288 Lingxiao, The Black Tortoise 4

Yin clutched his sword, knelt to the ground, and replied as though he had no fear of death.

He was once an orphan and if it were not for the fact that his master had saved him, he would have long been dead in a foreign land. Now that he had a chance to repay his master's kindness, he was perfectly happy to do whatever it takes.

At this moment, Master Xia's face was as gloomy as a sky filled with dark clouds. His shot a stern glare at the man who knelt before him and bellowed, "Are you certain? You were the only one behind all of this?"

"Yes."

Yin lowered his head, and replied with an icy look in his eyes, "This matter has nothing to do with the Second Master. I, Yin, am willing to accept death!"

"Great, just great! Then I, the Master of this house, would like to ask you this, what grudge have you held against the Gu girl that would cause you to orchestrate her death!" Master Xia spoke with an ashen face and flung his sleeves in fury.

He knew that Xia Qi was somehow involved in this matter but without evidence, as Master of the family, it was hard for him to implicate him. Otherwise, his actions would enrage the entire family, especially since he had just completely disregarded the rules and shielded Gu Ruoyun. Many were already dissatisfied with this decision.

Luckily, Gu Ruoyun really wasn't the culprit behind Xia Ying's poisoning, otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable!

Yin sharply replied, "I have no grudge towards her, but I have been spying on the Hundred Herb Hall for a very long time and have long coveted the Hundred Herb Hall. I did not expect for Xia Ying to be so useless, dying far too slowly. Otherwise, I would have been able to obtain the Hundred Herb Hall when she is dead."

His explanation was reasonable and fair, many strong cultivators would love to spy on the pills from the Hundred Herb Hall. It was not entirely impossible for Yin to think that way.

However, Yin's actions greatly enraged Elder Huiyi, who had nearly made false accusations towards Gu Ruoyun. He flung his sleeves violently and a gust of strong wind was thrown towards the kneeling man.

Yin did not react and allowed the wind to beat against him.

"You dog of a slave! You dare commit such crimes, not only have you cooked up wild schemes, you've dragged your master down with you. What is the use in having a dog of a slave like you? Now, I am going to end you."

Realizing that Elder Huiyi was about to attack again, Master Xia hurriedly cried out, "Hold it! There are many holes in his explanation, wait for me to..."

Pu chi!

The sound of a long sword piercing through the man's chest rang through the courtyard, Master Xia shivered, feeling a great flame bursting through his chest. The sound was like an endless chill, dispersing into a thick cold air.

"Xia Qi, what have you done?"

Xia Qi retracted the chill in his eyes and slowly pulled out the long sword that was lodged into the man's chest. He calmly smiled, "Yin has committed an offense against his superiors. We cannot let him off so easily. Please do not mind us, Lady Gu. The Xia Family has never harbored ill intent towards you."

Master Xia's elderly features darkened in his anger, "Did you not hear me when I ordered for Elder Huiyi to stop?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Qi raised his head enquiringly, "I heard it. But father, your orders were directed towards Elder Huiyi, were they not? I thought that you had intended for me to punish him myself. So I did it. If I have done wrong, I am willing to accept the punishment. Please do not jeopardize your health with your anger, father."

Seeing the rage on Master Xia's face, Elder Huiyi quickly tried to neutralize the situation, "Master, seeing as the main culprit is already dead, let this matter slide. The Second Master did not mean it. Besides, due to Yin's actions, not only have we created false accusations against an innocent person, we've almost brought harm upon the Young Master. Anyone would have gotten angry at this, the Second Master was probably unable to control his anger and reacted in this manner."