Otherworldly Desert Dust-Chapter 335 - 290: Grudges of the Manor

At the table, Manor Master Quan Cunyi’s face looked extremely poor, and his gaze suddenly turned icy cold, yet he didn’t stare at anyone in particular.

Qiu Shang, the prospective son-in-law, looked just as astonished, but he had a very good psychological bearing, pretending to chuckle, "Young Master Lu, please don’t make such jokes. My sister Qiu Cui is possessed by evil; in recent days, with the continuous demon rain, other realms have also seen many instances of evil possession..."

"This is a pair of bracelets, engraved with a name. Her real name is not Qiu Cui; it’s Li Qiuhua. You two are actually a pair of married bandits who disguised yourselves as helpers, infiltrating Quan Family’s Villa to take refuge from the government officers in Prefecture City."

"Interestingly enough, when the young lady took a fancy to you, you immediately came up with an idea, pretending to be blood siblings so that you could court the young lady without arousing suspicion."

"Then you gave the young lady another rotten suggestion, to stage a play with you, claiming that a rapist had broken in, using such means to compel the manor owner to allow you two to marry."

"The plan was successful, and you won the understanding of the manor owner; you were about to transform from a bandit into the heir of the villa. The only obstacle was your actual wife, who is not your sister at all. Initially, she helped you because she thought that you were just feigning affection for the young lady, all for the sake of the young lady’s wealth. But gradually she sensed something was wrong, she caught on to your ambition... Likewise, you also realized, to become a person of status, you had to get rid of this encumbrance, so two nights ago, you threw her into the well and drowned her. You, as a servant, only had one proper garment with buttons, and this button is what I fished out from the well. When you were pushing your wife into the well, she clung to your clothes and pulled the button along with her down into the water."

"Her name isn’t Qiu Cui; Qiu Cui is just your alias after coming to the villa."

"Her real name is indeed Li Qiuhua, she is one of the wanted female fugitives. She isn’t possessed by evil; she only forgot your crimes because you hit her on the back of the head, and after climbing out of the well, she could only remember her real name as Li Qiuhua, not the villa servant Qiu Cui."

Wu Hen serenely recounted the whole affair, his gaze playfully observing Qiu Shang, who was on the verge of becoming a high-status individual.

Qiu Shang’s complexion was continuously changing.

This wasn’t a government investigation that demanded concrete evidence.

Once such suspicion took hold paired with some corroborative evidence, his future as the manor’s son-in-law would be impossible!

More importantly, what the other party recounted was mostly factual.

In fact, the act with the young lady was a deliberate slip-up he had allowed the Jianghu Hero to discover so that Manor Master Quan Cunyi would accept him.

Feeling that his scheme was about to succeed, he did not hesitate to kill his own wife in an attempt to completely clear his name and become a manor’s young master.

What he never expected was that his wife’s vitality was so tenacious; after being knocked unconscious and thrown into the well, she was still alive, and even managed to climb out on her own!

How absurd, his wife couldn’t swim at all, and yet she didn’t drown in that deep well?

The commotion in the firewood room, at that time he had made his move quickly, nor dared to linger too long by the well, hastily leaving...

Possessed by evil?

Of course, Qiu Shang knew she wasn’t possessed, but he had to claim she was, so the housekeeper would execute her, ensuring his own peace of mind!

"Do you have anything to say?" Manor Master Quan Cunyi asked coldly.

Quan Manor’s young lady also wore an expression of disbelief, watching her lover unable to retort, her tears gushed forth like fountains.

"I have nothing to say. I admit that I am not a virtuous person, and taking a life is but a blink of an eye for me, but my feelings for the young lady are genuine. I, Qiu Shang, come from a base birth; since I was young, I lived with bandits, my mother despised me, and I don’t know who my father is. Needing to survive, of course, I couldn’t afford to have a conscience..." Qiu Shang didn’t struggle.

He knew that Manor Master Quan Cunyi was a grand True Martial Family’s practitioner. He couldn’t beat him, nor could he run away.

"Eat up, once you are full, I’ll deal with you, hmph!" Quan Cunyi’s eyes were icy cold, his tone carrying a hint of command.

Qiu Shang realized that the splendid meal before him was his last, so he ate heartily, gulping down the wine without leaving a drop.

The young lady of the manor held back her tears and didn’t cry, even rising to pour wine for Qiu Shang.

It seemed she harbored little hatred in her heart, even somewhat blaming Wu Hen for interfering too much.

Wu Hen couldn’t care less. He had to get to the bottom of things to save his compatriot...

That female college student was rather pitiable, having woken up atop a female thief who had almost drowned. It was probably Mother Nuwa teaching her how cruel society can be.

For her to survive in such a predicament was not an easy feat. Without his help, she would have mostly been a failed "transmigrator".

After eating well and drinking well, Wu Hen and Ruan Muhuan didn’t really intend to stay at the villa any longer.

"This is a little token of gratitude, please accept it," Manor Master Quan Cunyi presented a hefty bag of money as a token of respect, "Young Master Lu Yun is quick-witted, utterly different from the rumors, no wonder those heroes mention him so often."

"We shall not inquire further into Manor Master Quan’s family affairs. I will take the female thief away and escort her back to Prefecture City. Until we meet again," said Wu Hen.

"Until we meet again," Manor Master Quan had no objections, allowing Wu Hen to take away the female thief.

Wu Hen and Ruan Muhuan mounted the Horned Horse, took Li Qiuhua with them, and headed towards Prefecture City.

The night rain was pouring, the villa was quiet, but the faces of the people within the manor were all looking terrible, their heavy breathing clearly audible.

After Qiu Shang had eaten his fill, he was shackled and taken to the firewood shed.

