Chapter 17: Taking Charge
Yuanfengyuan was shrouded in a hazy rain and fog.
At daybreak, the Yuanfeng and Haofeng guards were already standing in front of Yunyuan's gate. After Ruyue and Xiran had carefully searched her, they escorted her to the prison. Yunyuan turned back to look at Tingyu Pavilion. Feng Yanyuan, dressed in white, was barely visible in the misty drizzle.
The dark, damp stone cell was lit only by a single, high vent, barely a few palms wide, making the entire cell resemble a tomb of the living dead. She pressed her palm against the chilling stone wall, listening intently for any movement beyond. Footsteps approached from afar. Turning back, she heard the cell door creak open, and Yuzhu was roughly shoved inside, slamming heavily to the ground.
Yun Yuan was stunned, and her fingertips trembled slightly.
"We meet again." Yuzhu's face was as pale as paper, and a sad smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
"Why are you here?" Yun Yuan frowned.
"I've confessed everything." Yuzhu's voice was hoarse. "If you know what's good for you, you can get away with it later."
"What are you talking about?" Yun Yuan was stunned.
"During the interrogation by the young master..." Yuzhu suddenly started coughing violently. After a pause, she continued, "These past few days, I've finally understood that mission and loyalty are nothing compared to torture instruments. Yuan'er, why don't you learn from me..."
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Yun Yuan interrupted harshly, but cold sweat was already oozing out of his back.
Yuzhu suddenly stumbled closer, her skinny fingers grasping Yun Yuan's wrist. "You know it well! Why did you come to the Feng family..." She suddenly lowered her voice. "They all know. Master Yuan won't believe you anymore."
Yun Yuan's body went cold. Before she could react, Yuzhu suddenly smiled strangely: "I betrayed you...but I really couldn't bear it anymore..."
As she was stunned, she suddenly saw a flash of cold light at Yuzhu's fingertips! A thin blade, as thin as a cicada's wing and emitting a faint blue deathly light, shot out with a "clang" sound! Yuzhu grabbed Yunyuan's wrist and pulled it back violently - the target of the poisonous blade was surprisingly her own fragile throat!
In a flash, Yun Yuan's mind exploded! All the clues connected instantly: Yuzhu's miserable condition, her unusual complaints, her deliberate approach, and now this "suicidal" action... This wasn't a suicide plea, it was a frame-up! A carefully planned trap! They wanted her to be accused of "silencing her"!
There was no time to think! Just as the poisonous blade was about to slice through Yuzhu's skin, Yun Yuan made a move that shocked Yuzhu—her waist suddenly leaped forward like a powerful snake, slamming into Yuzhu's arms and throwing her to the ground!
Bang!
Their bodies tangled, they fell heavily to the cold stone floor. Yuzhu's breath was choked by the impact, and the grip on her wrist instantly released. Yun Yuan seized the opportunity to twist her wrist at an incredible angle, precisely guiding Yuzhu's hand, which held the hand of death, with a cold blue light, towards the aorta on her snow-white neck!
“Sizzle—”
The subtle sound of flesh being cut was so clear in the deadly silence of the cell that it made one's scalp tingle. It wasn't Yuzhu's throat, but Yunyuan's neck! A deep red line of blood instantly spread, followed by a strange and enchanting purple color that spread along the edge of the wound at a speed visible to the naked eye!
The madness on Yuzhu's face instantly solidified into shock and fear. Her pupils shrank to pinpoints as she stared intently at the rapidly changing wound on Yunyuan's neck. Then, she suddenly glanced at Yunyuan's face—that pale yet unusually calm face, and the corners of her mouth slowly curled up in a faint yet icy arc.
"you......"
Yuzhu's lips trembled violently, and the thin blade in her hand fell to the ground with a clang.
She watched Yun Yuan's body fall to the side as if all its strength had been drained away. The blood gushing from her neck quickly dyed her plain clothes red. The glaring red and the strange purple intertwined, announcing her complete failure, and also announcing that she would once again fall into an abyss more terrifying than death.
The stone door burst open, and Feng Yanyuan's figure was swept in by the cold wind. He knelt on one knee and took Yun Yuan into his arms, his usually calm hands trembling slightly.
