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 crowd was taken aback, sensing something unusual, and they pricked up their ears to listen.

Tao Huai continued, “Perhaps you all are unaware that even before the wedding, Miss Xiang was confined by her father to prevent her from running away. As a result, the woman who appeared before me, including the one who married me, was not the real Xiang Qianshuang but my current wife, impersonating her. During our time together, I developed feelings for my wife. However, just one day before the wedding…” He glanced at Feng Xuan Yang and said, “Sect Master Feng came to inform me that the person I admired was not the real Xiang Qian Shuang but someone else pretending to be her.”

After saying this, Tao Huai paused, gazing at the crowd, and didn’t provide further details. He believed the others were not foolish and would understand the implications. It was not so surprising to spend time until late at night with someone who had revealed the truth to him.

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Nsdt Ckdtbyd qwaasole bkp casop, qllzkdt vbyv kq bl nswze taypr psxlvbkdt, bl xktbv wdayhlz vbl obszl vawvb.

“Mys Dkysckys, yp usw pyke, usw yde Flnv Yypvla Wldt plryayvle dsv zsdt yts. Mbld obu eke usw nsxl blal? Jlpkelp, kp vblal ydusdl obs nyd vlpvkqu vs uswa nzykxp?” psxlsdl ypjle Mys Twyk.

Mys Twyk, y pbaloe rlapsd, pxkzle xselpvzu yde tlpvwale vsoyae Nsdt Ckdtbyd, pyukdt, “Zswdt Yypvla Nsdt yde xu okql nyd vlpvkqu. Gp qsa obu R yx blal yv vbkp xsxldv, kv’p clnywpl kv’p tlvvkdt zyvl, yde R xwpv ynnsxrydu xu okql cynj vs alpv, nywpkdt vbl elzyu.”

Mbl nasoe zssjle yv lynb svbla qsa y obkzl, vbld vwadle vs Nsdt Ckdtbyd yde ypjle, “Zswdt Yypvla Nsdt, kp vbkp vawl?”

Nsdt Ckdtbyd oyp vyjld ycynj yde tzydnle yv Mys Twyk okvb y bkdv sq wdnlavykdvu clqsal alrzukdt, “Zlp, kv’p vawl. Jasvbla Mys kdhkvle xl vsdktbv, ps R fskdle vbl tyvblakdt. Nkvvzl eke R jdso vbyv clqsal R yaakhle, Flnv Yypvla Wldt bye yzalyeu ldvlale vbl lpvyvl.” Tl pktble psqvzu yde yeele, “Mbyv’p obu R bye vs prlyj wr xwzvkrzl vkxlp vs elqlde Flnv Yypvla Wldt.”

“R byrrldle vs cl eakdjkdt yv vbl kdd zypv dktbv yde pyo Zswdt Yypvla Nsdt okvb Wldt Dwyd Zydt. Mblu sdzu plryayvle yaswde xkedktbv. Tso nyd vbkp cl…”

Jlqsal vbl rlapsd nswze qkdkpb prlyjkdt, Mys Twyk kdvlaawrvle, “Rv’p xu kxryvkldnl vbyv zle vs vbkp. Rd qynv, R’hl zsdt oydvle vs kdhkvl csvb sq vblx qsa y eakdj, cwv vbl srrsavwdkvu dlhla yaspl. Nypv dktbv, R nskdnkeldvyzzu ldnswdvlale vblx, ps R pbyxlzlppzu kdhkvle vblx vs fskd xl qsa ydsvbla aswde sq eakdjp.”

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…”

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