Chapter 210: The Truth Comes Out, A Chain of Schemes

The matter of the Emei Mountain Treasure Map once caused a great uproar.

In order to fight for the Treasure Map, the entire Edo was stirred into a bloody storm, and no one knows how many experts met their untimely deaths.

Yet the villain who secretly plotted this was still not satisfied, and secretly notified the experts of Emei Mountain, intending to make both sides clash.

That mastermind behind the scenes could be called vicious to the extreme.

But could the mastermind actually be the universally praised "Jiangnan Hero" Jiang Biehe?

Everyone present could not help but feel a sense of absurdity and strangeness.

Jiang Biehe's face also changed drastically, and he hissed: "What a treacherous and evil scheme! I don't know this person at all. Just based on this person's empty words, does that prove I am the mastermind behind the scenes?"

This time, Jiang Biehe was truly wronged.

Although the Treasure Map was indeed made by him, he had always been meticulous in his work, and it had passed through several hands in secret before reaching the little Daoist; it was absolutely impossible for the little Daoist to know that he was the one who did it.

Shenxi Daozhang said in a deep voice: "Rebellious disciple, do you have any evidence?"

The little Daoist was silent for a moment, then fished a letter out from his bosom: "This is the letter sent to me by the Jiang Hero. I wonder if it can serve as evidence?"

The envelope was passed among several highly respected martial arts seniors. They looked at each other, and an old man with a white beard said: "Indeed, this is exactly the handwriting of the Jiang Hero. This old man has seen his writing before; there is no mistake."

Jiang Biehe felt a surge of anxiety and snatched the envelope.

The content of the letter was precisely to inform the little Daoist about the matter at the Emei Back Mountain, telling him to set an ambush early.

And the handwriting on the envelope was indeed that of Jiang Biehe.

Even Jiang Biehe himself was in a trance for a moment, because this handwriting was exactly the same as his own.

His heart sank; the trap set by the other party was seamless, and they were determined to put him to death.

Jiang Biehe's mind raced, and he suddenly laughed out loud: "Good, good, good! Yu Liancheng, what you did is indeed seamless, but you forgot one thing?"

Yu Liancheng said indifferently: "The matter of the Treasure Map was something you did yourself. Shenxi Daozhang and his disciple are exposing your conspiracy together; where does this talk of 'seamless' come from?"

"Presumably, those who know me, Jiang, all know that although I cannot be called a master of both literature and martial arts, I still have some accomplishments in calligraphy. From the Yan and Liu styles to the Lanting and Wei steles, I have put effort into imitating the calligraphy of many famous masters."

Jiang Biehe shook his head: "If I, Jiang, wanted to change my handwriting, it would naturally be easy. Since I knew this matter was risky, how could I have used my own original handwriting?"

Yu Liancheng sneered: "This is precisely the one slip in a hundred plans. Heaven has eyes, and it deliberately let you, the Jiangnan Hero, leave a flaw."

"Since I, this old man, could plan such an exquisite scheme, how could I leave such a big flaw?"

Jiang Biehe's expression turned stern again: "Yu Liancheng, your martial arts are brilliant, and if you want to kill me, I have no choice. But if you want to splash this bucket of dirty water on my head, I absolutely cannot accept it."

These words were truly spoken with righteous indignation, making those who heard them unable to help but secretly applaud.

Yu Liancheng sighed and said: "Although you refuse to admit it, fortunately I still have a way to make you concede."

Jiang Biehe frowned, and a sense of unease suddenly rose in his heart.

Suddenly, someone emerged from the crowd and said loudly: "Father, what you have done is truly intolerable to heaven and earth. Today, you are even trying to frame my savior; I have no choice but to stand up. I hope you will forgive me, Father."

This was a handsome-looking youth with a pale face, whose appearance looked somewhat similar to Jiang Biehe; it was none other than Jiang Biehe's son, Jiang Yulang.

Jiang Biehe's expression changed: "You injured your head some time ago and were delirious. I told you to recuperate at home; why didn't you listen?"

Having said this, he took two steps forward, intending to pull Jiang Yulang.

But Shenxi Daozhang sneered, unfolded his movement technique, and had already swept in front of Jiang Biehe: "Brother Jiang, I know a little about the art of medicine. Although your son's face is slightly pale, his speech is clear and his breathing is steady; he does not look like someone who is unwell."

"That's right, Jiang Biehe. Are you afraid that your son will destroy his relatives for the sake of justice and reveal the truth?"

