The Cycle of Reincarnation in the Four-Courtyard House: A Journey Through the Heavens

Kang Min was deeply shocked. She forced herself to maintain her frail appearance, her voice trembling even more: "You...you mustn't talk nonsense! I...what problem do I have to say?"

As she spoke, she glanced at Quan Guanqing and Bai Shijing out of the corner of her eye, hoping they would speak up in their defense. However, both of them were pale-faced and only concerned with concealing their panic, so they dared not respond.

Li Xiao's eyes grew even colder as he slowly strode forward, each step seeming to tread on Kang Min's heart.

"Nonsense?"

A cold smile curved his lips as he began to recount Kang Min's past in a calm tone. Although his voice was not loud, it reached the ears of everyone present.

"Kang Min, do you think you can hide your past as a courtesan from the Baihualou in Luoyang forever? Back then, you met the injured Qiao Feng outside the Baihualou. Seeing his heroic and extraordinary appearance, you became interested in him and tried to seduce him several times. But Qiao Feng was upright and honest, and he remained unmoved by your advances and never paid any attention to you."

These words were like daggers to the heart. Kang Min's face instantly turned bright red, then white, and she trembled uncontrollably, her eyes filled with shame, anger, and fear at having her privacy exposed.

Li Xiao continued without pausing, "Qiao Feng's disregard turned your love into hatred, and this resentment has been buried deep in your heart."

"Later, Ma Dayuan saw your beauty, redeemed you and married you, giving you a life of wealth and stability. But your hatred for Qiao Feng did not diminish at all; on the contrary, it became more and more twisted because of this resentment."

"By chance, you discovered a secret letter left by Chief Wang Jiantong for Ma Dayuan, learned about Qiao Feng's Khitan origins, and then plotted to frame him."

Li Xiao's words once again stirred up a storm in the hearts of everyone present. These Beggar Clan disciples never expected that the wife of this deputy leader would have such an unknown past.

And Qiao Feng—no, that's not right! He should be called Xiao Feng now.

At this moment, Xiao Feng also recalled that past event, and an unnatural expression appeared on his weathered face.

At this moment, Quan Guanqing and Bai Shijing, who were standing next to Kang Min, turned pale. The two never expected that this unknown young man would know so many secrets of the martial arts world.

"Then what about the two of us and Kang Min..."

Li Xiao's gaze had already fallen upon Quan Guanqing and Bai Shijing, whose faces were as pale as paper. He said with a hint of sarcasm, "In order to carry out your plan smoothly, you used your beauty to deliberately seduce Quan Guanqing, who had been coveting you for a long time, and you also won over Bai Shijing, who also harbored feelings for you. The three of you colluded together and plotted in secret."

"In the end, you conspired to kill Ma Dayuan and framed Brother Xiao for the murder, attempting to use the Beggars' Sect to eliminate this person you've hated for so many years!"

Li Xiao's words were clear and detailed, which caused an uproar among the Beggars' Sect disciples and elders present.

Xiao Feng suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with shock and anger as he looked at Kang Min. He never expected that he would be framed for such an absurd reason, and that Ma Dayuan's death was also deeply related to him.

Quan Guanqing could no longer contain himself and shouted angrily, "You...you're talking complete nonsense! You have no evidence whatsoever, yet you dare to slander me and Elder Bai!"

Kang Min was completely flustered at this moment. Her usual charm had vanished, leaving only panic and resentment on her face.

She shrieked, "No! I didn't! You...you're making baseless accusations, trying to sow discord within the Beggars' Sect!"

However, her explanation was weak and unconvincing. All the Beggars' Sect disciples present looked at Kang Min, Quan Guanqing, and Bai Shijing with suspicion and disdain.

Seeing this, Li Xiao sneered and said, "Whether it's provocation or not, we'll know soon enough by asking."

He looked at the four elders on the field: "Four elders, it must be that Vice Chief Ma has not been buried for long. You may proceed with the exhumation and examination of the body."

"You can invite those experienced veteran coroners from the yamen to examine his body for any marks from Bai Shijing's unique armor-piercing spike!"

He then looked at Quan Guanqing: "I suppose Quan Guanqing has been in frequent contact with several people recently. His secret propaganda about Brother Xiao murdering Ma Dayuan is also an attempt to cover up his own crimes, isn't it?"

His gaze, sharp as a knife, swept over the two men: "Do you dare to let the coroner open the coffin and examine the body, and swear your innocence before the Beggar Clan leader's Dog-Beating Stick?"

Li Xiao's words struck like a hammer blow. Quan Guanqing, Bai Shijing, and Kang Min's expressions changed drastically, turning pale and then flushed, looking extremely grim.

This era was different from later generations. People in this era still held great reverence for the gods and ancestors. Oaths and vows were not just casual remarks, but were regarded as solemn promises concerning reputation and life.

Especially when they swore an oath to the Dog-Beating Stick in Xiao Feng's hand, which symbolized the authority of the Beggars' Sect, how could the three of them dare to make such an oath in public if they had really done something wrong, and were willing to accept both divine retribution and the double punishment of the sect rules?

The Beggars' Sect disciples' discussions grew increasingly heated, and their accusatory and questioning gazes were like needles piercing the three of them, making the atmosphere extremely tense.

Just as Quan Guanqing was about to stubbornly argue, Bai Shijing suddenly went weak in the knees and knelt heavily on the bluestone slab with a "thud." The armor-piercing cone he was holding fell to the ground with a crisp sound that drowned out the surrounding noise.

He hung his head, his disheveled hair obscuring the shame on his face. His voice was hoarse, as if ground by sand and gravel, filled with undisguised despair and regret: "I'm sorry to Vice Chief Ma, and I'm sorry to the Chief and all the brothers of the Beggars' Sect! It was my lack of willpower that prevented me from upholding my moral principles. I was bewitched by Kang Min and had an inappropriate relationship with Madam Ma. This is absolutely true. I am willing to publicly submit to the law and accept punishment according to the sect's rules!"

Bai Shijing's public confession plunged the scene into a deathly silence, which was followed by an even more violent uproar moments later.

The elders of the Beggars' Sect were so angry that their beards and hair stood on end, and their fists clenched so tightly that they cracked. The Beggars' Sect disciples also cursed loudly, their eyes filled with contempt and anger as they looked at Bai Shijing and Kang Min.

Bai Shijing's confession was like the last straw that broke the camel's back, shattering Kang Min's last hope and leaving her with no room for further explanation regarding the scandalous affairs between her, Quan Guanqing, and Bai Shijing.

The four Beggar Clan elders, Song Qingxi, Xi Shanhe, Chen Guyan, and Wu Changfeng, were filled with shame and guilt. Their hands, hanging by their sides, were clenched tightly, and their expressions showed their remorse.

Today, they led disciples from various branches of the Beggars' Sect to gather at Xingzilin, intending to "clean house" and ask Qiao Feng about his true identity and the death of Ma Dayuan.

Unexpectedly, the situation took a sudden turn. After the young man in front of them peeled back the layers of the truth, they realized that they had been manipulated by Kang Min and her two companions from beginning to end, becoming pawns in her scheme to frame the gang leader and disrupt the Beggars' Sect.