Chapter 132: Threat From Xia Hanshi
The hall fell silent for a moment, with only faint breathing sounds.
“Take this Heituo Follower’s corpse down and keep an eye on it,” Jiang Shumo said. Several judges entered from outside and carried the corpse away.
“What do you all think?” Chong Jingtian surveyed everyone.
“This Heituo Follower showing up is quite coincidental,” Wei Yufan said slowly, “Happening just as we’re all gathered here. Someone must have tipped him off.”
“When you speak, you need evidence,” Ming Lin glanced at him, as they were never on good terms. “The Chief Judges just emphasized this; spouting nonsense is not allowed.”
“Although this Heituo Follower arrived shortly after Zhong Ming, it doesn’t mean he’s involved.”
Wei Yufan snorted coldly. He wasn’t talking about Zhong Ming.
Zhong Ming’s face darkened. He knew Ming Lin was just using “coincidence” as an example.
“Indeed,” Lei Tieyan interjected. The relationships within the Court of Justice were complex, and his most important task as head of the Adjudication Department was to ensure everything was unimpeachable.
Proving Meng Qi was problematic required evidence, and proving a connection between the Heituo Follower and Teng Liang also required evidence.
They couldn’t just claim it was a coincidence; what would be the difference from what Teng Liang just said?
Su Chen remained calm. After eradicating the Heituo Priest’s lair and discovering traces of Divine Blood, he had earned merit by stepping on Heituo Followers. Naturally, no one would point fingers at him.
“The Strange Gods might be infighting,” one Director speculated. “Assuming Chu Xuan was killed by Meng Qi, and Meng Qi became a Core Seed, their infiltration objectives would have been achieved.”
He paused here, glancing at Chong Jingtian and others, feeling the topic was sensitive, touching upon the reputations of several Chief Judges.
He quickly moved past this topic, “But today, we cleared out the Heituo Follower’s lair in the city, and the harvest was substantial.”
“This means that even though the Faceless Ghost Followers committed the act and reaped the benefits, the Heituo Followers had to bear the consequences, suffering significant losses.”
“It’s normal for the Heituo Followers to be unwilling to accept this.”
What he said made sense, and many nodded in agreement. The conflicts among these Strange God Followers were no less intense than their own, perhaps even more so.
“So it’s that simple to prove Meng Qi killed Chu Xuan and Teng Liang is innocent?” someone shook their head. “The talent increase is strange, but it could also be that Meng Qi took on certain professions.”
“With those inexplicable White Chains, perhaps Teng Liang laid a trap beforehand.”
Jiang Shumo’s eyes flickered. He had personally followed Meng Qi and harbored suspicions, but he found nothing amiss until he was deceived by Bu Siqi.
“Teng Liang, do you have anything to say?” Jiang Shumo suddenly spoke, bringing Teng Liang back in.
“I didn’t kill him; he committed suicide. If I had killed him, not even a corpse would remain,” Teng Liang repeated his statement.
Jiang Shumo’s brows furrowed, finding the matter quite troublesome and difficult to resolve.
“Even if Meng Qi has issues, it doesn’t mean Teng Liang is innocent. There are too many unexplained aspects,” Xue Fei said.
“He didn’t test Wei Yufan, he didn’t test Zhong Ming, he didn’t test Ming Lin, but he specifically tested Meng Qi. This can’t be explained by intuition.”
“Just as we were about to deal with him, a Heituo Follower suddenly appeared to clear his name.”
“There’s no direct evidence proving a causal relationship between these two,” a Director shook his head. “Xue Fei, stop quibbling.”
Seeing the conversation about to turn back to why Meng Qi was targeted, Teng Liang pondered, “If I must say, it was because of my teacher’s instructions.”
Silence fell in the hall. Xue Fei snorted, “We told you from the beginning, don’t think you can get away with shifting the blame to Xia Hanshi.”
“You call out Xia Hanshi too?”
Su Chen, who had been silent, suddenly spoke, his gaze sweeping over. Xue Fei’s face flushed with anger, and he said coldly, “Old Xia acts as he pleases; he wouldn’t care about such trivial matters.”
“Xue Fei, watch your words,” Jiang Shumo said mildly.
Xue Fei’s expression turned serious. “Whether Meng Qi has issues or not, and how Teng Liang is dealt with, a conclusion must be reached. Otherwise, such ‘tests’ might not be uncommon in the future.”
If Teng Liang could “test” Meng Qi today, others could “test” Su Chen and the like in the future.
Su Chen remained silent. The appearance of the Heituo Follower was a risky move, as it was indeed coincidental, but it was the lesser of two evils.
Just then, a commotion was heard from outside the hall again; it was Bu Siqi.
He entered the hall, panting, as if he hadn’t stopped at all, and immediately shouted:
“Chief Judge Xia has an urgent report!”
Xia Hanshi arrived, though belatedly, and everyone’s expression was varied.
