MTLNOVEL Ch. 74
Chapter 74: Regret
Sun Shicai’s face changed drastically when he heard the words “master‑slayer.” He grabbed the collar of his subordinate and lifted him up, roaring, “What did you say?”
The subordinate, terrified by his ferocious appearance, stuttered, “No… no… that’s not… I… it’s…”
“A worthless fool.”
Sun Shicai tossed him aside. His expression quickly regained its composure as he spoke in a low voice, “Let’s go. We’ll go to the Governor’s mansion.”
At times like this, panic was the worst reaction.
If he didn’t go to the Governor’s mansion, wouldn’t others think he had something to hide?
The tall man beside him responded with a noncommittal “Oh,” recovered his bearings, and silently followed behind.
…
Sun Shicai sat in the carriage, his face calm, but his mind churned with shock and rage.
“If I had known earlier, I should have spared no expense to silence Huo Qianqian and Zhang Mingyu…”
He hadn’t expected that his truly willful junior sister would become so restrained, lulling him into complacency.
And Zhang Mingyu, who never left his true thoughts hidden, hadn’t shown the slightest clue in front of him.
He had thought that these two posed little threat, and that killing them would be troublesome—
A moment of mercy had led to the catastrophic mistake of today.
It was a pity, but regret came too late now.
He quickly began strategizing a response.
He had been through storms before; although the current situation was perilous, it was not beyond recovery.
They had no evidence!
And with Yu Xiuming speaking on his behalf…
Sun Shicai mulled over his approach, and soon the carriage approached the Governor’s mansion.
The carriage ground to a halt, and a roar of noisy voices rose from ahead.
The driver called out, “Sir, there are too many people here, it's completely blocked.”
“Get out.”
Sun Shicai opened the carriage door and saw many people crowded before the mansion’s gate, completely blocking the road.
More people were arriving, all there to gawk at the spectacle.
He couldn’t help but feel a pang of alarm.
From the chaos, a mournful voice rang out, “…That Sun Shicai, traitorous and unfilial, murdered his master—Lord Zhao, please do justice for us!”
In that instant, the crowd erupted in uproar.
Killed one’s master!
In Qingfeng City, such a horrifying event had occurred, and the culprit was none other than a seventh‑rank patrol envoy of the Six Doors Authority.
Many began shouting curses, drowning out the speaker.
Anger surged among the people.
For some reason, seeing such fierce reactions unsettled Sun Shicai inwardly.
Clearly these were just ordinary citizens, no real threat to him and normally beneath his notice. But now gathered together, they exerted immense psychological pressure.
“No good, this can’t continue!”
Sun Shicai was a decisive man. He shouted loudly, “Nonsense!”
His voice boomed like thunder, instantly drawing countless gazes.
“It’s Sun Shicai!”
“He actually dares to come? That traitorous dog who killed his master!”
“He can still serve as a patrol envoy of the Six Doors?”
“…”
In that moment, Sun Shicai felt condemned by the multitude, his heart growing more uneasy.
This wasn’t how he had expected things to unfold.
He called out loudly, “Do not believe their one‑sided slander! I, Sun Shicai, have never done such a crime that enrages both gods and men!”
Many around him were shaken by his words, and soon made way, clearing a path for him to press forward and confront them.
…
“A dying struggle!”
Across from the Governor’s mansion, not far away, on the second floor of a restaurant, a group of female disciples from the Xiaoshui Sect sat in a private room. Xiao Zhuyun, seeing Sun Shicai appear, spoke indifferently.
When Huo Qianqian and Zhang Mingyu brought a group of disciples, dressed in mourning garb and carrying the spirit tablet of Huo Chengkun to the gates of the Governor’s mansion to cry for justice, Sun Shicai’s fate had already been sealed.
At a time like this, whatever Sun Shicai said was meaningless.
Even if he hadn’t murdered his master, his outcome would still be universal condemnation.
On one side stood Huo Chengkun’s own granddaughter, a personal disciple, and more than a dozen registered disciples, all declaring that Sun Shicai had killed his master.
On the other side was Sun Shicai alone, a seventh‑rank patrol envoy of the Six Doors Authority.
If it weren’t true, who would want to expose their family’s disgrace to the public?
If it weren’t true, how would a group of martial artists dare to falsely accuse a patrol envoy of the Six Doors?
“As expected, an open‑scheme tactic.”
Xiao Zhuyun watched Sun Shicai, now the target of public scorn, with an indescribable feeling. This downfall—wasn’t it what Chen Ming called “social death”?
Even if Sun Shicai didn’t die today, he was now a traitor condemned by all.
No one would associate with him.
Even Yu Xiuming probably wouldn’t protect him anymore.
…
When Sun Shicai arrived at the Governor’s mansion and saw Huo Qianqian and Zhang Mingyu holding up Huo Chengkun’s spirit tablet, with a dozen or so mourning junior disciples carrying the tablets of the eldest senior brother and the others, his heart sank heavily.
Behind him, not a single person remained.
Even the junior brother who had ridden with him in the carriage had vanished.
He shouted loudly, “I didn’t kill Master! Don’t slander me with baseless accusations!”
Seeing him, Huo Qianqian no longer needed to hide her emotions. Her face was full of hatred. “Sun Shicai, did you ever think this day would come? To seize my grandfather’s sixth‑rank inheritance, you murdered your own master. Afterwards, you even sent people to ambush us, trying to kill us and silence the witnesses. A heartless, treacherous, unfilial villain like you should be condemned to the eighteenth level of hell.”
Sun Shicai loudly defended himself, “I didn’t! You’re framing me!”
But in the ears of others, his defense sounded utterly hollow.
At that moment, the gates of the Governor’s mansion finally opened.
A man in a blue official uniform with a commanding presence stepped out—it was Yu Xiuming, the Blue-Clad Commandant.
Sun Shicai saw him and, as if spotting a savior, called out, “Lord Yu—”
But Yu Xiuming didn’t even look at him. His voice alone silenced all others: “The Governor is already aware of what you all have reported. He has specially ordered me to announce that Sun Shicai, suspected of murdering his master, will be removed from his position as patrol envoy of the Six Doors until his name is cleared.”
Sun Shicai felt like he had been struck by lightning. He stared at Yu Xiuming in disbelief. “Lord Yu, you—”
Before he could finish speaking, Yu Xiuming’s cold gaze froze him in place.
A surge of intense fear rose in his heart, and the rest of his words died in his throat.
After announcing the order, Yu Xiuming turned and walked away.
The heavy gates of the Governor’s mansion closed once more.
It was over—
Sun Shicai stood there, dazed and broken.
After years of struggle, near‑death experiences, and clawing his way to his current position, it was all gone.
How did it end up like this?
No—
“This is not the time to be thinking about that.”
Suddenly recalling Yu Xiuming’s cold look, Sun Shicai shivered. He knew too many secrets. Yu Xiuming wouldn’t let him go.
He had to flee immediately.
Just as he turned to leave, a sharp shout rang out, “Sun, you traitor! You’re still trying to run? Today, your life ends here, as an offering to the spirits of our master and senior brother!”
Zhang Mingyu stood in his way, steel blade in hand.
Sun Shicai looked at him with disdain and said, “Just you?”
At that moment, a clear voice called from behind him, “What if you add me as well?”
That voice—
He whirled around and saw Chen Ming approaching unhurriedly. He burst out laughing, “Perfect! You actually came to me yourself and saved me the trouble.”
As long as he captured this man and forced out the inheritance he carried, he could break through to the sixth rank at any time. The world was vast—where couldn’t he go?