In the dead of night, Quan Cunyi comforted his daughter until, exhausted from crying, she fell asleep. Only then did he go to the firewood shed to deal with his "prospective son-in-law". Explore more adventures at novelbuddy

"Manor Master," Qiu Shang gazed fiercely, showing no signs of remorse or fear.

"You indeed have the mettle of a man, knowing death is upon you, yet you neither cower nor beg for mercy," the manor owner remarked.

"A wretched life, but why wouldn’t one strive for glory and wealth? If I had your status and position, Manor Master, I too would befriend heroes and be generous and kind," Qiu Shang said.

"Hahaha, you are quite like how I was when I was younger," Manor Master suddenly began to laugh.

"What do you mean by that, Manor Master?"

"Do you think this villa was built on my own efforts?" Manor Master’s gaze changed, and even his whole demeanor shifted with that look.

Qiu Shang was stunned as he looked at the manor owner.

The gaze was incredibly sinister, a look that could only have been honed by killing many. As a bandit, he knew this all too well!

"Manor owner, in your youth..."

"Thirty years ago, I passed by this place and took advantage of a raging stormy night to ravish the young lady of this villa, ruining her reputation. I then posed as a Jianghu hero and took up residence in this villa... Sure enough, the old manor owner married his daughter to me, an unknown hero, and thus, I naturally became the master of this villa," Quan Cunyi narrated the incident indifferently.

Upon hearing this, Qiu Shang was greatly shocked!!

The very deed he had intended to do, his future father-in-law had actually done???

"They are but the usual tricks we thieves employ, seemingly clever, aimed at the defenseless common folks," Quan Cunyi said.

"So, it was my senior, a person of great wisdom and courage. I admire you immensely!" In his excitement, Qiu Shang immediately kowtowed.

There really is a way out for everyone!

Just when he thought he was doomed, it turned out that the seemingly kind manor owner had such a past.

"You’re still too green, kid," Quan Cunyi said, and without warning, he picked up a firewood knife and chopped it down towards Qiu Shang’s neck!

Qiu Shang was still rejoicing at having encountered a senior when the next second, his head rolled off.

The knife was so fast that the nerve connection between the neck and the head was severed, and as his face was still rolling, an expression of disbelief and puzzlement slowly surfaced on his twitching muscles!

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

Qiu Shang didn’t understand why, if his future father-in-law was of the same feather as himself, he would still kill him!

"You said it yourself, why commit evil if not compelled by survival?" Quan Cunyi, wiping the blood from the firewood knife, saw that Qiu Shang’s eyes were still open and disdainfully said,

"I consider my daughter as the apple of my eye. How could I let her be with a thieving scoundrel like you? And one who can’t even kill efficiently at that!"

Quan Cunyi put the firewood knife back and turned to leave the firewood shed.

Do you think becoming a man above others by marrying the young lady of the manor is feasible?

That’s far too naive!

Compared to the true powers of the True Martial Continent, even a manor owner like himself, clad in fine clothes by nefarious means, was nothing more than a pawn at their mercy, still at the very bottom of the power game.

Without genuine abilities, how could the villa survive?

"What a pity, Lu Yun already has a beauty by his side. With his talents, he can barely compete with those people, but ultimately there will be no good end," Quan Cunyi lamented as he looked in the direction where Ruan Muhuan and Wu Hen had left.

...

...

The night rain poured, and the roads were muddy.

Wu Hen unbound the clear-headed female college student, letting her ride a horse by herself.

"Why the hurry to leave in such heavy rain?" Ruan Muhuan asked, puzzled.

Staying overnight was also an option.

"Take a look at this, what do you think it is?" Wu Hen took out a brocade box.

"Dragon Blood Pill??" Ruan Muhuan opened her mouth in surprise when she saw the treasure inside the box.

"You’re at the Ninth Level Qi Stream now. With this thing, you’ll have a better chance at breaking through to the Qi River Realm, won’t you?" Wu Hen started smiling.

"Where... where did it come from?" Ruan Muhuan asked in confusion.

"I found it in her room. If I’m not mistaken, she stole it. She’s an excellent female thief, the kind that doesn’t steal hearts but treasures!" Wu Hen gestured towards the female college student riding alone.

"Me? Oh, I... I did it, I can’t remember," the female college student immediately nodded, remembering her identity as a female thief.

"It seems the truly skillful one is her. She is also the one who advised Qiu Shang. The goods Qiu Shang swindled from the young lady are all in her hands, and she has also been to the manor owner’s treasure vault, taking the most valuable Dragon Blood Pill," Wu Hen’s eyes crinkled with joy.

Ruan Muhuan suddenly understood.

No wonder he was in such a rush to leave.

When Wu Hen was gathering evidence, he discovered these treasures hidden by the female bandit.

By taking the female thief with him, he conveniently took the villa’s treasures as well. In the future, when the manor owner discovers the theft, they could claim the female thief had already settled her debts and her whereabouts are unknown.

"Hit the jackpot, right?" Ruan Muhuan also laughed, unintentionally using the phrase often said by Wu Hen.

"It looks like you won’t need three months to advance from martial master to a great Martial Artist!" Wu Hen remarked.

One step closer to becoming a Valkyrie!

Wu Hen was quite satisfied with the harvest from these days of hard work.

Ruan Muhuan had become part of the Wu Family and had the power to shelter Ya City... For extra insurance, he’d better boost her strength a bit more to be prepared for emergencies, as there was still a month left.

"But isn’t the Dragon Blood Pill supposed to be exclusive to Wuting, and private possession of it a serious crime? The provenance of this item is questionable."

"This manor owner is no good man either," Wu Hen affirmed.