Zhao Hua lowered her head further. To those watching, she looked like a grieving daughter holding herself together only because the words of a great sect had given her something to lean on. Inside, however, she understood perfectly well that she was being examined like a piece of raw iron. As long as Guang Jiang had not turned his face away, she still had a chance to turn her grief into position. Chang Zhong finally spoke. His voice was not loud, yet because he used it so rarely, everyone near him fell silent almost at once. “Vengeance is easy to speak of before a coffin,” he said. “What is difficult is enduring when a great household begins losing its people one by one.” His words offered neither comfort nor approval. Their coldness only made Zhao Hua feel as though she were being forced to prove herself. Guang Jiang glanced at Chang Zhong before looking

The second guard clicked his tongue. “People like you do not need to make an effort to embarrass anyone. Just standing here is enough to ruin the view.” Several nearby townspeople frowned at that. Not everyone enjoyed watching an old man treated like refuse, even if few of them were brave enough to intervene. Uncle Wu looked at the guard without smiling. “Watch your mouth. Words like that spoken at a mourning house can stain your master as well.” The guard was about to answer when a household servant hurried out from the courtyard. His face was tense, as though he had just received an unpleasant order. “What is happening here?” he asked. The first guard gave a brief salute. “These lowborn men are trying to force their way inside.” Rong Ma lowered his head slightly, but his voice remained steady. “I am Rong

For the townspeople, the sight already said enough. The Zhao household was not standing alone.A cloth merchant at the roadside rubbed his nose and whispered, “Look at that. The Radiant Sword Sect came in full force.”His companion swallowed. “Then this really is a serious matter.”An old woman standing behind them shook her head. “Serious or not, the Vice Minister was cut down on the road. Bai Feng is becoming less safe by the day.”A man on the right joined in. “If the Black Bat King truly did it, that demon should be hunted all the way into whatever hole in the sand he crawled into.”“Someone like that should never be allowed to roam free,” a shoemaker agreed. “Look at Miss Zhao. Her father has not even been buried yet, and she still has to stand before everyone like this.”A thin old man near the bamboo fence clicked his tongue softly. “The girl is pitiful, that much is true, but look at who is walking behind her. With the Radiant Sword Sect standing beside the Zhao family, this i

The man beside him still tried to defend her. “Perhaps she has her reasons.” “Whatever the reason,” the merchant replied, “insulting an old man in front of your own father’s coffin is still ugly.” Guang Jiang heard the murmurs. He neither stopped Zhao Hua nor defended her. Instead, he stepped half a pace forward and spoke loudly enough for those nearby to hear. “Grief makes it easy for people to lose their sense of measure. Everyone here should be careful with their words.” The remark sounded calming, but because he did not directly name Zhao Hua, the stain she had placed upon herself remained visible to everyone. Chang Zhong finally spoke as well. “This is a funeral procession, not a road for trading insults.” His voice was brief and cold. He did not defend Rong Ma, but neither did he allow Zh