Pei Liang was not truly bored enough to do that. So after waiting for the father and son to breathe their last, she walked over to Young Sect Leader Pei.
She used the tip of her blade to nudge the severed piece into his palm, then sighed. “I was only joking.”
“How could I, as your little sister, let you die without your whole body intact?”
Yet her performance only sent Han Weiliu and Xia Yunsha, who had long since been struck dumb, an even colder shiver down their spines.
From the moment Pei Liang had slit her own father’s throat, the two of them had been utterly bewildered. Then she had efficiently killed her own brother—and even chopped off that particular part of him. The whole sequence of events was so brutal that, at first glance, neither of them could believe what they were seeing.
For a moment, Han Weiliu even wondered whether the Pei Liang before him was an impostor.
But he himself was a master of disguise. Though he had been lax about practicing martial arts since childhood, he was intensely interested in all sorts of strange and unusual things, and had acquired considerable skill in several arts his parents regarded as “unorthodox.”
Based on his understanding of Pei Liang, she could not possibly be a fake. Then why had she personally killed her own father and brother?
Han Weiliu might once have been naïve, but after suffering the destruction of his family within a few short months, his temperament had naturally matured at astonishing speed.
As the eldest daughter of the Slashing Moon Sect, Pei Liang’s status and wealth were entirely tied to her father and brother. Even if they had been utterly vile, what benefit could she possibly gain from killing them?
Besides, she had been able to appear here, and judging from what Young Sect Leader Pei had said when he was carried away by his own pride, she was certainly not ignorant of her family’s true nature.
Had she suddenly seen the light? Even Han Weiliu found that explanation laughable.
And yet Pei Liang had killed them.
“You… you…” he muttered, at a loss for words.
Pei Liang ignored him. She casually took the keys from the wall and unlocked the shackles around Han Weiliu’s wrists.
Then she went over to unlock Xia Yunsha’s.
Xia Yunsha, the female lead, was an interesting person. She possessed the survival instincts of a small animal. When the situation had turned dangerous earlier, she had done her utmost to make herself inconspicuous, not daring to say a word.
But now that Pei Liang had personally killed her father and brother, then released them both, it seemed that she had no intention of killing them.
Her mind immediately began working again. As someone who had never been able to keep her mouth shut, she started speaking.
“You’re a sensible person after all. Unlike your father and brother, you didn’t let yourself become completely rotten. You knew enough to turn back before it was too late.”
“They were so wicked that they’ll surely be condemned to the eighteenth level of hell. Luckily, you had the courage to turn back and put righteousness before family.”
“Don’t worry. Once we get out and the truth is revealed to the world, we’ll tell everyone exactly what you did. We absolutely won’t let you suffer because of your father and brother.”
As she spoke, she even shoved Han Weiliu. He was already seriously injured, and the careless push made him knit his brows in pain.
Xia Yunsha urged him, “Say something, will you? Miss Pei has gone this far for us. Those things weren’t done by her, so you can’t keep blaming her.”
Han Weiliu said nothing. He merely gave Pei Liang a complicated look.
How could the hatred of an entire family being slaughtered be sorted out and assigned with nothing more than simple logic?
Pei Liang, however, smiled, her face wearing an expression as though she were accepting Xia Yunsha’s kindness. “Miss Xia, you’re too considerate. You’re making me feel ashamed.”
“Haha, think nothing of it.” Xia Yunsha did not know where her boldness had come from. She laughed and said, “It’s because Miss Pei has a pure heart and refused to go along with evil. That is the true spirit of those who walk the martial world.”
Pei Liang’s smile deepened. “Please, stop praising me. With Miss Xia being so warmhearted, I’ll feel rather embarrassed about framing you next.”
The smile on Xia Yunsha’s face froze. For a moment, she wondered whether she had misheard.
Then she felt something placed in her hand. When she raised it to look, she saw that it was unmistakably the knife Pei Liang had used to kill her father and brother.
Pei Liang immediately continued, “After interrogating the two of you, my father and brother were suddenly overcome by lust. They coveted Miss Xia’s beauty, so they sent me away, unlocked Miss Xia’s shackles, and attempted to assault her.”
“Miss Xia pretended to cooperate, but seized the opportunity to slit my father’s throat. She then freed Han Weiliu, lured my brother, who was waiting outside, into the trap, and joined forces with Han Weiliu to kill him.”
As she spoke, Pei Liang even nodded. “It’s a little far-fetched, but what do I know? All I know is that I was sent away, and when I came back, I found my father and brother dead—and my brother’s… private parts chopped off in revenge.”
She finished by giving the two of them a bright, sweet smile. “You have fifteen minutes to escape. Good luck!”
Xia Yunsha was completely dumbfounded. Pointing at Pei Liang, she cried out in embarrassment and fury, “You—you killed them yourself! How can you say I did it?”
