196: The dead are gone, the living are like this

Madam You glared at Xie Weilou with a face full of fury: "You little beast, you're still pretending! You're the one who killed Wu Shang and Wu Ji."

Xie Weilou looked at Madam You with a sorrowful expression: "Second Aunt has a prejudice against me. Wu Shang and Wu Ji are my brothers. Their deaths grieve me deeply, leaving me heartbroken and feeling as if I'm on the edge of an abyss. While we brothers occasionally had conflicts, that's normal. But how could I possibly lay a murderous hand on them? Why does Second Aunt want to wrongly accuse an ordinary person who can't even tie a chicken?"

"Crying crocodile tears! Even if they didn't die by your hand, it's still related to you!" Madam You said sharply.

She didn't believe Xie Weilou could kill Xie Wushang and Xie Wuji, but their deaths were definitely connected to Xie Weilou.

Xie Weilou's face was filled with a complex expression: "Wu Shang and the others were just buried. Second Aunt is grieving, and I have nothing to say about her throwing dirt on me; I can only silently endure it. But I must remind Second Aunt of one thing: the deceased are gone, and the living remain. Second Aunt is still young, and Second Uncle is still healthy. Why not have another child?"

"Xie Weilou, you utterly hypocritical scoundrel! I will make you accompany Wu Shang and the others in death!"

Madam You's face was filled with venomous resentment. At this point, both her sons were dead, and she had nothing left to lose. If this little beast, Xie Weilou, didn't die, it would be an offense against heavenly principles.

Xie Weilou shook his head: "Second Aunt, I understand your pain, but right now, you have other things to attend to! You might not know yet, but my Second Uncle has an illegitimate son outside. Today, I even saw him with his mistress and illegitimate son."

Madam You was stunned for a second upon hearing this, then her body trembled. She stared intently at Xie Weilou: "You... what did you say?"

Xie Weilou sighed softly: "When Wu Shang and Wu Ji died, Second Uncle didn't seem to care much. At the time, I thought he was busy with court affairs, but now it seems he simply didn't care about Wu Shang and Wu Ji at all!"

He looked at Madam You, his expression incredibly downcast: "Second Aunt, ask yourself, you've managed the Zhenxi Marquis Manor's properties for many years. When I was released from prison this time, did I ever ask you to hand over anything? I merely reclaimed my own tiny share. To be frank, I still considered our kinship and didn't want to hurt our harmony. Second Aunt has painstakingly managed those properties all these years and deserves her rightful reward. But now Second Uncle has a mistress and an illegitimate son. Do you think those properties will still belong to you then?"

"You little beast, you're talking nonsense!" Madam You's voice trembled. She simply couldn't believe Xie Cangxuan would dare to fool around outside.

"If Second Aunt doesn't believe me, just ask Second Uncle when he arrives! I estimate Second Uncle will soon take a concubine. Second Uncle is thriving in court, and he'll surely hold the position of Marquis Zhenxi indefinitely. At that time, his illegitimate son might become the Heir of Marquis Zhenxi Manor. With the son elevating the mother, how will Second Aunt compete with her?"

Xie Weilou walked towards his own pavilion with a despondent expression.

"......"

Madam You stood frozen, her face incredibly pale.

Although she somewhat disbelieved Xie Weilou's words, she vaguely sensed something amiss. She had to find Xie Cangxuan and clarify this matter.

---

Inside the pavilion.

"Lihua, prepare hot water. I want to take a bath," Xie Weilou said.

"Yes, Heir," Lihua immediately went to prepare hot water.

Not long after.

Xie Weilou lay in the bathtub with a sickly delicate expression, his eyes narrowed, looking utterly content.

Lihua, meanwhile, sat by the window, holding a collection of romance novels, reading with great enjoyment, occasionally breaking into a silly grin.

"Lihua, has Xie Cangxuan recently acted against you all?" Xie Weilou inquired.

Lihua put down the novel collection and said seriously: "The day before yesterday, when I was out, I encountered a few ruffians in the east of the city. Thankfully, Butler Fu's people intervened, and I was fine. Later, Butler Fu told me those ruffians were from the Black Corner Region and were difficult to deal with. I don't know if those ruffians were the Marquis's people."

"Black Corner Region?" A cold glint of killing intent flashed in Xie Weilou's eyes.

The Black Corner Region was the dirtiest and most chaotic area in the entire Tianqi City, a slum. Because of this, it was a mixed bag of people, with all sorts of individuals.

Dare to lay hands on his people? It seemed necessary to clean up the Black Corner Region.

After taking a bath.

He changed into an elegant white robe, making him appear even more sickly delicate and languid.

"Lihua, I'm a bit sleepy and need to rest. If there's nothing important, don't disturb me." Xie Weilou yawned.

"Yes, Heir," Lihua put away the novel collection and obediently walked out of the pavilion.

Then she sat at the entrance of the pavilion, took out the novel collection, and continued reading.

The life of a little maid was actually quite fulfilling and comfortable.

A moment later.

Inside the Zhenxi Marquis Manor, a series of shouts and crashing sounds erupted.

Lihua looked up, a curious expression on her face. She pulled over a small stool, and while holding her novel collection, she listened to the commotion inside the manor, finding it quite interesting.

Inside the pavilion.

Xie Weilou waved his hand, and Restriction appeared, sealing the surroundings. He sat on the bed, closed his eyes, and activated the Heavenly Tome to deduce the Void Piercing Finger and the Savage Dragon Subduing Fist.

These two cultivation methods were incomplete. They looked promising, and he hoped to deduce their complete forms.

After some attempts.

Xie Weilou was disappointed. This deduction also failed. He stared at the Heavenly Tome. Previous deductions of alchemy and array formations had failed, and now the deduction of these two cultivation methods had also failed.

Could it really be that using the Heavenly Tome before had consumed its power, leading to these failed deductions?

"Troublesome!" Xie Weilou muttered.

It seemed he would have to make a trip to the Sacred Academy to find some ancient texts and see if he could find any information about the Heavenly Tome.

He had bought this item from a street vendor on Earth, and he didn't know if there were any records of it in this Great Xia, but he had to investigate.

"......"

Xie Weilou did not continue attempting the deduction and directly began cultivating.

This cultivation method wouldn't be too difficult to master and should be quickly grasped. The key was the regret of not obtaining the complete method.

In a flash.

Evening arrived.

Xie Weilou slowly opened his eyes. He looked at his finger, where a faint grey light appeared. A single point would surely unleash powerful might.

A faint smile appeared on his face: "The Void Piercing Finger is complete. As for its power, I need to find a place to test it out."

Thinking of this.

Xie Weilou removed the Restriction and stood up, walking out of the pavilion.

The manor had quieted down again, as if nothing had happened.

Xie Weilou walked into the main courtyard and happened to see Xie Cangxuan approaching with a cold face. There were several claw marks on his face, disfiguring him.

"Second Uncle, what happened to you? Why is your thick old face broken?" Xie Weilou feigned surprise as he looked at Xie Cangxuan.

"You little beast, just you wait!" Xie Cangxuan coldly swept his gaze over Xie Weilou.

A smile appeared on Xie Weilou's face: "Waiting for you to kick the bucket? Second Uncle, watch your words! There are gods three feet above your head. If you don't believe me, just look behind you. Wu Shang and Wu Ji are waiting for you."

After speaking, he laughed and departed.

"......"

Xie Cangxuan's face was incredibly grim.