Wind und Rauch

Kapitel 45

“You’re right, he’s the one who led the robbery of that batch of government silver.” Leng Yixuan, having changed his clothes, walked in and continued Shen Jie’s story. “As far as I know, after Lei Jun robbed the government silver, he spread the word that it was Lei Batian who did it, and he instructed the government to point the finger at Lei Family Fortress. If the government found any clues and came to besiege Lei Family Fortress, he could take the opportunity to kill Lei Batian to avenge his parents. Later, he told Lei Batian that the case was framed by the Demon Palace, in an attempt to incite hatred between Lei Batian and the Demon Palace so that Lei Batian would personally go to the Demon Palace, and he could use this opportunity to get rid of Lei Batian.”

"He's really cunning." Shen Jie walked over to Tian Yu and squatted down. She really wanted to know where Lei Jun usually hid the poison. Wouldn't he "accidentally" bite it while eating? If this were the 21st century, she would definitely take that corpse to the research lab and let them study it carefully.

“Originally, Lei Batian planned to go to the Demon Palace to settle accounts with Hei Jue Ming after obtaining the ‘Virtual Dragon Sword,’ but now it seems unlikely…” Ouyang Tianyu said, seeing Shen Jie getting closer and closer to the corpse, he immediately reached out and pulled her away, “What are you doing?” This woman is really bold. If it were any other woman, she would have fainted from fright long ago. Why would she be staring wide-eyed at the side?

"I didn't do anything!" Shen Jie obediently let Ouyang Tianyu pull her up. It was better to ask him this question in private; asking it now would make her seem ignorant.

Lei Jun's death also deprived Lei Shuangxue of her support. She was no match for any of them, and now she could only try to buy time until her father arrived, at which point she would be saved.

"Husband..." she called out pitifully again, only to be met with a cold glance from Ouyang Tianyun.

“Sister-in-law, Lei Jun has committed suicide out of guilt. What should you do?” Ouyang Tianyu said softly, with a smile on his face, but his eyes were very sharp, as if he could see right through her.

"I..." Lei Shuangxue was terrified. Was she next? No, she didn't want to die. Why wasn't Father here yet?

“Sister-in-law, no, perhaps I should call you ‘Sister-in-law Xiangmei’?” It was time to make everything clear. Ouyang Tianyu revealed Lei Shuangxue’s true identity, startling his two elder brothers.

Xiangmei isn't dead? Ouyang Tianyun and Ouyang Tianji exchanged a glance. How could this be? There was clearly news that Xiangmei had died suddenly in prison. How could she not be dead?

"You... I don't know what nonsense you're talking about?" Lei Shuangxue stammered as the truth was guessed.

"Don't know? Then I'll tell you one by one." What a joke? If he lets her escape again today, he's not Ouyang Tianyu. "About two years ago, you pushed your sister-in-law into the pool because you were afraid that your elder brother would fall in love with your sister-in-law. Unfortunately, Lin'er and Xiao Lan saw it. To prevent your shameful act from being exposed, you killed her to cover it up. But you didn't expect that Lin'er didn't die, and your sister-in-law, whom I rescued, also survived. This panicked you. But when you learned that Lin'er was unconscious and your sister-in-law had lost her previous memories, you thought everything was resolved. But you were worried that Lin'er would wake up one day, so you had someone add a little bit of slow poison to her medicine every day so that she would never wake up."

The only thing you didn't expect was that after your sister-in-law was rescued, she was like a completely different person. She was no longer the pitiful little thing who could be bullied by everyone. She was brave and confident, and her talent made your brother fall in love with her. This fact terrified you, so you once again had the thought of killing her. Therefore, you took advantage of your brother's absence and poisoned her.

"No, no, I am Lei Shuangxue, and I don't know any Xiangmei at all!" Lei Shuangxue firmly denied Ouyang Tianyu's statement, but her heart was already in a panic. How could he know so much?

“Is that so? Then let everyone see your…” Ouyang Tianyu said, but before he could finish, he gently raised his hand in front of Lei Shuangxue, “…his true face!” The mask was already in his hand.

Beneath the mask, there were burn marks on her face.

"Ah..." Lei Shuangxue covered her face and screamed as she lost her virginity.

Xiangmei? She's not dead? Ouyang Tianyun and Ouyang Tianji exchanged a glance. Tonight's events left them completely baffled. What surprised them most was that their third brother seemed like a completely different person tonight, a stranger to them...

