Chapter 127: The Tokens
Chapter 127: The Tokens
Law Enforcement Area, Mirror Hall.
“I wish to file a complaint!”
A clear voice, carrying a faint hint of a dragon’s roar, jolted awake the drowsy middle-aged mage.
“Who is it? Daring to disturb Master Chen’s sweet dream…” Rubbing his bleary eyes, the middle-aged mage frowned, his mouth uttering filthy words.
His nose twitched, catching a scent. His expression suddenly changed.
“My name is Chen Xiang, the mage in charge of complaints. May I ask your honorable surname, young man?” Chen Xiang lowered his posture, his smile impeccably polite.
The reason he could hold this position securely was no accident. Not only was he completely familiar with the bloodline charts—the “Hundred Family Names”—he also possessed a nose no less keen than a mastiff’s, with incredibly sharp perception.
He clearly smelled that the other party’s aura was faint and unsteady, as if his soul was damaged. Yet, his body overflowed with a deep, prison-dragon-like aura; his bloodline was incredibly powerful, terrifying beyond words!
And the man beside him, who hadn’t uttered a word, had an aura so light and faint it was almost imperceptible. Even Chen Xiang’s nose couldn’t detect any scent—clearly an extremely advanced concealment technique.
“These two are definitely not ordinary people. I must treat them carefully…” Chen Xiang thought to himself, maintaining a smile on his face.
Li Yi slightly furrowed his brows.
The man before him had shifty eyes and a sly look. While speaking, he sneakily looked Li Yi up and down, lacking any trace of a law enforcement mage’s dignity.
Moreover, he didn’t first ask about the nature of the complaint but directly inquired about identity, which was even more contemptible.
“Li Yi!” Li Yi said curtly, curling his lip.
“May I ask if it’s the ‘Lionheart’ Li Family?” Chen Xiang immediately asked about his background.
“No.” Li Yi shook his head.
“Then, the ‘Cold Crow’ Li Family?” Chen Xiang asked again.
“No.”
“The ‘Xuanpin’ Li Family?” Chen Xiang persisted.
“No need to ask anymore. I’m just a commoner,” Li Yi said impatiently, his tone indifferent.
“A commoner?” The smile on Chen Xiang’s face instantly cooled considerably.
So what if his talent was good? Without a powerful background as support, geniuses who fell halfway were as numerous as hairs on an ox.
“Speak. Who do you wish to complain about?” He tilted his head, asking lazily.
“Yu Qian!” Li Yi spat out a name crisply, his voice soft. “That man is ruthless and cruel. He intended to murder me and almost succeeded!”
“Yu Qian? I think I’ve heard that name…” Chen Xiang blinked, somewhat puzzled. Suddenly, his face changed, and he jumped up. “Wait, isn’t that the Heaven’s Pride of the Yu Clan? The person you’re complaining about is him?”
Li Yi nodded.
Chen Xiang sat back down, his expression turning colder and colder, as if pushing people a thousand miles away.
“What’s wrong?” Li Yi asked calmly, showing no emotion.
“Since you wish to complain about him, please present evidence.” Crossing his arms in front of him, Chen Xiang grinned. “Without evidence, it’s slander, and you will be punished…”
A mere commoner, daring to complain about a scion of a noble family? How utterly naive! Young and impulsive should have its limits!
Pretending not to hear the threat in the other’s tone, Li Yi said indifferently, “Weren’t ‘Magic Eyes’ and ‘Listening Shadow Ears’ installed throughout The Precipice? I can provide the time and location. There should be magical recordings.”
“Please present the evidence yourself,” Chen Xiang said smugly, putting one leg on the table. “Our Mirror Hall is very busy…”
Slap!
A token was slapped onto the table.
“A Zhang Family Guest Elder Token?” Chen Xiang’s eyes widened instantly.
This young man was actually a Guest Elder of the “Jiangyue” Zhang Family?
Despite being full of doubts, this status was not something he could look down upon anymore.
“Really have to present evidence myself?” Li Yi asked again.
“Present evidence yourself? How could that be? Just joking…” Chen Xiang stood up, apologizing with a smile. “However, there are many ‘Magic Eyes’ and ‘Listening Shadow Ears.’ Gathering the information will take some time. Three months! Within three months, it will definitely be resolved!”
He was thinking of using a “delaying” tactic.
Although a Zhang Family Guest Elder carried weight, it still wasn’t enough compared to a Yu Clan Heaven’s Pride.
“Three months?”
Slap!
Another token was slapped onto the table. The design of a sword-robed dragon rider seemed to leap from its surface.
“A Jianpao Token?”
Chen Xiang stared blankly, his body trembling violently like a sieve.
This was the clan token of the Jianpao Wang Clan! In the military, their word was law; it held terrifying power akin to a tiger tally!
