The sky had not yet fully brightened. A sliver of fish-belly white had just struggled out from below the eastern horizon, attempting to tear open the heavy curtain of night.
However, a piece of news that arrived even earlier than the dawn, like a sudden earthquake, thoroughly awakened the entire Zhuge estate, which was still in its slumber!
The Third Elder, Zhuge Lie, while visiting the Young Master Zhuge Xuan last night, was unfortunately caught in an unexpected pill furnace explosion due to the Young Master's failed pill refinement. He was severely injured and remains unconscious to this day, his life in peril!
As soon as the news broke, the entire estate was in an uproar!
The first to be alarmed were the few pro-war elders and deacons who were closest to the Third Elder and had always followed his lead. They didn't even care about their morning exercises and rushed towards the Third Elder's residence with their clothes in disarray, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.
Immediately after, more clan members were awakened. For a time, the estate was bustling with voices and hurried footsteps. An atmosphere of panic and unease spread rapidly like a plague.
"Have you heard? The Third Elder is on the verge of death!"
"What happened? How could something like this happen out of the blue?"
"Who else could it be but that Zhuge Xuan! I heard he was delusional, trying to use some evil method to reshape his meridians, but ended up messing it up and implicating the Third Elder!"
"I told you, that kid is a jinx! It's not enough that he's a cripple himself, he has to drag the whole clan down with him!"
Rumors, like vines growing in the dark night, grew wildly. The spearhead, once again, was pointed at the same name — Zhuge Xuan.
Inside the residence of the Fifth Elder, Zhuge Ming, he was sitting in his study, eating his breakfast in a slow and deliberate manner. The light congee, the exquisite pastries, everything seemed so calm and unhurried.
A trusted steward walked in quickly, a trace of unconcealable excitement and agitation on his face, and reported the commotion outside to him in detail.
"...The whole estate is in chaos right now. The Seventh Elder and the Ninth Elder are blocking the door to the Clan Head's study, demanding an explanation."
Zhuge Ming scooped up a spoonful of crystal-clear congee with a silver spoon, blew on it gently, and then put it in his mouth. He savored it carefully, as if the uproar outside, loud enough to tear the roof off, had nothing to do with him.
"Oh? And the Clan Head's side, what's the reaction?" he asked faintly.
"The Clan Head... has not yet shown his face. He only sent Steward Quan out to appease them, saying that... everything will be decided after he has investigated the truth."
"Investigate the truth?" A sarcastic arc formed at the corner of Zhuge Ming's mouth. "The truth? The truth is that a fool who doesn't know his own limits harmed an elder who cared about him. What is there to investigate?"
He put down the silver spoon and elegantly wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin. His shrewd eyes glinted with the cold light of a successful scheme.
Last night, when the person he sent to monitor had not brought back any news for a long time, he had felt a faint sense of unease. But when this "accidental" news came this morning, all his unease instantly turned into ecstasy!
Although the process was somewhat different from what he had expected, the result... was unexpectedly good!
His original purpose was only to use the Third Elder's hand to interrupt Zhuge Xuan's pill refining process and make him completely give up the idea. He had even prepared himself to "beg for forgiveness with a rod on his back" from the furious Third Elder afterwards.
But he had never expected that Zhuge Xuan, that idiot, would make such a big mess of things!
Failed pill refinement? A pill furnace explosion? And it even severely injured the Third Elder?
Hahahaha! This was simply heaven helping him!
In this way, Zhuge Xuan's reputation was completely ruined. A "jinx" who was not only a cripple himself but also implicated his elders could no longer get the support of any clan member.
And with the Third Elder down, the pro-war faction had no leader and could no longer pose a threat to him.
He, Zhuge Ming, had become the biggest winner in this accident!
"Well done, Zhuge Xuan..." he laughed in a low voice, his eyes full of triumph and contempt. "This last struggle of yours has actually done me a huge favor. In return, when I become the Clan Head in the future, I will definitely find a good place with beautiful scenery for you, so you can live out the rest of your life in peace as a wealthy idler..."
Just as he was immersed in his beautiful fantasy of the future, the study door was "bang," violently kicked open from the outside!
Two Shadow Guards in dark armor and masks rushed in like wolves and tigers, the cold, gleaming blades in their hands pointed straight at his throat!
The sudden turn of events made the smile on Zhuge Ming's face freeze instantly!
"You... who are you?! How dare you trespass into my residence!" he stood up abruptly and shouted, putting on a brave front.
However, the two Shadow Guards were like lifeless puppets, turning a deaf ear to his words, only locking onto him with their cold, emotionless gazes.
Immediately after, a figure that made Zhuge Ming feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave slowly walked in from outside the door.
Zhuge Yuan!
At this moment, Zhuge Yuan's face was terrifyingly gloomy. In his eyes, which were very similar to Zhuge Xuan's, a monstrous rage and killing intent that could swallow a person whole was churning.
