Can a Scholar Be Called a Villain

Chapter 55: Face to face

Sheng Yi Fei was cultivating in his room when he was disrupted by the frantic footsteps coming from the outside of his room. Seeing chamberlain Wan rush in the moment he opened his eyes, he immediately rebuked him, “What is going on? Why are you being so frantic?”

He asked as he stood up.

While he was a self-made man that clawed up step by step to reach the position he had now, he was still a man that followed the rigid traditions of managing his men.

Chamberlain Wan spoke breathlessly, “Master, something terrible is happening! Our manor has been surrounded!”

He looked terrified.

Hearing his words, Duke Sheng paused for a moment before asking, “Are you sure? We have been surrounded?”

Chamberlain Wan quickly nodded with a miserable expression, “I am sure! The roads outside have been emptied, and I can sense that there are no less than a hundred experts outside that are on par with my cultivation! Is this a declaration of war from the imperial court?”

Duke Sheng waved his arm dismissively, “It might not be. Go and inform Sheng Yi and ask him to come, I will go out and take a look.”

And at this moment, a faint voice came from behind them, “No need, I am already here.”

The two quickly turned their heads, noticing the flustered expression on Sheng Yi’s face and his bloodied body. In his hands, there was a man wearing the red robes of the Blood Spirits.

Chamberlain Wan shouted with a horrified expression, “Blood Spirits!”

Sheng Yi hadn’t divulged the secrets he knew about the Blood Spirits to Sheng Yi Fei, and as such, the duke had avoided any conversations about the organisation as though it was taboo. He had a perplexed expression as he stared at his son.

He had absolute faith in Sheng Yi.

And so, Sheng Yi Fei asked, “What’s going on?”

Sheng Yi shook his head, quickly explaining himself, “I found a few people sneaking around within the manor and changing into the clothes of the Blood Spirits secretly.

I immediately took them down, but I didn’t expect them to completely disregard their lives and kill themselves to avoid surrendering. This is the only man that I was able to keep alive.”

He tossed the person in his hands to the ground as he spoke.

Sheng Yi Fei frowned as he asked, “What are the Blood Spirits planning? Are the people outside from the Blood Spirits as well?”

Rubbing his chin, he couldn’t hide the confused expression on his face.

On the other hand, Sheng Yi was shocked and quickly asked, “What? There are people outside surrounding us?”

His steps faltered as he ran forwards to his father, asking frantically.

Chamberlain Wan’s complexion had slightly recovered by now, and he simply nodded, “Yes, young master. The residence has been surrounded, but they haven’t started attacking yet, for some reason.”

Sheng Yi started to think about his past, and then as if he was drowning, his expression turned into despair as his complexion turned pale.

His body trembled as he supported himself against the wall, and as if he had suddenly thought of something, he spoke with eyes filled with fear, “We need to leave! The four great clans have surrounded us.”

This was identical to the time when his family was annihilated in his last life!

The residence was also surrounded by the four great clans.

People had also disguised themselves as members of the Blood Spirits to frame him.

They had also attacked without reporting to the imperial court.

What would follow, would be that the people he hadn’t discovered would run out while pretending to be from the Blood Spirits.

This would give the people outside a cause.

They would opportunistically run in, accusing his family and annihilating them all.

No!

Why is this happening!

He had clearly gone back in time!

Why was this happening again?

Sheng Yi was terrified.

Sheng Yi Fei grabbed his shoulders, shaking him as he shouted, “What do you mean by the four great clans? Yi’er, calm down!”

He looked at his son in worry.

Sheng Yi hadn’t shown such a terrified expression in front of him ever since he had changed.

And after his father shook him back to his senses, Sheng Yi slowly calmed himself, swallowing his saliva as he muttered, “It’s fine, it’s fine, I’ve already killed those people. Right! We have the Eight Guards of the Xiao Academy and the unit that we had secretly formed, it’ll be fine, it’ll be fine.”

He gradually calmed down.

Staring at his now calm son, Sheng Yi, Sheng Yi Fei sighed in relief as he patted his back, comforting him, “It’ll be fine, I’m still here. With your father’s strength at the Sky Reaching realm, I doubt they’d dare to do anything.”

He had instantly grasped the situation the moment the words, ‘four great clans’ came from his son’s lips.

He was instantly filled with rage and hatred towards the four great clans.

He hadn’t expected them to take action even before he had revealed his greed.

