For the Lineage (Continued)

"Assassin! Help!"

A group of people, no longer able to watch the battle, rushed to the rescue in a flurry.

"The chieftain isn't dead! He's still breathing, has a pulse, and isn't seriously injured! Where's the doctor? Anyone skilled in medicine, come quickly and save him! Everyone move aside, don't crowd around, let the doctor in, and hurry and catch the assassin!"

As if waking from a dream, everyone stepped back. Some clansmen who were confident in their skills rushed to help Si Shuiyun, but before they could make a move, Si Shuiyun had already subdued the assassin.

"Who are you? Why did you try to assassinate the clan chief? Speak!"

Si Shuiyun gripped the other's collarbone tightly with her five fingers, the force like needles piercing through, drilling into internal organs, bringing immense pain.

"Who is that person? She looks unfamiliar and doesn't seem to be a member of our Si Clan. How did she get in?"

"She seems to be related by marriage. Whoever she is, she dared to assassinate the clan leader; she must not be let off easily!"

"Isn't that obvious? Our clan leader has always been kind and has never had any enemies. This assassin looks very young, and it's definitely not out of personal vendetta. There must be someone behind this. We must find out!"

"To dare to assassinate the clan leader is tantamount to declaring war on our Si Clan... But is there any point in doing so? Once the ancestral worship ceremony is over, the clan leader will abdicate and hand over the reins to a more capable person. Moreover, she entrusted the clan affairs to the young clan leader several months ago. Even if she is gone, the Lineage will not fall into chaos. Assassinating the clan leader seems to have no purpose other than to anger our Si Clan."

As everyone was discussing this, the assassin raised his head, looked at Si Huamu, who was pale-faced not far away, and said, "Auntie, save me."

Her words were like a stone thrown into a lake, stirring up huge waves. All eyes turned to Si Huamu, some questioning, some shocked and angry, and some puzzled.

"I didn't do it, this has nothing to do with me!"

Si Huamu hurriedly explained, but the questioning gazes did not lessen much, because many people had already recognized that the assassin was indeed Si Huamu's relative by marriage, and her husband's niece. It was through this connection that she was qualified to observe the ancestral worship ceremony.

Si Huamu immediately realized this as well, and said right away, "Qifu, who exactly ordered you to do this? Tell me!"

"Auntie, how could you...?"

Before he could finish speaking, the assassin's eyes suddenly widened as if he had discovered something terrifying. Then, his head drooped, and he was lifeless.

Si Shuiyun quickly circulated her qi to check, then stared at Si Huamu with a grim expression, saying meaningfully, "She died from the poison."

Si Huamu staggered, took a step back, and immediately said, "This is a frame-up! It's too obvious. Can't you see how obviously it's a frame-up?"

Some people looked thoughtful, but most looked at Si Huamu with suspicion. After all, they had seen Si Jingyue fall down injured with their own eyes, and most people's logical thinking was linear, with only a few able to think outside the box.

At this moment, Si Yuewen, a confidante of Si Huamu, rushed over and said loudly, "If this assassin was sent by Steward Mu, why didn't he choose another day to carry out the assassination? Why did he have to choose the ancestral worship ceremony? With so many people present, she has no way to escape. Regardless of whether the assassination succeeds or not, she will definitely be caught in the end. And given her relationship with Steward Mu, even if she doesn't implicate Steward Mu, everyone will definitely suspect him. Conversely, if Steward Mu really intended to plan the assassination, he would never have chosen this person, and he wouldn't have chosen this time to strike."

Si Shuiyun said, "Perhaps you had already prepared this explanation, just to do the opposite of what I was told?"

Si Yuewen said, "Even if we were to go against the grain, we should assassinate the young clan leader. To be frank, assassinating Clan Head Yue would be pointless. Even if Clan Head Yue died on the spot, the young clan leader would still succeed her."

Si Huamu calmed down and said, "My daughter has the upper hand in the duel right now. Why should I do anything unnecessary and give others a pretext to criticize me?"

After the matter was explained so clearly, everyone finally realized what was going on. More than half of them believed that there was more to the story. Putting themselves in each other's shoes, even if someone was to be assassinated, they should have chosen a loyal assassin. How could someone be so ruthless as to hire someone who would betray their master if caught?

Si Shuiyun said in a deep voice, "Now that she's dead, you can spout whatever you want. The clan leader was kind and gentle, and never made enemies. The only person with a motive to assassinate her was someone who was deprived of his position as clan leader. Everyone knows that."

