The Scheming Nie Beihu

Huang Qianjun lowered his head and admitted it of his own accord, without explaining a single word.

Su Yi's expression eased a little instead. "Forget it this time."

Huang Qianjun, whose heart had been incomparably uneasy, instantly let out a breath of relief at those words. Gratitude showed on his face as he said, "Don't worry, Brother Su. I won't dare act clever on my own again!"

Beside him, Nie Beihu sighed inwardly. Huang Yunchong, that old fox, had made a brilliant move!

As long as his son followed at Young Master Su's side, why worry that he would not become a great talent in the future?

When I see my son Nie Teng later, I'll have to make him get closer to Young Master Su too!

Nie Beihu thought to himself.

Then he cupped his fists solemnly and said, "Young Master Su, the City Lord instructed me some days ago that your affairs are the affairs of the City Lord's Mansion. In your view... how should today's matter be handled?"

Wen Jieyuan was Wen Changqing's son, and Su Yi was the Wen Family's son-in-law, yet now a blood feud had been forged between them. If this matter was not handled well, it would trigger a great calamity.

But before Su Yi could make a decision, Wen Jieyuan suddenly struggled and twisted around, kowtowing to Su Yi with loud thuds as he begged for mercy at the top of his voice:

"Su Yi, I was wrong, I was wrong! I'll never dare do it again! I'm begging you, spare me this once. I guarantee I absolutely won't leak this matter!"

Wen Jieyuan's whole body trembled, his expression terrified.

No matter how stupid he was, he had sensed that the situation was turning bad, and he changed his attitude at the first possible moment.

However, an even more unexpected scene occurred—

Huang Qianjun, who was standing at the rear, suddenly stepped forward and grabbed the dagger stuck in Wen Jieyuan's back.

Then he stabbed down ruthlessly.

Pfft!

The sharp dagger pierced straight through Wen Jieyuan's body, its tip emerging from his chest with fresh blood spraying from it.

Wen Jieyuan's eyes abruptly bulged round. His mouth opened, and then, with a thud, he collapsed limply to the ground.

The knife Su Yi had originally thrown had not been enough to kill him.

But Huang Qianjun's strike directly cut off Wen Jieyuan's life!

Nie Beihu and the guards beside him were all startled. They had never imagined that the one to kill Wen Jieyuan would be Huang Qianjun, this silkpants.

Even Su Yi could not help raising his brows, somewhat surprised.

Huang Qianjun's chest heaved violently. He suddenly pulled out the dagger, and with a ripping hiss, a gush of fresh blood splashed out, scattering all over him.

Yet he seemed utterly unaware of it. He lowered his head, not daring to look at Su Yi, and said in a hoarse voice, "Brother Su, I acted clever on my own again..."

Su Yi looked deeply at this wicked young silkpants and said, "Go wash the bloodstains off your face first."

Huang Qianjun froze at first, then said in surprise, "Brother Su, you don't blame me? Just now, I..."

"No need to say more. I know what I'm doing."

Su Yi waved his hand.

Huang Qianjun instantly split into a grin and hurried off to wash up.

"That kid Huang Qianjun is ruthless enough. He has guts, he has nerve, and he's willing to throw himself in. That strike was simply beautifully done!"

"This is like a Token of Allegiance. By this act alone, he has clearly already gained Young Master Su's approval."

Nie Beihu finally seemed to react, and inwardly, he could not help but marvel. How did I never see before that this domineering silkpants actually had such wits and spirit?

In the situation just now, if Su Yi had killed Wen Jieyuan, he would inevitably have come into the most direct conflict with the Wen Family.

Under such circumstances, Huang Qianjun making a move was equivalent to taking the trouble onto himself all at once!

Even if the Wen Family learned of it, they would only hate Huang Qianjun.

This was the risk and price Huang Qianjun had to bear for that slash.

But it was also by relying on that slash that he had truly obtained Su Yi's approval!

Nie Beihu was such a seasoned figure; how could he fail to savor the mystery within?

It was precisely because of this that he sighed endlessly with emotion.

Asking himself honestly, even if it had been him, although he might have made the same choice, he likely would have hesitated and weighed it for a while. He would not have been so decisive and clean.