Pei Liang replied, “Why would I kill my own father and brother? They were the pillars of the Slashing Moon Sect, the foundation of all my wealth and status. The moment they died, I went from being the daughter of a prestigious sect to a lone orphan caught in a catastrophic upheaval. Do I have even the slightest reason to act against them?”
“Besides, there isn’t a trace of blood on me.”
Xia Yunsha looked down. Sure enough, Pei Liang’s clothes and hands were perfectly clean. She had killed two people in such a bloody manner, yet not a single drop of blood stained her.
Though Xia Yunsha’s martial arts were mediocre at best, she was skilled at lightness techniques and escaping, and possessed a certain degree of discernment as a martial artist. Naturally, she knew that avoiding blood to such an extent required extremely rich experience.
By contrast, when the knife had been thrust into her hands, the blood on its blade had smeared all over her. After her restraints were removed, she had become so pleased with herself that she had even stepped into the pool of blood beneath the two bodies. Now bloody footprints marked her every step.
Xia Yunsha glared at Pei Liang. “You’re framing me for what you did! Why? I have no grudge against you.”
Pei Liang nodded. “It has nothing to do with personal animosity. I actually admire Miss Xia quite a bit. It’s just that your sect has been far too idle lately.”
“Since you have nothing better to do, I’ll find something to occupy your sect.”
A guilty look immediately appeared on Xia Yunsha’s face. Han Weiliu saw it and could hardly fail to understand.
It was not as though he had only begun to suspect her now. Xia Yunsha had already been pestering him over trivial matters, to the point of driving him nearly frantic. It was only because they had infiltrated the Slashing Moon Sect together and she had suffered considerably as a result of being implicated by him that he had suppressed his suspicions out of guilt.
Now that Pei Liang had exposed the truth, he felt that his suspicions had been entirely correct. He was not surprised in the slightest.
He let out a cold laugh. “Your Forget-Me-Not Sect certainly thinks highly of me. My family has been wiped out, and all I have left is this worthless life. Was it really worth going to such lengths over me?”
The reason behind the destruction of the Han family had given rise to all sorts of speculation throughout the martial world. The two most widely accepted theories were that it had been an act of vengeance by an old enemy, or that the family had been destroyed because it possessed some priceless treasure.
After all, the motives of martial artists were generally limited to a handful of possibilities. The Han family was no helpless, insignificant clan. Who would take on such a formidable family and go through all that trouble without sufficient incentive?
The martial world was full of treacherous villains. With such theories circulating, and with Han Weiliu now stripped of all support, there was naturally no shortage of people trying to discover what peerless treasure the Han family possessed—something valuable enough to bring about the destruction of the entire clan.
Xia Yunsha was not the first person Han Weiliu had encountered over the past few months who had approached him with ulterior motives.
Nor would she be the last.
But Xia Yunsha’s eyes reddened with grievance at his words. “H-How could you say that?”
“Not everyone who approaches you has bad intentions.”
Pei Liang thought to herself that this really wasn’t something Xia Yunsha could decide. The original novel she had obtained this time was missing pages and chapters, and many sections contained misleading information.
Yet even from the limited details she could extract, the seemingly ordinary second-rate sect behind Xia Yunsha—one that rarely appeared in the story—looked suspicious to Pei Liang.
Three major sects had participated in the extermination of the Han family, but Pei Liang was certain those three were merely the tip of the iceberg.
Now that she had killed her own father and elder brother, Pei Liang’s first priority was to take complete control of the Slashing Moon Sect and ensure that it would not become easy prey simply because both its Sect Leader and Young Sect Leader had died.
Naturally, she could not tolerate a suspicious sect remaining so comfortably hidden.
She had to drag it out of the leisurely obscurity where no one paid it any special attention and into the light, so that everyone would scrutinize its suspicious actions with a magnifying glass and restrict its movements.
As for the heroine, Xia Yunsha… To be honest, although she was somewhat loud and impulsive, Pei Liang did not truly dislike her. Still, there was no denying that Xia Yunsha was exceedingly easy to use.
That was true with her own sect, and it was true with Pei Liang as well.
Thus, Pei Liang reminded her “kindly,” “Miss Xia, you have another fifteen minutes.”
When Han Weiliu refused to respond to her, Xia Yunsha finally stamped her foot angrily and turned to Pei Liang. “Just you wait! I’ll expose your true colors to the entire world!”
With that, she ran out.
Pei Liang paid her no mind. When she turned back and saw that Han Weiliu had not left, she raised an eyebrow. “Why are you still here?”
Han Weiliu looked at her with a complicated expression. “What exactly are you trying to do?”
There was no need to hide it. Pei Liang had always been quite straightforward about the way she lived her life.
She replied, “The Slashing Moon Sect as it is now disgusts me, so I’m going to reshape it into what I want it to be. The first things that need cleaning out are these two disgusting worms.”
