Chapter 153

Yang Wenju and Bai Xiaohe were brought to court that day for adultery.

Many people gathered to watch, whispering among themselves, eager for a spectacle.

The presiding judge, Qiao Huaiyuan, saw the time was right and slammed his gavel.

"Silence!" he bellowed with a strong voice; the yamen runners and constables moved in unison.

The murmurs vanished instantly.

"Bring in the accused Yang," Qiao Huaiyuan began, but was interrupted by a commotion.

His face darkened with displeasure; he snapped: "Who is making noise outside?"

The crowd scattered quickly, clearing a path.

Three armored soldiers drove a war chariot pulled by four warhorses, stopping elegantly at the gate.

Qiao Huaiyuan's heart tightened—he had heard no word of any high-ranking official arriving in Lin Yuan City.

A man of extraordinary bearing stepped down from the chariot; one glance revealed his noble origins.

His clothing was not lavish, yet it suited him like a secret inspection in disguise.

His skin, too, bore no mark of ordinary life.

"I heard today's case was intriguing, so I came to observe. Is that too much to ask?" Chu Danqing strolled in slowly.

The three armored soldiers dismounted to clear a path for Chu Danqing; Da Bao followed behind as rear guard.

Qiao Huaiyuan immediately quelled his turbulent thoughts and declared: "This is a courtroom."

"Not allowed?" Chu Danqing raised an eyebrow, his tone challenging.

Seeing Chu Danqing's confidence, Qiao Huaiyuan felt uncertain—who was this man?

He wanted to order him beaten out with sticks.

But those three armored soldiers clearly weren't to be trifled with, let alone the warhorses outside.

"Left and right!" Qiao Huaiyuan barked, then lowered his voice: "Give this young master a seat."

He wouldn't risk his career on a gamble.

The yamen runners hurried to bring a grand armchair; Chu Danqing sat down without hesitation, as if he were the host.

This left Qiao Huaiyuan helpless, but the interruption passed—he continued: "Bring in the accused Yang Wenju and Bai Xiaohe for questioning."

Several constables dragged two men into the courtroom.

Both were covered in wounds, barely able to stand upright.

The crowd erupted in shock.

Even if they had confessed, wasn't this coerced testimony through torture?

"Yang Wenju, do you admit guilt?" Qiao Huaiyuan demanded.

"Spit." Yang Wenju spat out a mouthful of blood. "Baseless accusations—what crime have I committed?"

"Even if you torture me again, I won't confess!"

He held firm, his body broken but his spirit unyielding.

"Boring," Chu Danqing said with impatience. "I thought this was a real adultery-murder case to enjoy. Turns out it's just a coerced scapegoat."

"You carry on—I'm bored watching." Chu Danqing rose to leave.

Qiao Huaiyuan's face turned black.

Chu Danqing's words sounded insolent, but viewed differently, they directly undermined his verdict.

He now had only two choices.

One: refute Chu Danqing and punish him to preserve his authority.

Two: let Chu Danqing leave without action, which meant tacitly accepting his claim—and then the trial would be impossible.

Yang Wenju turned his gaze toward the voice and saw Chu Danqing; a flicker of gratitude appeared.

He recognized Chu Danqing as the man Wei Chu had brought to his home yesterday.

With Yang Wenju's wit, how could he not realize Chu Danqing was helping him?

But the man had limited resources—he seemed unable to do much.

"This young master speaks crudely, but his logic is sound," another voice spoke up.

A middle-aged man stepped forward, a steel fan hanging at his waist, his demeanor carefree and lazy.

Chu Danqing paused, glancing at the man.

Setting aside his aristocratic laziness, one could sense his extraordinary presence.

His stance was steady; the heavy steel fan at his waist remained unmoved.

To wield such a fan required immense strength.

Qiao Huaiyuan's heart clenched at the sight.

Why had so many disturbances arisen all at once?

"Silence!" Qiao Huaiyuan struck his gavel again, hoping to quell the whispers.

This time, it had no effect.

The man who supported Chu Danqing was Liu Bai, who had won the martial metropolitan examination twenty years ago.

He should have remained in the capital for office, but before he could take post, his mother died.

He returned home for three years of mourning; just as he prepared to return to the capital, his father died.

Back and forth, Liu Bai observed six years of mourning, and abandoned any thought of court service.

Yet the court did not neglect him—he was granted a nominal title. Though powerless, the title of top-ranked martial jinshi carried many privileges.

Land, housing, tax exemptions—all meant he could live luxuriously without doing a thing.

Even the elite of Lin Yuan City needed imperial approval before arresting him.

If denied, acting without authorization would invite imperial punishment.

