Everyone froze in disbelief.
The courtyard that had moments ago been full of murmuring servants and nervous whispers now fell into complete silence.
The bodies of Hou Shen and the two cooks lay lifeless on the ground, blood soaking into the stone tiles.
Their faces were frozen in horror. No one moved. No one even dared to breathe.
Han Cui, the patriarch of the Han Family, stood up so fast that his chair fell backward with a loud crash. His voice thundered across the courtyard. "Why!? Why did you kill him, Ji!? You only needed to punish him! What madness drove you to this!?"
His voice cracked from anger, but deep in his tone was disbelief. He could not believe his own son would kill a servant in front of everyone—especially in front of the Sword Shandian Sect representative.
Wei Ji stood calmly in the middle of the courtyard, his hands clasped behind his back. His eyes were quiet, cold, and unshaken by the shouting.
