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His actions caused the Justice Palace officers’ eyes to narrow. They looked him up and down suspiciously, then looked around with gritted teeth. Finally, they produced a set of vicious-looking restraints and walked toward Xu Qing.

Xu Qing simply stood there thoughtfully.

Meanwhile, the Captain observed with raised eyebrows. Based on how unreasonable these two officers were being, it was obvious to Xu Qing and the Captain what they were trying to do. The Captain smiled faintly.

Xu Qing didn’t resist in any way. He let the officers place the restraints on him, and then he started walking. Because he wasn’t walking fast enough, one of the officers yelled at him to speed up. Xu Qing turned, looked him deeply in the eyes, but didn’t say anything. Then he left with them.

Arch-Immortal Plumdark watched all this happening, and chose to trust that Xu Qing could handle the situation. However, she also sent messages to some friends of hers, and used her own methods to provide an added measure of protection.

Chen Tinghao did the same. Though he wasn’t a very warm-hearted person in general, he was warm-hearted toward other swordsages. And because this matter now involved the Swordsage Palace, he needed to report it.

“Everybody stay calm,” the Captain said. “They’re obviously trying to smear little Ah Qing. The evidence is too obvious, and their methods are simply clumsy. If their crude tactics actually work on little Junior Brother, then our years in Violent Crimes will have been a total waste. I’d say things will be cleared up in three to five days. When the time comes, just trust me and follow my lead.”

The Captain watched Xu Qing go, and a fire burned in his heart. This was the first time he had ever been forced to watch his own Junior Brother being arrested and taken away in front of his own eyes.

***

Outside the county capital, in one of the three floating palaces that was the Justice Palace, Zhang Siyun nervously waited in the side chamber of a palace hall in Division 3. He was standing off to the side looking visibly anxious. It was a side of him that no outsider had ever seen. Normally he was grim, cold, and calculating. There was only one person who could get him to act this way, and that was his mother, Yao Yunhui.

She currently sat at a table leafing through some of the Justice Palace’s files. [1]

Though she was obviously a human woman, her long black hair, skin as fair as snow, and beautiful face made her seem like an immortal fairy from a painting. She was so stunningly attractive that she didn’t seem to have any traces of mortality on her. In fact, she didn’t look so much like Zhang Siyun’s mother as his sister. She sat with her waist slightly bent, accentuating her ample bosom and stunning curves.

Zhang Siyun hardly dared to breathe as he stood there waiting.

Some time passed. Eventually, someone knocked at the door.

“Enter,” said Yao Yunhui.

The two cultivators who had left to get Xu Qing respectfully entered and dropped to their knees in front of her.

“Our respects, exalted one.”

“Exalted one, we brought Xu Qing and locked him up. Unfortunately, no one from his sect interfered. Nor did Xu Qing resist arrest.... As of now we’re not really sure what to do next.”

Putting down the file she had been reading, she looked up and said, “This little sect isn’t brainless after all. Well, there’s nothing to do for now. Just keep him locked up.”

When she looked at them, the two cultivators felt their hearts pounding. Though they often had a chance to see their superior, every time they did, they couldn’t help but react this way. Her fatal beauty was just too enticing. That said, they were fully aware of how ruthless she was. Shivering, they voiced their consent and quickly left.

When Zhang Siyun saw his mother’s subordinates leave, he couldn’t control his emotions and looked at her with eager expectation. Everything that was happening resulted from his explanation to his mother about why he had failed so spectacularly in Emperor-Receiving Prefecture. That was why the Eight Sect Coalition’s subsidiary sect had been brought in. His mother had made all the arrangements. The plan had been to first seize everyone from the subsidiary sect on trumped up charges, all with the goal of getting to Xu Qing.

Now that Xu Qing had been brought in, Zhang Siyun’s mind was racing. “Mother, don’t forget that Xu Qing has two life lamps. He—”

“Shut up!” she said coolly.

Zhang Siyun was stricken to the core and didn’t dare speak any further.

“Your father was pathetic, and I’d hoped you would be better than him. Come to find, you’re just as pathetic. You couldn’t even take a swordsage command sword? You just had to rely on special help from your Sect Grandfather?”

Zhang Siyun bowed his head bitterly.

Yao Yunhui looked at her son and sighed. She truly was disappointed with him. “Yun’er, you need to do things one step at a time. That Xu Qing got a 30,000-meter pillar of light. He earned the veneration of the Grand Emperor, and the Swordsage Palace’s Dao Bell tolled for him. Everyone saw it. His actions earned face for all of Emperor-Receiving Prefecture. Do you really think you can just casually make a move on him?”

“You’re on a fishing expedition?” Zhang Siyun asked thoughtfully.

“So, you’re not a complete idiot. Yes. The first purpose of locking him up is to see who interferes to help him, and who just looks on coldly. After all, I refuse to believe that everyone was happy about that 30,000-meter pillar of light.

“This Xu Qing is the type of person you need to take care of right away, when he first starts out. Once he officially joins the swordsages, he’ll be difficult to deal with.

