Holding a lantern, guiding souls across, Lady Hou comes from the underworld.

"I...I don't know what you're talking about!"

Despite his fear, Jiang Ting remained defiant.

He probably felt that since he was in the Marquis's mansion, no one would dare to really do anything to him.

However, the next second, his feet felt light, and he was lifted into the air by a force...

Then, the doors and windows slammed shut with a few loud bangs.

By the time Wu Kai outside realized something was wrong, the heavy hall door was already locked shut.

Jiang Ting finally panicked. He stared at Xia Ximo, his eyes wide, and asked in a trembling voice, "Who are you? What...what do you want?"

Xia Ximo repeated his previous statement, "I said, let Chong Li come out to see me, or you can forget about this body."

Jiang Ting immediately shouted, "Wu Kai! Wu Kai! What are you guys doing? Come and save the day!"

Although his voice was loud, the people outside couldn't hear him at all.

But Wu Kai, who was outside the door, did not just wait idly. He even ordered people to bring in wooden stakes and try to break open the hall door.

However, it can happen once, twice, three times, or even dozens of times.

Despite such immense force, the hall door remained completely unmoved, its sturdiness suspiciously unyielding…

As Jiang Ting waited in vain for someone to come to his rescue, he became increasingly panicked and had no choice but to show weakness to Xia Ximo.

"I really don't know what you're talking about... I don't know that person at all!"

Ren Fengjue frowned.

He wondered to himself, "Does he not know about Chong Li's existence?"

Xia Ximo also realized that the situation did not seem to be as she had thought, and she couldn't help but frown slightly.

She subtly moved her finger, and Jiang Ting fell from the sky, landing face-first in the mud.

He rubbed his buttocks while shouting, no longer caring about the "majesty" of the Marquis of Zhenbei.

Seeing this, Yu Lang couldn't help but whisper to Lord Ren, "I think this Jiang Ting is clearly a completely different person from the Jiang Ting of the rumors!"

Ren Fengjue also doubted whether his judgment was wrong.

Could it be that there is another Jiang Ting in this Marquis's mansion besides this Jiang Ting?

He immediately changed his expression, walked up to Jiang Ting, and grabbed the other man's collar.

"Who exactly are you?"

Jiang Ting was stunned for a moment, then his face darkened with anger: "I am the Marquis of Zhenbei, one of the four meritorious marquises of the founding of the Great Qi Dynasty! How dare you, a junior, be so disrespectful! If it weren't for me leading the Wan Ting Army to defeat the surrounding states back then, how could we have this prosperous era today?"

"Even your father, Ren Xuan, wouldn't dare speak to me like that!"

Ren Fengjue, however, was not buying it at all and gave a wink to the side.

Yu Lang understood, raised his leg and swept it, tripping Jiang Ting and sending him to the ground.

He then grabbed Jiang Ting's hand and, in a moment of urgency, drew a short knife from his waist and pressed it against Jiang Ting's neck.

"I think you're just an imposter. If Jiang Ting were really such a good-for-nothing, the entire Northern Territory would have fallen long ago!"

Jiang Ting was furious, his face turning red and his neck bulging. "I am Jiang Ting! No doubt about it!"

Yu Lang feigned ferocity, "Still dare to lie, sir! Let me cut off his tongue so he can never lie again!"

After saying that, he grabbed his chin, forcing him to stick out his tongue, and then placed the cold blade on his tongue.

Jiang Ting broke out in a cold sweat, letting out a strange cry, but unable to utter a complete sentence.

Ren Fengjue wanted to put pressure on him, so he directly ordered, "Cut it off!"

Jiang Ting's face turned green. He didn't know where the strength came from, but he broke free from his restraints and was about to run outside.

Before Yu Lang could chase after him, he stumbled and fell to the ground.

Then, a clear sound of bones cracking rang out…

Jiang Ting seemed to realize it only after a moment, letting out a scream like a pig being slaughtered.

"My legs! My legs!"

His legs, though seemingly unharmed, were completely immobile.

The excruciating pain spread throughout his body, and even the dignified Marquis of Zhenbei shed two lines of clear tears.

At this moment, Xia Ximo walked up to him and stepped on his broken calf.

Jiang Ting let out another mournful howl.

Xia Ximo looked down at him and said, "I won't scare you like they do. You should be able to feel it now; your legs are useless."

"If you don't want all your bones to shatter, you'd better tell me the truth."

"I'll only count to three now, one—"

Jiang Ting immediately chickened out, "I'll talk, I'll talk..."

Upon hearing this, Yu Lang unconsciously put away his short sword and quietly gave Ren Fengjue a thumbs up.

It's as if to say—it's still Miss Xia who's quick and efficient!

Jiang Ting, with snot and tears streaming down his face, said, "I really am Marquis Jiang Ting of Zhenbei... This identity is not fake, but..."

He seemed somewhat embarrassed to speak, glancing down at the crowd, "You might not believe it, but I became the Marquis of Zhenbei entirely because of sheer luck!"

Yu Lang scoffed, "Stop talking nonsense! Do you think we're three-year-olds?"

"Listen to me first!"

Jiang Ting thought for a moment before saying, "If I count, I am already fifty-six years old this year. More than thirty years ago, when it was still the Qi Kingdom, I was just an ordinary citizen in Liangzhou City."

"At that time, the world was in chaos, so I took my wife and tried to hide in the countryside. But bandits appeared on the way, and I had nowhere to go. I lost my footing and fell down a slope."

"That slope was clearly very high, but I didn't die. They say that those who survive a great calamity are destined for good fortune. When I woke up, I had inexplicably become the Marquis of Zhenbei. Don't you think that's ridiculous?"

Yu Lang and Ren Fengjue both showed different expressions upon hearing this.

"I'll say it again: you're just saying that to fool kids!"

Jiang Ting looked helpless. "I knew you wouldn't believe me! But it's really true!"

Seeing that he looked like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, Yu Lang was about to slap him when Ren Fengjue reached out and stopped him.

"I have heard about this matter. Marquis Jiang Ting of Zhenbei did indeed come from humble origins, but he was born with extraordinary bravery. Back then, he was just a lowly soldier in the Golden Feather Army, and he made many contributions in just one or two years in the army."

"After that, he rose through the ranks, his power surpassing that of the Martial King, and later, he established the Ten Thousand Thunder Army..."

"These all happened before the founding of the Great Qi Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, Yu Lang blinked. "But he himself said that before the founding of the country, he was just an ordinary citizen who could barely protect himself when he encountered bandits, and he had never joined the army."

Ren Fengjue said, "So, someone took his place, which is why he became the Marquis of Zhenbei today."

"..."

This is utterly absurd.

Yu Lang paused for a moment, then continued, "That's not right, sir. On the day of the founding of the dynasty and the investiture ceremony, the Marquis of Zhenbei should have visited the capital once."

Ren Fengjue glanced at Jiang Ting and said coldly, "Perhaps the one who went back then was the imposter?"

Jiang Ting remained silent; it seemed he truly hadn't been there...

Yu Lang was still completely baffled and asked Jiang Ting, "You, a commoner who knows nothing, suddenly became the Marquis of Zhenbei, and you don't feel afraid at all?"

Jiang Ting smiled slyly, "This is a gift from heaven, and everyone in the army recognizes me; it's the real deal!"

"wrong…"

Yu Lang still felt something was amiss. "Something's still not right!"

Xia Ximo, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up: "His name should have been crossed out in the Book of Life and Death, otherwise he would have been dead when he fell down the slope that day."

"With Chong Li's abilities, it wouldn't be difficult for him to fabricate an identity in the mortal realm. But why choose him?"