'Chu Qing'

At those words, it was as if a single stone had stirred up a thousand-layered wave.

The entire front courtyard fell silent for a moment, then erupted into a flurry of discussion.

"Third Young Master? The Chu Family's Third Brother?"

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

"I thought he'd died out there. Who would've thought he'd make it back? Is he returning in glory, or did he just fail to get by out there?"

"Does the engagement still stand?"

"It should. I haven't heard anything about the marriage alliance between the Chu Family and the City Lord's Mansion being called off."

Everyone in the courtyard whispered among themselves, as if they had endless things to say.

At the head of the gathering, Chu Yunfei froze for a moment, then hurriedly spoke:

"Where is my son?"

"The young master is just outside."

The servant said:

"The Third Young Master said that he ran away from home, and now, without the master's permission, he doesn't dare set foot inside."

Only then did Chu Yunfei take a deep breath. He seemed about to say something, but glanced at Wu Qianhuan nearby before his expression darkened with anger:

"Absurd! He ran away from his wedding all those years ago, and now he's back, yet he won't even enter his own home. What does he think he's doing?

"Bring that unfilial wretch in! I'd like to see what great ambitions he's achieved after seven years away!"

The servant quickly agreed and turned to fetch him.

Chu Yunfei said to Wu Qianhuan:

"Qianhuan, don't worry. That bastard vanished without a word for seven years. Now that he's back, I'll make him give you an explanation."

Wu Qianhuan's expression, however, was complicated.

Her mind felt like a tangled mess...

The familiar look in the eyes of that person who had disguised himself as a servant earlier had absolutely not been a mistake.

Though she hadn't dared to be certain at the time, the more she thought it over now, the more she felt that person had to be Chu Qing.

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

But who could have guessed that another Chu Qing would show up at the gate?

She forced herself to calm down.

There couldn't possibly be two Chu Qings in the world.

She had just looked around the courtyard and hadn't spotted anyone suspicious.

But the front courtyard was crowded, and she couldn't be sure she hadn't missed someone.

Or perhaps he had simply stopped pretending and planned to return to the Chu Family as himself?

With that thought, she let out a soft breath and smiled faintly:

"All right, Uncle Chu. I'll leave it to you to decide."

Among the crowd, Chu Qing lowered his head slightly.

Something felt off...

The thing that felt off wasn't the 'Chu Qing' outside.

In fact, when he had really been in his room and caught the Sin Mirror Platform assassin, he had known what that person was planning to stage.

This was a chain of schemes.

The proper sequence should have begun with this very incident.

First, Fake Chu Qing would come to the door and put on a grand show of a prodigal son returning home and turning over a new leaf.

Then, once he was close enough, he would suddenly strike with ruthless intent, staging a heinous scene of a rebellious son murdering his father.

Such methods were difficult to guard against.

But Chu Yunfei was highly skilled in martial arts. It wouldn't be hard to seriously injure him with this attack, but killing him was another matter.

And after such a commotion during the day, even if Chu Yunfei were badly injured, it would inevitably stir up his longing for his son. It would be only natural for him to drag his wounded body to Chu Qing's courtyard that night and reminisce.

That was how he would fall completely into the other party's trap.

When the assassin lying in wait struck without warning, no matter how astonishing one's cultivation, escaping a calamity like that would be difficult.

Chu Qing had worked it out from the information available to that person. Seeing through these methods had been child's play.

What felt off to him was something else...

But for the moment, he couldn't put his finger on what it was.

There was no time to think it over now, though. Under the gaze of everyone in the front courtyard, eager to watch the spectacle,

a somewhat bedraggled young man stumbled into the courtyard behind a servant.

He was young, with delicate features, and bore a slight resemblance to Chu Yunfei in his younger days.

His eyes were full of bitterness. Before Chu Yunfei could speak, he entered the courtyard, dropped to his knees with a thud, and knocked his head hard against the ground:

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

Chu Qing raised an eyebrow and gave a cold laugh.

He'd certainly put thought into this... But seeing the man's face only made Chu Qing more certain that the other party didn't know his true identity.

With those features, deceiving Chu Yunfei wouldn't be difficult.

After all, seven years had passed. His features had matured; it was only natural that he looked different from before.

With that resemblance to Chu Yunfei, he could pass for the real thing.

As these thoughts turned in his mind, Chu Yunfei let out a deep breath:

"Unfilial wretch! So you do know how to come home!"

He sprang to his feet and crossed the distance in a single stride, arriving before 'Chu Qing' with his hand raised to strike.

Internal Energy gathered in his palm, making the wine flasks and teacups on the nearby tables tremble and clatter.

'Chu Qing' knelt on the ground without raising his head:

"I know I've been unfilial, and deserve ten thousand deaths. Please punish me, Father!"

The hand raised high never came down. Instead, Chu Yunfei's eyes reddened as he gritted his teeth and said:

"You... you unfilial wretch. How could you be so cruel?

"Seven years... a full seven years without a word. Do you know... you left as if it meant nothing to you, but what about the family you left behind?

"Your second brother is at Taiyi Sect. Every time he sends a letter home, he asks after you. He's even asked his sect elders to look for you while traveling the martial world.

"Your eldest brother is still searching for you to this day. Whenever he hears the slightest rumor, he goes there himself. Every time, he leaves full of hope, only to come back with disappointment written all over his face.

"How could you bear it... not coming home for seven years?!"

As he spoke, he glanced at Wu Qianhuan, then grew even angrier:

"And after you left, all the rumors in the city fell on Qianhuan. Do you know that?

"She's the Eldest Young Lady of Heavenly Dance City. These people don't dare say it to her face, but what kind words do you think they say behind her back?

"You... you! I'm going to beat you to death today!"

Wu Qianhuan had kept her eyes on the 'Chu Qing' kneeling on the ground. But from the moment he entered, he had kept his head down and hadn't looked at her once.

Then he had knelt there, showing her nothing but the back of his head.

She waited for ages, but he still didn't look up. Then Chu Yunfei moved to strike, so she hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed his arm:

"Uncle Chu, you..."

Before she could finish, 'Chu Qing' suddenly lifted his head. As he flicked his sleeve, two short blades appeared in his hands. He thrust them upward, aiming to stab Chu Yunfei in the chest and abdomen. The rest of her unfinished sentence turned into a cry of alarm:

"Look out!!"

The shock was immense. She managed to shout, but there was no time to move.

The change came so suddenly that not a single person present could react.

Who would have thought that in the midst of a father and son's reunion, the son would be harboring murderous intent?

Chu Yunfei was caught completely off guard, and the twin blades were about to strike him.

A streak of swordlight suddenly appeared.

Like a shooting star, like a bolt of lightning, it etched a mark into the eyes of every guest in the courtyard in that instant... a sword mark!