Yang Guo suddenly froze, his brows furrowed, and his gaze hesitant.
His expression clearly said: Huang Rong, the murderer of my father, is Uncle Li's wife. How am I supposed to answer that?
Sensing Yang Guo's hesitation, Li Huan's tone softened.
"Do you know about Peach Blossom Island's prized treasure, the Soft Hedgehog Armor?"
Yang Guo nodded.
Li Huan continued, "Fourteen years ago, Ouyang Feng's son, Ouyang Ke, harassed your mother, Mu Nianci. Your father, Yang Kang, killed Ouyang Ke with the tip of a spear, a moment witnessed by Huang Rong and Guo Jing!"
"Afterwards, in front of Ouyang Feng, Huang Rong exposed Yang Kang as the murderer. Yang Kang was enraged and used the Nine Yin White Bone Claw, which grabbed Huang Rong's shoulder."
"Unexpectedly, Huang Rong was wearing a soft armor, the spikes of which still contained Ouyang Feng's snake venom. Yang Kang's five fingers were injured, and he was poisoned by the snake venom, and soon collapsed and died!"
Yang Guo was dumbfounded.
Li Huan continued, "Therefore, Yang Kang's death was purely accidental! Huang Rong merely exposed Yang Kang's crimes; she did not kill him!"
"Guo Jing and Yang Kang became sworn brothers. Although Yang Kang was treacherous and cunning, Guo Jing was kind and naive, and could never bring himself to kill Yang Kang!"
Therefore, neither Huang Rong nor Guo Jing were the murderers of Yang Kang!
If these words had come from someone else, Yang Guo would not have believed them, but since Li Huan said them himself, Yang Guo could hardly question them.
Li Huan laughed and said, "That day, when the poison took effect, you took the opportunity to impersonate Yang Kang and try to find out who the murderer was. Did the silly girl say that Yang Kang was attacked by Huang Rong, was pricked by a poisoned needle, and then died?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Guo felt as if he had been enlightened.
The silly girl's words perfectly matched Li Huan's words.
Therefore, it seems that Yang Kang did indeed die from the venom of the "soft armor" snake, and he only had himself to blame, so Huang Rong has no reason to blame.
Instantly, Yang Guo looked ashamed, then curious.
"Uncle Li, how did you know I was impersonating Father and interrogating Silly Aunt?"
Li Huan casually lied, "Silly Girl is Huang Yaoshi's grand-disciple, and I am Huang Yaoshi's son-in-law. How could I not know what happened to Silly Girl?"
At this point, Yang Guo had no further questions.
Li Huan said, "Although your father Yang Kang was devoted to your mother Mu Nianci, he was greedy for wealth and status, recognized a thief as his father, was ruthless and cruel, and did not repent after going astray, which led to his untimely death!"
"You are different from Yang Kang. You have relied on Mu Nianci since childhood. You were taken care of by Guo Jing on Peach Blossom Island, and then you were taught by Xiaolongnu at the Ancient Tomb Sect, which made you a chivalrous person!"
Yang Guo hurriedly asked, "When I was on Peach Blossom Island, my aunt didn't teach me martial arts, but only taught me to read the Analects and Mencius. Was she being wary of me?"
Li Huan laughed and said, "You're clever and resourceful. If you learn superior martial arts and end up like Yang Kang, wouldn't you wreak havoc on the martial world?"
"Now that you've grown up, you hate evil and are righteous and kind. Huang Rong and Guo Jing are at ease and will no longer be suspicious or wary of you!"
After hearing this, Yang Guo felt relieved.
Li Huan looked directly into Yang Guo's eyes: "If you are a treacherous person, I will never betroth Fu'er to you. If you dare to bully the weak, I will never let you off easily!"
Yang Guo clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I swear to heaven that I will not let Uncle Li down."
Li Huan instructed, "The Mongol army of 200,000 is about to besiege Xiangyang. There will be countless fierce battles. You must do your best to assist Guo Jing in defending Xiangyang and kill the enemy to make meritorious contributions!"
Yang Guo respectfully agreed, his gaze unwavering.
...
evening.
The main hall of the stone house.
The lights were bright, laughter filled the air, and the atmosphere was lively.
Qiu Qianchi sat in a wooden wheelchair, dressed in a brand-new red brocade robe and wearing a snow-white mink hat, looking radiant.
It was early summer, and everyone was wearing light clothing.
Qiu Qianchi's mink hat was particularly eye-catching, making her stand out from the crowd.
Gongsun Lü'e's companionship with Qiu Qianchi creates a striking contrast, highlighting Gongsun Lü'e's refined and elegant demeanor.
Li Huan, Huang Rong, Li Fu, Xiaolongnu, Yang Guo, and Guo Jing sat at the same table.
Li Mochou sat with Wu Dunru, Wu Xiuwen, Lu Youjiao, and others.
Five years ago, Wu Santong was stabbed by Li Mochou's "Ice Soul Silver Needle". His wife, Wu Sanniang, risked her life to suck out the poison, which led to her death from poisoning.
Therefore, the brothers Wu Dunru and Wu Xiuwen glared at Li Mochou with resentment.
Lu Youjiao and several Beggar Clan elders also harbored fierce hatred for Li Mochou, treating her as if she were facing a formidable enemy.
Because Li Mochou's apprentice, Lu Wushuang, had previously lied that the "Five Poisons Secret Manual" had been stolen by the Beggars' Clan, and Li Mochou had indiscriminately killed many Beggars' Clan disciples in order to retrieve the "Five Poisons Secret Manual".
Despite the many hateful gazes, Li Mochou remained calm, a smug smile playing on her lips.
This Taoist nun is the disciple of Li Huan, the leader of the martial arts alliance. Who dares to touch a single hair on my head?
On the table were various dishes, all wild game from the Valley of Heartbreak.
Steamed crane meat, braised crane liver, stewed venison, roasted badger meat, stewed rabbit meat, fried birds, fresh fish soup...
The wine is made from flower petals and wild fruits and aged for many years.
Li Huan thought to himself that if a high-end resort were built in "Valley of Heartbreak," the business would definitely be booming.
Zhou Botong picked up his chopsticks, glanced at the dishes, and then shouted, "Where's the crocodile meat? Why isn't there any crocodile meat?"
Fan Yiweng hurriedly explained, "The crocodile meat is being cooked. Please wait a moment and enjoy the wild game from the valley!"
"It smells so good! It smells so good!"
Li Fu swallowed the "steamed crane meat" and praised it sincerely.
Li Huan savored the "braised crane liver" and found it even more delicious than goose liver.
Qiu Qianchi raised his cup and said loudly, "Thank you all for honoring me with your presence at the Valley of Heartbreak tonight! I toast to you all!"
Everyone drank heartily, tasted various wild game, and praised them highly.
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