Chapter 14
Dead of night.
The Dong family manor was brightly lit.
Inside the main hall, the atmosphere was suffocatingly heavy.
No servants dared to breathe loudly.
No guards dared to raise their heads.
And at the center of the hall—
Dong Ji kneeled on the floor with a pale face.
BANG!
The current Dong family head, Dong Jihao, slammed his palm onto the table with such force that the teacup beside him cracked.
Then he pointed furiously at Dong Ji.
"You sinful beast!"
Dong Jihao's furious roar echoed through the hall.
"You have no talent!"
"No proper character!"
"You spend your days bullying the weak, harassing people, and wasting money in brothels!"
His chest rose violently with anger.
"You disgrace of the Dong family!"
"Look what you've done now!"
The surrounding elders also began criticizing loudly.
"If you were jealous of your brother, then improve yourself!"
"Instead, you dragged your own family into mud!"
"You idiot!"
"You not only damaged Dong Zu's reputation…"
"You also humiliated Dugu Moli!"
Dong Jihao's eyes turned bloodshot from rage.
"Because of you…"
"…both the Dong and Dugu families have become laughingstocks!"
"And if this matter grows worse…"
"…our two families may even become enemies in the future!"
Dong Ji clenched his fists tightly while kneeling.
Then finally—
he raised his head.
"Grandfather— no…"
He corrected himself carefully.
"…Clan Head."
"I admit I'm jealous of my brother."
The hall became quieter.
Several elders snorted coldly.
At least the boy knew his place.
"But…"
Dong Ji's eyes became serious.
"…I'm not stupid enough to say something this ridiculous. It's a trap where i'mbeing used."
The hall suddenly became silent.
Dong Jihao narrowed his eyes.
"…What makes you think that?"
Dong Ji immediately replied:
"Think carefully."
"If I truly wanted to ruin my brother…"
"…then I would spread rumors that he's a corrupt general."
"That he accepts bribes and steals military merit."
Several elders subconsciously nodded.
That made sense.
Dong Ji continued calmly:
"In that version…"
"…my brother would become the main target."
His eyes darkened slightly.
"But in the current rumors the real target is Dugu Moli."
The hall became even quieter.
"My brother Dong Zu is only being used as supporting evidence."
"And I…"
Dong Ji gritted his teeth.
"…became the unquestionable proof."
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Everyone in the hall immediately understood the implication.
Someone…
wanted conflict between the Dong and Dugu families.
Or—
someone wanted to use both families against each other.
Several elders instinctively thought of Prime Minister Yan Pei.
And the puppet emperor.
But immediately rejected the emperor.
The emperor simply lacked the manpower and influence to orchestrate something like this.
Which left only Prime minister Yan Pei.
Dong Jihao slowly narrowed his eyes.
His aged face became gloomy.
"Everyone leave."
The hall elders were startled.
"I need to think carefully about this matter."
Soon, the hall gradually emptied.
Only guards remained outside.
Hidden silently within the shadows of the supporting roof beams—
Uchiha Ryo watched everything calmly.
The system spoke softly.
"Host…Looks like this Dong Ji isn't completely useless."
Ryo nodded slightly.
"Indeed."
"He's intelligent."
Ryo's Sharingan spun in darkness.
"He understood long ago that someone like him could only survive in this family by acting like a useless young master."
A faint smile appeared on Ryo's face.
"But…"
"He acted too well. So well it become real."
The smile slowly turned cold.
"And now…that act became the reason for his death."
The system suddenly felt a little pity for Dong Ji.
Then, in a rare emotional moment, it quietly recited:
"A clever man hides beneath foolish skin."
"Yet dies because the mask becomes truth within."
Ryo blinked once.
"…System."
"Yes?"
"Choose one or two."
The system froze.
"…Host?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Just choose."
The system hesitated.
Then carefully answered:
"…One?"
Ryo nodded calmly.
"Good choice."
"…What did I choose exactly?"
Ryo answered casually:
"One means I kill Dong Ji and several Dong family members tonight."
The system: "…?"
"Two means I only kill Dong Ji tomorrow."
"When the emperor summons him to the palace for questioning."
The system suddenly froze.
"…Wait."
"How are you so sure the emperor will summon him?"
Ryo looked at the system like it had asked something obvious.
"A scandal involving two major noble families must be handled publicly."
"If not…"
"The people will question the emperor, the officials and even the imperial system itself."
Ryo smiled faintly.
"So even if Dong Jihao doesn't want to, he'll still have to send Dong Ji tomorrow if summoned."
The system quietly absorbed the explanation.
Then suddenly realized something terrifying.
"…Host."
"If I had chosen two…would you really have waited until tomorrow?"
"Yes."
The system felt cold.
Because Ryo had decided someone's death schedule using a multiple-choice question.
Then—
Ryo formed hand seals.
Water Clone Jutsu.
Four clones instantly appeared beside him.
Then all five Ryos simultaneously used Transformation Jutsu.
Their appearances changed into black-clothed assassins.
Masks.
Dark clothing.
Hidden weapons.
Everything looked real.
The system watched silently.
it still felt absurd seeing supernatural assassins inside a normal ancient world.
---------------------------------------------------
Without making a sound—
the five figures moved.
Moments later—
screams exploded throughout Dong Manor.
"ASSASSINS!"
"Protect the Clan Head!"
"Enemy attack!"
Chaos instantly erupted.
The transformed Ryos moved through the manor like ghosts.
Several Dong family members died before they even understood what happened.
Blood splashed across courtyards.
Servants screamed.
Guards rushed everywhere.
And in the middle of that chaos—
Dong Ji died.
A blade pierced directly through his throat before he could even cry out properly. His death was the most painful.
Soon, the Dong family guards managed to surround the assassins.
A fierce battle broke out.
Four assassins escaped while seemingly injured.
One remained behind and got captured.
The guards immediately restrained him.
Dong Jihao personally arrived with furious killing intent.
"Remove his mask!"
The guards tore away the assassin's mask.
And instantly—
Dong Jihao's expression changed.
"…Impossible."
The captured assassin's face was familiar.
Very familiar.
It was a palace eunuch.
One secretly placed beside the emperor.
And more importantly—
a man connected to the Dugu family.
But that wasn't the worst part.
The truly terrifying part—
was that this eunuch also maintained excellent relations with Prime Minister Yan Pei.
Before anyone could interrogate him—
the captured assassin suddenly convulsed violently.
Then—
his body began dissolving.
"What?!"
Everyone stared in horror.
The assassin's flesh rapidly turned into water.
His body melted completely within moments.
Leaving behind only wet clothes.
The surrounding people felt chills run down their spines.
Finally, one Dong family member muttered shakily:
"…What terrifying poison…"
"To dissolve a human body into water in mere moments…"
Another elder's face turned pale.
"…Which force possesses something this bizarre?"
Dong Jihao's expression became ashen.
Because the situation had just become infinitely worse.
Hidden far away—
the real Ryo calmly watched the chaos.
The system spoke with genuine amazement.
"Host…"
"…you're actually terrifying."
Ryo smiled lightly.
"You used Water Clones to fool the Dong family…"
"And simultaneously planted suspicion toward Yan Pei…"
Ryo casually replied:
"Suspicion?"
His Sharingan spun slowly in darkness.
"No."
"They already believe it."
The system suddenly realized something horrifying.
From beginning to end—
Ryo never tried to make the lie believable.
He simply arranged events so perfectly…
that people would convince themselves.
Chapter End