Chapter 3064 — The Next Killing Move

"Shipian, tell me the truth—was it you? If you confess now, I can go easy on you. Otherwise..." Old Master Feng seemed to have aged several years in an instant. Though the infighting for power within the family had been growing ever more vicious, no matter how fiercely Feng Tianhu schemed, he could never strike a fatal blow against Feng Tianqi and Feng Shihua—he would never dare kill them openly!

As for that illegitimate daughter and her mother, in a sense, without being acknowledged into the clan they did not count as members of the Feng family. If someone moved against them, so be it—that was the unwritten rule.

"No!" Feng Shihua knew this answer might disappoint his grandfather greatly. Under the present circumstances, who would still believe him? Yet Feng Shihua shook his head all the same, denying it with absolute finality.

"No? The rim of this cup fits perfectly with how you could have administered the poison—only you could have done it!" Old Master Feng sighed and said, "Fine. Very well. Tianlin, lock Shipian in the west wing. I will consider this matter further before reaching a verdict!"

"...Yes..." Feng Tianqi had no choice but to nod in assent.

"Father, Nitian died such a wretched death—you must see justice done for him! He had only just woken up, and he was going to pull himself together and compete for the position of young heir. And now he's dead, just like that. What a pity..." Feng Tianhu seized the moment to pour oil on the flames, pointing out that Feng Nitian still harbored the intent to contend for the successor's position—which thus became Feng Shihua's motive for poisoning him.

"I said, lock Shipian up for now. I will think it over before deciding!" Old Master Feng waved his hand. To have Feng Shihua killed outright to avenge Feng Nitian—that he could not bring himself to do. After all, only this one grandson remained to the Feng family now. If he died too, the ancient Feng clan would have no heir at all!

"Yes..." Feng Tianhu nodded with a show of grief, cradled Feng Nitian's corpse in his arms, and wept, "Nitian, look—open your eyes and look! Grandfather has seen justice done for you. He will not let the murderer go!"

"..." At this moment, even though Feng Tianqi did not believe his son was the murderer, the matter was truly tangled and complex. If Feng Tianhu was not the killer, then who was? Who would want to frame Shipian?

Old Master Feng shook his head, waved his hand, and said, "Everyone disperse. The banquet is canceled..."

What was meant to be a joyous celebration banquet was declared canceled with Feng Nitian's death. The entire ancient Feng clan sank into grief...

Feng Tianqi escorted Feng Shihua to the west wing. Though Feng Shihua was under house arrest and forbidden to leave, Feng Tianqi was still permitted to visit him. So after delivering Feng Shihua inside, Feng Tianqi simply sat down across from him.

"Shipian, tell me—are you or are you not the one who killed Feng Nitian?" Feng Tianqi found it strange himself, so he lowered his voice and asked, "Tell me the truth. Your father would never harm you!"

"Dad... You know my temperament, don't you? If I had wanted to harm him back then, why would I have gone to beg for the Great Return Pill to save him?" Feng Shihua gave a bitter smile. "But right now the whole family doesn't believe me. They all think I killed Feng Nitian! Why would I kill him, though? I risked my life to obtain medicine and save him, only to kill him afterward—am I just idle and bored? Besides, he's a cripple now, with no conflict of interest with me whatsoever. Killing him would only be courting trouble for myself, wouldn't it?"

"That's true. I thought the same. But your grandfather already suspects you." Feng Tianqi sighed. "And this business doesn't seem to be Tianhu's doing either. Then who on earth did it..."

"Dad, I do have someone in mind to suspect..." Calming himself, Feng Shihua thought it over carefully and began to see certain clues.

"Oh? Who?" Feng Tianqi's spirits lifted at once, and he pressed eagerly. If only they could find a suspect, Feng Shihua's name could be cleared—and when that happened, he might even turn misfortune into blessing and reclaim the young heir's qualification he had lost!

"It was... Feng Nitian himself!" Feng Shihua said, word by word.

"What? Feng Nitian himself?" Feng Tianqi was stunned with astonishment. "How could it be himself?"

"Earlier, when I went in, his complexion looked a little off, and he said a whole pile of baffling things to me..." With that, Feng Shihua recounted everything Feng Nitian had said to him.

"In that case... it really could be that Feng Nitian took the poison himself and then framed you!" Feng Tianqi was suddenly enlightened. "But where did Feng Nitian get the poison? And he has no hands—how did he take it?"

"That... I'm afraid that was where Third Uncle cooperated with him..." Feng Shihua thought and analyzed. "Feng Nitian probably had the poison in his mouth all along, which is why his complexion was off. But he hadn't swallowed it yet, so the poison hadn't taken effect—or perhaps Third Uncle used his true qi to suppress it, which let him hold on for a while. Then he drank water and swallowed most of the remaining poison in his mouth, and died of the poison. As for the poison on the cup, Feng Nitian smeared it there himself with his lips!"

"Even if we've figured it out, what good does it do?" Feng Tianqi could not help but sigh. "Your grandfather won't believe it. Feng Nitian is dead, and the dead cannot testify. If you say these things now, he'll think you fabricated lies to exonerate yourself..."

"Dad, it's fine. I'll just stay here for now—treat it as training..." Feng Shihua was rather philosophical about it. At this point, all they could do was take things one step at a time.

"Mm. Rest assured, Shipian, I will do my utmost to clear you," Feng Tianqi said.

Meanwhile, at Feng Tianqi's residence, Feng Tianhu appeared in secret! Just when everyone assumed Feng Tianhu had carried Feng Nitian's corpse home and was weeping over it, Feng Tianhu turned up here instead!

"Second Sister-in-law!" Feng Tianhu's face, beyond the grief he had worn before, had turned utterly grim. He walked up to a noble lady and called in a low voice.

"Tianhu? What brings you here?" The lady was slightly taken aback. She was Feng Shihua's mother, Dongfang Xiaocui. She had already learned from the servants the news that Feng Shihua had killed Feng Nitian, so Feng Tianhu's visit came as something of a surprise. "Have you come to settle accounts with me?"

"Your younger brother would not dare!" Feng Tianhu shook his head, his face stricken with sorrow. "This matter is not Second Sister-in-law's fault either. Though I too cannot believe Shipian did it, all the evidence points to him, and I am forced to believe it!"

(220 votes. There will be a bonus chapter tomorrow or the day after; the next bonus chapter comes at 250 votes. Summoning [Moon] votes! RS)