At these words, Li Ban heard a momentary silence fall over the side courtyard and the main courtyard across from the festooned gate.
This was no way to offer birthday greetings.
Especially since so many people had failed to stop a frail scholar who couldn't even truss a chicken. After tonight, the stewards and servants would undoubtedly be punished.
But the lively chatter soon resumed, as though the guests had collectively wiped the outrageous scene from their memories.
Li Ban frowned as he watched Shi Ming get dragged away with a hand clamped over his mouth, then dismissed him from his thoughts.
Once the troublemaker was gone, Li Ban stood at the side courtyard entrance and glanced toward the main hall.
Since the guest of honor had yet to arrive, the banquet hadn't officially begun.
He retreated into the side courtyard and stood beneath a large tree. Moments later, a streak of silver landed softly in his palm.
Pretending to scratch his ear, Li Ban raised the hand holding the Silver Kingfisher to his head.
"Old Master, you should head to the main hall."
This was the Silver Kingfisher's mimicry ability at work, repeating words it had just heard.
Li Ban instantly knew that Lu Weizhong was about to make his appearance.
The first assassin had yet to strike.
Li Ban was in no rush. He was here to deliver the finishing blow, which meant he needed to adapt to the situation.
With a flick of his wrist, he tucked the Silver Kingfisher away.
He then strolled into the main courtyard outside the hall, found an empty seat at a corner table, and settled in to watch the show.
Inside the main hall, guests occasionally tried to strike up a conversation with Du An. He remained terse, offering perhaps one brief reply for every ten sentences he heard.
At long last, Lu Weizhong emerged, flanked by a crowd of attendants and well-wishers.
Given his advanced age and formidable seniority, almost everyone present rose to their feet to bow in greeting.
The guests began to take turns offering their birthday blessings.
Under the guise of a curious onlooker, Li Ban kept his eyes locked firmly on the main hall.
Just then, a group of latecomers was hurriedly ushered inside.
Aside from the man leading them, the seven or eight followers each carried a wrapped gift box of varying sizes.
Instead of handing their presents to the steward, they presented them directly to Lu Weizhong.
Li Ban scrutinized everyone who approached the old man, trying to spot a hidden assassin among them.
He strained to catch snippets of their conversation.
Something about "His Highness intended to come in person, but was delayed by official matters."
Something like "Please forgive his absence, Teacher."
Lu Weizhong put on a look of deep reverence. "State affairs take precedence. Please thank His Highness for his kind thoughts."
The group dropped off their gifts and departed without lingering.
Once they were gone, the remaining guests showered Lu Weizhong with even more fervent flattery.
Du An, however, did not join the fray.
He was only here to make a token appearance.
But soon enough, two familiar faces caught Li Ban's eye.
It was the two instructors who had caused a scene earlier, nearly blocking the main entrance with their argument.
Though relatively young, the pair were close to Lu Weizhong.
They both carried their birthday presents and approached to deliver them in person.
From his corner, Li Ban observed everyone stepping into Lu Weizhong's personal space, constantly guessing who the assassin might be.
The brocade-clad instructor, Zhao Zilu, presented a golden rooster the size of half a human head.
It appeared to be woven from solid gold, radiating immense wealth.
Meanwhile, the cotton-clad instructor, Zhang Yi, held a real, live rooster in his arms.
The two men flanked Lu Weizhong and immediately resumed their bickering over whose gift was superior.
Li Ban could practically see the veins throbbing on the smiling Headmaster Lu's forehead.
At that moment, the steward stepped forward. He grabbed each man by an arm, seemingly trying to pull them away from the old man.
But Li Ban, whose gaze had never left Lu Weizhong, narrowed his eyes.
With the two arguing instructors blocking everyone's line of sight, Lu Weizhong and the surrounding guests had their attention entirely diverted.
But Li Ban saw all ten of the steward's fingers suddenly twitch.
His arms and legs moved in unison. Moving with a bizarre blend of stiffness and terrifying agility, the steward used the two young men as cover, thrusting a hand right through the gap between them.
His palm slammed squarely onto the defenseless Lu Weizhong's chest. When he pulled his hand back, a ginger-yellow talisman was stuck to the old man's robes.
