'Chu Qing'

The moment those words were spoken, they were like a stone crashing into the sea, stirring up a thousand waves.

The entire front courtyard fell silent for an instant, only for a storm of discussion to erupt immediately after.

"Third Young Master? The Chu Family's third son?"

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

"I thought he'd already died somewhere out there. Who would've thought he could still return? Did he come home in glory, or could he no longer scrape by outside?"

"Does that marriage agreement still count?"

"It should. At any rate, no one has heard that the marriage alliance between the Chu Family and the City Lord's Mansion was annulled."

The people in the courtyard whispered among themselves, as though they had endless things to say.

Chu Yunfei, seated at the head, froze for a moment before hurriedly speaking.

"Where is my son?"

"The young master is outside."

The servant said,

"Third Young Master said that he ran away from home, and without the master's permission, he did not dare step through the gates."

Only then did Chu Yunfei draw a deep breath. He seemed about to say something, but then glanced at Wu Qianhuan not far away, his face darkening with anger.

"How preposterous! He ran away from his marriage all those years ago, and now that he has returned, he passes by his own home without entering. What does he think he is doing?

"Bring that unfilial wretch in. I want to see just what grand ambition he has achieved after seven years away from home!"

The servant hurriedly acknowledged the order and turned to fetch him.

Chu Yunfei then said to Wu Qianhuan,

"Qianhuan, don't worry. That bastard vanished without a word for seven years. Now that he has returned, I will certainly make him give you an explanation."

Wu Qianhuan's expression, however, was complicated.

Her mind was in complete chaos...

That person who had disguised himself as a servant earlier—those familiar eyes could not have been fake.

Though she had not dared be certain before, the more she thought about it now, the more she felt that person had to be Chu Qing.

She had assumed he was somewhere in this front courtyard, hiding his identity for some unknown purpose.

But who would have thought another Chu Qing would appear at the gates now...

She forced herself to calm down.

There could not possibly be two Chu Qings in this world.

She had looked around the courtyard just now and had not found anyone suspicious.

But there were too many people in the front courtyard, and she could not guarantee that she had not overlooked someone.

Or perhaps he had simply stopped pretending and intended to return to the Chu Family in his true appearance?

At that thought, she gently exhaled and smiled faintly.

"Very well, Uncle Chu. I will leave it to you to uphold justice for me."

Chu Qing, standing amid the crowd, lowered his head slightly.

He felt that something was wrong...

What was wrong was not the "Chu Qing" outside the gates.

In fact, when he had truly been in his room earlier and the assassin from the Mirror of Sin had come to him, he had already known what sort of act that person intended to stage.

This had been a chain of schemes from the start.

The proper sequence should have begun with this matter.

First, Fake Chu Qing would come calling and stage a performance of a wandering son returning home, a prodigal turning back.

Once he got close enough, he would suddenly strike with venomous hands, putting on another act—an unfilial son murdering his father, defying all human bonds.

Such tactics were difficult to guard against in the first place.

But Chu Yunfei's martial arts were formidable. This move would not have difficulty seriously injuring him, yet killing him might not necessarily succeed.

And after such turmoil in broad daylight, even if Chu Yunfei were gravely wounded, it would inevitably stir his longing for his son. That night, dragging his injured body to Chu Qing's courtyard to indulge in memories would be all but unavoidable.

Only then would he truly fall completely into the enemy's calculations.

At that point, the assassin who had long been lying in wait could suddenly launch a ruthless attack. No matter how heaven-shaking one's cultivation was, escaping such a calamity would be difficult.

Based on the intelligence that man could obtain, it had been effortless for Chu Qing to infer and see through these methods.

What felt wrong to him was something else...

Yet for the moment, he could not say exactly where that unease lay.

But there was no time for further thought. Under the watchful eyes of the entire front courtyard full of eager spectators,

a somewhat bedraggled young man followed the servant into the courtyard, stumbling as he came.

He was not very old, with delicate features, and bore three parts resemblance to the younger Chu Yunfei.

His eyes were filled with bitterness. The moment he entered the courtyard, before Chu Yunfei could speak, he dropped to his knees with a thud and knocked his head heavily against the ground.

"This unfilial son, Chu Qing, greets Father."

Chu Qing raised a brow and gave a cold smile.

They had truly put thought into this... But upon seeing this person's face, Chu Qing became even more certain that the other party did not know his true identity.

Still, with this man's appearance, deceiving Chu Yunfei would likely not be difficult.

After all, they had not seen each other for seven years. It was only natural that his features had matured and changed from before.

With a face three parts similar to Chu Yunfei's, it was enough to pass the fake off as real.

As thoughts turned in his mind, he heard Chu Yunfei let out a long breath.

"Unfilial wretch! You still know to come back!?"

He sprang to his feet and, in a single stride, arrived before that "Chu Qing," raising his hand to strike.

Inner force gathered in his palm, causing the wine jugs and teacups on the surrounding tables to tremble faintly with clattering sounds.

"Chu Qing" knelt on the ground without raising his head.

"Your son knows he has been unfilial. His crimes deserve ten thousand deaths. Please punish him, Father!!"

That high-raised palm ultimately did not fall. Instead, Chu Yunfei's eyes reddened as he gritted his teeth and said,

"You... you unfilial wretch, how could your heart be so cruel?

"Seven years... a full seven years without a single word from you. Do you know... leaving may have been easy for you, but where did that leave your family?

"Your second brother is at the Great Easy Sect. Every time he sends a letter home, he asks after your whereabouts. He even asks the sect elders to seek news of you whenever they travel the martial world.

"Your eldest brother is still searching for you. At the slightest rumor, he goes to investigate in person, each time leaving full of hope and returning with a face full of disappointment.

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

As he spoke, he glanced at Wu Qianhuan again, growing even angrier.

"And after you left just like that, do you know that all the gossip in the city fell upon Qianhuan?

"She is the Eldest Young Lady of Heavenly Dance City. Those people do not dare speak openly, but what kind words could they possibly have behind her back?

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

Wu Qianhuan had been staring at the "Chu Qing" on the ground all along. But from the moment he entered, he had kept his head lowered, never once looking at her.

Afterward, he had remained kneeling, revealing only the back of his head.

She waited for a long time without seeing him raise his head. Then, just as Chu Yunfei was about to strike, she hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed his arm.

"Uncle Chu, you..."

Before she could finish, the "Chu Qing" kneeling on the ground suddenly looked up. With a sweep of his sleeve, two short blades appeared in his hands. He thrust them upward with the motion, aiming to stab them into Chu Yunfei's chest and abdomen, turning the unfinished half of her sentence into a cry of alarm.

"Watch out!!"

This shock was no small matter. Her warning left her lips, but she was too late to act.

At this sudden change, not a single person present had time to react.

It was clearly a reunion between father and son—who could have imagined that the son harbored such sinister intentions!?

Just as Chu Yunfei, caught off guard, was about to be wounded by those twin blades,

a streak of sword light rose from nowhere.

Like a falling star, like lightning in haste, in that instant it seared a mark into the eyes of every guest present... a sword mark!