As she spoke, she nudged Father and Son Pei with the tip of her foot, then said to Han Weiliu, “You may think what happened to your family was already beyond tragic, but in truth, it was merely one of countless evils they committed.”
“Take him, for instance.” Pei Liang glanced at Young Sect Leader Pei. “He once tried to force a peasant girl to marry him. But she already had a fiancé and would rather die than submit.”
“Sure enough, the very next day, her entire family was dead. Before they died, they were tortured and humiliated. Her fiancé came to the Slashing Moon Sect with a hoe, intending to avenge her, but he never even made it through the main gate. He ended up just like you did.”
“Except he wasn’t as lucky as you. He never got to walk out of that cell. They take great pleasure in tormenting people.”
Naturally, the original host was no good person either. As Young Sect Leader Pei had said, she truly did hate bloodshed and filth and never involved herself in such dirty deeds.
But turning a blind eye to certain matters, watching coldly from the sidelines, and still trying to preserve one’s purity was laughable in itself.
The original host’s privileged life had also been built upon the fruits of that very evil, so in Pei Liang’s eyes, there was nothing worth lamenting.
Seeing Han Weiliu’s emotions surge as his hatred was stirred up once more, Pei Liang said, “I’m sorry for taking away your chance to personally avenge your family.”
“But I may as well tell you this: besides the two of them, there are two other families involved in the extermination of the Han clan. Both are now related to the Pei family by marriage.”
The Pei family had only one legitimate son and one legitimate daughter. Young Sect Leader Pei had become engaged several months ago to the daughter of a certain sect. As for Pei Liang, following the other party’s advice earlier, she had canceled her engagement after the Han family was destroyed and instead become engaged to the Jiang family.
Han Weiliu’s eyes widened with fury. It seemed that the marriage ties between these three families were the bond that kept them closely connected: together they had agreed to keep the secret and share the profits.
In the original story, after Father and Son Pei were killed, the two related families had come to attend the funeral. Han Weiliu, who was secretly searching for clues, had accidentally discovered something suspicious about them.
Pei Liang had now spared him all those twists and turns and told him directly.
Still, having said that, Pei Liang warned him, “But forgive my bluntness. With your current level of skill, confronting them will end the same way as your rash visit to the Slashing Moon Sect.”
“A gentleman may wait ten years to avenge a wrong. Why not go into hiding and train your martial arts, then settle every grievance and repay every debt once your skills have reached perfection? After all, you possess an unrivaled secret manual.”
“That’s none of your concern!” Han Weiliu glared at her.
Pei Liang shrugged. She instinctively lifted her wrist to check the time, only to find it bare.
She did not care. Ignoring Han Weiliu’s attitude, she continued, “You have one incense stick’s worth of time left. After that, even if you’re still foolishly lingering here, I’ll shout and bring everyone running.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to leave now?”
The man gave Pei Liang a deep look, then shifted his gaze to the bodies of Father and Son Pei. He looked as though he wished he could grind their corpses to dust.
In the end, however, he did nothing. He turned and left the dungeon.
Sure enough, after one incense stick had burned down, the dungeon rang with the Miss Pei’s shocked scream.
The cry drew all the guards in the dungeon over. They then saw the corpses of their Sect Leader and Young Sect Leader lying in pools of blood.
Young Sect Leader Pei had also been castrated, making his death especially humiliating and gruesome.
Everyone in the Slashing Moon Sect drew a sharp breath. Then the entire Slashing Moon Manor exploded into chaos.
When Old Madam Pei heard the news, she rolled her eyes back and fainted on the spot.
After the death of Sect Leader Pei’s wife, he had never taken another wife. However, the father and son had kept plenty of young and beautiful concubines in their inner residences, and there were several illegitimate children as well.
But among those children, some were still young and the rest were mediocre. With the pillars of the family collapsing, how could any of them take their place?
Even Young Sect Leader Pei, who had already reached adulthood, had actually been mediocre among his peers. He had merely relied on his status to obtain resources beyond the reach of ordinary people, accumulating enough advantages to appear passable. Outside the sect, he could still receive praise as a young prodigy—but he was ultimately nothing more than a handsome, empty showpiece.
Even if only Sect Leader Pei had died, that good-for-nothing Young Sect Leader Pei would never have been able to hold the family up.
Now that both able-bodied adult men were dead, wasn’t this effectively a catastrophe for the Pei family?
The manor descended into chaos, while the women of the inner residence wailed and bickered. With the old madam unconscious and no one to take charge, Pei Liang also played dumb and did as little as possible.
At the very least, she did everything she could to buy the two escapees time to get away.
That said, she did not neglect any of the other preparations that needed to be made.
