Tyger Li walked to the side of the coffin and glanced at Speechless's corpse with a deadpan expression. Following that, he raised his hands to push open the glass lid on the coffin and reached his hand out for Speechless's nose.
Mu Zhaorong's gaze changed slightly but she did not raise her head or make a sound to stop him.
Despite ten years of marriage, she never once understood the true thoughts of that man but she knew him very well.
The man did not believe in anyone but himself.
Therefore, even if everyone told him that 'Speechless Li is dead', even if Speechless's corpse was placed right in front of him, or even if the two women that were closest to Speechless were crying with their eyes already red, he would still not believe it.
He only believed in himself.
Tyger Li used his finger to probe for Speechless's breathing and held it to his neck, chest, and wrist. After a thorough check, he retracted his hand and closed the coffin.
After confirming that his son was dead, Tyger Li did not appear sad at all. His gaze only seemed to darken.
"Who is the murderer?"
Tyger Li finally turned his head to look at his daughter. His voice was deep without any emotions.
He did not ask how Speechless had died but instead directly asked for the identity of the 'murderer'.
This cold-faced emperor that was deemed ruthless and heartless in the political world never cared about the process or details. He only concerned himself with the final outcome. He did not mind the process in which Speechless had died. He only cared about the identity of the murderer and who it was to pay the price. All he wanted to know was the outcome.
Mu Lengxi immediately felt her heart thump as her hands turned clammy. She was extremely nervous.
However, she knew from the very beginning that she would be facing a bunch of questions from many. She also knew that her father would ask such a question so she was mentally prepared. She did not reveal anything on her face despite her nervousness.
This was also the reason why she rejected Mu Yuesheng's offer to accompany her. Such a cold and harsh 'interrogation' just needed to be shouldered by her alone.
Mu Lengxi sighed inwardly as she picked up a writing board and began writing on it.
"Brother…was killed by the Level Lords. At the seventh level, we were suddenly attacked by three Level Lords. For some unknown reason, the exit command could not be used. In order to save us, Brother…"
That was a uniform account that Liu Yu had fabricated. It did not change the sequence of events except moving Speechless's time of death ahead to the moment they fought the three Level Lords. Furthermore, they had maligned the Level Lords as the murderers.
In order to hide it from Shi Xiaobai and everyone else, the six of them could not say anything contradictory, nor could they reveal any flaws in the story.
Mu Zhaorong in her extreme grief did not question or doubt the fake explanation. Other than being disconsolate, she also did not believe that her daughter would lie on the matter.
It also made Mu Lengxi feel uneasy and guilt-ridden. However, she had to do so because if she were to tell the 'truth', Shi Xiaobai would face the 'revenge' of the Li and Mu families. If these two prominent families that controlled both the political and business worlds were to take action, even the Hero Association would not be rendered helpless, much less Gaia.
Mu Lengxi raised her head bravely and looked straight into Tyger Li's eyes. She had to perfect the story and fabricate the lie in a flawless fashion because she knew that her father was not one to easily believe. He would definitely ask her in detail about the story's details and find any contradictions or flaws in it.
He did not believe in anyone else except himself.
However, to Mu Lengxi's surprise, Tyger Li did not raise any doubts on this very doubtful point. Instead, he stared at her eyes without any expression as though he was trying to see the truth from her crystalline pair of black eyes.
Mu Lengxi's heart thumped as her breathing faltered slightly.
She recalled of a particular memory in her childhood.
Mu Lengxi remembered that back when she was four years old, Speechless had sneaked into Tyger Li's room to steal a priceless valuable. He said that he wanted to give it to his aunt as a birthday present. Not only did he succeed, he had done so flawlessly without leaving any evidence behind.
However, when Tyger Li locked eyes with Speechless silently, he was able to confirm that his five-year-old son was the criminal at the instant Speechless avoided his gaze out of guilt.
Speechless had insisted that he was innocent.
Tyger Li did not have any proof or witnesses but he only believed in his own judgment. He directly hung Speechless on a door and hung a plaque with the words 'Thieving Criminal' on his neck. It resulted in Speechless being mocked by his peers and was to date, quite an unforgettable shameful memory.
However, after Speechless happily gifted the valuable to his aunt, he found the punishment worth it. With his extraordinary talent, he had beaten up his peers and as such, did not suffer any repressed memories.
And now, Tyger Li seemed intent on using the same technique on his daughter.
Mu Lengxi was panicking but she knew that she absolutely could not avoid his eyes out of guilt.
She mustered her courage and stared back at Tyger Li in a resolute manner. Although his cold pair of eyes that seemed to be able to penetrate everything left her hands breaking out in cold sweat and her legs tremble, she still managed to muster the greatest amount of courage and did not move her eyes away at all.
