Qi Fengyu, who had been unmoved by his previous words, trembled upon hearing them.
"I've come to this point because others forced me into it." He still insists on being the perfect victim, "They're the ones who won't give me a way out."
He left no evidence, and what he said to others didn't even qualify as instigation, so Ji Mofan cannot be convicted.
"You don't actually think I wouldn't do any research myself, do you?" Ji Mofan tilted his head to look at him, his lips curving into a flat smile, but Qi Fengyu inexplicably read a mocking smile in that expression.
It stung his eyes.
"Your mother came from an ordinary mortal family. Back then, she suddenly became pregnant out of wedlock and suffered ridicule and cold looks in the village while carrying her big belly. She was even instigated by busybodies to be thrown into a pig cage."
"It was his brothers and several nephews who, armed with carrying poles and farm tools, drove away the ignorant villagers and rescued her from the water. It was because of this incident that your mother gave birth to you prematurely, but because she was tied up and beaten by the villagers, she was injured and died from massive bleeding."
“That family did not hold a grudge against you. They even actively raised you despite the strange looks from the villagers. Your uncle held you and knelt down in front of other women in the village who had just given birth, begging for a woman with breast milk to feed you.”
"This family no longer lives in the village where their ancestors lived for generations. It is said that they couldn't stand the villagers' cold looks, so they moved away on their own."
"But who would move without taking a single household item? Even if it's a refugee, they would at least take some food and money."
As Ji Mofan slowly narrated, Qi Fengyu's complexion grew increasingly worse. Her face, which had been slightly flushed from shouting, was now as white as paper.
“You have no evidence…” he murmured.
“Yes, I have no evidence.” Ji Mofan nodded. “But suspicion doesn’t need evidence.”
Qi Fengyu's head buzzed for a moment.
Ji Mofan did not intend to convict him; his purpose in saying all this was merely to ruin his reputation!
He's going to destroy what he cares about most!
"What good will it do you to do all this?" Qi Fengyu pointed at him with trembling fingers.
"Maybe it's to make me feel better." Ji Mofan shrugged indifferently.
Why not use words to break down Qi Fengyu's defenses?
It's something that comes easily to me anyway.
Qi Fengyu remained silent for a moment, then suddenly sneered, "You've said all this just to force me to reveal the method to save Qi Yuan, haven't you?"
"I won't do as you wish. In any case, I've only lost my reputation, but you've lost your sect leader grandfather."
“I have no ulterior motives. I did all this to climb the ladder, but so what? Can you accuse me of harming anyone?”
"Ji Mo Fan, now it's your turn to ask me for a favor."
He originally intended to use the same old tricks to evoke Ji Mofan's compassion.
No one understands Ji Mofan better than him. Not only is his empathy incredibly strong, but he is also willing to protect any small act of kindness.
There's a saying that goes, "Every pitiful person has something hateful about them," and the second half of that saying goes, "Every hateful person has something pitiful about them."
So he went along with it and created a tragic story about his life, but unexpectedly, Ji Mofan was completely unmoved by his performance and was frighteningly clear-headed.
Since that's the case, there's no need to keep beating around the bush.
Hearing Qi Fengyu's tone, Ji Mofan's eyes darkened slightly.
Is Qi Fengyu planning to give up entirely?
Even if he had really gotten himself into a bloody mess in his past life, he could still fool Shen Yun into covering for him, all to maintain his innocent and harmless image.
Now he's not pretending at all.
Qi Fengyu didn't have the typical childhood of a villain in a storybook. Apart from the few months after he was born when he had no memory of them, he had a tough time. Ever since Qi Yuan brought him back to the Yun Cang Sword Sect, everyone doted on and loved this only son of the sect leader.
Just by looking at the furnishings of this bedchamber, you can tell that the sect will give him whatever he wants. Even so, he is still not satisfied, and his greed has swelled to the point of targeting innocent people.
Ji Mofan couldn't help but wonder where Qi Fengyu had learned such a personality from.
Although both were raised by Qi Yuan, he was a completely different person.
The problem definitely doesn't lie with the Yuncang Sword Sect. Judging from his previous investigation, it's highly likely that it has no connection to his mother's family lineage.
That must be the mysterious man who caused that mother to become pregnant out of wedlock?
That's true. What kind of person is a man who can get a woman pregnant out of wedlock and then completely disappear afterward, not even bothering to see the child after it's born?
Qi Fengyu's mother never revealed the identity of her lover until her death. Ji Mofan inquired but was unable to get any information. The only thing he could confirm was that Qi Fengyu and Qi Yuan were definitely not related by blood.
During his investigation, he not only investigated Qi Fengyu's mother, but also Qi Yuan's entire movement during that period.
Qi Yuan was visiting that village for the first time because of a demon-slaying commission, so there was absolutely no possibility that she had an unmarried affair with Qi Fengyu's mother.
However, Ji Mofan had just tested Qi Fengyu with his words, and he didn't seem to have any unusual feelings about who his biological father was. It was unclear whether he had never investigated Qi Yuan's past or was pretending not to know.
"So, do you want me to beg you?" Her thoughts raced, but only a few breaths had actually passed. In Qi Fengyu's eyes, Ji Mofan had only hesitated for a moment.
Seemingly surprised that loneliness gave in so readily, Qi Fengyu was stunned for two seconds.
"When you ask for a favor, you should act like one." But he quickly adjusted his expression and immediately made his demand, "You have to offer something in exchange for Qi Yuan's life."
"Although he seems fine now, his body will become weaker and weaker over time. If you keep letting him drag on like this, don't blame me when he's on his last legs."
Ji Mo Fan's eyebrows twitched violently. "That's your father."
Whether he knows the truth or not, they are the people who raised him from a tiny baby to where he is now. How can he talk about a life so lightly and as if it were a matter of course?
"Only those who can help me can be considered my fathers." Qi Fengyu smiled. "Just like my mother, although she is dead, she can still help me climb the social ladder among cultivators."
Ji Mofan felt that talking to him was like asking for trouble.
"You still want my inner core?" He didn't want to waste any more words.
“You understand me best.” Qi Fengyu chuckled at him. “Give me your inner core, and I’ll give you the antidote to Qi Yuan’s current condition.”
He has a very handsome face, but with the tear stains still on his face and that cunning expression, it's hard to find anything to praise him.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
