PFC Chapter 299 Hit a brick wall
Chapter 299 Hit a brick wall
"This is the first time I've met someone even more arrogant than me..."
Li Wudao was surprised.
Jiang Churan rolled her eyes at him and continued, "His evil deeds go far beyond this."
"Several years ago, a talented disciple was falsely accused of stealing the sect's treasures in less than half a month simply because he publicly humiliated Zhang Qinian."
"That disciple was speechless with accusations; his cultivation was crippled, and all his meridians were severed..."
"Later, he knelt outside the mountain gate for three days, his blood flowing all over the ground, just to seek justice."
Finally, several elders, unable to bear the sight any longer, jointly petitioned the emperor, barely managing to save his life, but he was already completely crippled.
"As for Zhang Qinian... he was only fined three years' salary, which was nothing to worry about."
Jiang Churan frowned slightly and couldn't help but sigh.
Three years' salary in exchange for a lifetime of a true disciple?
Li Wudao listened quietly, his face revealing neither joy nor anger. "What is Zhang Guyue's cultivation level?"
The moonlight shone on his profile, outlining his distinct features, and his eyes were unfathomable in the night.
"In the early stages of the Martial Emperor's reign, his foundation was damaged, and he was trapped in this realm for thirty years."
Jiang Churan answered decisively, "My strength ranks in the middle among the Grand Elders. It is said that I was injured in the line of duty in my early years, which damaged my Dao foundation and left me with no hope of reaching the middle stage for the rest of my life."
She paused, then added:
"After all, he has made contributions to the sect, is a Supreme Elder, and has been in charge of Lieyang Peak for three hundred years. His disciples and old friends are all over the sect, and his power is deeply rooted. Other Supreme Elders are unwilling to offend him."
Li Wudao nodded, a knowing glint in his eyes.
If he is only at the early stage of the Martial Emperor realm, then he has nothing to worry about.
Old Man Xia is at the peak of the Martial Emperor realm, with such a powerful figure standing behind him.
Zhang Guyue, who was stuck in the early 30 years of the Martial Emperor's reign and whose Dao foundation was damaged, was really nothing special.
"Let's go, let's go take a look at the Imperial Household Department."
Li Wudao curled his lips into a cold smile, flicked his sleeves, and turned to walk down the mountain.
"I'd like to see just how powerful Elder Zhang really is."
His voice was calm, yet it sent a chill down Akiko's spine.
Having spent time with Li Wudao, he knew that although Li seemed easygoing and carefree on the surface, when he got angry, his methods were far beyond those of ordinary people.
It's a kind of sharpness hidden deep within, usually concealed in its sheath, but once unsheathed, it's as powerful as thunder.
........
The Inner Affairs Hall is located on the mountainside of Xuantianzong Mountain, covering a vast area with a continuous series of halls and buildings.
At this moment, a large group of disciples, numbering over a hundred, had gathered outside the hall.
The crowd was bustling with people, their voices buzzing loudly, making the night seem particularly noisy.
"Excuse me, could you please move aside?"
Akiko cleared the way, her voice urgent.
The crowd turned around at the sound, and when they saw who it was, they were immediately in an uproar.
"It's the Holy Son!"
"Senior Sister Jiang is here too!"
"This is going to be interesting..."
The disciples bowed and automatically made way for them.
His eyes held reverence, curiosity, and above all, a long-suppressed anticipation.
Li Wudao nodded in acknowledgment, his expression calm, and walked into the hall step by step.
Upon entering, one sees the hall in complete disarray.
Several tables and chairs overturned and shattered, and jade slips and account books were scattered all over the ground.
Wang Zhao had blood at the corner of his mouth, and his left cheek was swollen and bluish-purple. He was being held up by two law enforcement disciples, but he still stubbornly stared ahead.
And on the other side—
A middle-aged man who appeared to be in his thirties was dressed in an embroidered cloud-patterned elder's robe. He had a fair complexion and no beard, and his eyes and brows carried an arrogance that came from a long period of pampered life.
He sat upright on a large sandalwood chair at the head of the hall, one hand on the armrest and the other holding a teacup, slowly skimming off the foam from the tea.
It was Zhang Qinian, the elder of the Internal Affairs Hall.
Beside him stood four trusted deacons, all with sharp eyes and powerful auras, each possessing cultivation at the mid-to-late stage of the Martial King realm.
He was looking at Wang Zhao with a cold smile, his arrogance palpable.
"Disrupting the temple, insulting elders, damaging public property..."
Zhang Qinian took a sip of tea, not even lifting his eyelids, his voice lazy yet chilling:
"Guards... seize this madman and throw him into the dungeon to await further orders!"
"Let's see who dares to do that?!"
A cold shout rang out, as loud as a thunderclap.
