News of the impending wedding rapidly spread throughout the entire city, the citizens hurriedly rushing to set out as many decorations as they could to celebrate the event. The news of Yin Long's swift and merciless slash also spread, but this type of news was more notable to elders and those who held positions within the clan, the common citizens didn't pay much attention to it. Thanks to this, it was fairly easy for Yin Long to maintain his usual habit of spending his free days either cultivating or wandering through the city.

There was no news from Jiu Meiyu or Lan Yun about new missions so Yin Long got to spend his time in relative peace as Lang Ru and the others rushed about to get everything ready for the wedding. He originally wanted to help but was shooed away by Lang Ru, who told him that he would be more helpful if he walked around and just looked scary so that there wouldn't be anyone taking advantage of the slightly chaotic preparations to perform some criminal deeds.

On the seventh day after the trial, a mere week before the wedding, Yin Long left the city and entered the upper portion of Underearth Forest. He did what he usually did when he entered the forest, he first killed a few Demonic beasts and then engaged in some sparring with Jin Wang. The sparring between the two of them would usually drag out quite a bit, so even though Yin Long had arrived in the forest a bit before noon, the sun was already starting to set when he lowered his blade and brought the battle to a halt.

"Alright, that's enough for today, things might get hairy if we go any further."

Yin Long stuffed his blade into his interspatial ring and took out a towel that he could use to wipe away the blood on his body. He had a few small gashes on his arms and legs, as well as several large cuts on his chest that were gushing forth quite a bit of blood, the sparring matches between him and Jin Wang were far from painless. He sucked in a deep breath after pulling out the towel, his mind connecting with the ominous yellow-black moon that was quietly hovering within his soulsea.

The veins on his neck started to bulge slightly as he exerted all his focus to make sure that the moon consisting of pure Netherworld energy didn't burst, slowly absorbing some of the energy within it. The energy sank into the yellow-silver ocean that was his Qi and from there spread to the rest of his body, his wounds starting to wriggle like forms as they closed up again.

A minute later, all his wounds were healed and Yin Long let out a soft breath. He used the towel to wipe away the blood on his body, his gaze landing on the equally bloody Jin Wang. His body was covered in cuts that leaked forth blood that stained his faded yellow fur, one of his legs even carried a cut so deep that it nearly cut clean through the limb.

But Jin Wang was equally nonchalant about his wounds as Yin Long, hobbling over to the corpses of the Demonic beasts that Yin Long had hunted earlier. He opened his mouth into a nearly 90-degree angle and clamped down on the head of a two-meter long woodpecker made from stone, crushing both the hard exterior as well as its bones and flesh. He then swallowed the beast in the same manner that a snake would, he simply swallowed it whole, his throat didn't even expand as the beast that was larger than itself vanished into its stomach.

Even worse, Jin Wang proceeded to do the same to the four other Demonic beasts of various sizes, his wounds rapidly healing as he ate. Yin Long still had no idea just what sort of beast Jin Wang was, but what he knew was that he had never heard about a Demonic beast that had such a strong swallowing ability, his stomach nearly seemed endless. Yin Long finished cleaning himself and then sat down on one of the boulders that were standing next to the river where they usually sparred, bringing out some wine and filling up Jin Wang's usual bowl.

"This one isn't Big Sis Ru's, I bought it from a pretty famous store in the city so the taste is pretty darn good."

Yin Long brought the jug to his lips while talking, taking a few sips and using his foot to push the bowl of wine closer to Jin Wang. The man and cat quietly enjoyed the wine while surrounded by a few stains of blood that served as proof of what had been going on just a short minute ago. The two continued to drink, Yin Long occasionally speaking to Jin Wang and receiving various noises as a response, all the way until the sun finally vanished over the horizon and the world turned dark. Yin Long glanced up at the three moons that currently formed a triangle, putting away the jug of wine and standing up with a stretch.

"Alright, it should be about time for me to leave. I'll drop by again at some other point with more wine."

Yin Long kicked Jin Wang's empty bowl of wine into the air and placed it into his interspatial ring before he turned to leave, a low meow from Jin Wang bringing his steps to a halt. He turned his head and saw that Jin Wang had followed after him and placed a paw against his ankle. He meowed at Yin Long and gestured towards the boulder with his head, beckoning for Yin Long to stay behind so that they could keep drinking. Yin Long could guess what Jin Wang wanted, letting out a quick chuckle before taking out the half-empty jug of wine from his interspatial ring.