By evening, Old Madam Pei finally regained consciousness. Upon learning that she had missed the window to seal off the manor and that the two culprits had likely already fled far away, her first order was to send people out in every direction to search for them. They were to capture the fugitives at any cost.
Her second order was to issue a wanted notice throughout the martial world. However, Han Weiliu’s name was not included.
After all, everyone knew that Han Weiliu’s entire family had been slaughtered and that he was devoted to finding the culprits. If such a man suddenly appeared at the Slashing Moon Sect and killed the people who had originally been his future father-in-law and maternal uncle, then the causes and circumstances behind the incident would certainly invite some very interesting speculation.
Thus, the wanted notice named only Xia Yunsha, and pointed directly at the Autumnforgetting Sect behind her.
If this old madam had lived in the modern era, she would have been a skilled crisis-management expert.
She knew that the Slashing Moon Sect was not the only side capable of talking. Once the two fugitives escaped, they would inevitably shout the truth to the world.
So she shifted the blame directly onto the Wangqiu Sect, claiming that they harbored ulterior motives and coveted the Pei family’s martial arts manual.
They sent one of their beautiful female disciples to seduce Han Weiliu, feeding him fabricated lies and leading him to believe that the Pei family was responsible for wiping out his sect. That drove him to seek revenge.
Sect Leader Pei and Young Sect Leader Pei had treated him as their future son-in-law and brother-in-law, respectively, and naturally let down their guard around him. They never imagined that the two would launch a surprise attack and murder them.
In the end, it was the two members of the Pei family who had died, which gave them a natural advantage in the matter. Besides, with Han Weiliu and Xia Yunsha’s abilities, killing the highly skilled and famous Sect Leader Pei would have been impossible under ordinary circumstances. It could only have been done through an ambush.
Thus, even if the two of them went around shouting the truth after escaping, their story would not stand up to scrutiny.
Those two young people were incapable of bearing such a grave crime. Whether it was shifting the blame or demanding accountability, the Wangqiu Sect would inevitably be dragged into the matter.
That was precisely what Pei Liang had been counting on, and she was quite satisfied with Old Madam Pei’s arrangements.
So when Old Madam Pei summoned her, Pei Liang went without the slightest hesitation.
By the time Pei Liang arrived, the room was thick with the pungent smell of medicine.
Old Madam Pei was sitting on the bed, her face pale and wan. A forehead band was wrapped around her head, and she looked utterly frail.
She had already sent away several groups of distraught female relatives. When Pei Liang entered, her gaze shot toward her like a knife, flying from those sharp, vicious, triangular eyes made even more sinister by her age and sagging skin.
In a cold voice, she said to Pei Liang, “Come here. Sit beside me.”
Pei Liang did as she was told. The moment she sat down, Old Madam Pei seized her wrist. Although the old woman looked weak, the strength in her grip was astonishing.
“You were in the dungeon too. Why did you let those two bastards escape?”
Pei Liang replied, “My elder brother sent me to the room next door. I found the whole business disgusting and didn’t want to listen to what was happening, so I went a little farther away.”
“By the time I realized something was wrong and returned to the cell, the two of them had already escaped. All that remained on the floor were Father’s and my brother’s bodies.”
Old Madam Pei studied every flicker of emotion on Pei Liang’s face, as though she were trying to uncover some hidden truth.
Then she gave a cold laugh. “They had already escaped? I’m afraid that may be a lie.”
“Those two bastards were already badly injured and weak in martial arts. If you truly realized something was wrong and went back, you should have been able to stop them if you had pursued them immediately.”
Her grip tightened as she stared fixedly at Pei Liang. “Do you still have feelings for that boy? Is that why you watched him leave without lifting a finger?”
Pei Liang clasped Old Madam Pei’s hand and slowly pried the old woman’s claw-like fingers from her wrist. Her movements were unhurried, but utterly firm.
Old Madam Pei had only been venting her anger and making wild accusations after the deaths of her son and grandson. But Pei Liang’s reaction left her incredulous.
Consumed by fury, she heard Pei Liang give a faint smile.
“Grandmother, you’re worrying needlessly. How could the grudge over the murder of my father and brother possibly leave room for childish romance?”
“Besides, I already have another marriage arranged. It’s inappropriate for you to say such things.”
At that, Old Madam Pei seemed to understand something. Then she revealed a sinister smile.
“You certainly know how to adapt to circumstances. Now that your father and brother are dead, your only support is your future husband’s family, the Jiangs. My good granddaughter, you’re even more capable of letting go than your father and brother were.”
“You think the rest of your life is secure, so you can remain calm at a time like this? What a fool.”
“The Pei family is your root and your support. Do you really think that once the Pei family loses its standing, the Jiangs will continue to treat you with respect and deference? Even if they honor the marriage for the sake of their reputation and the secret between you, they will still marry you as promised. But the taste of living under someone else’s roof is not a pleasant one. Just look at that young lady from the Jiang family.”
