Chapter 21 — Changed the entire Inheritance Lineage to Choose the Wolf King

The sound of wolves growling closer and closer. The torch flickered through the dark forest canopy. Lang Phong did not look back. He just ran, putting all his remaining strength into each step, Thiet Phong clinging tightly to his back.

The border is less than a mile away.

An arrow ripped through the wind and flew over his shoulder, crashing into the tree trunk next to him. He gritted his teeth, changed direction, and rushed down a rocky slope. Thiet Phong let out a painful groan upon impact, but did not let go.

"Almost here," Lang Phong shouted through the sound of the wind whistling in his ears.

Then he saw it — three figures waiting beside a large rock at the edge of the border, their eyes shining as they recognized him. Dinh Vu's reconnaissance team.

"Your Highness!" The leader of the team rushed out and supported Thiet Phong. "We provide cover!"

Bows and arrows burst out from the reconnaissance group, shooting to block the oncoming pursuers. Lang Phong did not stop. He jumped across the invisible boundary dividing the two territories, and at that moment, the growling behind him stopped.

The unwritten rule among wolf clans: no one is allowed to cross the border to pursue when the prey has set foot in another territory.

They were safe.

Thiet Phong collapsed to the ground as soon as Lang Phong placed him down safely inside the border, his breathing was ragged, his whole body trembling from exhaustion. The reconnaissance team quickly surrounded, one person brought water, one person checked the wound.

"Take him back to Moonlight City immediately," Lang Phong ordered, his voice still breathless from the escape. "There must be no delay. The trial is only three days away."

They built a makeshift stretcher with tree branches and cloaks and took turns carrying Thiet Phong the rest of the way, not daring to rest for too long even though everyone was exhausted. Lang Phong took the lead, his eyes never leaving the southern horizon, where Nguyet Anh Thanh was waiting.

Three days later, under the bright lights of the Silver Lang Hall, Yen Chi stood before the entire Council of Elders, the entire Bach Lang court, and an official delegation from the Storm Wolf Clan—led by chief Quach Bach Hai himself, his face haggard with anxiety.

She wore a simple silver-white outfit, without any jewelry, as if she wanted to tell everyone that she didn't need anything but the truth to protect herself.

"Princess Lu Yen Chi," Cung Bach Uy said solemnly, "you are accused of colluding with hostile forces in the north, plotting to weaken the Bach Lang Kingdom from within. If this crime is proven, the penalty will be death according to the strictest laws."

The whole hall was silent. Yen Chi felt hundreds of eyes weighing heavily on her shoulders - some sympathy, some contempt, some even the cold curiosity of someone who just came to watch a show.

"I completely deny this crime," she replied, her voice not shaking at all.

She glanced towards Quach Bach Hai. The foster father, once strict and majestic, is now only a thin shadow of himself. His eyes avoided her, filled with torment but not having the courage to speak out against his own adopted son who was leading this accusation.

The remaining four younger brothers stood behind their father, their faces blank and unfamiliar - the fog of Huong Du Or still covered their minds, none of them knew what Thiet Phong had sacrificed to find the truth.

Only one person is missing. Yen Chi tried not to let her eyes linger too long in that empty space.

Tru Tieu Yen stepped out from behind the patriarch, wearing an unprecedented formal outfit, looking strangely confident. She bowed perfectly to the Council, then turned to look at Yen Chi with fake pity in her eyes.

"Sister," she said, her voice trembling as if she were about to cry, "I really don't want to stand here and testify against you. But for the safety of both lands, I must tell the truth."

She presented fake letters with such sophisticated handwriting that even some Bach Lang officials who had witnessed Yen Chi's real handwriting were skeptical.

"These are letters found in my sister's private room at the patriarch's palace," Tieu Yen said, "sent to a force claiming to be an ally of the northern kingdom, discussing a plan to weaken the Bach Lang army from within."

"This is false evidence!" Lang Phong stood up from the throne, his voice resounding throughout the hall. "I request to present the counter-evidence now."

Cung Bach Uy nodded his permission. Dich Bach Duong walked out, carrying a stack of documents, placing them on the table in front of the Council.

"To the Council of Elders," he said, his voice calm but heavy, "I have carefully compared the handwriting in these letters with the official documents signed by the royal concubine herself during her time at Bach Lang. There are clear differences in the way some key characters are written — differences that can only occur when the writer tries to copy someone else's handwriting, rather than writing it herself."

He pointed out each difference on the meticulously prepared comparison chart, his voice clearly echoing each word.

A few elders in the Council began to whisper, their eyes wavering.

"This is just a subjective inference," Tieu Yen immediately objected, her voice still remaining suspiciously calm. "Any expert examiner could come to different conclusions."

"So what about this?" Dich Bach Duong continued, signaling a servant to bring a small cloth bag with the Moonstone. "This is a sample obtained from a suspect directly involved in spreading false rumors about the royal concubine in the Bach Lang court."

He burned the Moonstone, shining a silver light on the cloth bag. The hazy layer of residue appeared clearly before the eyes of the entire Council.

"This is the mark of Huyen Huong," Dich Bach Duong announced, his voice ringing with power. "An ancient medicinal herb that has been banned from use many generations ago, has the ability to manipulate human minds and emotions. I would like to invite a witness - Uong Bach Nghi."

The whole hall shook. All eyes turned to the man standing silently in the corner of the room, his face starting to sweat.

"Can you explain," Dich Bach Duong asked directly, "why did your luggage, when you were arrested not long ago, contain this banned medicinal herb, along with a coded letter reporting on 'progress sowing seeds of doubt'?"

Uong Bach Nghi stood dumbfounded, his eyes quickly glanced towards Tieu Yen, looking for a signal, some way out.

"I... I don't know what you're talking about," he stammered, but this time, the stubbornness in his voice was no longer as firm as the previous interrogation.

"You are trembling, Uong Bach Nghi," Chu Dinh Vu stepped forward, his voice cold as ice. "An innocent person has no reason to be this scared."

The entire lobby was immersed in extreme tension, waiting for the next testimony that could completely collapse the wall of lies that was being built. But Uong Bach Nghi, even though his whole body was trembling, still gritted his teeth, remained silent, refusing to admit anything specific - as if there was another fear, greater than the fear of being punished here, that was clamping his tongue.

Yen Chi looked at Tieu Yen and saw the corner of her mouth curl up in a thin, almost imperceptible smile - the smile of someone who believes he or she is still in control of the entire game.

"Then I would like to suggest," Tieu Yen spoke up, quickly regaining the initiative, "if Uong Bach Nghi has nothing more to say, perhaps he is simply a wrongly wronged businessman, deliberately set up by Bach Lang's side to blame, in order to hide the king's true crime. We respectfully ask the Council to consider carefully, do not let a tragic story about his background deceive your wisdom."

Cung Bach Uy gently tapped his staff on the stone floor, signaling a pause. "The Council needs time to consider the evidence just presented. We will take a break, and continue the trial tomorrow morning."

Yen Chi stood silently in the middle of the hall, her heart beating rapidly. One more day. Just one more day to find the missing link, before the scales of justice can tip completely in favor of perfectly orchestrated lies.

She did not know - because it was Dich Bach Duong and Lang Phong who decided to keep it absolutely secret - that Thiet Phong had returned to Nguyet Anh City since last night, being hidden in a safe room under the care of his personal physician, recuperating after days of imprisonment. They deliberately did not take him out immediately. An unexpected witness, appearing right when the other side had revealed all its cards, will have much more destructive power than presenting him from the beginning, when Tieu Yen was still alert enough to build another layer of defense to deal with it.