Chapter 2437: Person and Goods Both Obtained

Shangguan Biao was startled, flashing his body to dodge the sudden lash from above, and at the same time shouted: "Why are you tying me up!"

"You've committed an offense, don't you know it yourself?" Zhao Jian Gong sneered, "Hurry up and follow me back, await your punishment!"

"Wait, wait!" Shangguan Biao dodged while shouting, "The Earth Mother's nest just had a sudden earthquake, Senior Brother Wang fell into the abyss on his own, truly has nothing to do with me!"

"Senior Brother Wang? Wang Hefeng?" Zhao Jian Gong frowned, "What does he have to do with it?"

"The sect took him, isn't it because of Senior Brother Wang's death?" Shangguan Biao shouted: "Then what exactly is the matter? Zhao Da, I've always been respectful to you, never negligent!"

"Colluding inside and out, privately trafficking spiritual medicines." Zhao Jian Gong coldly said, "Still pretending to be innocent? Your accomplices have already confessed against you."

"What?" Shangguan Biao was greatly startled, his steps froze in place, the crowd surged forward and pressed him down, the three-finger-wide chain immediately locked onto his joints.

This chain can bind a criminal's cultivation, sealing their power. Shangguan Biao, once chained, felt his body like poured sand and lead, truly becoming an ordinary mortal.

"What private trafficking of spiritual medicines, who did I collude with, where's the evidence?"

He fired questions in rapid succession, but Zhao Jian Gong could give no answer, only stuffed his mouth and ordered his subordinates:

"Take him back, Elder Wu wants to personally interrogate."

Zhu Xiuer, aided by the eyeball spider, heard this from here, let out a surprised sound, and asked He Lingchuan: "Private trafficking of spiritual medicines? Could it not be what that Xu surnamed person mentioned earlier..."

"Most likely." He Lingchuan nodded, "Someone from Duzhishan has been secretly selling spiritual herbs, caught red-handed. 'Senior Brother Xu' said the thieves confessed their accomplices, and said this accomplice usually appeared diligent and hardworking."

"Did the thieves confess Shangguan Biao?" Zhu Xiuer wasn't stupid either, "You think, what's the likelihood he's been falsely accused?"

Mingke Xianren replied without hesitation: "Over ninety percent."

He Lingchuan also said: "Although Shangguan Biao just killed someone, given his current mindset, he's still thinking of achieving merit for promotion. Privately trafficking spiritual medicines, such an unreliable act, once caught would be cutting off his own future—he wouldn't do it."

Only someone who knows their future is hopeless would pursue such gains.

Sure enough, after Shangguan Biao was escorted back to the three-row houses, he saw Elder Wu sitting upright in solemn posture.

The high-ranking sect elder, usually unapproachable, unexpectedly had to deal with him closely in this situation.

On the ground knelt two others, also bound by chains, he recognized them—both were herbal workers from Duzhishan.

Around them stood a large circle of disciples watching.

As soon as Shangguan Biao arrived, Elder Wu pointed at him and asked: "Is it him?"

The two looked up at Shangguan Biao, nodded repeatedly like pounding garlic: "Yes, yes, it's him, Shangguan Biao!"

Shangguan Biao was both startled and angry: "I've never offended you before, why are you framing me to death!?"

Having been demoted from inner disciple to herbal worker of Duzhishan, he already carried several charges on his back; if falsely accused again, it wouldn't just be adding insult to injury!

The sect would surely punish him severely, he fears he may never recover!

The two laborers lowered their heads, avoiding eye contact with him.

Shangguan Biao suddenly lifted his head, facing Elder Wu: "Baseless accusations—if just their bloody slander could convict me, then in Duzhishan, who couldn't they frame?"

As Elder Wu was about to respond, two disciples rushed in from outside, presenting a package:

"Elder, this was found in Shangguan Biao's room, hidden in the hollow wood at the head of the bed."

Hollow wood at the head of the bed?

Shangguan Biao knew that piece of wood had long been hollowed by termites, so he used the bedhead to block it, but he had never put anything inside.

Elder Wu reached out and opened the package, inside were three or four storage rings.

He picked them up one by one, weighed them, probed with divine sense, his face growing increasingly stern.

Then he poured out the contents of the storage rings onto the ground.

The first ring contained over twenty bundles of herbs, tightly wrapped in cowhide paper.

The second ring held only three roots of ginseng, but they were blood-jade old ginseng of ample years—this stuff, thumb-thick, is century ginseng, but these three roots' diameter nearly matched two thumbs thick.

The third ring contained four jars. Elder Wu opened the lids, sniffed, nodded: "All are sect-secretly manufactured ointments. Good, very good!"

He looked at Shangguan Biao: "You wanted evidence, what else do you have to say?"

"I, I..." Shangguan Biao's lips trembled, his throat very dry, the three words "framed" afterward, he could not utter them no matter how hard he tried.

He's not stupid, this is clearly someone setting a trap to harm him!

Material and testimonial evidence are all ready, his denials are useless no matter how he tries.

To prove his innocence, he'd also need "evidence"—now it's his turn to be baseless.

Elder Wu's brows knotted into a severe line: "I initially didn't believe it, but Zhao Jian Gong told me your performance in Duzhishan has been especially good, you're due for transfer in a few months. Why would you ruin your own future?"

Shangguan Biao nearly shattered his teeth, squeezing out a few words from between his teeth: "Not me! I want to appeal, I want a retrial!"

Over a hundred years ago, Fenggu Valley also had a major case, disciples with solid evidence, enforcers without hesitation, executed him on the spot. But eight years later, the real culprit was caught, leading to the truth of that year, everyone then knew they had wronged the innocent.

But the dead cannot be revived.

Since then, Fenggu Valley added a retrial procedure, allowing criminals a period to gather evidence and prove their innocence.

"Want a retrial? Allowed." Elder Wu said solemnly, "But remember, if the retrial fails, the sect will punish you even more severely!"

Initiating the retrial process consumes sect resources and time. This comes at a cost.

"Yes!" Shangguan Biao could only go all in, "I accept!"

"Take him away."

……

He Lingchuan and the three others, on their way to the Earth Mother's nest, saw everything that happened under the Ghost Claw Locust through the eyeball spider.

Zhu Xiuer couldn't help but ask He Lingchuan: "We outsiders all know Shangguan Biao was framed, don't the Fenggu Valley people know?" "Knowing changes nothing," He Lingchuan stretched lazily, "Anyway, it's already 'person and goods both obtained.' Next, if Shangguan Biao doesn't make a strong counterattack, this blame will be firmly placed on his head."

But the three have seen later history, knowing Shangguan Biao eventually seized the opportunity and safely passed through this framing.

The question is, how did he do it?

Mingke Xianren habitually observed all directions: "Where exactly is the master of the Secret Realm hiding, why hasn't he shown himself yet?"

What exactly does the controller of this Secret Realm plan to do to us few uninvited guests?

He Lingchuan however said: "Perhaps he has already acted."

"You mean?"

"The more I think about it, the more I feel that the golden lotus is laced with a very malicious trap."