Chapter 946: No responsibility

Of course, Xu Tian would not be "saintly" enough to think that killing was wrong; he would have no sympathy for the death of someone like Hu Tianqi.

"Xu Tian, you killed a fellow sect member and killed the special-grade bounty hunter Hu Tianqi on the arena stage. What else do you have to quibble about?" The Xuanwu Manor Master stared at Xu Tian and asked.

Xu Tian returned the phone to Liu Shasha and looked in the direction of the voice. Although he didn't know the identity of the man in the black robe, seeing Gong Changming and the manor's high-level officials surrounding him, he guessed that this person should be the Xuanwu Manor Master.

However, this Manor Master seemed too young.

From his appearance, he was actually more than ten years younger than Su Lao, Gong Changming, and other high-level elders.

"This lord, I did not kill a fellow sect member." Xu Tian looked directly at the man in the black robe and said sonorously.

"Shut up!" Gong Changming couldn't help but speak up. "You killed my disciple Hu Tianqi, and you still want to quibble? Everyone present is a witness. We will naturally handle this impartially and will not allow you to spout nonsense!"

He didn't give Xu Tian a chance to explain and questioned him aggressively.

"However, you are just a newcomer who just entered the manor, and you had no grudges with my disciple. I think you are not the mastermind behind the plan to harm him. It must be someone in a high position who used you and promised you benefits, which is why you took the risk."

"If you are willing to reveal the mastermind behind the scenes, I might consider pleading with the Manor Master to spare your life!"

Gong Changming's words were very pointed. Xu Tian had become Su Lao's outer-court disciple as soon as he entered the manor, so the high-level official he spoke of with high prestige could only be Su Lao.

Su Lao was so angry at Gong Changming's shamelessness that he laughed: "Gong Changming, do you dare to talk nonsense in front of the Manor Master?"

"Su Lao, I didn't say the person who directed Xu Tian was you. Why are you in such a hurry?" Gong Changming smiled triumphantly and pretended to be puzzled as he asked back, "Or is it that I happened to guess right, and you are angry from embarrassment, worried that Xu Tian will bite you out?"

"I can't be bothered to talk nonsense with you." Su Lao simply ignored Gong Changming's targeting. Anyway, if Xu Tian's crime was confirmed, he would also be hard-pressed to escape responsibility. The top priority was how to get the Manor Master to deal with it leniently.

"Xu Tian, are you still going to be obsessed?" Gong Changming saw that Xu Tian refused to speak for a long time and became a bit anxious. "You must know that what you committed is a capital crime! Since the establishment of our Xuanwu Manor, we have not allowed fellow sect members to kill each other! As long as you confess now and expose the person who directed you to commit the crime, you will have a chance to make up for your crimes, and you can be spared from death. Otherwise, your little life will be lost here today."

A calculating look flashed in Gong Changming's eyes. Xu Tian was just a small character; even if he was killed, there would be no pleasure in it. But if he could use Xu Tian to pin the blame on Old Man Su, then Hu Tianqi's life would have value.

"Why would I die?" Xu Tian scratched his head in surprise. "Elder Gong, you can't just talk nonsense. Which crime did I actually commit?"

"Audacious fanatic, you actually dare to quibble!" The high-level official from the Supervision Department pointed at Xu Tian and shouted angrily.

"I am not quibbling, but since you say I am guilty, you should at least let me know what crime I committed, right?" Xu Tian had an appearance of humbly seeking advice.

"You killed Hu Tianqi on the arena stage, and everyone present is a witness. You cannot deny your guilt!" The high-level official from the Supervision Department spoke again.

"But participating in the arena competition originally has risks. Everyone present should be clear about this, right?" Xu Tian asked back.

"You intentionally killed someone; how can that be the same as fists and feet having no eyes!" The high-level official from the Supervision Department scolded. "Don't quibble anymore, or the crime will be increased by one degree!"

Xu Tian found it funny. According to these people, he was already "certain to die," so what would increasing the crime by one degree do—whip his corpse?

"I am just stating the facts. If killing someone is intentional murder and needs to be executed, then why was Elder Gong's disciple fine when he killed my master's disciple back then?"

"Elder Gong's disciple killed by mistake back then; it's different from your nature!" The high-level official from the Supervision Department snorted coldly.

"I also killed by mistake; why is it different?" Xu Tian asked back.

"Nonsense! That was not killing by mistake at all; you intentionally killed him!" The hosting old man said loudly.

"Why?" Xu Tian asked in surprise. "How come Elder Gong's disciple is killing by mistake, but when it comes to me, it doesn't count? Do you judge whether it's killing by mistake based on your personal preferences?"

"Simply utter nonsense!" The old man said indignantly. "You are arguing sophistry!"

"Whether I am arguing sophistry is not for you alone to decide." Xu Tian sneered. "As a fourth-grade hunter fighting a special-grade hunter like Hu Tianqi, with such a huge gap in rank, naturally I have to bring out all my housekeeping skills. Moreover, it was my first time participating in the competition, so it's inevitable that I would be nervous. It is understandable that I killed Hu Tianqi by mistake during the battle."

"You fart!" Gong Changming couldn't hold back. "It was clearly you who were drunk and acting crazy, killing my disciple, and you still want to quibble?"

"Drinking?" Xu Tian raised his eyebrows. "Then may I ask Elder Gong, does this Xuanwu Manor forbid trainees from drinking? Do the rules of the martial arts competition forbid participants from drinking?"

Xu Tian's words made everyone present instantly silent.

Even the high-level official from the Supervision Department, who subconsciously wanted to reprimand Xu Tian, closed his mouth.

Xuanwu Manor really did not have any requirements in this regard, let alone explicit regulations.

"There is no such regulation." The high-level official from the Supervision Department replied very reluctantly.

"If there isn't, then my getting drunk and going on stage did not violate the regulations. Moreover, when I was fighting Hu Tianqi while drunk, my consciousness was unclear, and I killed him by mistake because my hand was too heavy. This is truly helpless and not something I could control."

"Since there is such a hidden danger after drinking and going on stage, why is there no explicit prohibition against getting drunk and going on stage in the regulations?"

"Since it is not prohibited, it means that you high-level officials of the manor tacitly agreed that this situation is acceptable. Why are you blaming me now?"

"Spouting nonsense! Spouting nonsense!" The high-level official from the Supervision Department was so angry at Xu Tian that he jumped.

"According to the manor's rules, I did not commit any act that violated the regulations, so I should not be punished for killing Hu Tianqi by mistake after getting drunk." Xu Tian said calmly.

Xu Tian had memorized all the rules of Xuanwu Manor regarding the competition long before participating in the martial arts competition.

The state after getting drunk is different from when one is sober; this is recognized by everyone in the world.

Because Xu Tian could not guarantee that he would not have any accidents when he made a move while drunk.

Since the manor did not have civil regulations that one cannot drink on stage or compete in a state of drunkenness, he had no responsibility.