Chapter 100 : Chapter 100

Chapter 100: Investigate the Rebels! Investigate Prince Qing’s Remnants!

Seeing that Ma Minnong had not pursued the matter any further, the martial artists felt somewhat relieved.

As expected of Divine Physician Ma. He truly was magnanimous.

But in the very next moment—before they had even had time to relax, a thunderous roar exploded beside their ears.

“Insolence!”

Cheng Yu’s supremely authoritative voice rang out without warning, and the sonic waves swept outward with terrifying force.

A Top-Grade Earth-Rank Cultivation Method—Dao-Sound Prison-Suppressing Force!

“What was that?!”

Realizing at once that something was wrong, the other martial artists blanched and hastily retreated half a step into defensive stances.

Qin Mosheng instinctively tried to retreat as well, but Zuo Hong was still clamping a hand over his mouth and just so happened to block his path of escape.

In that moment of urgency, when Zuo Hong saw the fierce sonic force surging toward them, he shoved Qin Mosheng forward to take the blow.

Only in the next instant did he realize something was wrong and hurriedly let go.

But by then, Qin Mosheng no longer had time to dodge.

In despair, he raised his fan and poured Internal Energy into it, trying to block the attack.

But to his shock, the sonic waves of the Dao-Sound Prison-Suppressing Force were overbearing yet strange, and they blasted the fan straight aside.

Qin Mosheng could not evade in time. The full force of the Dao-Sound Prison-Suppressing Force crashed squarely into his face.

It blasted half his face apart in a spray of blood and flesh, leaving a ghastly sight behind.

“Ah! Ah!”

Qin Mosheng clutched at the mangled half of his face in agony. Even that tongue of his, so fond of sowing confusion and stirring up trouble, had been shattered clean off. All he could produce now were garbled, miserable screams.

The martial artists all stared with their eyes wide.

“How is that possible? The scholar could not block it?!”

“What a bizarre technique!”

Unexpected factors had admittedly played a part.

But one thing was undeniable: with a single strike, Cheng Yu had grievously wounded Qin Mosheng even though the man had used all his Internal Energy to defend himself.

Did that not mean that Cheng Yu could very likely fight a Sixth-Rank Martial Artist without falling behind?

Zuo Hong himself stood there frozen.

Had he just, through a careless mistake, harmed the scholar himself?!

“You dare spread rumors in public and throw people’s hearts into chaos! Do you think the Jinyiwei does not exist?!”

Cheng Yu drew the Xiuchun Saber at his waist and pointed it at the wretched Qin Mosheng.

The man trembled again at once, furious but not daring to speak.

“If you dare keep spewing nonsense and twisting right and wrong, this will be your fate!”

【The host intimidates villains, sets chaos right, and displays the prestige of the Jinyiwei. Reward: Internal Energy!】

When the Jianghu martial artists saw how miserable Qin Mosheng looked, they all fell silent as cicadas in winter.

Anger rose in their hearts, yet not one of them dared say another word.

It was not because they did not dare offend Cheng Yu.

It was because if they kept speaking, Chief Escort Zuo’s side would no longer be able to save face.

The scholar had ended up like this in no small part because of him!

Between Chief Escort Zuo’s face and that loose-tongued scholar who had offended Divine Physician Ma, they knew very well which mattered more.

Looking at their hypocritical expressions, Cheng Yu let out a cold laugh.

“So, are you still planning to keep defending the loyalty and righteous courage of your Jianghu people?”

“When any random one of you can speak with such brazen shamelessness, there is no need even to mention some petty thief.”

“As I see it, there is no longer any need for Divine Physician Ma to judge the rights and wrongs we were just discussing.”

The moment they heard this, Zuo Hong and the others flushed red with shame and anger.

Cheng Yu was insulting them!

He was calling all of them hypocrites!

They were forever mouthing chivalry, morality, loyalty, and righteous courage, yet when it came time to act, they behaved with utter shamelessness!

How could they not be furious after being humiliated like this?

And yet, no matter how furious they were, all they could do was lower their heads helplessly and remain silent.

After all, they had been the ones to demand that some highly respected elder judge right and wrong.

In the end, Qin Mosheng’s words had thoroughly offended Divine Physician Ma, and their own dignity had been cast away as well. If they kept pressing the matter now, they would only be humiliating themselves further.

“Heh.”

Seeing their appearance, Cheng Yu sneered inwardly without end.

These people’s so-called integrity and bottom line were remarkably flexible.

When they were bullying the weak with their strength, they would haggle over every last inch, and even their shamelessness had to be wrapped in grand, hypocritical speeches.