"I really can't stay much longer, my sister's getting married in a week so I gotta be ready in case she needs anything from me. Here, I'll leave this one here but if you want more then you'll have to wait for me to come back. I might drop by within two or three days, depends entirely on how well the preparations are going."

Yin Long placed down the jug and removed the cork before he turned around and continued walking, ignoring Jin Wang's continued meows, surely complaints that he wanted more alcohol. He quickly reached the city and started to leisurely make his way through the streets, gazing at the golden and crimson ornaments and cloths that decorated practically every house in the city, filling his sight with a splendor of colors.

He reached the nearest transmission station and teleported as close to the Lang clan estate as he could. Seeing as the wedding was so close, Yin Long didn't force Lang Huo to engage in a sparring match with him like he usually would, he simply shared a meal with them and then returned to his room. He cultivated for a bit over half the night and then slept for three hours before the rising sun woke him and roused him to leave his room for some casual wandering before he joined his sisters for breakfast two hours later.

But while they were eating and chatting about the various preparations that still had to be finished before the wedding, the sound of quick footsteps came from outside the room. The doors were pushed open and a group of 15 soldiers led by three elders entered the room. Two of the three elders only had standard positions within the clan, but the third one was a man with a hunched back but deep brown hair and eyes.

This man was Lang Cui and he held the position of punishment elder, he was in charge of the dungeon and punishing criminals who had been judged through trial. He would usually stay within his home right above the dungeon and only had a single interest, punishing those who had been deemed as criminals. As such, it wasn't rare for most clan members to not see him for months or even years at a time. Lang Cui walked forward and bowed deeply to Lang Huo, bluntly stating why he had come.

"Forgive me for interrupting, but I must apprehend Young Master Lang Yin, or at least search his quarters and interspatial ring. Elder Ooyung, Elder Hungli, and Elder Zuxi have all been found dead, beheaded in their own homes. The evidence we have found so far points towards him being a possible culprit so I would like to check things as fast as possible so that we can ascertain the truth."

Lang Cui's words immediately caused the brows of everyone around the table to furrow, Lang Huo's eyes narrowing dangerously as she looked at Lang Cui. Yin Long's eyes also narrowed slightly as his thoughts raced. The three elders mentioned by Lang Cui had already been investigated by Lan Yun and Jiu Meiyu, they could be considered decent people who worked for the prosperity of the clan, killing them would harm the clan slightly. As such, Yin Long was certain that these three people hadn't been killed by Jiu Meiyu or Lan Yun, doing so would go against everything they worked for. Lang Ru was the first one to speak up, her brows remaining furrowed as she looked at Lang Cui.

"Since you say that the evidence points to him being a possible culprit, you surely won't mind showing us that evidence, no?"

Lang Cui seemed to have already expected questions like this, they were fairly standard after all. As such, he simply swiped his interspatial ring and brought out three items, placing them on the table while he explained.

"Certainly. The first piece can't really be called evidence, more of a lack of an alibi. The Young Master left the city early yesterday and only came back when the sun had already set, meaning that he is unaccounted for during all the hours where it is most likely that the elders were killed. The second piece is this bloody footprint found at the very edge of Elder Zuxi's house, showing that the killer was barefoot. It's pretty weak to serve as evidence, but we must take everything into consideration. The third piece is this small crimson fragment that looks like it came from a mask, or more specifically, the small tuft of silver hair stuck to it. And the final piece is this small white sword tip, which I'm certain you won't need me to explain why we think it might be connected to him. With all this gathered together, I have decided that it's for the best that we search the Young Master's quarters and interspatial ring to determine if these things have any ties to him."

Lang Cui slowly explained the three items, a fingernail-sized fragment that looked like it came from an earthenware mask, a plank which held a faint bloody footprint, and a small sword tip that had come from a white sword. Lang Huo rose from her seat, flames flickering in her eyes as she looked at Lang Cui, but Yin Long simply waved his hand to calm her down.

"You want to search my quarters and interspatial ring? Alright, but we'll have to be present while you do so."

Yin Long's thoughts started moving the moment Lang Cui presented the evidence, realization swiftly setting in. He was more than likely already completely set up. He knew that he hadn't killed those elders, someone else had definitely done it to put the blame on him. The problem was two-fold, he didn't have any evidence that he hadn't done it and the ones that set him up had likely already prepared more evidence to link the case to him.