The moment it left the steward's hand, the talisman burst into flames, emitting a plume of noxious blue smoke.
Lu Weizhong's aged face instantly took on a ghastly blue hue. But whatever he did next, the unnatural color rapidly faded from his skin.
In the blink of an eye, the talisman on his chest burned down to a pile of ash.
By the time the talisman appeared, several people had already surged forward to subdue the steward.
The steward had struck with blinding speed—faster than even a 1st or 2nd Tier Spirit Practitioner—which was why those people hadn't reacted in time.
Now, looking at the burning paper on Lu Weizhong's chest, they couldn't help but shrink back in fear.
In the end, it was Lu Weizhong himself who dealt with the toxic talisman.
"Steward Xu, wh-what are you doing?"
Zhao Zilu, who had unwittingly acted as Steward Xu's cover, stood frozen in shock. He still didn't seem to process what had just happened.
Beside him, Zhang Yi clutched his rooster in terror and frantically tried to explain himself. "Teacher! Teacher, I swear, I have nothing to do with him! I had no idea he was going to attack!"
The two men were pulled away. Whether they were involved with Steward Xu or not, they certainly wouldn't be getting near Lu Weizhong again.
Only then did Du An rise from his seat. He walked over to Steward Xu and cast a brief glance over him.
Dozens of silver pieces shot out from his body, flashing around Steward Xu before darting back into Du An.
Instantly, Steward Xu—who had been fiercely struggling despite being pinned down—went limp, collapsing to the floor and gasping for air.
Ignoring his two panicking disciples, Lu Weizhong walked up to Steward Xu and looked down at the thin silk threads pooling around the man's neck and limbs.
"It is the Marionette."
To everyone's astonishment, the old man then bent down and helped Steward Xu back to his feet.
Free of the strings, Steward Xu looked up, his face covered in tears and snot. His lips trembled as he sobbed, "Old Master, I don't know what happened! My hands and feet—they just moved on their own! Old Master, did I hurt you?"
The steward looked desperate to check Lu Weizhong's condition but didn't dare make a single move.
Lu Weizhong's face was grim, but he didn't unleash his anger on the steward.
"It is no matter," he said in a heavy voice. "That was a Yama Token. I never expected someone would pay such an exorbitant price to hire Yama to kill me."
He carefully brushed the ash from his robes.
"If I wasn't carrying a Poison-Repelling Bead, I would already be a dead man."
He then looked toward Du An. "Thank you for your assistance, Lord Du."
Du An shook his head. "Though you have a Poison-Repelling Bead, Headmaster Lu, you still need to rest and regulate your breath. You should surround yourself with trusted guards."
Lu Weizhong nodded and turned his attention to another man in the main hall.
That man was also dressed in official robes.
After the sudden assassination attempt, the rest of the guests had crowded around Lu Weizhong.
This official was the only one who hadn't moved. Furthermore, the guests flanking him hadn't looked toward Lu Weizhong at all; instead, they immediately closed ranks to protect this man in their center.
Only now did he rise to his feet.
From his vantage point near the doorway, Li Ban heard Lu Weizhong address the man. "County Magistrate, I apologize for the fright."
The County Magistrate put on an official air. Staying securely behind his guards, he looked thoroughly eager to wash his hands of this mess.
"It is no matter. Old Mr. Lu, you should go rest as soon as possible. Lord Du is from the Ministry of Justice; he is perfectly suited to investigate the scene. I have pressing official duties and must return to the county office."
But Du An lowered his gaze and said noncommittally, "Not so fast, Magistrate. The Marionette requires the puppeteer to be within ten zhang—which puts them exactly in this hall. Controlling it definitely leaves deep cuts on the user's ten fingers. Everyone's hands must be examined."
Watching the magistrate's face flush with indignation, Du An added one more point.
"Naturally, you couldn't possibly be the puppeteer, Magistrate. If you wish to leave, you may go. However, your personal guards must remain here for inspection."
But how could the magistrate possibly dare to leave the estate alone right after an assassination attempt?
Seeing that the magistrate had no intention of leaving without his escort, Du An turned his head toward Li Ban, who was still standing by the doors.