Old Madam Pei was not wrong about that.
In the original story, after the deaths of the Pei father and son, the original host still married into the Jiang family. But afterward, as the Pei family declined, Old Madam Pei—despite her schemes and resourcefulness—was advanced in age. The blow she had suffered damaged her health, and she died within a few years.
Once she was gone, the original host, who had already been in a difficult position, naturally became someone everyone could bully. In the end, she suffered repeated humiliation and abuse before dying in the Jiang household.
Pei Liang, however, did not take Old Madam Pei’s words to heart. Instead, she said bluntly, “Grandmother, there’s no point in blaming each other at a time like this.”
“Besides, if Father and my brother hadn’t been so lustful—if they hadn’t set aside something as important as interrogating Han Weiliu in favor of indulging themselves for a moment—how could this disaster have happened?”
“Lust is a blade hanging over one’s head. They brought this upon themselves, and your habitual indulgence of them bears some responsibility too, doesn’t it?”
How could Old Madam Pei possibly tolerate hearing that? She sucked in a sharp breath, nearly choking with rage, and glared viciously at Pei Liang.
“Don’t think I have no way to deal with you.”
Pei Liang raised her hands in surrender, wearing an expression that seemed to say, You’re going to say that again, but you can’t stand losing an argument. The sight made Old Madam Pei so furious she nearly vomited blood.
Taking advantage of the moment, Pei Liang suddenly asked, “Grandmother, where is the Han family’s treasure?”
Old Madam Pei had not expected the subject to change so abruptly. Her eyes instinctively flicked toward one direction before she turned back and stared at Pei Liang warily.
“What are you trying to do?”
She sneered. “You’re neither talented nor clever, and your martial arts are mediocre. Do you really think you can keep those things in your hands?”
Pei Liang shrugged. “There are three treasures in total: a martial arts manual, a treasure map, and three hidden weapons of unparalleled craftsmanship.”
“The manual and the treasure map can be copied. As for the three weapons, there is conveniently one for each family. That was why you and Father only brought two other families into the alliance in the first place—there wouldn’t have been enough to divide among any more.”
“But aside from the weapons, the manual and treasure map are both bargaining chips in a race against time. Father and my brother are gone. If the Pei family doesn’t quickly cultivate a capable leader, we won’t merely become the weakest among the Four Sects and Eight Schools—we may even fall out of their ranks entirely.”
“Even setting that aside, are you truly confident that you can keep the Jiang family and the Cao family balanced, and prevent them from taking advantage of our misfortune?”
After all, dividing the spoils three ways was less profitable than dividing them two ways.
Sure enough, Old Madam Pei’s expression darkened. Clearly, she had the same concern.
But she had no patience to discuss the matter in detail with Pei Liang. She waved her away.
“You may go back for now. These matters are not something a woman like you needs to worry about.”
Pei Liang said nothing. She rose and left. Behind her, Old Madam Pei watched her go with a gaze that was difficult to interpret.
The moment Pei Liang stepped out of Old Madam Pei’s room, she saw a maid sweeping the courtyard. The ground had been swept fairly clean, but as Pei Liang passed her, she caught a faint scent of blood coming from the maid.
Taking another look, Pei Liang noticed that the maid’s body was unnaturally stiff, as though she were enduring some kind of pain. When the maid saw Pei Liang looking at her, she hurriedly put on an expression of panic and awe.
Her voice stammered, “M-Miss Pei!”
Pei Liang curved her lips into a faint smile. She took out a bottle of medicine from her waist and tossed it directly into the maid’s arms. Without saying a word, she walked away.
Most of the Slaying Moon Sect’s people had gone after Han Weiliu and the others. There were hardly any left behind to guard the estate. With the inner residence thrown into chaos, the maids and servants were also rushing about, too busy to pause for breath.
Even in Old Madam Pei’s courtyard, there were few people besides the senior maids hurrying back and forth to prepare medicine and attend to her.
Who would leisurely sweep the courtyard at a time like this?
After Pei Liang left, the maid clutched the medicine bottle and watched her retreating figure. Only then did she realize that her identity had already been exposed.
Fortunately, there were few people in Zhanyue Villa at the moment. Most of them were at a loss, so Pei Liang wasn't exposed.
The maid put away the broom and left the yard. She didn't know where she had gone.
*
After Pei Liang came out from the old lady's place, she had dinner and then told the maid to go to bed.
After it got dark, she took something and went out alone.
She avoided the patrolling guards all the way and came to the large back mountain of Zhanyue Villa.
If one were to walk on this mountain, it would take a whole day and night to cover it all. Even though Pei Liang's current body belonged to a martial - artist and she used light - footed skills, it still took her almost half an hour to reach her destination.
It was a cave with a narrow entrance. There were no spider webs at the entrance, which obviously meant someone had been in and out recently.
