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Chapter 40 - Black-Hearted Nie Beihu
Huang Qianjun lowered his head and admitted it without any attempts to explain himself.
Su Yi’s expression softened a little. “I’ll let it go this time.”
When Huang Qianjun heard this, his tension relaxed, and his face filled with gratitude. “Brother Su, don’t worry! I won’t try anything clever again!”
When Nie Beihu saw this, he couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. Huang Yunchong, you old fox! What a clever move! So long as your son follows Young Lord Su, what need is there to worry about his future? He’s sure to make something of himself!
When I get back, I’ll have to have my son get closer to Young Lord Su too!
Then, he solemnly cupped his fist. “Young Lord Su, City Lord Fu told me days ago that your problems are his problems. So, tell me
. How should we resolve this?”
Wen Jieyuan was the son of Wen Changqing, while Su Yi was the Wen Family’s live-in son-in-law. There was now a blood feud between the two of them. If they didn’t handle this well, it could cause enormous turmoil.
Before Su Yi could respond, Wen Jieyuan struggled to turn and face him. He kowtowed, pleading at the top of his lungs, “Su Yi, I was wrong! I was wrong! I’ll never do it again, so please, spare me just this once! I swear I won’t tell anyone what happened here!”
He trembled from head to toe, his eyes wide with terror.
Even an idiot would have realized the situation wasn’t looking good, so he immediately changed his tune.
But what happened next was beyond everyone’s expectations—
Huang Qianjun suddenly stepped forward, grabbed the knife in Wen Jieyuan’s back, and shoved it in.
Splurt!
The sharp blade pierced right through Wen Jieyuan, its sharp tip emerging from his chest with a spray of blood.
Wen Jieyuan’s eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. He thudded limply to the ground.
The knife Su Yi had thrown wasn’t enough to deal a fatal blow, but Huang Qianjun’s attack directly severed his life.
Nie Beihu and the nearby guards were stunned. They never would have guessed that the one to kill Wen Jieyuan would be the silkpants, Huang Qianjun.
Even Su Yi’s eyebrows shot up; he hadn’t expected this either.
Huang Qianjun’s chest heaved, his breathing ragged. He pulled the knife out, splattering blood all over himself.
But it was as if he didn’t notice. He lowered his head, not daring to meet Su Yi’s gaze, then said hoarsely, “Brother Su, I did something conceited again.”
Su Yi stared deeply at him, then said “Wash the blood off your face, then come back.”
For a moment, Huang Qianjun was dazed. Then he said in surprise, “Brother Su, you’re not mad at me? But just now, I
”
“No need to say more. I understand.” Su Yi waved him away.
Huang Qianjun broke into a grin, then rushed off to clean himself up.
Huang Qianjun, that kid! He’s ruthless, brave, and he really went all out. That attack was the pinnacle of perfection!
With this, he’s made himself Su Yi’s co-conspirator and announced his loyalty through his actions. He clearly won himself Young Lord Su’s approval, too.
Nie Beihu couldn’t help but sigh to himself. Why didn’t I realize that this domineering silkpants was so crafty and brave?
Had Su Yi dealt Wen Jieyuan the final blow, it would have inevitably led to direct conflict with the Wen Family.
By choosing that moment to attack, Huang Qianjun had effectively redirected all the trouble onto himself.
Even if the Wen Family found out what had happened, they’d look to Huang Qianjun for revenge.
This was the risk and sacrifice Huang Qianjun accepted when he pushed in the knife.
But in doing so, he’d really and truly won Su Yi’s approval!
Nie Beihu was ruthless and experienced. How could he possibly miss what was happening here?
That was why he sighed with so much emotion.
He asked himself, had he been in Huang Qianjun’s shoes, could he have made the same choice? Maybe, but he would likely have hesitated. He couldn’t have been so quick or decisive.
Nie Beihu clasped his fist. “Young Lord Su, this is the Apricot Clinic, and numerous people saw Wen Jieyuan enter. Today, both he and his guards lost their lives here. I’m afraid we won’t be able to keep this incident a secret.”
He paused, then said decisively, “But you can rest assured that I will do everything in my power to resolve this incident!”
Wen Jieyuan’s status wasn’t simple; he was the son of the main-line elder Wen Changqing. Someone of Nie Beihu’s status would encounter numerous thorny problems if he tried to resolve this.
But he nevertheless accepted this responsibility.
His reasoning was simple: he had City Lord Fu Shan behind him, and behind Fu Shan was the Spiritjade Marchioness!
WIth a clang, Su Yi sheathed his sword and said lightly, “There’s no need to go to such trouble. If Wen Changqing asks, just tell him that they fell at the hands of Wu Ruoqiu of the Deathbringer’s Gate.”
This was shifting the blame.
The best part was that Wen Changqing undoubtedly already knew of Wu Ruoqiu’s existence, and at least a little about the courtyard.
No one would doubt them if they pinned his son’s death on Wu Ruoqiu and the Deathbringer’s Gate.
“The Deathbringer’s Gate? Wu Ruoqiu?” Nie Beihu was dazed; it was obvious he’d never heard of that organization or of Wu Ruoqiu.
Something occurred to Su Yi, and he immediately explained how Wu Ruoqiu had been using the courtyard as a Ghoul Worm farm.
“Brilliant!” When Nie Beihu heard this explanation, he couldn’t help but applaud.
Wu Ruoqiu was undoubtedly the perfect scapegoat to pin the murders on!
Su Yi said gravely, “Commander Nie, remember to tell the city lord. Have him investigate and see if there are any similar ‘haunted houses’ in Giangling City. After all, now that Wu Ruoqiu is dead, there’s no one left to feed the worms. When they get hungry, they’re certain to charge into the city and bring disaster to the citizens.”
