As soon as she said this, everyone was shocked. Guo Dalu could barely keep himself from shouting.

  Lin Taiping also blurted out in surprise, “Your brother? Why would he do such a thing?”

  Lowering her head, Mei Runan said, “People in the martial world always assumed that our family was a prestigious martial arts household and must be extremely wealthy. After all, we always maintained a grand appearance, and any friends from the martial world who came to us were never turned away empty-handed.”

  Her expression became desote as she said sorrowfully, "Actually, ever since my te father passed away, our family has long since become weak despite appearances. Not only can we no longer support others, but even our lives have been difficult, so..."

  Wang Dong said, "So you not only want Feng Qiwu's life but also his money."

  Mei Runan nodded and said, "That's right. Our pn was to take a two-pronged approach. While I was committing the act here, my brother had already found Stick and Jin Shi and become their bodyguard."

  Guo Dalu said, "With how shrewd Gun Zi and Jin Shi are, how could they so easily believe that he was Nangong Chou? How could they so easily make him their bodyguard?"

  Mei Runan said, "First, because they had never met Nangong Chou before. Second, because my brother carried Nangong Chou's personal token. Third, because they never expected someone to impersonate him."

  Guo Dalu said, "Fourth, because you were lucky. But how did your brother get Nangong Chou's token?"

  Mei Runan said, "Because they were friends."

  Guo Dalu sighed and smiled bitterly. "It seems your brother is quite a genius, being able to make such friends."

  Mei Runan blushed slightly and said, "He has always liked making friends and helping others. There are countless people in the martial world who have benefited from him. But because he had too many friends and was too generous, our family became poorer by the day."

  Guo Dalu ughed, "Indeed, a miser will never run out of money. If I had known he was such a person, I would have gone easier with that punch."

  Mei Runan's face darkened as he slowly said, "I have two things to tell you."

  Guo Dalu said, "Go ahead."

  Mei Runan said, "First, I don't like people insulting my brother in front of me. Second, if it weren't for the fact that his weapon didn't suit him, the one getting beaten wouldn't have been him—it would have been you."

  Guo Dalu had heard that "Shi Ren" Mei Rujia used stone weapons. He could only smile and say, "Then, do you know how skilled the real Nangong Chou is?"

  Mei Runan said indifferently, "If the person you encountered was really Nangong Chou, you probably wouldn't be sitting here right now."

  Guo Dalu asked, "If not sitting here, then where?"

  Mei Runan said, "Lying down. If not in a coffin, then at least in a bed."

  Guo Dalu ughed, though his ughter sounded somewhat unnatural.

  Fortunately, Mei Runan continued, "Our pn had been going smoothly from start to finish until..."

  She gnced at Lin Taiping.

  Lin Taiping said, "Until I accidentally saw him."

  Mei Runan sighed and said, "I truly wish that day you hadn't gone into the city and hadn't seen him."

  Lin Taiping said, "He was afraid we would continue to investigate his secret, so he wanted to kill us to silence us."

  Mei Runan said sorrowfully, "He is the only son of our Mei family. We could not let our family's centuries-old reputation be ruined in his hands."

  Wang Dong sighed, "So he would rather admit to being Nangong Chou than reveal his true identity. He would rather die than bring shame upon himself, is that it?"

  Mei Runan nodded, her eyes already red.

  Wang Dong suddenly let out a deep sigh and said, "Being the sole heir of a prestigious martial family truly comes with indescribable suffering."

  Guo Dalu said, "Perhaps there is only one type of person who suffers more than him."

  Wang Dong asked, "What kind of person?"

  Guo Dalu replied, "His sister."

  Mei Runan gnced at him, her expression somewhere between a smile and a sigh, between resentment and fondness, looking utterly captivating.

  Lin Taiping stared at her in a daze and suddenly asked, "Was it you who sent that coffin?"

  Mei Runan said, "Yes."

  Lin Taiping asked, "Why?"

  Mei Runan sighed, "I knew that after killing someone, you would feel terrible. That empty coffin was to tell you that the person you thought you killed is not actually dead."

  Lin Taiping looked even more dazed and murmured, "No matter what, I should thank you."

  Guo Dalu looked at Lin Taiping, then at Mei Runan, and sighed, "You really should thank her. She has been very good to you."

  Yan Qi, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly said coldly, "But the name 'Nangong Chou' was still written on the coffin."

  Mei Runan said, "No matter what, I couldn't betray my brother."

  Her eyes grew even redder as she continued, "Even though I knew what he did was wrong, all I could do was try to stop him in secret."

  Yan Qi said, "That's why you never dared to show yourself."

  Mei Runan said sorrowfully, "I couldn't show myself—I didn't dare to, and I wasn't allowed to. But I still did everything I could to please you all, hoping that, for my sake, you would forgive him."

  Yan Qi asked, "Where is he now?"

  Mei Runan replied, "He went home."

  Yan Qi said, "You saved him?"

  Mei Runan said, "Of course. He's my brother—I couldn't just stand by and watch him suffer."

  She suddenly lifted her head and said, "If you still refuse to forgive him, don’t bother looking for him. Come find me instead. I am willing to take full responsibility for everything."

  Lin Taiping suddenly stood up and said loudly, "No matter what anyone else says, I believe you did nothing wrong."

  Guo Dalu said, "Whoever says she's wrong is an idiot."

  Wang Dong said, "All I can say is—she's simply not human."

  Lin Taiping's face immediately turned red, his neck stiffened, and he gred, "Are you saying she's not human?"

  Wang Dong sighed, "Indeed, she is not human—because I have never seen anyone with such courage."

  Guo Dalu cpped his hands and said, "Absolutely right! She didn't have to tell us any of this, yet she didn't hide a single thing. Who else could compare to such bravery?"

  Yan Qi asked, "Not even you?"

  Guo Dalu sighed, "If it were me, I don't think I would have dared to say all this so openly."

  Yan Qi suddenly smiled and said, "Now you finally understand—women aren't as weak as you thought, are they?"

  Guo Dalu said, "Not only are they not weak, they are downright extraordinary."

  Mei Runan's eyes reddened again as she asked, "You… you really don't bme me?"

  Guo Dalu said, "Bme you? Who would dare bme you? We should be kneeling down and bowing to you instead."

  Wang Dong said, "If it weren't for you, we would have either been poisoned to death or starved to death."