You Must Be the Scapegoat!

"I···"

Tang San wanted to ask Zhou Qing about his thoughts on establishing a sect, but then he thought it was a bit too early to bring it up now.

After all, Zhou Qing wasn't even thinking about rebellion; he was just using Falling Star City as an experiment to see if ordinary people had the courage to stand up to the powerful and wealthy.

And they're only six years old!

"What's wrong?"

Seeing Tang San's hesitant expression, Zhou Qing asked with some confusion, "Just say what's on your mind. We're like family, aren't we?"

"It's nothing, I just had a few ideas, but let's talk about it after this matter is over." Tang San didn't hide the fact that he had something on his mind, but he didn't say anything specific.

"Privacy? I understand."

A mysterious smile appeared on Zhou Qing's lips, his eyes glancing sideways:

─━_─━

That shrewdness, impossible to conceal, seemed to reveal a profound understanding of everything.

"Do you like Xiao Wu?"

"Cough cough!"

Tang San nearly choked on his own saliva and quickly said, "Don't talk nonsense! Besides, what you're saying sounds really strange."

"It's okay, you'll get used to it." Zhou Qing laughed.

"I think from now on, the words you say might have two meanings." Tang San rolled his eyes, then sat cross-legged on the ground and entered a meditative state.

Now, because Zhou Qing obtained Tao Rong Iron, he also benefited and his Soul Power reached level nineteen. Naturally, he wanted to advance further in the next month or two and reach level twenty so that he could go to the larger Soul Hunting Forest with Zhou Qing to obtain Second Spirit Ring. With their current strength, they might be able to venture into the famous Star Dou Great Forest on the continent!

As long as they don't enter the central or core area, they should be able to venture into the outer perimeter...

···

In the blink of an eye, two days have passed.

Within Falling Star City, the opinions about Dales were overwhelmingly negative, with some even going so far as to the Spirit Hall to seek confirmation from Norman —which, of course, came to nothing.

However, the person who went to verify the information conveyed another message to the people of the city: Norman had witnesses and physical evidence of Dales' collusion with the Fallen Ones, and he was carefully protecting it, intending to show it to the higher-ranking officials of the Spirit Hall and the Star Luo Empire when they arrived, so that Dales would have no way to defend himself.

Immediately, all the residents of Falling Star City were overjoyed.

In their view, as long as they wait half a month, or a month or two, Dales will be brought to justice, and then they can live a good life.

"Want to live a good life?"

"No way!"

Zhen Dales, who was hiding in the City Lord's Mansion, was furious when he learned that the people in the city were cursing him. He wanted to call his steward over, but he was worried that Zhou Qing and others would see through his disguise. So he could only swallow his anger and found a few Soul Master level servants to go to the Spirit Hall that night and destroy all the witnesses and physical evidence.

And so!

That night, a fire broke out in the Falling Star Spirit Hall Branch, and the surrounding houses also caught fire.

Fortunately, the fire was not large, and Norman was prepared, so it was extinguished by the time it spread to the fourth house.

The witnesses who could have been placed in the Spirit Hall Branch were reduced to ashes in human form, and most of the documents and materials vanished into thin air.

The real witnesses and physical evidence, Norman had placed in his own underground secret room. The evidence that was now burned, those witnesses, were actually the captured bandits from Falling Star Slope who had more than ten lives on their hands.

"Dales has gone too far!"

That night, none of the residents of Falling Star City slept. As dawn broke, Norman looked at the dark and dilapidated Spirit Hall, gathered his men, and went to the square to deliver a speech.

"Ever since Dales arrived in Falling Star City, people have been disappearing one after another... Now the truth is clear: he colluded with the Fallen Ones!"

"Adventurers from Nuoding City uncovered some of the truth, but Dales, in an attempt to shirk responsibility and distance himself from the matter, sent those who knew the truth to Falling Star Slope, increased taxes, demanded donations, and lowered the purchase price of Soul Sand— "

"He's utterly inhuman!"

The onlookers cheered!

Norman continued, "I thought that with evidence in hand and several powerful Soul Master keeping an eye on Dales, I could be fair and save him some face. When the higher-ups of the Star Luo Empire and the Spirit Hall arrive, everything will come to light. If I have wronged him, I will personally apologize!"

"But now it seems that Dales is actually the mastermind behind it all!!"

"He can burn down the Spirit Hall today, and he can burn down your whole house tomorrow!!!"

The crowd was filled with righteous indignation!

But!

When Norman called on everyone to grab their weapons and go with him to the City Lord's Mansion, the people readily agreed and seemed to have gone home to get weapons they could use in battle. However, when they arrived at the City Lord's Mansion, only Norman and a group of people from the Spirit Hall were there.

The common people?

Not a single one!

Only three or five dogs gathered together, wandering around the neighborhood, as if wondering why there wasn't a single person on the street.

Fortunately, the patrol personnel and soldiers of Falling Star City did not arrive immediately...

"Grandmaster Norman, what should we do now?"

The Soul Master below asked timidly.

Norman looked back and saw that not a single civilian had followed. His eyelids twitched, and he cursed inwardly, "Zhou Qing has ruined me! These bastards only have the courage to talk! When it comes to actually doing something, they're all hiding in their homes!"

But now that they've come all this way, can they really turn back?

If that were to happen, the Falling Star Spirit Hall Branch would become a laughing stock for all the people of Falling Star City!

Inside the City Lord's Mansion, after receiving the intelligence, Zhen Dales chuckled coldly, "Norman, you're too naive. Those lowly commoners may be ignorant, but they value their lives. It's fine if they just talk big, but if they actually come with you, it's tantamount to rebellion! Why would they come with you? And why would they dare to?"

At this moment, the Fake Dales also learned about the situation from the servant. His expression changed, and he was about to go out to talk to Norman when Tang San stopped him and said, "You'd better stay here for now."

"You!" The Fake Dales' expression changed, and he rebuked, "I only asked you to keep an eye on me, but you can't interfere with my actions, can you?"

Without wasting words, Tang San took out the Soul Conductor Godly Zhuge Crossbow from the Moon Shines Brightly in the Twelve Towers and pulled the trigger on the ground.

Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, a dozen or so Soul Power arrows pierced the floor, leaving dark holes.

Fake Dales' lips trembled in disbelief. "What kind of weapon is this? A crossbow? No! It has Soul Power fluctuations; it's an offensive Soul Tool!"

"Now, be quiet and obey our orders, or I won't hesitate to let this thing pierce a few holes in you!" Tang San threatened. "I know you are loyal and don't care about your own life, but we also know that the real Dales is hiding in this mansion."

"You!"

Fake Dales' eyelids twitched. He wanted to ask how the other party had found out, but then he heard Tang San say, "My companions have already gone to find him and want to talk to him... And you, today you must be a scapegoat and die in Dales' place."