Chapter 156: Father, I've Been Framed!

"Young Master!" "You little brat, are you seeking death?!" "Let this old man destroy you!"

Several of the Ji family's old servants rushed forward, anxiously supporting Ji Xuanyuan, their killing intent surging as they glared at Qin Zi.

Under normal circumstances, these veteran experts wouldn't interfere, as it would violate the established rules. However, since the young master of the Ji family had been injured in public, a serious matter indeed, they had to make a move, at least to put on a show.

"Heh, just the likes of you?" Qin Zi glanced at them sideways, a look of disdain crossing his face.

"Arrogant to the extreme!"

One of the servants stood up, ready to attack, but Ji Xuanyuan held him back.

"Don't move."

Ji Xuanyuan slowly stood up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said, "If you take action, wouldn't that be admitting that I've truly lost? And if the elders intervene when a young man loses, it would further disgrace the family."

"But that kid is too arrogant! He doesn't even respect our Ji family!" the servant said through gritted teeth.

"Don't mind him."

Ji Xuanyuan shook his head calmly and said, "Earlier, I was just careless and he took advantage. Later, I'll suppress him and regain the dignity that was lost."

He paused for a moment and continued solemnly, "A person's lost face can only be regained by themselves. If someone else helps... then it's lost forever."

The crowd was visibly moved by his words.

Though the young master of the Ji family had lost, his mindset was admirable. Perhaps he really had been careless.

For a moment, the image of Ji Xuanyuan, which had been rapidly crumbling in everyone's minds, stopped collapsing.

After all, he had merely lost a fight.

Who can go through life without ever losing?

To remain calm after defeat and view it with the right perspective is something worthy of respect!

"Heh, you're really good at finding excuses for yourself," Qin Zi sneered mockingly. "You're the type who would strike a cool pose after slipping on a banana peel, pretending you fell on purpose."

"Kid, how dare you be so insolent!"

A Ji family servant's face turned ashen with fury. If not for someone holding him back, he would have charged forward. In truth, no one was restraining him.

"Stay calm," Ji Xuanyuan said lightly. "Anger is a sign of weakness, a reaction of being embarrassed and humiliated. If we get angry, it will only make it seem like he's right."

"The best way to counter someone is to ignore them. When you don't respond, they are just clowns performing for themselves."

Hearing this, the servants calmed down, gave Qin Zi a cold glance, and said nothing more.

"Heh..." Qin Zi crossed his arms, rolling his eyes dramatically. Though he only made a sound, the level of mockery was extreme, almost causing the Ji family servants to explode on the spot.

Even Ji Xuanyuan, who had appeared calm, had his temple throb a few times as he clenched his fists quietly.

"Boom!"

At that moment, the massive river of swords in the sky began to move swiftly, speeding up, with countless sword shadows surging like a giant silver dragon darting through the sky.

"Rip!"

A tearing sound echoed, followed by a golden beam of light shooting down from the sky.

It was as if, after a heavy rain, the sun had torn through the clouds, casting a diagonal beam of light.

The beam was hazy, like countless threads being unraveled, or perhaps countless golden particles dancing in the air.

"Rip! Rip!"

The river of swords continued to spiral in the sky, as if giant swords were slicing through the dark sky, tearing it apart completely.

Suddenly, a dazzling palace appeared in the sky, seemingly bathed in the light of a blazing sun.

"Now, that's a treasure!"

"It's mine!"

"I must be the fated one!"

In an instant, everyone rushed into the sky, like fish leaping over the dragon gate, vying to reach the palace first.

Qin Zi hesitated for a moment. For some reason, as he looked at the palace, a bad feeling arose within him. But then he shook his head with a bitter smile.

"I must be paranoid after being chased for so long. A mere relic, what harm could it do to me?"

With that thought, he too flew toward the palace.

...

Two days passed.

Qin Chuan was still lying on the edge of the cliff at Shenxia Mountain, basking in the sun.

The sparse rays of sunlight filtered through the crooked pine and bamboo above, warm and comfortable. A gentle breeze blew from the distant mountains, carrying the fragrance of flowers and grass, cool and refreshing.

Bored, he took out the jade slip of Eastern Domain Affairs Digest and began checking the latest updates.

At first glance, his eyes widened!

"The Tragedy of the Myriad Sword Heavenly River Relic!"

"The Myriad Sword Heavenly River relic appeared, and young elites from various factions in the Eastern Domain went to explore it. The casualties were heavy! Ji Xuanyuan, young master of the Ji family from the prosperous imperial clan, and Qi Huang, young master of the declining imperial clan, both perished!"

"According to various reports, the mastermind behind this tragedy is suspected to be Qin Zi, who recently rose to fame!"

"Many survivors also claim that just before the disaster, they saw Qin Zi's image in the sky, glowing brightly and causing an anomaly, suggesting he had gained control of the relic."

"It is worth noting that before this incident, Qin Zi had a conflict with Ji Xuanyuan and even defeated him..."

The report was detailed and seemed objective, but it had already pointed the blame squarely at Qin Zi.

The message was clear:

Qin Zi caused this tragedy!

"Causing so much trouble? As expected of my son," Qin Chuan smiled proudly and then put away the jade slip.

Overall, this was good news.

However... Qi Huang, he had once thought of as a figure who might achieve great things, had died just like that?

It felt somewhat unexpected.

Unpredictable, yet inevitable.

"Perhaps life is just that fickle. You never know which will come first, tomorrow or an accident."

He took a deep breath.

Maybe one day, he too would suddenly pass away, his grand plans and ideals all for nothing when death finally arrived, leaving him helpless.

Those who fear death often meet it with regret, while those who are prepared with a coffin often live longer...

"Father!"

Just then, a streak of light shot across the sky—it was none other than Qin Zi, rushing back like a dog with its tail between its legs!

"You're back? How was this training?" Qin Chuan lazily stood up from his chair, pretending to be oblivious to the outside world, smiling as he asked.

Qin Zi could never have imagined that his father was so well-informed and even subscribed to a "newspaper."

"Father! I've been framed!" Qin Zi clenched his fists, visibly indignant.

"What happened?" Qin Chuan asked, slightly surprised, though he suppressed a smile.

"I was being chased by a few old monsters, and in desperation, I stumbled into a broken teleportation array. It transported me to the Myriad Sword Heavenly River relic, where I had a conflict with Ji Xuanyuan..."

Qin Zi recounted the events that took place in the relic in detail.

At the end, he gritted his teeth and said, "Now, everyone is saying that I gained control of the relic and killed both Qi Huang and Ji Xuanyuan. It's obvious that someone is framing me!"

Qin Chuan listened quietly and then asked, "So you're saying someone else gained control of the relic and projected your image to make it seem like you were in charge?"

"Who do you think the real mastermind could be?"

Qin Zi couldn't answer.

Qin Chuan's eyes deepened as he said, "Think about it. Why were the two main people who died Ji Xuanyuan and Qi Huang, but not Xuan Tianji or Chu Zhongtian?"

Qin Zi thought for a moment, frowning, "I can understand why they killed Ji Xuanyuan. After all, I had a conflict with him in the relic. Killing him would conveniently frame me."

"But Qi Huang... I don't quite get it."

"Qi Huang was incredibly talented, but he was always kind and never made enemies. As far as I know, Qi Huang never had conflicts with anyone. So why would the mastermind kill him?"

"If it was out of jealousy of his talent, then Xuan Tianji and Chu Zhongtian are no less talented than Qi Huang. Why not kill them all?"