Before Chong Jingtian could tell him to speak, Bu Siqi said urgently:
“My teacher said, anyone who dares to lay a finger on Teng Liang before he returns had better ensure that the person who acts, and all their relatives and friends, never leave Ying Feng in their lifetime!”
“This is outright rebellion!” Chong Jingtian roared in anger, standing up and shouting, “What does he think he’s doing? Is he trying to rebel against the Court of Justice?”
“Does he really think the Court of Justice has to cater to his every whim? Xue Fei, you will investigate this matter. Teng Liang will be dealt with as he should be!”
Xue Fei, whose name was called, stiffened and quickly said, “Chief, I have to leave Ying Feng for a mission tomorrow. There’s no time to delay.”
“You can’t? Then who do you think can handle this important task?” Chong Jingtian frowned. “Recommend someone to me.”
Xue Fei, sweating profusely, looked around. Everyone’s eyes darted away, avoiding his gaze. Those who met his eyes did so with fierce glares, as if issuing a threat.
No one dared to ignore the threat from Xia Hanshi.
More crucially, Meng Qi now had suspicious aspects; it was highly probable he was indeed problematic. If Xia Hanshi then accused them of framing him, they would die unjustly.
“Chief, I believe we should investigate Meng Qi first,” Xue Fei said helplessly. “There are also many doubts surrounding him.”
“What are your opinions?” Chong Jingtian’s gaze was sharp. No one dared to look up, and they responded in low voices, “Further investigation is advisable.”
Bu Siqi looked surprised, not expecting his teacher’s threat to be so effective. He had said it with bated breath.
Killing a Core Seed was no small matter, and threats depended on the situation. Threatening someone in a sure death scenario could provoke widespread anger.
On the way back, he had secretly messaged Su Chen to ask what to do, but Su Chen told him to announce it directly in front of everyone.
He didn’t expect it to be so effective. These people were too easily intimidated.
“Each and every one of you is truly a pillar of my Court of Justice,” Chong Jingtian said, shaking his head in disappointment.
Everyone secretly grumbled. After the Heituo Follower appeared, the case was no longer clear-cut. Regardless of the latter’s intentions, Meng Qi was likely problematic.
Even if he colluded with Teng Liang, they had to investigate thoroughly first.
Their own Chief was clearly seizing an opportunity to back down and shifting the blame of “cowardice” onto them.
“I will be responsible for the further investigation,” Jiang Shumo took over, “Take the corpse and Teng Liang down.”
The case had a conclusion: it shifted from Teng Liang killing a Core Seed to killing a suspected Faceless Ghost Follower.
Su Chen breathed a sigh of relief. This was sufficient.
Teng Liang himself was clean, and Meng Qi was not. The more thorough the investigation, the better.
“Chief!” Bu Siqi couldn’t help but call out as Chong Jingtian was about to leave.
“What is it now?” Chong Jingtian frowned.
“There’s an urgent report…” Bu Siqi explained, his face now etched with fear after regaining his composure. “A truly urgent report.”
Chong Jingtian’s expression turned serious, and he said sternly, “Come with me.”
Chong Jingtian and two others left with Bu Siqi. The remaining people discussed in low voices for a while, many gazes intersecting and converging on Su Chen before quickly dispersing.
“Meng Qi… was indeed a disguised Faceless Ghost Follower.” Ming Lin appeared worried. “Has the Faceless Ghost reached this level?”
Su Chen shook his head. “Didn’t you hear what the Heituo Follower said? He was most likely a Strange God Carrier, not a regular follower.”
“Come to think of it, that Meng Qi was a bit strange.” Ming Lin speculated retrospectively, “He took on the Bloody Butcher profession without any notable commotion, and the amount of potions consumed was also unusual. After the Arena Battle, he took Chu Xuan out several times.”
“Moreover, given the intensity of his profession, even if Third Order was a top-tier profession, his First and Second Orders were lagging. How could he defeat Feng Ze? What the Heituo Follower said is most likely true.”
“I believe my Senior Brother,” Su Chen smiled.
There was no doubt about Meng Qi’s issues. It was just that before anyone suspected his identity, others wouldn’t think too deeply.
All it took was to plant a seed of doubt, and others would naturally discover more discrepancies.
“But it will be troublesome in the future. Who can guarantee that a second Meng Qi won’t appear?” Ming Lin sighed.
“We have the corpse in our hands, so we’ll definitely find something amiss,” Su Chen replied.
“Indeed…” Ming Lin nodded. After chatting for a while, Ming Lin left, while Su Chen waited for Bu Siqi to emerge.
It was two to three hours later when Bu Siqi finally came out, looking dazed.
“Senior Brother,” Su Chen emerged from the shadows, startling him.
“…A Heituo Follower actually showed up to identify Meng Qi?” Bu Siqi looked at Su Chen. He had been greatly alarmed when Chong Jingtian informed him of this news.
