Murdering a Kinsman (Part Two)

Those insolent wretches!
Wang Heyou cursed inwardly.
These people were completely different from the commoners he had seen in the past. Those people would only grovel at the feet of the powerful and lick their shoes. When had they ever stood up and roared at him like this?
He had forgotten that this was Taicang City, a city that had just survived the fires of war.
Nothing tempers people quite like war. The people of Taicang City now were completely different from how they were eighteen days ago. Facing such an obnoxious aristocrat, they dared to straighten their backs and roar at him at the top of their lungs!
"Shut up!"
Wang Heyou was driven to distraction by the clamor. He let out a sudden, fierce roar, and one of the cranes embroidered on his robe abruptly detached itself from the fabric and flew up. The moment it left his body, it grew immensely large, forming an all-encompassing shadow that whipped up the dust and dirt on the ground as it lunged downward.
"Audacious."
Hua Su looked languid. With a flick of his hand, the crane's shadow in the sky vanished. The crane's long neck was caught in his grasp, held as effortlessly as one might hold a dead chicken.
With a crisp snap, the crane's neck was broken by his grip, instantly dissolving into countless wisps of white vapor that vanished into thin air.
Wang Heyou let out a muffled groan and staggered back a step, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his lips.
One of the cranes on his robe was missing, leaving a glaring blank space. The backlash of his internal energy had instantly injured him. Yet even so, he could only glare resentfully at Hua Su, not even daring to utter a single word of complaint.
Jiang Feng watched the scene from afar, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Someone near him muttered, "His Excellency the Martial Emperor is truly too cool..."
Another voice immediately chimed in, "Because he is strong enough!"
That person had hit the nail right on the head.
Indeed, Wang Heyou could not have been a simple figure to be dispatched here at a time like this. Yet from beginning to end, he was completely suppressed by Hua Su, with zero room to retaliate.
Why would this happen?
Because Hua Su was strong enough! A First-Stage Martial Emperor was more than enough to look down upon a faction like the Fuliu Monarch and view his disciples as nothing more than clowns!
In this world, strength still speaks first!
Wang Heyou dared not say anything more. He bowed respectfully three times toward the Black Stone Monument and promised everyone present that he would dispatch relief and rehabilitation supplies as quickly as possible.
By this time, his arrogance had subsided considerably compared to before.
He cleared his throat and asked, "There is one more matter I wish to consult with Lord Hua about."
Hua Su said coldly, "Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, a rare and auspicious day. We should spend tonight properly celebrating the festival. If you have anything to say, we can discuss it later!"
Wang Heyou shook his head. "This matter concerns the Grand Examination and is of utmost importance. I must ask for the Martial Emperor's understanding."
The Grand Examination was the most important event in the Nine Heavens Continent; short of matters of life and death, everything else had to make way for it. Since Wang Heyou used this as a pretext, Hua Su had no way to refuse.
Hua Su nodded. "Very well, speak."
Wang Heyou surveyed his surroundings and asked, "Pardon me, where is Jiang Feng of Luming Town?"
Many people had already brought up this question earlier, but hearing it now, quite a few were still stunned.
When Wang Heyou came here, he represented Prince Zhuyang and the Fuliu Monarch. He had so many matters he could have asked about, such as the details of the Demon War, or his junior fellow disciple Wan Qiyu... Yet he bypassed all of that. First, he asked about the Golden Seal, and next, he asked about Jiang Feng!
What was he trying to achieve?
Using his body to block the line of sight, Hua Su made a subtle, imperceptible hand gesture signaling Jiang Feng not to come out.
He spoke casually, "Jiang Feng is not here."
Wang Heyou said, "Oh? Has he run away?"
Hua Su frowned and questioned, "Why would he run away?"
Wang Heyou smiled faintly, his confidence returning. "Since he has not run away, then he must still be here. Will Lord Hua please send someone to summon him over?"
Hua Su sneered. "What do you take him for doing?" He took a step forward, pressing relentlessly. "He is currently devising a way to forge magical treasures to purge the demonic energy from the bodies of the severely wounded soldiers and save their lives!"
He pointed toward the top of the Black Stone Monument and said sternly, "The reason these names are still shining is because Jiang Feng is racking his brains to save them! If you summon him away right now, are you trying to kill all these people?"
Wang Heyou paused for a moment, then immediately pressed on, "Even so, someone must be sent to keep an eye on him. Having committed the grave crime of murdering a fellow clan member, there is no telling when he might try to escape!"
The selection of masters by the Heart-Enlightening Seed depended on the purity of one's bloodline, and bloodline heritage relied on the family clan.
Therefore, whether in the Nine Heavens Continent or the Xuanji Continent, the power of clans was immense.
A single Black Stone Monument bound them together, forging an inseparable connection from that moment on.
And murdering a fellow clan member was an unforgivable, heinous crime, second only to colluding with the demon race and endangering all of humanity.
If Jiang Feng had truly committed the grave crime of murdering a fellow clan member, his status as the top scorer of the provincial examination would be revoked immediately, and he would be thrown into prison on the spot. Once convicted, he would be executed without delay.
Hua Su's heart sank.
Murdering a fellow clan member—this undoubtedly referred to Jiang Huaiming. It was Hua Su who had handed Jiang Huaiming over to Jiang Feng, and he knew better than anyone else who had killed Jiang Huaiming.
While he had done this partly because he came from a commoner background and felt somewhat indifferent to clan matters, he had also taken thorough precautions to ensure no one would ever find out.
