Could it be that I am the cruel villain?

"You…"

Almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

His face was filled with disappointment as if lamenting the failure of a promising apprentice; he truly hadn't expected Jiang Feng to be so foolish.

You say you were out on urgent business, concoct a messy excuse that can't be verified, or if all else fails, just say you spent the night at the Yan Family, letting your little fiancée cover for you.

Even if Xue Ming questions you, you could dismiss it as a "family matter" and leave it at that, walking away without involvement; after crossing this hurdle, you could think of a way to patch up the lie!

Yet he chose such a foolish excuse!

"Haha, hahaha… Are you mad, you little beast? Alright, go ahead, which brothel did you stay at last night, huh?"

With a manic grin, even a pig would know that Jiang Feng's response was made up on the spot. Yan Yurou was about to say something, but Jiang Feng still stuttered out a few words.

"I went around Firework Alley… which one exactly, I… yes, Ethereal Violet Pavilion, right! I spent the night there last night!"

He sighed.

The expression on his face visibly soured; the County Magistrate indeed favored Jiang Feng, and as long as the boy's excuse wasn't too outrageous he would help smooth it over, but now this foolish boy was claiming he spent the night at a brothel…

Even with his favoritism, with things having come to this pass, he had no choice but to investigate thoroughly; otherwise, if someone brought this issue up higher, his position might not be secure, a flicker of apology passed in his eyes as he looked toward Lady Yan.

"Summon those from Firework Alley."

Both of their complexions changed.

Xue Ming's face displayed vengeful ecstasy and cruelty, even tinged with anticipation, waiting for the moment Jiang Feng's lies would unravel and plunge him into hell. Without solid evidence in hand, as long as the affair involving Jiang Feng couldn't be clarified, he'd have ample reasons to deal with this little beast.

And naturally, the look on Jiang Feng's face needs no elaboration, filled with panic and ashen complexion, he stepped back, head covered in sweat, his guilty demeanor forming a stark contrast with Xue Ming's.

"Uncle Sun, I…"

The worried young lady seized the chance to step forward and attempt to speak for her fiancé, but the Lord County Magistrate did not respond, merely shaking his head softly, signaling her to remain calm.

He could be somewhat biased, but he could not afford to show favoritism in front of so many people; compared to a spoiled rich brat like Wu Wei, he definitely preferred someone like Jiang Feng who, although somewhat scheming, abided by the rules and was generally a good youth.

Now with all the staff of the magistrate's office present at the scene and many onlookers gathered around hearing the commotion, some even peeking from the second floor to enjoy the drama, any excessive bias on his part would jeopardize his position in future.

Besides, if he didn't provide a satisfactory answer to the Xue Family, who would be responsible when the old rascal went mad?

"Idiot! Truly a fool!"

"In the past you were quite articulate, capable of making Lady Yan happy, impressing important figures from the State City, why falter at such a critical moment!"

"Dragging unrelated third parties into this, now I can't even defend you if I wanted to!"

"The Xue Family has likely been monitoring closely all the way; even trying to collude with those girls from Firework Alley would be too late now."

"Truly damn foolish!"

Expressionless, his face indifferent, but beneath that indifferent façade, his heart had already cursed Jiang Feng to oblivion, originally here just to quell Xue Ming's anger, they came symbolically to inquire.

And it turned out like this.

Standing motionless at the doorway, such a commotion naturally drew the attention of countless onlookers, and the reasons and consequences were also explained to these unaware spectators, all of whom were curiously awaiting the outcome.

As County Magistrate Sun also grew impatient after a long wait, he started pacing back and forth. Although he was still cursing internally, he was still trying hard to think of ways to help Jiang Feng muddle through this situation.

Jiang Feng couldn't afford to get into trouble now.

In fact, years ago, to County Magistrate Sun, Jiang Feng was just a passerby, and not a particularly likable one at that, especially since he had also considered asking for Lady Yan's hand in marriage, when his own son was only five years older than Yan Yurou.

He seemed a much more suitable match than this powerless and influence-less kid.

What started to change his mind was when Jiang Feng was assassinated by the Xue Family's people. After that narrow escape, perhaps feeling a sense of crisis, Jiang Feng began striving for social status, yet he lacked a path of cultivation.

So he began to study hard. Although Jiang Feng had studied as a child, it was merely basic literacy, but to everyone's surprise, he managed to become the county's youngest Scholar in just one short year, even securing the top position.

Since then, County Magistrate Sun took a lot more interest in Jiang Feng, as teachers naturally favor diligent students. Moreover, given his good relationship with the Yan Family, he really should take care of someone who might be their future son-in-law.

Especially since.

In the future, there was a high likelihood that this young man would take over the entire Yan Family.

So, any trouble with Jiang Feng could potentially complicate the current situation even further, and the instigator of all this trouble was just standing in a corner sweating profusely, looking anxious and glancing around nervously.

This restless behavior brought a gleam of satisfaction to Xue Ming's eyes, and finally, amid the noise, the bustling crowd in the distance parted to make way.

It was a group of flamboyantly dressed girls.

Now the scene at Jiang Feng's doorstep could truly be described as a gathering of blossoms, as almost all the well-known and respected brothel women from Firework Alley were summoned here.

"Oh dear, Lord, would you like to visit Spring Yearning Pavilion tonight~?"

"Hmm~ Young Master sure is handsome, why don't you come see sister tonight, let sister introduce you to some indulgences? You look like you need to strengthen up."

"Really, starting to pull at someone's clothes right in the middle of the street."

The scene was somewhat chaotic; these brothel women truly knew no shame, starting to drum up business right there on the street but then again, if they were bashful…

They couldn't do this job.

"Silence!"

County Magistrate Sun's stern shout made the women soliciting clients bow their heads obediently and walk over, given they were summoned, and by this time, the news of Xue Wuwei's death had already spread throughout the State City.

Bending over and squatting slightly to salute, although the customs of East Continent dictated that one should not kneel before an official, propriety still had to be observed, especially since they were the lowest level brothel women.

From this, one could see that Jiang Feng actually held a rather respectable position in Qingshui County; as a Scholar, he only needed to clasp his hands when meeting those lords.

Looking at the group of charming ladies in front of him, County Magistrate Sun just maintained a stern face and took a deep breath.

"You all must be aware of the matter, it is about Mr. Xue's murder. I have always upheld justice in my law enforcement, and Jiang Feng was not at home last night…"

"Ah, we meet again Young Master Jiang, did Lu Luo make your evening enjoyable last night?"

The voice abruptly stopped.

Even the vindictive smile on Xue Ming's face froze for a moment.

Eyes instinctively looked towards the corner, at the nervous young man sweating profusely…