"Escape!"
The leader of the black-clad men had no intention of facing everyone in Lishan and immediately prepared to leave.
But today, he was destined not to escape. After all, Lin Yan had already prepared a deadly net for them.
Just as they turned to leave, the people they had assumed were sound asleep now appeared in the courtyard.
"A miscalculation!" They realized their actions had likely been detected long ago, and thus, these people had been waiting for them.
However, they could not surrender so easily. It was merely a small Lishan Sword Sect, which they did not take seriously.
"Scatter and break out!" the leader of the black-clad men ordered. Then they split up and charged towards Lishan. Once they reached the forest, they would be able to escape.
"Shoot!" the leader of the guards ordered.
Dozens of arrows were shot in the next breath. Although the group of black-clad men immediately blocked them with their weapons, many arrows still hit them.
"Shoot again!"
Another volley of arrows was loosed, and some of the black-clad men lost the ability to flee.
The third round of arrows was nocked, but not shot.
The people of the Lishan Sword Sect had already drawn their swords and blocked the escape route of these men. They were far more familiar with Lishan than these men, so how could they allow them to escape under their noses?
Father Lin watched as the group of black-clad men arrived as Lin Yan had predicted, and their martial arts were so formidable. If they had been unprepared, the Lishan Sword Sect would have suffered heavy losses tonight.
Father Lin's expression was icy. He looked at the guards drawing their bows and arrows, finding them extremely irritating. Although he knew he owed this Prince Chu a great favor this time, he truly detested seeing this Prince Chu, who wore a fawning smile to him. This was the man who was going to marry his beloved daughter!
The battle ended with a victory for the Lishan side due to their superior numbers and familiarity with the terrain. Except for a few who had been on the periphery and escaped initially, all the black-clad men were captured.
"Sect Leader Lin, I have men skilled in interrogation. Let them handle the questioning," Qin Cong said quickly, ready to help.
"Then I will trouble Your Highness," Father Lin said stiffly as he descended from the rooftop.
"Sect Leader Lin is too kind!" Qin Cong glanced at Lin Yan and immediately went to instruct his personal guards to help clean up the mess.
By the time the interrogation results came out, it was two days later. Qin Cong had been staying at the Lishan Sword Sect. Although Father Lin had never given him a pleasant look, he had shamelessly remained. Fortunately, Mother Lin treated him quite well, which was some consolation.
Qin Cong handed the interrogation results to Father Lin. "Sect Leader Lin, this is the confession of those black-clad men. Coupled with the intelligence from Tingfeng Tower, it confirms that these people were sent by the Peng family from the Northwest."
"The Peng family from the Northwest? I don't recall Lishan having any dealings with the Northwest," Father Lin said, puzzled. But he knew the results would not be wrong.
"You may not have dealings with the Peng family, but your eldest disciple does."
"It's related to Xuan'er?"
"Yes. The head of the Peng family from the Northwest is good friends with your eldest disciple's birth parents and is also related by marriage." Qin Cong's words carried a hint of sarcasm.
"Then why did he send people..." He left the rest unsaid.
"Since that is the case, let Xuan'er handle this matter himself."
"Alright. However, Uncle Lin, my imperial brother has asked me to inquire when would be a good time to formally propose? Do you have any other requirements?" Qin Cong asked shamelessly.
Father Lin's expression immediately darkened. "Yes!"
"What are your requirements? I can guarantee that I will treat Yan'er well and will not let her suffer any grievances," Qin Cong quickly asked.
"My requirement is that you don't marry Yan'er!" Father Lin turned and left, ignoring Qin Cong, who was trailing behind him, trying to appease him.
When Luo Yuxuan received the confession, his mind was filled with a myriad of thoughts, though he did not show it.
"Master, I'm sorry, I've caused trouble for Lishan!"
"We are family, don't say such things. Seeing how ruthless those people were, you must be careful when facing them! But no matter what, Lishan is always your home," Father Lin said earnestly. He knew his eldest disciple was likely in great turmoil now, but since this was a matter concerning his birth parents, he could not say much.
"Master, don't worry, I will not face them until I have sufficient strength."
"It's good that you have a plan. Your safety is paramount. Remember, when the green hills remain, there will always be wood to burn!"
"I understand, Master."
He had been mistaken. How could his Master and Mistress, who had always doted on him, neglect him just because they had their own child?
After reading the confession, Luo Yuxuan decided to visit Lin Yan. Although he had not approached Lin Yan directly since her attitude had changed, he felt he should come and see her this time.
"Eldest Senior Brother, did you need something?" Lin Yan was reading an ancient text and casually set the book aside when she heard a knock.
"Yan'er, the letter you wrote to me seems to have clarified the matter of my parents. So I want to ask about the relationship between the Peng family from the Northwest and Luoxia Villa," he said directly.
"Eldest Senior Brother, have you obtained the confession?" Lin Yan asked softly, her eyes revealing a calm demeanor of knowing everything.
"Yes, I have. So, was it the Peng family that destroyed the Luo family?" Luo Yuxuan pressed.
"That is one possibility, but it is the most likely one. The Peng family head had a good relationship with the Luo family and was privy to much hidden information. Furthermore, after the Luo family was annihilated, the Peng family kept emphasizing how close they were to Luoxia Villa, even claiming their daughter was the mistress of Luoxia Villa. However, his daughter is actually four or five years younger than you, Senior Brother. What do you think he's doing? Instead of diligently searching for the only son of his old friend, he's constantly promoting his family's connection to the Luo family?"
"He wants to legitimately obtain the wealth of the Luo family," Luo Yuxuan was not foolish; on the contrary, he was very intelligent. It was just that he was too naive when he first entered the world and did not think too badly of people. This was why he had been kept in the dark by the Peng family head in the original story. However, having experienced more hardships and seen more of the world, he was no longer as naive as in the original story.
Lin Yan had explained the matter so clearly that he fully understood why such a situation had occurred and why the Luo family had been so easily annihilated. After all, it was a betrayal from their closest friend!