51: Chapter 51 Descending the Mountain

Seeing that Tie Xinlan had no intention of handing over the Alliance Leader Token, Jiang Biehe's heart sank.

The facts were exactly as Tie Xinlan had said. While they could elect a new Alliance Leader before Tie Ruyun had formally stepped down, they could also simply forge a new Alliance Leader Token. However, such actions were easy to do but hard to justify; if word got out, it would invite criticism.

To avoid leaving any grounds for criticism, obtaining the token from the other party's hands was still the best course of action.

Therefore, he intended to persuade her: "Niece, I'm afraid this isn't quite appropriate. The Alliance Leader Token..."

Before he could finish, Xiao Yuer, who had already seen through the situation, interrupted: "'Niece, niece,' calling her so affectionately. Great Hero Jiang, were you very close with Alliance Leader Tie?"

Jiang Biehe's expression froze.

He had never even met Tie Ruyun face-to-face; the little information he had came from the East Factory, and even that was last-minute cramming.

But being an old hand in the Jianghu, he immediately hedged: "We've met a few times."

Unexpectedly, Xiao Yuer pressed on relentlessly: "Then, was the red mark on Alliance Leader Tie's face on the left side or the right side?"

Upon hearing this, those present who had seen Tie Ruyun realized it was a trap, because Tie Ruyun's face had no red mark at all. However, they didn't think Jiang Biehe would fall for it, assuming that since he claimed to have met Tie Ruyun, he should also see through this trap.

But the result...

Jiang Biehe pretended to think back, then said in an uncertain tone: "It seems... it was on the right side."

"My father has no red mark on his face," Tie Xinlan directly exposed him.

The scene fell silent instantly. Jiang Biehe's expression stiffened.

The various Sect Heads: "..."

We actually believed your familiar, affectionate act just now, thought you really had met Tie Ruyun. Who would have thought...

Truly unmatched in benevolence and righteousness!

Meng Li felt a bit like laughing.

Jiang Yuyan's eye twitched uncontrollably.

She had been secretly observing her scumbag father since their first meeting. Initially, she thought he seemed somewhat decent, at least his words and actions fit the persona of a Great Hero unmatched in benevolence and righteousness. Even his earlier eagerness to take the Alliance Leader Token from Tie Xinlan was a minor flaw that didn't obscure his overall virtue.

But now...

She was already certain this scumbag father was exactly as she had imagined.

What Great Hero Jiang, unmatched in benevolence and righteousness? It was all an act!

A true Great Hero, if not necessarily possessing a chivalrous heart, would never lie so hypocritically. Clearly not knowing Tie Ruyun, yet insisting he did to seem close, putting on an act of deep friendship right in front of the man's daughter and son-in-law, and then not even doing his homework properly.

In the end, he was easily exposed by Xiao Yuer, someone he had just met.

In Jiang Yuyan's view, this was not only hypocritical but also stupid!

From this, she extrapolated. The story of Jiang Biehe abandoning her and her mother due to circumstances beyond his control probably wasn't entirely true, and might even be completely false.

This made Jiang Yuyan even more resistant to the idea of acknowledging Jiang Biehe as her father. But then she thought of her own mother...

Forget it. For mother's sake, I'll give it a try.

She sighed inwardly but had no intention of acknowledging Jiang Biehe here. The best way to verify whether Jiang Biehe truly abandoned them due to circumstances was to visit his residence, see the truth for herself, and meet his so-called powerful, shrewish wife.

If possible, she wanted to bring Xiao Baiyan along.

After all, unlike in the original story where she had no one to rely on, she herself was unwilling to acknowledge this scumbag father.

The so-called acknowledgment was more about proving to Xiao Baiyan that she was right, to make the other woman give up on Jiang Biehe. In this situation, letting Xiao Baiyan witness the scumbag father's true face firsthand would be far more effective than Jiang Yuyan testing him and then telling Xiao Baiyan about it.

In the brief moment Jiang Yuyan was lost in thought, Meng Li, Xiao Yuer, and the others were already preparing to leave.

