The smile was still on Fan Zhuo’s face.
“Uncle Gongcheng, how many years have you been with my father?”
Gongcheng Lei stiffened and hesitated a moment before he said: “For more than ten years already…..”
“More than ten years….. I remember that way before my elder brother and I came along, and before my father was married, you were already by my father’s side.” Fan Zhuo seemed to be reminiscing on the past.
Gongcheng Lei did not answer and only felt his hand and feet turn cold.
“I had always thought that Uncle Gongcheng had always been unwaveringly loyal to Father and now it seems that I am really a poor judge of people.” Fan Zhuo said, suddenly giving out a heavy sigh.
Gongcheng Lei was shocked and in his panic, he turned to look at Ning Rui. Ning Rui frowned deeply, he was suddenly feeling that Fan Zhuo’s return would deal a devastating blow to his plans here.
“Little Zhuo, what are you saying? Don’t you know your Uncle Gongcheng’s character? He has been with your father for such a long time and when has he ever shown any sign of disloyalty? You might still be unable to accept your brother’s inhumane actions, but that is now already a fact.” Ning Rui quickly interjected. When Fan Zhuo had earlier revealed Fan Jin’s real identity, that had already greatly shaken the credibility of the crime he had pinned onto Fan Jin and if this was allowed to continue, anyone with an ounce of intelligence would soon be able to detect something fishy about it all.
With all the teams ready and all prepared to move out, Ning Rui only wanted this matter to quickly come to a close.
Fan Zhuo’s face was all smiles as he looked at the pale faced Ning Rui, and he noticed the twitch that tugged at Ning Rui’s mouth in his nervousness before he said slowly: “Is Uncle Ning saying that I am distorting the truth of the matter? That is rather interesting. Uncle Gongcheng had said that there were only my elder brother and father in the office at that time and that he had been standing guard outside the entire time with no one having come close to the place at all. It was not until after my father was killed that he noticed something is wrong. That was what occurred on that day, is that right?”
Unable to determine which direction Fan Zhuo was intending to bring his argument towards, Ning Rui could only nod in agreement.
Fan Zhuo gave out a light laugh, and his tall and lithe figure turned slightly. Fan Zhuo was facing into the setting sun as his eyes narrowed from the blinding glare to look at the horse carriage stopped directly before the Zephyr Academy’s main gates, when his soothing voice called out clearly.
“Big Brother, what do you have to say about that?”
Fan Zhuo’s two simple words of “Big Brother” had sent a shocking bolt of of lightning straight into Ning Rui’s and Gongcheng Lei’s hearts!
They both turned their heads and their eyes stared fixedly at the horse carriage before them. Under the Heavens, the only one person that Fan Zhuo would address as “Big Brother”, could most definitely be none other than that guy!
Volume 8
Chapter 727: “Eighth Slap (8)”
But didn’t that person already lose his mind?
From within the carriage, a tall figure stepped out, outlined by the big glowing orange ball that was the gorgeous setting sun as all eyes swiveled to gaze on the mesmerising sight. The light of dusk shone like molten gold upon the figure as he slowly stepped out from the carriage. His tall figure was slightly bent over from passing under the carriage’s low door and a long dark shadow was cast, stretching out before him, while his facial features were partly shrouded against the blinding glare behind him, every bit like a beautiful surreal painting.
It had been just mere seconds, but to Ning Rui, it had stretched out like it had taken a few slow days. His eyes widened, and unable to take his eyes off the figure stepping forth, he peered intently, trying to see the person’s face clearly.
[Could it really be him?]
[Impossible!]
Gu Ying had said it several times. His strikes to that person’s head had turned him into an idiot and there was no way he could be cured. Even if in the event that the slightest sliver of an opportunity existed that he could be treated, it would still be impossible that it could happen in just a matter of a few short days!
Ning Rui’s heart was lodged in his throat, as he tried his very best to open his eyes wide, wanting to catch a clear glimpse of the figure’s face as soon as possible.
