Chapter 76: The Cui Family Mystery Case

Chapter 76: The Cui Family Mystery

Zhao Changhe, having broken through the fourth level of the Mystic Barrier earlier than he had anticipated, ate his rice with great relish, too lazy to care whether Cui Wenjing was showing off or not—perhaps the ninth-ranked master on the Heavenly List really had been a prodigy as a child, reaching the seventh or eighth level in five months.

Whatever.

He had previously thought that broadsword too heavy, his strength insufficient to wield it. But now that he had broken through the Mystic Barrier in external techniques, his power had grown immensely, and it was quite obvious. If before he could swing a ten-jin steel blade with ease and lightness, now a twenty- or thirty-jin weapon should not hinder his movements much—perhaps only in endurance would he fall short?

He wondered if he should go and try that four- or five-foot-long great broadsword... but then he glanced at the gentle look in the young girl beside him and thought, forget it—she had already chosen a steel blade, and to refuse it would be unseemly. Let it be for now.

Little did he know that the girl had long since reserved the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Blade for him; she hadn't even bothered to tell him the name of this steel sword.

Each was thinking of the other, and even the glances they exchanged reeked of an unspeakable, cloying sweetness.

Cui Yuanyong, stepping into the room, could smell the odor from across the wind. He felt his timing was terribly off—in fact, his sister's choice of a man was itself terribly ill-timed.

He, as the elder brother, was not even betrothed yet... Last year, before he left home, the family had just begun discussing a marriage alliance with the Wang family. The back-and-forth of betrothal gifts was extremely troublesome, and negotiations were still unresolved. And now this immature little sister had already found herself a man...

"Second Brother!" Cui Yuanyang spotted his arrival and waved cheerfully.

"Oh? Brother Cui has come?" Zhao Changhe wiped his mouth and asked in surprise, "Where have you been all this time? Such a big affair, and you haven't shown your face from start to finish."

Cui Yuanyong smiled, casually sitting in the spot his father had just vacated, pouring wine as if to entertain a guest on his father's behalf. "I said back then, when my little sister followed behind you to witness the storms of the martial world, I could see from her eyes that a change was bound to come. Now look—she's changed completely, soft as water, and it stinks like foul, rancid water."

Cui Yuanyang blushed. "Second Brother!"

But Cui Yuanyong ignored his sister and turned to Zhao Changhe with a laugh. "Brother Zhao, there was no need for that probing remark just now. You weren't really suspecting me as the traitor, were you?"

Cui Yuanyang's face changed color.

Zhao Changhe laughed. "Why so sensitive? I was just asking. I thought we were friends."

"I know someone would suspect me—after all, my sister got lost on my watch. If you count the time she ran off to your stronghold before, I've let her slip away twice... A naive girl... so capable of running—doesn't it seem a bit deliberate on my part?" Cui Yuanyong drank a cup of wine by himself and sighed. "Even if I'm not the traitor, people will use this to say I'm not meticulous or cautious enough, that my future is bleak."

Cui Yuanyang felt a bit embarrassed. So she had dragged her second brother into deep trouble.

From her perspective, neither incident had anything to do with him. Sneaking off to the stronghold in the dead of night—could her brother have been watching her sleep? That would have been the real problem. And later, when she ran away, that was even less his fault—it was the servants escorting her back, and she slipped away on the road with an excuse. How could her second brother have known?

Though it was a bit of an undeserved calamity, the label of being insufficiently meticulous and cautious was hard to shake off, and it wasn't entirely unjust. Cui Yuanyong himself had little experience in the martial world and was indeed not thorough in his actions.

For that very reason, it was even less likely that Cui Yuanyong had acted deliberately. He was the one set to inherit the position; doing such a thing would serve him no purpose and would only tarnish his reputation.

Cui Yuanyong sighed again and continued, "As for these past few days, of course I retraced my steps to find you. I even found the city where you had stayed... But who knew you'd be crossing mountains and ridges all the way? I really couldn't catch up... To be frank, if you had hidden in the city and stayed indoors, waiting for me to find you, maybe none of this would have happened..."

Even Zhao Changhe's expression twitched at that.

On second thought, it really was true... Who said there were only two choices back then? This was clearly a third option, and perhaps the safest one. He had never even considered it—not until now.

Cui Yuanyang giggled, took Zhao Changhe's hand, and said softly, "Ignore him."

