Chapter 209: Take Them All Down

“A messenger from Elder Fang is here…”

Even Elders Green Pine and Cold Stone were startled upon hearing this, scrambling to their feet.

Both had already been deeply unsettled and uncertain by the tense situation.

Although they had specifically rushed from Shoushan Sect to accompany Young Sect Master Xu, they felt profoundly uneasy throughout. No one was truly clueless about reading the room. The aggressive shopkeepers, the blatant resistance and annoyance from the various Chief Wardens — who couldn’t see it all? If not for the absolute necessity of this matter, who would willingly sit here enduring snide remarks, feeling like sitting on pins and needles, yet gritting their teeth to confront these people?

Feeling utterly overwhelmed, they instinctively wanted to seek Elder Fang’s counsel. After all, this younger Elder, though recently joined Shoushan Sect, had always proven highly reliable. But unfortunately, Elder Fang was currently visiting the Five Sects, studying scriptures and ancient texts – such important cultivation matters couldn’t be interrupted. They had no choice but to endure it, silently supporting Young Sect Master Xu in this standoff within the County Mansion…

And now, Elder Fang’s message had arrived.

Instantly, it felt like gaining a pillar of support…

“Neigh!”

Just as everyone in the hall felt a surge of agitation, they saw a figure clad in a grey robe — Xiao Qingliu — directly riding a large warhorse through the County Mansion gates. Even after entering, he didn’t dismount. Instead, he spurred his horse straight into the front courtyard, charging arrogantly towards the main hall, acting as if no one was present. Divine Guards and Secretaries lined both sides, yet none dared to step forward and stop him.

“Where is Xu Wenxin?”

He shouted as half his horse pushed into the hall before he yanked on the reins. “The Young Master has a message for you!”

The gathered shopkeepers were momentarily stunned that this servant dared to shout the Shoushan Sect Leader’s name directly. His brazen actions, however, inexplicably reassured them. Exchanging glances, smiles unconsciously crept onto their faces.

“Xu Wenxin is here!”

Young Sect Master Xu also stood up within the hall, his expression serious. “What instructions from Elder Fang?”

Xiao Qingliu cleared his throat and bellowed coldly, “The Young Master commands me to ask you some questions. Listen carefully!”

“First question: Who is in charge of Shoushan Sect? Is it him, or is it you?”

“Second question: Does Shoushan Sect aim to rejoin the Six Sects, or will it make enemies of Qingjiang’s cultivators?”

“Third question: Do you even understand the rules of the cultivation world?”

“Fourth question: What evidence do you have that you dare to spew such slander?”

“……”

“Whoosh!”

Upon hearing this, the shopkeepers’ faces flashed with wild joy.

They had learned of this indirectly through messages, but witnessing this little sect leader, who had tormented them for a month, being publicly scolded like this offered a profound sense of relief. What reassured them most was that Shoushan Sect had long been a has-been. No one cared about them before. It was solely because this Second Young Master Fang came to Willow Lake, helped them recover their Treasures Body Method, and led the hunt against the Demon Hound that the sect won such a large reputation. To a certain extent, what worried the Five Sects and Seven Clans wasn’t Shoushan Sect, but Second Young Master Fang.

Now that Second Young Master Fang had so starkly declared his stance, who in Shoushan Sect would have the audacity to pursue this matter?

“This…”

Hearing these words, the two Shoushan Sect Elders also jolted, exchanging complex looks.

The impassive Young Sect Master Xu remained silent for a very long time.

Finally, he slowly raised his head and looked at the two Elders. “Since the Young Master has spoken thus, what do the two Elders think?”

Elders Green Pine and Cold Stone were silent for a moment. Elder Green Pine finally spoke, “Such a matter needs no asking, does it?”

Elder Cold Stone sighed. “You are the Sect Leader…”

Young Sect Master Xu nodded, his expression still icy, but his eyes seemed to redden.

He then turned to Xiao Qingliu. “Convey my gratitude to the Young Master!”

Xiao Qingliu smiled and agreed.

Then Young Sect Master Xu, who had spoken little amidst the shopkeepers’ and minor family heads’ sneers, suddenly straightened his back. His gaze turned sharp as lightning and swept across the gathered shopkeepers and the prefecture’s Chief Wardens. Abruptly, he slammed a stack of dossiers onto the table.

“These,” he declared, “are the ledgers I seized from Crow Mountain, along with the list of personnel colluding with various shops!”

“In them, you’ll find detailed manifests of goods, gold, and silver traded by three major shops with Crow Mountain!”

“The other part reveals the secret trade routes, station points, and channels for fencing stolen goods used by four other major shops dealing with the Demon Lord of the Southern Borderlands! You’ll find the amounts of Demon Cores traded, even down to the specific shops selling them, and the code words used during transactions!”

“In the courtyard, I also have apprehended several Rogue Cultivators who bought Demon Cores from them!”

Inside the County Mansion hall, Young Sect Master Xu swiftly sorted the stack of dossiers and shoved them towards Chief Warden Xue. He spoke as though gritting his teeth, fixing the Chief Warden with a cold stare. “Is this enough for you to make arrests?”