Another voice rang out from the crowd of heroes, which immediately made Jiang Biehe's expression turn cold.

"Hehe, it seems the universally revered Jiangnan Hero, Jiang Biehe, is actually a hypocrite."

"There is nothing that cannot be told to others. Could it be that he really did something shameful and his son found out?"

"Young Hero Jiang, speak. No matter what you want to say, we can guarantee that the Jiangnan Hero cannot hurt you."

In the crowd, the voices of several more people rang out.

Jiang Biehe's cold gaze swept through the crowd, but he did not see the people who had spoken.

But seeing the varied expressions of the heroes, he stopped moving forward and sneered: "Good, good. My good son, I would like to see what you can say."

Jiang Yulang gritted his teeth, appearing somewhat hesitant. After a long while, he finally opened his mouth and said: "Father, do you know why I went missing for more than a year? It was because I saw the Treasure Map in your study, stole it, and wanted to go and find out the truth."

"I did not reach the forbidden treasure grounds, but instead met Xiao Mimi of the Ten Great Villains on the way. If not for Young Master Yu's rescue, I fear I would not have been able to escape Xiao Mimi's clutches by now."

"After I returned, I kept thinking: the Treasure Map is such a major secret, and you have always been careful and cautious, so how could you leave it casually on your desk? Unless you knew the Treasure Map was fake, unless you were the mastermind behind this matter."

Jiang Biehe sneered: "I just felt there was a conspiracy and was about to investigate carefully, but I didn't know it had been stolen by my good son."

Jiang Yulang added: "But I have evidence that you forged it."

He suddenly fished dozens of sheets of paper from his bosom.

These papers were light, thin, yet tough.

Jiang Yulang carefully scraped up a small pinch of dust and gently wiped it onto a sheet of paper. Patterns appeared on the paper, which were exactly the markings of the Treasure Map.

"This is what I found in your bedroom. This kind of paper is exactly the paper used for the Treasure Map. As long as anyone present has obtained a Treasure Map, they should be able to recognize it."

"And in order to make the Treasure Map look realistic, it was drawn with charcoal sticks. When drawing on a sheet of paper, it is inevitable that marks will be left on the paper underneath. This is the last sheet of paper you drew on."

Jiang Biehe's expression remained unchanged, and he sneered: "Can mere paper count as evidence? I think this was plotted by Yu Liancheng to force you to say this; he is the true mastermind of the conspiracy."

Although he argued with a glib tongue, there was first the little Daoist's testimony, and then Jiang Yulang's evidence—with both human and material evidence present, could this matter be wrong?

Vaguely, the gazes of everyone looking at Jiang Biehe seemed to have changed.

Yu Liancheng said indifferently: "What a 'Jiangnan Hero' of great benevolence and righteousness! If you didn't have unspeakable wild ambitions and secrets, how could you be so pretentious and artificial... You not only kept all the heroes of the world in the dark, but also wanted to use schemes to eliminate those who were not easily subdued, so that you could dominate the world alone."

"Although my father is unrighteous, it is truly not an easy thing for a son to destroy his relatives for the sake of justice. If you hadn't slandered my savior this time, Yulang would never have been able to make up his mind."

Jiang Yulang looked up to the sky and sighed, revealing a look of sorrow: "It was you who tampered with the darts of Duan Hefei. Acting with you were 'Double Blade Taishui' Shi Qiushan, 'Water Flood Dragon' Lin Qiu, and the remnants of the 'Yellow Flower Bees of the River'... Now Shenxi Daozhang has captured them and is waiting to interrogate them. You wanted to use this batch of dart silver to frame Young Master Yu and Alliance Leader Tie. Even now, can you still not admit it?"

Jiang Biehe's expression finally changed. He couldn't help but step back twice and hissed: "Impossible, absolutely impossible! How could you know? I clearly had already..."

Having said this much, he hurriedly shut his mouth.

He had already said too much.

But under the eyes of everyone, words spoken are like spilled water.

Spilled water is hard to retrieve.

The crowd of heroes was immediately stirred; if they had only been suspicious before, now the fact that the "Jiangnan Hero" Jiang Biehe was a man who stole fame by deceiving the world was confirmed, and there was no telling how many other dirty, filthy deeds he had committed in secret.

"Hahaha." Suddenly, Jiang Yulang laughed loudly, his laughter filled with smugness: "Jiang Biehe, oh Jiang Biehe, no matter how cunning you are, you still have to drink my foot-washing water."

