Chapter 585: First Volume, Chapter 585: The Person Behind It All

First Volume, Chapter 585: The Person Behind It All

Li Yong frowned slightly; the events of tonight had exceeded his expectations.

Looking at the unfamiliar man brought before him by the Imperial Guard, Li Yong realized this man must be connected to the Princess.

Yet he still held his patience and asked one question.

"Brother, who is this man?"

This was not only Li Yong's question, but the shared doubt in every heart present.

Li Qian smiled without speaking; today's game was already won.

Lin Taibao bowed and spoke with clear, resonant words: "Your Highness, this man's name is Wei Xiao."

"He is one of the Heavenly Ranking Jin ShaShou, who for years have been hunting Li Xiaolan—our Princess, lost among the Folk."

At these words, the entire hall erupted.

The lost Princess was already a monumental affair, enough to stir uproar among both the Folk and the Imperial Court.

Now, learning the Princess had been hunted all this time, even the officials present were stunned—let alone Li Yong and the Princess of Qiyang.

Instantly, angry shouts rose one after another.

"Daring scoundrel! How dare you threaten the Princess? Confess immediately—who ordered you!"

"Heavenly Ranking Jin ShaShou? These bastards deserve a nationwide warrant—net them all!"

"They dare hunt our Princess of Liang? They have no sense of their own mortality!"

"Confess the mastermind behind this!"

Though everyone shouted at Wei Xiao, their eyes kept glancing involuntarily toward Qin Feng, as if implying this matter could not be separated from him.

Qin Feng offered no defense—he had no way to defend himself.

Once Li Xiaolan's identity was exposed, Qin Feng could drown in the Yellow River and still not wash clean his name.

Even if Qin Feng was not the mastermind and had done his utmost to protect Li Xiaolan, merely concealing the Princess's identity and failing to report it was no minor offense.

Facing the crowd's shouts, Wei Xiao shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Heh."

"I, Wei Xiao, reduced to a prisoner, will never beg for mercy or defend myself."

"But you, you so-called officials, you National Pillars, are the most hypocritical of all."

At these words, Lin Taibao's gaze turned sharp.

"Even as death approaches, you still dare speak so boldly!"

"Clearly your spirit hasn't been broken yet—what are you waiting for?"

The Imperial Guard showed no hesitation; they immediately unslung their Zhan Dao, kept the blade sheathed, and drove the scabbard hard into Wei Xiao's lower back.

The strike targeted the lumbar vertebrae with cruel precision.

Wei Xiao collapsed to the ground, trembling violently, his face as pale as paper.

Yet his eyes held no fear—only deeper hatred.

"The one who hunted Li Xiaolan was not Qin Feng—it was someone in the Imperial Court. As for who, Lin Taibao, Minister of Justice, you know better than I do."

Lin Taibao and the Minister of Justice turned ashen.

They had never expected that, at death's door, Wei Xiao would dare turn on them.

Just as Lin Taibao prepared to order Wei Xiao's torture, Qin Feng suddenly stepped before Wei Xiao.

Seeing Qin Feng block his way, Lin Taibao glared angrily: "Qin Feng, are you trying to shield this traitor?"

Qin Feng stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Wei Xiao's battered, unrecognizable form, and spoke calmly:

"It's ironic that you, Lin Taibao, and the Minister of Justice, supposed confidants, don't even know how to interrogate—only resorting to torture."

"If you beat Wei Xiao into silence, will you then declare this case closed, free to falsely accuse and crush political rivals?"

Faced with Qin Feng's accusation, Lin Taibao's heart sank—he could not deny he had planned exactly that.

The witness's presence was enough; what the witness said didn't matter.

And to prevent Wei Xiao from implicating others, silencing him was necessary.

Unfortunately, Qin Feng had exposed his intent; Lin Taibao shifted his tone: "I suspect the one deliberately framing others is none other than Lord Qin!"

Qin Feng had no interest in wasting words on Lin Taibao.

Looking at the broken Wei Xiao, Qin Feng felt a flicker of curiosity: "With your skills, only a mountain-recluse master could have captured you—unless…"

"You were betrayed by your employer?"

These words pierced Wei Xiao's heart—and turned Lin Taibao and the Minister of Justice pale.

Qin Feng observed all their reactions but said nothing.

He simply stared at Wei Xiao, watching this once-renowned Top-Tier assassin reduced to this state, and sighed inwardly.

Wei Xiao's eyes flickered with sorrow: "This matter has nothing to do with you. I am where I am today—I blame no one."

Qin Feng did not press further; he shrugged and glanced at the surrounding ministers.

His tone seemed casual, yet carried hidden meaning: "If you, Lord Taibao, truly wish to uncover the mastermind, shouldn't you give Wei Xiao the chance to speak?"

"So far, everything has been your own narration—it's inappropriate."

Qin Feng slowly turned, his gaze returning to Wei Xiao: "Wei Xiao, you hunted the Princess—your crime is unforgivable."

"But if you reveal the mastermind, you may redeem yourself—and perhaps keep your corpse whole."

"Given all this, why protect the one behind you?"

Seeing Qin Feng actively press for the mastermind's identity, Lin Taibao's heart lurched.

He had planned to use this moment to make Wei Xiao falsely accuse Qin Feng as the mastermind, strike with One-Strike Victory, and crush Qin Feng beyond recovery.

Who could have foreseen that Wei Xiao would turn on them instead?

At this moment, it is no different from making a bad situation worse.

If Wei Xiao truly reveals the mastermind behind it all, it will shake the entire Shedynasty; all those implicated will be unable to escape death!

Before Wei Xiao could speak, Lin Taibao hurriedly interrupted: "Qin Feng, you've probably colluded with Wei Xiao!"

The Minister of Justice also quickly rose to rebuke: "I see you're clearly using this as an opportunity to imply something—your conversation with Wei Xiao proves you two have long been acquainted!"

Facing their false accusations, Qin Feng merely smiled faintly, unconcerned.

"Wei Xiao was captured by the two of you and has been under your custody the entire time."

"Even if there truly was collusion, it would be the two of you who had the greater opportunity."

Qin Feng ignored the furious glares from Lin Taibao and the Minister of Justice, and looked at Wei Xiao.

"With your skills, if you truly wanted to kill Li Xiaolan, you would have succeeded long ago—clearly, you couldn't bring yourself to do it."

"Now, the mastermind has directly exposed Li Xiaolan's identity, intending to summon her back to Beijing."

"Once Li Xiaolan returns to Beijing, she will face extreme peril—describing it as nine deaths and one life is not an exaggeration."

"If you truly care for Li Xiaolan, you must make the right choice!"

Wei Xiao fell silent.

His relationship with Li Xiaolan had always been complex—both enemy and master-disciple.

Over years of interaction, Wei Xiao had even developed faint feelings for Li Xiaolan.

Precisely because of this, Wei Xiao had spared Li Xiaolan multiple times, and even secretly intervened to aid her when she was in danger.

Now, the mastermind had not only betrayed Wei Xiao, but also sought Li Xiaolan's life!