Only then did he understand why his teacher’s threat had been so effective. Doubts had already arisen, so naturally, no one dared to risk offending Xia Hanshi again.
“Old Teng, is he somehow involved with the Heituo Followers?” Bu Siqi suddenly asked out of the blue.
Su Chen looked speechless. Bu Siqi also knew he had said something foolish; the day’s events had simply been overwhelming.
He returned to his residence with Su Chen, looking as though he had something to say. Finally, he couldn’t help but ask, “Su Chen, did teacher really tell Old Teng to watch Meng Qi before he left?”
“Yes. When Teacher told me, I was also surprised. Meng Qi seemed so timid, how could he be problematic?” Su Chen also mused, “I didn’t expect it.”
When he asked Bu Siqi to contact Old Xia, he had instructed him to hint to Old Xia to put the blame for targeting Meng Qi onto him.
Old Xia proved reliable as always and took the blame directly.
“Teacher didn’t tell me again,” Bu Siqi felt a pang of resentment. “Am I that unreliable?”
“For matters like this, Senior Brother Teng should bear it. Teacher is also concerned about you,” Su Chen comforted him.
Bu Siqi nodded repeatedly. “That’s right. Look at Old Teng, he’ll likely be in the Adjudication Department for a long time.”
“It was originally a merit, but who knew Meng Qi would commit suicide so decisively,” Su Chen sighed, changing the subject. “Did teacher have any urgent reports?”
Bu Siqi’s thoughts were in a whirl. Hearing Su Chen’s words, he suddenly snapped back to attention and slapped his thigh, “I almost forgot! Something big has happened.”
“In the southern cities like Baihe, Zixiao, and Biyue, traces of large-scale Strange God Follower activity have been discovered. Teacher has personally killed three City Lords and a large number of management personnel, totaling several thousand people.”
“Even so, those guys managed to slip through. One city was almost successfully subjected to a Blood Sacrifice.”
Su Chen showed a look of shock, but inwardly, he was not surprised.
“The most outrageous thing is, do you know? Teacher had even notified the four Chief Judges who went with him in advance, heading straight for several cities, as if he already knew those places had problems.”
Bu Siqi repeatedly exclaimed, “Teacher is getting more and more mysterious. How does he have such a nose for things, able to smell those Strange Gods even in Ying Feng?”
The Court of Justice had nine Chief Judges. After Chong Jingtian became Chief Judge, he no longer left Ying Feng, while the other eight were often out.
The information uncovered from the downfall of the Pang Family led the Court of Justice to dispatch several Chief Judges to suspected areas.
“What a shame…” Bu Siqi’s tone turned cold. “That damned Wei Yinshuo didn’t take Teacher’s words to heart, leading to two cities being subjected to a Blood Sacrifice. He himself is also missing.”
“Hmm?” Su Chen’s expression jolted. Wei Yinshuo missing. Truly, how unpredictable life is…
Bu Siqi nodded. “This is today’s urgent report. As for the previous matters, the Chief told me.”
“Furthermore, Teacher also discovered traces of Yuan Du people.”
“Yuan Du?” Su Chen showed a look of inquiry. This was something he didn’t know.
“That’s right,” Bu Siqi added. “Besides Strange God Followers, those cities also showed signs of activity from the Yuan Du ‘Papal Court’.”
Ying Feng, Yuan Du, Lie Yang, and Tian Qing, the Four Cities that governed Crimson Thunder Star, was information Su Chen had learned on his way to Ying Feng.
The Four Cities each had their own characteristics. Yuan Du’s Papal Court was one of them. In simple terms, they also worshipped gods, but they worshipped so-called gods of justice.
“Those old hypocrites, who knows what devious plans they’re hatching,” Bu Siqi sneered repeatedly. “They’ve been peaceful for only ten years, and now they’re causing trouble again. They’re courting death.”
Su Chen noticed the coldness in Bu Siqi’s words and couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t the relationships between the Four Cities one of joint governance?”
“Joint governance?” Bu Siqi scoffed. “That’s all lies. The Four Cities are almost enemies, if not outright.”
“Ying Feng was not the first city on this land. After developing to a certain extent, they engaged in years of warfare and slaughter, and only after merging did the current landscape form.”
“Perhaps it was because the Four Cities realized they could no longer completely annihilate each other that they suddenly eased relations, began trade and communication, and gradually erased records of past wars.”
Su Chen listened intently. This information was not recorded in any documents, and it was the first time he had learned of it.
He asked for more, but Bu Siqi didn’t know much either, only that the relationship between the Four Cities began to ease about ten years ago.
“And the easing of relations was also very inexplicable,” Bu Siqi said, becoming interested here. “At that time, I was about the same age as you. One day I was following the war between Ying Feng and Yuan Du, filled with righteous indignation.”
“Then, the next day, they announced a ceasefire. It was very strange, you know?”
