Wanted Criminals

"Hahaha! They're terrified just hearing about the shrines and blood tombs! A bunch of shameless scoundrels! Traitors who steal the country! Scoundrels who rebel! With such little guts, how dare they contend for the world!"

"Aaaaaah! I'll blast you to smithereens!"

"Come on! Come on! Take my head!"

"General, calm down! Don't fall for this man's trick! Killing him will only bring disaster! Wei Gao! You madman! You want to drag the people of Beizhen down with you to achieve your own reputation? How shameless!"

"Bah! You shameless scoundrels! How dare you mention the common people to me! Instead of serving your country, you covet vanity and act as accomplices to evil! Which one of you isn't Li Country? Which one of you doesn't know how the traitor Nangong committed such heinous acts back then! He poisoned the people and drove the disaster victims to uprisings! For a few Divine Infant Pill, you knelt down and begged for mercy, betraying your country, abandoning your families, and selling out your masters for personal gain! Bah! You're cowards who cling to life! Disgusting!"

"You scoundrel! You bastard!" "You brat!"

"Your Excellency, calm down!"

Chaos erupted on the observatory. Nangong Wutian and Li Fan had exchanged a punch. Although Nangong Wutian managed to take a step back and regain his footing, his fist was bruised and swollen like a red bean bun. The pain sobered him up considerably, and he obediently allowed himself to be pulled back by the surrounding strategists and generals, hiding behind the crowd and shouting, "I'll blast you scum!"

Those civil and military advisors who were loyal to the Nangong Family clearly knew the importance of the matter. If they really killed Wei Gao, who was determined to die, it would only serve his purpose and turn the Northern Garrison into a killing ground. So they just talked and talked without actually doing anything.

On the contrary, Wei Gao himself refused to calm down. He was quite different from the group of teddy bears opposite him. He actually had a dagger hidden in his arms. Several times he tried to go around Li Fan to commit suicide, but Li Fan stopped him each time. So the two of them forced the group of people who surrounded them to retreat.

Li Fan was completely baffled. What was going on?!

Li Fan, who always boasted that he was Nangong's nemesis, the funeral pyreer of corrupt officials, and the mad dog of the Mo Shan Sword Sect, was always the one being advised to calm down. Who would have thought that one day he would be the one advising others to calm down? Where is justice?!

Honestly, at first, seeing Wei Gao's confident demeanor, Li Fan thought he must have some brilliant plan. But wow! So, this solo trip is really just about hacking away with a watermelon knife?!

What should we do? Should we really kill all of Nangong's people and rush out?

Before Li Fan could come up with a solution, Nangong rushed up again.

Nangong probably didn't notice that Wutian had already backed down. Moreover, he was used to being arrogant and domineering. When he heard Wei Gao's rant and rave, pointing his finger at him and cursing, he was immediately enraged and couldn't hold back. He even drew his sword and raised his table. Some people even picked up the pipa and golden bell next to them and broke through the obstruction of the civil officials and guards to fight.

"Arrogant! Die!" "You brat!" "Fulfill your wish!"

Li Fan was furious when he saw this! "Aren't you all bastards annoying?! Don't you have any common sense?!"

Taking advantage of Wei Gao's momentary lapse in attention, he yelled, "Stop fighting! Stop fighting! Everyone, stop fighting! This won't kill anyone!" and pounced on the crowd, weaving left and right, dodging and weaving. One person kicked him in the groin, another punched him in the face, and he swung his Nangong swords, one in his left hand and one in his right, sweeping them down one by one, leaving a trail of Nangong swords everywhere...

However, Li Fan wasn't enjoying the fight at all. None of these Nangongs had the physique of the previous Wutian. They couldn't even stand up after taking a punch. A couple of casual touches would break their arms and legs. The unlucky ones would be kicked off the observatory and turned into stars in the sky. Li Fan could only hold back and beat them until they were unrecognizable as human beings.

This caused chaos on the observatory, with the fairies and dancers on the sidelines unable to dodge in time and fleeing in terror. Large numbers of armored guards, armed with halberds, rushed in and collided with many of the Nangong members who were beaten black and blue and were fleeing in panic.

However, among the civil officials and strategists who served the Nangong Family, there were some astute individuals who immediately noticed that Li Fan had stopped tearing the person in half, clearly having held back. One of them immediately shouted...