Hearing this, Chief Warden Xue was thunderstruck. But… but Second Young Master Fang had already spoken like that… How could he…?

He briefly considered stalling like before. But seeing Young Sect Master Xu’s dangerous demeanor, he hesitated. After all, no matter how they looked down on Shoushan Sect’s decline, this was still a Sect Leader, and a Golden Core Realm Qi Refiner!

Before another thought could finish forming, Young Sect Master Xu spoke expressionlessly: “I am a Sect Leader. I have endured a month of wasted words with you here, exhausting all reason and warnings. If you, this insignificant Chief Warden, continue to play the fool before me, know that Xu Wenxin also has a temper! Today, if you refuse to arrest them, I will do it myself! If Qingjiang Prefecture wants no part, I can just as easily appeal for justice at the Divine Palace!”

“Those are my final words!”

He slowly turned, his Qi roiling fiercely, filling the space around him. “Shoushan Sect detests those who collude with demons and monsters. Since I have uncovered their crimes, I will pursue this matter to the end! Even if it means forfeiting a chance to rejoin the Six Sects! Even if it means making enemies of all cultivators in Qingjiang! It matters not!”

……

Simultanously, at the gates of the County Mansion, a sudden gust of eerie wind swept through, so abrupt it sent the surrounding common folk scattering in panic. They feared some demonic intruder had breached the city. But when the wind subsided, they saw several figures in its wake. Bound tightly with ropes, visibly injured, these individuals knelt limply before the Mansion, utterly spiritless.

“What in the…”

One bold citizen cautiously approached and saw white banners hanging from them, inscribed with words.

Reading them carefully, the citizen’s expression only grew more shocked and fearful.

……

“Trouble! Trouble!”

Inside the hall, an oppressive silence already reigned when chaos erupted outside again.

Everyone hurriedly looked towards the entrance as a constable rushed in, looking as if he’d seen a ghost, shouting, “Chief Warden! Trouble! Someone has bound seven or eight people and dumped them right in front of the Mansion! A note attached says these are the very shopkeepers and workers responsible for deals with Crow Mountain, including the very caravan masters handling the shipments! They’re just waiting for us to take them in…”

“Thud!”

The Chief Warden shot to his feet only to slump back down into his seat like a puppet with its strings cut.

The group of shopkeepers were completely dumbstruck, their expressions suggesting they’d been struck by lightning.

“I confess! I confess! I’ll tell everything!…”

At that moment, the bound men outside were being escorted in by constables. Almost as soon as they entered the hall, they burst out screaming, frantic and unhinged: “I’m the sub-manager of Sanjiang Trading! All deals with Crow Mountain went through me!…”

“I’m the secretary of Daqiao Merchants! I have copies of every record! Right here!…”

“That shipment to the Bai Family? Sent to Crow Mountain? I handled the escort! I… I can testify!…”

……

Amidst the tearful wails and shouts, confessions poured out without anyone even needing to question them.

They didn’t appear under any Soul Captivation Art either; they were willingly spilling everything, practically fighting each other to disclose the information.

Dead silence once again descended upon the hall.

“You… how dare you touch us!…”

“Where did you find these people? I’ve never seen that man before!…”

After a dizzying moment of shock, some among the shopkeepers finally jumped to their feet. While shouting harsh challenges, they shot frantic glances towards the hall’s entrance. Others instinctively lunged towards the table piled with dossiers. They had no idea how this happened, how these hidden individuals suddenly surfaced here and confessed everything.

But one thing was crystal clear: they were in deep, deep trouble.

“Nobody move!”

At the precise moment countless questions exploded in their minds, Young Sect Master Xu spoke softly.

His voice was low, yet it carried an oppressive weight, freezing them in their tracks physically.

No one knew exactly what was happening, but everyone sensed that this young Shoushan Sect Leader had abruptly gained immense confidence…

“Chief Warden Xue…”

Young Sect Master Xu turned his gaze to the likewise stunned Chief Warden above. “Do you wish to make the arrests yourself, or should I take you into custody along with them?”

His appearance remained seemingly honest and unremarkable, but his voice now carried an undeniable edge of impatience.

Chief Warden Xue snapped out of his daze. The decision cost him no mental effort.

He barked an order to his subordinates, “Arrest them immediately! What are you waiting for?!”

……

“Working for Young Master, it really is different from before…”

At the same moment, in a building overlooking the County Mansion plaza, a man in white robes, holding a folding fan, watched with amusement as the group of tightly bound figures was escorted into the building. A commotion soon erupted inside. Satisfied, he turned to the woman in red robes beside him with a smile. “Before, we used our arts to either flee or seize treasures… Now… we’re actually helping apprehend criminals…”

“You understand nothing!”

The woman in red kicked her feet up on the table, picking at her teeth with a toothpick before spitting disdainfully. “Young Master said this is called ‘Jianghu’!”

“You get to be the noble hero in flowing white robes!”

“And I, damnit, get to be the enchanting heroine to whom everyone bows!”