The four of them were now seated around a round table, with Qin Ruqing and the others staring intently at Tang Zifeng.

Feeling overwhelmed by their gazes, Tang Zifeng followed Qin Ruqing’s prompt and began to explain.

“The spiritual artifact capable of harming Golden Core stage cultivators, I conceived it when I was sixteen. I had drafted initial designs, but since they were incomplete, I never showed them to anyone.”

Hearing he was only sixteen, Qin Ruqing and the others were astonished. Tang Zifeng’s talent in artifact refinement was truly remarkable if he could design such a high-level artifact at such a young age.

However, Qin Ruqing considered that professions like his, which relied on talent, sometimes had their most vigorous inspirations in youth and could be stifled as they grew older.

Tang Zifeng continued, “As a result, the unfinished design was accidentally seen by Tang Biao. He immediately coveted it, but I didn’t realize. This led to the subsequent tragedy. He stole my drawings and clandestinely crafted a rough version of the artifact. During experimentation…”

Tang Zifeng paused, his voice lowering, “…it exploded and killed someone.”

“The design was preliminary and flawed, and I didn’t notice the issues at the time. Before I could correct them, Tang Biao had stolen the drawings. During his experimentation with the artifact, it accidentally caused the death of our clan leader’s youngest son.”

Tang Zifeng furrowed his brows. “Whether it was truly accidental, I can’t be certain, but it’s a fact that the clan leader’s son died because of that artifact.”

At this point, Qin Ruqing and the others understood that this incident had escalated to a serious level, nearly causing a major rift.

In any aristocratic family, large or small, intra-family violence was strictly forbidden, even if accidental.

“So, he blamed you for experimenting with the artifact and causing the clan leader’s son’s death?” Qin Ruqing speculated.

Surprisingly, Tang Zifeng shook his head and looked at Qin Ruqing with deep eyes. “There’s more to it. He first accused me of stealing his design drawings, and only then did he bring up the incident with the experiment and the clan leader’s son.”

“Damn, how greedy can someone be? It’s escalated to a loss of life, and he still clings to those drawings,”

Qirong, in his youthful fervor, clenched his fists and slammed the table in frustration. “Despicable! Stealing the drawings is bad enough, but then framing you afterward! Who is this person, Tang Big Brother? How could your uncle treat you like this!”

Tang Zifeng shook his head, his eyes showing a calm but pained confusion that touched everyone.

“I don’t know… At one point, I thought he was the one in the Qin family who cared for me the most.”

Qin Ruqing scoffed disdainfully. “Cared for you the most? Stealing the drawings could be seen as greed, which is understandable.

But stealing the drawings and then framing and harming someone, placing a death on your head, especially a clan leader’s son…

That’s beyond greed, it’s malicious! Your family might have offended him in some way in the past, and he likely harbored resentment.

Otherwise, even if he had a shred of genuine affection for you, he wouldn’t have done such a thing.”

Lu Wei nodded in agreement, looking at Tang Zifeng with warmth.

She gently said, “Yeah, Tang Big Brother, what about your parents? With such a big issue, didn’t they try to prove your innocence?”

Tang Zifeng’s hands on the table tightened slightly, his tone still restrained. “They… are no longer here.”

The round table fell silent.

Lu Wei and Qirong exchanged looks, regretting Lu Wei’s earlier question.

Next, Qin Ruqing and the others heard a bizarre yet not so bizarre, normal yet not so normal… well, a melodramatic love story.

Tang Zifeng’s mother was a renowned beauty in Xiling City, known for her gentle and different temperament compared to typical Xiling female cultivators.

Her fame attracted numerous suitors and marriage proposals from prestigious families.

At that time, the Tang family was not wealthy and saw this as an opportunity for change but had no way forward.

The popularity of Tang Zifeng’s mother gave them hope, and the strongest family in Xiling sent a marriage proposal with a generous offer: if the Tang family agreed to the match, they would receive a Foundation Establishment Pill.

The Tang family was overjoyed upon hearing this.

A Foundation Establishment Pill! They immediately accepted the proposal from the prominent family, even allocating the pill to Tang Biao, the second young master of the Tang family.

Throughout this process, only Tang Zifeng’s mother remained unaware.

She was completely deceived!

The Tang family assumed Zifeng’s mother was always compliant and gentle, never rebellious or contrary to the family.

So, they assumed she would agree to this proposal.

However, an unexpected event occurred. Tang Zifeng’s mother fell in love.

She was a connoisseur of beauty and set her eyes on another renowned handsome young man in Xiling City.

He was so handsome that words couldn’t describe it—let’s just say he was a rare fair-faced gentleman in Xiling, not dark-skinned!

Zifeng’s mother immediately fell in love at first sight.

It was normal for two beautiful young people to fall in love, but unfortunately, the woman’s family had already arranged a marriage in secret.

When his mother found out, she immediately objected and refused to consent to the marriage.

The clan leader began to persuade her with reason and etiquette, saying she couldn’t disregard the family’s interests.

The marriage wasn’t unfair to her; the other family was the largest in Xiling, and they were offering a Foundation Establishment Pill as a bride price.

If she refused, they would likely offend them to the point of no return.

Knowing her sister’s love for beauty, Tang Zifeng’s aunt used the family’s relationship to sway her.

She began to praise her prospective marriage partner’s good looks, describing him as handsome, strong, and robust

. Tang Zifeng’s mother sneaked a peek at her prospective husband and was immediately turned off.