The cave was not big and was completely dark. Pei Liang had to take out a self - made torch. It was easy to make. She just took a cloth strip soaked in the lamp oil from her room and wrapped it around a piece of dry wood she picked up on the way.
When she lit it with a fire starter, the whole cave became bright.
There was a man sitting on a stone bed inside the cave. His clothes were dirty and tattered. It was unknown how long he hadn't changed them. His hair and beard were as messy as straw.
He was sitting cross - legged. Apparently, he had known someone was coming in. As soon as Pei Liang's torch lit up, his extremely bright eyes became very noticeable in the light.
The man was originally on high alert, but as soon as he saw Pei Liang's face, he excitedly jumped off the stone bed.
" Daughter, my daughter. You've come to see your father?"
As he said that, he put his black, dirty hands on Pei Liang's face and rubbed it. Suddenly, there were several black handprints on Pei Liang's face, looking quite comical.
But soon, his expression changed. " No, you're not my daughter. My daughter isn't this old. "
" Where is my daughter? Who stole my daughter?" As he said this, a strong killing intent radiated from him and his mental state seemed off.
This was the reason why Pei Liang dared to kill the Pei father and son right away.
Although they wouldn't have lived long anyway. Their cause of death in the original story was similar to the excuse she used to frame Xia Yunsha.
However, if it weren't for this man, Pei Liang would have run away after killing the Pei father and son, gone into hiding and started to accumulate capital again.
Instead of staying here and waiting for the greedy looks from all sides after the death of the current family head.
Seeing the man go crazy and become aggressive, Pei Liang wasn't panicked. Instead, she calmly took out a stack of paper and a charcoal pen.
She sat cross - legged on the stone bed and said, " Come, let's see your daughter. "
Maybe there was a bit of the shadow of his former daughter in Pei Liang's appearance. Even though he was crazy, he didn't hurt Pei Liang. Hearing what she said, he stopped hesitantly.
" See, see my daughter?"
" Yes! My cousin. I look like her, so there must be a connection. "
The man was easy to deceive in this regard. He looked at Pei Liang's face again and his eyes lit up. " That's right, that's right. You look like her. You must be able to call her back. Come with me and call her back. "
Pei Liang nodded. " First, let's talk about the face shape. Is it like this?"
Pei Liang sketched the outline of an eight - or nine - year - old little girl according to the original host's childhood memory.
The man looked at the drawing paper in the bright firelight. The more he looked, the brighter the light in his eyes became.
Since the original host's memory was really old, he helped to correct it beside her. " Make the eyes a bit bigger. There is a mole here. The tip of the nose is round. Yes, yes. When she was angry, she liked to puff out her lips like this. "
That was a fair and lovely little girl, the daughter of the former head of the Zhanyue Sect, who was also the original host's elder uncle.
When she was eight years old, a group of enemies came to seek revenge. While Uncle Pei was away from the villa, they kidnapped his daughter. They were chased all the way to this cliff. Seeing that there was no hope of escape, they killed the young girl and then jumped off the cliff themselves.
When Uncle Pei came back, he faced the cold body of his daughter. Moreover, his wife, who was pregnant, couldn't bear the blow. She had a miscarriage prematurely and both mother and child died.
Uncle Pei went crazy at that time. He couldn't accept the fact that his wife and daughter died because of him. From then on, he stayed here, crazy and sometimes lucid, sometimes confused. He spent all day calling the soul of his daughter back to see him.
However, Pei Liang, who had received the original host's memory, knew clearly that the so - called enemies weren't really enemies that Uncle Pei had provoked.
The two parties only had occasional conflicts when walking in the martial arts world. They disliked each other, but there was no deep hatred.
In fact, it was the original host's father, Sect Leader Pei, who took advantage of the similar figures and martial arts skills of the two brothers. He sneaked into the enemy's house and killed their only son, then framed it on Uncle Pei.
Uncle Pei wasn't Old Madam Pei's biological son. He was the eldest son of the previous old sect leader and his first wife. He was steady - tempered and had superior natural talent. He was rarely an opponent in the martial arts world, and was naturally the next in line to be the head of the Zhanyue Sect.
However, the immoral and hypocritical behavior of Sect Leader Pei and Young Sect Leader Pei was closely related to the upbringing of Old Madam Pei's family.
Uncle Pei himself had no flaws, but after having a wife and daughter, things were different. It was a conspiracy designed against him.
Old Madam Pei had been hiding her intentions for many years, but she made a decisive move. How well she knew Uncle Pei's character weaknesses!
After his daughter's death, Uncle Pei didn't care about the Zhanyue Sect at all. He never even went down the mountain, even when the entire Zhanyue Sect declined and was on the verge of collapse.
His name only occasionally appeared in the sighs of martial artists when they talked about the Zhanyue Sect. Pei Liang mainly dug it out from the original host's unfocused memory.