Given how unpleasant the situation had become, there was naturally no need for them to stay any longer.

Seeing this, Jiang Yuyan hurriedly followed.

...

On the path down the mountain.

Xiao Yuer said to Meng Li with admiration, "Brother Meng, I truly never imagined you were Alliance Leader Tie's son-in-law."

"And after marrying Alliance Leader Tie's daughter, you still have two other wives and have them living together harmoniously. I, Xiao Yuer, have never admired anyone since I was a child. You are the first one I genuinely respect and admire. My respects!"

Meng Li rolled his eyes.

He suspected the other was stirring the pot, but he had no evidence.

Tie Xinlan, Jiang Yuyan, and Xiao Xiao directly ignored his words.

The three of them getting along harmoniously wasn't a new thing; they were long accustomed to it and felt no reaction to this "potentially" divisive remark.

E Tongtian also felt admiration for Meng Li in his heart, but seeing his Master speaking, he didn't interject.

Hua Wuchuan, however, focused his gaze.

Marrying one wife and having two other wives... shouldn't that count as being a heartless scoundrel?

But upon second thought, he wasn't sure.

Because in Hua Wuchuan's impression, a 'heartless scoundrel' was defined by women. When he used to carry out missions to capture such men, the process was usually the same: his two Masters or other maids of Yihua Palace would rescue some woman who had been wronged, and then he would be ordered to capture the man.

Currently, Meng Li's three wives were living together harmoniously, none of them appearing wronged.

This was the first time he had encountered such a situation, so he found it difficult to reach a conclusion for the moment.

After pondering for a while, Hua Wuchuan decided not to capture Meng Li for now.

This was because he couldn't reach a conclusion, hadn't received orders from his two Masters, and Meng Li also seemed to be on good terms with Xiao Yuer.

Regarding Xiao Yuer, this friend he had recently made, Hua Wuchuan found him strange. Not only was the person himself and his way of doing things odd, but there was also a certain feeling.

The first time he saw Xiao Yuer, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity and closeness, a desire to get closer to him.

That's why he had established their friendship so quickly upon their second meeting.

...

Xiao Yuer felt no embarrassment at all that no one responded to his words. Seeing that topic was finished, he naturally jumped to the next one. As he spoke, his pace unconsciously quickened until he was walking at the front of the group, starting to walk backwards.

Unexpectedly, halfway through his sentence, an accident occurred.

"Ahhh!"

In the instant he cried out, Xiao Yuer was whooshed into the air by a rope, hanging upside down.

Meng Li, who was a step behind, immediately halted. Tie Xinlan, Jiang Yuyan, and the others did the same.

The next second, a mechanism full of sharp spikes shot towards Xiao Yuer in mid-air.

Almost simultaneously, Meng Li and Hua Wuchuan both acted.

Meng Li swung his hand, unleashing a strike of the Air-Splitting Palm. The powerful palm force blasted the mechanism apart.

Hua Wuchuan leaped into the air, drew his sword, and severed the rope binding Xiao Yuer's feet, helping him break free.

After landing, Hua Wuchuan shot a surprised glance at Meng Li.

He knew Meng Li knew Martial Arts—he had seen the severely injured state of the Beggars Sect Leader in the Gathering Hall, and Meng Li's walking and breathing were different from ordinary people's—but he hadn't expected Meng Li's Martial Arts to be this strong. He could also destroy that mechanism, but he would need to rely on his sword. He couldn't, like Meng Li, blast it apart with a single palm strike from a distance.

If Alliance Leader Tie's son-in-law was this strong, how powerful must Tie Ruyun himself be?

Hua Wuchuan couldn't find an answer to that question.

Because the ones who had set the trap appeared: a group of East Factory Guards.

They wore East Factory uniforms, holding specially made gold and silver umbrellas, descending from above.

Clearly, these guards had been lying in ambush nearby.

Seeing this, Meng Li frowned slightly.

Didn't he kill Liu Xi?

With the loss of its one and only top-tier combatant in charge, why was the East Factory still so active?