"Li Ban, shut the doors! No one is allowed to leave or enter!"
Without a second thought, Li Ban grabbed the heavy wooden doors separating the hall from the courtyard and pulled them shut.
In an instant, all three sets of double doors slammed tight.
He deliberately left himself on the outside.
Just as the doors clicked shut, he loosened his sleeve, letting a streak of silver slip through the narrowing crack and drop silently to the floor inside.
With every eye in the room glued to Du An and the red-faced magistrate, no one noticed a thing.
He didn't lock the doors.
But under Du An's watchful gaze, who would dare try to sneak in or out?
Once the doors were shut, Li Ban moved to a nearby window.
Peering through a narrow gap in the shutters, he watched as Steward Xu helped Lu Weizhong toward the inner chambers.
None of the other guests dared to move a muscle.
Once Lu Weizhong was gone, Du An raised his own hands to show the crowd.
His hands were long and strong. Though lacking the pale softness of a pampered young master, they were still the hands of an official who didn't perform manual labor. Aside from thin calluses from years of holding a brush, they were unblemished.
There were no scars, and certainly no cuts left by razor-thin silk threads.
"I have proven my own innocence. Now, I ask that everyone present extend your hands for inspection."
With Du An proving himself first, the rest of the people present had nothing to say.
Even the sour-faced magistrate held out his hands, and then ordered his guards to do the same.
Once they were cleared, the magistrate's guards were assigned to help inspect the remaining guests.
During the inspection, the guests were practically trembling with fear, terrified that the person standing next to them might be the assassin waiting to strike and endanger their lives.
With Lord Du in the main hall, Li Ban wasn't worried about their safety, and he shifted his attention to the other side.
Lu Weizhong had taken his fellow "victim," Steward Xu, into the inner chamber. But a man like him would never just rest in an exposed bedroom. There had to be a secret passage leading to a secure bunker.
When closing the doors, Li Ban had slipped the Silver Kingfisher inside, having already planted a hidden weapon in its beak.
Though the Silver Kingfisher could communicate simply, it wasn't a truly intelligent creature.
Li Ban couldn't be entirely sure if it would pull off the task.
Waiting out in the courtyard, he decided to give it a few more minutes.
If news of Lu Weizhong's death didn't spread soon, he would use the "Invisibility" Plain Ring to enter the inner courtyard and find a chance to strike.
That approach would be far more tedious and carried a high risk of exposure.
'That Yama Token sounded expensive. With such a massive reputation, they still let Lu Weizhong escape. They aren't all that!' Li Ban grumbled inwardly.
If the assassins had just done it right the first time, he wouldn't have to clean up their mess.
While the inspection continued, Lu Weizhong and the "controlled" Steward Xu walked into the secret tunnel.
Despite stumbling weakly on his own two feet, Steward Xu insisted on supporting Lu Weizhong, his face a mask of profound guilt.
It was actually Headmaster Lu who comforted him in return. "Do not blame yourself. How could a mere 2nd Tier Spirit Practitioner like you resist the Marionette?"
Yet, even as he spoke those comforting words, Lu Weizhong was closely scrutinizing the steward's ten fingers.
Steward Xu's fingers were dark and heavily calloused, but they were completely free of cuts.
Lu Weizhong let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Old Master, it was not my intention," Steward Xu said, keeping his head down.
Lu Weizhong patted the back of the steward's hand. "You have been with me for over a decade. Of course I trust you. Otherwise, with so many people present, I wouldn't have brought only you in with me."
But as he patted the steward's hand, the old man felt something wrong beneath his fingers.
There was a deep cut running right across the steward's wrist—
A string mark?!
Lu Weizhong's heart lurched with alarm. He went to feel the wrist again.
But the moment he had touched the wrist, the steward's eyes had already turned icy!
Wrapping the Marionette strings around one's wrists meant it was impossible to precisely control another person's movements.
But if the puppeteer and the puppet were the exact same person, precision didn't matter in the slightest.
Steward Xu was the true assassin all along!
Using the "Marionette" as a smokescreen, Steward Xu had successfully created an opportunity to be alone with Lu Weizhong.
It was a trap built on over a decade of knowing the old man's paranoid habits inside and out.