"It's 'Qingsi Chan' from the Guitou Gang!" Feng Yanyuan shouted sternly, and the internal force surged at his fingertips to seal Yun Yuan's heart meridian.
Feng Jiu staggered forward, and the medicine powder in the white jade bottle scattered.
Feng Yanyuan raised his head, his crimson gaze fixed on Yuzhu's bloodstained hands: "Young Master's cell is actually big enough to hold a poisoned hidden weapon?"
Feng Yanhao walked in, glanced at Yuzhu with annoyance, and said in a deep voice: "Hao Fengwei's suddenness will be severely punished."
"Young Master, have you concluded whether this confession is true or false?" Feng Yanyuan said coldly, but his eyes were only on Yun Yuan.
Feng Yanhao spoke word by word, "It will fall apart without any attack."
"Thank you, young master." Feng Yanyuan said, picked up Yun Yuan and walked out of the stone prison quickly.
Feng Yanhao clenched his fists as he watched Feng Yanyuan take the person away.
He thought he had the whole situation under control.
Yuzhu's murder, Yunyuan's defense, and the final verdict—every step should have gone according to his script. But Yunyuan's sudden comeback opened a new door to life in this deadlock.
Before being taken to the stone prison, Feng Yanhao secretly gave Yuzhu a fingernail-sized blade, infused with the Guitou Gang's deadly poison. He promised her a chance for a quick end, but only if she cooperated in a play to prove Yun Yuan's identity as a spy. Knowing Yun Yuan wouldn't comply, he instructed Yuzhu to feign Yun Yuan's wrath and silence her at the crucial moment.
Since he wanted to verify the authenticity of the confession through a confrontation between the two, Feng Yanhao simply made this game a dead end.
He warned Yuzhu that someone was watching from the shadows, and she needed to be careful about what she said and did. If she dared to disobey the plan and commit suicide, he would detoxify her and do his utmost to keep her alive before torturing her. Yuzhu, who now only wanted a quick death, was sure to obey.
When faced with a frame-up, ordinary people would either defend themselves or fight back, but the maid actually faced the blade and injured herself - directly turning this "silencing" drama into a "vendetta", and even the "confession" became a "frame-up".
The Feng family had trained death warriors for years, but only a handful could break through such a desperate situation. Those who dared to gamble their lives were even rarer.
A hint of dangerous interest flashed in his eyes, "Interesting..."
Yuzhu slumped on the cold ground. Feng Yanhao's figure came against the light, swallowing up the last glimmer of light before her eyes. She shuddered uncontrollably, thinking of the dark, purgatory that lay ahead. Suddenly, with a fierce rage, she lunged at the blood-stained blade on the ground. But Feng Yanhao whipped the corner of his robe, sending her flying, slamming heavily against the stone wall.
"Want to die?" Feng Yanhao approached slowly, his boot soles running over the poisonous blade. "Have I granted your permission?"
Yuzhu huddled in the corner, blood oozing from the corners of her mouth. She stared at the sinister face before her and suddenly cracked a sinister smile. "The heir of the Wind God Halberd has never been out in the martial arts world... yet the Guitou Gang knows everything about the Third Young Master..." She coughed up a mouthful of blood. "Now I finally understand... from whom leaked this information."
Feng Yanhao's body suddenly stopped, murderous intent surging in his eyes: "What did you say?!"
Yuzhu's eyes were bloodshot, and a mad grin stretched across her lips. "What a young master of the Feng family! He's known as the 'Black Judge' in the eyes of the Jianghu people, but he can't even hold a broken halberd!"
"You!" Feng Yanhao's forehead veins bulged.
She let out a strange chuckle from her throat, "What cruel and ruthless... but just a coward," she suddenly roared with a ferocious face, "A pathetic creature hiding in the shadow of the Third Young Master!"
"court death!!!"
A fierce palm blast slashed across Yuzhu's neck, and a crisp "crack" sounded. Her eyes were wide open, still filled with sarcasm, but her body had already collapsed like a rag.
Feng Yanhao's chest heaved violently, and he suddenly kicked the corpse against the stone wall. With a dull thud, blood splattered across the wall like a hideous flower. He stared at the twisted body, his knuckles crackling.
"Young Master..." Feng Wu suddenly stepped forward and said softly.
"roll!!!"
