"Gu Qinghan?"
Hearing the name, Qi Tuojiang's cold gaze softened instantly, and he asked, "Young Master Kong, where is she?"
For Qi Tuojiang, he was not short of women. If he wished, many women would have prostrated themselves before his power. However, there was only one woman who had ever stirred his heart.
The moment he saw the gracefully moving Gu Qinghan with her long hair flowing in the wind, his heart had belonged only to her. Even after learning that Gu Qinghan was carrying Shen Lang's child, he still couldn't put his mind at ease about her.
"Young Master Qi, it seems you truly are worried about her."
Seeing Qi Tuojiang's anxious expression, Kong Wudao smiled faintly and said.
"Speak, where is she now?"
Qi Tuojiang remained calm despite Kong Wudao's teasing and asked.
"Young Master Qi, I believe there's a question more worth pursuing than where Gu Qinghan is: why did she leave the wedding without a word?"
Kong Wudao smiled and said, "Haven't you ever been curious about the answer to this question?"
"I've been pondering this question, but I haven't found the answer. Does Young Master Kong know it?"
Qi Tuojiang looked at Kong Wudao, curiosity piqued.
"I don't know the answer. Perhaps we might find it from Gu Qinghan herself."
Kong Wudao continued, "I have a university classmate who is a chief physician at a hospital in the Western country. She once saw Gu Qinghan at her hospital. I believe we'll find Gu Qinghan soon, and then we can get the answer from her."
"Whoever made Gu Qinghan leave without a word must be someone close to Shen Lang. If we get our hands on this leverage, the person who threatened Gu Qinghan to leave Shen Lang will be in our grasp, becoming a weapon for us to deal with Shen Lang."
"Young Master Kong's foresight is truly admirable."
Hearing Kong Wudao's words, Qi Tuojiang smiled and said, "Then I shall await good news."
"Rest assured, Young Master Qi, news will arrive from there shortly."
Kong Wudao slowly poured the tea in his cup onto the ground, sneering, "Let this cup of tea be a toast to Shen Lang's demise, celebrating his early journey to the Yellow Springs."
Upon hearing this, a smile spread across Qi Tuojiang's face, and he followed suit, emptying the water from his teacup.
While Qi Tuojiang and Kong Wudao were plotting against Shen Lang, a thousand miles away in the province of Shu, Tang Wan'er stood before Tang Jiutian, her head bowed, with a look of remorse on her face. "Father, I apologize. I have brought shame upon you and upon the Tang Sect."
"I don't care if you bring shame upon me, for I am your father. But you should not have brought shame upon the Tang Sect."
Tang Jiutian looked at Tang Wan'er with disappointment, as if she were a piece of unpolished jade. He spoke with dissatisfaction, "The Tang Sect has been passed down for hundreds of years. By the time it reached me, it had declined into an eighteenth-rate family. I poured my heart and soul into it for decades, enduring countless hardships, suffering, and bloodshed. Only then did I manage to restore the Tang Sect's glory, transforming it into the sixth most powerful family it is today."
"Members of the Tang Sect can die, but the Tang Sect's honor cannot be tarnished. As Shen Lang's fiancée, you did nothing, allowing Shen Lang to marry Gu Qinghan. After Gu Qinghan left, you weren't even considered as a replacement. Now the Tang Sect has become a laughingstock, with people outside mocking us. Do you know that?"
Tang Jiutian's appearance was fierce, his eyes cold. In his anger, his ferocity became even more pronounced. Even his own daughter, Tang Wan'er, flinched back a step in fear.
"Father, I know I have disgraced the Tang Sect. I am willing to accept any punishment."
Tang Wan'er knelt on the ground and said, "Please, Father, punish me with the family law. I will have no objections."
"Sect Leader, please calm your anger."
Hearing Tang Wan'er's plea for family law, Tang Hongyao's expression changed, and she quickly stepped forward to intervene. "Shen Lang is fickle, and this is not Miss's fault. Please, Sect Leader, do not punish Miss."
The Tang Sect's family law was no simple matter of a few lashes or kneeling. It was more agonizing than Lingchi, the slow slicing death.
The Tang Sect's family law was called "Fire Punishment." It did not involve burning with fire. Instead, the person being punished was bound and thrown into a pit where fire ants were kept. The fire ants, drawn by the scent of the human body, would rapidly crawl onto them. The pain from their bites was excruciating.
Therefore, within the Tang Sect, anyone who heard the words "family law" would instantly turn ashen, for no one dared to experience such inhuman torment.
Tang Wan'er was Tang Hongyao's best friend, and Tang Hongyao naturally did not want her to suffer such a fate. Thus, she spoke to Tang Jiutian, "If the Sect Leader truly intends to punish Miss, Hongyao is willing to bear it in her place."
"Hongyao, don't speak carelessly. This is my own affair; you shouldn't get involved."
Hearing Tang Hongyao's words, Tang Wan'er, while touched, spoke out, "Father, please punish me, but do not implicate Hongyao sister. She has always been loyal, and she should not suffer for my mistakes."
Hearing Tang Wan'er's words, the coldness and anger in Tang Jiutian's eyes gradually subsided. After a long pause, he slowly said, "Very well. This is indeed a person of the Tang Sect. Wan'er, you have a good friend. For her sake, I will not punish you this time. However, the Tang Sect's honor has been lost, and you must find a way to regain it."
Upon hearing this, a hint of icy killing intent flickered in Tang Wan'er's eyes. She said, "Father, rest assured. I will make Shen Lang pay the price."
"Tang Zixuan is dead. Tang Qubing's right hand was crushed by Shen Lang. Although it was reattached in time, it left complications. Now you have been abandoned by Shen Lang. The Tang Sect and Shen Lang are already mortal enemies. Bring Shen Lang's head back to the Tang Sect."
Tang Jiutian spoke to Tang Wan'er in a calm tone, then turned and left.
After Tang Jiutian left, Tang Hongyao felt the heavy burden on her shoulders suddenly vanish. With a sigh of relief, she helped Tang Wan'er up and said, "Miss, we have both seen Shen Lang's strength. If you truly intend to kill him, you must be fully prepared."
"Hongyao, Shen Lang could even kill Master Shanyuan, a cultivator at the Celestial Realm. Unless the Tang Sect's protectors step in, he cannot be killed."
"However, I will not have the Tang Sect's protectors act, because if they do, even if Shen Lang is killed, we will offend Song Shadao. The wrath of the Mad King would cause a river of blood to flow. I cannot bear the consequences of that."
Tang Wan'er said, "Shen Lang's martial cultivation is terrifying, but he doesn't know that the most formidable weapon in this world is not a sword or a spear, but a woman's heart."
"Miss, do you have a plan?"
Hearing Tang Wan'er's words, Tang Hongyao smiled and asked.
"Hongyao, is it correct that Qi Siyuan's flight arrives in Shu this afternoon?"
Tang Wan'er asked Tang Hongyao.
"Yes—"
Tang Hongyao nodded. "She also invited Miss for dinner."
"Excellent—"
Tang Wan'er said, "This pawn can finally be put to use."