He's Slandering Me! He's Slandering Me!

At that moment, a subordinate walked over and whispered into Guan Wangsheng's ear.

After hearing the subordinate's report, Guan Wangsheng's expression turned strange.

"Is this true?"

"It's true. I saw it with my own eyes."

"Good. I understand."

After receiving confirmation, Guan Wangsheng immediately reported to Cao Xiong.

After hearing Guan Wangsheng's report, Cao Xiong's anger flared.

He blew his beard and glared as he hurled a cup at Zhang Yangming.

"Look what your son has done!"

Zhang Yangming didn't dare dodge, letting the cup strike him. Still looking utterly bewildered, he asked, "Gang Leader, what happened?"

Come on, my son just died. Could you show me a little respect? And in front of so many people, too.

Cao Xiong pointed at his nose. "Come in with me."

Zhang Yangming obediently followed him behind the screen.

As soon as the two left, the Hall Masters, External Affairs Envoys, Elders, and the rest in the main hall began whispering among themselves.

"What's going on? Why aren't we continuing?"

"You really don't know?"

"If you know, then spit it out. Don't keep us in suspense."

"It's that Zhang Fengyuan. Yesterday, he joined forces with Duan Sanping from Merit Hall to steal the credit of a newly arrived steward."

"He dared to do something like that?"

"He has a Deputy Gang Leader for a father. What wouldn't he dare do?"

"No, how did you find out about this?"

"How else would I know? I heard it from the new steward's subordinate."

"So it's only one side of the story. Without proof, we can't believe it lightly."

"Right. Don't go spreading such things carelessly. The dead deserve respect."

"Still, judging by Zhang Fengyuan's character, he really does seem capable of something like that."

"So you think Zhang Fengyuan's death has something to do with that steward?"

"It's very possible."

"What bullshit. He's just a steward—could he kill one Hall Master and two stewards?"

"That's hard to say. We all know exactly what kind of strength that brat Zhang Fengyuan had."

The crowd was half-convinced, half-doubtful, and more and more people joined the heated discussion.

They had thought it would be a troublesome foreign enemy. Who would have expected it to most likely be a family scandal?

The nature of things changed in an instant.

The previously solemn main hall suddenly became lively.

As long as it had nothing to do with them, they could simply cross one leg over the other and enjoy the show.

Before long, Cao Xiong and Zhang Yangming emerged from behind the screen.

No one knew what they had discussed.

They only knew that neither of them looked well.

Gloomy, furious, and with a trace of doubt.

Cao Xiong said to Guan Wangsheng, "Go summon the newly arrived steward, Li Xian!"

The show was about to begin.

Upon hearing that he was being summoned to Loyalty and Righteousness Hall for questioning, Li Xian was quite surprised.

"They found their way to me this quickly?"

Li Xian glanced at the Punishment Hall disciple before him, then turned back to look at Brother Xin and Wan Cai behind him.

The two guiltily avoided Li Xian's gaze.

It seemed these two loudmouths had not disappointed Li Xian. In just one night, they had sold him out.

"Fine. Let's go."

Li Xian did not make things difficult for them. Instead, he obediently left with the Punishment Hall disciple.

If you think this book is pretty good and don't want to lose track of it next time, remember to add it to your bookshelf.

"What a distinctive sight!"

Li Xian could not help but sigh as he looked at the gigantic Dragon Ship before him.

To build such a colossal creation in this era—humanity truly was a race rich in creativity.

The group did not linger. They boarded the ship directly, passed through the deck that had been converted into something like a martial arts ground, and arrived at the Loyalty and Righteousness Hall.

The moment Li Xian entered, everyone in the Loyalty and Righteousness Hall turned to look at him in unison.

There was anger, scrutiny, regret, schadenfreude...

Suddenly being watched by so many people would make most feel uneasy, but Li Xian remained perfectly composed, as though he did not take any of them seriously.

He looked straight ahead, neither servile nor overbearing, calm and unhurried, carrying himself with the poise of one who would not flinch even if Mount Tai collapsed before him.

Cao Xiong sat above, and as he watched Li Xian's bearing, a trace of appreciation appeared in his eyes.

Beside him, Guan Wangsheng spoke up in challenge.

"Having come before the Dragon King, why do you not kneel!"

Dragon King was how Cao Gang disciples addressed the Gang Leader. It was generally used on important occasions, or as an honorific by members of outside gangs and sects when addressing the Gang Leader.

Li Xian asked, "Our Cao Gang has such a rule? How come I've never heard of it?"

In his memories, Cao Gang disciples had never had any rule requiring them to kneel before the Dragon King.

Clearly, they merely wanted to knock the wind out of his sails.

Guan Wangsheng frowned in displeasure and was just about to speak when Cao Xiong cut him off.

"The Cao Gang has never had such a rule. No need to kneel."

The big man had spoken. Saying anything more would mean he did not understand the rules.

Guan Wangsheng wisely shut his mouth.

Cao Xiong asked, "What is your name?"

It was purely a pointless question to which he already knew the answer.

"In reply to the Dragon King, I am Li Xian, steward of Kui Shui Pier!"

Cao Xiong nodded and asked again, "Where were you last night?"

Li Xian answered, "At the pier, in my Cultivation Room."

"What were you doing?"

"In the Cultivation Room, naturally I was cultivating."

"Can anyone testify to that?"

"Yes. Several disciples from Kui Shui Pier can testify for me. I did not leave the Cultivation Room all night."

"Mm."

After saying that, Cao Xiong looked toward Guan Wangsheng beside him.

Guan Wangsheng gave an almost imperceptible nod, confirming that Li Xian had spoken the truth.

The Punishment Hall disciples had already taken Brother Xin and Wan Cai elsewhere for questioning. He had just received their replies, and their answers were exactly the same as Li Xian's.

However, Zhang Yangming, who had been glaring at Li Xian from the side with gritted teeth, was unwilling to let it go.

"You're lying!" he yelled, jumping to his feet.

His voice was loud, and the moment he shouted, everyone looked at him.

"And you are?" Li Xian asked in confusion.

"I'm Zhang Fengyuan's father!" Zhang Yangming screamed, utterly disregarding his image.

"Oh." Li Xian put on a look of sudden realization. "So you're Deputy Gang Leader Zhang!"

Zhang Yangming stepped forward, his bloodshot eyes brimming with hatred as he glared at Li Xian and angrily demanded, "Tell me, what did you do last night?"

Li Xian said, "I already told you. I was cultivating in my Cultivation Room!"

"You're lying!" Zhang Yangming furiously pointed at Li Xian's nose and cursed. "You weren't cultivating at all! You merely used cultivation as a pretext while secretly committing the vile deed of harming a fellow disciple!"

Li Xian's expression turned grave. "Deputy Gang Leader Zhang, even if you are the Deputy Gang Leader, you cannot slander people at will. Be careful, or I'll sue you for defamation."

As he spoke, he pointed at Zhang Yangming and indignantly said to everyone in the hall, "He's slandering me! He's defaming me!"

Zhang Yangming was so enraged that smoke practically poured from his seven orifices.

Losing his son had already been painful enough.

Beside himself with fury, he said, "Don't think you can cover this up! You think you can fool everyone? You think you can fool me?"

"Everything I said is true. I didn't deceive you."

Zhang Yangming sneered. "Keep talking tough for now. Just wait—I'll definitely find evidence that you killed Zhang Fengyuan!"

"Oh, Zhang Fengyuan?" A strange smile appeared at the corner of Li Xian's lips. "Why would I kill him?"