'Chu Qing'

This statement was like a single stone stirring up a thousand ripples.

The entire front courtyard fell silent for a moment, followed immediately by a flurry of discussion.

"Third Young Master? The third son of the Chu Family?"

"Chu Qing, who ran away from his marriage seven years ago? He actually came back?"

"I thought he had died outside. I never expected him to return. Is this a glorious homecoming, or did he just fail to make a living out there?"

"Does that marriage contract still count?"

"It should. I haven't heard that the alliance between the Chu Family and the City Lord's Mansion has been annulled."

Everyone in the courtyard was whispering to each other, as if they had endless things to say.

Meanwhile, Chu Yunfei, who was seated at the head, quickly spoke after a moment of stunned silence:

"Where is my son?"

"The young master is just outside."

The servant replied,

"Third Young Master said that since he ran away from home, he doesn't dare to step through the family gate without the Master's permission."

Hearing this, Chu Yunfei took a deep breath. He wanted to say something but then glanced at Wu Qianhuan not far away, his face suddenly showing anger:

"Nonsense! He ran away from his marriage back then and now he's returned, yet he won't enter his own home? What is he trying to do?

"Let that rebellious son come in! I want to see what great ambitions he has achieved after leaving home for seven years!"

The servant quickly agreed and turned to go fetch him.

Chu Yunfei then said to Wu Qianhuan:

"Qianhuan, don't worry. This scoundrel has been completely out of touch for seven years. Now that he's back, I will definitely make him give you an explanation."

Wu Qianhuan's expression, however, was complicated.

She felt her mind was in a terrible mess...

The person who had disguised himself as a servant earlier, that familiar look in his eyes, was definitely not fake.

Although she hadn't dared to be certain before, the more she thought about it now, the more she felt that person must be Chu Qing.

She had thought he was currently in this front courtyard, hiding his identity, and wondered what he was plotting.

But who could have imagined that now there was another Chu Qing arriving at the gate...

She forced herself to calm down.

There couldn't be two Chu Qings in this world.

She had looked around the courtyard earlier and hadn't found anyone suspicious.

But there were many people in the front courtyard, and she couldn't guarantee she hadn't missed anyone.

Or, perhaps, he had decided to stop pretending and planned to return to the Chu Family in his true form?

Thinking this, she gently exhaled and smiled slightly:

"Alright, Uncle Chu, I'll leave it to you to decide for me."

Meanwhile, Chu Qing, who was among the crowd, lowered his head slightly.

He felt that the situation was a bit off...

What felt off wasn't the 'Chu Qing' outside the gate.

In fact, when he was truly in his own room and the assassin from the Mirror of Sin arrived, he knew what trick that person was going to pull.

This was originally a linked scheme.

The correct sequence should have started with this matter.

First, the fake Chu Qing would arrive, putting on a show of a prodigal son returning home.

Once he was close enough, he would suddenly strike ruthlessly, enacting a scene of a rebellious son defying human nature and killing his father.

Such a method was inherently difficult to guard against.

But Chu Yunfei's martial arts were formidable. While it wouldn't be difficult to severely injure him with this move, killing him might not be possible.

And with such a disturbance during the day, even if Chu Yunfei was severely injured, it would inevitably stir up his feelings of longing for his son. It would be unavoidable for him to drag his injured body to Chu Qing's courtyard in the evening to reminisce.

Only then would he be completely trapped in the other party's scheme.

At that point, the assassin who had been hidden all along would suddenly strike ruthlessly. No matter how astonishing your cultivation was, it would be difficult to escape the great disaster.

Based on the information that person could obtain, it was truly easy for Chu Qing to deduce and see through these methods.

He felt that something else was off...

But for a moment, he couldn't quite pinpoint where the problem was.

However, there was no time to ponder further. Under the gaze of the crowd of onlookers in the front courtyard,

A somewhat disheveled young man stumbled into the courtyard, following the servant.

He wasn't old, with a refined face that bore a three-tenths resemblance to Chu Yunfei in his younger days.

His eyes were filled with bitterness. As soon as he entered the courtyard, without waiting for Chu Yunfei to speak, he dropped to his knees with a thud, heavily kowtowing:

"Your unfilial son, Chu Qing, pays his respects to his father."

Chu Qing raised an eyebrow and gave a cold laugh.

They really put some thought into this... But seeing this person's appearance, Chu Qing was even more certain that the person behind this didn't know his true identity.

However, with this person's looks, deceiving Chu Yunfei probably wouldn't be difficult.

After all, they hadn't seen each other in seven years, and it was normal for facial features to develop and change.

With this three-tenths resemblance to Chu Yunfei, it was enough to pass off the fake as the real thing.

As these thoughts flickered in his mind, he heard Chu Yunfei let out a deep breath:

"Rebellious son! You still know how to come back!?"

He abruptly stood up and took a stride to get in front of the 'Chu Qing', raising his hand to strike.

Internal energy gathered in his palm, causing the wine pots and teacups on the surrounding tables to tremble slightly, making a clattering sound.

The 'Chu Qing' knelt on the ground, not looking up:

"This child knows he is unfilial and deserves death for his sins! Please punish me, Father!!"

The high-raised palm ultimately didn't fall. Instead, Chu Yunfei's eyes turned red, and he said through gritted teeth:

"You... you rebellious son, how could you be so heartless?

"Seven years... a full seven years, you were completely silent. Do you know... you left and found your freedom, but where did you leave your family?

"Your second brother is in the Great Easy Sect, and every time he writes home, he asks about your whereabouts, even asking the sect elders when they travel the world to inquire about your location.

"Your eldest brother is still looking for you. Whenever there's any hint of your whereabouts, he goes in person, always leaving with hope, only to return with a face full of disappointment.

"How could you bear... not to return for seven years!!"

Speaking of this, he glanced at Wu Qianhuan again, and then became even more enraged:

"Furthermore, by just walking away like that, do you know that all the rumors in the city fell upon Qianhuan?

"She is the Eldest Miss of Heavenly Dance City. These people don't dare to speak openly, but what good things could they be saying behind her back?

"You... you, I must beat you to death today!!"

Wu Qianhuan had been staring at the 'Chu Qing' on the ground, but from the moment he entered, he had kept his head down and hadn't looked at her even once.

After that, he just knelt on the ground, only showing the back of his head.

She waited for a long time, but he didn't look up. Just as Chu Yunfei was about to strike, she immediately stepped forward and grabbed Chu Yunfei's arm:

"Uncle Chu, you..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she saw the 'Chu Qing' kneeling on the ground suddenly raise his head. As he flicked his sleeve, two short knives appeared in his hands. He thrust them upwards along with the motion, intending to stab into Chu Yunfei's chest and abdomen, causing the latter half of her unfinished sentence to turn directly into a cry of alarm:

"Watch out!!"

This shock was truly significant. The sound was shouted out, but her actions were too late.

And with this sudden change, not a single person present could react.

It was clearly a father and son reunion, who could have expected this son to harbor malicious intentions!?

As everyone watched, Chu Yunfei was about to be injured by these two knives before he could react.

A sword mark appeared out of thin air.

Like a meteor, like lightning, in that instant, it branded a mark in the eyes of all the guests present... a sword mark!