Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 233: Third Link

The entire crowd gathered at the ground floor of Autumn Rain Pavilion was stunned.

What’s going on? He kidnapped the mistress of the Ji Clan and called out He Lei? Can Han Wubing even beat Mad Lion He Lei? Isn’t he just seeking death?

Wait, no, does this mean that He Lei was having an affair with the mistress of the Ji Clan, and Ji Yinan found out about it, leading to Madam Ji conspiring with her lover to kill her husband?

How did things suddenly end up like this?

Many stole glances at Yan Lianping’s expression. Vermillion Bird rested her chin on her hand, her eyes twinkling with interest.

As a party involved, Han Wubing’s “testimony” held considerable value. If he insisted that Yan Lianping was the killer, most would think that he was just making a baseless accusation. But now, with the mention of the involvement of a barbarian, something that no one had considered before, they could not help but find it to be rather plausible.

But here was the problem: If He Lei really had killed Ji Yinan, then what about Yan Lianping’s claim of breaking in and seeing Han Wubing committing murder?

Was it purely to frame Han Wubing, or was Yan Lianping colluding with the barbarians?

One of the old members of the Xingyi Gang asked Yan Lianping directly, “President Yan, what do you have to say about this?”

Yan Lianping’s expression darkened slightly. “How can we take Han Wubing’s random accusations seriously? Right now, Madam Ji has been kidnapped. Our priority should be to rescue her.”

Another old gang member slowly spoke up, “President Yan, we’re not fools. No matter how random the accusation might sound, there is no reason for Han Wubing to suddenly bring up an unrelated person from the Grasslands unless he knows that He Lei is in Sword Lake City.”

Many people added, “That’s right. Even if it’s just a random accusation, He Lei must have been seen nearby to have even been considered a target of accusation, otherwise, why accuse a barbarian from the Grasslands?”

This was a time when the Northern barbarians were knocking on their doorstep, and regardless of what the leaders of the various factions had in mind, those of the jianghu harbored a special enmity toward the Northern barbarians. This was why when the steward of the Ji Clan was introducing their various products, he would always make sure to mention that they were unrelated to the barbarians. It was a habitual introduction. Otherwise, their products would not sell, their stores’ windows might be smashed by random people, and even their own gang members would be likely to rebel as well.

If Mad Lion He Lei really was in the city, then finding the real culprit was a minor issue. In comparison, finding and exterminating the barbarian was much more important! Even more so if He Lei was indeed the culprit for the murder, then the target of their personal vendetta and national hatred would be one and the same. So what if he was someone on the Ranking of Earth? An entire city’s worth of people would still be able to overwhelm him!

Yan Lianping could only say, “Perhaps, well, I’m not sure about this matter myself... You can all go and inquire...”

Zhao Changhe suddenly interjected, “There’s no need to go through all that trouble. I have a way more straightforward method...”

As he spoke, he suddenly made a move and grabbed the steward who had come with him. “I’ve actually studied some mind control arts. If He Lei has appeared in the Ji Clan, then this steward must know something...”

But just as he made his move, the steward turned around and ran. Zhao Changhe’s deliberately slowed grab missed entirely, and the steward had already reached the edge of the floor they were on, and it looked like he was about to leap away.

Sha Seven suddenly took action, grabbed him, and said with a smile, “Why are you suddenly in such a hurry, steward? Could it be that you’ve truly colluded with the barbarians?”

The steward, frustrated, exclaimed, “Even if the mistress was really having an affair with a barbarian, she would not let the steward know. Why use mind control arts on me?!”

Zhao Changhe smiled and said, “Then why are you trying to run away?”

“Damn it...” Knowing that he was about to be mentally manipulated, the steward decided to lay it all out, “Because it was me who had an affair with her! If you’re going to control my mind, then I might as well just say it directly! Are you insane?! Han Wubing just spouted some nonsense, and then you suddenly want to probe my mind?!”

Everyone was dumbfounded.

Even Yan Lianping showed a look of disgust, while the intrigue in Vermillion Bird’s eyes became even more pronounced.

“Because I knew it was you,” Zhao Changhe said with a smile. “When it came to asking me to administer justice, you, the steward, were the most proactive after her. She did not even suspect you in the slightest, and that’s suspicious in and of itself. If it wasn’t the two of you wanting those assets to live the rest of your lives comfortably, then what else could it have been? In fact, it’s not just her. I believe that Ji Yinan’s concubines all had a hand in what happened. They were all crying there, each one of them faker than the next. If you really hooked up with all of them, then I must say that you’re quite impressive.”

“How could it have all been me?! How do I know who those bitches are playing around with?!” the steward exclaimed in frustration. “Anyway, Ji Yinan colluded with the barbarians. He was acting as a spy for them in Sword Lake City, and we could not stand it, so what if we betrayed him? He’s the one who provoked Han Wubing himself, probably because he wanted to pass on the secrets of the ancient sword to the barbarians. So what if he got killed by Han Wubing? We’re not the ones who did it!”