Jiang Biehe's expression changed wildly, and he hissed: "You are not my son Yulang?"

"Of course I am not that stinking brat Jiang Yulang."

That "Jiang Yulang" turned his body and removed the disguise on his face, revealing a face covered in scars but possessing a strange charm; who else could it be but Xiaoyuer?

Xiaoyuer said with a grin: "I am Jiang Xiaoyu, your Grandpa Yu."

Jiang Biehe could not help but tremble all over.

He had been tricked after all.

If not for that last sentence, even if the crowd of heroes had many suspicions, if he refused to admit it, he could still have preserved a shred of his reputation.

But now, everything had come to nothing...

In fact, if Jiang Biehe had not spoken wrongly just now, Xiaoyuer still had plenty of evidence.

What's more, Jiang Biehe's mind was already in turmoil.

If Yu Liancheng were willing, he would only need to slightly urge his Heart-Capturing Technique, and this Jiang Biehe would have no choice but to spill the truth.

Jiang Biehe's complexion changed again, and the muscles on his face suddenly began to twist.

The left side of his face had originally been ruined by Yu Liancheng's Sword Qi and had already scarred over, but now it had been torn open again, and trickles of fresh blood welled up, flowing all over his face, making him look as ferocious as an evil ghost.

He was not stupid.

Now he finally understood; he understood everything.

Jiang Biehe looked around and saw others staring at his face, and the corners of his mouth could not help but lift in a ghastly, miserable smile.

There was no longer a "Jiangnan Hero" in this world.

Without a doubt, Yu Liancheng had succeeded.

Jiang Biehe had already lost, lost completely, lost with total conviction, and lost with his reputation in ruins.

Even if he could escape today, there would be no place left for him.

Yu Liancheng ignored him, suddenly swept his gaze over Tie Wushuang's seven disciples, whose faces had turned pale, and then looked at Tie Wushuang: "Alliance Leader Tie, it is your turn."

Tie Wushuang was startled: "My turn?"

Yu Liancheng sneered: "It is time for you to clean up your sect; these seven people have betrayed you. If you do not kill them one by one, what face do you have left to stand in the Edo?"

Tie Wushuang's expression sank, revealing a look of hesitation.

No matter what, these seven people were his disciples, and he had deep feelings for them.

And the older a person gets, the more they cherish the past.

Those seven disciples were already kneeling on the ground, kowtowing incessantly, their faces streaming with tears.

"Master, spare us... Master, spare us, it was all Jiang Biehe who made us do it, he captured my wife and children..."

"Master, it was I who was deceived by Jiang Biehe... that is why I committed such an act of rebellion."

Tie Wushuang hesitated even more.

"Alliance Leader Tie, do you really think they are willing to repent and turn toward goodness?"

A trace of faint mockery lifted the corners of Yu Liancheng's mouth, and his gaze turned to the seven disciples, saying coldly: "Listen well, if you can kill Tie Wushuang, I will spare the seven of you. If not, you will all die!"

The seven disciples looked at each other, suddenly picked up the swords they had previously thrown on the ground, and with one person empty-handed, they all attacked Tie Wushuang together.

"Master, we have seven lives, you only have one."

"If you truly care for us, then fulfill our wish."

"How bold, you..." Tie Wushuang's eyes widened, his hair bristling with rage; he struck out with his palms continuously, his palm force surging; as the Sanxiang Alliance Leader, his martial arts were truly not ordinary.

But his seven disciples were not only familiar with his martial arts, they attacked in coordination, and with the surprise of the sudden strike, Tie Wushuang could only struggle to cope.

The other experts saw this scene and wanted to lend the Alliance Leader a hand, but after being swept by Yu Liancheng's gaze, they dared not intervene again.

"Hmph." Just as Tie Wushuang became increasingly beleaguered, Lianxing gave a soft huff, and with a strike of her palm—clear and bright as jade—a stunning palm force swept out, immediately sending one disciple flying.

Her slender jade hands waved a few more times, and the other disciples also fell to the ground with miserable cries.

The onlookers were struck with horror.

Could there really be such brilliant palm techniques and such powerful palm force in this world?

This woman seemed to be Yu Liancheng's accomplice; if these two joined forces, the experts present would likely not be enough for them to kill.

Yu Liancheng looked at Lianxing and smiled: "I have said before, you seem cold and aloof, but you are actually gentle and kind."

Lianxing turned her head away and said coldly: "I strike when I want to strike, why are you so long-winded."

