"There's no need to trouble yourselves checking the footprints. I was the one who abducted the Donkey-Riding Lady and the previous Guanyin Attendants."
Cao Hong's words struck like thunder out of a clear sky, stunning everyone in the hall.
For a moment, the Cao Family and the guests attending the tonsure ceremony stood frozen like wooden chickens, convinced something was wrong with their ears. They widened their eyes and stared blankly at him. Yet Cao Hong's voice was clear and resonant, his tone calm and composed, as though he were merely exchanging the customary greetings of the Rivers and Lakes.
Cao Daze thought his old ears must have failed him, that he must have misheard. His gaze swept over the pair of short sabers on the table, and he said in a trembling voice, "Hong'er, what are you saying? This is no laughing matter!"
Wei Xun and the others had followed the trail to the Cao Residence, prepared to go to considerable lengths to obtain a clue. They had therefore planned ahead, intending to use Yang Xingjian's official standing to intimidate their hosts. Who could have imagined that they would barely step through the door before Cao Hong openly admitted everything? After nearly half a month of mobilizing their forces and struggling through countless twists and turns, the true culprit had suddenly stepped forward. It felt utterly unreal, as though they were dreaming.
Elder Huijue stared in disbelief at the swordsman famed as River-Crossing Boat. Thinking Cao Hong was deliberately provoking the Setting Sun Courtyard because he could not bear the insult to his guild's reputation, he admonished him sternly, "This is a grave matter, Guildmaster Cao. You must not treat it as child's play out of anger or a desire to outdo someone. Wasn't your younger sister the very