Following Zhao Tianhe's appearance, other cultivators quickly began to swarm Snow Moon Pavilion.
Streaks of light shot across the sky.
Members of the four great families of Yu Yi City all hurried over, wanting to ascertain the cause of this sudden battle.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
A patrol team, clad in armor with long sabers at their waists, also arrived quickly. However, they stopped short of the pavilion and its pond, not daring to advance, as they all knew Jiang Lan's identity.
"Qinghan..."
The Patriarch of the Su Family had also arrived, surrounded by a crowd of his clansmen.
At his side was a young woman who bore a slight resemblance to Su Qinghan, with a pure, moving beauty and flawless, jade-like skin.
She was sixteen, with a face as lovely as a spring blossom and clear, sparkling eyes. Dressed in a red silk gown, her figure swayed gracefully with every step, like an immortal flower waiting to bloom.
"Sister..."
She looked at Su Qinghan, her voice as clear and crisp as a warbler's song. Her skin was as pale as frost and snow, looking almost dazzlingly white against the backdrop of her red gown.
It was none other than Su Qinghan's younger sister, Su Qingyao.
"Qingyao..."
Seeing the young woman, a flicker of astonishment crossed Su Qinghan's face, but it was quickly replaced by overwhelming joy.
She had actually suspected as much. Jiang Lan was, after all, only using her sister as bait for a trap; it was unlikely he would have truly harmed her.
She let out a long sigh of relief.
'As long as my sister is safe, that's all that matters.'
The moment he heard that voice, however, the expression on Lin Fan's face froze, then slowly grew grim.
'Su Qingyao is perfectly fine? She wasn't kidnapped by this scoundrel after all?'
'Could I have really been wrong? No wonder Jiang Lan was so calm and collected.'
As the realization dawned on him, Lin Fan's heart began to sink.
Zhao Tianhe and Zhao Dieyi were also stunned. They looked at Lin Fan, as if to ask what on earth was going on.
'Didn't he say his sister-in-law, Su Qingyao, had been abducted by men sent by Jiang Lan?'
Lin Fan's heart sank a little further as he shook his head, showing that he was just as confused.
It hadn't taken him long to go from learning of Su Qingyao's abduction to concluding that the culprit was connected to Jiang Lan, the only son from the Prime Minister's Mansion.
Especially since Su Qinghan had already departed to rescue Su Qingyao.
Naturally, he hadn't overthought it.
And in front of Snow Moon Pavilion, the guards from the Prime Minister's Mansion were brazenly blocking the way, clearly afraid of outsiders intruding.
Some passersby had even heard them muttering that no one should be allowed to ruin the "young master's fun"...
'Under these circumstances, wouldn't any normal person's first thought be that Su Qingyao had been abducted by men sent by Jiang Lan?'
'Isn't this exactly the kind of thing a spoiled, hedonistic heir like him loves to do?'
Only Su Qinghan, who understood the full context of the situation, felt a chill creep into her heart.
'Is this really a matter of prejudice?'
'This Son of the Prime Minister is far, far more terrifying than anyone realizes.'
'If you actually treated him like some debauched, ignorant heir, you wouldn't even know what hit you before you died.'
"I really don't know how he has the nerve to say something like that..."
Although Zhao Dieyi didn't know why Lin Fan had made such a mistake, she wanted to spit in disgust at Jiang Lan's words.
'Anyone else in the world might have the right to say that, but Jiang Lan definitely doesn't.'
"This won't be easy to resolve..."
Zhao Tianhe's expression also darkened.
If Jiang Lan had been guilty of abducting a woman, Lin Fan's actions would have been justified. According to the laws of the Great Xia, he wouldn't have faced any punishment.
But now, it was clear there had been a mistake.
He could see it now: from the very beginning, Jiang Lan had no intention of letting Lin Fan off the hook.
He had deliberately mentioned handling things according to the laws of the Great Xia precisely because he knew Lin Fan had made a mistake.
A moment ago, he hadn't grasped the situation and had actually agreed to Jiang Lan's terms.
His Master's Order had been a complete waste—gone for good.
"What happened here?"
Just then, an authoritative voice rang out.
In the distance, the City Lord of Yu Yi City rushed over, flanked by a squad of city patrols.
His name was Wang Anming. Dressed in a brocade robe, he was a man of medium build with a long beard and a fair complexion. His face was naturally imposing, and he walked with a powerful, commanding stride, radiating the aura of one long accustomed to authority.
At this moment, however, a faint sheen of sweat was visible on his forehead.
The other families of Yu Yi City had also gathered. It had been many years since a battle of this magnitude had taken place.
If they couldn't get to the bottom of it, the presence of an unknown Sixth Realm expert in Yu Yi City was enough to make anyone lose sleep.
In an instant, Snow Moon Pavilion was completely surrounded, packed so tightly with onlookers that it was impossible to get through.
"Lord City Lord..."
The members of the four great families all bowed in salute to the City Lord of Yu Yi City.
However, Wang Anming paid them no mind, striding quickly to the edge of the pavilion's pond.
Zhao Tianhe stood there in a dark gray robe, a thin belt of the finest white jade cinched at his waist. He was suffused with the vast and righteous aura of Confucianism; one look was enough to identify him as a profoundly powerful Great Scholar, with no need to guess his origins.