Chapter 1507 – Striking Nie Liang, Attacking Yang Tao, Sword Pointing to the World (Forty-Six)
Nie Liang might just be a complete tragedy. He passed away, and aside from his wife and mother genuinely mourning him, other relatives looked solemn and sad on the surface but rushed back home to burst into laughter and celebrate. Among these people was even his father.
The father-son relationship had grown so cold.
Although Nie Liang was the legitimate son, he was by no means his father’s favorite child, nor was he the chosen heir.
When he stepped out to seize control of the Nie Clan, Nie Liang’s father had remained gloomy, subtly regarding this son as an enemy.
In his eyes, Nie Liang was simply not cut out to inherit the family business; he hadn’t been raised as his heir, so why should he take charge of the Nie Clan’s power? Compared to the strong-willed eldest son Nie Liang, he preferred the obedient, understanding, and dutiful younger son—this younger son had been tended to by him through thick and thin, both in studies and daily life, representing his ideal offspring.
Fathers always favor children who resemble themselves.
Despite his disdain for Nie Liang, with the eldest son dead, there was a tinge of regret in his heart.
Had Nie Liang lived, he could have supported his younger brother in the future…
“Stop crying! Are you trying to let outsiders laugh at our family?”
Nie’s father couldn’t voice his calculations but had to pretend to grieve as a mourning parent.
Finally finding some peace, he returned home to hear his wife sobbing and felt greatly troubled.
His wife stopped her weeping and said softly, “My son has gone, and you expect me not to mourn? You, as his father, surely have a cruel heart.”
Nie’s father was exposed in his thoughts, instantly feeling the embarrassment of a secret laid bare and became furious.
“A woman knows nothing; does she only know how to cry?”
Nie Liang’s father didn’t want to hear his wife’s complaints, so he simply got up to sleep in the beloved concubine’s quarters.
Little did he know, that night countless souls would perish in dreams, and the Nie Clan would be filled with an inescapable stench of blood and a foreboding atmosphere.
Deep into the night, many were still wide awake. The news of Nie Liang’s death presented them with a chance to reshuffle power; those suppressed by Nie Liang were eager to strike. They hastily summoned advisors and guests to discuss how to maximize their interests throughout the night.
However, before they could discuss anything, shadows emerged as if from nowhere.
Someone with sharp hearing detected the disturbance and shouted, “Who’s sneaking around there!”
Then came the sound of footsteps as men dressed in black broke in, holding sharp blades in their hands.
Seeing this, the others quickly realized the dire situation and shouted, “Assassins!”
Unfortunately, the reinforcements couldn’t arrive in time to stop the assassins’ swift and brutal attack, and one after another, they fell before the gates of hell.
Some who had martial training could at least draw their swords to resist for a moment, but their showmanship couldn’t withstand this group of desperate killers.
“What’s all that noise outside?”
Some had just loosened their clothes to rest and were jolted awake by the commotion. Rubbing their eyes, they groggily saw a shadow before their bed and were struck with terror. Before they could call out, the assassin’s blade struck down, blood spraying everywhere.
The same scene unfolded in various locations, leaving the main and branch members of the Nie Clan, all brimming with ambition, without exception.
By morning, news of the event spread like wildfire.
Those fortunate enough to survive were terrified, drenched in cold sweat, grateful to have escaped with their lives.
Fear, dread, relief, anger…
Complicated emotions tangled together, choking them, leaving their hands and feet icy cold.
“Who do you think… did this?”
As soon as the question was posed, the others exchanged glances, afraid to voice their suspicions, worried that it might spell doom for them.
After a moment, a Nie Clan descendant said, “Maybe it was an enemy?”
His answer was met with disdain.
Such a large-scale assassination came too abruptly; the enemies had clearly plotted it for a long time, planting spies around the targets well in advance. Thus, the execution was swift and clean, leaving no opportunity for rescue or escape. Could it have been a spur-of-the-moment scheme?
Moreover, the identities of those who perished last night warranted scrutiny.
The one who set up this trap must have been very familiar with the power structure, personnel, and residential locations within the Nie Clan…
After contemplating, it seemed there was only one possibility.
At this moment, someone abruptly said, “Don’t forget what happened to these individuals before their deaths…”
What happened?
Everyone was drenched in sweat as they realized that shortly after the news of Nie Liang’s death spread, a substantial number of threats to Nie Liang and his father—poisonous tumors within the Nie Clan—met their demise. Not just within the Nie Clan, but also some forces that were dependent on the Nie Clan but held ulterior motives were warned as well. Who orchestrated this, one could easily guess.
“Didn’t… Nie Guangshan die? Could the message be fake, a trap to fool people?”
“It’s not a trap, don’t you remember that Nie Guangshan had several loyal henchmen? He was meticulous in his planning, and ruthless; to ensure his son’s stability, he probably instructed his loyalists to clear out all troublesome individuals before he died.”
Was anyone among the deceased ever compliant?
Someone timidly spoke up, “What if… what if he feared someone would rebel?”
With so many members of the Nie Clan suddenly dead, didn’t Nie Liang fear they would rise against him?
Of course, Nie Liang did not fear. With this wave of purging, he had eradicated the hidden dangers within the Nie Clan and reclaimed the dispersed power. As long as Nie Qing didn’t lose his senses and was supported by loyal confidants like Wei Ying and Fan Chen, Nie Qing would certainly protect the Nie Clan.
Naturally, Nie Liang did not intend to bear the burden of slaughtering his relatives.
Who would take the blame? Nie Liang had long since planned it out.
“Zishun, is Nie Yang still behaving himself?”
Wei Ying replied softly, “He has been quite restrained these days, showing no flaws. If not for the Lord’s keen eye, we might not have realized how deeply Nie Yang was hiding. Such cunning suggests he has grand ambitions, but we aren’t sure what other schemes he may possess…”
To be cautious, Nie Liang had Wei Ying bring his son Nie Qing to the front line, where Nie Qing also brought Nie Yang along.
Nie Liang held little suspicion of his nephew Nie Yang.
He had investigated Nie Yang early on, finding the boy to be both timid and harmless; leaving him around his son was not a problem.
Afterward, Nie Yang’s dream warning had led Nie Qing to avoid Jiang Pengji’s ambush, raising Nie Liang’s suspicion instead.
Nie Liang, skeptical of the supernatural, always regarded such myth-like coincidences with doubt. With Nie Qing over-trusting Nie Yang, it sparked doubts in Nie Liang’s mind. After deliberation, he dispatched people to investigate Nie Yang thoroughly. As Nie Yang was brought to the front line by Nie Qing, home was left in the care of servants. Those sent out to conduct a meticulous search soon discovered a suspicious hidden compartment in Nie Yang’s study.
Inside the compartment lay a beautiful box, and within it resided several jade vials, each filled with poisonous powder.