She returned crying, saying he was as strong as a bull and too dark-skinned for her to sleep with!

Initially wavering, she became resolute.

She firmly refused, causing a huge uproar in the family.

As for how the situation was resolved, with the Tang family’s power at the time, they couldn’t afford to offend that powerful family.

It was Tang Zifeng’s aunt who didn’t care much about marriage and found a substitute bride for her sister.

When Qirong heard this part, his jaw dropped, and even Lu Wei, who was usually dignified and calm, showed surprise.

Only Qin Ruqing isn’t surprised by the unusual event.

Ha, a sister substitute bride? Isn’t that a cliché plot from those melodramatic ancient drama channels?

This storyline is so worn out that even readers might find it a big cliché.

But back to the point, the sister substitute bride.

They reluctantly agreed to the prominent family’s request, but the initial conditions were halved.

The promised Foundation Establishment Pill naturally became void.

With the Foundation Establishment Pill gone, fortunately, there was no enmity between the families.

Both sisters had weddings: the aunt as a proxy bride, and Tang Zifeng’s mother married her beloved handsome man and gave birth to Tang Zifeng.

Unfortunately, the handsome man was frail and died during a beast tide defense mission.

Devastated, Tang Zifeng’s mother, burdened with guilt towards the family, instructed Tang Zifeng’s, who was then less than ten years old, to serve the family well before sacrificing herself, leaving Tang Zifeng’s under the care of his uncle, Tang Biao.

“This is truly a lengthy and emotionally oppressive story. It’s no wonder Tang Zifeng feels so stifled.”

Qirong pounded the table again angrily, “How could they do this? How could they leave you like this, to that selfish uncle? Originally, he could have received a Foundation Establishment Pill, but now the marriage is ruined, and he harbors resentment. How could he sincerely care for you!'”

Even the usually simple and honest Qirong could see that Tang Biao wouldn’t easily let go of this grudge.

With Tang Zifeng under his control, he wouldn’t just let things slide. Hence, the later incident of stealing the designs and framing wasn’t surprising.

Luwei sighed deeply, “Who should we blame… If Zifeng’s mother had done wrong, well, it was her choice as an adult. All we can say is that the blame lies with that uncle.'”

Thinking for a moment, Lu Wei added, “So, did the clan leader entirely believe Tang Biao’s words afterward?

Logically, both of you should have been suspects. The clan leader’s son died from the weapon Tang Biao claimed to have invented, accusing you of stealing his idea.'”

“This is indeed a logical deduction. However, many things in this world don’t develop according to normal logic.”

Seeing Tang Zifeng remain silent, Qin Ruqing knew these were memories he didn’t want to revisit and explained for him, “It was useless. He couldn’t prove his innocence. As Tang Zifeng just said, he was completely isolated in the Tang family, entirely under the care of his uncle. He was just a child. Tang Biao could easily manipulate the servants and create an alibi for himself while framing Tang Zifeng.'”

“How can one prove they didn’t do something?’

How can I prove that I am myself?

Such bizarre situations sometimes don’t rely on normal logic but on influence—whoever has the loudest voice and the most authority holds the truth.

Qirong and Lu Wei fell silent again.

They had grown up sheltered from such oppressive situations.

Mastering fists and mastering discourse, can one turn black into white? Sometimes, the things in this world are truly detestable!

However, Tang Zifeng remained silent.

His dark and calm eyes quietly fell on Qin Ruqing, reflecting her furrowed brows as she pondered.

She sorted through the matter, muttering to herself, “So, after Tang Biao drove you out, he used your design drawings to create a genius persona for himself.

Despite flaws in the drawings and borrowing your talent, he used them to create a truncated version of a spiritual tool, winning the Alchemy Competition and gaining fame.”

Qin Ruqing suddenly looked up at Tang Zifeng and asked a crucial question.

“Tang Zifeng, your wicked uncle used flawed drawings to create a truncated version of a spiritual tool. What about you? Have you found solutions to the problems on the original drawings? Can you truly create the spiritual tool designed on that paper now?”

In essence, conceptualization and actual production are two different things.

Those in the internet business know well how many use concepts to attract investments, yet some actually deliver.

Because these concepts can truly deceive and are rarely seen.

Tang Zifeng’s design wasn’t purely conceptual; it was feasible for him to reproduce it, as long as he solved the issues from the initial drawings.

Qirong and Luwei looked expectantly at Tang Zifeng.

If Big Brother Tang could truly create what was designed on those drawings—an artifact capable of harming Golden Core stage cultivators—his future prospects would be limitless!

Even if he didn’t return to the Tang family, any prestigious household would welcome him as an honored guest.

Even seeking a position at the Celestial Bureau wouldn’t be out of reach!

Under the intense scrutiny of the three, Tang Zifeng shook his head slowly.

Hmm, even Big Brother Tang couldn’t reproduce it? Well, that’s somewhat disappointing, but it’s understandable.

For artifacts of this caliber, even some grandmasters of alchemy are powerless. Although Big Brother Tang is exceptionally talented, he may still need time to refine his skills to create such a high-level artifact.

Luwei was afraid Tang Zifeng might feel down and wanted to comfort him.

However, Qin Ruqing noticed something amiss.

She understood Tang Zifeng’s skill in alchemy best; after all, when she asked for something back then, he could fulfill her requests.

With such talent, could he really have no ideas to improve the issues on his original design?

Even if he couldn’t create it, his understanding of the drawings must have changed since then.