But the moment they ran into real trouble, they became meek and obedient, as though they had utterly forgotten the slogans they had shouted a thousand times over.

He shook his head and said flatly, “Let us continue with the real business.”

“Yes, yes, business is good!”

The martial artists were instantly delighted. At the very least, they no longer had to keep losing face over this matter.

No matter how bad things got later, could the situation really become worse than it was right now?

Inside the main hall of the Circuit Yamen, the farce came to an end, and everyone took their seats once more.

Cheng Yu had food and wine brought out. Bearing himself as the host, he looked over the gathered crowd and smiled.

“I have been here for less than a month and am still unfamiliar with the people and land of Jiannan Circuit. In the future, the affairs of the Jinyiwei will still require the support of all of you.”

As he spoke, his gaze lingered especially in the direction of Zuo Hong and the others.

Gao Song rose to return the courtesy, bending so low it seemed as though he wished he could fold himself in half.

“Lord Cheng’s arrival in Jiannan is like an arhat descending into the mortal world, like a heavenly god stepping down among men. In so short a time, you have already achieved so much. You do us far too much honor with such words!”

The expressions on everyone’s faces turned strange.

After Circuit Intendant Gao had been forced to slaughter his own clansmen with his own hands, he now seemed to hold not the slightest grudge at all.

It was clear that he had been completely cowed by Cheng Yu and no longer dared offend him.

The others also cupped their fists respectfully and returned the courtesy.

“Naturally, naturally!”

“Thousand-Household Commander Cheng is too courteous!”

“We are only doing our duty!”

Ma Minnong smiled and nodded.

“Since it is Thousand-Household Commander Cheng asking, this old man naturally has to give him face as well!”

As the host and guests exchanged pleasantries, one group caught in the middle sat as though on a bed of needles.

It was, of course, the Jianghu people of Jiannan Circuit, every one of them wearing expressions of anger and humiliation.

Indeed!

Cheng Yu had been in Jiannan for barely half a month, yet he had already wiped out Plum Saber Stockade and killed enough people to leave so many of them treating him like a great enemy.

And this was while he was still unfamiliar with the place. If he truly became familiar with it, how many more would he kill?

What made it even more hateful was that he had actually said he would need to rely on them in the future!

What could imperial hounds possibly need from them?

Did he want them to guide the Jinyiwei so they could raid their own homes?

There was nothing wrong with the words themselves. They were perfectly normal words of courtesy.

But hearing them come from Cheng Yu’s mouth felt humiliating beyond measure.

One after another, they turned their heads aside and looked elsewhere as though they had heard nothing at all.

Since every notable figure in the Jiannan Circuit Jianghu had answered the invitation and come here to face Cheng Yu directly, they had come to reclaim the face they had lost. There was no need to give him any face at all.

Cheng Yu ignored them when he saw this. The smile on his face faded, and his expression turned serious as he rose and looked over the gathering.

“The polite words are over. Now it is time to discuss the real matter.”

The officials all grew solemn.

The Jianghu martial artists, however, wore expressions of disdain and sneered inwardly.

If one wanted to get things done in Jiannan Circuit, there was no getting around them.

After offending them so deeply, Cheng Yu could forget about getting anything done properly!

“His Majesty sent me to Jiannan Circuit to serve as a Thousand-Household Commander of the Jinyiwei. Though it was in part to reward me for the Sword-Forging Manor affair, there was a deeper purpose behind it as well.”

With his hands clasped behind his back, Cheng Yu strode slowly around the hall and spoke with imposing authority.

“He wanted me to conduct a thorough investigation of Jiannan Circuit! Investigate what? Investigate the rebels! Investigate Prince Qing’s Remnants!”

This was the first time the gathered officials had heard of such a thing as well.

Every one of them turned pale with shock.

“Are there Prince Qing’s Remnants in Jiannan?!”

How could they not have known?

Sweating profusely, Gao Song hurriedly answered in Cheng Yu’s place.

“Have you all forgotten? The previous Jinyiwei Thousand-Household Commander Yang was suspected to have met with foul play at the hands of Prince Qing’s Remnants and disappeared...”

The officials could hardly believe it after hearing this. Were there really Prince Qing’s Remnants in Jiannan Circuit?

Fear instantly took root in their hearts.

If those lunatics started a rebellion in their jurisdictions, that would be disastrous beyond measure!

A single charge of negligent oversight could cost them their lives!

At once, they all became incomparably terrified.

“Lord Cheng, you must save us!”