Phoenix Top and Dragon Bottom Chapter 21

Chapter 21: The Murderer of Zhuang is Finally Revealed

Tao Huai’s words left everyone doubtful, and for a moment, they weren’t sure if they could trust him. However, Tao Huai’s righteous identity was well-established, and given that Xiang Zong was his father-in-law, he was unlikely to be part of Feng Xuan Yang’s group.

Yet, Feng Xuan Yang was under strong suspicion, and people couldn’t simply let their guard down. Someone spoke up, asking, “Tao Xiaobiao, why were you together with Sect Master Feng, even spending time together so late?”

Tao Huai shook his head and looked at the crowd deeply before sighing, “This is a long story. I believe you all know about the wedding banquet between me and Miss Xiang. On that day, it wasn’t that I didn’t want to marry Miss Xiang, but there was another woman I admired, the one I eventually married.”

The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.

Mbl nasoe oyp vyjld ycynj, pldpkdt psxlvbkdt wdwpwyz, yde vblu raknjle wr vblka lyap vs zkpvld.

Mys Twyk nsdvkdwle, “Vlabyrp usw yzz yal wdyoyal vbyv lhld clqsal vbl oleekdt, Ykpp Dkydt oyp nsdqkdle cu bla qyvbla vs ralhldv bla qasx awddkdt yoyu. Gp y alpwzv, vbl osxyd obs yrrlyale clqsal xl, kdnzwekdt vbl sdl obs xyaakle xl, oyp dsv vbl alyz Dkydt Ckydpbwydt cwv xu nwaaldv okql, kxrlapsdyvkdt bla. Pwakdt swa vkxl vstlvbla, R elhlzsrle qllzkdtp qsa xu okql. Tsolhla, fwpv sdl eyu clqsal vbl oleekdt…” Tl tzydnle yv Wldt Dwyd Zydt yde pyke, “Flnv Yypvla Wldt nyxl vs kdqsax xl vbyv vbl rlapsd R yexkale oyp dsv vbl alyz Dkydt Ckyd Fbwydt cwv psxlsdl lzpl ralvldekdt vs cl bla.”

Gqvla pyukdt vbkp, Mys Twyk rywple, tygkdt yv vbl nasoe, yde eked’v rashkel qwavbla elvykzp. Tl clzklhle vbl svblap olal dsv qsszkpb yde oswze wdelapvyde vbl kxrzknyvksdp. Rv oyp dsv ps pwarakpkdt vs prlde vkxl wdvkz zyvl yv dktbv okvb psxlsdl obs bye alhlyzle vbl vawvb vs bkx.

Qayewyzzu, vbl nasoe’p eswcvp ekxkdkpble, lmnlrv qsa Nsdt Ckdtbyd, obs pvkzz qswde psxlvbkdt see. Oyazkla, Wldt Dwyd Zydt bye ypjle bkx ycswv vbl vawvb altyaekdt vbl alyz yde qyjl Dkydt Ckydpbwydt, cwv bl eked’v ydpola yde pkxrzu pxkzle. Lso, kv vwadle swv vbyv vbl sdl obs alhlyzle vbl vawvb oyp Wldt Dwyd Zydt bkxplzq, ps obu eke bl ypj vbl iwlpvksd kd vbl qkapv rzynl?

Long Qinghan furrowed his brows, feeling that if he could grasp something, he might unravel the whole truth.

“Tao Xiaobiao, as you said, you and Sect Master Feng separated not long ago. Then why did you come here? Besides, is there anyone who can testify to your claims?” someone asked Tao Huai.

Tao Huai, a shrewd person, smiled modestly and gestured toward Long Qinghan, saying, “Young Master Long and my wife can testify. As for why I am here at this moment, it’s because it’s getting late, and I must accompany my wife back to rest, causing the delay.”

The crowd looked at each other for a while, then turned to Long Qinghan and asked, “Young Master Long, is this true?”

Long Qinghan was taken aback and glanced at Tao Huai with a hint of uncertainty before replying, “Yes, it’s true. Brother Tao invited me tonight, so I joined the gathering. Little did I know that before I arrived, Sect Master Feng had already entered the estate.” He sighed softly and added, “That’s why I had to speak up multiple times to defend Sect Master Feng.”

“I happened to be drinking at the inn last night and saw Young Master Long with Feng Xuan Yang. They only separated around midnight. How can this be…”

Before the person could finish speaking, Tao Huai interrupted, “It’s my impatience that led to this. In fact, I’ve long wanted to invite both of them for a drink, but the opportunity never arose. Last night, I coincidentally encountered them, so I shamelessly invited them to join me for another round of drinks.”

The crowd glanced at Tao Huai and sensed his sincerity, which gradually dispelled their doubts.

“But if it wasn’t Sect Master Feng, then who is the real murderer? And what does this ‘demon’ refer to?” someone inquired.

Tao Huai raised an eyebrow, smiling slyly as he looked at Feng Xuan Yang, saying, “I believe Sect Master Feng knows the answer.”

Feng Xuan Yang’s eyes narrowed, emitting a dangerous glint, but Tao Huai remained composed and unfazed. With everyone’s attention now on him, Feng Xuan Yang had no choice but to speak.

Feng Xuan Yang’s lips parted, and he felt a slightly cold sensation in the palm of his hand. Glancing to the side, he saw the worry in the eyes of those around him. He smiled faintly and returned his gaze to the crowd, saying, “As I mentioned before, I was attacked upon my arrival.” He paused, seeing everyone nod, and continued, “Similarly, Master Xiang was affected, with his mind clouded. When he saw me, he attacked me as well. I was entangled in a struggle for a while and was then besieged by others in the estate, blocking my path. When I arrived, I coincidentally encountered all of you. As for the ‘Red-Clothed Individual’ you mentioned, actually…”

At this moment, Feng Xuan Yang suddenly stopped, causing the crowd’s breathing to halt as well. All eyes were fixed on him, waiting for him to reveal the truth. However, Feng Xuan Yang simply lowered his eyelids, furrowing his brows without providing an answer, leaving everyone on edge.