How was this possible? A mere commoner, how could he have a Jianpao Token?
But this item was definitely not a fake!
“Half a month! Within half a month, I will definitely…” His knees felt weak; he almost swore an oath, his voice distorted.
Slap!
Li Yi’s movements didn’t stop. Another token was slapped onto the table.
“A Chengying Token?”
Chen Xiang was indeed experienced; he even recognized the less common Chengying Token.
And precisely because he recognized it, he was even more shocked!
The Chengying Token was the token of the Imperial Forest Shadow Guard. It was said the holder had the power of life and death, to kill at will!
His face could no longer be described as merely twisted. Terror, flattery, fear, regret—countless expressions piled together, his face full of wrinkles.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Zhangsun Shenji patted his head, as if just remembering. “This brother of mine is also a disciple of Master Wu Yi.”
“Master Wu Yi?”
This sentence was yet another thunderclap.
As an Armament Master, Wu Yi’s status in The Precipice was no less than that of the Nine Great Elders.
“May I ask, you are…” Chen Xiang felt like crying but had no tears, afraid he might have missed something, so he tentatively asked.
“My name is Zhangsun Shenji.” Zhangsun Shenji smiled elegantly, revealing snow-white teeth. “Oh, no need to ask. It’s that Zhangsun.”
Little brother, couldn’t you have revealed all your backing at once?
Chen Xiang’s expression changed a thousand times, more unpredictable than the weather in midsummer.
Slap!
This time, it was Chen Xiang who slapped the table.
“Harming a fellow disciple is intolerable to both heaven and reason!” Chen Xiang sat upright, slapping the table, his righteousness as stern as Judge Bao’s. “I will begin the investigation immediately. Even if I lose my position, I will investigate to the end and show no leniency!”
At this moment, he knew all too clearly which side to take.
…
“Disappointed?” After leaving the Mirror Hall, seeing Li Yi’s ugly expression, Zhangsun Shenji asked with a smile.
“I thought Dawn Cliff should be fair.” Li Yi sighed softly, his expression downcast. “Other places, I dare not say, but an academy should be a pure land.”
“That’s just how reality is,” Zhangsun Shenji saw things clearly. “Want fairness? Make your fist hard enough, your background thick enough, and you’ll have fairness!”
“Within Dawn Cliff, all those rules and prohibitions—are they just for show?” Li Yi frowned, full of dissatisfaction.
“Don’t worry. Above the Mirror Hall, there’s the Punishment Hall.” Zhangsun Shenji comforted him. “If you had really died or been crippled, and the Punishment Hall acted, even a Heaven’s Pride couldn’t escape!”
“So, Dawn Cliff only steps in when serious consequences have already occurred?” Li Yi clenched his fist, feeling uncomfortable inside. “Then wouldn’t the noble families and clans be above the law?”
“Exactly!” Zhangsun Shenji nodded. “As long as they don’t cross the bottom line, nobles can act as they please.”
Li Yi fell silent.
“Absolute fairness—this world may never have it.” Zhangsun Shenji shook his head, speaking softly. “Do you know what the biggest lie of the noble families is?”
“What is it?” Li Yi asked curiously.
“The ‘Hundred Family Names’!”
“The ‘Hundred Family Names’?” Li Yi didn’t understand.
“The ‘Hundred Family Names’ is called a bloodline chart, but in reality, it’s a ranking of the noble families’ power! Noble bloodlines are noble, so their descendants are stronger? Nonsense! Children of noble families are nourished with rare treasures since childhood and receive focused cultivation from their families, so they naturally awaken their Bloodline Ability early! Commoner children have neither elixirs nor cultivation methods; of course they fall behind everywhere!”
Li Yi was hearing this for the first time. His expression changed sharply, and many things he hadn’t understood suddenly became clear.
“So, there’s no need to belittle yourself… Li Yi, I believe you can become a new noble family!”
So, all this talk was meant to console him.
Li Yi gave a wry smile.
“Don’t worry,” he patted his chest, stating solemnly. “A setback like this won’t defeat me!”
“What do you plan to do next?”
“Practice magic!”
“Level 2 spells?” Zhangsun Shenji was already used to Li Yi’s ability to leap levels.
“You understand me well…” Li Yi smiled slightly.
“For these three months, I will go into seclusion to comprehend the ‘Tears of a Fallen Beauty’,” Zhangsun Shenji said. “Unless there’s a special circumstance, I won’t see anyone.”
“Understood.”
Zhangsun Shenji thought for a moment, then reminded him again. “Be careful yourself, especially of Yu Qian! I think his attack on you isn’t that simple… As a Heaven’s Pride, he wouldn’t risk expulsion just over personal enmity to make trouble for you. There’s something else behind this.”
Li Yi nodded. In his heart, a shadow lingered, refusing to disperse for a long time.