Swish!

The cold light flashed as Ying Zi's scalpel swiftly slashed towards Qingyuan Caicaizi's neck!

Crack!

A crisp sound echoed as the scalpel came to a stop, just one centimeter away from Qingyuan Caicaizi's neck. Ying Zi's hand was restrained by a slender palm.

"Young Master?"

Ying Zi looked perplexedly at Jiang Chen, who had stopped her.

Jiang Chen gently lowered Ying Zi's hand and stared intently at Qingyuan Caicaizi: "Don't you have anything to say?"

Qingyuan Caicaizi opened her eyes, glanced at Ying Zi, then turned to look at Jiang Chen, smiled faintly, and gently shook her head, revealing a hint of resignation to death in her eyes.

Jiang Chen's mind flashed with insight as he tested: "Is it because you've seen Ying Zi safe, you feel your death would be without regrets?"

Ying Zi was startled for a moment, her brows furrowed tightly, and she turned to stare straight into Qingyuan Caicaizi's eyes.

"Young Master Jiang, when we were undercover just now, she indirectly helped Ying Zi and her grandchild twice. The first time was when the two earlier Venerables wanted to capture Ying Zi, but she stopped them by ordering in the name of the Sanzan Association's leader. The second time was when she knew you were coming, she claimed to wait for you to capture you together, and also prevented her subordinates from reporting to the Sanzan Association's leader!"

Shen Xiangtian recounted the recent events, hesitated slightly, then added, "When we appeared, she... glared at me, with what seemed to be... blame in her eyes?"

"Blame?" Jiang Chen was slightly stunned, puzzled as he looked at Qingyuan Caicaizi: "Can you explain this to me?"

"I have nothing to explain, just kill me!"

Qingyuan Caicaizi gave Jiang Chen a look and then turned to Ying Zi and Cunshang Zhengye not far away, tears streaming down her face:

"If it weren't for my misplaced trust in that bastard Sanben Jinnan, the Qingyuan Family wouldn't have faced annihilation, nor would the secret of the Qiong Gouyu be exposed. I have let my family down, so kill me. I need to apologize to my grandfather, father, older brother, sister-in-law, and ask for their forgiveness underground!"

"You…" Jiang Chen frowned, a guess arising in his heart.

"Caicaizi, did you join the Sanzan Association on purpose? Was it all to ensure Ying Zi's safety?" Cunshang Zhengye suddenly called out.

"What?"

Qingyuan Yingzi exclaimed in shock, staring incredulously at Qingyuan Caicaizi.

Qingyuan Caicaizi glanced at Cunshang Zhengye and smiled wistfully, "Uncle Cunshang, I'm sorry, but I had no choice. If you hadn't made that cut, I wouldn't have been able to deter those people. Them..."

Turning to look at Shen Xiangtian and others, Qingyuan Caicaizi continued, "Though I sensed their hidden presence, I couldn't confirm who they were and didn't dare to bet on them. I, alone, couldn't possibly get you out, so I needed the deterrence of your blade!"

The words of Qingyuan Caicaizi brought a look of confusion into the eyes of Jiang Chen and his companions, all of them gazing intently at her.

"What if I hadn't deterred them?"

Cunshang Zhengye's expression changed as he spoke solemnly.

With an apologetic look to Cunshang Zhengye, Qingyuan Caicaizi said, "Then I could only say sorry to you. You would have died, but Ying Zi wouldn't. On the way back with Ying Zi, if we still couldn't encounter Jiang Chen and the others, I would find a way to have Ying Zi take me hostage and then set her free!"

"I understand! Caicaizi, you have suffered!"

Cunshang Zhengye was not angry at the thought of his own death but rather looked at Qingyuan Caicaizi with a pained expression.

Qingyuan Ying Zi looked suspicious and said, "Grandfather, do you believe what she said?"

"I believe!" Jiang Chen spoke softly.

"Young Master?!" Ying Zi was startled and looked at Jiang Chen in amazement.

Jiang Chen stared straight at Qingyuan Caicaizi and said indifferently, "A mid-Venerable Realm expert willingly died at our hands without any resistance. That in itself reveals something. Plus, taking into account those two stupid actions Shen Xiangtian mentioned, I can't help but believe her words!"

"Mid-Venerable Realm?!" Ying Zi exclaimed in surprise, looking toward Qingyuan Caicaizi.

"Ying Zi, Grandfather has always claimed that the Qiong Gouyu was in his possession, but in reality, three years ago, Grandfather gave the Qiong Gouyu to me, asking me to explore its uses and then teach you."

Qingyuan Caicaizi gave Ying Zi a glance and said with a bitter smile:

"During these three years of exploration, once I finally figured it out, I gave the jade back to Grandfather. He said that he would announce you as the heir of the Qingyuan Family during the family conclave and then have me teach you how to use the Qiong Gouyu for your practice."

"But what I didn't expect was, due to mistakenly trusting that scumbag Sanben Jinnan, our family suffered a clan annihilation. I have let down the family!"

"Ying Zi, kill me. That Mr. Jiang Chen would risk his life to rescue you this time has already proven the importance he places on you. I can rest assured!"

Shock appeared in Qingyuan Ying Zi's eyes as she suddenly thought of something and cried out, "When the Sanzan Association annihilated our Qingyuan Family, was it you who secretly told me to hide away the Qiong Gouyu?"

"Yes, it was me!"

Qingyuan Caicaizi nodded slightly: "I had committed an unforgivable error, and it was already too late to alert the family. Fortunately, you were not with the family, but at the ancient house, so I came here to inform you! However, I never expected that you would be so bold as to hand over the Qiong Gouyu directly to Uncle Cunshang."

While speaking, Qingyuan Caicaizi glanced at the cloth bundle in Ying Zi's hand.

Ying Zi looked at Qingyuan Caicaizi with complex eyes and gently opened the cloth bundle in her hands.

"This..."

Qingyuan Caicaizi was taken aback for a moment, surprised at the cloth bundle in Ying Zi's hands.

Inside the cloth bundle was a tiny jade pendant which Qingyuan Caicaizi recognized. It was not the Qiong Gouyu, but Ying Zi's mother, Cunshang Yuanzi's, jade pendant.

"Caicaizi, Ying Zi didn't hand over the Qiong Gouyu to me, but rather..." Cunshang Zhengye hesitated for a moment, then turned his head towards Ying Zi.

With complicated eyes, Ying Zi looked at Qingyuan Caicaizi: "Do you remember the night our family was destroyed, and I rushed back to the family, only to be intercepted by you halfway?"

"I remember!" Qingyuan Caicaizi nodded slightly.

A look of bitterness appeared in Ying Zi's eyes: "At that time, you told me the family was gone and urged me to run. I didn't know who to trust. Grandfather was at the ancient house, and you were right in front of me, so I... I handed the Qiong Gouyu over to you!"

"Handed it to me?!" Qingyuan Caicaizi cried out in shock.

A look of extreme pain appeared in Ying Zi's eyes: "I thought, since you were already someone's wife and moreover Sanben Jinnan's, they would never expect me to hand over the Qiong Gouyu to you! But I never imagined that you would give the Qiong Gouyu to Sanben Jinnan!"

"What?!"

"The Qiong Gouyu is in Sanben Jinnan's hands?!"

Jiang Chen and the others changed their expressions and exclaimed in shock.

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