Chapter 235: Let's See If He Has the Guts!

"!"

Chen Ze's heart skipped a beat; he nearly cried out!

He turned his head and saw it was Elder Sun from the Law Enforcement Hall, who had come down the mountain to capture him.

'Afraid now?'

Elder Sun signaled with his eyes, transmitting his voice through true Qi.

'Afraid, afraid.'

Chen Ze replied irritably, 'Who knew Chen Mu had cultivated both spiritual Wu Gong and martial Wu Gong!'

'Heh, even if Chen Mu hadn't cultivated spiritual Wu Gong, you're still no match for him,' Elder Sun said mercilessly, transmitting through true Qi to strike at him.

'……'

Chen Ze had nothing to say in reply.

'Let's go, back up the mountain with me!'

Elder Sun grabbed Chen Ze's shoulder, turned him around, and walked toward the outer edge of the crowd.

Chen Ze glanced back at Chen Mu, sighed, and looked away.

Though unwilling, the facts were right before his eyes.

No matter what ideas he had, he had no choice but to give up.

……

……

Whoosh~!

Chen Mu released his true Qi outward, grabbed through the air, and an invisible force lifted the gravely wounded and immobile Huang Kaiyuan from the bottom of the pit, as though carrying a little chick, then turned and returned to the Zhenwu Division government office.

The other Zhenwu Division guards, their souls still unsettled, now came back to their senses. They hurriedly dispersed the watching commoners and jianghu travelers, and carefully picked up the mid-grade spirit weapon battle saber that had fallen from Huang Kaiyuan.

Carrying Huang Kaiyuan into the main hall, Chen Mu casually tossed him onto the ground, then calmly sat down in the seat of honor. With a calm gaze he looked at Huang Kaiyuan sprawled on the floor, and began to question him.

"Speak. Who is behind the rumors slandering this official?"

Huang Kaiyuan's face was deathly pale, blood still at the corner of his mouth. He kept his mouth tightly shut and chose silence.

Chen Mu was in no hurry. He picked up a teacup and took a sip of water, then spoke again in the same flat tone, "Huang Kaiyuan, for the sake of our time as colleagues, this official will give you one chance. Will you confess on your own, or do you want this official to use some methods to help you remember?"

Sensing the threat in Chen Mu's words, and recalling the spiritual attack the man had just unleashed, Huang Kaiyuan's body trembled slightly. He parted his lips and said in a hoarse voice.

"It… it was the Third Young Master…"

"Third Young Master?" Chen Mu's brow rose slightly. "Which family's Third Young Master?"

"Jing'an Wang Fu… the third son of Prince Jing'an, Wu Youting," Huang Kaiyuan said quietly.

"The third son of Prince Jing'an?"

Chen Mu's face showed just the right amount of puzzlement. "This official has never met him, bears him no grudge—why would he slander me?"

Huang Kaiyuan seemed to have thrown caution to the wind and said bluntly, "Because he is jealous of you, my lord."

"Jealous?" Chen Mu was only half-convinced.

"Yes."

Huang Kaiyuan confirmed, "The Third Young Master, Wu Youting, is about the same age as you, my lord, but his cultivation has been stuck at the ninth layer of the Acquired stage. Moreover, according to the Wang Fu physician's diagnosis, he has no hope of reaching the Innate stage."

"The Third Young Master had long inquired into your background, my lord, and learned that you are neither from a great clan nor a sect disciple, yet you have achieved such success and become famous throughout the realm. Even before you arrived in Zhenzhou, the Third Young Master was already jealous."

"After you arrived, my lord, your bearing grew even more dazzling, and the Third Young Master's resentment deepened. So he seized the chance to cause trouble, pinning Zhang Tieli's death on you in an attempt to ruin your reputation."

This explanation sounded reasonable enough: a mediocre-talented, twisted-minded nominal Wang Fu young master, jealous of a peer who was a genius, using his status to do something underhanded—hardly uncommon.

But Chen Mu still harbored some doubt in his heart.

He immediately pressed, "Then who actually killed Zhang Tieli? Was it also someone sent by this Third Young Master?"

"This subordinate truly does not know!"

Huang Kaiyuan hurriedly shook his head. "The Third Young Master only ordered this subordinate to keep an eye on developments, and after he spread the rumors, to find ways to block any clues that might lead back to him."

"Zhang Tieli's death has nothing whatsoever to do with the Third Young Master. He doesn't have the ability to mobilize an expert who could kill Zhang Tieli without a sound."

"……"

Chen Mu neither agreed nor disagreed, remaining silent as though digesting the information.