"Director Liu, this is a courtroom," Qiao Huaiyuan said, displeased.

He wasn't afraid—Liu Bai was well known, so there was no real dread.

"What kind of words are those, Judge Qiao?" Liu Bai cut him off. "I'm listening from outside the courtroom—I haven't stepped inside."

"Am I not allowed to speak?"

Chu Danqing saw the situation at once—Liu Bai was here to save someone too.

He didn't know why, but as long as Liu Bai was on his side, it was enough.

Qiao Huaiyuan was speechless, fury rising but forced down.

Then he saw Chu Danqing sit back down in the armchair, watching like a spectator at a play.

He might as well have shouted: Keep going—I love this scene.

Trapped between internal and external pressure, Qiao Huaiyuan was caught between a rock and a hard place.

Liu Bai sensed the opening and pressed on: "Judge Qiao, you haven't even begun the hearing—why use torture first?"

"You shoot the arrow first, then draw the target."

"You've beaten them to this state—how you rule is entirely up to you."

"Why not just cut out their tongues and force their heads down to confess?"

"Why go through all this trouble?"

Chu Danqing thought the man was truly skilled—he spoke bluntly, yet with biting sarcasm.

The damage was excellent.

Qiao Huaiyuan wanted to throw them out—but he couldn't.

The crowd kept growing; the situation was slipping out of control.

He needed to resolve this unfavorable moment quickly.

As Liu Bai spoke, he suddenly paused, yanking his steel fan from his waist and hurling it.

Da Bao beside Chu Danqing sensed danger, activated his rending claws, blood rage surging through him, and yanked the chair backward.

A blade of sword qi pierced the courtroom; Chu Danqing was pulled back fast enough to dodge it entirely.

The steel fan swept through, effortlessly blocking several sword qi strikes aimed at Yang Wenju and Bai Xiaohe.

"Ha!" Liu Bai roared, exhaling a wave of qi that turned the remaining sword qi into blue smoke.

Chu Danqing's eyes narrowed.

Liu Bai's attack was effortless—he was no weakling.

At least none of the top martial artists from the last trial could match him.

"Who dares be so bold!" Liu Bai shouted, catching his returning fan with practiced ease.

His skill in sensing sound and position was flawless.

Chu Danqing's charioteer blew a whistle; the four barbarian-blood warhorses outside, upon command, reared up and charged, smashing through the outer wall and support pillars.

The beast-masked soldiers, as summoned entities, immediately moved to protect Chu Danqing.

Next, Chu Danqing saw a figure crash through the ceiling, smashing Qiao Huaiyuan's desk to splinters.

He recognized the intruder—the Tiance Prefecture's reserve-level apostle, Blood Eagle.

The sword qi had come from the Longhu Alliance's reserve-level apostle, Qing Jian.

Blood Eagle rose just as the barbarian-blood warhorses dragged the chariot through the side wall.

He rolled and scrambled away in time; Qiao Huaiyuan was not so lucky—he was struck by the chariot's whip-like swing and flung into the wall, unconscious.

On the other side, Da Bao shoved Chu Danqing onto the chariot; the three beast-masked soldiers helped him aboard as they climbed up.

On the other side, Da Bao promptly shoved Chu Danqing onto the war chariot, while three beast-masked soldiers assisted him aboard during the process.

The entire process flowed like water, the four men and four horses moving with perfect synergy—a result of the increased synergy from the Command Foundation.

The effect truly made the summoned beings align with Chu Danqing, so whenever it came to Chu Danqing or related orders, their coordination was flawless.

The charioteer warrior whipped the reins, and the Bloodline War Horses dragged the war chariot straight through, smashing a path on the other side of the courtroom.

Two symmetrical gaps opened on either side, making the courtroom seem on the verge of collapse.

By the time Chu Danqing was led to the wide, safe area outside the courtroom, the interior was already in chaos.

This sight made Chu Danqing's eye twitch.

He knew these two Dimensional Apostles would cause trouble, but he hadn't expected it to turn against him.

As he was being led out of the chaotic courtroom, Qing Jian had already stormed in, once again locked in combat with Blood Eagle.

Surprisingly, Liu Bai was also there, and alone, he managed to forcibly suppress both of them—clearly aiming to quell the chaos as quickly as possible.

"Lord, this is the moment for you to establish your authority."

"You may summon the Son of Heaven to further solidify your status as a great figure," the charioteer warrior hurriedly reminded Chu Danqing.

Hearing the reminder, Chu Danqing did not hesitate and immediately summoned the Son of Heaven through the Tai Ping Ring.

Even with the reduction, summoning the Son of Heaven cost 890 mana points, and he must now pay 80 mana points per minute to maintain it.

(End of Chapter)