Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 96 I Became Him
Changfeng felt his scalp tingle and his palms sweat profusely. He knew that what Yin Tian said was true; it would be incredibly easy for Yin Tian to kill him. He gripped the hilt of his knife tightly, trying to give himself some confidence.

"Senior!" Yan Mingzhang arrived just in time. Remembering what Rong Wanyin had promised Yin Tian, ​​his voice trembled slightly. He knew Yin Tian was capable of such a thing. "May I ask what brings you here from so far, Senior?"

"Sister, you know, this person is so strange. I came to collect my things as agreed, and he actually asked me what I wanted? Let me help him remember. He was poisoned by the Red Spider, and I saved him. It's normal for me to come and get a little reward, isn't it? I never show favoritism; I only talk about transactions—equal transactions! Sister, am I being fair?" Yin Tian squatted down in front of his sister, looking up at her as he spoke, like a child trying to get praise.

Changfeng broke out in a cold sweat. This person was really too strange. He turned a living person into a puppet and said it was a small reward.

"The massacre of the Yin family in Yin Village!" A bead of sweat appeared on Yan Mingzhang's forehead. He carefully chose his words, slowly uttering the six characters. He was gambling, gambling that Yin Tian hadn't truly lost his humanity. When Yan Mingzhang learned of the contract Rong Wanyin had made with Yin Tian, ​​he researched extensively, even visiting some Yin family survivors and conducting on-site investigations in Yin Village, imagining various scenarios and preparing responses. But without a real confrontation, he would never know if his efforts would be effective. Moreover, he knew that this was the final step in the transaction; if it failed, there would be no further negotiation.

Yin Tian slowly raised his head, staring coldly at Yan Mingzhang: "What do those people's deaths have to do with me... They're nothing but ants..."

Yan Mingzhang's throat bobbed slightly, and he continued, "Your mother, Bai..."

With a flick of his sleeve, Yin Tian sent a palm-sized red spider flying straight over and landing steadily on Yan Mingzhang's neck. The spider's large mouth was open, ready to bite at any moment.

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Su Zhan and the others were sweating profusely with anxiety. Seeing the two men about to clash, the others held back and didn't dare to utter a sound.

Yan Mingzhang was naturally nervous, but he knew he had to stay calm: "Was the truth behind the massacre of the Yin family really caused by a heavenly fire?"

Yin Tian sneered: "Do you know what you're talking about? It's a case from over ten years ago. I don't care whether those people live or die."

Yan Mingzhang continued, "You don't care about their lives or deaths, but do you really not want to clear your name of the crimes pinned on you and your mother? Although many people say it's heavenly fire, a punishment from heaven, some say it's a witch's revenge, and some say you wiped out the whole village. Do you really want to bear such a crime? You don't care, but what about your mother? Exchanging the truth for a beautiful doll isn't a loss for you!"

Yin Tian's eyes were bloodshot. He turned and leaped up, grabbing Yan Mingzhang's neck with one hand: "Don't think I won't kill you! My mother wouldn't kill anyone! I'm not the son of a murderer! Everything they did was their own fault, it's divine retribution!"

Yan Mingzhang didn't back down. Though struggling to breathe, he still managed to spit out a few words, defiantly saying, "Do you think anyone will believe me? If you and I make this deal, I can help you report to the imperial court... Yin Tian... oh, no, I should call you Yin Yue!" Yin Tian froze, the strength in his hand dissipating, his hand abruptly falling to his sides, and the giant red spider crawled back down. Yin Tian smiled strangely: "Do you know what you're saying?"

Yan Mingzhang's gaze was firm as he said, "I'm telling you, you're not Yin Tian, ​​you're Yin Yue!"

Yin Tian's face stiffened, his eyes flashing with a fierce light, but his confidence wasn't quite there: "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll cut off your tongue and feed it to the spiders!"

Yan Mingzhang continued without changing his expression, "Miao witchcraft has always been passed down only to women, not men. If you are Yin Tian, ​​then why would your mother teach you these witchcraft techniques? You and Yin Tian are twins and look alike, so you can fool everyone by impersonating him. I have spoken with the surviving elders of the Yin family, and they testified that Yin Tian was born with congenital deficiencies and a weak body, yet his face was more beautiful than a woman's. As for you, Yin Yue, you have had the appearance of a man since childhood."

Yin Tian's face turned fierce: "Nonsense!"

Yan Mingzhang continued, "It's actually very simple. Just call a matron to verify your and Yin Tian's identities."

Yin Tian sneered, but his eyes flashed with murderous intent: "You dare! On what grounds!"

“I’ve reviewed many files from that time. When Yin Tian died unexpectedly, if the Yin family patriarch had found out, he probably wouldn’t have had the right to inherit. But if you impersonate Yin Tian, ​​you can inherit the Yin family’s land and property!” Yan Mingzhang’s eyes were cold and unreadable, yet he pressed on relentlessly, deliberately trying to provoke Yin Yue into admitting it.

Yin Yue glanced at Rong Wanyin on the bed, suddenly relaxed, and smiled. She helped Yin Tian, ​​who was sitting in a chair, straighten his clothes, and then frankly admitted, "Yes, I am Yin Yue. What can you do to me? The little girl's life is still in my hands! If you spread this matter, she's doomed."

Yan Mingzhang laughed, his previous aggressive tone gone: "I just want to prove my conjecture, I don't intend to publicize anything. I have no interest in things that happened so many years ago. Besides, you also have the surname Yin, and you are also a descendant of the Yin family. What's wrong with taking back what belongs to you?"

Yin Yue was somewhat surprised that Yan Mingzhang would say such a thing. No one had ever told her that women could also claim family inheritance. Although she felt resentful, she subconsciously tried to emulate Yin Tian, ​​perhaps because deep down she felt women weren't worthy of fighting for family wealth. But now, Yan Mingzhang's words, "things that should have belonged to her," suddenly made her understand. So that's how it is! No one had ever told her this. Those things truly belonged to her!

Yin Yue burst into tears. It all made sense now. So this was where this feeling of injustice came from. Why? Who said she didn't deserve it!
Yin Yue wiped away her tears, finally relaxing and calming down. She raised her head, but her eyes were completely different, hiding a hint of madness: "You're right. That day, Xiao Tian and I were chopping wood on the mountain when we encountered that village chief, that bastard. Seeing that no one was around except the two of us, he started to grope us. We took advantage of his momentary lapse in attention and ran down the mountain. Xiao Tian tried to protect me, but being weak and slow, he caught up with us. Who knew he would even try to..."

Yin Yue choked up, unable to continue, and said, "To protect himself, Xiao Tian accidentally rolled off a cliff, and the villain ran away in fright. I carried Xiao Tian home and settled him in a side room. My mother was already too ill to get out of bed at that time, and I couldn't bear to see her sad. We are twins and look alike, so I put on Xiao Tian's clothes and played both of us. I thought I had to protect him; as long as I became him, Xiao Tian wouldn't die..."