He Is My Elder Brother

When Cui Shifan first received the news of Gu Chengyin's assassination attempt, he didn't care much, even thinking it was a matter of course.

But when he found out that Cui Zilu was also there, his vision went dark, and he almost fainted on the spot.

Why was his precious daughter Cui Zilu with Gu Chengyin?

The instructions were clearly to accompany him inside the Cui Manor, not outside!

Besides, wasn't Cui Zilu grounded by him, forbidden to leave the manor?

"Gu Chengyin, that bastard!"

Cui Shifan lost his composure and smashed his fist onto the rosewood desk, making the teacups jump.

The veins on his forehead bulged, his eyes burning with a mixture of anger and fear: "What does he think my daughter is?! His human shield?"

Cui Shifan almost instantly concluded that his innocent and naive precious daughter must have been tricked out by Gu Chengyin.

"Someone!"

His voice was even hoarse and distorted with worry: "Pass the Cabinet's order, have the Golden Feather Guards lock down the entire Divine Capital immediately!"

"All city gates, markets, and main roads, entry is allowed but no exit!"

"The whole city is under martial law, thoroughly investigate the assassins!"

"Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, dig out these audacious madmen for me!"

Cui Shifan roared while stumbling outward, not even having the time to adjust his official robes.

He almost stumbled out of the Cabinet, got into his carriage, and repeatedly urged: "Hurry! To the scene of the incident! At top speed!"

The carriage sped through the streets, the rumbling sound of the wheels rolling over the cobblestone road matching Cui Shifan's wildly beating heart at this moment.

The alley where the incident occurred was not too far from the Cabinet.

By the time Cui Shifan's carriage arrived, the scene had already been surrounded by layers of onlookers, making it impenetrable.

Soldiers in bright armor stood solemnly, the atmosphere heavy and oppressive.

The air still carried a faint, lingering smell of blood.

As the Golden Feather Guards parted a path through the crowd.

The carriage drove straight into the cordoned area, stopping after entering the alley for some distance.

Before the carriage fully stopped, Cui Shifan abruptly lifted the curtain and jumped down.

His steps were a bit unsteady, but his gaze was like lightning, eagerly scanning the scene.

The first thing that caught his eye was a scene of devastation: broken weapons, shattered bluestone slabs, and especially the large patches of dark, blackish blood on the ground.

There was also a corpse roughly covered by white cloth, obviously cut into two pieces.

Cui Shifan's heart instantly sank to the bottom, his breathing stopped.

The next second, his gaze suddenly focused, landing beside a half-collapsed corridor pillar.

There, Gu Chengyin sat on the ground leaning against the pillar, his clothes stained with blood, his hair messy, his face covered in dirt and blood.

He stared blankly at the sky, looking as if he didn't know whether he was dead or alive.

And right beside Gu Chengyin was that small figure, his precious daughter Cui Zilu!

Although dressed in men's clothes, Cui Shifan recognized her at a glance.

Seeing Cui Zilu safe and sound, the heavy stone that almost suffocated Cui Shifan in his heart crashed to the ground.

A wave of exhaustion from surviving a disaster washed over him, making his legs go weak.

He took several deep breaths before barely steadying his mind.

Looking at the tragic extent of the scene, the assassination was definitely real, and extremely dangerous.

Was Gu Chengyin scared silly like this? Or seriously injured?

It would be best if he was already dead.

Cui Shifan composed himself, quickly switching to an expression of grief, while stepping towards Gu Chengyin.

At the same time, he spoke in a voice loud enough for the surroundings to hear, filled with grief and indignation:

"Damned assassins! Committing such atrocities!"

"The Marquis of Equal Rank just took on a major case, and was subjected to such viciousness..."

Before he could finish speaking, right at this moment.

Gu Chengyin, who had been staring blankly, suddenly trembled violently.

A series of wheezing sounds like a broken bellows came from his throat.

Then he suddenly erupted into a hoarse, shrill roar:

"Ah!!!"

This sudden scream gave Cui Shifan a solid fright, almost failing to maintain the expression on his face.

Then, he saw Gu Chengyin seemingly coming back to life, his shoulders shaking violently.

He let out whimpers like a wounded beast, while shouting with that hoarse, broken voice:

"I told you there were too many assassins! You insisted on staying behind to cover the retreat!"

"Now the assassins have retreated! But you left like this!!"