He just hadn't expected Lu Weizhong to actually feel his wrist through his sleeve and notice the deep cuts.
Knowing exactly how suspicious his master was, the steward didn't leave anything to chance. He struck instantly.
His movements were just as they had been in the main hall—stiff and jerky like a puppet's, yet possessing a terrifying speed and flexibility.
His arm twisted and darted like a mechanical fish, slipping past Lu Weizhong's guard to strike a heavy blow directly into the old man's armpit.
Already old and suffering from dulled reflexes, Lu Weizhong let out a muffled groan and tried to stagger backward.
But Steward Xu clamped his hand onto the old man's shoulder like a vice, pulling him in as his other fist shot directly toward Lu Weizhong's heart.
Before this grand banquet, all the estate servants had been thoroughly searched. A personal attendant like Steward Xu had been subjected to an especially rigorous check, making it impossible for him to carry a blade.
Thus, he could only rely on his bare hands.
The punch smashed into Lu Weizhong's chest, forcing a mouthful of blood from the old man's lips.
But as Steward Xu threw a second punch, Lu Weizhong sank his chest and tightened his core, forcefully trapping the incoming fist against his own body. He then clamped his free hand over the steward's arm.
Although Lu Weizhong currently had no identity and was advanced in age, his foundation remained.
He was not someone a mere 2nd Tier Spirit Practitioner could easily kill.
If he could just hold out for a little longer, the inner courtyard guards would realize he hadn't emerged and would enter the tunnel to investigate.
Once that happened, Steward Xu's meticulous plan would be over.
"Xu Zhongyou, I have treated you well!"
"Treated me well?" Steward Xu roared, his eyes bloodshot. "It took serving you for over a decade to discover that you were the one who murdered my wife and child! Do you think ten years of fake kindness can pay for the lives of my family?!"
Both men fought with everything they had, desperately trying to end the other's life.
But neither of them were pure martial artists, and their grappling was a messy, disorganized brawl. They were quickly locked in a bitter stalemate.
Suddenly, a streak of silver launched from the shadows of the tunnel, diving straight for the back of Lu Weizhong's neck.
Lu Weizhong sensed the approaching threat.
But just as he tried to dodge, Steward Xu—who had also seen the silver flash—locked his arms tightly around the old man.
The steward abandoned his own attacks entirely and completely ignored Lu Weizhong's savage blows. He simply bear-hugged his master with all his remaining strength, anchoring him in place.
Thwack!
The Silver Kingfisher's sharp beak pierced the back of Lu Weizhong's neck, though the wound wasn't deep.
A sharp sting was instantly followed by an overwhelming, icy numbness!
"Poison!" Lu Weizhong realized things were bad.
He had a Poison-Repelling Bead, but it had already been completely drained by the Yama Token earlier. Poisoned once more, he needed immediate treatment.
But Steward Xu just flashed a bloody, manic grin and began to laugh.
Though he was coughing up blood from Lu Weizhong's desperate thrashing, his laughter was pure, unadulterated triumph.
"Lu Weizhong, even the blood in your veins is black!"
Hitting its mark, the Silver Kingfisher immediately fluttered away.
It couldn't afford to get caught.
Because the wound was on his neck, the venom rapidly invaded Lu Weizhong's brain, and his body rapidly went slack.
Still locked in the steward's grip, the two men collapsed to the stone floor together.
He heard the sound of someone quickly approaching in the distance.
But it no longer mattered.
Meanwhile, Li Ban was still waiting in the front courtyard.
It was taking a bit long. If the Silver Kingfisher hadn't struck yet, it was probably going to miss its chance entirely.
Just as he was about to slip to the back of the crowd and find an excuse to leave, someone burst out from the corridor leading to the inner yard.
It wasn't a guard, but a maid. Hiking up her skirts, she ran into the courtyard with a look of absolute terror on her face.
"Doctor Chen! Doctor Chen, help!"
Watching the maid sprint past with an indifferent gaze, Li Ban melted into the back of the crowd, stopping by the edge of the compound wall.
But he didn't leave yet.
A few moments later, a streak of silver dropped from the eaves and stealthily darted back up his sleeve.