Seconds passed as if they were years. Mu Lengxi only felt that every second was like an eternity.
"You lied."
Tyger Li suddenly said while looking at Mu Lengxi in a deadpan manner.
His tone once again did not hold any emotion. Hence, his words sounded unquestionable and instead, it sounded like he was narrating a fact.
Mu Lengxi was alarmed as she tried her best to control her expression to prevent showing her shock.
Why was he still able to conclude that she was lying despite her staring intently at his eyes in such a serious and earnest manner?
Mu Lengxi hurriedly shook her head and took out a marker to write on the board.
Tyger Li stared at her in an expressionless manner and before she finished writing her piece, he said, "The murderer is not any of the Level Lords."
It was the same emotionless tone of narrating a fact. It was as though whatever he said from his mouth was a fact that had no basis for questioning.
Mu Lengxi momentarily turned flustered as she hurriedly wiped away half of the text she had written. She began writing again, hoping to explain the story in detail as an attempt to convince her father that 'the murderers were the Level Lords'.
However, Tyger Li did not give her a chance to 'speak'. He only stared at her eyes, as though he had seen through the truth and continued narrating the facts that he had already figured out.
"The murderer is someone else. And you know who the person is," said Tyger Li said without any expression. "Not only do you know who the murderer is, you even plan on protecting him."
"You fabricated a story and perfected the story's details in an attempt to lie to me."
"However, no matter how perfect a lie is, it is meaningless because I would not believe it."
"I know you are concealing the truth."
"You are protecting the murderer."
"You have fabricated a story."
"I do not care why you are doing so."
"But you have to tell me."
"—Who is the murderer?"
Mu Lengxi fell into a daze as her limbs turned cold. Against Tyger Li's ruthless 'accusations' as though he were narrating facts, she did not have the chance to even breathe or to give a rebuttal.
It was as though she was crushed by a huge mountain and enshrouded by a layer of dark clouds. She was oppressed and in pain. She yearned to scream out and roar wantonly to vent her discomfort.
Mu Lengxi reached out her hands to cover her mouth. She was feeling terrified, aggrieved, and afraid. It felt just like a lone boat in a roaring sea which was helpless and lonely, with no shore in sight.
She was very afraid.
However, she knew that it was not the time to be weak, much less to shrink back.
She was experiencing the same 'accusations' as Speechless from before. There was no room for rebuttal and even if she did, it would be without meaning.
However, a five-year-old Speechless had insisted on denying it even at the cost of punishment. Although he was mocked by others while being hung on a door, he had obtained an understanding smile from his aunt after giving the stolen gift to her.
Everything was worth it.
So, she could not admit it!
She had to deny it!
The thing she was hiding was not a dead object but a life. Furthermore, that life belonged to a boy she fancied.
She wanted to be as brave as Speechless.
For Shi Xiaobai, she was willing to accept all forms of punishment.
"I did not!"
Mu Lengxi forcefully wrote the three words on the writing board.
She stared her watery large eyes at the pair of ice-cold eyes without any intention of shrinking back.
This gentle thirteen-year-old girl was facing a tiger that had devoured one old sly fox after another in the world of politics. Despite that, she did not retreat and instead took a step forward. She had raised her head and puffed her chest to give an air of forbearance!
Tyger Li fell silent and suddenly reached into his clothes and took out a bottle of medicine.
It was a small bottle filled with a white, sticky but turbid liquid.
"Drink it."
Tyger Li handed the bottle over to Mu Lengxi. His tone was not to be doubted.
Mu Lengxi was alarmed as she looked in disbelief at Tyger Li. Her eyes were filled with sadness.
Is this the punishment?
He was willing to hang his five-year-old son on a door and deemed him a thief.
To a thirteen-year-old daughter who had been in his divorced wife's custody, his punishment was likely only crueler.
The bottle of white liquid was probably some form of poison, right?
Mu Lengxi felt sorrow but her eyes gradually turned resolute. Her hands trembled as she continued extending her hands toward the bottle of medicine.
If this was the punishment to protect Shi Xiaobai, then she was willing to gladly endure the hardship.
Just as Mu Lengxi's hand extended halfway, a white arm suddenly reached out and snatched the white bottle away.
Mu Lengxi turned her head in shock and noticed that her mother, Mu Zhaorong, had snatched the white bottle as if she was mad and threw it at the wall.
Peng!
The bottle smashed on the wall and was reduced to smithereens.
Mu Zhaorong, who had been silent all this while, suddenly took a step forward and placed Mu Lengxi behind her. Her expression was grim and her eyes looked furious. She roared angrily at Tyger Li, "Tyger Li, are you mad? Are you actually forcing your daughter to drink a truth serum!?"
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