He walked into the study step by step, each step as if treading on Zhuge Ming's heart.
"Eld... Elder Brother?" A very ominous premonition rose in Zhuge Ming's heart. He forced himself to be calm and squeezed out a smile that was uglier than crying. "What is... the meaning of this? Is there some misunderstanding among the men below?"
Zhuge Yuan did not speak, only looking at him quietly with those cold eyes.
That kind of gaze was not like looking at one's own cousin, but more like looking at a... dead person.
Being stared at by this kind of gaze, Zhuge Ming felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. He couldn't help but take half a step back, his voice starting to tremble. "Elder Brother... you... what's wrong with you? Is it... because of Third Brother and Xuan'er? Don't worry, I will definitely help you investigate this matter to the end and give the clan an explanation!"
He still wanted to continue his performance, to portray himself as a virtuous minister who was mindful of the bigger picture.
However, Zhuge Yuan's next sentence completely shattered all his fantasies!
"Zhuge Ming."
Zhuge Yuan's voice was hoarse, deep, yet it carried an unquestionable finality.
"Do you plead guilty?"
Boom!
These four words, like a divine thunder from the ninth heaven, struck Zhuge Ming's head fiercely, making him dizzy and almost unable to stand!
He... he knew?
Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!
He had done it flawlessly. How could he possibly know? Where did he slip up?
Countless thoughts flashed wildly in Zhuge Ming's mind, and his face instantly turned deathly pale.
"Eld... Elder Brother... I don't understand what you mean..." he still wanted to make a final struggle.
"Don't understand?" A cruel smile finally appeared on Zhuge Yuan's face. "Then I'll let you die understanding!"
He waved his hand sharply.
A Shadow Guard immediately stepped forward, took out a stack of confessions from his bosom, and read them out loud.
"Medicine pantry manager, Zhuge Fu, confesses! The Fifth Elder, Zhuge Ming, on several occasions in the past half month, used his power for personal gain, secretly embezzling the cultivation resources supplied to the Young Master, and ordered him to add the chronic poison 'Tendon Softening Powder' to the Young Master's daily diet!"
"Young Master's guard, Zhuge An, confesses! The day before the Qingyang Banquet, the Fifth Elder, Zhuge Ming, threatened him with the lives of his family, forcing him to put the potent spirit-sealing drug 'Spirit Locking Powder' in the Young Master's drinking water, causing the Young Master's spiritual energy to stagnate during the competition, leading to his tragic defeat at the hands of Wang Teng!"
"..."
One by one, the Shadow Guard's emotionless voice was like the heaviest iron hammer, smashing down on Zhuge Ming's heart again and again.
His body began to tremble uncontrollably, and all the color drained from his face.
He couldn't figure out why these "chess pieces" that he thought he had dealt with cleanly would suddenly turn against him and even produce such "conclusive" evidence!
This is impossible! Zhuge Fu was his trusted subordinate whom he had personally promoted. Zhuge An's family was also firmly under his control. They... how could they dare to betray him?!
"No... this is all slander! It's a setup!" he finally broke down, pointing at the Shadow Guard and roaring frantically. "Elder Brother! You can't believe these one-sided stories! Someone is trying to harm me! It's Zhuge Xuan! Yes! It must be him! This was all his design! He wants to take revenge on me!"
At this point, he finally figured out the key!
This was a setup! A net that was aimed at him alone from beginning to end!
However, his defense seemed so pale and feeble in Zhuge Yuan's eyes, which were already red with anger.
"You still want to argue at this point?" Zhuge Yuan's voice was as cold as the wind blowing from hell. "Do you think I haven't verified it? In Zhuge Fu's secret room, letters of your secret correspondence with him were found! On Zhuge An's person, the jade pendant you gave him that day, bearing your unique spiritual energy imprint, was also found!"
"With both human and material evidence, what else do you have to say?!"
Zhuge Ming was completely stunned.
Letters? A jade pendant?
He... had never given those things!
At this moment, he finally understood completely.
Framed!
This was a thorough, no-holds-barred frame-up!
And the person who could do all this so flawlessly, leaving him with no room for rebuttal...
Who else could it be but that nephew of his, who was lying in bed, seemingly already a cripple?
"Good... what a Zhuge Xuan..."
Zhuge Ming smiled miserably, his laughter full of despair and unwillingness. All his scheming, all his planning, in the face of that young man's almost monstrous methods, was actually so vulnerable.
He had lost.
Lost completely and utterly.
"Men!" There was no longer any hesitation in Zhuge Yuan's eyes, only the iron-blooded and ruthless nature of a clan head.
"Take down the traitor, Zhuge Ming!"
"Cripple all his cultivation and throw him into... the dungeon!"
"Three days from now, at noon, in the martial arts arena, in front of the entire clan..."
He enunciated each word, spitting out the final, and also the most cruel, five words.
"Death by a thousand cuts!"