Thud——
At that moment, Duan Jidao had already fallen to his knees before the crystal coffin, gazing at Duan Qirou within, his eyes filled with deep, tender affection.
At first, apart from Chu Feng, everyone present wore expressions of confusion at Duan Jidao's reaction.
However, Song Yuheng's grandfather, Song Yuheng's father, and Song Yuheng himself soon noticed that the clothing on the woman inside the coffin was identical to the one his grandfather had fabricated?
"How can this be?" Song Yuheng's grandfather was dumbfounded. He had barely managed to stand moments ago, but now his legs gave out entirely and he collapsed to the ground, his face ashen as death.
He had never understood before how Chu Feng had known about his forgery of Duan Qirou's remains. Now he knew — Chu Feng had found the real ones.
"Chu Feng, where did you obtain Qirou's remains?" After gazing at the coffin in deep emotion for some time, Duan Jidao suddenly turned to look at Chu Feng.
"Senior Duan, this is quite a long story. I'm simply not sure whether you'd be willing to hear the details," Chu Feng said.
"Speak. Tell me from the beginning — every last detail." Duan Jidao nodded repeatedly. He needed to know exactly what had happened.
Chu Feng then recounted the entire sequence of events to Duan Jidao in full.
This included how he had stumbled upon Duan Qirou's remains in the Falling Leaf Bamboo Forest, and how upon arriving here, he had seen the poem and the inscriptions on the gravestone.
It also included what he had learned from Yin Gongfu — about Duan Jidao's past, and how the body in the tomb had been fabricated by Song Yuheng's grandfather.
In short, Chu Feng concealed nothing from Duan Jidao. He laid everything bare.
"Preposterous."
Upon learning the truth, Duan Jidao flew into a towering rage. With a single palm strike, he obliterated the fake tomb he had poured his heart into visiting for so many years, reducing it to dust.
Then, reaching out with his hand, he seized Song Yuheng's grandfather and dragged him close, forcing him to his knees.
"My lord, please let me explain — let me explain! That Chu Feng is framing me! It's Chu Feng who's framing me! The remains I presented are the real ones belonging to the great Duan Qirou! The ones Chu Feng has are absolutely fake!" Song Yuheng's grandfather continued to plead his case desperately.
"You dare continue to lie to me?!" Duan Jidao's beard bristled with fury, and his entire body trembled violently, proof of the depth of his wrath. "This crystal coffin is one that Qirou took from me long ago! She said that one day, the two of us would be buried together within it!"
The moment he had laid eyes on this crystal coffin — the moment he had seen Duan Qirou's remains within — he had known that these were the real ones. And yet Song Yuheng's grandfather had told him they were fake? How could he possibly tolerate that?
"My lord, I wouldn't dare! I would never dare deceive you! I have been loyal and devoted to you! I—" Song Yuheng's grandfather naturally refused to admit to deceiving Duan Jidao even under threat of death, and continued to defend himself frantically.
"Shut your mouth." Duan Jidao brought his palm crashing down. With a deafening boom and a spray of blood, Song Yuheng's grandfather was obliterated into nothing.
"Ah?!!!" Seeing Song Chenghong killed, Song Yuheng's father and Song Yuheng themselves collapsed to the ground in terror, their legs completely giving out.
After a long moment, Song Yuheng finally came to his senses. Desperate to survive, he scrambled forward to Duan Jidao's feet, kowtowing and bowing over and over, begging for mercy:
"Lord Duan, spare my life! Lord Duan, spare me! For the sake of all the years I have served you with unwavering loyalty, please spare my father and me! I will never dare deceive you again — never again!"
"What? You two were in on this as well?" At these words, Duan Jidao's already furious eyes blazed even harder.