Huang Kaiyuan, however, seemed to have grasped a lifeline and hurriedly added, "Chen my lord, surely you know Prince Jing'an's status is special, and the Wang Fu's reputation cannot be tarnished."

"The matter of the Third Young Master spreading rumors to slander you—it's best… best not to let it spread, or it will damage the Wang Fu's reputation, and by then I'm afraid…"

"Heh~!"

Hearing this, Chen Mu gave a cold laugh. "By your logic, you want this official to keep shouldering this murder charge, to preserve the Jing'an Wang Fu's face?"

"No, no, no!"

Huang Kaiyuan shook his head repeatedly, forcing a fawning smile onto his face. "This subordinate will take the blame! You, my lord, can announce to the outside that it was this subordinate… this subordinate who embezzled funds from the Division, and fearing you would uncover it, resorted to this underhanded trick—spreading rumors in an attempt to drive you away!"

"This way, it both clears your name and preserves the Wang Fu's reputation."

After hearing this, Chen Mu gave Huang Kaiyuan a long look. This fellow was decisive indeed—to protect the Jing'an Wang Fu, he had sold himself out without the slightest hesitation.

After a brief pause, Chen Mu nodded and said.

"Fine, we'll do as you say."

On the surface he agreed, but in his heart Chen Mu grew ever more suspicious of the collusion between Huang Kaiyuan and the Jing'an Wang Fu.

The second-in-command of the Zhenwu Division, a cultivator at the Earth Altar Divine Bridge stage, defending the Jing'an Wang Fu's reputation so fiercely—even to the point of ruining his own future to take the blame—this was far more than mere fear of the Wang Fu's power.

……

At the same time, the news of Chen Mu's public defeat of Huang Kaiyuan, an Earth Altar Divine Bridge cultivator, swept through the entire prefecture city like a gale.

Upon hearing the news, every major and minor faction was utterly shocked.

"An Innate cultivator slaying across to the Earth Altar stage! It's actually true!"

"This Chen Mu—setting aside his character for now—his strength is truly remarkable!"

"Thirty on the Hidden Dragon Ranking? I'd say that ranking is too low! With the strength he's shown today, breaking into the top ten isn't even impossible!"

"Sigh, comparing people really kills you. Why is his character so despicable, yet his strength so absurdly strong?"

"……"

The city buzzed with discussion, the clamor rising to the heavens.

Inside the Jing'an Wang Fu.

The Third Young Master, Wu Youting, had also received a detailed report from his subordinates and couldn't help but feel a wave of panic—after all, once Huang Kaiyuan was captured, he was very likely to give Wu Youting up.

But very quickly, he forced himself to calm down again. His face showed his habitual arrogance and disdain as he scoffed, "Hmph! Even if that Chen Mu knows it was this Young Master who had the rumors spread, what can he do to me? He's nothing more than a C-Grade Patrol Commissioner of the Town Martial Office—would he dare come to my Jing'an Wang Fu to make trouble?"

"Let's see if he has ten times the guts to try!"

The several attendants and retainers gathered around him immediately chimed in in agreement upon hearing this.

"The Third Young Master speaks rightly! That Chen Mu is nothing but a crude martial man—how would he dare offend the Wang Fu's divine authority?"

"Exactly. If he knows what's good for him, he should obediently swallow this loss!"

"How could the Wang Fu's dignity tolerate his provocation?"

"……"

Amid a chorus of flattery and belittling of Chen Mu, Wu Youting's vanity was satisfied, and he grew ever more convinced that Chen Mu was nothing to worry about.

At the same time.

Deep within the Jing'an Wang Fu, in a quiet cultivation chamber.

A shadow-like guard was kneeling on one knee, reporting the situation outside to the Jing'an Wang, who was seated cross-legged on a meditation cushion.

"……The plan hit a small snag. Huang Kaiyuan was exposed and captured publicly by Chen Mu."

The Jing'an Wang, Wu Jianqing, kept his expression steady, as if he had long anticipated it. Only within those deep, fathomless eyes did a barely perceptible undercurrent of dark intensity flash past.

"It's of no consequence."

Wu Jianqing spoke calmly, issuing new orders in a tranquil tone.

"Send word out. Say that this Wang has recently been deeply moved by Ting'er's filial piety and intends to consider it—perhaps the position of 'Heir' will be settled upon him."

The Shadow Guard's figure trembled slightly, and he lowered his head in acknowledgment.

"Yes!"

The Jing'an Wang's eyes closed once more, as if everything was firmly in his grasp, leaving only a single light sentence echoing through the chamber.

"Let them continue to fight!"