Chapter 234: A Woman’s Plot, Retribution Served Cold
“Y-You, how did you get here!”
Pei Yan cried out in alarm, assuming a defensive stance. “You clearly said you would come find me in a few days, why—”
“As a prince, you’re still too naive.”
Lin Tianlu blew on the hot tea in his cup and chuckled softly. “Just because I said I would come find you in a few days, you believed it without a doubt? Or do you really think I’m some rigid scholar who adheres to every rule and observes all formalities and etiquette?”
He raised his indifferent eyes and said calmly, “From the moment I met you, I knew you were a treacherous enemy. And when dealing with enemies, there’s no need for righteous methods. Such petty tricks are child’s play. It’s a pity that Your Highness seems unable to comprehend even such simple jokes, believing them to be true. Truly pathetic.”
“You—”
Pei Yan’s face twisted even more at these nonchalant taunts.
“Lin Tianlu, do you know who you’re talking to!”
Li Jinghe, standing beside him, roared angrily. “You, a mere commoner, not only didn’t kneel and pay respects when meeting His Highness, but you dare to utter such disrespectful nonsense!”
“A prince who uses despicable methods to abduct women, even secretly plotting rebellion. If this news were to spread, I’m afraid you would become the laughingstock of the world.”
Lin Tianlu calmly finished his tea. “If His Majesty and the others were to hear this, in order to maintain the royal family’s reputation, what do you think would happen to you, Prince Pei? After all, I’ve heard that Prince Pei has eight sons. Although they have different temperaments, many of them are impulsive and easily angered, but at least they can control their lower bodies.”
He slowly put down his teacup and smiled meaningfully. “What kind of future do you think this Prince Pei… still has?”
Li Jinghe’s eyes widened, his fists clenching in anger and shock, but he couldn’t find any words to refute.
The struggle for power among Prince Pei’s sons…
As Pei Yan’s confidant, he naturally knew it well.
“You’re trying to use this as blackmail…”
“No.”
Lin Tianlu’s face was extremely calm. “I’m just here to eliminate potential dangers.”
“Please wait!”
After his initial panic, Pei Yan quickly cupped his hands. “Mr. Lin, my words just now… although they might have sounded harsh, I truly wanted to befriend you and had no intention of harming you. As for Miss Cheng, I guarantee I will not go near her again and will never have any improper thoughts about her.”
Lin Tianlu chuckled, stood up, and waved his sleeve. “Your Highness, do you really think a few flattering words can make me willingly forgive and forget?”
Pei Yan’s eyes twitched, and he took two deep breaths. “Although I did speak carelessly, I haven’t done anything inappropriate to Miss Cheng. She hasn’t suffered any grievances these past few days. I haven’t even touched her. I only hope that Mr. Lin can be magnanimous and not make a big deal out of this. If you have any requests, I will order my servants to fulfill them. Let’s put this dispute behind us… If Mr. Lin is still angry, you can punish me however you see fit. I won’t utter a single word of complaint.”
“Did you hear His Highness?”
Li Jinghe said in a low voice, “Miss Cheng is clearly unharmed. At worst, this is just a matter of a few careless words. Even if Mr. Lin were to report this to the authorities, we wouldn’t be punished. Or is Mr. Lin so petty that he would resort to threats and violence over a few rumors? You’ve already injured His Highness, and he hasn’t blamed you, even forgiving your disrespect. Those were just a few angry words spoken to his retainers after returning home. Why take it so seriously?”
“Please reconsider, Mr. Lin!”
Pei Yan bowed deeply again.
“…”
Lin Tianlu silently looked at the two of them.
After a moment of silence, he smiled faintly.
“Your double act is quite entertaining.”
Li Jinghe’s face darkened. “Lin Tianlu, are you determined to be our enemy? So arrogant and unreasonable, you don’t deserve to be called ‘Master.’ You’re just an ignorant brute who acts on impulse! Relying on your strength to vent your anger, what’s the difference between you and those bandits outside the city!”
