After the incident, Song Yuheng and his father were sent away to recover from their injuries.
As for Chu Feng and Hong Qiang, they were taken back to their resting quarters by Yin Gongfu. Jiang Wushuang, however, was still serving out his punishment and had no choice but to keep mining — day and night without rest.
Right now, Yin Gongfu had come alone to Chu Feng's residence, saying he had something to discuss with him.
"Senior Yin, Wushuang was framed. The one who framed him was Song Yuheng," Chu Feng said to Yin Gongfu.
"Did Jiang Wushuang tell you that?" Yin Gongfu asked.
"Seems like you already knew?" Chu Feng asked.
"That's right. I've known for a while that it was a trap set by Song Yuheng and the others to frame Jiang Wushuang. But there was nothing I could do about it," Yin Gongfu sighed.
"Senior, you're the one who manages this place. How could there be nothing you could do?" Chu Feng asked.
"You're wrong. The true manager here isn't me — it's Lord Duan Jidao. Jiang Wushuang's case was personally decided by Lord Duan, so my hands are tied," Yin Gongfu said.
"Lord Duan Jidao — could he really be so blind to right and wrong?" Chu Feng asked.
"It's not that Lord Duan can't tell right from wrong. He's simply too indifferent to bother sorting it out, and he didn't want Song Yuheng's reputation to be ruined with the charge of framing Jiang Wushuang."
"Although Lord Duan is quite fond of Jiang Wushuang, when it came down to choosing between Song Yuheng and Jiang Wushuang, he chose Song Yuheng," Yin Gongfu said.
"Senior, Song Yuheng is over a hundred years old, while Brother Wushuang is still very young. Sure, Song Yuheng's cultivation is higher than Wushuang's right now, but Wushuang will absolutely surpass him in the future. And when it comes to character, the difference between the two is like heaven and earth. I truly can't understand why Lord Duan would choose Song Yuheng over Jiang Wushuang," Chu Feng said, genuinely baffled.
"Chu Feng, do you know why Song Yuheng is considered the person most likely to receive Lord Duan's inheritance?" Yin Gongfu asked.
"Could there be some hidden story behind that?" Chu Feng said.
"There is indeed a hidden story. It goes back to Lord Duan's past. This is supposed to be an enormous secret — very, very few people know about it. But I'm willing to tell you, on the condition that you keep it to yourself and don't share it with anyone else," Yin Gongfu said.
"Rest assured, Senior. I would never do anything to harm you," Chu Feng said.
"Even though we've only just met and don't really know each other yet, I trust you." Yin Gongfu stood up and patted Chu Feng on the shoulder. The gaze he directed at Chu Feng was truly filled with trust.
Some people, no matter how long you spend with them, never inspire trust. But others, in only a short time, earn it naturally.
However, this kind of trust can only arise in someone who possesses the ability to distinguish right from wrong and has keen powers of observation.
Yin Gongfu was exactly such a person, and Chu Feng happened to be exactly the kind of person worthy of trust. Through Chu Feng's willingness to stand up for Jiang Wushuang, combined with the high regard that Yao Jiao Guang had shown for Chu Feng, Yin Gongfu knew that Chu Feng was someone he could trust.
At the end of the day, the word "trust" had to be earned through actions, not through some vague notion of growing close over time.
"First, let me tell you the first secret. Do you know why Lord Duan Jidao, despite not being from an Imperial Bloodline but rather from a Royal Bloodline, possesses an Emperor-level bloodline even stronger than those of the Imperial Bloodlines?" Yin Gongfu didn't answer right away — instead, he posed the question to Chu Feng first.
"Lord Duan Jidao's bloodline was inherited. If it wasn't natural talent, then he must have encountered some extraordinary fortuitous opportunity," Chu Feng said.
"You're exactly right. And the fortuitous opportunity Lord Duan Jidao encountered could be considered the greatest in all the world — he obtained the inheritance of an Emperor," Yin Gongfu said.