Si Yuewen immediately said, "It is precisely because everyone knows that it is easy for people to exploit. Although the assassin is dead, it is not impossible to find evidence on the body. This person is from another race and has nowhere to stay here. In addition, Water Mirror Manor is surrounded by water and has nowhere to go. If she had anything important, she would definitely have it on her. I suggest that we conduct a public examination in front of all the clansmen to find out the truth."

Si Huamu nodded slightly, very satisfied with the suggestion. She knew perfectly well that the person wasn't sent by her. Having all the clansmen as witnesses would also prevent anyone from fabricating evidence. She thought to herself: I used to suspect her of being a spy for the clan leader's lineage, but now it seems I was overthinking it...

Si Shuiyun hesitated for a moment, then seemed to sense the pressure from her clansmen, and could only nod in agreement. "Alright, let's have a public physical examination to see who's really behind this!"

To demonstrate fairness, she randomly selected two members of her tribe and ordered them to search the corpse, removing all its belongings and laying them out on the ground for everyone to witness.

Daggers, poisons, hidden weapons... one by one, the items were taken out, most of them nothing special, until a crescent-shaped piece of white jade was pulled out, which caused a great uproar.

"This... this is the clan chief's token!"

"This is a treasure that only the clan leader can possess, similar to a tiger tally. Seeing the item is like seeing the clan leader in person, but this one seems to be only half of it?"

"Half is correct. The tiger tally is also divided equally between the monarch and the general; only when they match can it be proven to be genuine. In other words, this assassin was actually sent by the clan chief to assassinate me, staging a ruse to frame someone else..."

"Shh, don't talk nonsense. The clan leader is currently in a coma, and his life hangs in the balance. Even if it were a staged act, there's no need for such a serious sacrifice."

The crowd murmured amongst themselves, turning their suspicious gazes towards Si Shuiyun. Si Huamu, on the other hand, wore a cold smile, "So that's the truth. The thief cried 'stop thief!' What a clever ruse, making people think their lives were in danger. In reality, they were already in cahoots; they wouldn't have hit a vital spot at all."

Si Yuewen also said, "The evidence is conclusive, what else do you have to say!"

Faced with everyone's doubts, Si Shuiyun showed a hint of disdain and said, "This is not the clan leader's token at all."

"The evidence is right in front of you, and you still want to deny it? Others may not have seen it, but Steward Mu and many elders have seen it with their own eyes. Whether it's real or fake, it's obvious at a glance. You can't deny it at all."

"I have no need to deny it, because Lord Yue's clan leader's token is on me."

As Si Shuiyun spoke, she took out a piece of white jade from her person. Unlike the crescent shape on the assassin's body, the one in her hand was a full moon, meaning it was complete and not separated.

"As everyone knows, the young clan leader started handling Lineage affairs for Lord Yue a few months ago. Some official documents require the use of a token for verification. To save time, Lord Yue entrusted the clan leader's token to the young clan leader for safekeeping. Today is the ancestral worship ceremony, which is also the day for the formal handover of the clan leader's position. Therefore, I brought the token with me to facilitate the handover ceremony after the ceremony."

Several elders who recognized the clan leader's token stepped forward, examined the white jade in Si Shuiyun's hand, and nodded, saying, "It is indeed genuine."

Another elder in charge of identifying the assassin's belongings said, "The murderer's keepsake is a forgery, but it looks very similar to the real thing; it's almost indistinguishable from the real thing."

Si Yuewen said, "Besides those who have actually seen the clan leader's token, how could anyone else forge such a similar fake? In the end, it's more likely that the thief is crying 'stop thief!'"

Si Shuiyun remained silent for a while, and just as everyone was filled with doubt, she suddenly said, "According to the clan rules, each clan leader leaves a unique scratch on the inside of the token when they take office. Lord Yue is the thirty-fifth clan leader, so this token has thirty-five scratches. I wonder how many scratches the fake has?"

As she spoke, she disassembled the full-moon-shaped clan leader's token, turning it into a crescent moon and a waning moon. At the same time, she showed the clansmen the scratches on the inside of the token, which were indeed thirty-five.

The elder, who was appraising the assassin's relics, hurriedly examined the scratches on the inside of the fake. He then visibly shuddered and stammered, "There are thirty... four scratches inside the fake."

Si Shuiyun continued, "The scratches are crisscrossed, meaning that the newest scratch will ruin the result of the previous scratches. Therefore, it is impossible to restore the old appearance by canceling the new scratches. This fake could not have been forged after Lord Yue took office."

Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in an uproar.