Lin Tianlu’s smile didn’t change at all upon hearing these words.
“You’re right. If you had just made a few lewd remarks, a few punches would have sufficed. When I was on my way to Ascension Immortal Restaurant, I indeed didn’t have any killing intent, only thinking of teaching you a lesson. However, do you think I came here empty-handed?”
As he spoke, he clapped his hands.
“Thank you for your trouble, Miss Yang.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a graceful figure materialized behind him like a phantom, her face cold and indifferent. She took a large scroll of documents from her wide sleeve.
“You—”
Pei Yan and the others were startled, a sense of unease washing over them.
Yang Chanzhen’s eyes were calm as she casually opened the first scroll and slowly said, “Regarding matters with traceable evidence, thirteen years ago, Prince Pei secretly took a life, killing three commoners on a whim and leaving their bodies exposed in the wilderness. Nine years ago, in order to obtain a woman surnamed Wang, Prince Pei plotted the downfall of a county official’s son, ruining his reputation. He then used sweet words to take the young man’s fiancée, who is now his personal slave. Eight years ago, Prince Pei made an enemy of someone of the same generation and secretly sent assassins after him. Not content with that, he had the young man’s entire family, thirty-seven people in total, executed. All because the young man had offended His Highness, causing him to lose face in public. Six years ago, Prince Pei had matured and learned to control his temper. However, his actions became even more sinister and ruthless. He established his own private army and underground organization. Although he appeared to be keeping a low profile these past six years, cheerfully interacting with everyone and making friends, he has committed countless heinous acts in secret.”
Yang Chanzhen emotionlessly shook the remaining stack of documents. “This contains records of over two hundred cases of injustice committed by Prince Pei. The number of people he has killed is difficult to count, and even more are still living in pain. Do you need me to detail each crime, each incident, from beginning to end?”
“T-This is impossible—”
Pei Yan’s face was pale, his expression incredulous.
Li Jinghe’s face was twisted as he roared, “These are fabricated lies!”
“Whether it’s true or false, your expressions speak for themselves.”
Lin Tianlu smiled, taking the documents from Yang Chanzhen. “Or do you need the victims and their families to confront you before you admit your guilt?”
Pei Yan’s expression changed several times before he waved his hand abruptly. “Impossible! You’ve only just met me. How could you have collected all this information! I’ve always been active in other provinces and counties. Even traveling back and forth takes half a month. How could you know what I’ve done in the past!”
“That’s why I said, Your Highness, you’re too naive.”
Lin Tianlu shook his head and chuckled.
“From the very beginning, you never took Miss Cheng seriously, treating her as nothing more than a ‘trophy.’”
“What are you—”
“These past ten days or so were enough for her to secretly gather intelligence and investigate. And some of your less intelligent guards and servants don’t seem to be very tight-lipped.” Lin Tianlu gestured towards Yang Chanzhen beside him and continued, “This young lady has been working in the shadows, helping to collect all the secrets you tried to hide. On the one hand, she kept her distance from you while attracting your attention. On the other hand, she grasped the overall situation, gathering intelligence and compiling a list of all the crimes you’ve committed… In the end, you were the ones being played by two women, and you haven’t even noticed anything amiss.”
“N-No way!”
Pei Yan’s face was filled with shock and disbelief, his eyes wide. “Cheng Yishi… when did she…”
“You genuinely saw Miss Cheng as a helpless burden, never thinking she could cause any trouble.”
The smile on Lin Tianlu’s face gradually disappeared. “But in reality, you, a so-called learned prince, are inflexible and pretentious, nothing more than an arrogant fool. You truly believe that you control all the rules and principles of the world, and everyone will act according to your will.”
Yang Chanzhen blinked her beautiful eyes and said indifferently,
“Pathetic.”
“…I don’t believe it!”
Pei Yan’s eyes turned bloodshot, veins bulging on his forehead. “We’ve already erased all traces of those past events. No one in this world besides me knows about them. What can two women possibly do!”
