With the Blade

"Then you take care of this matter."

Thinking of this, Sikong smiled and patted Shen Yifang on the shoulder.

"Since it’s your idea, it’s most suitable for you to do it... This is saving the people from disaster! Such a great deed!"

"...Ah?"

Shen Yifang was dumbfounded.

He was just giving an idea; how did it end up being his job? What expert does he know? Surely he can’t put himself in harm’s way, right?

"No, my lord, this matter..."

"What? You don’t want to do it?"

Sikong’s brows furrowed.

"Are you planning to protect that eunuch traitor? What are you trying to do?"

"I..."

Shen Yifang lowered his head, not daring to say another word.

Leaving Sikong Mansion, Shen Yifang returned to his own home, and the first thing he did upon arriving was to angrily smash two cups.

"That bastard! He must have done it on purpose!"

Shen Yifang was so furious that his head was spinning. He finally understood that this Lord Sikong was taking out his own frustrations from the court on him. Just his luck to get himself involved—he had only made a suggestion out of good intentions, and this is how Lord Sikong repaid him?

"If you have the ability, go fight the eunuch traitor yourself! Taking it out on me is pointless!"

Shen Yifang smashed a third cup in rage.

Getting bullied in Jinluan Hall and coming home to cause trouble for his own people, what can such a Sikong achieve?

"All he knows is to bully the weak and fear the strong!"

Subconsciously, Shen Yifang clenched his fist.

After all, as a trusted advisor, he was only there to make suggestions and earn a living at Sikong Mansion. Since this Lord Sikong was so unreliable, he didn’t mind giving the old man a little trouble.

However, clearly, this wasn’t an easy task. If he had the skills to compete with someone born into a noble family like Sikong, he wouldn’t be stuck working as an advisor—the family background of this Lord Sikong meant he had ample resources, and his station as Sikong meant he had considerable power.

Frankly, the difference between Shen Yifang and Sikong was like heaven and earth; the gap was too large to bridge.

"So if we really want to protect ourselves, there’s only one way."

After hearing about Shen Yifang’s troubles, Shen Yifang’s brother-in-law voiced his thoughts.

"Find an expert, kill Sikong, and blame it on the eunuch traitor."

"Huh?"

Shen Yifang was stunned upon hearing this; could this even be considered a strategy?

On second thought, it really could.

Finding an expert who could defeat the elderly eunuch was not easy; after all, he had heard of that eunuch’s formidable prowess with his outward Evil Qi—it was truly terrifying. But Lord Sikong was different. Even though Lord Sikong had practiced some martial arts and could potentially internalize the Evil Qi, his level was not so untouchable.

As for the guards around Lord Sikong... that was easier to handle. Shen Yifang, being well-informed, had naturally heard the story of deposing a false emperor and riding horses into Jinluan Hall. Although he didn’t know where that convenient Grand Tutor was, their actions made Shen Yifang realize that true experts wouldn’t fear any guards.

Regarding security capability, Jinluan Hall was undoubtedly the best, but then what? Didn’t someone still ride in on horseback?

"It could actually work!"

Shen Yifang nodded continuously.

"So do you know any experts?"

"Huh?"

The brother-in-law was instantly dumbfounded. What did this have to do with him?

He had just mentioned it casually, trying to help out a family member, because they were relatives. Shen Yifang’s misfortune wouldn’t bode well for him either—but thinking it over, he had only casually offered a suggestion to help his brother-in-law out. How did this become his responsibility?

"Brother, you’re my own brother."

Seeing his brother-in-law’s hesitant expression, Shen Yifang placed both hands on his shoulders.

"I’m trying to diversify our options here. If I search on my end and you search on yours, finding more experts means we can pick the most suitable one, don’t you think?"

"I..."

Facing Shen Yifang’s almost devouring gaze, the brother-in-law finally lowered his head.

The atmosphere was a bit off; his brother-in-law was clearly pushed to desperation. At a time like this, if he dared refuse, he might find himself with his neck twisted off by his brother-in-law on the spot.