Gu Chengyin 'cried bitterly' while suddenly raising his head, his face covered in a mixture of tears and blood, looking at the somewhat bewildered Cui Shifan.

"He is my big brother!"

"I am Gu Chengyin!"

"I am the Marquis of Equal Rank they want to kill!"

Cui Shifan: "..."

He carefully looked at the 'remains' in Gu Chengyin's arms.

When he saw clearly that resolute face covered in blood but still recognizable.

Cui Shifan's pupils instantly contracted.

Wasn't this Cui Yidao, whom he sent to protect Cui Zilu?!

When did he become your, Gu Chengyin's, big brother?

Do you even know each other?

Wait, Cui Yidao is dead?

Did he fight the assassins and die in battle?

No, he knew Cui Yidao's skills, he wouldn't die that easily.

Which means, Gu Chengyin is acting?

Countless thoughts flashed through Cui Shifan's mind instantly. Although he didn't know what play Gu Chengyin was putting on.

But right now, the two of them had a common goal and had reached a limited cooperation.

Then at least play along with this act for now, and see what Gu Chengyin was up to along the way.

So, Cui Shifan quickly piled on an expression of deep sorrow and regret.

While slowly stepping forward, he said in a tone of deep distress:

"You, you're too young."

"You shouldn't have audited the accounts as soon as you entered the city, they will definitely take revenge on you."

Gu Chengyin seemed to be struck in the most painful part of his heart by Cui Shifan's words, crying even more heart-wrenchingly.

That heartbroken appearance made some commoners looking on from a distance moved.

Whispering things like "The Marquis of Equal Rank truly values friendship and loyalty", "That big brother died heroically", "The assassins are too hateful" and so on.

Cui Shifan walked up to Gu Chengyin and squatted down.

He reached out and gently wiped away the tears on Gu Chengyin's face with his sleeve.

He comforted warmly: "Don't cry, don't cry."

Gu Chengyin sobbed, raising his red eyes, and said loudly:

"Big brother died for the imperial court! He must be given a grand burial!"

Cui Shifan remained calm inside, but his face was full of deep sorrow and agreement, nodding repeatedly:

"A grand burial, of course he must be given a grand burial, I will arrange it."

He paused, his voice turning stern: "As for the assassins, don't worry! The Cabinet has ordered a lockdown of the entire Divine Capital."

"The Golden Feather Guards are fully mobilized, they will definitely give you, and your big brother, an explanation!"

These words were spoken with force, not only showing his stance but also displaying the authority of the Cabinet.

However, Gu Chengyin shook his head violently, shouting hoarsely:

"No! What's the use of catching a few assassins who sell their lives for money?!"

"If we're going to catch them, we must catch the mastermind behind the scenes! I know who the mastermind is!"

"I'm going to find him right now! I want to confront him face to face!!"

Cui Shifan kind of understood now.

Gu Chengyin was using Cui Yidao's 'death' to make a fuss, pointing the spearhead directly at Xiao Song.

This was indeed a ruthless move, using a 'big brother's' life in exchange for the moral high ground and public opinion offensive.

But Cui Shifan felt that relying solely on this might not be enough.

So, he furrowing his brows slightly to put on a troubled and cautious demeanor, he attempted to dissuade him:

"Marquis Gu, I completely understand how you feel. You wish for nothing more than to bring the culprit to justice immediately."

"But based on speculation alone, without concrete evidence, it is difficult to convict anyone."

Cui Shifan felt his words were perfectly reasonable; they served both to calm Gu Chengyin down and to remind him of the absolute necessity of evidence.

However, Gu Chengyin acted as if he had not heard a single word. He fiercely struggled to his feet from the ground.

Though his footing was unsteady, the raging fire in his eyes burned brighter than ever.

Pointing toward a specific direction in the Divine Capital, he exhausted every ounce of his strength to roar in absolute grief and fury:

"Evidence?! What more evidence do we need?!"

"My eldest brother died right here! Slaughtered by those assassins!"

"I know exactly who sent them!"

"I refuse to believe it! Is there truly no law left in the Great Luo?!"

"Are we just going to allow these treacherous villains, who murder imperial officials and butcher loyal subjects, to run rampant?!"

Panting heavily, Gu Chengyin shouted every word with resounding force:

"Elder Cui, you do not need to say another word!"

"I am heading to the Shangguan Estate right now!"

"I will confront Shangguan Yuan face to face!"

Cui Shifan: "...Huh?"