Chapter Thirty-Five

Ouyang Tianyu's face instantly turned cold, his usual playful smile vanished. His sharp eyes swept over Lei Shuangxue's face. "What else do you have to say?" His cold voice was devoid of any warmth. This time, he was determined to bring her to justice no matter what!

"No, I didn't do it, I didn't do anything, cousin, you have to believe me, I'm innocent, cousin..." Lei Shuangxue, seeing that her mask had been removed, panicked and didn't know what to do. She instinctively denied everything. Now she could only place all her hopes on Ouyang Tianyun, hoping that he would remember their past relationship as husband and wife and save her this time. But she forgot that last time, it was he who sent her to the government office.

"Do you think I'd still believe you?" She was actually alive? Ouyang Tianyun felt like a fool, completely deceived. In the days after losing his lover, he desperately wanted to find a woman who resembled her to fill the emptiness in his heart, never imagining that Lei Shuangxue, who looked exactly like her, was actually Xiangmei in disguise. Her beautiful face was fake, and her gentle and virtuous character was just a well-conducted facade. What was there for him to believe in such a woman? Not only that, he even felt that nothing in this world was worth believing in anymore.

“Cousin…” Lei Shuangxue’s face fell. If even Ouyang Tianyun wouldn’t help her in this house, who else could she rely on? She knew clearly that they wouldn’t let her go, but she didn’t want to die, she really didn’t. “I didn’t kill anyone, I didn’t kill anyone!” she suddenly shouted. She wouldn’t admit it. As long as she didn’t admit it, they couldn’t make her confess.

"Looks like you really won't admit your mistakes until you're faced with the truth." Ouyang Tianyu knew all along that Lei Shuangxue wouldn't confess her crimes so easily. He raised his voice and called towards the door, "Lin'er, come in!"

A petite woman entered the study, followed by Ju'er and Qi Ruiyang.

"Third Brother!" Ouyang Tianlin entered the room and saw Ouyang Tianyu beckoning to her. She immediately walked to his side and then saw her two other elder brothers. She gently called out, "Eldest Brother, Second Brother."

"Lin'er?!" Ouyang Tianji exclaimed, unconsciously exchanging a glance with his elder brother. Ouyang Tianyun also looked puzzled. Shouldn't she be recuperating at the villa in Luoyang? How did she end up here? Was all of this arranged by their third brother? Tonight, he seemed like a completely different person to them. Their third brother had always been a troublemaking playboy, so why...?

"Ah? Lei Jun is dead? Did he commit suicide?" Ju'er saw Lei Jun lying on the ground as soon as she entered the room. Seeing the black blood around his mouth, she concluded he had committed suicide. "Brother Yu is so mean! He made me do such a small thing as picking someone up, so I didn't even get to see the 'show'!" Ju'er jumped in front of Ouyang Tianyu, pouting and acting spoiled. She thought her senior brother would assign her some kind of task, but instead, he asked her to pick up his sister. Anyone could have gone; why did he have to use her so much?

"You're so petty." Ouyang Tianyu affectionately ruffled his junior sister's hair. She didn't know that he did this because he didn't trust anyone else to pick up Lin'er, and also because he wanted to get her away. Otherwise, given her impulsive nature, he didn't know if she would get hurt. He lowered his head and whispered a few words in her ear, and saw Ju'er obediently step aside.

Upon seeing Shen Jie again, the initial flutter in his heart had faded. Qi Ruiyang finally understood that his feelings for her weren't love, but rather admiration and infatuation. The lively and adorable Ju'er was the love of his life.

Ju'er… He turned his gaze to her, only to see his beloved woman flirting with another man. Why were they always so intimate whenever they were together, especially Ouyang Tianyu's doting gaze, which disgusted him greatly. What exactly was their relationship? Every time he asked this question, Ju'er would change the subject or use words to shut him up, making him suspicious of their relationship. But no matter what, Ju'er was his alone, and no one could take her away!

Ouyang Tianyu had no time to think about such personal matters. He took his sister's hand and walked up to Lei Shuangxue. "Lin'er, tell everyone, what did you see the day your sister-in-law fell into the water?"