Li Wudao, his blue robe fluttering, strode into the hall.
Jiang Churan, dressed in white, followed quietly by his side.
Qiu Zi rushed to Wang Zhao's side and shoved the two law enforcement disciples aside.
The entire room fell silent.
All eyes were focused on Li Wudao.
Zhang Qinian frowned slightly and sized up Li Wudao a few times.
Seeing that he was young, dressed in the robes of a true disciple, yet looked completely unfamiliar, they couldn't help but look down on him.
"Who are you? How dare you act so presumptuously in the Imperial Household Department?"
Zhang Qinian's voice turned somber.
Li Wudao completely ignored it.
He walked straight to Wang Zhao, placed his hand on Wang Zhao's wrist, and channeled a wisp of pure Yang energy into him to examine the injury.
A moment later, he withdrew his hand, his expression darkening slightly.
Wang Zhao's meridians were damaged and his internal organs were shaken. The force of this palm strike was insidious. If Wang Zhao's physical body had not been relatively solid, it would probably have damaged his foundation.
"Boss, I..." Wang Zhao opened his mouth, his face full of guilt.
Li Wudao waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to say anything more.
He slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Zhang Qinian.
At that moment, Zhang Qinian's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.
Before me was just a young boy, who looked handsome and harmless, but his eyes were as deep as an ancient well, so calm that they were unsettling.
An invisible aura spread out, like a mountain rising from the sky, even making Yue Linyuan, a cultivator at the late stage of Martial King, feel a sense of pressure.
"My brother..." Li Wudao began, enunciating each word clearly, "You hit him?"
"So what if it's me, an elder?"
Zhang Qinian steadied himself, suppressed the strange feeling in his heart, and coldly snorted:
"This boy trespassed into the Inner Affairs Hall, roared in the courtroom, and damaged property. What is wrong with this elder punishing him according to the law?"
He paused, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes, and sneered:
"Since you are your friend, that makes things easier. The total loss in the hall is three thousand low-grade spirit stones. If you compensate me now, I may be able to give you a lighter punishment."
Upon hearing this, a suppressed uproar arose among the disciples watching from outside the hall.
This is clearly extortion!
Li Wudao narrowed his eyes, his expression turning cold: "Elder Zhang, you have quite the airs. You are corrupt, abuse your power for personal gain, and beat your disciple without cause."
Now you dare to distort the truth and extort your fellow disciples...aren't you afraid of being punished by the Hall of Law Enforcement?
"The Hall of Enforcement?"
Zhang Qinian burst into laughter as if he had heard a joke:
"Hahahaha... Kid, you probably don't know this, but the Vice Hall Master of the Enforcement Hall is my senior brother, and we're very close!"
He suppressed his smile, his expression arrogant, and openly declared in front of everyone:
"When the people from the Enforcement Hall arrive, guess whether they'll arrest me or you arrogant youngsters?"
He even crossed his legs and said slowly:
"Let me tell you, even if the Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall himself came, he would have to address me as 'Junior Brother Zhang' with utmost respect."
"Tsk tsk..."
Li Wudao raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes. "So Elder Zhang... is this powerful?"
"Hmph, good to know."
Zhang Qinian thought the other party was scared, and his expression became even more smug. "If you know what's good for you, hurry up and pay money to apologize. If I'm in a good mood, I might spare you this time."
Li Wudao stood there calmly, then suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question:
"You...don't recognize me?"
Zhang Qinian was taken aback, then sneered: "Do I need to know you? A greenhorn, what are you... that you deserve to be remembered by me?"
Li Wudao's expression darkened slightly, his eyes flickering.
It seems that the news of his being chosen as a holy son has not yet spread completely.
Zhang Qinian usually acts arrogantly and domineeringly, yet he is so oblivious to news, even unaware of the biggest change happening in the sect today.
Even with this holy son standing right in front of him, he couldn't recognize him, which shows just how arrogant and domineering he had become.
Upon hearing this undisguised insult, the disciples watching reacted in various ways.
Many people who knew Li Wudao's identity had strange expressions, their eyes filled with pity and sarcasm.
It's one thing for them to flaunt their power in front of them normally, but to dare to yell at the Holy Son and hurl insults at him, tsk tsk...
At this moment, the disciples who knew the situation looked at each other, their eyes flashing with schadenfreude.
No one spoke up to remind him; instead, they all suppressed their laughter, waiting to see how Zhang Qinian would handle the situation.
There was nothing they could do; Zhang Qinian was usually arrogant and domineering, withholding resources and oppressing his disciples, which had long aroused the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people.
Now that he's hit a brick wall, who's willing to remind him?
Seeing that Li Wudao was still standing there in the way, Zhang Qinian waved his hand impatiently, "This is none of your business, get out of here, or I'll deal with you too!"