The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 159 - Master, I'm Most Afraid of Heavenly Questions

Nan Gongliu appeared calm, but beads of sweat trickled down his forehead as he assessed the stranger's power. Convinced by the man's words, he felt increasingly anxious but, for the sake of the prestige of the largest sect in the world, he mustered up the courage to ask, "Who are you, exactly? Why do you break into the Confucian Wind Sect in the dead of night?"

"I've told you, I'm only here to advise you not to let your son marry the wrong person."

Upon hearing this, the guests around them couldn't help stealing glances at each other.

The affair between Ye Wangxi and Song Qiutong of the Confucian Wind Sect was no longer a secret, known to all except Nan Gongsi and Nan Gongliu themselves.

But with the wedding invitation already sent out and the marriage contract sealed, how could the sect back out without losing face? Nan Gongliu's lips quivered as he scoffed, "Who my son marries is his own choice, none of your business."

The black-clad figure chuckled. "What a broad-minded Sect Leader you are, not caring whether Song Qiutong's heart belongs to your Nan Gong family or his own Ye family."

Song Qiutong was both startled and enraged, his face turning pale. His beautiful eyes widened as he shouted, "You're slandering us!"

"How am I slandering you? Don't you two know what you've done together?"

Ye Wangxi didn't expect to be mentioned and was momentarily stunned. It took him a while to understand the black-robed man's words, but instead of anger, he found himself laughing.

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

"I am not speaking nonsense; my words are grounded in truth and witnessed by my own eyes," the black-clad figure argued convincingly. "Everyone knows that you spent a fortune to rescue Song Qiutong from the Xuan Yuan Pavilion. Young Master Ye, what was your intention in purchasing such a beauty?"

"I merely couldn't bear to stand idly by when I saw her plight."

"Well, how noble of you. You saved her, so why did you bring her with you, accompanying her everywhere, and even take her back to the Confucian Wind Sect as your attendant?"

"Miss Song is the Butterfly Bone Beauty, a fact known to all. If I had let her go, she would have been targeted by unscrupulous individuals. Hence, I brought her back to the Confucian Wind Sect to provide her a safe haven."

"A safe haven indeed. Young Master Ye, you truly are a man of virtue, spending each day with an exquisite beauty without any inappropriate advances."

The black-clad figure's words were laced with sarcasm, but Ye Wangxi remained unperturbed, responding, "I have a clear conscience."

Despite his assertion, the crowd remained unconvinced. Ordinary people tended to measure others' integrity by their own standards. Most of these individuals came from the Upper Realm, and if they had obtained the Butterfly Bone Beauty, they would have protected her fiercely for dual cultivation or even consumed her. Who would believe Ye Wangxi's innocence?

Thus, they exchanged knowing glances, their expressions revealing disdain. Amidst the initially tense atmosphere, a sense of pleasure in prying into others' affairs emerged.

Nan Gongsi spoke with a grim tone, "I believe you're simply looking for trouble, trying to besmirch the reputation of our Confucian Wind Sect. Who you marry is none of your concern. Enough talk—return to where you came from."

"Lord Nan Gong, you truly don't appreciate good intentions," the black-clad figure paced within the grand hall. After circling around, he abruptly stopped not far from Song Qiutong and chuckled. "Miss Song, with your husband trusting you blindly like this, it's no wonder you can stand here with a clear conscience, assuming the identity of the young master's wife of the Confucian Wind Sect."

But Song Qiutong was far from calm like the other two. She said anxiously, "Don't sully my innocence!"

"What innocence do you share with Young Master Ye?" The black-clad man spoke confidently. "After he saved you, you willingly served him. When you two secretly met, you thought no one was watching, but little did you know that I was observing from the shadows. If you want to keep a secret, you mustn't let anyone else know..."

Song Qiutong suddenly shouted, interrupting him, "You're lying!"

"If I'm lying, why are you trembling?"

"I, I'm just... I'm... " She looked at Nan Gongsi fearfully. "My lord..."

Nan Gongsi returned to her side and shielded her, his wolfish, dark, and cold eyes fixated on the black-clad man. "Stop slandering her."

"Whether or not I'm slandering, you'll know once I tell you something," the black-clad man said with a smile. "Lord Nan Gong, does Miss Song have a red mole on the upper part of her left thigh?"

Nan Gongsi was taken aback. "You...?"

"About the size of a grain of rice, vibrant in color, not a dark red but a blood-red. How could I be so familiar with such a detail about her body if I hadn't seen her and Young Master Ye indulging in pleasure with my own eyes?"

"This..."

"Sir!" Song Qiutong panicked, tugging on Nan Gongsi's sleeve with tearful eyes. "No, no, he's accusing me falsely... He must have taken advantage of when I was bathing..."

"What's so interesting about you taking a bath?" The black-clothed man sounded annoyed, interrupting her. "Why not go watch Elder Yu Heng bathe and change at the Peak of Life and Death instead?"

The incident of Elder Yu Heng being secretly watched while bathing by a female disciple was a well-known anecdote in the cultivation world, and the mention of it now drew a few chuckles from the crowd. Some even dared to glance at Chu Wanning, but his daunting killing intent made them quickly avert their gazes.

