My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

The two exchanged a glance and immediately headed towards the noisy area.

It was the Cheng family's garden again.

Cheng Nanchun stood in a pavilion beside a pond, his face ashen, staring unblinkingly at the ground in front of him, his lips trembling.

People around him looked at him with pity or sympathy, but no one dared to step forward and speak.

Taking advantage of the fact that there weren't many people crowding around, Xie Yan and Chu Ling quietly squeezed to the front.

On the ground lay a wet, lifeless child's corpse.

The body had turned white from being submerged in water, and its face was covered in mud from the bottom of the pool. But it was still recognizable at a glance as the young master of the Cheng family.

A murmur of conversation drifted from the surrounding area.

"I heard it was discovered by the servants. They saw a large rock pressing something down underwater when they passed by, so they went up to check!"

"Oh dear, what a terrible thing!"

"What a beast! How could he lay a hand on a child!"

"Shh, keep your voice down."

The murmurs rose and fell, but no one dared to make a loud noise; they only dared to huddle together and whisper among themselves.

Because Cheng Nanchun's expression at this moment could no longer be described as merely ugly.

He stared intently at the ground, his eyes bloodshot, his teeth grinding together, and his whole body trembling uncontrollably.

The master of Zixiao Manor and the leader of Xuanzhen Sect also rushed over. Upon seeing the scene before them, their expressions changed slightly, and they both frowned.

"This……"

The Master of Zixiao Manor hesitated for a moment, sighed, and stepped forward. He patted Cheng Nanchun on the shoulder and said in a deep voice, "Brother Cheng, please accept my condolences."

"Condolences?"

Cheng Nanchun stiffly and slowly turned his head, his eyes filled with astonishing hatred, and gritted his teeth, saying, "My son died so tragically, how can I grieve in peace!"

As he was speaking, he suddenly raised his hand in anger and was about to slap the pillar next to him.

Fortunately, the Xuanzhen Sect leader stopped him in time, otherwise the pavilion would probably have been destroyed by him.

"Brother Cheng, you mustn't!"

Why are you stopping me?!

"Calm down!"

The Xuanzhen Sect leader held him tightly, afraid that he might do something irrational in a moment of excitement.

He took a deep breath and said slowly, "I know you're angry right now, but you need to calm down first."

"What we should do most right now is to find the murderer and avenge Xiao Ci!"

"revenge……"

Following his words, Cheng Nanchun murmured something, and his anger and grief subsided slightly. In their place, however, came an even more overwhelming hatred and murderous intent.

He was panting heavily, and each word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth as he said, "You're right, I must cut this bastard into a thousand pieces, skin him alive, and tear him apart to vent my hatred!"

Just as Cheng Nanchun was making his threats, Xie Yan stared at the child's corpse and began to examine it closely.

Perhaps because he was pressed down by a heavy stone, Cheng Ci's chest and abdomen were dented.

However, apart from that, his body was completely undamaged.

Its eyes were closed, and its mouth and tongue were slightly open. Its expression was calm, and there was no sign of struggle in its limbs, as if it had drowned while unconscious.

On the other side, the Lord of Zixiao Manor was also examining the corpse.

He examined it very carefully, even disregarding the stains, and touched it a few times.

Upon seeing this scene, Cheng Nanchun immediately flew into a rage again.

Then, the Master of Zixiao Manor suddenly uttered a questioning sound: "Hmm?"

Suddenly, he flipped Cheng Ci's body over and took off his outer robe, unfolding it.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, four large characters were written in blood on the lining: "Blood debts must be repaid in blood."

Something was added to the bloodstains, and even after being soaked in water for so long, they didn't become blurry at all; instead, they were so glaringly obvious that they were terrifying.

"This……"

The Master of Zixiao Manor looked at Cheng Nanchun with a hint of inquiry in his eyes.

Cheng Nanchun also saw those four words and immediately froze on the spot, his face turning pale.

Seeing this, the people around quickly gathered around and whispered among themselves, staring at the four characters.

"Blood for blood? What does that mean?"

"Could it be that Old Master Cheng also did this to someone else?"

"Impossible! Old Master Cheng is known for his kindness and compassion, how could he do such a thing?!"

"Shh, that's not necessarily true..."

Seeing that the people around him were speculating in the worst possible light, the leader of the Xuanzhen Sect quickly smoothed things over, saying, "Everyone, the most important thing now is to find the murderer. Please don't make any rash assumptions."

Master Zixiao observed Cheng Nanchun's expression and slowly said, "But this is still a clue. I wonder if Brother Cheng has any thoughts on it?"

Cheng Nanchun quickly realized what had happened and immediately withdrew the expression he had inadvertently revealed. His face turned ashen, and he squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth, "I, Cheng Nanchun, am upright and honest. I have done good deeds and accumulated virtue throughout my life and have never done anything against my conscience!"

The Lord of Zixiao Manor nodded noncommittally, without saying anything more.

But a hint of doubt still flashed in his eyes.

Xie Yan and Chu Ling witnessed everything.

In just a short time, more and more people gathered around.

Xie Yangang nodded to Shen Yulin, who had rushed over, when a shrill scream rang out.

Looking back, Madam Cheng, her clothes disheveled, ran over.

She had obviously rushed over as soon as she heard the news; her clothes were still undone and her hair was disheveled.

Upon seeing the pale, bloated corpse on the ground, Madam Cheng's legs immediately gave way, and she stumbled and fell to the ground beside Cheng Ci.

She burst into tears, crying out, "My son! My son!"

She held Cheng Ci in her arms, crying her heart out, and almost fainted several times, making those around her look on with pity.

"lady."

Cheng Nanchun put his hand on her shoulder and called her name with a choked voice.

Upon hearing this cry, Madam Cheng cried even harder. She gripped Cheng Nanchun's robe tightly, and a piercing scream rang out, "Master! You must avenge our child!"

"Our child died so tragically! You must avenge him!"

Madam Cheng was now in a state of madness, holding the child in one arm and constantly tugging at Cheng Nanchun's clothes with the other.

But suddenly, she caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye, and her scream stopped abruptly.

Following her gaze, one could see the garment that the Lord of Zixiao Manor was holding in his hand.

Madam Cheng's gaze was fixed on the glaring words "blood debts must be repaid in blood," and her expression froze instantly.

No one missed this scene.

A moment later, she began to tremble all over, and her face gradually became ferocious.

Madam Cheng released her grip on Cheng Nanchun's clothes, slumped to the ground, and kicked her legs as she retreated, shouting, "It's her! It's her! That woman isn't dead! She's back! She's back for revenge!"

Under everyone's gaze, Cheng Nanchun's expression suddenly changed.