Chapter 667: The Culprit

Chapter 667: Chapter 667: The Culprit

Inside a secluded courtyard within the Meng Family residence, a middle-aged man sat in his study, carefully examining a jade slip.

He wore luxurious robes and carried himself with the air of someone with authority.

Several servants stood outside the door, while a faint spiritual barrier surrounded the room, preventing anyone from eavesdropping on his conversation.

Everything appeared peaceful.

Until a sudden knock broke the silence.

"Enter."

A young man hurried inside and immediately knelt before him.

"Elder, we have a problem!"

The middle-aged man frowned as he looked at his trusted subordinate.

He knew the young man well enough to recognize that something must have gone terribly wrong for him to appear so panicked.

"What is it? Speak clearly."

"The auction... the attack last night... has failed!"

The young man’s voice trembled.

"And the Righteous Sword has declared the Meng Family innocent!"

The middle-aged man’s fingers stopped moving. For a moment, he simply stared at his subordinate. Then he slowly placed the jade slip on the table.

"....What did you say?"

"T-The Righteous Sword personally announced that the Meng Family had nothing to do with the attack. He even distributed recovery pills to the injured cultivators and promised compensation for their losses."

The young man swallowed nervously.

"Most of the guests have already accepted his verdict. Some even praised the Meng Family for its cooperation."

Silence filled the study.

The middle-aged man’s expression darkened.

"Impossible..."

He had carefully arranged everything, even cooperating with the Rain Pavilion to ensure the plan went smoothly.

’Did those bastards lie to me? They clearly promised to dispatch one of the Ten Beasts and fifty Silver-Rank Assassins...’

His mind raced as he considered every possibility.

He clenched his fists beneath the table.

He hadn’t cooperated with the Rain Pavilion out of any particular loyalty.

Their interests had simply aligned, making an alliance between them mutually beneficial.

The Rain Pavilion wanted Li Feng dead for some reason.

As for him, he wanted Meng Wan dead.

One wanted to eliminate a troublesome enemy, while the other wanted to remove the Matriarch standing in his way.

Since they both needed something from the same operation, working together had seemed like the most sensible choice.

The Rain Pavilion would use the chaos of the auction to kill Li Feng, while he would take advantage of the attack to eliminate Meng Wan and seize control of the Meng Family.

It had been a perfect arrangement.

Or so he had thought.

Had the Rain Pavilion failed to deliver on its promise? Or had their people actually arrived, only to be defeated by Li Feng?

The latter possibility made his heart sink.

If the Rain Pavilion had truly sent one of the Ten Beasts along with fifty Silver-Rank Assassins, yet Li Feng had still managed to turn the situation around, then just how terrifying was that young man’s strength?

The middle-aged man clenched his fists.

"No... I refuse to believe it."

He looked sharply at his subordinate, but rather than asking about the assassins, he suddenly remembered something far more important.

"Wait! What about the Matriarch?"

His expression grew tense.

"Is Meng Wan still alive?"

The young man hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Yes, Elder. The Matriarch returned to the family residence with the Righteous Sword shortly after the auction incident and... had just arrived."

The middle-aged man’s face stiffened.

For a moment, he simply stared at his subordinate, as though he hadn’t heard correctly.

"She... is still alive?"

"Yes..."

The answer struck him like a bolt of lightning.

His fingers dug into the armrest of his chair, and his expression twisted with frustration.

’Damn it! How could she still be alive?!’

That was the entire point of his plan.

The attack, the chaos, the formation trap, and even his cooperation with the Rain Pavilion had all served one purpose: to eliminate Meng Wan.

As long as she died, the Meng Family would fall into turmoil.

With the Matriarch gone, he would have a chance to seize greater authority and eventually take control of the entire family.

As for the accusations and the damage to the family’s reputation, those were secondary concerns.

They could be dealt with later.

But now, Meng Wan was alive.

Worse still, she had returned alongside the Righteous Sword.

The middle-aged man felt a chill creep down his spine.

He turned toward his subordinate, his expression growing cold.

"Since the Matriarch survived, we’ll have to lie low for a while."

The young man nodded quickly.

The middle-aged man leaned back in his chair, gradually regaining his composure.

’Hmph. So what if she survived?’

His plan had failed, but that didn’t mean everything was lost.

As long as he concealed his involvement, Meng Wan would have no reason to suspect him.

After all, he had been careful from the very beginning.

He had used the Rain Pavilion to arrange the attack and kept his own hands clean.

Even if Meng Wan suspected that someone within the family had betrayed her, there were plenty of other people who could become targets of her investigation.

’Let her investigate all she wants. She’ll never find me.’

A faint smile returned to his face.

However, the young man standing before him still looked uneasy.

"Elder... there’s something else I’m worried about."

The middle-aged man glanced at him impatiently.

"What now?"

The young man swallowed before speaking in a hushed voice.

"The Matriarch returned with the Righteous Sword. Won’t that be a problem?"

His expression grew even more fearful as he continued.

"I’ve heard that man is the very paragon of justice himself. He’s not only incredibly powerful, but also famous for his handsome appearance, upright character, and unparalleled intelligence. If he decides to investigate this matter personally, won’t he uncover something?"

The middle-aged man’s smile twitched.

’The paragon of justice? Unparalleled intelligence?’

He nearly scoffed.

’What kind of ridiculous title was that?’

In his experience, the cultivation world was full of people who preached righteousness while secretly pursuing their own interests.

He refused to believe that Li Feng was any different.

Still, the young man’s concern wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

Li Feng’s strength was undeniable, and his reputation gave him considerable influence.

If he truly decided to investigate the attack, even powerful figures in the capital would think twice before obstructing him.

But that was precisely why the middle-aged man had no intention of giving him a reason to become suspicious.

He snorted.

"So what if he returned with the Matriarch? Does that mean he can see through walls and read people’s minds?"

The young man opened his mouth, but the middle-aged man raised a hand to silence him.

"Enough. I’ve already taken care of everything that could expose us."

The middle-aged man leaned back in his chair, a confident smile returning to his face.

"But now that you mention it... there’s only one thing left that could cause trouble..."