Nie Beihu cupped his hands and said, "Young Master Su, this is Apricot Yellow Medical Hall. Wen Jieyuan's arrival here was seen by many people. Now that he and his guards have all died here, this matter very likely won't be kept hidden."

At this point, his words turned resolute. "However, please rest assured. I, Nie, will definitely think of a way to resolve this matter!"

Wen Jieyuan's identity was not simple. He was the son of Wen Changqing of the main line. With Nie Beihu's status and strength, resolving this matter would also mean facing many thorny problems.

But he still agreed to take it on.

The reason was very simple. Behind him stood City Lord Fu Shan, and behind Fu Shan stood Lingyao Princess!

With a clang, Su Yi sheathed his sword and said casually, "There's no need to go to such trouble. If Wen Changqing asks, just say these people died at the hands of Wu Ruoqiu of the Yin Sha Sect."

This was shifting the blame.

Most perfect of all, Wen Changqing had surely long since known of "Wu Ruoqiu's" existence, and had learned something about this courtyard.

Pinning his son's death on Wu Ruoqiu and the Yin Sha Sect—no one would suspect a thing.

"The Yin Sha Sect? Wu Ruoqiu?"

Nie Beihu was stunned. Clearly, he had never heard of this force, nor of this man Wu Ruoqiu.

Something stirred in Su Yi's heart as he remembered something. He immediately gave a simple account of Wu Ruoqiu raising Ghost Corpse Worms in this courtyard.

"Brilliant!"

After Nie Beihu heard him out, he could not help clapping his hands in praise.

This black pot was, without a doubt, far too fitting to dump onto Wu Ruoqiu's head!

Su Yi pondered, then said, "Lord Nie, remember to tell the City Lord to investigate whether there are any similar haunted houses elsewhere in the city. After all, once Wu Ruoqiu is dead, if no one is left to raise those Ghost Corpse Worms, they will inevitably rush into the city and bring disaster upon its living beings."

Nie Beihu's heart chilled. He cupped his fist in salute and said, "Young Master Su has a benevolent heart and considers everything thoroughly. Nie admires you to the utmost. I will certainly treat this matter as a top priority!"

He turned to look at the Imperial Guards and said in a deep voice, "Go deal with the corpses in the courtyard. I don't care what methods you use, but you absolutely cannot leave behind any clues unfavorable to Young Master Su. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir!"

The Imperial Guards accepted the order and began to move.

They had served the City Lord's Mansion for years, all elite, ferocious soldiers who licked blood from the edge of the blade. When it came to handling such matters, one could say they were experienced and exceedingly seasoned.

When Huang Qianjun finished washing the bloodstains from his body and returned, he saw that the courtyard was spotless. The corpses of Wen Jieyuan and the others seemed to have evaporated into thin air.

Even the blood that had soaked into the ground had been cleaned away completely, without the slightest trace!

Huang Qianjun could not help being shocked. He murmured, "Lord Nie, why do I get the feeling that these Imperial Guards from your City Lord's Mansion have done this sort of thing more than once?"

Nie Beihu said casually, "Killing people and destroying corpses, that's all. It couldn't be simpler. I'm not bragging, but for any murder scene handled by the Imperial Guards of our City Lord's Mansion, even if your Huang Family sent people to investigate, they wouldn't find the slightest clue."

As he spoke, his gaze swept over the Imperial Guards. "Everyone should understand what to do about today's matter, yes?"

The Imperial Guards all chuckled.

One of them said, "My lord, same old rules as before. Treat the brothers to three rounds of drinks, and the brothers guarantee their mouths will be sealed tight, as if this never happened!"

Nie Beihu nodded.

"You'll pay for those three rounds."

Su Yi glanced at Huang Qianjun.

Huang Qianjun hurriedly thumped his chest. "Brother Su, don't worry. Leave it to me!"

Nie Beihu could not help laughing.

Su Yi had taken the initiative to speak and instructed Huang Qianjun to treat them to drinks. Without a doubt, this showed that Su Yi was very satisfied with his arrangements just now.

That was enough!

