Wei Qingshan’s eyes flickered, and she turned to look. The carved wooden window with gauze on the ancestral hall reflected a chiseled profile.
It was Wei Jiu.
“Miss, don’t be afraid. I’ll come and save you right away.”
Wei Jiu spoke as he took out his magic artifact, preparing to blast open the ancestral hall door.
Wei Qingshan’s heart tightened, and she blurted out, “No!”
The Wei family would not let her go, so why would they not station guards outside the ancestral hall, allowing Wei Jiu an opportunity?
This was clearly another trap.
And this trap was set specifically for her and Wei Jiu.
As long as Wei Jiu forcibly broke into the ancestral hall and took her away, they would both be charged with desecrating the ancestral shrine and fleeing from justice.
At that time, there would be no need to wait for a clan meeting; they could be dealt with on the spot.
But her intervention was too late.
Wei Jiu, eager to save her, broke through the barrier outside the ancestral shrine with a single strike and stormed in.
The ease with which things unfolded made a flicker of unease flash through Wei Jiu’s mind, but he couldn’t dwell on it. He took two quick steps forward, grabbed Wei Qingshan’s arm, and was about to pull her away.
“Wei Jiu, you’re so foolish.”
Wei Qingshan didn’t move. Instead, she reached out and caressed Wei Jiu’s face, forcing a bitter smile.
Wei Jiu stared at her blankly, his eyes lighting up, “Miss…”
He was about to say more when faint sounds echoed from outside the door. His expression changed, and he shielded Wei Qingshan behind him, his gaze sharpening as he looked at the Wei family members who had suddenly appeared.
Wei Jiu was not foolish; he finally understood why Wei Qingshan had tried to stop him earlier.
However, he had no regrets.
Even if he had to die, he would die alongside his Miss.
“Brother Wei Jiu, you still chose her in the end. You’ve truly disappointed me.”
The third young lady of the Wei family, Wei Xuan, tilted her red lips, her voice a delicate and affected affectation that made Wei Jiu’s brow furrow.
“Wei Jiu, you trespassed into the ancestral shrine and attempted to abscond with the criminal Wei Qingshan. How dare you!”
The one speaking this time was the second young master of the Wei family, Wei Lan.
He was also the mastermind behind poisoning the family head and framing Wei Qingshan.
Now, as long as Wei Qingshan was dead, he could immediately take over the Wei family.
Therefore, although he was sternly accusing Wei Jiu, the excitement flashing in his eyes was difficult to suppress.
As he spoke, the other clansmen following him chimed in with their agreement, fueling his vanity to an unprecedented degree.
Wei Qingshan sneered at his pretense.
She hated herself for not seeing his treacherous ambition sooner, for causing her brother’s early death.
“Second Brother, don’t waste your breath on them. Quickly apprehend the two of them to prevent any further complications,” the fourth young lady of the Wei family, Wei Qian, reminded him coldly.
Her approach was cautious; she wouldn’t feel at ease until everything was settled.
Wei Qingshan turned to look at Wei Qian, her eyes conveying a complex mixture of resentment and sorrow.
Apart from her own biological brother, her relationship with Wei Qian was the closest. No matter what good things she received, she would always send a portion to Wei Qian.
Unexpectedly, this goodwill had instead become evidence of her looking down on Wei Qian. How ironic.
Sensing Wei Qingshan’s gaze, Wei Qian did not flinch. The suppressed emotions in her heart finally found release and pleasure.
Wei Qingshan, being from the direct lineage, naturally could not understand the hardships of their collateral branches.
Just by looking at their names, the direct lineage members of the Wei family were all named with two characters, while their collateral branches could only have single-character names.
In addition, everything they ate, used, wore, and drank was what the direct lineage had left behind. Even their cultivation resources were only given to them after the direct lineage had no use for them.
The best things she possessed were all bestowed upon her by Wei Qingshan’s charity.
She disdained receiving such pity.
After today, the clan genealogy would be rewritten, and she, Wei Qian, would become the new direct lineage, and her children would no longer suffer the contempt and humiliation of the direct lineage.
For this, Wei Qian never regretted her actions.
“Good…”
Wei Lan’s words were interrupted by Wei Xuan.
“Brother Wei Jiu, if you are willing to abandon Wei Qingshan now and come to my side, I can guarantee your survival.”
Wei Xuan had long harbored feelings for Wei Jiu, so she decided to give him another chance.
Wei Jiu remained unmoved, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt.
Pierced by his gaze, Wei Xuan’s voice turned sharp as she shouted, “Since you refuse, then die! Kill him!”
As she spoke, no one dared to step forward.
Because while Wei Xuan was speaking, Wei Qingshan had retreated several steps, finally stopping in front of the divine altar where the ancestral tablets were placed, holding aloft a explosive talisman bearing a flame pattern.
“Don’t come any closer. If you dare, I’ll burn this ancestral hall to the ground,” Wei Qingshan said coldly.
“Unacceptable, absolutely unacceptable!”
“Don’t move, retreat, everyone retreat!”
“Fifth Miss, please calm down, don’t be impulsive.”
The ancestral hall housed the ancestors of the Wei family and recorded their past glories. Its importance to the Wei family members was self-evident.
Wei Qingshan’s sudden action made the Wei family hesitate, afraid to advance further.
Wei Lan and Wei Qian began to regret setting the trap in the ancestral hall, as they were now restrained.
Wei Xuan, however, was the most composed among them. “Wei Qingshan, you don’t actually think you can threaten the Wei family into letting you go, do you? That’s impossible. If you have the guts, hold that explosive talisman for the rest of your life standing in the ancestral hall.”
Wei Qingshan let out a cold laugh. “Wei Xuan, I won’t be as foolish as you. I know I can’t leave. I only have one request: let Wei Jiu go, and I will submit to whatever you decide.”
“I refuse! I’m not leaving!” Wei Jiu looked at Wei Qingshan in shock, shaking his head frantically.
He would not go anywhere; he would stay with Wei Qingshan, come what may.
“Foolish boy.” Wei Qingshan’s eyes reddened slightly, but the next moment she banished the softness from her gaze and said forcefully, “Wei Jiu, this is an order!”
The foremost iron rule of a Wei family guard was to always obey their master’s command.
“No!” Wei Jiu’s voice was hoarse. “The Wei family guards also have an iron rule: the master’s safety always comes first. I will not leave!”
“What a deep bond between master and servant.” Wei Xuan sneered.
Wei Jiu’s defiance had exhausted all her patience. “Second Brother, at this point, you shouldn’t hold back any longer.”
Wei Lan’s expression shifted, and he finally let out a helpless smile. “Third Sister, nothing can truly be hidden from you.”
He clasped his hands together in front of his chest, bowed forward, and said, “Please, Esteemed Elder.”
Wei Qingshan and Wei Jiu’s faces changed drastically. They looked behind the crowd in horror, where a gaunt old man had appeared at some unknown time.
The moment they noticed him, an overwhelming pressure descended from above. Wei Qingshan and Wei Jiu, with almost no ability to resist, were forced to their knees.
Due to the immense force, the floor tiles beneath their knees cracked, emitting a muffled thud.
And apart from these two, everyone else was unaffected.
The Wei family members parted like a tide, revealing a pathway.
The gaunt old man walked step by step towards Wei Qingshan and Wei Jiu, his indifferent and deep voice echoing above their heads.
“Do you know your crimes?”