Yet now, how did Wang Heyou know about it?
At that moment, a voice suddenly drifted up from below, ringing out clearly, "I am here."
Hua Su frowned. Jiang Feng had already appeared on the drill ground, walking briskly toward them.
As he passed Wang Heyou's carriage, a figure suddenly leaped down, grabbed him by the arm, and shouted loudly, "Yes! It was him! He is the one who murdered the Eldest Young Master Jiang!"
Jiang Feng glanced at him and smiled faintly, "Jiang Huaihuai, long time no see. I didn't expect you to still be alive."
This person was indeed one of the young talents of the Jiang family. Having passed the county examination, he had followed Jiang Huaiming to participate in the provincial examination. Jiang Huaiming had been forced to withdraw midway and ranked near the very bottom, and their own rankings weren't any better. Forget about continuing to the prefectural examination; they hadn't even passed the provincial one.
Jiang Feng had never taken them to heart in the first place, but he hadn't expected this fellow to go and collude with Wang Heyou.
Jiang Huaihuai shouted loudly, "Of course I'm still alive! And being alive means I'm here to expose your crimes!"
Under the gazes of tens of thousands of people, accused publicly of a monstrous crime, Jiang Feng not only stepped forward of his own accord, but showed not a trace of panic.
He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Oh? Taicang City has just survived a Demon War, and countless people have sacrificed their lives. You are candidates of the Grand Examination, stationed right at the frontline of the demon caves—how could you dare guarantee your own survival?"
He added softly, "If you're going to be cowards terrified of death, at least find a better excuse!"
Jiang Huaihuai's face flushed crimson, and Jiang Feng continued, "Furthermore, how can you be certain that Jiang Huaiming was killed by me, rather than... dying a heroic death on the frontline?"
Wang Heyou's expression darkened, and just as he was about to stop him, Jiang Huaihuai blurted out anxiously. He pulled a black magical treasure from his robe and shouted, "We were all given these when we came out! Everyone's name is recorded on it, tracking our life, death, and location! Jiang Huaiming died after the Grand Examination... No, he died after the demon cave was sealed! And he didn't die on the frontline; he died right here in this provincial yamen!"
Jiang Feng let out an "oh," then suddenly chuckled. "So Jiang Tengqing gave you such a treasure after all. He certainly thought very highly of you."
He readily admitted it without hesitation, "That's right, Jiang Huaiming was indeed killed by me!"
"Jiang Feng!"
Hua Su let out a sudden, angry roar, attempting to stop him. Jiang Feng smiled faintly, "A man must take responsibility for his own actions. I'm sorry, Teacher Hua, but since I did it, I will naturally own up to it."
Wang Heyou was stunned for a moment, then burst into roaring laughter. "Didn't I say so? The top scorer of the Yushuishui provincial examination has indeed committed the heinous crime of murdering a fellow clan member, and his ranking should be revoked! Now, be a good lad and come along with me..." Before he could finish, he caught himself and clamped his mouth shut with a wary expression.
At that moment, many people around them wore looks of deep concern.
These were people who knew and were grateful to Jiang Feng. The contributions Jiang Feng had made to the Taicang Demon War and the number of lives he had saved had just been made abundantly clear. As everyone agreed, his name deserved to be inscribed on the Taicang Black Stone Monument, and written in even larger characters!
However, murdering a fellow clan member involved the clan and was a monstrous crime. Not a single one of them could find a way to clear Jiang Feng's name!
Jiang Feng remained completely unruffled, composure etched across his features as he said, "However, while I admit to killing him, I do not accept the word 'murder'."
Seeing Jiang Feng admit to the killing, Jiang Huaihuai immediately grew arrogant and smug. "You don't accept it? Bah! You were just jealous that the Eldest Young Master received the family's favor and got more resources! You, some lowly bastard from South Jiang whose origins are unknown and whose bloodline is mixed—no one ever looked down on you! You envied the Eldest Young Master, so you murdered him in secret. Anyone could guess it!"
With a sharp *crack*, Jiang Feng landed a heavy slap across his face, sending stars dancing before his eyes.
Many people had furrowed their brows upon hearing Jiang Huaihuai's words, and that resounding slap made them cheer inwardly: *Well hit!*
Jiang Feng said with utter composure, "First swallow back those four words 'in secret.' If I find your words and actions distasteful, I'll slap you right to your face. In secret?" He let out a scornful laugh. "Are you even worthy?"
He spoke in a clear, resonant voice, "I killed Jiang Huaiming, and naturally I had my reasons for doing so! Killing a fellow clan member is indeed a grave crime, but above that, there is an even higher offense!"
A single thought flashed through everyone's minds simultaneously: *As expected.* Then Jiang Feng's voice rang out:
"Jiang Huaiming colluded with the demon race and endangered humanity! By killing him, I was purging the scum of mankind!"
This statement was like a bolt from the blue, instantly stunning everyone present.
If this accusation were proven true, the one in trouble wouldn't just be Jiang Huaiming—it would be the entire Luming Jiang family! If luck was bad, even the Sparrow-Treading Jiang Family would be implicated.
Jiang Huaihuai trembled as he stammered, "Y-y-you are making baseless accusations! Do you have any proof?"
At that moment, a small voice piped up, "Big Brother Jiang does have proof! I saw it with my own eyes!"
The voice was childish and tender. Everyone turned to look in that direction and saw a little girl of five or six years old with an exceptionally cute face—none other than A-Miao from Taicang Back Street!