Chapter 1089 - 910: Faked Death

Inside the cave, after Lei Ying began to confess, Shi Chun put down the teacup, took out a Jade Scroll, and started recording the testimony with a spell, occasionally sipping the tea.

The 'Blood Shadow Pavilion' hiring assassins was indeed at Gong Shaoci's behest. The entire contact process was detailed, and amusingly, the reason for the assassination guessed by that brute Wu Jinliang was spot on—it was all due to jealousy over Miao Yilan.

The trigger for hiring the killer was that night when gifts were presented to Miao Yilan in front of Gong Shaoci, winning Miao Yilan's favor.

On a deeper level, it was because Shi Chun was becoming more successful, transforming into a Heavenly Court Official and even a Commander, which made Miao Dingyi view him differently. Jealousy drove Gong Shaoci to madness.

The cause of Ming Chaofeng's attempt to kill him in the Battle of Great Pardon was also found—it seems Gong Shaoci already harbored murderous intent against him, initially thinking Shi Chun would be easy to deal with, who knew he wouldn't die and even became a Heavenly Court Official.

As it became increasingly difficult to deal with him, he resorted to hiring a hitman.

Only then did Shi Chun learn the cause of Ming Chaofeng's death—because he mentioned at a Miao family banquet he would go to Yanbao Sect to inquire why Ming Chaofeng wanted to kill him, and Gong Shaoci feared exposure, so he silenced Ming Chaofeng.

The incident on Yanfu Continent was also orchestrated by that scoundrel Gong Shaoci. Wu Jinliang asked how Gong Shaoci knew that the mount could locate Sandalwood Gold veins, to which the truth was simple—fabrication!

Absolutely no impurities, purely fabricated!

Even Gong Shaoci was shocked afterward that it could work.

During the interrogation, Wu Jinliang was dumbfounded, so angry that he impulsively slapped Lei Ying, realizing he hit the wrong person, and quickly apologized.

Outside, Shi Chun, recording the confession, was equally stunned, never dreaming that the rumor disrupting his earning path was entirely fabricated, no wonder he and Miao Dingyi were suspicious of each other, unable to figure out how the leak occurred.

Finally finding the answer, he was so angry he nearly crushed the Jade Scroll used for recording—spared killing Gong Shaoci, yet unable to quell the fury in his heart.

In Lei Ying's subsequent confession, he proactively revealed much of Gong Shaoci's misconduct, cleanly spilling everything, Shi Chun recorded all of it.

After recounting his memories, Lei Ying paused, then suddenly changed topics: "That's all I can recall for now, but I know of a major matter not related to Gong Shaoci. If I speak of it, there would be no place for me in the Gong family, I wish to use it to bargain for a way out under Mr. Wu."

He was loyal before, preferring death over submission, now he sought survival.

Wu Jinliang chuckled, "I can't guarantee it, you don't have to say it. If what you say is worth sparing you, then I'll surely grant you a way out."

Lei Ying stayed silent for a moment, then slowly said: "After the mysterious death of the third house family head Gong Yuanzhi on Li Huo Island, the position fell into Gong Shaoci's hands. Being his confidante, I became the de facto steward of the third house, though officially, it was still Yuan Xie. Yuan Xie appeared compliant in handing the third house's affairs to me, becoming insignificant, yet I felt not everything was turned over, lacking evidence, I dared not speak carelessly to Gong Shaoci, as Yuan Xie was a confidant of his father. So, I secretly investigated him and discovered that he sometimes vanished inside Xun Gate…"

Wu Jinliang, curious, asked, "Vanish? What do you mean?"

Lei Ying explained, "He entered Xun Gate, and people would disappear inside."

Wu Jinliang: "Isn't it normal to disappear upon entry, exiting from another side?"

Lei Ying: "No, by 'disappear,' I mean he didn't emerge at the other end, he vanished inside Xun Gate. After repeatedly losing track of him there, I arranged for people to wait at the other exit, yet he never emerged. After recurrent instances, it was confirmed not to be a misjudgment, but a peculiar event during his passage through Xun Gate. He didn't frequent Xun Gate, sometimes only two to three times a year. Sometimes he did emerge normally, but after over a decade of investigation, I found he didn't exit at the other side when he disappeared; instead, he altered his appearance while inside Xun Gate, turning back after changing his looks."

Wu Jinliang blinked, thoughtfully mumbling, "That's quite a clever trick...ahem, what was his sneaky purpose?"

Lei Ying: "After identifying the issue, I quickly tracked his true whereabouts, finding he never went elsewhere but stayed in the Nanshan Royal City, going to a countryside manor and secretly meeting with the Manor Master. Upon observing the Master, I found familiarity not in appearance, but habitual behaviors and gestures, resembling the late Gong Yuanzhi. With Yuan Xie secretly meeting him, I was truly unnerved. To confirm my suspicion, I later made thorough preparations and, while visiting Gong's family mausoleum with Gong Shaoci, secretly excavated Gong Yuanzhi's grave. The skeletal structure confirmed the deceased wasn't Gong Yuanzhi; Gong Yuanzhi is indeed alive!"

Wu Jinliang asked, curiously: "That's odd, given his status, why feign death?"

Lei Ying: "I'm puzzled as well, but since I'm part of Gong family, after discovering Gong Yuanzhi is alive, I dared not dig deeper nor contest whether Yuan Xie handed over all the third house's assets."