He had to accept it; there was no other choice, otherwise, he feared he wouldn’t even be able to leave through the door today.

Luckily, his brother-in-law still harbored some familial affection—in response to his agreement, he let him leave to search for an expert.

Upon returning home, the brother-in-law furiously smashed a cup.

"That brute! Can’t he just cause less trouble?"

The brother-in-law was so angry his hair stood on end, mainly because this kind of trouble was utterly unreasonable. Bear in mind, he had felt a bit under the weather recently and was planning to see a physician for a consultation—yet he had been called away by his unfortunate brother-in-law. Heaven knew he truly saw his brother-in-law as family, even willing to offer advice whenever trouble arose. Yet his brother-in-law had to drag him into it?

"If you really considered me a brother, you wouldn’t cause trouble! How is dealing with this mess justified?"

The brother-in-law in anger broke a second cup.

Now, having offended Lord Sikong, if anything goes wrong, their whole family might be doomed. The high-and-mighty Lord Sikong wouldn’t hesitate just because he was merely a brother-in-law; the connection due to marriage means crushing them together would be as easy as stepping on an ant.

If only his brother-in-law were firm enough to take responsibility, at the very least, he shouldn’t drag the family into it. Yet here we were, he had to help find experts—who could he possibly find?

"All he knows is to bully the weak and fear the strong!"

Subconsciously, the brother-in-law clenched his fist.

To be blunt, he wasn’t exactly brothers with Shen Yifang—yes, Shen Yifang was his brother-in-law, but so what?

For the sake of family safety, and to ensure his elder sister wouldn’t be implicated, perhaps eliminating Shen Yifang was his only option.

However, getting rid of Shen Yifang wasn’t easy, considering his situation... bluntly put, the relatively comfortable life he now had depended on his brother-in-law Shen Yifang’s position as an advisor at Sikong Mansion. His network and the "friends" he could gather around mostly relied on Shen Yifang’s influence.

In such circumstances, who could he possibly call upon to get rid of this problematic brother-in-law?

"When family causes trouble... there’s really no need to involve others."

As the brother-in-law was getting a massage at a familiar clinic, the physician giving him a back massage spoke up.

"Just get a couple of taels of arsenic to poison him, and claim it was a sudden death due to illness. Wouldn’t that work?"

The brother-in-law was momentarily stunned; he didn’t think it was a good method at first.

Yet, after thinking things through, he realized it could work.

Instead of using arsenic, he could use other drugs—any concoction that wouldn’t raise suspicion would do. After all, his brother-in-law had a habit of taking powdered medicines. Later, they could just say the medicine made him too happy—no one would be able to raise an objection.

"You’re really something! It wasn’t a waste to bring you in!"

At that moment, the brother-in-law’s mood was extremely upbeat.

"Then it’s up to you to do it!"

"What? Me?"

The physician was dumbfounded; how did it become his task?

He was a doctor, not a butcher. He’d only offered the idea because the clinic was funded by the brother-in-law—essentially, he was the paying boss. If the boss was in trouble, naturally, he felt obliged to put in a word.

But suggesting an idea was one thing; how did it become his job to execute it...

"Do you still want to work here?"

Immediately, the brother-in-law frowned.

"I remember your father is still bedridden. You learned medicine because of this... If you won’t do this, you know what the consequences will be, don’t you?"

"I, I, I-I-I..."

Upon hearing his father mentioned, bedridden, the physician’s eyes instantly welled up with tears.

"How can you be like this!"

"What did I do?"

The brother-in-law angled his neck defiantly.

"What are you doing with that cup? Are you going to hit me?"

"I..."

Bang!

The teacup struck the brother-in-law on the head, and the sharp shards immediately cut his throat.

Seeing the brother-in-law bleeding profusely, the physician was dumbfounded. A doctor who had spent his entire life saving people, though striking in anger, was entirely unprepared to face this scene.

Thus, realizing no good outcome awaited him, the physician picked up a shard and slit his own throat.

Blood stained the medicine cabinet, bringing bewilderment and causeless hatred.

The next moment, a massive creature tore through the ceiling.