Nie Beihu instantly grew solemn. He cupped his fists. “Young Lord Su, I admire your consideration and your benevolence. We’ll be certain to make this our top priority!”
With that, he turned to his guards and said, “Clean up the corpses. I don’t care how you do it, but make absolutely certain that you don’t leave any clues that might disadvantage Young Lord Su. Do you hear me?”
“Yes, sir!” The guards acknowledged their orders and got to work.
They’d worked for the City Lord’s Manor for years. They were elites accustomed to bloodshed, the type to lick the blood off their swords, and they had ample experience resolving such matters. They were ruthless and efficient.
By the time Huang Qianjun finished washing off the blood and returned, the courtyard was spotless. Wen Jieyuan and the guards’ corpses had disappeared, as if they’d vanished into thin air.
Even the rivers of blood staining the ground were gone without a trace!
Huang Qianjun couldn’t help but exclaim, “Commander Nie, why do I get the sense that this isn’t the first time you and the Old Guard have done this?”
“It’s just killing people and destroying the corpses, that’s all,” said Nie Beihu offhandedly. “It’s as simple as could be. I’m not bragging when I say that after the Old Guard finishes cleaning a murder scene, not even the Huang Family would be able to find the slightest thread of evidence.”
As he spoke, his gaze swept across his subordinates. “Everyone, you know what to do regarding today’s incident, don’t you?”
The guards burst into laughter.
One of them said, “Sir, let’s go by our usual rules. Treat us to three rounds of drinks, and we guarantee our lips are sealed. It’ll be as if none of this ever happened!”
Nie Beihu nodded.
Su Yi glanced at Huang Qianjun. “You foot the bill for their drinks.”
Huang Qianjun hurriedly pounded his chest. “Relax, Brother Su! Leave it all to me!”
Nie Beihu couldn’t help but laugh. Su Yi ordering Huang Qianjun to treat the guards was undoubtedly his way of expressing approval for this arrangement.
That was enough!
Nie Beihu thought about it, then whispered a recommendation, “Young Lord Su, I’ve already sent people to request Wen Changqing’s presence. When he gets here, all you have to do is watch.”
Su Yi nodded.
Time flew by. A full hour passed before a group rushed through the courtyard gates.
Their leader was a glaring, pale-faced, whiskerless man. This was none other than the Wen Family’s Second Elder, Wen Changqing.
However, his frantic concern and heavy heart were written on his face. The second he stepped into the courtyard, he said in a low voice, “Commander Nie, where is my son? Where are his guards?”
Nie Beihu’s expression filled with grief, and he said hoarsely, “Brother Changqing, when I got here, it was already too late. I’m afraid your son and his attendants were already dead.”
“What!?” Wen Changqing reacted as if he’d been struck by lightning, and his eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets. “Who was it? Who killed my son?”
His vicious gaze swept across everyone in the courtyard, like an infuriated beast looking for someone to devour.
He had two children. Wen Jieyuan was his eldest son, and he was in the prime of his youth. Wen Changjing had poured his heart and soul into training him. He’d planned to send Wen Jieyuan to Blueriver Sword Manor in the near future.
Who would have thought that his son would die before he got the chance?
“My condolences, Brother Changqing.” Nie Beihu’s face filled with mourning, and he sighed. “None of us could have guessed that malevolent apparitions hid within the courtyard. That heretical Daoist, Wu Ruoqiu, was even more vicious; he summoned evil insects called ‘Ghoul Worms’ to devour your son and his guards whole
.”
“Wu Ruoqiu
. Wu Ruoqiu
.” Wen Changqing’s expression shifted dramatically, and the veins bulged on his forehead. “That blasted wandering Daoist! I thought of him as my friend, yet he dared murder my son?!”
Suddenly, he glanced at Su Yi, as if realizing something.
“No, that’s not right!” he exclaimed. “That waste spent the night without being attacked, so why is my son dead?”
He was both stunned and angry, and he’d sensed that something fishy was going on.
Instead of answering him, Nie Beihu looked stunned. “Brother Changqing, you’re saying you know the heretical cultivator Wu Ruoqiu? And you knew this residence was haunted and dangerous?”
The nearby guards were in uproar. They played along, shouting and clamoring. All of them glared at Wen Changqing and shouted questions.
“Wen Changqing, you dared leave that evildoer to wreak havoc?”
“I never would have guessed that the Wen Family would commit such dark, heretical acts behind closed doors. Simply unforgivable!”
“The Wen Family has been consorting with the heretical cultivator Wu Ruoqiu of the Deathbringer’s Gate! I’ll have to inform City Lord Fu Shan of this!”

..
The pain of losing his son made Wen Changqing mad with anger, but when he heard the guards’ questions and rebukes, he felt a chill run down his spine, as if someone had poured cold water over his head. This helped him calm down.
He took a deep breath, his expression unsightly as he tried to explain. “Commander Nie, if I were in cahoots with Wu Ruoqiu, why would he kill my son?”
“How about this?” said Nie Beihu coldly. “You and I will pay City Lord Fu Shan a visit and have him uphold justice. If you’re innocent, you’ll naturally be free to leave without charges!”
Wen Changqing froze, and his chest heaved violently.
Before he could make up his mind, Nie Beihu waved to his subordinates. “Come! Escort Wen Changqing to the city lord’s manor!”
When he saw this, Huang Qianjun, who’d been playing the part of a spectator, couldn’t help but gasp.
I’ve seen my fair share of wickedness, but I’ve never seen anyone this black-hearted!
He isn’t just making the Deathbringer’s Gate and Wu Ruoqiu take the fall for this; he’s even seizing this chance to drag Wen Changqing off.
How wicked!
If he makes it to the city lord’s estate, given City Lord Fu Shan’s relationship with Su Yi, Wen Changqing is doomed!