Section Fifty-Four: A Muddled Account (Part One)

Upon seeing the man, Hegel couldn't help but take a step back. It was Wei Wuji. Hegel’s face turned deathly pale. Madam Serra was right; even if Grant had appeared, he wouldn’t have been this terrified, for he firmly believed that his value to the Revolutionary Army was enough to buy Grant’s tolerance, and he had other ways to plead his case.

But all of this was likely useless against this Far Easterner. From the very beginning, he knew that this man had helped his family escape danger and even risked infiltrating the beast-controlled territory to rescue Cecily solely because of his friend—that lad Amango, who in Hegel’s eyes always smelled of fish.

Under normal circumstances, his fear of Wei Wuji would have forced him to retreat, but he could not do so now, not when Cecily was involved. He had done so much, and everything was for her sake. No matter how much he dreaded this Far Easterner, Hegel had no intention of backing down.

Wei Wuji stepped forward to help up the stunned Madam Serra. "Madam, rest assured, you are safe now. However, I truly did not expect things to turn out this way. I only pretended to join the expeditionary force because I was curious as to why you had attempted to poison me."

These words struck Madam Serra like a thunderbolt. She covered her mouth, staring at Wei Wuji in shock, her voice muffled through her fingers. "Heavens, you actually knew?"

Then, she said with shame, "Yes, I did intend to poison you, but in the end, I didn't."

When Wei Wuji had last visited her, Madam Serra had indeed struggled with her conscience. She had nearly gone through with the poisoning because Wei Wuji kept prying into who had stolen Amango’s beloved. But eventually, restrained by moral anxiety and a deep fear of Wei Wuji—having witnessed his formidable power, she knew that if the poison failed, she would surely be dead—she had abandoned the plan and decided to find an opportunity to take her daughter and leave.

When she heard that Wei Wuji had gone with the Revolutionary Army and that Hegel was out in the field testing cannons, she felt it was the perfect chance, though it had devolved into the current situation.

"That is why I found it so strange. What kind of person could make you harbor such murderous intent toward me? I have done nothing to wrong you. If I stood in your way at all, it was only that day when I came to you, seeking to know who the man was that stole your daughter's heart, and you vaguely hinted that I should stop asking. It was only when I refused to let it go that your murderous intent was triggered," Wei Wuji said.

"At first, I suspected Grant or Leonardo. I must say, Madam, you did not leave a good impression on me initially. I could tell you were dissatisfied with Amango; you wanted your daughter to marry into a better family, didn't you?"

Madam Serra said, somewhat ashamed, "Yes, I always hoped she would enter high society and marry someone who could ensure she would never want for anything for the rest of her life, and perhaps even allow Hegel and me to enjoy a comfortable existence."

"But I am not the type to sell my daughter," Madam Serra continued, becoming agitated. "Everything I did was for her own good. I never imagined it would come to this. In Valencia, I had already sensed something was wrong, but I couldn't bring myself to believe it; I kept lying to myself."

She pointed a finger at Hegel. "This man is not fit to be Cecily’s father; he is a devil. I would rather see Cecily marry Amango. Though he is poor, at least he would never harm her; he would cherish her forever. Mr. Wei, I have decided—please, take her away..."

"Don't you dare!" Before Madam Serra could finish, Hegel cut her off. "Don't you dare try to separate me from Cecily! I love her so deeply; only I can be with her. You will not tear us apart!"

"You lunatic, you devil! Even now, you refuse to let my daughter go!" Madam Serra wept.

"Mr. Hegel, honestly, I am very tempted to slaughter you right now," Wei Wuji said coldly. However, he did not look at Hegel as he spoke; instead, he turned to stare at the empty space behind him, raising an eyebrow. "Grant, since you have arrived, please come out."

This startled both Hegel and Madam Serra. From the woods came a soft sigh, and a tall, burly figure descended from the treetops as lightly as a fallen leaf landing in the mud.

Hegel, however, was overjoyed and felt a wave of relief. Wei Wuji’s appearance had terrified him, and had Wei Wuji chosen to kill him, he would have been helpless. But now, it was different; Grant had arrived.

Hegel rushed toward Grant, but at that moment, Wei Wuji stepped forward, his eyes locked on Hegel.

Hegel felt as if a ferocious lion had set its gaze upon him, and he stopped dead in his tracks. He desperately wanted to run to Grant, but an instinct told him that if he took one more step, Wei Wuji would kill him instantly.

Fortunately, Grant spoke at that moment. The moment he did, the sensation of being hunted by a lion eased, though Wei Wuji’s expression shifted, as if a second, more powerful lion had appeared behind the first.

"Mr. Wei, let us end this here. You may take Miss Cecily and Madam Serra, but please, do not harm Mr. Hegel."

"And if I say no?" Wei Wuji focused ninety percent of his attention on Grant, an invisible confrontation simmering between them.

Yet, this provocative tone did not anger Grant. "Mr. Wei, I know this defies human ethics, and that Miss Cecily appears to be the woman your friend loves. But Hegel has not committed murder. Even if he is wrong, he does not deserve to die. To kill him would be excessive. I came here today to observe the cannon tests, and upon hearing that Madam Serra had gone missing, followed by Mr. Hegel’s disappearance, I feared for his safety and came to find him. This matter should not be publicized. If too many people learn of it, it will certainly damage Mr. Hegel’s reputation, and it would not be a good thing for your friend, either. Why not let it go? You take Miss Cecily, how about that?"

Wei Wuji scoffed before he could even reply, but Hegel spoke up excitedly, "No, Grant, you cannot do this! Why can I not be with Cecily?"

"Because you are her father!" Madam Serra cried out in rage.

"So what if I am her father?" Hegel shouted. "Humanity forbids incest only because those with close blood ties might produce deformed offspring if they marry and have children. I love Cecily, and she loves me. We can be together, and if we have no children, there is no problem. Please, let us leave; we will find a place where no one knows us and live in seclusion."

"Nonsense! How could she love you? She loves Amango! She only clings to you because you are her father," Madam Serra retorted.

"No, she loves me!" Hegel screamed.

"Mr. Hegel, calm yourself. You are Miss Cecily’s father, and you cannot be together," Grant said with a bitter smile. "Yes, you are right about why humanity prohibits incest—it began with the fear of deformed offspring. But once it becomes a moral standard, its function goes far beyond that. To attempt to violate it is to invite a rejection that society cannot accept."

"Why not? Though my body is her father’s, my soul and my heart are not!" Hegel clenched his hands into fists.