Framing

At that moment, in the back courtyard of Willow Pavilion.

"You just killed him outright. Aren't you afraid someone will follow the clues and figure it out later? The Peace Guard's methods are no ordinary thing."

"Not afraid. I killed him using the methods of the Corpse Puppet Path, shattering his heart meridians with a wisp of Corpse Qi. Afterward, that wisp of Corpse Qi will merge into his body."

"Now that he's a corpse, his body has already started producing Corpse Qi. The wisp I added is no different from the Corpse Qi his body produced on its own, so no one else will be able to detect it," Lin Yi said.

"Those sinister tricks of the Corpse Puppet Path of yours really are underhanded..." Yu Qinglian chided him.

Lin Yi sat on the bed. Soon, a slender, fair hand crept up from behind him and slipped straight inside the collar of his robe, around his neck.

The next moment, Yu Qinglian, dressed in skimpy clothes, had climbed onto Lin Yi's back. Her flushed, bewitching face rested in the crook of his neck as she spoke in a suggestive voice.

Lin Yi turned his face slightly and raised an eyebrow. "This pose doesn't seem quite right."

Yu Qinglian paused mid-breath. Her cheeks were flushed, but her eyes still burned as she met Lin Yi's gaze. "What? Weren't you the one who said we had to make the whole act convincing?"

Lin Yi said, "That's true, but could you maybe not... moan right at me?"

Yu Qinglian's foxlike eyes narrowed. She leaned closer to Lin Yi:

"Hmm? If not at you, then who? That dead man? I couldn't possibly moan for him. If your plan gets ruined, don't blame me."

"Besides, can't I collect a little interest in advance..."

Yu Qinglian gently pressed her lips together. The hand she'd slipped inside Lin Yi's collar explored downward across his chest as she gazed at his profile with a suggestive look.

Lin Yi: "..."

Lin Yi's hard-earned experience told him that, no matter how poor a man was, he should never sell himself.

Inside Willow Pavilion.

After Yu Qinglian was taken away,

a bleak atmosphere settled over the entire Willow Pavilion. The patrons' mood for drinking, composing poetry, and listening to music had been spoiled.

Instead, they chatted in low voices, their faces occasionally contorting with indignation.

"Outrageous! Simply outrageous!"

"Does having a Seventh-grade martial artist for a father mean he can do whatever he wants?"

"Ah, what can you do? Willow Pavilion is an industry led by the Green Wood Gang and funded by the End of the World Pavilion."

"The End of the World Pavilion has plenty of influence, but it doesn't run the business. It just takes a cut of the profits every year."

"Though the Master of Green Wood Gang is also a Seventh-grade martial artist, he rose to fame later than the Master of Qingsong Hall. And why would he make an enemy of another Seventh-grade martial artist over a woman?"

"Besides, the conflict between the Green Wood Gang and the Black Wind Gang has been growing more and more intense. He'd be even less inclined to make enemies. There are fewer than ten Seventh-grade martial artists in the whole city. The relationships are far too delicate."

"What about the Peace Guard, then? He abducted a woman by force!"

"Would Great Yan's laws really let him off?"

"You're being naive. Great Yan's laws do say that anyone who abducts a woman by force should be beaten to death with a rod. Though it looks like coercion right now, the Master of Green Wood Gang or the Master of Qingsong Hall will have plenty of ways to make Lian Niang change her story later."

Everyone fell silent.

A fierce clatter of hooves instantly shattered the silence in Willow Pavilion.

"Who's that? Isn't riding a horse in this district forbidden?"

Everyone looked toward the entrance.

The sun blazed overhead, leaving them able to make out only the rider's silhouette.

Upon a tall, magnificent steed sat a figure with short limbs and an oversized head, like a big-headed child riding an adult's horse.

For a moment, it looked rather comical.

Hu Ma entered Willow Pavilion.

The True Qi of an Eighth-grade martial artist burst out at full force, filling the place with an unstoppable presence.

In an instant, no one present dared to look down on him.

"Where's Lian Niang?!"

Someone in the crowd recognized him. "The back courtyard!"

Hu Ma didn't hesitate. He urged his horse straight toward it.

Everyone watched Hu Ma's retreating figure and sighed.

"Who's that guy?"

"Don't know. He's got a distinctive look."

"Ah, Hu Ma! You don't know him? He's a hall leader of the Black Wind Gang, an Eighth-grade martial artist! A real tough character!"

Just then, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, "Hey, brothers, looks like we've got a show!"

Everyone's eyes lit up. Loving a good spectacle was in their blood.

At once, a large crowd surged toward the back courtyard.

At the courtyard entrance, Li Baoyu's guard had only just barked, "Who goes there?"

Hu Ma was already galloping up.

He didn't even bother to look at him. He drew the long saber at his waist and hurled it with all his might. The saber cut through the air and plunged straight into the first man's shoulder, pinning him to the wall outside the courtyard.

His steed reached them in the blink of an eye. Hu Ma leaned down, seized the hilt, and yanked it free. Blood sprayed as the man's arm was severed.

The remaining guards stood frozen with fear. Not one dared to block him.

Hu Ma dropped the reins and strode toward the room in the back courtyard. The crowd of onlookers followed close behind.

The bloody scene from moments before made everyone tremble briefly, but the courage of a rabble gathered together soon overwhelmed their fear.

"Come on, let's go take a look!"

"Exactly. We're already here."

"Besides, we're only watching. He can't kill all of us, can he?"

After just a few words, they'd convinced themselves and surged into the courtyard once more.

The moment they entered,

everyone saw what was inside the room.

The back courtyard's main gate stood open, and the wooden door to the room had been shattered by True Qi.

Yu Qinglian's clothes were disheveled. She covered her vital parts and huddled in the corner.

Hu Ma's face was deathly pale as he stood rooted to the spot.

Before him, Li Baoyu was spitting blood, a long saber buried in his chest as he struggled to get back up.

Li Baoyu pointed desperately at Hu Ma with one hand, his bloodied mouth mumbling over and over.

"I... won't... let you... get away with this, even as a ghost!"

As everyone filed in,

the life still clinging to Li Baoyu finally ebbed away. His head lolled to one side, his body went limp, and he died for good.

Hu Ma looked back at the crowd, his face deathly pale and his expression horrified.

"I... I didn't kill him..." Hu Ma murmured.

"I only pushed him..."

"He stabbed himself with his own sword..."

"A murder!"

A cry rang out from the crowd!

The next moment, everyone scattered in a panic, fleeing toward the outside as if for their lives.

How could they not run?

He'd even dared to kill the son of a Seventh-grade martial artist!

How could they not run?

He'd dared to kill someone right in front of them!

Everyone had seen it. Who knew if Hu Ma would suddenly lose his mind and decide to silence every witness?

They'd heard before that Hu Ma was ruthless in his dealings.

But they'd never imagined he'd dare to be this brazen.

Hu Ma's face turned ashen. He gave Li Baoyu's corpse on the ground a long look.

In this situation, he could deny it until the cows came home, but the shit was still in his pants.

"I need to get out of here first. If the Peace Guard shows up, then I'm really done for."

He thought to himself that he was the county magistrate's biological son; surely his own parents wouldn't abandon him. Then he looked up at the corner of the room. "Lian Niang, come with me!"