It wasn’t just Ning Rui, but all the other people in the Zephyr Academy were fighting to keep their eyes open under the blinding glare. Fan Zhuo’s earlier tumultuous words had kicked up a storm in their hearts and as long as one wasn’t an idiot, they all would never believe that Fan Jin would really kill his own biological birth father for such a flimsy reason.
But Gongcheng Lei’s testimony had nevertheless made it clear that only Fan Jin would have been able to kill Fan Qi in those circumstances. So, what was the truth behind all of this! ?
Under the anxious gazes filled with anticipation, that figure finally started to approach them slowly. And while the steps that brought the figure silhouetted against the bright seeing sun closer, the face that everyone had been so familiar with suddenly appeared before their very eyes!
[Fan Jin!]
[It is really Fan Jin!]
“Uncle Ning, you still look the same.” Fan Jin’s face was filled with the same jovial and uninhibited smile upon it to everyone looking at him and that voice was the same one they all remembered fondly. That tall figure, those facial features, were all the same as Fan Jin in the past and only that body hidden under the clean robe was seen to be slightly thinner, but looking exactly just like he had the day that Fan Jin had been taken away by Wen Xin Han.
Only that the hagged wretchedness was now absent, returned to the image of the well respected Senior Fan in their memories!
Ning Rui was thunderstruck when his eyes fell upon that figure!
He stood dumbfounded and speechless and he could not move.
Seeing Fan Jin smiling as he always had in the past, his eyes sparkling clear, Ning Rui felt his heart began to thump violently, and he began to hear a buzzing in his mind!
[How could Fan Jin appear here like this! ? How could this be him! ?]
Ning Rui could still clearly remember that it was just barely two days ago that Wen Xin Han had taken the wretched and demented form that was Fan Jin away from the academy, the one whom he had deliberately tormented repeatedly after having completely lost his mind. It was impossible that he would be able to recover in such a short period of time!
[It was just two days ago! Not two months! And definitely not two years!]
[He had seen it clearly when Gu Ying had struck him! The force from the two palm strikes that Fan Jin had been struck with was enough to almost take a person’s life!]
Ning Rui glanced subconsciously at Gu Ying, his eyes filled with fear. They had been able to push the entire blame for the crime onto Fan Jin was due to the fact that Fan Jin was no longer able to speak and would not be able to defend himself at all. But it was clearly obvious now that Fan Jin had already recovered and he feared the fact that Fan Jin had clearly witnessed Gu Ying killing Fan Qi at that very moment then!
[If Fan Jin was no longer crazed, he would definitely reveal everything that he saw happened on that fateful day, and with Fan Zhuo’s earlier expose of Fan Jin real identity…..]
Ning Rui did not dare complete that thought in his mind, and he was feeling a cold chill start to creep up from the soles of his feet.
When Gu Ying saw Fan Jin appear, his brow creased up deeply as well. It was obvious that even he had not expected that Fan Jin would be able to make such a speedy recovery.
[Don’t tell me that Jun Xie had before rescuing Fan Jin from his imprisonment, already found the remedy to cure Fan Jin’s affliction?]
Volume 8
Chapter 728: “Eighth Slap (9)”
When that thought came into his mind, a blazing fire flared
up in Gu Ying’s chest. Having fallen victim to Jun Xie’s schemes repeatedly, Gu Ying had developed a teeth grinding hatred for the pint sized brat, and his eyes roved unconsciously towards the horse carriage stopped before the main gates.
By then, Gu Ying no longer had the inclination to care about what Ning Rui thought. His mind was focused only on the horse carriage his eyes were currently fixed on.
When Ning Rui did not get a response from Gu Ying, his heart grew even more frantic. He turned his head back to look at Fan Jin who had come to stand next to Fan Zhuo. He surveyed the person before him from head to toe and after he was certain that was irrefutably really Fan Jin in the flesh, he became even more anxious.
“Fan Jin! How dare you to still have the cheek to come back here!?” In his frantic anxiety, Ning Rui suddenly shouted out loudly in rage!
[He must not allow Fan Jin to open his mouth to reveal all the things that really happened on that day or…..]