With that being the case, this became less about finding a way to prove his innocence and more about finding a way to best take advantage of the current situation. Of course, if he could find a way to prove his innocence then that would be for the best, but he had to be prepared for the other outcome as well. Lang Cui had no reason to reject Yin Long's request, giving him a polite bow and stepping to the side.

"Certainly, please lead the way."

Yin Long and the others stood up from their seats and headed for Yin Long's quarters, the 15 soldiers taking up positions around Yin Long just in case he tried anything. While walking, Yin Long handed his interspatial ring to Lang Cui and allowed him to search it, his careful and thorough search leaving him with nothing to show. As such, he handed the ring back to Yin Long and apologized for the inconvenience.

The group then swiftly arrived in front of Yin Long's room, Lang Cui and the two other elders starting to search the entire room while the soldiers kept an eye on Yin Long. And just like Yin Long thought, the three elders soon found a few traces of dried blood close to his bed. They tested the remnant energy within the dried blood, but Yin Long didn't even need to see the result to know that it would definitely match one of the three slain elders.

They then found a loose board in the floor that led to a hidden compartment containing an orange robe, a faceless red mask, and Yin Long's white sword. The robe had a slight tear in it that looked like it was left by a sword, the mask was missing a small piece, and the sword was missing its tip. With this, all the pieces fell into place and Yin Long's innocence became harder and harder to prove.

At the same time, it became abundantly clear to him that whoever was setting him up had a rather high position within the clan, they also almost certainly lived within this mansion. If they didn't have a high position then it was unlikely that the guards would tell them when Yin Long left so that they could perform the assassinations, and if they didn't live within the mansion then there was no way they would know when he left his room so that they could sneak in to plant the evidence.

His sword hadn't been missing its tip when he left it behind in his room, meaning that the people who set him up had likely gotten a rather elaborate copy forged for this occasion. He was a bit curious if the broken sword hidden within the compartment was the copy they had forged or if they had broken his actual sword while he was eating breakfast, but both answers left him somewhat angry. That sword was a gift from his parents, breaking it or replacing it with a broken copy was inexcusable.

With all the evidence brought out and accounted for, the expression of Lang Cui sank somewhat, Lang Ru and Tang Fen looking utterly dumbfounded. Lang Huo's gaze still flickered with slight flames as she looked at Lang Cui and the evidence, she didn't even have to speak for Yin Long to understand that she was mere seconds away from blowing up on Lang Cui.

Yin Long was her brother, she would definitely protect him even if he committed some crimes, especially now when she wasn't even fully convinced that he had committed them. But Yin Long had his own thoughts about how the situation should be handled. He had thought about the various actions he could take, and he had settled on the course of action he felt would lead to the best ending, playing along.

"Heh, now that's just a terrible joke. Honestly didn't expect those old geezers to actually be strong enough to chip my sword and mask. Bit of a shame with the robe, but something like that is only to be expected in such quick battles. But I must say, I expected their deaths to remain hidden for at least a day or so longer, you're more diligent than I expected. Let me guess, to the dungeon with me?"

Yin Long's words were basically a direct confession, the expressions of Lang Cui and the two elders sinking even further. Tang Fen and Lang Ru looked even more caught off guard, they truly hadn't expected Yin Long to confess. Lang Huo's narrowed eyes also opened wide, her mouth hanging open as she looked at Yin Long in a dumbfounded manner, subconsciously reaching for him. But Yin Long swatted her hand aside, his eyes cold as he practically sneered.

"Don't try to help me! The last thing I want is to be helped by you, you who so happily stole our parents' attention away from everyone else. I'd rather rot in the dungeon than receive an ounce of help from you."

Yin Long turned his head to look at Lang Cui when he finished talking, raising his arms in defeat as he allowed the 15 soldiers to wrap him in chains. The chains were the same as the ones that were used to seal the four elders after the public questioning, ones that would seal all the Qi of a person, showing that Lang Cui was actually rather wary of Yin Long.

With Yin Long fully wrapped in chains, the 15 soldiers and three elders escorted him out of the building and towards the dungeon, where his final fate would be decided. Lang Huo and Tang Fen couldn't help but remain still in place, both of them so shocked by Yin Long's sudden turn that they were utterly dumbfounded for a few seconds. As for Lang Ru, she simply followed the departing Yin Long with her gaze, her eyes unable to fully hide the sorrow within them.