“Matters like these can’t be handled with undue haste. Furthermore, in circumstances like these, you can\'t just accuse him of a crime. The second reason why I had him locked up has nothing to do with crimes. No more than three days from now, I’ll let him go, stating that the matter needs to be investigated further. I’ll also release everyone from the subsidiary sect.

“However, because the investigation is ‘ongoing,’ his permanent record will have a blemish. People will be suspicious of him. It will cast a shadow on that 30,000-meter pillar of light. Of course, that won’t be enough. Going forward, we’ll continue to besmirch him, creating so many blemishes on his record that the 30,000-meter light will become less and less important. And then, we can finally make arrangements for him to experience a little accident.

“By then, no one will say a thing about it. As for his life lamps, there’s no way you can just directly take them. Figure out another way. After they’ve been handed over officially, you can use military credits to get them. That’s the most aboveboard way to handle it. Success isn’t about going around fighting and killing all the time. You have a lot to learn in this regard.”

Yao Yunhui\'s soft voice sounded like water from a deep, clear spring. However, it was a pitch-black spring full of poison.

Hearing her words, Zhang Siyun inhaled deeply, then clasped hands and bowed.

***

Somewhere in the Justice Palace’s prison, Xu Qing sat cross-legged in a cell, looking around calmly. This place was nothing like the Corrections Division. In fact, this prison was a lot more like the cell blocks back in the Violent Crimes Division. There weren’t many prisoners, but because of the lack of air circulation, the place stank. It was also cold and humid.

Because of Xu Qing’s cultivation base, the restraints that had been placed upon him didn’t completely suppress him. What was more, he had plenty of ways to completely restore his cultivation base if he wanted. Among them were his shadow, his taboo poison, or the power of the violet moon.

But he wasn’t in a hurry. Having seen how everything was playing out, he was absolutely convinced that this matter was targeting him specifically. It also went to show how important the 30,000-meter pillar of light was. All he had to do was put himself in his enemy’s shoes, and everything made sense.

They’re trying to smear me. And they’re doing it in a way that doesn’t seem obvious. But in the end, they’re trying to erode the protection I have from that 30,000-meter pillar of light. It’s not a bad plan. It’s just being badly executed.

Xu Qing shook his head. If he was right, then it would only be a few more days until he was released as part of an ‘ongoing investigation.’ However, because the matter wasn’t fully resolved, it would leave a blemish on his official record. In an orthodox organization that represented all of humanity, one’s background needed to be spotless. But now, he would have two things on his record: a 30,000-meter pillar of light, and a tiny blemish.

Though some people might not think a blemish like that mattered, it would definitely have repercussions later. And that was what his enemy was trying to do. Although it seemed like an ingenious plan, the person perpetrating it lacked true finesse.

Xu Qing’s eyes shone with cold light. It wouldn’t be hard to deal with the situation. But he wasn’t the type of person who just ‘dealt’ with things. He was the kind who struck back. Even back in the slums, if someone was openly hostile, then he would either kill them immediately, or figure out a way to make them hurt.

One good example was when Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior had been chasing him. He could have simply fled. Instead, he razed the Golden Vajra Warrior Sect to the ground. That was how Xu Qing operated. [2]

Of course, different circumstances warranted different ways of striking back.

Having reached this point in his train of thought, Xu Qing closed his eyes. He had already decided how he would strike back.

Three days passed by in a flash.

The subsidiary sect disciples who had been locked up for ten days were in foul moods as they were released. During that time, they had been interrogated. However, the questions had all been very vague. In fact, even now, they didn’t have any idea why they had really been brought in for questioning. Upon emerging from the Justice Palace, they found that Arch-Immortal Plumdark was waiting for them, along with a small retinue of others.

“Greetings, Arch-Immortal!” said the subsidiary sect leader, who was originally from the coalition’s eighth sect. Feeling profoundly embarrassed, he hurried forward, clasped hands and bowed.

Arch-Immortal Plumdark nodded in response, and took note of the fact that Xu Qing was not in the group that had been released. It was the same with Master Fifth.

Only the Captain seemed extremely nervous, although he managed to secretly wink at Wu Jianwu. Wu Jianwu quickly took out a jade slip to record images.

Chen Tinghao was also present, but he wasn’t alone. He had brought nearly a dozen swordsages with whom he was friendly.

“Where’s Xu Qing?”

That was what everyone was wondering. However, they didn’t have to wait long. A moment later, the two Justice Palace officers who had arrested him appeared, shoving Xu Qing between the two of them as they emerged.

“A 30,000-meter pillar of light, yet you’re still suspected of overstepping authority?” one of them said coldly. “I’d say you got off lucky this time.”

“Going forward,” the other said, his voice equally cold, “I really hope you think things through. This matter is over for now, but the case isn’t closed.”

With that, they prepared to remove Xu Qing’s restraints.