“Sure, sure.”

“We’re the unlucky ones. We had planned to gradually take over the assets, and then he suddenly died, leaving us as rootless drifters. We had to rely on you just to get some private assets in hopes of having anything left for us! God knows what the hell is wrong with Han Wubing! Why the hell is he suddenly bringing up nonsense like He Lei being in an affair with the madam!”

“It’s very simple. He did it because I asked him to. And look, you jumped out...” Zhao Changhe chuckled. “Sorry, I actually don’t know any mind control arts. I lied just now.”

“You...” The steward was so angry that he almost fainted.

Everyone was silent.

Now that Ji Yinan had been accused by his own steward of colluding with the barbarians, did it still matter who killed him? Even if it was Han Wubing who killed him, he would be regarded as a hero. What reason was there to seek revenge on Han Wubing?

Yan Lianping sighed. “So that’s how it is. It seems that we don’t need to do anything about Han Wubing...”

“Oh? Do you see Han Wubing as a hero now?”

“Whether he’s a hero or not, during times like this, what he did is a good thing.”

“Since everyone thinks he did something good, then there should be no need for you to attribute your good deed to Han Wubing, no?”

Yan Lianping narrowed his eyes. “If I was the one that did it, then I would naturally not be modest about it. However, if it was not done by me, I would naturally not dare to claim credit.”

“Han Wubing has shown himself. As long as we ask him, things will become clear without the need for guesswork,” Zhao Changhe said with a smile. “Someone informed Han Wubing that there were barbarians lurking around the Ji Clan. Han Wubing thought that Ji Yinan was the one spreading rumors, so he went to confront him. After the conversation, Han Wubing realized that Ji Yinan was only interested in prying into the secrets of the ancient sword and knew nothing about the rumors. Since Ji Yinan was not the one spreading the rumors, Han Wubing would have no need to pay him any mind anymore, so he naturally left.”

Yan Lianping nodded calmly. “The rumors about you, you mean.”

“Exactly.” Zhao Changhe wiped his face. “I’m Zhao Changhe of Beimang. I have met all the heroes of Sword Lake City.”

By this point, absolutely no one cared whether he was Zhao Changhe, Situ Xiao, Ji Bochang, or someone else entirely. The twists and turns of the situation had piqued their interest. At this moment, their curiosity about unraveling the mystery surpassed everything else.

Sha Seven urged from the side. “It doesn’t matter who you are. Hurry up and tell us. Since it wasn’t Han Wubing who killed Ji Yinan, then who was it?”

Perfect pass, time for me to score.

Zhao Changhe glanced at Yan Lianping, whose face was getting increasingly darker, and said with a smile, “Of course, whoever framed Han Wubing is the culprit. Actually, President Yan, you don’t need to be so embarrassed. Although you weren’t acting for any noble cause, it just so happened to be like killing two birds with one stone. By getting rid of Ji Yinan, you could simply frame Han Wubing as a way to speed up the assimilation of the Xingyi Gang into your association. But with Ji Yinan being a traitor, I believe that the heroes of the Xingyi Gang would not really be concerned about your little schemes, right?”

Yan Lianping said nothing, but his expression became increasingly grim.

Zhao Changhe continued, “Having said that, while the heroes of the Xingyi Gang might not care too much, I, Zhao Changhe, do have a few matters to discuss with you, President Yan.”

Yan Lianping said slowly, “What is it?”

“Someone knew that Han Wubing was tracking down who spread rumors about me, and they deliberately told him that He Lei was at the Ji Clan, leading Han Wubing to confront Ji Yinan. However, Ji Yinan was not the person who spread rumors about me, so wouldn’t the person who misled Han Wubing with this information be the most suspicious?” Zhao Changhe asked with a smile. “So, President Yan, why spread rumors that I, Zhao Changhe, am a barbarian? Or perhaps I should refer to you as Moon Swallow of Wei of the Four Idols Cult, or a spy of the Wang Clan?”

At this moment, a sigh could be heard from outside the building. “I told you long ago, when Zhao Changhe entered Sword Lake City, you should have killed him immediately rather than worrying about why the Fire Serpent of Yi was hanging around him. See, it only took him a single day to mess everything up.”

Following those words, a sword light shot out like a shooting star from outside the building, going straight toward Zhao Changhe’s throat in the blink of an eye.

It was someone from the Wang Clan!

The fact that this assassin could find Zhao Changhe here so quickly, even after all his convoluted counter-tracking, only proved one thing.

The moment that Zhao Changhe stepped into Sword Lake City, Yan Lianping had already contacted the Wang Clan.