wubing, or had Yan Lianping colluded with the Hu?

An old member of the Xingyi Gang directly asked Yan Lianping, “President Yan, what do you make of this?”

Yan Lianping’s expression turned gloomy. “Han Wubing is spouting random accusations—how can we take it seriously? Right now, Madam Ji is being held hostage; we should rush to rescue her.”

This explanation was no longer convincing. The old member said slowly, “President Yan, none of us are fools. No matter how wild the accusation, there’s no reason to drag in an irrelevant person from the grasslands unless he knows He Lei is in Jianhu City.”

Many realized the point: “Exactly. Even if it’s a false accusation, he must have seen He Lei nearby to aim in that direction. Otherwise, how could he implicate a Hu from the grasslands?”

At a time when the Hu were threatening the border, regardless of what the faction leaders thought, it was the common folk of the jianghu who burned with shared indignation. For instance, when the steward introduced a shop yesterday, he had to add, “Nothing to do with the Hu,” as a routine disclaimer—otherwise, not only would goods fail to sell, but the shop might be smashed, and their own members would revolt.

If the Mad Lion He Lei was truly in the city, finding the real killer was trivial; killing the Hu was the priority! Especially if the real killer was He Lei himself—then national enmity and personal vendetta merged. So what if he was on the Earth List? Could a whole city’s people not bury him?

Yan Lianping had to say, “Perhaps. I don’t know either… You all can go look…”

Zhao Changhe suddenly spoke up: “No need for such trouble. I have a straightforward method.”

With that, he abruptly reached out and grabbed the steward who had come with him. “To be honest, I’ve studied a bit of mind control. If He Lei ever appeared at the Ji residence, this steward must know…”

The moment he moved, the steward turned and fled. Zhao Changhe’s deliberately slowed grab missed entirely, and the steward had already slipped to the edge of the building, ready to leap away.

Sha Qi suddenly struck, grabbing him and said with a smile, “Why is the steward so panicked? Could it be that you’ve truly colluded with the Hu?”

The steward fumed, “Even if Madam really had an affair with a Hu, she wouldn’t tell the steward. Why are you targeting me with this mind control nonsense?”

Zhao Changhe laughed. “Then why did you run?”

“Damn it…” Since he was about to be mind-controlled anyway, the steward threw caution to the wind. “Because the one having an affair with Madam is me! Even if you control me, I’d say it anyway, so I might as well confess! What the hell is wrong with you? Han Wubing spouts some nonsense, and you want to search my soul?”

Everyone froze on the spot.

Yan Lianping looked as if he couldn’t bear to watch, while the amusement in Zhuque’s eyes deepened.

“Because I knew it was you having the affair,” Zhao Changhe said cheerfully. “Besides Madam asking me to take charge, you were the most eager steward. Madam didn’t suspect you either. Who else but you two wanted those private assets to live on? Actually, it’s not just Madam—I think Ji Yinan’s concubines are all shady, crying more falsely than anyone. If you’ve seduced them all, you’re quite impressive. My respects.”

“How could it be all me? How would I know which slut each one followed?” The steward was furious. “Anyway, Ji Yinan colluded with the Hu, acting as their spy in Jianhu City. We couldn’t stand it—what’s wrong with betraying him? He went after Han Wubing himself, probably to uncover the secret of the ancient sword for the Hu, and got killed by Han Wubing. It wasn’t our doing!”

“Mm-hmm.”

“We’re the unlucky ones! We had a step-by-step plan to take over his assets, but his sudden death left us rootless. We were counting on you to let us keep some private property for retirement! Who knew Han Wubing would go mad and drag He Lei into an affair?”

“Simple. I told him to make that up, and you took the bait.” Zhao Changhe was still cheerful. “Sorry, I don’t actually know any soul-searching technique. I was bluffing.”

“You…” The steward nearly fainted from rage.

Everyone fell silent.

Now that the steward had testified that Ji Yinan colluded with the Hu, did it even matter who killed him? Even if Han Wubing did it, he was a hero. What reason was there to seek revenge on him?

Yan Lianping sighed. “So that’s how it is. It seems we don’t need to bother Han Wubing anymore…”

“President Yan thinks Han Wubing is a hero?”

“Whether he’s a hero or not, at a time like this, it’s a good thing.”

“Since everyone agrees it’s a good thing, President Yan doesn’t need to attribute your own good deed to Han Wubing.”

Yan Lianping narrowed his eyes. “If I did it, I wouldn’t be modest. But since I didn’t, I dare not take the credit.”

“Han Wubing has shown up. Just ask him, and it’ll be clear—no need for riddles or detective work.” Zhao Changhe laughed. “Someone told Han Wubing that Hu were lurking around the Ji residence. Han Wubing thought Ji Yinan was the one spreading rumors about me, so he went to confront him. They sat down for drinks and talked. After talking, Han Wubing realized Ji Yinan was obsessed with digging up the secret of his ancient sword and knew nothing about the rumors. Since Ji Yinan wasn’t the rumormonger, Han Wubing didn’t care about his own affairs and was about to leave.”

Yan Lianping repeated flatly, “Your rumors.”

“Correct.” Zhao Changhe wiped his face. “Zhao Changhe of Beimang greets the heroes of Jianhu City.”

No one cared whether he was Zhao Changhe, Situ Xiao, or Ji Bochang… The twists and turns had whetted their appetite for the mystery more than anything else.

Sha Qi urged from the side, “Whatever river you are, get on with it! If Han Wubing didn’t kill Ji Yinan, then who did?”

A perfect prompt.

Zhao Changhe glanced at Yan Lianping, whose face was growing darker, and said, “Of course, whoever framed Han Wubing is the killer… President Yan doesn’t need to be so embarrassed. Though you weren’t acting for some greater cause, just killing two birds with one stone—eliminating Ji Yinan and using Han Wubing as an excuse to consolidate the Xingyi Gang—since Ji Yinan was truly a traitor, I believe the heroes of the Xingyi Gang won’t hold this little scheme against you, right?”

Yan Lianping said nothing, his expression growing colder.

Zhao Changhe continued, “But that said, while the Xingyi heroes might not mind, I, Zhao Changhe, have a score to settle with President Yan.”

Yan Lianping said slowly, “What score?”

“Someone knew Han Wubing was tracking down who spread rumors about me and deliberately told him He Lei was at the Ji residence, leading him to Ji Yinan. But Ji Yinan wasn’t the rumormonger. So doesn’t that make the person who misled Han Wubing the most suspicious?” Zhao Changhe asked with a grin. “President Yan, why did you spread the rumor that I, Zhao Changhe, am a Hu? Or let me rephrase—is the ‘Wei Yue Yan’ the Yan of the Four Symbols Sect, or the Yan of the Wang family’s swallow?”

From outside the building, someone finally sighed. “I told you long ago: when Zhao Changhe entered Jianhu, you should have killed him at once, not hesitated because of the Winged Fire Snake beside him. Look—in just one day, your cover is blown.”

With those words, a sword light shot in from outside like a meteor chasing the moon, reaching Zhao Changhe’s throat in an instant.

The Wang family’s assassin!

After Zhao Changhe’s convoluted counter-tracking, the assassin had still caught up so quickly, proving only one thing.

The moment Zhao Changhe set foot in Jianhu City, Yan Lianping had contacted the Wang family.