After finishing a sketch, Pei Liang used the rouge, powder and other things she had brought out to color it.
This kind of realistic portrait painting was very common in modern times, but it was an unprecedented painting technique in ancient times.
The charcoal drawing was already quite similar, but after a little coloring, it was like looking at a mirror.
No, it was even clearer than what one could see in a mirror.
Uncle Pei took the drawing paper with trembling hands. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he quickly caught them to avoid soiling the painting.
He first reached out to touch it, but then suddenly realized his hands were too dirty. The way he cherished it but didn't know what to do was really heart - wrenching.
Pei Liang said, " Uncle, come down the mountain with me. I'll teach you how to see your daughter at any time. "
Uncle Pei looked at her for a long time. His eyes were clearer than ever. Finally, he waved at her. He neither agreed nor refused, but just motioned for her to leave.
Pei Liang didn't pester him. She just silently went down the mountain.
When she returned to her room, it was already the Yin hour of the next day. Since she went to bed late, she naturally didn't wake up early in the morning.
It was almost noon when she was awakened by a noisy commotion outside.
Pei Liang got up. Before she even got out of bed, a wealthy - looking but somewhat travel - worn woman walked in.
As soon as the woman saw Pei Liang still in bed, she laughed in a shrill voice. " Oh, it's already so late. Miss Pei still hasn't gotten up? "
" You're about to get married. Your natal family indulges you, but your in - laws won't. I've told the old lady many times that the eldest daughter without a mother should be more strictly disciplined. But she never takes it to heart. She's raised you to be so lazy and unseemly. "
" Look at what time it is. Your father and brother's bodies aren't even cold yet, and you still have the heart to sleep in?"
Then a thirteen - or fourteen - year - old girl in her prime walked in. She looked at Pei Liang's room excitedly. " Mom, where should I put my things?"
The woman pointed and said, "Pile them on the bed first. Put them in your elder sister's cabinet once it's cleared out."
The young girl couldn't wait and ordered the maids and servants around, "Then hurry up and help clean up my sister's things. Anyway, she'll be getting married soon. It doesn't matter if we clear it out a couple of days earlier."
The visitors were the wife and daughter of Third Master Pei, who was the younger brother of Sect Leader Pei with the same mother. Unlike Elder Uncle Pei, Sect Leader Pei didn't even let his own younger brother live in Zhanyue Mountain Villa.
After taking over the position of sect leader, he gave his younger - brother's family some money and sent them down the mountain, and provided for their regular expenses on a daily basis.
Sect Leader Pei was a hypocrite full of evil deeds. However, after leading Zhanyue Mountain Villa for more than a decade, although he couldn't be compared with Elder Uncle Pei, his martial arts skills were not bad.
On the contrary, Third Uncle Pei was a complete good - for - nothing. But even so, he was still Old Madam Pei's own son.
Sect Leader Pei had several concubines' sons. Although they were young, some of them were quite talented. Logically, the most talented ones should be selected and trained to revitalize the family in the future.
But Old Madam Pei was good at scheming, and her eyes were always fixed on the power in her own hands.
She didn't have much affection for her grandsons, especially those concubines' sons she hadn't been close to before. They had their own biological mothers. Even if she was ruthless enough to get rid of their mothers and control them, they were old enough to remember things now. People would grow up, and if she made deep enemies with them now, it would be her and her descendants who would suffer in the future.
So it was easy to explain why Third Uncle Pei's wife and daughter were here. And this was also the reason why the two of them were so presumptuous in her room and the servants around didn't dare to say a word.
It seemed that everyone in Zhanyue Mountain Villa had known since morning that this place was going to have a new owner.
Pei Liang was almost amused by the old lady's actions. She got up, put on her clothes, then reached out and grabbed the mother - daughter pair by their hair, and threw them out like chickens.
The mother and daughter screamed and shouted for help.
But Pei Liang just carried them out of the yard and threw them onto the top of a rockery, where they hung.
The original host's martial arts were not the best, but among the young female heroes of the same generation, she still had some fame. Third Uncle Pei's family was no different from ordinary wealthy families who only practiced a little martial arts.
After throwing the two out of the yard, Pei Liang even went back to wash up. Then she came out and said to everyone, "Keep an eye on my yard. I'm going to the old lady's place."
Only then did the people around realize that even if the Pei family was going to change its owner and Miss Pei was about to marry into the Jiang family soon, at this moment, without a leader in the Pei family, she was still someone they needed to rely on.
Third Uncle Pei's family was really short - sighted. Once they gained power, they became so complacent that they didn't realize that Miss Pei wasn't an orphan without any backing. It wasn't their turn to bully her.
Pei Liang came to the old lady's yard. The old lady loved to put on a show, and there were more people here than last time.