After thinking for a moment, Nie Beihu lowered his voice and suggested, "Young Master Su, I've already sent someone to invite Wen Changqing over. Later, you only need to watch."

Su Yi nodded.

Time trickled by.

A full half hour later, a group of people hurried to the gate outside the courtyard.

The leader had a pale, beardless face and a sinister gaze. It was none other than the Wen Family's Second Elder of the main branch, Wen Changqing.

Only, at this moment, there was an obvious trace of gloomy anxiety between his brows. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he said in a deep voice, "Commander Nie, where are my son and the others?"

Nie Beihu's face showed a trace of grief, and he spoke hoarsely. "Brother Changqing, when I arrived, your son and the guards at his side had already met a vicious end."

"What!?"

Wen Changqing looked as if he had been struck by lightning, his eyes splitting with rage. "Who was it! Who killed my son?"

His appearance was savage as he swept his gaze over everyone in the courtyard, furious like a beast ready to choose someone and devour them.

He had two sons under his knee.

Wen Jieyuan was his eldest son, right in the prime of youthful brilliance, and Wen Changqing had put almost all his heart and blood into cultivating Wen Jieyuan.

He had originally planned, after some time passed, to send Wen Jieyuan to the Green River Sword Mansion to cultivate.

Who could have imagined that his son would die!

"Brother Changqing, restrain your grief and accept fate."

Nie Beihu's expression grew even more sorrowful as he sighed. "No one expected that an extremely vicious Ghost would be hidden in this residence. That heretical Daoist Wu Ruoqiu was even more venomous, using an evil insect called the Ghost Corpse Worm to gnaw your son and his guards' corpses completely clean..."

"Wu Ruoqiu... Wu Ruoqiu..."

Wen Changqing's expression changed drastically, blue veins bursting one by one across his forehead. "That damned Wandering Daoist! I treated him as a friend, yet he actually dared to harm my child!!"

Suddenly, his gaze turned to Su Yi, as if he had realized something, and he said abruptly, "No, that's not right. This cripple stayed here last night and wasn't killed by the Ghost, so why would my son die?"

His face was full of shock and rage, and he sensed something fishy.

Yet Nie Beihu also looked astonished. "Brother Changqing, so not only did you know that evil cultivator Wu Ruoqiu, you also knew long ago that there was danger in this haunted house?"

The nearby Imperial Guards of the City Lord's Mansion also cooperated, following up with an uproar and clamor. One by one, their furious gazes fixed on Wen Changqing as they loudly questioned him.

"Wen Changqing, you actually dared allow a fiend to run rampant here and wreak havoc!"

"I never imagined the Wen Family would secretly do something so evil. Their crimes simply cannot be pardoned!"

"The Wen Family colluded with the Yin Sha Sect's heretical cultivator Wu Ruoqiu, jackals of the same lair, filth mingling with filth. This matter must be reported to Lord Fu Shan!"

The pain of losing his son had driven Wen Changqing into a mad rage, but after being rebuked and questioned like this, he jolted sharply as if a basin of cold water had been poured over him, and he calmed a little.

He took a deep breath and explained with an ugly expression, "Lord Nie, if I were in league with Wu Ruoqiu, why would he have killed my son?"

"That is hard to say. Perhaps a rift and conflict arose between you, so it's not impossible that he took it out on your son."

Nie Beihu said coldly, "How about this? Come with us to the City Lord's Mansion, and let Lord Fu Shan uphold justice. Right and wrong, crooked and straight—he will naturally return your innocence to you!"

Wen Changqing's whole body stiffened, and his chest rose and fell sharply.

Before he could make a decision, Nie Beihu waved a large hand. "Men, escort Wen Changqing to the City Lord's Mansion!"

Seeing this, even Huang Qianjun, who had been watching the excitement the whole time, could not help but suck in a cold breath.

He had seen dark before, but never someone as dark as Nie Beihu!

Not only had he pinned the black pot on Wu Ruoqiu and the Yin Sha Sect, he had even seized the chance to beat the rake backward and take Wen Changqing away.

Too dark!

Once they reached the City Lord's Mansion, with the relationship between Lord Fu Shan and Brother Su, Wen Changqing was probably finished!