Chicken Bluff

"There's something that perhaps none of you know yet."

"Zhou Xuan is actually my cousin."

Hong Jingcheng spoke slowly. "When I was born, my parents were busy making money. It was my little aunt—Zhou Xuan's mother—who raised me."

"When I was eighteen, I said I wanted to practice martial arts. It was my little aunt who went around borrowing money, giving me the chance to join the Firewood Gang!"

"In my eyes, my little aunt was just like my own mother. And I've always treated Zhou Xuan like a younger brother..."

"Now my cousin has vanished without a trace. There's a very good chance he's met with misfortune, and that his body has been hidden..."

Shen Mu's gaze grew deep. He'd guessed that Zhou Xuan and Hong Jingcheng had an unusual relationship, but he hadn't expected Zhou Xuan's mother to have such a close bond with Hong Jingcheng.

A quiet sigh escaped him.

If Zhou Xuan hadn't brought this on himself, how could things have come to this?

If he hadn't had the Martial Dao Tree, he might have been the one to die in that night raid.

And if he'd died, would Hong Jingcheng have arranged a gathering like this just to investigate who was behind it?

He probably would've treated him like a stray dog that had died. In a month or two, no one would even bother talking about it.

Hong Jingcheng's expression was unreadable as he continued, "After investigating, I can confirm that the person who killed my cousin Zhou Xuan is among you."

"Whoa!"

As soon as Hong Jingcheng said this, the Bamboo Shed erupted in an uproar. Everyone's gaze swept over the crowd, trying to identify the culprit.

Shen Mu did the same, wearing a look of shock, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Is this guy going to kill someone at random just to give Zhou Xuan a companion in death?"

Shen Mu's heart gave a thud.

Hong Jingcheng's gaze passed over everyone's faces one by one.

Since he didn't know who the culprit was, he'd deliberately said those words to test them, hoping the culprit would give themselves away.

Unfortunately, none of the people he suspected most had shown any sign of guilt.

"Actually, after investigating, I can now confirm who the culprit is!"

Hong Jingcheng spoke in a low voice. "But in consideration of our past working together, I'll still give you a chance!"

"Tell me what caused the conflict between you and Zhou Xuan, why you killed him, and where you buried his body..."

"I gathered everyone here so you could all bear witness and judge who was in the right and who was in the wrong in your conflict with Zhou Xuan!"

"If my cousin Zhou Xuan was at fault, then I'll let the matter rest. Everyone here can serve as a witness."

"Now, I'm giving you ten seconds to step forward!"

"If you still refuse to admit it after ten seconds, don't blame Hong for disregarding our past friendship!"

"Ten!"

"..."

Hong Jingcheng began counting, while the crowd exchanged glances and whispered among themselves. But no one stepped forward to confess.

"Heh, that's not a bad idea. He's trying to flush out the culprit with a bluff."

"Too bad... I'm not falling for it!"

Shen Mu sneered inwardly.

He had to admit, this was about the only option Hong Jingcheng had left.

His cousin Zhou Xuan was dead, and he had to do something to answer to his little aunt.

"One!"

By then, Hong Jingcheng had already counted down from ten.

"Fine. Since no one's coming forward, don't blame Hong."

Killing intent showed in Hong Jingcheng's eyes as he turned to Sun Jing, seated beside him.

Sun Jing's face changed dramatically. He hurriedly explained, "Brother Hong, you know me. Zhou Xuan and I were as close as brothers. We were so close that I'd even give him a push from behind when we went to the Fragrant Shadow Pavilion. Would I really hurt him?"

Hong Jingcheng's gaze passed over him and moved to Ji Shixian.

Under Hong Jingcheng's stare, Ji Shixian turned deathly pale and stammered, "Brother Hong, you know me. Zhou Xuan and I were brothers born of different fathers and mothers. Anyone else might have harmed him, but I certainly didn't!"

"Brother Hong, you know me..."

"Brother Hong..."

"..."

"Brother Hong, you know me. I only came to Emerald Cloud Valley a month ago, and I'm only at the First Stage of Boiling Blood. How could I possibly have hurt Brother Zhou?"

When Hong Jingcheng looked his way, Shen Mu wore a fearful expression and hurriedly defended himself too.

When Hong Jingcheng finally looked at Yuan Wenxuan, the latter remained calm.

He'd had a grudge with Zhou Xuan, so they'd never gotten along.

As for Zhou Xuan's death, he was glad to see him get what was coming.

He hadn't been the one to kill Zhou Xuan, but someone else had done what he himself had wanted to do. It was truly satisfying.

"Brother Hong, you know me..."

Before Yuan Wenxuan could finish, Hong Jingcheng's expression darkened. "Yuan Wenxuan, are you still trying to deny it?"

As soon as Hong Jingcheng spoke, he sprang into action. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Yuan Wenxuan, striking him hard with his palm.

Yuan Wenxuan's expression changed dramatically. He wanted to dodge, but he was only at the Third Stage of Boiling Blood. The gap between him and Hong Jingcheng was like that between an adult and a baby.

"Thump!"

With a muffled impact, Hong Jingcheng's palm struck Yuan Wenxuan in the chest. The force tore through his chest and abdomen, blasting his clothes apart.

"Pfft."

Yuan Wenxuan spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with bits of his organs. His whole body flew backward before crashing heavily to the ground.

His face was deathly pale, and his body convulsed and twitched. He was already on the verge of death.

"N-no... it wasn't... me."

Even now, Yuan Wenxuan was still trying to explain himself, but Hong Jingcheng gave him no chance.

"Yuan Wenxuan, you killed my cousin and then refused to admit it. Since that's the case, go down and keep him company."

As soon as he finished speaking, Hong Jingcheng's eyes brimmed with killing intent. He struck Yuan Wenxuan on the crown of the head once more.

Yuan Wenxuan's seven orifices bled, his neck snapped, and he died on the spot, eyes wide open.

It had all happened in the blink of an eye. By the time everyone reacted, Yuan Wenxuan was already dead.

The sudden turn of events left everyone present deathly pale. It seemed none of them had expected Hong Jingcheng to suddenly strike.

But it was just as Shen Mu had thought: when someone had the power to decide whether others lived or died, evidence became insignificant. A mere suspicion was enough to make someone deserve death.

Yuan Wenxuan must have clashed with Zhou Xuan before, which was why Hong Jingcheng had killed him so mercilessly.

Looking at Yuan Wenxuan's wide-eyed, unseeing stare, Shen Mu couldn't help but sigh.

He knew better than anyone present that Yuan Wenxuan had been wrongly accused.

But he also understood that Hong Jingcheng had likely killed him to answer to his little aunt. Whether Yuan Wenxuan was actually the culprit didn't matter.

If it hadn't been Yuan Wenxuan, it could have been anyone else there.

The suffocating feeling of having his life hang on someone else's whim left Shen Mu deeply troubled.

Hong Jingcheng looked around and said in a low voice, "The guilty must pay for their crimes. Yuan Wenxuan killed my cousin, and now he's been punished. If the higher-ups investigate, you all know what to say, right?"

Wei Bo spoke up first. "Well done. I saw Yuan Wenxuan kill Brother Zhou over a personal grudge with my own eyes."

"That's right. Yuan Wenxuan murdered a fellow gang member. He deserved to die!"

"..."

The matter was settled. No one wanted to provoke Hong Jingcheng now, so they all chimed in to agree.

Satisfied with their answers, Hong Jingcheng gave his orders. "Wei Bo, Ji Shixian, help carry the body to the valley entrance. You can serve as witnesses too. I'll report this to the Market Master."

"As for everyone else, go back and get some rest."