"Wei Gao! Don't go too far! The Immortal King has already reached a ceasefire agreement with General of the South! You are stirring up trouble between the two families for your own selfish reasons! Do you want to repeat the old story of the deposed crown prince? Ignoring the suffering of the people! You want to incite civil war Li Country the Nangong and Ink Bamboo Mountain so that the Li Kingdom's royal family can profit from it! How vicious you are!"

"Your wisdom is truly remarkable! This man is a trusted confidant promoted by the former Guangling Heir, and he harbors malicious intentions!"

It seems that even the Immortal King Nangong knows that his descendants' intelligence is lacking, so the advisors he has assigned are quite good. Despite the chaotic and tense situation, he immediately realized that Li Fan, from Ink Bamboo Mountain, did not want to escalate the situation, so he immediately spoke up to provoke and launch a counterattack.

But who would have thought that when he heard him talk about the deposed crown prince, Wei Gao suddenly calmed down and laughed loudly. So the two sides stopped fighting and separated. At the same time, the imperial guards with halberds entered the field and formed a battle formation. Shields and halberds were set up in front, and bows and crossbows were drawn behind, trapping Li Fan and Wei Gao, and also rescuing Nangong Men from the ground.

Li Fan squinted and glanced around. These elite soldiers probably wouldn't be so easy to deal with in just a few punches and kicks. He could easily handle Wei Gao, but Wei Gao's strength was average. He followed the path of the Confucian scholar's divine way. If all else failed, he would have to wrap Wei Gao in the Moon Soul Sword Light and rescue him.

Wei Gao laughed for a while before stopping. Suddenly, he drew a dagger, pressed it against his heart, and took out a register, holding it high in his hand, his eyes gleaming as he spoke.

"Indeed! The Guangling Heir has shown me great kindness and favor, not because of my humble origins, but by making me his pallbearer. The Prince was harmed by a petty villain, and I should have followed him long ago! The pallbearer has the duty to lead the coffin and chant eulogies in the main hall, and to observe mourning and guard the spirit. That is why I have kept this useless body."

The court, despite my lack of ability, entrusted me with this important task. I should have restored order to the country and rectified the court, but alas, I am of lowly status and my voice carries little weight. I could not stop the treacherous ministers from harming the Li Country, nor could I punish the wicked and wicked. I have no choice but to die to repay the country's kindness and rid the people of this calamity!

Today, let the Ink Bamboo Mountain Discipline Institute bear witness!

The Nangong disregards the proper etiquette between ruler and subject, secretly amassing a large army, plotting rebellion, and threatening the world! They are also harboring wanted criminals who have Li Country! Gao has already verified that several of these individuals are also Outer Sect Disciple the Ink Bamboo Mountain! They have betrayed their sect! The Nangong's protection of these traitors and their malicious intentions constitute a breach of contract! Ink Bamboo Mountain can now be attacked!

Moreover, your esteemed mountain has now joined Yuntai Peak, ranking among the most revered Xuanmen sects in the world! According to the rules of Xuanmen! Those who betray the sect and abandon its teachings! Kill! Those who harbor traitors! Kill! Those who collude with demonic forces! Kill! Those who tamper with Xuanmen's Daoist arts! Kill!

Therefore, the Nangong is not only plotting rebellion against the Li Country and breaking the agreement with Ink Bamboo Mountain, but also colluding with traitors of the Xuanmen! They are plotting to seize Xuanmen's Cultivation Method and tarnish the reputation of the Xuanmen! They are truly acting against the demonic path! Their crimes deserve to be punished!

Although Gao was not talented, he had studied at Yuntai Peak for some time when he was young, and even received an imperial edict to be appointed as the Vice Censor-in-Chief!

Today I will sacrifice myself for righteousness, to plead my case against the Three Palaces, and to return my soul to Yuntai Peak! I will also tell the whole world about the evil deeds of you, the demonic Nangong sect! Only then will I not betray the trust of the Crown Prince and the nurturing of the nation!

"Oh dear! Your Excellency! Your Excellency! Why has it come to this! Why has it come to this!"