Zhao Changhe finally nodded. "Alright, why keep defending yourself? I was just joking."

"Because it's disgusting. A bunch of people tried to pin this on me, like swallowing a fly. Now that the parties involved are here, how could I hold back from saying a few words?" Cui Yuanyong asked his sister helplessly, "Soon there'll be a joint interrogation. I'll have to be questioned too. Are you coming to observe?"

Cui Yuanyang thought for a moment and nodded. "I'll go with Brother Zhao. Can Brother Zhao come?"

Cui Yuanyong said, "He's directly involved, so he should provide some corroborating testimony. But his situation is special—Father hasn't given the order, so no one would dare treat him like a criminal and summon him harshly. If you're willing to participate, that would be best."

Zhao Changhe did want to go. He felt there was something fishy about this case, and it piqued his curiosity to get to the bottom of it. Besides, the real culprit wanted to kill Yangyang. If they didn't find him, someone who wanted her dead would be hovering around her every day—the thought sent chills down his spine. Of course, he had to find and cut him down.

Cui Yuanyang, in truth, didn't want to know who it was—whoever it was would be painful—but she knew this matter had to be resolved.

...

That evening, at the Cui family ancestral hall.

Zhao Changhe and Cui Yuanyang stood behind Cui Wenjing, craning their necks to see what was happening.

Cui Yuanyong and another young man who looked very much like him stood side by side in the center, both wearing helpless expressions. The other youth looked worse—pale and haggard, like a pampered child who had spent two days in a cell, his spirit half drained.

Cui Yuanyong's younger brother, Cui Yuanyang's third brother, Cui Yuancheng—the prime suspect this time.

Around them, the Cui family elders and senior members gathered in full force. Even Cui Wenjue, the prefect of Qinghe, had arrived. This was no mere assassination attempt on a young girl; it was a case of fratricide within the family—an extremely serious matter that any family would find hard to tolerate.

Several gazes also fixed on Zhao Changhe, their sharp pressure enough to make one's skin crawl.

Though it was impossible to tell anyone's cultivation level on the surface, when experts at the eighth or ninth level of the Mystic Barrier, or even the Secret Realm, stared at you, you could naturally feel that intangible, formless pressure.

But Zhao Changhe smiled nonchalantly. My future father-in-law didn't put on airs with me—what are you all pretending for?

An elder slowly began to speak: "I trust everyone is clear on the matter. Let me reiterate once more the reasons we have identified Yuancheng. The underworld bounty had only a few channels. Within Qinghe's borders, we have turned every stone. We confirmed that it was spread through the Salt Gang's local sales office. We captured the office head, and he confessed that Yuancheng issued the bounty—the trail is extremely clear."

Everyone nodded. In fact, it was easy to investigate—issuing a bounty required a channel, and claiming the reward required a place. In Qinghe, the Cui family could uncover such things with ease; there was basically no way to deny it.

But the problem was...

"However, as soon as that man finished speaking, he bit the poison hidden in his teeth and killed himself. Precisely this point suggests the possibility that he was bribed to frame someone. Hence, some have raised suspicions about Yuanyong." The elder continued, "There are quite a few who hold this view, including Wenjue."

Cui Wenjue nodded in acknowledgment. "Indeed, Yuanyong, do not blame your uncle for being suspicious. Anyone would be."

Cui Yuanyong said calmly, "Regarding the suspicion against me, I can explain it with one point: As everyone knows, when my little sister ran away, I was still on my way home. I could not have arranged anything in time, unless I had prepared in advance. But her running away was an impulsive act—even she herself might not have known she would run. How could I have set up a bounty beforehand? Do my uncles and elders truly think Yuanyong is a fool?"

Many nodded, including Zhao Changhe and Cui Yuanyang. Cui Yuanyang knew very well that she had acted on impulse—there was no premeditation. Who could have arranged anything in advance?

But that made things tricky. The suicide of the informant had cast doubt on Cui Yuancheng's guilt, and on Cui Yuanyong's side, it was truly unlikely that he had prearranged such a thing. So now, had the trail gone cold?

The Cui family, who ruled the roost in this region, could not find the true culprit behind the assassination of their legitimate daughter!

Countless eyes fell on Cui Wenjing, who had remained silent. The implication was clear: summon the Qinghe Sword.

Zhao Changhe frowned deeply.

He did not know the properties of the Qinghe Sword, but this atmosphere made him think... Could the target... be the Qinghe Sword itself?