However, before they could, Xu Qing shivered, his eyes went slack, and he coughed up a massive mouthful of blood. As the blood splashed onto the ground in shocking fashion, a cloud of blood erupted from Xu Qing as countless wounds opened up all over him. Every single wound was absolutely horrific, and cut all the way down to the bone. It looked like someone had tried to cover them up with a magical technique. But now they were visible for everyone to see. There were wounds all over his face, his neck, and every visible patch of skin. It was only possible to imagine how many more wounds were underneath his clothes. In fact, there was so much blood that his clothing was instantly soaked.

The obvious impression that anyone would get was that Xu Qing had been sadistically tortured during his three days in confinement. Whoever had done the torturing was obviously completely devoid of conscience, and had nearly skinned him alive.

What was worse, he clearly had injuries to his internal organs. Many of his bones were broken, so much so that he couldn’t stand, and immediately fell to the ground. He was obviously gasping for breath, and very close to being dead!

This was Xu Qing’s method of striking back. It was just like the saying when striking a snake, hit it in a vital spot. When he struck back, he wanted his enemy to suffer so badly they wouldn’t ever consider trying to turn a small matter into a big one. It was similar to the Pilot Assistance Division incident, back when he had secretly helped Huang Yan by using a pebble to deflect a dagger. Back then, Huang Yan’s melodrama, and willingness to take a beating, had brought a lot of attention to the situation. That was what Xu Qing was doing here. Of course, he needed help from the Captain. But Xu Qing had no worries at all about whether or not the Captain would come through.

“Xu Qing!!” the Captain howled. Rushing forward, he dropped to his knees and scooped Xu Qing up into his arms.

Xu Qing looked faint as he again coughed up blood. More blood oozed out of his wounds. He looked completely listless, as though he were barely hanging onto consciousness.

Those wounds were all real. There was nothing fake about them. Whether the wounds to his flesh, or those to his organs, they were completely authentic. What was more, there were cracks in his heavenly palaces. Even worse, the restraints that had been placed on him sealed the power of his cultivation base. With those restraints on him, there was no way he could have inflicted these wounds on himself. And that meant there was only one explanation....

Tugging his hair into disarray in a show of anguish, the Captain howled, “Justice Palace! What horrific crime did my Junior Brother Xu Qing commit for you to punish him so cruelly, for you to discipline him so maliciously, for you to commit such atrocities?

“Justice Palace! Tell me! What crime did my Junior Brother commit?

“He’s nothing but a new swordsage, here to report for duty. It was his first day here, and you took him away, right in front of us. You even used your vicious restraints to seal his cultivation base. Three days! Three days!!! That was all it took for you to disfigure him until he doesn’t look human!!”

The Captain was obviously furious, but so was Arch-Immortal Plumdark. It was the same with all the other disciples from the Eight Sect Coalition. Chen Tinghao and the other swordsages were glaring furiously.

The scene caused an instant commotion in the Justice Palace. The two officers who had brought Xu Qing out were completely flabbergasted, and had no idea what was going on. Neither of them had even touched Xu Qing during the past three days, nor had anyone else. And yet all of the wounds were absolutely, positively real.

As everyone reacted with open fury and rage, Xu Qing’s shadow twitched a bit....

Meanwhile, veins bulged on the Captain’s neck as he held Xu Qing, and his eyes were crimson. Laughing bitterly, he cried, “Little Junior Brother, you’re barely breathing! We were supposed to defend humanity together! We were supposed to be swordsages of humankind. Our light was to shine in heaven and earth!

“Oh, little Junior Brother, who exactly was it that viciously tortured you? And what did they want? Don’t tell me they were jealous of your 30,000-meter pillar of light! Or was it that you offended Zhang Siyun?

“How could you have been so foolish? Zhang Siyun’s mother actually works for the Justice Palace! I told you not to come here! But you said that you trust in the justice and fairness of humankind! You said you trusted the light of the swordsages!

“It took us eight months to get here, only to fall to the old trick of planted evidence! What use is that 30,000-meter light now, little Junior Brother? Can it protect you against vicious schemes hatched by small-minded people? What use is the Grand Emperor’s veneration? Can that protect you against the machinations of villains?? Is this how people bully swordsages?

“Oh, little Junior Brother, I, your Eldest Brother, might just have to risk giving up my status as a swordsage if that’s what it takes to get true justice for you!

“Justice Palace, if my little Junior Brother really committed a crime, then bring out the evidence. That’s fine with me. But if my little Junior Brother is actually innocent, yet you still cruelly mistreated him, then... I won’t let this matter drop!

“Heaven’s law won’t permit it!

“30,000 meters of light won’t permit it!

“The Grand Emperor won’t permit it!”

The Captain’s eyes were completely bloodshot as his voice got louder and louder until it was a howl that filled the Justice Palace.

Furthermore, someone somehow tapped into a technique that caused thunder to rumble in the sky, shaking everything. Lightning crashed, illuminating the face of the statue of Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity. The dome of heaven was furious, and the Ancient Emperor was enraged.

1. The specific type of table here does not have a common translation, nor is there a detailed description. However, if you’ve seen any Chinese period drama show, you have likely seen a traditional table like this. Presumably it’s a variation on that type of table. ☜

2. Xu Qing razed the Golden Vajra Warrior Sect to the ground in the chapter entitled such, chapter 46. ☜