Now Nangong's side was in a complete mess. Even the most clueless person could see clearly that this guy really came with a death wish! He really came here to avenge his son, looking for death! If he died at Nangong's hands, he would hold a city-wide blood sacrifice; if he died at his own hands, he would complain everywhere. Anyway, he was already willing to give his life, so he would disgust the Nangong Family to death. He really went too far!

At this point, Li Fan understood. "Oh, so this is that trick—the one where you lift the roof off if you want to open a window for fresh air, right?"

So he feigned a fit of rage and said, "You bunch of bastards! I, a dignified Guardian Immortal, have come all this way to ask you for a few scoundrels who have committed crimes to clean house! And you've made such a fuss! You're acting like you're going to die! You've even brought in the demonic path! Tell me! Do you really want me to lose my temper and wipe you all out?!"

Wei Gao also said, "The Nangong Family has fallen into demonic ways and harmed the common people; everyone should kill them! True Man, please don't hold back! And these scoundrels who colluded with the evil are also remnants of the demonic path! They should all be wiped out!"

The two of them were singing in unison, and the strategists and advisors were also complaining. They said, "What about those Li Country Liguo, Nangong, and Ink Bamboo Mountain? We've all learned our skills, both literary and martial, to serve the Wang Family. We're just trying to make a living. And you, a moron, come along and shout 'demonic path,' ruining everything. Are you seriously ill?"

"You've gone too far, Your Excellency! When did the Nangong Family ever accuse us of rebellion? The Three Enclosures haven't even reclaimed the position of Immortal King General Who Guards the West yet!"

"Yes, yes! We are all ministers in the same palace, all subordinates of the Immortal Palace, why are you so aggressive!"

This group of people were quite good at lying through their teeth and quick-witted; several of them immediately went to whisper in Nangong Wutian's ear.

Li Fan had Xuan Tian eavesdrop on something, and the gist of it was advising this guy not to be stubborn and resist head-on. After all, the Li Country was one thing, and the Three Realms probably didn't care much, but the Xuan Sect was no joke. It wasn't worth ruining the Immortal King's plans for Wei Gao's worthless life, and so on...

Nangong Wutian was also dizzy, and his hands were swollen and aching terribly, so he had no choice but to give in, "Alright, alright! You wait a minute! It's just about catching a few wanted criminals. Hey, you there! Bring them here and let him catch them and get out of here!"

Wei Gao and Li Fan exchanged a glance, knowing that the matter had been settled.

Wei Gao, still holding the dagger to his chest, said, "Wait! To prevent anyone from leaking information and letting the wanted criminal escape, we must all go together to apprehend him!"

Just as the staff officers were about to refuse, Li Fan impatiently said, "Fine, fine! We'll do as Vice Minister Wei says. We'll go together, a three-way joint trial. We won't wrong an innocent person, nor will we let a guilty person go free, okay? And you stop making a fuss."

The advisors of the Nangong Family exchanged glances and figured that Ink Bamboo Mountain was probably also annoyed with the censor from Li Country, so he should be neutral. Moreover, looking at Wei Gao's roster, they were indeed all officials who had defected from Li Country in recent years, the highest level being only the Golden Core realm. There were no favored figures among them, so they agreed directly.

Use them like weeds, discard them like worn-out shoes—that's the style of the Nangong Family in managing their subordinates.

So the group began searching for and arresting people in each military camp according to Wei Gao's roster.

Wei Gao really did conduct a trial in court. For each person he caught, he would rattle off a series of cases on the spot, reciting how much land and money they had embezzled, how many ordinary people they had harmed, and the evidence against them was truly irrefutable. It was clear that the case had been thoroughly investigated beforehand.

Not only was Li Fan amazed, but the strategists and advisors of the Nangong Family also secretly admired him. As for the former officials who had fled the Li Country, upon hearing that people from both the Censorate and the Discipline Institute had come to interrogate and arrest them, most of them confessed their crimes and accepted the punishment without saying a word.

Of course, resistance was useless; in the end, they were all simply swept away by Li Fan's Heaven and Earth Sleeve and stuffed into his pocket.

Huang Hai was also on the list. This guy was doing terribly. He was the Protector of Xiping Prefecture, Golden Core cultivator from the powerful Huang family, and an Outer Sect Disciple of Ink Bamboo Mountain. He was once a warlord, but now he was Golden Core soldier under the Nangong Family, sleeping in a shared bed with eight other people and standing guard at the gate at night. He looked like just an ordinary soldier.