Yu Liancheng chuckled, walked over to Tie Wushuang—who was panting heavily after finishing off the seven disciples one by one—and patted him on the shoulder: "You have done well as an Alliance Leader, and the Sanxiang martial arts world can be said to be thriving under your leadership. But your ability to teach your disciples and juniors is truly worrisome."

He then used Voice Transmission to say: "Let me tell you one more thing: years ago, you appreciated Li Dazui's talent and did not hesitate to marry your only daughter to him. It is a pity that his evil nature did not change, and he actually boiled your daughter and ate her, and you hate Li Dazui to the bone."

"But in reality, it was your daughter who felt that marrying Li Dazui was a disgrace to her, and she had an illicit relationship with a junior brother in secret. Li Dazui advised her repeatedly, but your daughter not only refused to listen, she called him a living cuckold, so in a fit of rage, Li Dazui killed her, boiled her, and ate her, then fled into Villain's Valley."

Tie Wushuang's body could not help but shake again.

He knew that Yu Liancheng had no reason to lie.

He could even imagine that Li Dazui would rather hide in Villain's Valley than reveal this news, likely in large part to protect his reputation as the Alliance Leader.

Yu Liancheng could not help but shake his head.

This Tie Wushuang's ability to teach his juniors and descendants was truly poor.

His disciples all had rebellious bones, and his daughter was not a good person either.

Yu Liancheng's figure darted again, agile as a dragon and drifting like clouds; the crowd only felt a blur before their eyes, and he had already blocked two people.

They were the brothers Luo San and Luo Jiu who were attempting to flee.

When Luo San and Luo Jiu saw Yu Liancheng and were about to open their mouths to beg for mercy, Yu Liancheng already smiled: "I know you are the Ten Great Villains, 'Never Die Without Taking Advantage' Ouyang Ding and 'Risk Life To Take Advantage' Ouyang Dang."

The two brothers' expressions seemed to change, and they hurriedly said, "Young Master Yu is joking. We have heard of these two people, but they are both thin, and it has nothing to do with us two brothers."

Yu Liancheng said indifferently, "It is only because Li Dazui and the Five Great Villains could not take the treasure with them before entering the Villain's Valley, so they entrusted it to you, but you embezzled the treasure and ate yourselves into your current appearance. This is the most ingenious disguise; no one can tell."

The two men's faces turned pale instantly.

"I should send you on your way," Yu Liancheng added, "Right, you need not worry about that batch of treasure; I already have a use for it."

He flipped his hands and struck out toward the two brothers, Ouyang Ding and Ouyang Dang.

The two brothers shouted loudly and unleashed their lifelong cultivation to meet the attack.

Only two thuds were heard, and the two men had already fallen backward to the ground, their breath completely gone.

"At playing schemes and tricks, I am not good. At fighting, you are not good."

Yu Liancheng sighed and walked step by step toward Jiang Biehe.

Jiang Biehe was trembling all over; having seen the fate of Tie Wushuang's disciples and Ouyang Ding and Ouyang Dang, how could he not be afraid?

"Big Brother Yu, wait a moment."

Xiaoyuer suddenly stepped out and blocked Yu Liancheng's path.

"Oh, why?" Yu Liancheng raised an eyebrow.

Xiaoyuer was silent for a long while before saying, "I want to avenge my parents' blood feud myself, and I hope Big Brother Yu will grant me this."

Yu Liancheng looked at Xiaoyuer for a moment and said, "Fine, it is yours."

"Many thanks, Big Brother Yu." Xiaoyuer turned his head back to look at Jiang Biehe and suddenly shouted, "Jiang Qin, do you know who I am?"

Jiang Biehe felt a moment of mental trance.

Jiang Qin.

Such a distant name.

"Who exactly are you?" Jiang Biehe stared fixedly at Xiaoyuer, a look of terror flashing in his eyes.

Xiaoyuer laughed heartily and said, "Who am I? I am the son of Jiang Feng, Jiang Xiaoyu, the fish that slipped through the net fourteen years ago."

"You... you..." Jiang Qin's face was as pale as paper, as if he had seen a ghost.

Xiaoyuer stared fixedly at Jiang Feng, his eyes flashing with the light of hatred: "I should kill you right now, but I have decided to give you five days to settle your affairs. Five days from now, I will take your life myself. Get lost."

PS: There is one more chapter, but it will be later. The power went out last night, and I didn't finish writing it.