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

The conversation abruptly stopped.

Everyone looked at Cheng Nanchun, whose eyes were already red and he was so choked up that he could barely speak.

He wiped his face hard, and it took him a long time to calm himself down before he finally spoke.

"I don't know if she had another episode of madness that led her to jump off the cliff with the child, or if she had already been determined to die. But if only I could have gotten back sooner..."

At this point, Cheng Nanchun, a man of unyielding integrity, broke down in tears.

Everyone present was deeply moved and offered words of comfort to Cheng Nanchun.

"Mr. Cheng, this is really not your fault."

"Yes, Mr. Cheng, to be honest, you've done more than enough!"

"Oh, please don't be sad. It's all fate!"

Amidst words of comfort, Cheng Nanchun remained heartbroken.

After a long while, he raised his head again, his grief turning into self-blame.

"It is only because this matter concerns my wife that it is a family disgrace. For the sake of the children, I have no choice but to keep it a secret."

Everyone understood; they never expected that Madam Cheng, who appeared gentle and compliant, was so jealous and vicious behind the scenes.

Presumably, she must have done something to Mei Ying and her son in secret, which is why she was so terrified when she saw the four big characters "blood debts must be repaid in blood," thinking that Mei Ying had returned to seek revenge.

"So, could it be that Mei Ying's child came back and did all this?"

Some people started to speculate.

"Impossible!" Cheng Nanchun suddenly retorted, but he quickly realized his lapse in composure.

He paused for a moment before explaining, "The child was only three or four years old at the time, so it's impossible for him to remember anything. Besides, he was quite close to me, so why would he come back to seek revenge?"

However, this time his words failed to gain the approval of the crowd.

"Old Cheng, you are mistaken! As the saying goes, the hatred for killing one's father is irreconcilable, let alone the hatred for harming one's mother! Not to mention that the child has no blood relation to you whatsoever. It's hard to guarantee that he won't hold a grudge against you for this!"

"That's right! Otherwise, how could he have killed the steward and your son one after the other? You or Madam Cheng would definitely be next!"

Hearing the affirmative comments from those around him, Cheng Nanchun couldn't refute them, and his face grew paler and paler.

Finally, he slumped into a chair, muttering as if he had finally convinced himself, "Could it be... could it really be him who's back?"

Seeing him like this, everyone comforted him.

“Every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt its debtor. This boy should not seek revenge on Old Master Cheng. He cannot distinguish between good and evil, nor can he tell right from wrong. He has committed heinous crimes.”

"Don't worry, Mr. Cheng. We will definitely lend you a hand and help you catch that thief."

"That's right! We will definitely protect the Cheng family and keep them safe!"

Hearing the righteous words of those around him, Cheng Nanchun's expression softened.

He stood up, cupped his hands in thanks to everyone, and said, "Then I, this old man, would like to express my gratitude in advance!"

Amidst the fervent emotions of the crowd, a few individuals remained silent.

Master Zixiao stroked his beard, seemingly lost in thought; Shen Yulin also looked solemn and deep in thought, while Song Yunzheng beside him lowered her head to drink tea, her expression unreadable.

Meanwhile, Xie Yan was dozing off, while Chu Ling was watching the dozing-off girl.

It took quite a while for the crowd to quiet down.

Cheng Nanchun thanked everyone with a wry smile and silently breathed a sigh of relief, but suddenly felt a gaze fixed on him.

His gaze was cold and sinister, even carrying a strong sense of hatred, as if he wished he could tear him to pieces.

Cheng Nanchun was startled and tried to follow the gaze, but was blocked by the crowd.

A chill ran down his spine; he was almost certain that someone who wanted to harm him was hiding right there in the hall, among the crowd!

"It's getting late, everyone please head back now!"

Cheng Nanchun's expression stiffened slightly, and he seemed a little restless, clearly indicating that he was no longer in the mood to deal with these people.

Everyone noticed his unease and assumed he was terrified by what had happened that day.

After offering him a few more words of comfort, the people who were on duty that night bowed and took their leave.

Cheng Nanchun stood at the entrance of the hall, watching those people leave one by one, his face growing increasingly gloomy.

After all the guards had left, he waved to summon his servants.

"Bring me the list of those who entered the Cheng family today."

At midnight, a faint sound of loosening came from the roof tiles, and Xie Yan, who was lying in bed, opened her eyes.

He sighed softly, surprised that thieves these days had no professional ethics whatsoever.

Since light-footed skills aren't up to par, at least you should lighten your load before climbing the roof.

However, before Xie Yan could get out of bed, Chu Ling from across the hall opened the door and leaped up without saying a word.

Looking at the burly man whose lower half of his face was covered, Chu Ling suddenly felt that Xie Yan's words made a lot of sense.

He pretended not to recognize that the person was Cheng Nanchun, and with a serious expression, he shouted, "Who are you? What are you planning to do, sneaking in at night?"

Unaware that his identity had been exposed, Cheng Nanchun lowered his voice, chuckled coldly, and said, "Hmph! The one who will take your lives!"

Before he finished speaking, he immediately drew his sword and charged forward, slashing fiercely at Chu Ling.

At least he had some sense and knew he couldn't use his own boxing style.

While dodging, Chu Ling pretended to suddenly realize something, "Could you be the thief who caused trouble at the Cheng family's house?"

Cheng Nanchun did not answer, but increased the force in his hand, looking as if he was determined to take Chu Ling's life.

Xie Yan stared speechlessly at the roof, which had been punctured by Cheng Nanchun during the fight. As she got up, she heard footsteps coming from outside the window that did not belong to the other two people.

It was quite lively tonight.

He sighed and leaped out of the window. Not far away, another heavily disguised man in black shot a hidden weapon straight at him.

He dodged the attack, and the man in black, seeing that his first strike had failed, fired several more hidden weapons, all of which Xie Yan dodged.

Seeing this, he realized that Xie Yan was not someone to be trifled with, so he did not attack again, but instead turned around and fled towards the Cheng family.

Xie Yan narrowed her eyes, looking at the back of the man in black, and then turned to look at Chu Ling, who was still fighting with Cheng Nanchun.

After a moment's thought, he decisively followed.

With Chu Ling's martial arts skills, he was more than capable of dealing with Cheng Nanchun and did not need his help at all.

What's more intriguing is this man in black who suddenly appeared—his appearance and escape were both strange. Could he be Cheng Nanchun's accomplice?

Xie Yan followed the man all the way into the inner courtyard of the Cheng family, and the distance between the two gradually shortened.

Just as he was about to be caught, the man in black suddenly seemed to panic and smashed through a window of a house, rolling inside.

Xie Yan followed closely behind.

However, before he even landed, a strong stench of blood assaulted his nostrils. When he looked up again, the man in black who had led him in had vanished without a trace.

"This is bad!" Xie Yan thought to herself.

Suddenly, firelight and several figures appeared outside the window.