The black-clothed man circled around Nan Gongsi and Song Qiutong, then suddenly seemed to remember something, clapping his hands and laughing. "Ah, right, I just recalled something. Back when young master Ye bought Miss Song, there was a Shangguan Sanhandao's personal mark of maidenhood on her wrist. If Miss Song is truly pure as jade, and my filthy words are slandering her, then that dot of cinnabar should still be on her wrist."

He paused, smiling at the terrified Song Qiutong, who was trembling uncontrollably. "Miss Song, if you truly want to clear your name, why not show everyone that mark of maidenhood? What do you say?"

Nan Gongsi understood, turning to comfort Song Qiutong. "It's alright, just show everyone. You..."

But seeing her lips turn pale, her face as white as paper, and her body trembling, he froze. After a moment, he asked in confusion, "Why... Why are you like this?"

Song Qiutong released her grip on Nan Gongsi, stepping back and covering her sleeve, tears streaming down her face as she shook her head repeatedly.

"No... No way..."

Nan Gongsi's eyes widened abruptly as if he knew what had transpired, leaving him speechless.

The black-clad man sneered coldly. "What's wrong? Are you afraid?"

"No, it's not like that... I don't know..." Song Qiutong slumped to the ground, tears streaming down her face in an instant. She said pitifully, "I'm not sure, I don't know... Please... spare me..."

She covered her sleeve tightly, not wanting others to see, but this attempt to conceal only served to confirm to everyone that the betrothal mark on her wrist, as the black-clad man had claimed, was indeed gone.

She had pledged herself to someone as a maiden, yet before their wedding, the red mark on her hand had vanished entirely.

There was no way to clear her name now.

Just as the black-clad man was about to speak again, a cold and stern voice rang out nearby. Amidst the flickering lamplight, Chu Wanning stood tall, saying, "Miss Song's mark on her wrist was still there a few days ago. It doesn't align with the time you mentioned for her supposed affair with Song and Ye. It seems more likely that you had malicious intentions."

For some reason, a fleeting expression of disbelief flashed across the black-clad man's eyes. The intimidating aura he had been exuding vanished inexplicably when he turned to face Chu Wanning. "............"

After a moment, the black-clad man sighed.

Some people present felt they must have misheard. The man who had just been pushing her towards despair seemed to have softened his tone, showing a hint of indulgence.

"Master Chu is correct, but I didn't say that Song and Ye were involved prior. I only mentioned their connection. As for the actual time of their secret affair, it would be just a few days ago."

Ye Wangxi murmured, "…This is preposterous…"

Chu Wanning's face was stoic, his demeanor authoritative. "Without evidence, your words may be true or false. Allow me to investigate further."

"You…"

As they spoke, a glint of gold flashed from Chu Wanning's fingertips. The black-clad figure's eyes narrowed, swiftly dodging the piercing divine weapon, Heavenly Inquiry, as it tore through the air.

"What is Master Chu doing?" The masked man was both amused and exasperated. He was agile, evading Chu Wanning's vine whip for the time being without retaliating. The initially tense and eerie atmosphere became somewhat comical, hinting at a subtle indulgence. "Don't hit me, I haven't finished speaking."

"If you wish to lodge a complaint, why not remove your disguise first!" Chu Wanning's bushy eyebrows furrowed, his voice stern.

"Why can't I do it now?"

"Why not?!"

"I am not good-looking. Under the lamplight, I might frighten everyone."

The black-clad man dodged behind a wooden pillar, having fled from Tianwen for half a day. Seeing Chu Wanning's formidable spells grow more aggressive with each battle, he inwardly realized the situation was dire. He sidestepped to avoid the golden glow of Tianwen's strike and shouted, "Ye Wangxi, aren't you a gentleman? Today, I'll expose your true nature to the world! You bought a woman for dual cultivation and forced Song Qiutong to serve you. You disregarded human ethics and bullied the wife of your master! You — you're a beast in human clothing, a wolf in sheep's clothing!"

Ye Wangxi flew into a rage. "What nonsense are you spouting?!"

"Did I say something wrong? Don't you know how Song Qiutong lost her maiden seal?" The black-clad man dodged while shouting, "She knelt before you the other day, telling you she's betrothed to Nan Gongsi, asking you to spare her and not pursue her anymore. Yet you obstinately refused, and you even said—"

Ye Wangxi's face turned livid as he gritted his teeth. "What did I say? Lie!"

"You've already forgotten your own words, so I have to remind you," the black-clad man cleared his throat and adopted a different tone, mimicking Ye Wangxi's voice. "Miss Song, I spent a fortune on you, only for someone else to reap the benefits. Now that you've caught the eye of Young Master Nan Gong, you want to leave me unscathed and cut all ties. You think too highly of yourself."

He then let out a mocking "hahaha" laugh, the mannerism of a complete scoundrel.

Ye Wangxi: "..............."

Author has something to say: Alright, everyone should know who it is in the first round by now~

But why would this person go out of their way to smear Little Ye's reputation? The answer will be revealed tomorrow~ hehehe~ (I'm guessing some of you might have figured out the second round's answer by now, hiding my face)

Starting today, we'll enter the Confucian Wind Sect arc, where we'll solve mysteries, fight monsters, and confront bosses. As usual, to maintain the story's rhythm, there won't be any side stories during this plot segment. Muah~