[Everything will be over for him!]
“Guards! Apprehend this unfilial son who cold bloodedly murdered the Headmaster at once!” Ning Rui shouted, trembling in seemingly barely controlled rage, but was in actuality from deep fear.
However, nobody in the Zephyr Academy moved a muscle. Everyone just had their eyes shifting between Ning Rui and the Fan brothers.
If it had been before Fan Zhuo’s return, Ning Rui’s shouted orders would have the guards all rushing forward immediately. But with Fan Zhuo’s reappearance today, the situation had changed somewhat.
Although Fan Qi was dead, but according to the academy’s rules, the position of Headmaster would be succeeded by Fan Qi’s son. If they were to base it on their previous understanding, the position would be handed down to Fan Zhuo. But Fan Zhuo had suddenly clearly announced before everyone today that Fan Jin was actually Fan Qi’s biological son. This….. had caused everyone to suddenly be at a loss as to how they were to react to the situation.
For the position of Headmaster, would Fan Jin kill his own biological father? What was he after?
Without getting a response from anyone, Ning Rui grew even more anxious. He did not know how Fan Zhuo and Fan Jin had come to meet each other, but seeing the two brothers standing together on the same side without any animosity, he was getting endlessly more frantic!
Before Fan Zhuo reappeared, Ning Rui had intended to use his position as the Acting Headmaster to deal with Fan Jin. But now that Fan Zhuo had come back, his word was no longer the absolute law in the Zephyr Academy!
“Why would Uncle Ning be so anxious to silence me? Are you very shocked to see me perfectly fine now? What are you afraid of? Afraid that I will tell the truth behind my father’s death to everyone within the Zephyr Academy? Or are you afraid that I will tell them that you and Gu Ying are actually the real murderers who murdered my father?!” Fan Jin bright eyes narrowed slightly as he did those words, his smile on his face disappearing without a trace, and the expression on his face turned into one of intense hatred!
Fan Jin’s accusations caused a tumultuous uproar to spread through the square their eyes questioning and accusing as they looked at Ning Rui.
[The Vice Headmaster and Gu Ying are the real killers! ?]
[What is going on here! ?]
The gazes directed at them from all directions that made Ning Rui bathe in cold sweat, his face awash in white, and his breaths coming in short sharp gasps.
“What kind of nonsense are you spouting! Fan Qi was as close as a brother to me, why would I ever dream of harming him!? It was obviously you! You coveted the Headmaster’s seat and committed such a heinous deed!” Ning Rui hollered in rage.
“I coveted after the Headmaster’s seat? Ha ha, what a joke! Don’t tell me Uncle Ning is getting old and his ears are not working too well anymore. Didn’t you hear what Little Zhuo said earlier clearly?” Fan Jin said, his eyes looking frostily at Ning Rui, his mouth twisted in a sneer. “I am my father’s biological son and the position of Headmaster would have been mine sooner or later. So, why would I need to do something so drastic as that? That would not only raise endless suspicions and it would also brand me as a traitorous murderer! Moreover, even if I really had such intentions, would I choose to do it when Gongcheng Lei was standing guard outside? And wait obediently inside to await arrest? Ning Rui, do you really think everybody under the Heavens are all idiots?”
Volume 8
Chapter 729: Eighth Slap (10)
Ning Rui could not find the words to refute Fan Jin’s words.
It was true, Ning Rui had only been able to pin the crime of being the murderer onto Fan Jin based on two prerequisites. One was Fan Jin’s position as the adopted son and the second was that Fan Jin had lost his mind and would not be able to dispute any of his claims.
But now, the two points that Ning Rui had based his accusation on had now disappeared into the wind. If Ning Rui were to persist in using these excuses to wrongly accuse Fan Jin, he would only make others find it laughable.
Fan Jin’s voice resounded like a bell and all the disciples and the other teachers of the Zephyr Academy all heard him clearly. That voice was filled with rage and tinged with a little bit of ridicule, sounding like Fan Jin had just heard a good joke.