“Could it be… Master Xiang as the Red-Clothed Individual?” a chilling voice slowly spoke, and just as everyone’s suspended hearts began to relax after hearing “Red-Clothed Individual,” they were suddenly tensed again upon hearing “Master Xiang.”

Everyone trembled, looking at the person who spoke. Long Qinghan was crouched at the spot where the blood-stained silver sword was found, holding a large piece of burnt fabric. People approached to take a closer look and found that the piece seemed to have been crushed by a fallen wardrobe and was saved from complete destruction thanks to the timely extinguishing of the fire. Though most of it was charred, it was evident that it had been red. Long Qing Han shook the fabric, revealing its substantial size, possibly resembling a red garment when fully restored.

“This…” Everyone gasped; the red garment was found here, and the murder weapon was also here. Could it be that the killer was truly Master Xiang? But why did he discard the sword and the red garment?

Long Qinghn spoke slowly, “What you just said, Sect Master Feng, is it true?”

Feng Xuan Yang looked at him firmly and nodded. Instantly, the crowd erupted in astonishment.

Who would have thought that the murderer of the estate would turn out to be their own Master Xiang!

“In that case, no wonder Sect Master Feng refused to defend himself. Considering that if he claimed Master Xiang committed the murder, none of us would have believed it. Hence, he remained silent,” Long Qinghan explained, and gradually, the crowd’s doubts began to dissipate. Nevertheless, how could their esteemed estate master, Master Xiang, have committed such a heinous crime and even taken his own life?

Long Qinghan was also extremely puzzled by this matter. He couldn’t comprehend it, so he shifted his gaze to Feng Xuan Yang, hoping he could provide an answer.

Feng Xuan Yang’s hands clenched tightly, and after a long moment, he sighed deeply and said, “When I arrived, I saw many corpses in the courtyard, and numerous people… were killing each other.”

“What!” This piece of news undoubtedly shocked everyone.

“I went to find the master of the manor and discovered that he was killing several people with his sword. In my urgency, I attempted to apprehend him, but several others intervened, and I was unable to do so. I ended up killing them all. When I caught up to him, the manor master rushed into the burning house. After that, I encountered Young Master Long and everyone else. As for why they were killing each other, I have no idea. As for the word ‘魔’ (mó), I have no clue about that either. I have no deep grudge with the manor master, and he is even considered a relative by marriage. How could I put him to death in front of everyone? From my guess, perhaps this ‘魔’ is… a person’s name or maybe an item.”

With a cryptic statement, Feng Xuan Yang glanced at the crowd with a faint smile. His words prompted everyone to lower their heads and engage in whispered discussions. However, among the prominent figures in the current martial world, no one had a name or title containing the word ‘魔’ (mó).

Just as the crowd shook their heads and sighed, suddenly, a shrill scream erupted from the midst of the people. An older man was trembling, pointing directly at Feng Xuan Yang. His mouth kept quivering, his eyes widened as he said, “魔… 魔, could it be him?! Impossible, impossible, he… no… this must be his curse, it must be! Ah—”

With a despairing cry, he suddenly ran out, as if he had gone mad, yelling loudly as he fled, “Impossible, impossible!”

Everyone was puzzled and confused, but they weren’t familiar with the man, so apart from exchanging glances, no one pursued him.

However, Long Qinghan frowned, sensing that this man knew something. He turned to look at Feng Xuan Yang and noticed a faint cold smile on his lips, but he couldn’t decipher its meaning.

He felt that the man wanted to say “魔月” (móyuè) (Demon Moon) before he stopped himself. Demon Moon, another mention of Demon Moon, what could it be?

His eyes narrowed, and he saw a hint of meaning in Feng Xuan Yang’s gaze.

Meanwhile, the man had already run far away. The rest of the people were relatively young and clueless. For a moment, they couldn’t find any useful information.

Long Qinghan sighed and walked to the corpse of Xiang Zong, squatting down to see if he could unravel the mystery. He didn’t believe in curses; thus, he fully believed that this whole incident was man-made. Otherwise, why would the people in the manor be killing each other overnight?

At this moment, Xiang Zong’s body had cooled down completely, stiffened, and with wide-open eyes, he wore an expression of shock, seemingly unwilling and resentful. What exactly had he encountered? Why was he dressed in red, and why did he resort to killing?

Long Qinghan closed his eyes, attempting to merge the memories of his two lifetimes to see if he could make any discoveries. However, the more he thought about it, the more confused he became. Before his reincarnation, Xiang Zong’s body had been burned, and everyone had attributed the blame to Feng Xuan Yang, concluding the matter. But now, after his rebirth, many things had changed, including time.

Why did everything happen three months earlier? What was the significance of this time difference?

“Qinghan, look at this,” a voice interrupted his contemplation. Turning his head, he saw Feng Xuan Yang squatting beside him, pointing at Xiang Zong’s face.

Following his finger, Long Qinghan suddenly froze. Although the face was covered in dust, there was a red dot at the center of his eyebrows, so tiny that it was almost imperceptible.

“What is this red dot?” Long Qinghan reached out to touch it.

However, a hand quickly intercepted his, and as he glanced up, he looked at Feng Xuan Yang in confusion.

Feng Xuan Yang furrowed his brow and said, “If I’m not mistaken, this red dot is either the result of a concealed weapon or…”

********