https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-272-Su-Shaoying-a-Talented-Tactician/12536453/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-274-A-Single-Slip-in-Huo-Xiu-s-Meticulous-Plan/12536455/
Chapter 273: The Awakening of He Tianqing
Chapter 273: The Awakening of He Tianqing
The next morning, Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou entered Taiyuan City and made their way to Tianquan Temple.
"Well?" Du Gu Yihuo asked.
Lu Xiaofeng sighed, "The real King Jinpeng and Shangguan Danfeng are indeed dead, and they have been for at least several months."
Du Gu Yihuo asked calmly, "And the murderer?"
Lu Xiaofeng sighed again, "Shangguan Feiyan."
"Who is Shangguan Feiyan?" asked Du Gu Yihuo.
"Shangguan Feiyan is Shangguan Jin's granddaughter," Lu Xiaofeng explained. "The person pretending to be Shangguan Danfeng these days was actually her."
Du Gu Yihuo looked at Lu Xiaofeng. "Did you kill her?"
Ye Xiuzhu's eyes lit up, but then she saw Lu Xiaofeng's bitter smile as he said, "She's missing."
Du Gu Yihuo fixed his gaze on Lu Xiaofeng, prompting him to recount what had happened after he returned.
Similar to the original story, when Lu Xiaofeng went back, he discovered that the fake King Jinpeng's legs had been cut off. He then helped Shangguan Xue'er dig up Shangguan Danfeng's body in the garden.
Immediately after that, the fake King Jinpeng died, and Shangguan Feiyan appeared, using Hua Manlou and Zhu Ting's couple as leverage to threaten Lu Xiaofeng into killing Ximen Chuixue.
Then, Hua Manlou showed up, but Lu Xiaofeng let Shangguan Feiyan go, and she subsequently disappeared.
However, Zhu Ting's couple and Shangguan Xue'er had also gone missing.
Lu Xiaofeng smiled bitterly, "I thought the murderer would come after me, but instead, he kidnapped Zhu Ting and his wife."
Du Gu Yihuo's eyes flickered. "You're saying that Shangguan Feiyan didn't know about King Jinpeng's six toes?"
Lu Xiaofeng nodded. "Yes."
Su Shaoying was actually curious whether Shangguan Feiyan truly didn't know or was just pretending. After all, the one conspiring with her was He Xiu, not He Tianqing.
Could it be that He Xiu deliberately kept this information from her? It was plausible, as he was using both Shangguan Feiyan and He Tianqing. But knowing that He Xiu was aware of this secret and had concealed it from her, didn't Shangguan Feiyan keep a wary eye on him?
Unless...
Shangguan Feiyan also had her own plans to use Lu Xiaofeng and He Tianqing to get rid of He Xiu!
That made sense. Shangguan Feiyan was driven by money, and with He Xiu dead, the money would still be hers. The fact that she subconsciously cursed Ye Xiuzhu as a prostitute also revealed that she favored He Tianqing over He Xiu.
Everyone had their own hidden agenda.
However, the fact that Shangguan Feiyan's ending was disappearance instead of death indicated that He Xiu hadn't killed her.
Why?
Could it be that He Xiu knew we had encountered He Tianqing and realized he couldn't frame He Tianqing without him?
"So..." Du Gu Yihuo asked, "You still don't know who the mastermind is?"
Lu Xiaofeng sighed. "You shouldn't be asking me who the mastermind is at this point."
"Indeed, I shouldn't," Du Gu Yihuo nodded, then turned to Ma Xiuzhen and the other three women, "Can any of you tell me who informed Shangguan Feiyan?"
The four women looked at each other, "Us?"
Su Shaoying said, "The other day, when Master told Lu Xiaofeng about King Jinpeng's six-toed feet secret, only Master, myself, Lu Xiaofeng, and Hua Manlou were present, in addition to the four of you."
Ma Xiuzhen, Sun Xiqing, and Shi Xuer were astonished. "Us!"
The sweat on Ye Xiuzhu's temple was clearly visible, and she realized that the gazes of Du Gu Yihuo and Su Shaoying were all focused on her.
It was obvious—among them, she was the only one who had been wandering around Shanxi for a long time, while the other three women had no connection to He Tianqing at all.
And so, she broke down.
Ye Xiuzhu's body went soft, and she immediately knelt on the ground, "Master..."