A maid tried to stop Pei Liang and went to report her arrival, but Pei Liang pushed her aside.
She said with a voice loud enough for the people inside to hear, smiling, "These people in the martial arts world are acting like they have the pomp of an empress dowager?"
Hearing this, the maids around turned pale and didn't dare to stop her anymore.
Pei Liang kicked open the door and saw Old Madam Pei still resting in bed, while Third Uncle Pei was sitting at the lower seat, looking like a filial son, asking about her well - being.
Both of them heard Pei Liang's words. At this time, Old Madam Pei's face darkened, and Third Uncle Pei quickly scolded, "How can you talk like that? You're simply out of control."
But Pei Liang ignored him and just asked Old Madam Pei, "Grandmother, just now I heard Third Aunt say that I'm getting married soon?"
Old Madam Pei forced a smile and said, "I talked with you for a while yesterday. I know you've grown up and have your own ideas.
"Right now, the Pei family is in a difficult situation. I'll make the decision for you to marry into the Jiang family earlier. This way, we can avoid the Jiang family having second thoughts after a long period of mourning.
"Once you enter the Jiang family, you must hold onto your husband's heart well. The future of the Pei family depends on you."
The old lady's plan was simple. Since she was afraid that the Jiang family and the Cao family would secretly join forces to annex and nibble away at the Pei family, and even kill the remaining members of the Pei family to keep the secret and monopolize the benefits.
It would be better to marry Pei Liang into the Jiang family earlier, making the Cao family think that the Pei and Jiang families had reached an agreement. Even if they had to sacrifice some interests, they could at least preserve the foundation of the Pei family.
Moreover, Pei Liang's attitude yesterday made her feel a sense of crisis.
It seemed that Pei Liang had the ambition to take charge. Even though her abilities were limited, as the eldest sister and with a marriage alliance with the Jiang family, she could support her younger half - brothers and become the most powerful voice in the Zhanyue Sect.
How could Old Madam Pei tolerate a second woman in the Zhanyue Sect having the right to speak besides herself?
She thought that even if Pei Liang was dissatisfied, she wouldn't refuse to marry into the Jiang family, and the marriage should be settled as soon as possible.
But Pei Liang said bluntly, "Since grandmother has worried so much about the Pei family, why did you call Third Uncle's family here overnight?"
"If Third Uncle's family came just to pay their respects to my father, Third Aunt and the others are being too presumptuous."
"But if it's to help in this difficult time, grandmother should know very well that what the Pei family needs now is a capable leader. Even a young and inexperienced one is better, as it would be a good experience. What good would ten good - for - nothings like Third Uncle do for the Pei family, except blindly obeying your orders?"
"You - How dare you!" Third Uncle Pei jumped up, his face flushed with anger. "You actually dare to scold me?"
Pei Liang smiled casually and said, "Third Uncle, you're overthinking. It's not the first day that your niece speaks bluntly.
"Can't I even say a few truths without being disrespectful to you?"
Third Uncle Pei was extremely angry, but Old Madam Pei was much more composed. Her face still wore that forced smile, and at this moment, she even pretended to be kind.
Then she clapped her hands. As the door opened, two extremely beautiful women walked in. They were as graceful as willow branches and charming.
Even though Pei Liang was the head of an entertainment circle in her previous life and had many handsome men and beautiful women under her, these two beauties, if in modern times, could easily be on the top of the beauty lists. They could debut just based on their looks without any exaggeration.
Old Madam Pei said to Pei Liang, "Since you have no objections to advancing the marriage, I'll give you two maids as your dowry.
"You come from a prominent family and are a well - known beauty in the martial arts world. You don't need to learn the art of seduction to please men. However, Young Master Jiang has seen a lot. With your current skills, it might not be enough to win his heart.
"If your father and brother were still alive, I wouldn't be such a bad person. But now the Pei family is in great difficulty, and we can't afford to lose even a little bit."
Pei Liang looked at the old lady and suddenly laughed. "When did your granddaughter ever say that she was willing to marry into the Jiang family?"
Old Madam Pei's face fell. "Getting married during the mourning period, do you think the Pei family has any face? Even if you're dissatisfied with my decision, you can't be so willful.
"In a few days, heroes from all over will come to pay their respects. I'll announce this matter then. You have to marry, whether you like it or not."
But Pei Liang turned around, closed the door, and slowly bolted it.
Then she turned back to Old Madam Pei and said, "Grandmother, you're my grandmother. Of course, I have to follow your arrangement for my marriage.
"But I have a question."
Old Madam Pei had a bad feeling, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
Then they heard Pei Liang say, "What if, before that, you've already been so grief - stricken by the death of all your descendants that you can't bear the blow and pass away.
"A dead person surely can't jump out of the coffin at that time and point fingers at me, right?"
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Pei and Third Uncle Pei gasped and looked at Pei Liang in disbelief.