A playful voice came, "How can I roll? I don't have any wheels."
Feng Yanhao was stunned, turned around and said, "Uncle! Why are you here?"
A man staggered out of the dark passage. When the shadow faded, the dim candlelight revealed the man's face. It was none other than Feng Xiaoming, the "old man" of Wangyue Valley.
"This secret room is my only way to leave Moon Valley. Seeing that there were few people around, I came out to see you." He sat on the tall stone seat, looking even more hunched and emaciated. He added, "Oh my! Such a beautiful young lady, and you beat her to death! How painful it must be!"
"Useless thing." Feng Yanhao said: "However, the slave girl that the third brother took in is not simple. I was too careless."
"Is it the little girl you gave me that day?"
Feng Yanhao nodded and said coldly, "I was going to prove her identity as a ghost spy today, but I didn't expect her to use a self-torture tactic to turn the tables." A gloomy look flashed in his eyes. "I set up the killing spree. I can only endure it. I can't even mention it to my father." His eyes fell on the bloody blade on the ground. "This woman is truly cunning. She will become a serious threat in the future."
"She is in Yuanfeng Courtyard. Her cunningness is also a problem for the Third Young Master. Why should the Young Master worry?"
"I think she's very loyal to the Third Brother, even taking the risk of telling him about being fed the Impermanence Poison."
"Hahaha, what a capable little girl! This isn't just loyalty, it's a brilliant plan! This trick has earned the Third Young Master's trust. If he deliberately leaks some false information, she can set you up..."
Feng Yanhao sneered, "She has a good idea, but it's a pity that the Third Brother is always so noble and aloof that he disdains such a scheme." He frowned, "However, my nephew has one thing I don't understand. How could she still be alive after being poisoned by my uncle that day?"
"Young Master, you've hit the nail on the head with this question!" Feng Xiaoming shook his head. "The Third Young Master arrived too quickly! He arrived just after I gave him the first injection. It definitely wasn't Second Young Master's tip-off... He must have found it on his own." He looked at Feng Yanhao meaningfully. "Young Master, have you ever thought about what this means?"
Feng Yanhao was stunned. "Could it be that he can already... sit back and watch the situation?"
Feng Xiaoming sighed and nodded, then added, "The Third Young Master is truly remarkable! Back then, my father was over sixty years old before he acquired this technique!"
Feng Yanhao's Adam's apple rolled. "A few days ago, Yuanfengwei sneaked into Huiming Corridor and took the Rot Heart Grass. I thought he was assassinated and his internal energy was disrupted, but I didn't expect that his power had been greatly improved..."
"Ah... I see. This is taking advantage of the disruption of internal energy to fight poison with poison. While risky, it might also help significantly increase your power. It's a blessing in disguise."
Feng Yanhao frowned: "If this continues, when the matter is completed, it will be even more troublesome for my uncle to leave the valley."
"We can only find another way." Feng Xiaoming said, "Speaking of this, I also have one thing that I don't understand. The young master threw people into Wangyue Valley just to make the third young master break the family rules. But the third young master recovered so quickly after being punished by the family rules. It seems that the young master showed mercy!"
"I had originally prepared a whip soaked in Hunyuan Powder to cripple him by 60%. But that morning, during the interrogation, the third child mentioned that I had fed his servant Wuchang. This infuriated my father, who demanded I whip him myself. If I had used the poisoned whip again, I'm afraid..."
Feng Xiaoming nodded. "Ah, my old brother! I'm punishing the Third Young Master on the surface, but I'm actually testing you. However, you fed Wuchang to the Third Young Master's servant, which is a quarrel between brothers, and that's a taboo in the Feng family. I was just testing you, but not punishing you. I'm showing you some mercy."
"Mother mentioned that person..."
"I see." Feng Xiaoming smiled and said, "Sister-in-law has always understood brother the best. With just one sentence, she changed the nature of this matter completely! The mistake he made back then was almost repeated on his own son. I'm sure at that moment, he must have been thankful that you fed the poison in time and brought him under control!"
"It's a pity that I couldn't confirm this slave's identity as a spy today."
"Don't worry, young master." Feng Xiaoming grinned. "Since my elder brother has become suspicious, he will definitely not let that girl live easily. Just wait and see. My methods are always the most brilliant!"
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