All eyes fixed on him, seeing him tremble all over, his face ashen. Yet, he offered no defense against Stuart's words, and the crowd, already half-convinced, could not help but reveal expressions of contempt, disappointment, and sorrow.

"I can't believe Chen Feng would do such a thing. He’s truly a disgrace to the family..."

"Exactly... I really couldn't tell he had such a heart when he was so young. What will become of him in the future..."

"I say such a degenerate who ruins the family's reputation should be eliminated as soon as possible..."

The crowd murmured, unable to agree on anything specific, but every word was directed at Chen Feng. They clearly believed what Stuart had said!

"He's lying!" Chen Feng screamed internally. Heat rushed to his head, and a surge of furious, turbid air churned within his chest and abdomen. His body, constrained by magic, ached painfully under the dual pressure, feeling on the verge of exploding.

"Ah..." Chen Feng roared inside, and the energy vortex in his Dantian suddenly accelerated its rotation. A flash of pale yellow light erupted from him, and the oppressive magic that had forced him into silence burst like a punctured balloon with a soft pop, vanishing into nothingness.

"Eh?" Harry let out a low gasp, clearly surprised that his magic had been broken. However, his expression quickly settled back into composure.

Although he had lowered the magic's frequency to conceal his presence, greatly reducing the effect of this third-level spell, "Silence"—how could a third-level spell be broken so easily? Even a seventh-level Fighter would struggle to dispel it, so how... how had this seemingly idiotic youth, who felt like less than a second-level Fighter, cracked it so effortlessly?

A monumental wave of shock surged through Harry's heart.

"He is lying..." Chen Feng gasped heavily, still struggling for breath. Forcing the use of the energy vortex had placed an enormous strain on his body. If he hadn't already undergone a fundamental transformation, his body would have exploded from the chaotic vortex by now.

"Father, he's lying!" He turned and pointed at Harry. "This guy also ambushed me..."

"I ambushed you?" Harry chuckled, as if he had heard the most amusing joke in the world. "You, a junior? Am I worth making a move against?"

Just as Chen Feng was about to speak, Qi Gu's eyes flashed with golden light, and he roared, "Bastard! Insolent! Kneel down for me!"

Kneel? Chen Feng froze. This person came into the family compound to bully him, twist the facts, and even ambush him, yet his own father was ordering him to kneel?

An intense wave of humiliation washed over him. Chen Feng's eyes moistened; he could hardly believe the words he had just heard. "Father, you want me to kneel?"

Qi Gu nodded once, and two servants immediately stepped forward from the edges of the hall. Standing behind Chen Feng, one servant whispered apologetically, "My apologies, Fifth Young Master, we must insist!"

Chen Feng felt a sharp pain in his calves as his kneecaps crashed heavily onto the ground, forcing him into a kneeling position.

Qi Gu, seething with rage, continued, "You beast! I never imagined you were capable of such despicable deeds!"

Chen Feng made no move to stand, tears welling up in his eyes, an indescribable feeling churning in his chest. "Father, you actually believe him? Everything he just said is a lie..."

Qi Gu was furious. "Swearing to the Demon God is the most sacred oath. How could he lie? A member of a Martial family committing murder for the sake of magical protective gear! Good, very good! I, Qi Gu Kainth, have actually spawned such a fine son!"

Hearing this, Chen Feng knew Qi Gu no longer believed him. Further explanation was useless. This was the nature of this society; what family affection? It was all nonsense! Everything came down to profit. No one would dare offend a powerful Magic family just to protect a foolish son.

In his previous life on Earth, he had seen countless such scenes of heartless betrayal in TV dramas, but experiencing it himself was still agonizingly disappointing.

Kneeling there, he glanced at the assembled Elders around him, only to see expressions of utter contempt in their eyes. His heart felt as if it were being sliced by knives.

Just then, a flurry of hurried footsteps sounded from behind. A servant entered the hall. "Patriarch, Patriarch Feng Xi and his third daughter, Miss Philia, are requesting an audience outside!"

"Invite them in."

Feng Xi was the Patriarch of the Bate Family, one of the three great families, and Philia’s father.

The chaos in Chen Feng's mind jolted to a halt. Right—how could he forget Philia! Uncle Wen was his personal attendant, and his words carried little weight, but Philia was the third daughter of Patriarch Feng Xi. Her testimony would surely be more credible than that of an ordinary servant from the Leff family!

Moreover, Philia was a direct participant; she had the best authority to speak.

It was as if a drowning man had suddenly grasped a piece of straw. Chen Feng chastised himself for his momentary foolishness while secretly feeling immense gratitude for Philia's timely arrival.

A moment later, a thin old man entered, accompanied by a young woman.

Chen Feng, still kneeling, turned his head to look at the pure-faced girl dressed in simple attire. Suddenly, she seemed even more beautiful than when he had seen her yesterday. Her pale face emitted a holy radiance, like a merciful fairy descended to save the suffering.

"Philia..."

Philia looked at Chen Feng kneeling on the floor, a flash of distress crossing her features before she quickly averted her gaze and bowed respectfully toward Qi Gu, who sat centrally. "Philia pays her respects to Uncle Qi Gu!"

Qi Gu’s expression remained impassive. "Niece, there's no need for such ceremony!"

Patriarch Feng Xi stood in the center, clasping his hands. "Patriarch Harry, you seem to be in good spirits to have the leisure to visit us here?"

Harry grunted a reply.

Patriarch Feng Xi did not seem to mind, his lean face revealing neither pleasure nor displeasure. He walked directly to a chair on the side of the hall and sat down, acting as if the place were his own drawing-room.

Chen Feng’s previous despair transformed into hope upon seeing Philia. He spoke loudly, "I did not take the Jade Bangle. Philia was a witness; she can testify for me!"

He then repeated what Stuart had said earlier, turning to Philia and asking, "You were with me during yesterday's incident. Please prove that he is lying!"

Chen Feng’s eyes were filled with anticipation. If he could just prove he was being framed, then the Magic family that slandered him would certainly have to pay the price!

Philia looked at Chen Feng’s excited face, and suddenly tears welled up. She hastily turned her face away, stammering, unable to speak.

Seeing her reaction, a sudden, ominous premonition struck Chen Feng. "Tell everyone how Gubo treated you yesterday! Speak up!"

Philia hesitated, her bright red lips trembling several times before she managed to open her mouth.

Chen Feng urged her, "Hurry and tell everyone that what Stuart said just now was a lie, that it wasn't the truth!"

Philia's tears remained pooled in her eyes. Trembling, she managed, "He... you didn't say..."

At this moment, Patriarch Harry’s voice slowly cut in. "Niece Philia, you must think carefully. Words spoken cannot be taken back! Otherwise, the consequences will be beyond your capacity to bear!"

Hearing this, Philia shuddered, and her voice became strikingly clear. "You are the one lying! Stuart was right; you watched him steal the Jade Bangle!"

The moment these words were spoken, the entire hall erupted in an uproar!

PS: Hooo... Three chapters updated... If you have votes, please cast them. Old Ya is working hard... Since this is a new book, there are no highlights, so I won't post them for everyone, but I still hope you can shout something out in the comment section...