Wu Jinliang: "You didn't tell Gong Shaoci about this?"

Lei Ying: "I considered warning Gong Shaoci but hesitated. There must be a significant secret behind Gong Yuanzhi's feigned death, and I even silenced those who investigated Yuan Xie with me, not daring to let anyone know I'm aware of this secret..."

After obtaining the address of the supposedly deceased Gong Yuanzhi, Lei Ying found nothing more to express. Wu Jinliang knocked him unconscious again, got up, went to the outer room, sat across from Shi Chun, finished off the tea, and said, "It seems Gong Yuanzhi indeed harbors some major secret, should we send someone to investigate?"

Shi Chun said, "Don't act rashly. Most people can't investigate him; it's easy to get caught. However, an investigation must still be conducted. When Elder Yu is available, let him investigate; it would be more reliable."

Wu Jinliang nodded, "True enough. How do we handle the one named Lei? He said there's no way he can stand out and testify against the Gong family; if he does, his family is doomed."

Shi Chun: "For now, throw him into 'Yuling Mountain' and let the Golden-haired Rat Clan secretly detain him."

At the Right Minister's Mansion in Nanshan Royal City, Gong Yuanhao personally bid farewell to the distinguished guest and on his way back to the inner court, a rushing family steward presented a jade scroll, saying, "This is what we currently know about Yue Qianxing."

Gong Yuanhao took it, examining it as he walked. When he reached the depths of the inner court, he stood beside his father, who was standing outside the hall door with his hands behind his back, and handed over the jade scroll, "This is the basic information currently known about Yue Qianxing."

Yue Qianxing is the granddaughter of Yue Shan, the Supreme Elder of the 'Yue Family Long Pavilion'. Yue Shan has come here to propose marriage for his granddaughter.

While the marriage negotiations were ongoing, Gong Yuanhao had already informed people to gather information about this girl so that once the guests left, the relevant information would be delivered.

"As long as her character is decent, it's fine. Although she's not so pretty, marrying a virtuous wife is better than Miao Dingyi's continuous insincerity..." Gong Xuan slightly nodded after reading the jade scroll, then clasping his hands behind his back again, he gazed skyward, slowly speculating, "It's just that this marriage proposal seems a bit too coincidental, with all these coincidences piling up."

Gong Yuanhao hesitated and asked, "Then did you agree to Yue Shan?"

Gong Xuan squinted, "So what if it's coincidental? What can it do to me?"

Well, this father turned everything he said around, leaving Gong Yuanhao no choice but to change the subject, "What about Shaoci?"

Gong Xuan: "Investigate properly, but keep it decent, leave the Yue Clan some dignity. Also, inquire about how much Lei Ying knows about his unspeakable secrets, and make sure to grip Lei Ying's weakness tightly to prevent him from being used and spouting nonsense."

Gong Yuanhao bowed slightly and said, "Understood."

Half a month later, the Nanshan Right Minister's Mansion and the Yue Family Long Pavilion together announced the engagement of their families, jointly announcing an auspicious wedding date six months later. The alliance between the two caused quite a stir in the Cultivation World.

Gong Shaoci only discovered he was engaged when the happy news arrived, and upon learning of his fiancée, his face turned green. He had met Yue Qianxing before; she was lacking in figure, had naturally dark skin, and most importantly, was sharp-faced with a monkey-like appearance.

Compared to Miao Yilan, it was like night and day; he really couldn't accept it!

However, his feelings didn't matter. Gong Yuanhao said, "This is a marriage your grandfather personally arranged for you," which left him speechless and defeated.

The third house steward, Yuan Xie, actively began organizing things after the disappearance of Lei Ying, and once again took charge.

At the Bowan Building Central in Nanshan Royal City, Lan Qiaoyan rushed upstairs and directly knocked on the door to enter.

Miao Dingyi, who was handling official matters inside, looked up with a smile and rose from behind his desk, saying, "Why are you rushing in?"

Lan Qiaoyan stomped her foot in mock anger, "Don't play dumb; the engagement of Gong Shaoci is such big news, I don't believe you don't know."

In private, without any outsiders present, though she was older, she still displayed a bit of a girlish demeanor.

Miao Dingyi chuckled lightly, "So what if I know? It's an alliance between others; what does it have to do with us?"

Lan Qiaoyan fumed, "If he was going to ally with someone else, then what was he doing pestering our daughter earlier? Colleagues teased me about having to prepare for two families' wedding banquets, and now this sudden turn of events has made me a laughingstock behind their backs. It's all your fault for not agreeing earlier, and now, look, I'm the joke."

Miao Dingyi laughed heartily, patting her back in comfort, "Let them laugh at something worthless. I never intended for our daughter to be part of their troubled waters since the puzzling murder of Gong Yuanzhi."

Lan Qiaoyan glared, "If that's the case, why didn't you just cut it off cleanly? Why let him pursue our daughter for so many years?"

Miao Dingyi: "As the saying goes, 'a man should marry and a woman should wed.' Without him pursuing, there'd still be others. Am I saving myself trouble by controlling one, or is it easier to manage a bunch?"

Lan Qiaoyan was shocked, "You used Gong Shaoci as a shield? Have you considered our daughter's reputation?"

Miao Dingyi took hold of her shoulders and redirected the conversation, "What do you think about having Shi Chun as our son-in-law?"