“That day, Xiaolan and I wanted to go to Heju to find my second sister-in-law. When we passed by Qinzhuxuan, we saw Sister Xiangmei and my eldest sister-in-law talking by the pond. Because we were too far away, we couldn’t hear what they were saying. We just saw that they seemed to be arguing. Then… then I saw Sister Xiangmei push my eldest sister-in-law into the pond. I was terrified… I saw my eldest sister-in-law struggling desperately in the pond. I wanted to find someone to save her, I…” Ouyang Tianlin recalled the scene with lingering fear, especially when she thought of her eldest sister-in-law struggling in the water. A thin mist rose in her eyes, and sadness welled up in her heart.

"It's alright, it's alright." Ouyang Tianyu pulled his sister into his arms and patted her back tenderly. It was all his fault. He shouldn't have asked his sister to testify against Lei Shuangxue. It was too cruel for her.

Seeing his younger sister gradually calm down, Ouyang Tianyu brought her back to Ju'er's side. "Lin'er, go and rest in your third brother's courtyard for a while. I'll take you to see Father and Mother when it's light, okay?" He deliberately softened his voice. Seeing his sister nod, he turned to Ju'er and instructed, "Take her to Lanxuan. Remember, don't come out before dawn. The same goes for you, understand?" He was afraid that there might still be people sent by Lei Batian or Hei Jueming here. Lanxuan was the safest place right now.

"I know," Ju'er replied irritably. What's wrong with her senior brother lately? He's so old-fashioned, making her do these "small things." If people find out that "Old Man Yuxuan's" disciple is working as a "bodyguard," what will become of her master's reputation? But she didn't dare disobey her senior brother, so she had no choice but to leave the study with Ouyang Tianlin.

Seeing his beloved woman leave, Qi Ruiyang tossed a message to the crowd, "I'm going to protect them," and then followed her away.

Lei Shuangxue slumped to the ground in a daze. When Ouyang Tianlin appeared in the study, she knew she was completely finished. This was an oversight in their plan. They thought Ouyang Tianlin was far away in Luoyang and seriously ill, so it was impossible for her to come. How could they have imagined that she would actually appear here? If only they had killed her two years ago, she wouldn't be in this situation today.

"What should we do with her?" Leng Yixuan asked, walking up behind Ouyang Tianyu. The matter was already quite clear; it mainly depended on how her family would handle it. After all, she was still the eldest young mistress of Green Jade Manor, and they had to consider the Ouyang family's reputation.

Ouyang Tianyu pondered for a while, then turned to his friend and said, "Take her back and make her explain everything clearly before convicting her. Also, this time we must keep a close watch on her, preferably with more people." No one can escape justice after committing such a heinous crime. This time, he was determined to bring her to justice.

"Are you sure?" Although he already knew that Ouyang Tianyu would do this, Leng Yixuan still asked again.

"What do you think?" Ouyang Tianyu retorted. It was because they didn't intervene last time that they almost lost more than a hundred lives. If they hadn't been prepared, they would probably all be in the King of Hell by now.

Leng Yixuan nodded, understanding his friend's meaning. He walked over, intending to take Lei Shuangxue to the 'Six Doors' that very night. Upon seeing him, Lei Shuangxue immediately trembled and backed away, repeatedly murmuring, "I don't want to go... I didn't kill anyone... I didn't kill anyone... I don't want to..."

Ouyang Tianji still couldn't understand what his third brother was up to. Weren't he and Leng Yixuan "arch-enemies"? Every time they met, it was like they were destined to fight to the death. How come they were getting along so well now?

"Wait a minute, where are you taking her?" Ouyang Tianji frowned when he saw Leng Yixuan about to take Lei Shuangxue away. No matter what, Lei Shuangxue is still his elder brother's wife. How can he let someone take her away so easily?

"The Six Doors!" Leng Yixuan answered decisively. He wouldn't bring a murderer home, would he? Tsk! Two Ouyang brothers... don't look at him like that. Besides, it was their precious little brother who gave the order. He was just an executor. There's no need to hate him like that, is there?

"The Six Doors?" "No, this is a private matter for the Ouyang family. It's none of your business, the Six Doors." Ouyang Tianji stepped in front of Lei Shuangxue, his expression cold and sharp. This woman certainly deserved to die, but that didn't mean they would send her to the Six Doors. Last time, it was because his elder brother recklessly sent Xiangmei and her maid to the authorities that the reputation of Green Jade Manor was severely damaged. If the same thing happened again, the Ouyang family would be utterly disgraced. He couldn't let that happen!