“Your Highness can’t even be bothered to pretend anymore…”
Lin Tianlu sneered. “Unfortunately, in terms of martial prowess, you’re clearly no match for the young lady beside me. So why continue your arrogant bluster?”
Bang!
Just then, Li Jinghe’s figure flashed, shattering the ground as he charged towards them like a streak of light!
“Die, you wretch!”
Li Jinghe’s roar shook the hall, and the force emanating from his body stirred up a gale. His fist shot out like a coiling dragon!
Yang Chanzhen’s eyes narrowed slightly, her slender fingers forming hand seals within her sleeves, preparing to counterattack.
However, a shadow flickered in front of her, and Li Jinghe, who had been charging forward with overwhelming momentum, suddenly vanished as if he had evaporated into thin air.
“Eh?”
The hall fell silent.
The gust of wind caused by his fist also disappeared, returning to calmness.
Yang Chanzhen blinked twice, then looked up as if sensing something.
Li Jinghe was swaying back and forth from the ceiling at a leisurely pace, only his head poking through the roof like a hanging corpse, his limbs dangling limply.
“…”
Pei Yan looked up blankly at this scene, his mind frozen.
What just happened?
Although his Uncle Li wasn’t unparalleled in the world, his cultivation was considered among the best in the Crimson Demon Realm. He could deal with ordinary mortals without even lifting a finger, and even against other ghost practitioners, he was overwhelmingly powerful.
But now…
Had he… lost?
“This man’s hands are stained with blood.”
Lin Tianlu brushed the dust off his sleeves and walked forward with an indifferent expression. “Aiding a tyrant, unable to distinguish right from wrong, he has committed countless cruel sins under the guise of being the prince’s confidant. The number of people he has killed is unknown. His crimes are truly deserving of death!”
“Hiss—”
Pei Yan gasped, taking two steps back instinctively.
In his panic, he couldn’t help but look at Bi Junheng not far away.
Bi Junheng’s face was also unsightly, but after a moment of thought, he still stepped forward, forcing himself to speak. “Mr. Lin, please calm down. You’ve already dealt with that Li Jinghe. Your anger should be—”
“Do you think I didn’t hear your conversation just now?”
Looking at Bi Junheng standing between them, Lin Tianlu smiled kindly. “Raping, looting, committing all sorts of evil. You have a handsome appearance, but your heart is extremely vicious. I wonder how many innocent women you have harmed and ruined.”
“!”
Bi Junheng’s heart trembled, and he instantly broke out in a cold sweat, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks.
Only then did he truly feel… true terror!
This person’s cultivation was definitely far beyond his imagination!
It felt as if a single thought from him could reduce him to ashes!
His mind raced as he forced an awkward smile, trembling as he retreated. “I-I won’t say another word. Please continue, Mr. Lin.”
Pei Yan, who had been about to catch his breath, cried out in alarm, “Bi Junheng! How dare you—”
Bi Junheng simply closed his eyes, his face pale as he retreated step by step, clearly unwilling to be involved any further.
“Y-You, wait!”
Pei Yan’s expression grew increasingly ugly as he waved his hands and shouted, “I was wrong! I committed many sins in the past! Please spare my life, Mr. Lin, and hand me over to the authorities. Even if you don’t trust the authorities, let His Majesty—”
Lin Tianlu slowly closed his eyes.
“Do you hear them?”
“What… what are you talking about?”
Pei Yan was stunned.
Lin Tianlu sighed sadly. “The cries of those you’ve killed are still ringing in my ears.”
“How could I possibly—” Pei Yan opened his mouth, then turned around blankly.
In the previously empty corner of the hall, a multitude of figures now crowded together.
Some were headless, some had decaying bodies, and some had faces streaked with blood and tears…
With just a glance, countless vengeful spirits surged forward and pounced on him.
In the end, he didn’t even have time to let out a single cry for mercy.
He was completely devoured by the countless resentful ghosts.
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