But the message the words brought to them, however, struck them like a bolt, and all of them were suddenly awakened to the truth.
Yes, if Fan Jin was truly Fan Qi’s biological son, there would have no good reason for Fan Jin to kill Fan Qi to covet the position of the Headmaster.
Moreover, on the day that Fan Jin had supposedly killed Fan Qi, he had immediately been caught by Gongcheng Lei at the scene and Fan Jin had not said a single word to dispute what he was accused of. The sight of the bloody crime scene with Ning Rui’s and his men’s statements had convinced the disciples and teachers who had been overwhelmed with shock at that time, and they had believed too easily that Fan Jin was the murderer.
But here today, Fan Jin’s words had exposed all the suspicious points in Ning Rui’s verdict before everyone’s eyes.
For a position that had him standing readily next in line to succeed, he was accused of killing his own father for it, and he had not make any plans for his escape causing him to be caught on the spot. Right after being caught, he had conveniently lost his mind after that and did not offer a single word in his own defence. All of this put together did not sound the least bit like the folly an ambitious and covetous son who harboured malicious intent in his heart would commit in his devious scheme!
With the string of illogical occurrences put together, the crime Fan Jin was being accused of was becoming more and more doubtful!
“Ning Rui, all the efforts you have put into this was obviously just to get rid of all three members of the Fan Family! You got Gu Ying to kill my father, and asked him to strike me hard enough to make me lose my mind and rendering me unable to speak up in my own defence, easily branding me the coldblooded murderer of my father on me. You have instructed Gongcheng Lei to hide drugs in Little Zhuo’s food over the years causing him to needlessly suffer the agonising torment of his illness triggered by your actions! The one that is really seeking to usurp the position of Headmaster was never me, Fan Jin. But it had always been you, Ning Rui!”
“You instructed Ning Xin to scheme to harm me in the Battle Spirits Forest but that failed and she instead audaciously plotted against the people from the Rui Lin Army and the Cloud Treading Peak. In order to protect Ning Xin, I pleaded for my father to hide the truth of the matter and expelled Lu Wei Xie and the others in an attempt to appease the Rui Lin Army’s and Cloud Treading Peak’s rage. My father had relented based on his long relationship with you as fellow disciples and chose to suffer the admonishment to his name in order to cover for Ning Xin. But in the end, you as her father, had chosen to save yourself and allowed your own daughter to be slowly killed before your own eyes, dying a slow tormenting and lingering death. After that, you had instead shifted the blame and developed an intense hatred for the three of us
of the Fan Family! Ning Rui! Has your conscience been eaten up by the dogs! ?” Fan Jin was becoming more and more furious as he spoke and his face had turned bright red, his eyes bloodshot!
He stared like a angry demon at Ning Rui, looking like he would pounce on Ning Rui any moment and eat him up alive;.
“When has my father ever done anything against you? He had never once doubted you and had never been wary of whatever you did. He ate and drank with you sharing the same table, but he had never once thought that his own junior fellow disciple would be the one responsible for sending him into the afterlife, the same beast that seeked to exterminate his bloodline!”
Fan Jin’s words was like a huge rock that smashed onto Ning Rui. Ning Rui’s face turned from white to green, and his mind suddenly went blank. When he first saw Fan Jin made his appearance and looking completely recovered, he knew deep down inside that the game was up. And now that Fan Jin was unhesitatingly revealing everything that had happened before all the disciples of the Zephyr Academy, Ning Rui saw that everything was over for him!
The murder of Fan Qi and the framing of the crime onto Fan Jin was not completely thought out in the first place. With Fan Jin having miraculously recovered suddenly, it would only require a little explanation and the real truth would be revealed!
Volume 8
Chapter 730: “Eighth Slap (11)”
With Fan Jin cornering him with every statement he made, Ning Rui had nowhere else to run. He saw that the gazes the disciples and teachers of the Zephyr Academy were giving him were all filled with disbelief and contempt. It was obvious that they had all begun to believe Fan Jin’s words.
Genius Doctor: Black Belly Miss Volume 8 Page 8