And they even planted fake Blood Spirits’ members in his residence.

Any excuses would indeed serve a tyrant!

Sheng Yi slowly spoke, “Father, let’s go out and take a look. Chamberlain Wan, go and contact the Eight Guards of the Xiao Academy secretly, as well as the nearby Luo Pao Pao, let them surround this place. I don’t believe that they’ll truly dare to take action and risk everything for this.”

Chamberlain nodded and quickly excused himself.

The duke was equally as calm, smiling, “Let’s go, my son. We shall see what exactly the four great clans are intending to do.”

Sheng Yi nodded as he laughed coldly to himself: Murong Liu, I didn’t expect you to be so hasty this time around.

Hah, I fear that you’re going to be disappointed.

The two of them slowly walked out of the manor, and the people that were waiting outside had also sensed that something strange was going on.

“Why aren’t they coming out?” Wang Ren Mei, who was leaning on Murong Liu’s side, asked quietly.

Shaking her head in confusion, Murong Liu looked at the Dragon Seeker Ring on her hand, “Even if our plans were found out, we still have this. With the Dragon Seeker Ring as our cause, we should just charge in!”

“They’re coming out! Duke Sheng and Sheng Yi are coming out.” Lu Hai Miao shouted from behind.

The crowd was stunned, and they quickly looked over at the two figures walking out, it was the duke and Sheng Yi.

The two walked side by side, the duke had a solemn expression as he scanned for the experts present in his vicinity.

On the other hand, Sheng Yi was looking at Murong Liu with a resentful expression.

Murong Liu, who wasn’t willing to back down, glared at Sheng Yi with an equally hateful gaze.

Wang Ren Mei’s expression was slightly awkward, but she quickly composed herself and walked forwards, greeting respectfully, “This junior greets her senior, duke Sheng.”

“I dare not receive this greeting from the famous Art Fairy. May I ask why the Art Fairy and her highness, the sixth princess, are surrounding my residence tonight?” The duke was naturally unwilling to show them any courtesy, questioning them with a visible frown on his face.

Wang Ren Mei cupped her hands, wanting to say something, but she was stopped by Murong Liu.

Murong Liu stepped forwards, responding with a disdainful tone, “Duke Sheng! You are also a senior of the imperial court, you should be aware of the sins of the Blood Spirits, right?”

Duke Sheng and Sheng Yi looked at each other, the both of them had immediately understood what was going on.

However, the duke couldn’t say anything easily. After all, he was facing the sixth princess, Murong Liu, the treasured daughter of the emperor, Murong Tong.

But Sheng Yi couldn’t care less, he walked forwards in anger, staring at the cruel and merciless woman before him. He recalled the nightmarish pain she had caused him in his past life, which only further infuriated and frustrated him.

Sheng Yi pointed his finger towards Murong Liu, “You bitch! Just because of your dislike towards the engagement our fathers had set for us, you hold such resentment in your heart? And you even resorted to colluding with other people to frame me?

My father has proven his loyalty as a member of the imperial faction, do you not think that your actions are too inhumane?

Our engagement came before your dislike towards me, and even without truly becoming husband and wife, we are bound by the fate of marriage, do you not think that your actions are too unjust?

You are neither humane nor just, and you dare to consider yourself as the lady of a great clan, and the sixth princess of the imperial court?”

Sheng Yi’s harsh words shocked everyone that was present.

His voice reverberated throughout the streets.

Their faces were filled with confusion, which gradually changed to realisation as their gazes towards Murong Liu changed.

Tang Can and Lu Hai Miao, who were standing at the back, also had strange expressions on their face. It was obvious that they were completely unaware of this.

The people that hid from afar and watched the situation, Murong Lin included, had expressions of shock and admiration.

But despite his words, Sheng Yi didn’t cause Murong Liu’s expression to change in the slightest.

Murong Liu’s face remained calm, but the fingers that were pressed into her palms revealed the resentment in her heart.

Her silence unsettled Sheng Yi.

She was a vixen that knew nothing about subtlety in his past memory, she wasn’t capable of masking her emotions even in the slightest, crying and smiling at the drop of a hat.

But now, she was completely unfazed even after being humiliated and scolded like this?

Something wasn’t right!

Something was definitely wrong!

Then, he heard Murong Liu speak slowly, “Do you dare to have that herb-gatherer woman come out?”

Translator’s note

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