Chapter 81: Chang’e Assistant_1
"My daughter never had any grudges or enemies!"
"When she left that day, she said she had received a message from you!"
Wu Fanjia’s father, Wu Sheng, stood on Song Family territory, his eyes red. Like unbending iron, he glared at Song Yingchen. "My daughter’s death is inextricably linked to you!"
Song Yingchen, the target of his glare, regarded him calmly. No words were needed to reveal the faint disdain in his eyes. "Is that so?"
Song Zhi and Song Ji were both present.
Wu Fanjia had been murdered. Her family, one of the subordinate families connected to the nobility circle, insisted they had evidence. They claimed the Second Young Master Song had harmed their daughter and had come to demand justice.
"She clearly told us when she left the house that it was you who had asked her out."
Song Yingchen slightly closed his eyes. "Oh, so I’m just supposed to take your word for it?"
"We have evidence!" They produced surveillance footage from a restaurant, proving, "You were at the scene; even the waiters saw you."
The other party presented the video, playing a segment that showed Song Yingchen at the restaurant.
Song Zhi cast a subtle glance at Song Yingchen, whose face remained untroubled. "Are you suggesting that if I were to kill someone, I’d be foolish enough to go to the scene myself and leave evidence?"
Wu Sheng was momentarily stumped.
Madam Song, seated in the main chair, was displeased by the Wu family causing a commotion on Song Family territory. After watching the video, she looked meaningfully at Song Yingchen. "My son," she said, "if you have done something wrong, don’t be afraid. At least be brave enough to admit it."
Song Yingchen’s gaze was piercing. "Asking your son to admit to murder? For a mother to say that... you truly are astonishing."
Madam Song: "..."
Ever since the last incident, Song Yingchen would counter anything she said with a barb.
Initially, Song Ji would punish Song Yingchen, but now he pretended not to see it.
This gave Madam Song a bad premonition.
Song Ji, twisting his Buddha Beads, watched the video once through before speaking with a faint smile, "It’s a Card Spirit. Someone impersonated Yingchen’s appearance to lure your daughter."
The subtext was clear: the problem lay with your daughter. What kind of girl would dare to go out with any man who invited her?
Wu Sheng did not believe it. "Is there really a card that can completely impersonate another person?"
Song Ji’s hand, which had been twisting his Buddha Beads, paused.
His smile remained, but his eyes slowly lowered to Wu Sheng. Those eyes, usually full of compassion, now seemed devoid of malice, yet they were strangely bone-chilling. The very air around them felt like it was thickening, becoming suffocating.
His voice still carried a hint of laughter as he slowly said, "Are you questioning me?"
Wu Sheng shivered. He suddenly realized the man before him was the Family Head of the Song Family, a person whose word was law in Imperial City, someone with power over life and death.
Just because he smiled didn’t mean he was good-natured.
Cold sweat trickled down Wu Sheng’s back. In the next moment, his heart sank. He knew he had lost the initiative and could only say, "I didn’t... Perhaps it was indeed a Card Spirit..."
Truthfully, he still had his doubts. If it really was Song Yingchen, would he have been so blatant? Leaving his own face at the scene was indeed foolish.
At this point, Song Ji spoke again lightly, "Now that suspicion has fallen upon the Song Family, let the matter end here."
Song Yingchen looked at his father, his gaze heavy.
Wu Sheng felt as if struck by thunder.
He suddenly came to his senses.
Yes, even though he felt he was just spouting nonsense to save himself, he knew Wu Fanjia had harmed many people. There were plenty who wanted her dead. If someone had used a borrowed knife to kill her and deliberately framed the Song Family, then once his investigation led to the Songs, it would clearly hit a dead end. The true mastermind would then get away scot-free.
Deep down, he still had doubts. Wu Fanjia had been so certain that Song Yingchen had invited her. She must have trusted him completely; otherwise, she wouldn’t have gone to the meeting so readily. On this point, Wu Sheng still believed his daughter wouldn’t lie.
Despite his doubts, he put on a grateful expression. "Yes, I was rash in this matter. I ask the Family Head of the Song Family to forgive me this time, for the sake of my grief over the loss of my beloved daughter."
Song Ji, like a Bodhisattva full of compassion, said, "Go."
After Wu Sheng left, Song Ji turned to Song Yingchen. "Go to the Water Prison. Kneel for three days as punishment."
Everyone around Song Yingchen was shocked.
Madam Song was even more surprised. Previously, when that little scoundrel had provoked her, her husband did nothing. Now, over some groundless accusation, he was sending Song Yingchen to the Water Prison to kneel for three days?
No, that wasn’t right!
Having married into the Song Family, she wasn’t entirely foolish and could somewhat grasp the Family Head’s intentions.
She quickly realized the implications, her face turning ashen.
It was possible Song Yingchen truly had killed her, and Song Ji had covered for him, warning off the Wu Family.
Song Yingchen showed no reaction. The moment Song Ji finished speaking, Song Yingchen turned and left.
Meng Qi was left reeling in shock.
Brother Chen was framed, so why was he being punished? Kneeling for that long would nearly kill him!
Song Zhi also squinted at Song Yingchen’s retreating figure. It seems the incident with Wen Jiang really hit him hard, she mused. I wonder what that girl actually said to him.
Song Ji also departed. A shadow of dark emotion flickered across Madam Song’s eyes. Since Song Ji had intervened, she didn’t dare stir up more trouble.
He’d caused such a huge mess this time, yet Song Ji had actually let it go. She also realized the insidious nature of Song Yingchen’s tactic this time. By deliberately allowing his own face to be seen at the scene, he made people less likely to suspect him. Such an obviously clumsy attempt at framing would be the first to be dismissed. The crucial question was, what kind of grudge could drive Song Yingchen to such lengths?
Madam Song’s heart sank bit by bit.
Wu Fanjia’s death caused a slight ripple for Wen Jiang. Having lived a long life, she’d seen all sorts of schemes and quickly pieced things together. She didn’t know a Card Spirit had faked Song Yingchen’s appearance, but she guessed, Those mad dogs from the Wu Family will come biting soon.
Their daughter was dead. The Wu Family would go after anyone who could possibly be the murderer. Wen Jiang had no doubt they would seek revenge. They’d rather kill the wrong person than let a suspect go free. Someone like her, ’without background,’ would be their first target.
She wasn’t afraid, though. After a few quiet days and observing many A-Rank Cards, an idea for how to create the Changer Card began to form.
Unlike ordinary B-Level cards, A-Rank Cards could have more states. The Jade Rabbit Pestle Medicine card was indeed too simple; its monotony wasn’t enough to showcase the power of mythical cards. Currently, the various card associations on the market all used their own distinct card sets.
While the B-Level Bamboo Demon Card sets were designed to complement each other, the individual cards lacked truly deep interconnections.
She wanted to create a publicly available card set. Her goal was to make it so powerful that competing teams would be compelled to use at least one of her creations.
Changer was also a Support Card, but it was unique. It could stack multiple states and specifically boost the abilities of Card Spirits from the same Yunxia Card Set, like Hou Yi and Jade Rabbit. When used with other teams, its different states could also enhance various abilities. This design would compel other major card associations to incorporate it.
This unique Yunxia Card Set would gradually infiltrate this world.