Chapter 21: Cliches are technically clever in a world that doesn’t know about them.
The crowd was thrown off by the sudden shout and immediately turned to see who or what was the source of the ruckus.
Moving towards them with conviction and fury in her eyes was a green eyed woman built like a brick house and radiating the same dangerous energy as a feral tiger with rabies. This woman was none other than the Seventh Mistress, Zhen Liu’s mother, Daria Nerisa-Zhen. Trailing behind her was an equally furious yet more stern looking Zhen Yan with a bundle of papers in one arm and a quiver of arrows in the other, and one mildly at-a-loss looking Jin Fang.
Both Zhen Liu and Moka developed nervous looks on their faces at the sight of the encroaching embodiment of fury, but for very different reasons.
“Why do they have those?!”
“Oh…maybe I should’ve told them I was alive before crashing my own funeral?”
On the plus side for Zhen Liu, his mother didn’t direct her gaze at him, but at Moka. The middle-aged attendant was looking downright hot under the collar at this moment.
“You slimy, ungrateful son of a bitch! How long have you been planning this?! How long have you been deceiving us?!” Daria grabbed at Moka’s collar and began to shout in his face. “Why did you kill my darling boy?!”
The crowd was stunned silent at Daria’s sudden actions, but that last statement made everyone develop a bit of a strange look: o_o. While this was happening, Zhen Yan began to grab his brothers from the crowd and talk to them out of the eyesight of everyone.
He handed each of them one of the papers he had in his arms. The looks on their faces growing grim and grave as they read through them.
“Well…at least I know she’s a dedicated mother,” Zhen Liu thought to himself.
Jin Fang made her way over to Zhen Lius’ side. He shot her a questioning look, to which she replied with a shrug.
“Uhh…mother?”
“Not now Xiao Liu, I’m busy getting revenge for…your…wait…” Daria paused from angry tirade as she turned her gaze towards Zhen Liu. Both were rendered silent, the tension in the room suddenly changing from violent to just plain awkward.
“…”
“…”
“-.-”
“o3o”
“O_O!”
It took a few seconds for Daria to process her son was alive, but when she did, she immediately dropped Moka’s collar. Daria walked towards Zhen Liu until she was within arm’s reach of him.
“Xiao Liu…”
“Uhh…hi mo-oof!”
“You’re alive!”
Daria swooped Zhen Liu into a big hug as she began to cry with relief and worry. Gone was the fierce tiger woman, replace with an incredibly doting mother.
“Stupidly strong, changes moods at the drop of a hat and could probably snap my neck like a chicken…christ on a bike, no wonder the dude before me fell for Jin Fang,” Zhen Liu thought to himself as he tried not to get smothered by his mother’s hug.
Moka was just about to release a sigh of relief, having been spared the wrath of the “Crazy Tigeress”, when he felt the presence of the seven elders looming over him. As he looked up to acknowledge them, the look of anger in their eyes was palpable.
“Second brother.”
“Yes, Fourth brother?”
“This letter here says that you organized the death of Zhen Liu and was going to pin the blame on me.”
“Really? Mine says first brother did it.”
“My letter says third and fifth brother coordinate with each other to do so. Even explained how they used poison arrows in order to do so, and a fake dagger as a cover up.”
“I didn’t get to that part, because mine mentioned how the murders of the First and Second young masters were going to be caused by sixth brother.”
“Care to explain why you had these things under your floorboards, Moka?,” Zhen Yan asked while glaring at Moka.
The six other elders held the letters before him while also throwing the daggers they were given earlier at the middle-aged attendants’ feet. Additionally, a bundle of arrows with familiar looking arrowheads was tossed down.
“Well would you look at that
A look of devastation appeared on Moka’s face as he just realized all of his carefully laid plans had just been upended in a single moment. All because a single cripple couldn’t have the common decency to stay dead!
Zhen Liu on the otherhand, couldn’t help but stifle a laugh at Moka’s predicament.
“Hold the hell up, this moron kept all the blackmail material inside of a compartment in his own quarters? Are you serious?,” Zhen Liu thought to himself, “I know it’s cliche to keep damning evidence within arm’s reach, but at least keep it in a lockbox or something!”
Moka solemnly stood up after a moment and dusted himself off a bit. A look of grim determination settled on his face as he began to speak.
“Apologies esteemed elders, but yes, it’s true,” Moka began to confess, “I did plan to have the Fourth Young Master killed and I did plan to have you all blame his death on each other while I killed the other young masters.”
Shocked gasps and murmurs echoed through the crowds at Moka’s confession. They came here for a funeral, they weren’t expecting a conspiracy.
“After all these years…after all we had done for you…why?!”
“That…is an answer only my true master can give you,” Moka said while looking towards the sky, “Apologies my lord, I have failed you. But at least I can do you one last service and take this crippled interloper with me.”
[Lighting Strike Cutter!]
Moka’s aether suddenly surged as he rushed towards Zhen Liu like a lightning bolt. His hand was wreathed in lightning aether and held as firm as a blade as he lunged at Zhen Liu’s gut.
The elders and Daria moved to intercept, but it was too late. Moka was already upon him and their hand was just inches away from piercing his stomach.
“Die!”
“Don’t think so!”
[Volcanic Uppercut!]
Zhen Liu began to rapidly circulate aether until it was at maximum capacity, at the same time, a demonic looking woman made of red jade popped out of the ground and landed a spiralling uppercut empowered by fire and earth aether on Moka’s jaw. The middle-aged would-be assassin was sent flying from the unexpected attack and was promptly caught by two of the clan elders.
Nepherage stood there in a triumphant pose as the crowd looked on in shock.
What the hell kind of funeral was this?!
