Chapter 68: A State of Utter Turmoil

After fleeing from the Nie residence, Wu Tian’s heart was still pounding with lingering fear. Nie Yuntian truly lived up to his reputation as a dazzling boss; if it hadn’t been for the speed boost from the Wind-chasing Boots and the Night Cloak, Wu Tian would likely have been trapped in the Nie residence for good.

“A level-seven Martial Spirit is indeed formidable. I almost lost my life, but at least tonight’s mission is finally complete. That bastard Nie Huixiang is no longer an eyesore. Now, I’d better get out of here quickly—by now, the Nie family must have mobilized everyone to hunt me down!” Wu Tian paused briefly to catch his breath after escaping, swallowed a few supreme healing and blood-replenishing pills, then sped away at once.

On his way back, Wu Tian used his disguise technique several times, just to be sure he wasn’t being followed. Only when he was certain no one was tailing him did he restore his true appearance and return to his humble straw hut, where he lay down and fell straight to sleep.

While Wu Tian slept soundly at home, the Nie family unleashed their entire force, scouring the whole city of Pingyang for the assassin. They even deployed the family’s shadow guards to track down any traces. Their actions alarmed the City Lord’s Mansion, which also dispatched the city guard to join the search. Throughout the night, Pingyang was in utter chaos.

Within the Qitian Sect, a disciple came to report to the sect leader.

“Sect Leader, the Nie family was invaded by an assassin late at night. The patriarch’s son, Nie Huixiang, was killed. The assassin escaped from the Nie residence, and now the Nie family is frantically searching for any trace of the perpetrator!”

The sect leader, Master Ye, raised his eyebrows and asked, “You’re saying Nie Huixiang was assassinated, and the entire Nie family failed to catch the killer?”

“That’s right. It’s said the assassin was extremely agile. Even the Nie family patriarch couldn’t stop him, and he managed to escape in the end.”

Master Ye stroked his chin, a hint of suspicion glimmering in his eyes. “What is Wu Tian doing right now?”

“There’s no movement at all from Wu Tian’s straw hut. This incident likely has nothing to do with him.”

“To have someone break into the Nie residence and assassinate Nie Huixiang at a time like this... Clearly, this was a deliberate act. I suspect tomorrow will be a busy day,” Master Ye said, narrowing his eyes. With Nie Huixiang’s assassination, the prime suspect would undoubtedly be the Qitian Sect. After all, only today the Qitian Sect had clashed with the Nie family over Nie Huixiang. Now, with his sudden death, the first ones everyone would suspect would be the Qitian Sect.

“Pass down my orders: tonight, no one from Qitian Sect is to make any unnecessary moves. If the Nie family wants to search the city, let them do as they please.”

“Yes, Sect Leader!”

...

In the City Lord’s Mansion, Song Ke frowned deeply.

“Nothing ever happens early or late; it just had to happen now. Nie Huixiang has been killed by an assassin, and the Qitian Sect is the most obvious suspect. Isn’t this just pushing the sect and the Nie family into an even fiercer conflict? I fear chaos is about to erupt in Pingyang!” Song Ke spoke with a face full of worry.

“City Lord, do you think this was really the work of the Qitian Sect?” Captain Ma asked.

“How the hell would I know? Nie Huixiang killed a Qitian Sect disciple, so it would make sense for the sect to retaliate. But the whole situation stinks of something odd. I have no idea who actually did it. All I know is, this is a troublesome mess. Now the entire Nie family is out in force, and the whole city is in turmoil!”

“For someone to infiltrate the Nie residence alone and escape even from the patriarch, their skills must be incredibly advanced. There are few in Pingyang capable of such a feat.”

“Of course I know that! But what good does that do us? We can’t just go around asking people directly, can we? All we can do for now is try to catch the assassin, or this will only escalate further.” Song Ke was visibly vexed, casting an angry glare at Song Qianqian, who stood silently by his side. “This is all your fault. You could have done anything, but you just had to egg Nie Huixiang on to start trouble with Wu Tian. Now look what’s happened—you’ve turned the entire city upside down!”

“How was I to know things would turn out like this? You can’t blame me. Nie Huixiang was the one who killed the Qitian Sect disciple. I didn’t do anything,” Song Qianqian pouted, still pushing the responsibility onto others.

“You’ll be the death of me! Still so stubborn, even now. One day, you’ll bring down the entire City Lord’s Mansion!” Song Ke stormed off in a huff, his robes billowing behind him.

Song Qianqian curled her lip, dismissing his words. “Father is making a mountain out of a molehill. So what if someone died? What’s it got to do with us? If you ask me, it’s all Wu Tian’s fault. We should just arrest him and have done with it.”

...

In the Sun family residence, Sun Siqing and the family patriarch sat across from each other, sipping tea and chatting leisurely.

“It’s been a long time since Pingyang was this lively. Tonight, the whole city is ablaze with lights and unrest,” Sun Siqing remarked, taking a sip of tea.

“There was a clash between Qitian Sect and the Nie family during the day, and now Nie Huixiang has been assassinated at night. This is intriguing. It seems the knot between the Qitian Sect and the Nie family can never be untied,” the patriarch shook his head, a look of regret on his face.

“Patriarch, have you noticed that all of this was set in motion by a single man?” Sun Siqing put down his teacup, looking seriously at the patriarch.

“You mean Wu Tian?”

“That’s right. Wu Tian repeatedly humiliated Nie Huixiang, which drove him into a rage to seek revenge, resulting in the mistaken killing of a Qitian Sect disciple. This sparked a confrontation between the sect and the Nie family. Now, Nie Huixiang has been assassinated at night. Don’t you think it’s all a bit too coincidental?” Sun Siqing asked earnestly.

The patriarch pondered this, then said, “Do you think Wu Tian is the assassin?”

Sun Siqing shook his head, his expression doubtful. “From what I know, Wu Tian is indeed formidable, but not to the point of infiltrating the Nie residence undetected and escaping from the patriarch himself. That seems impossible. Moreover, according to reports, the person who broke in was a middle-aged man—not Wu Tian.”

“Steward Sun, do you think our Sun family should get involved in this matter?” the patriarch suddenly asked.

Sun Siqing was taken aback, then gave a wry smile. “That’s not for me to decide. It’s up to you, Patriarch. But I do think Wu Tian is a young man worth befriending.”

“That’s enough for me,” the patriarch nodded.

...

No matter how chaotic things were outside, Wu Tian slept as soundly as if nothing had happened. Although he’d been injured the night before, the healing pills had been potent, and rest was necessary. He slept straight through until broad daylight, waking to find his wounds completely healed.

“These supreme healing pills are truly amazing—my injuries are gone after just one night,” Wu Tian stretched, only to hear a commotion outside.

He dressed and got out of bed. Xiao Hui stood at the door, and not far off, a large group from the Nie family was facing off against people from the Qitian Sect.

“What’s going on out there?” Wu Tian asked Xiao Hui as he watched the gathering crowd.

“I’m not sure either. Apparently, Nie Huixiang was assassinated last night, and today the Nie family is here confronting the Qitian Sect, claiming it was their doing.”

“Well, serves that bastard right! Who told him to hurt my Xiao Hui? Damn, I dreamed of killing him last night, and today he really is dead. Seems my dreams are prophetic!” Wu Tian said cheerfully.