Ma Xiuzhen, Sun Xiqing, and Shi Xuer looked at Ye Xiuzhu in disbelief, never expecting that there was a traitor among their sisters.
"It was Huo Tianqing," Du Gu Yihuo said flatly.
"It was Huo Tianqing," Lu Xiaofeng said, feeling distressed. He had considered Huo Tianqing a friend.
Du Gu Yihuo abruptly stood up, his left hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
Lu Xiaofeng quickly said, "My friend is still in his hands."
Du Gu Yihuo narrowed his eyes. "Tianqin the Elder integrated a hundred schools of thought and formed his own sect. Fifty years ago, he was already renowned in the martial arts world, and the might of his Phoenix Hand back then surpassed your Lingxi Finger today."
"Huo Tianqing is not Tianqin the Elder," Lu Xiaofeng said.
Du Gu Yihuo looked at Lu Xiaofeng, pondered for a moment, and finally nodded. "Alright, I'll let you make the first move."
"Thank you!" Lu Xiaofeng said, bowing.
Since Huo Tianqing had almost killed Du Gu Yihuo, he had a valid reason to take action. Moreover, Lu Xiaofeng's friend was not necessarily his friend, so Lu Xiaofeng had to express his gratitude.
Then Lu Xiaofeng left.
...
Du Gu Yihuo glanced at Ye Xiuzhu expressionlessly and then turned to Su Shaoying. "Do you still think Huo Xiu is suspicious?"
Ye Xiuzhu's heart skipped a beat, and Ma Xiuzhen, Sun Xiqing, and Shi Xuer also looked at Su Shaoying.
Was Huo Xiu also a suspect?
Su Shaoying said, "Whether Huo Xiu is suspicious or not depends on whether Huo Tianqing can provide evidence."
Du Gu Yihuo thought about Su Shaoying's previous analysis and felt that Huo Xiu's suspicion was indeed still difficult to dispel. After all, there were still many unanswered questions at this point.
Shangguan Feiyan should have been aware of the relationship between the King Jinpeng and the three of them. So, why would she devise such an obviously fake plan that absolutely couldn't allow the truth to be revealed?
"Do you think Huo Tianqing can provide evidence?" Du Gu Yihuo asked.
"That depends on whether Huo Tianqing will suspect Huo Xiu or not," Su Shaoying replied with a smile.
Du Gu Yihuo was a little surprised. "You want Huo Tianqing to suspect Huo Xiu?"
Su Shaoying looked at him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Isn't it?"
Du Gu Yihuo pondered for a moment and then nodded. "Then let's wait and see."
Ma Xiuzhen and the other three women looked at Du Gu Yihuo and then at Su Shaoying. They felt that not only was Su Shaoying quick-witted, but their master had also started speaking in riddles. They felt like their brains weren't enough to keep up.
However, now was not the time to worry about Huo Tianqing or Huo Xiu.
Ma Xiuzhen glanced at Ye Xiuzhu and finally asked tentatively, "Master..."
"Take her back to Emei. The sect will deal with her according to the rules," Du Gu Yihuo said coldly.
Ye Xiuzhu's face turned deathly pale. She knew that her punishment for colluding with Huo Tianqing and betraying her master would be severe. She didn't want to be publicly executed in front of all her fellow disciples.
Since that was the case...
Not long after Ye Xiuzhu took her own life, Du Gu Yihuo and Su Shaoying once again received a visit from Lu Xiaofeng.
Lu Xiaofeng's expression was grim.
"What happened?" Du Gu Yihuo asked.
"Shangguan Feiyan is dead. She died at Zhu Guang Baoqi Pavilion," Lu Xiaofeng said.
"What about Zhu Ting and his wife?" Su Shaoying asked.
"They were also at Zhu Guang Baoqi Pavilion, but they've been rescued," Lu Xiaofeng replied.
Su Shaoying raised an eyebrow, and Ma Xiuzhen angrily asked, "What about Huo Tianqing?"
Although Ye Xiuzhu was indeed a traitor, they had been sisters for over a decade, and Ma Xiuzhen had already decided to hold Huo Tianqing accountable for this.
There was a strange tone in Lu Xiaofeng's voice as he said, "He took Shanxi Yan, Jinbei Shuangshuo, and the Common Folk Seven Heroes to find Huo Xiu and avenge Shangguan Feiyan."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