This guy was quite strange. He put down his weapon, readily admitted to recruiting a private army, and allowed Li Fan to tie him up. His expression was very calm. Li Fan had been hoping he would resist so he could take advantage of the situation, but he succeeded so easily, which made him a little unhappy.

After a close call, Li Fan managed to capture the group of wanted criminals and bring them out of the camp, leaving him speechless with bewilderment.

They were making a huge fuss, and then suddenly everything was resolved so easily. What's wrong with Nangong's thought process? What's his real plan...?

"This is a matter between powerful families and clans."

As if knowing what Li Fan wanted to ask, Wei Gao explained directly on the way.

"The Li Country treats powerful clans with preferential treatment... The whole country treats powerful clans with preferential treatment. If they really offended the real person for personal reasons, they might really have to flee for their lives. But since the Censorate and the Discipline Institute are handling their cases, it is not a matter of personal gain or loss, but the dignity of the family."

Confessing is nothing to them. These cases that often lead to the destruction of ordinary people and the loss of their families are usually resolved by the wealthy clans paying a ransom. Some might even be reinstated to their original positions. At most, Ink Bamboo Mountain would expel them from the sect, since their Cultivation Method are passed down through their own families, and it would be against the rules to abolish their cultivation.

As for the Nangong, as long as they still have the connections and military lineage of the Eight Immortal Armies, Nangong will Li Country. As long as they don't openly rebel like the previous Immortal King, they will still be a powerful clan guarding the borders for the Immortal Palace.

Only the ringleaders are punished, while the rest are spared – this is the tacit understanding within the Immortal Palace.

Whether it's the Huang family or the Li family, big or small, they all have to follow the rules, and everything is negotiable.

Li Fan hesitated, "Does the Grand Chancellor mean that since the powerful clans will protect them anyway, we might as well just kill them all now?"

"Kill them and replace them with another batch. Bringing them back alive will at least increase the authority of Ink Bamboo Mountain and give us leverage in negotiations. Besides..."

Wei Gao turned to look at Li Fan, who seemed to understand, pointed to his sleeve, and added, "They are my spies."

Li Fan was momentarily confused. "What?"

Wei Gao turned to the side, looking at the campfires stretching across Peach Blossom Mountain behind him. "My spies in the Nangong are them. These sons of powerful families voluntarily surrendered themselves, wanting to atone for their crimes through meritorious service."

With their help, I will have a complete understanding of the Nangong camp. If a real battle breaks out, I can send a surprise attack at any time to burn their treasury, cut off their supply lines, and so on. Therefore, it is worth the risk to go and bring them back."

Li Fan was speechless. "But why would they...?"

"Now that Ink Bamboo Mountain is among the Xuanmen sects and has a place on Yuntai Peak, it is already a prestigious and orthodox sect. The status of Ink Bamboo Mountain's Outer Sect Disciple has risen accordingly. These people are willing to accept punishment because even if they return to face the law, their families can still send other disciples to Ink Bamboo Mountain for cultivation."

Wei Gao calmly looked at the momentarily silent Li Fan, "But I wonder how the True Lord intends to deal with these people? Will he give them a chance to atone for their crimes, release them to be punished, or even execute them in private to vent his righteous indignation?"

Li Fan frowned, glaring at Wei Gao with displeasure.

"What? You want to train me to be an emperor?"

Wei Gao, "... not the emperor, but the ruler of the state. The Guan Nei Hou has overstepped his bounds."

Li Fan sighed, "You don't need to persuade me anymore. I'll say it again: if you want to spare his life, ask the victims first. Besides, you just listed so many crimes, they're too numerous to count. He has to be killed. Now I'll take these people back for a public trial. No matter what the outcome of the interrogation, I'll finish them off."

As for Nangong, hehe, I believe in your abilities, Your Excellency. You won't lose to those idiots, so there's no need for your unreliable help."

Wei Gao raised his eyebrows. "Master Qingyue, many things in this world are not so simple."

Li Fan shrugged. "I think it's quite the opposite; after all, killing someone is much easier than keeping them alive."

So he escorted Wei Gao back to Beizhen. Li Fan didn't enter the city either. Under his silent watchful gaze, he sped southward in a flash of light.