A Complaint Before the Palace? He Came Carrying a Shoe!

Not long after the incident at Moon-Watching Tower, the messenger guard returned to the Papal Palace at a brisk pace, his expression complicated as he reported the battle's outcome.

"Reporting to His Holiness the Pope, after the Second Young Master arrived at Moon-Watching Tower, he kicked the private room door to pieces. The Second Young Master personally acted, leading the guards in giving Su Jian a severe beating. His face is badly swollen, and he is completely unrecognizable... Not a single word of reason was exchanged throughout."

As soon as those words fell, the great hall sank into dead silence.

Qian Daoliu's hand holding the White Jade Wolf-Hair Brush suddenly froze. With a crack, the brush tip snapped clean off, splattering ink across the desk. He sat dumbly upon the papal throne, his eyes vacant and his expression shattered. His beautiful fantasy of gentlemanly communication had crumbled into dust.

None of the friendly negotiations, reasonable arguments, or dignified conclusions he had imagined had happened.

His son's approach from start to finish had been simple: ignore reason, disregard personal ties, kick anyone who refused to comply, and slap anyone whose mouth stayed stubborn.

Qian Xunji, seated nearby, could no longer hold it in. He smacked the throne's armrest and burst into laughter, rocking back and forth so hard tears nearly came out.

"HAHAHAHA! I told you! But you didn't believe me! Expecting my little brother to reason with people is ten thousand times harder than making me stop slacking off and honestly inherit the Pope's position!"

Qian Daoliu remained silent for a full half-minute. Looking at the broken brush and spilled ink on the desk, he raised a hand to his forehead and let out a long, helpless sigh.

"Fine, fine. Though violent and crude, the treatment was exceptionally effective."

At least it felt good! It felt good!

From this day onward, Qian Xunzong was Spirit Hall's twin-flower enforcer. I said so!!!

The beating with a shoe sole at Moon-Watching Tower had thoroughly shattered Su Jian's pride, but his submission had never come from genuine remorse. It was merely a temporary bow beneath the pressure of the Titled Douluo behind Qian Xunzong.

After tossing and turning sleeplessly all night, Su Jian lay in bed with one side of his face swollen high, his lips split and bruised, and his entire face still hideous and twisted. The more he thought about it through the night, the more stifled and resentful he became.

He was the chief steward of the Spirit Hall Engineering Division. He commanded thousands of craftsmen and was proficient in formation repairs and spirit plant cultivation. He had served Spirit Hall for nearly fifty years and had rendered great service through hardship. Even the major elders usually had to show him some respect.

Yet now, he had been kicked and injured in public by a six-year-old child, his face whipped with a shoe sole. Never in his life had he suffered such unbearable humiliation.

Coupled with the pain of having to hand over every rare spirit plant he had collected over half a lifetime for the construction site repairs, the resentment in Su Jian's heart finally overwhelmed his fear.

He was certain of one thing: Pope Qian Daoliu valued his reputation and conducted himself with rules and dignity. He would never indulge a junior who committed violence within the Papal Palace, much less watch idly as a meritorious subordinate was beaten at will and had his Soul Power crippled.

Last night, Qian Xunzong had caught him off guard, while a Titled Douluo had locked down his Soul Power and left him unable to resist. But today, with the Pope presiding over the hall, Qian Xunzong surely would not dare act so recklessly.

Having made up his mind, Su Jian endured the pain throughout his body. When daylight fully broke the next day, he did not even apply medicine to his wounds before dragging his battered body straight to the Central Papal Palace.

He did not follow last night's order to gather the craftsmen and begin work, nor did he transport even half a spirit plant from his private hoard to the academy construction site. He slacked off completely, wanting only to rely on the Pope's backing to seek justice and instead charge Qian Xunzong with bullying the weak through strength and committing insubordination.

Inside the Papal Palace, sandalwood incense curled through the air, as solemn and tranquil as ever.

Qian Daoliu sat upon the supreme papal throne, imposing in a sacred robe adorned with flowing gold. Holding the Spirit-Inked Jade Brush between his fingers, he lowered his head and calmly reviewed the dossiers submitted from various regions, his expression composed and authoritative.

Qian Xunji sat bored in a side seat, propping his chin up with one hand as his half-lidded eyes drifted in idle stupor. Having heard the guards' report of the Moon-Watching Tower farce yesterday, he was still secretly laughing to himself and waiting to see the next act.

At that moment, the sound of guards stopping someone came from outside the hall, followed by a weak, aggrieved wail that echoed throughout the palace.

"His Holiness the Pope! Save me! I beg Your Holiness to uphold justice for this subordinate!"

The palace doors were carefully pushed open a crack. Su Jian, bruised and swollen, staggered into the great hall with his body hunched over. His knees buckled, and he dropped heavily onto the white jade tiles in the center of the hall, pressing his forehead hard against the floor as though he had suffered an immense grievance.

When he raised his head, his severely swollen cheeks stood out painfully. The dried blood at the corner of his lips was clearly visible, his once-neat hair bun was a complete mess, and his robes were wrinkled and torn. He looked utterly miserable.

Qian Daoliu paused his brush and lifted his eyes to glance at him indifferently. With one look, he understood the injuries covering Su Jian's body. Yet his expression remained unchanged as he feigned confusion and asked,

"Steward Su, why are you in such a wretched state? What happened?"

Seeing the Pope's gentle attitude, Su Jian was overjoyed. He knew he had gambled correctly, and immediately began crying out his grievance through tears and snot.

"Your Holiness! This subordinate has been wronged! Yesterday, the Second Young Master barged into Moon-Watching Tower without cause. Without distinguishing right from wrong, he ordered a Titled Douluo elder to lock down the Soul Power of this subordinate and his men, then personally beat this subordinate and humiliated me in public!"

"This subordinate merely followed procedure by reporting that the spirit plant reserves were insufficient and temporarily delaying the construction schedule. I handled my duties conscientiously and never had the slightest intention of defiance. Yet the Second Young Master relied on his noble status to bully this subordinate at will. He even declared that he would cripple this subordinate's Soul Power and exile me to the mines for lifelong labor!"

"This subordinate has been loyal to Spirit Hall all my life. Half my life's efforts have gone into the Engineering Division and formation repairs. Even if I have no great merit, I have endured great hardship. I beg His Holiness the Pope to see the truth clearly, severely punish the Second Young Master's bullying of the weak, and return justice to this subordinate!"

The more he spoke, the more emotional he became, his voice choked with sobs as he deliberately exaggerated his grievances. He said nothing of his own deliberate delays, his private hoarding of public spirit plants, or his mocking the young master behind his back and disregarding palace rules. He only wanted Qian Daoliu to favor him and harshly punish Qian Xunzong.

Qian Xunji's eyelids twitched wildly as he listened, and he silently grumbled, You still have the nerve to act wronged?

You were the one who slacked off and stalled the project first. You completely deserved that beating, and now you want to play the victim?

Qian Daoliu's expression remained calm. He set down the jade brush, seemingly about to ask for the details, just as Su Jian believed he was about to obtain justice—

BOOM—!!

A deafening explosion thundered through the hall as the heavy Papal Palace doors were violently kicked open once again. The impact shook the entire great hall faintly.

A young voice, lazy yet carrying a trace of viciousness, swept through the Papal Palace with the gusting wind.

"Justice? I'd like to see who dares twist right and wrong and stir up trouble in front of my father!"

Qian Xunzong strode into the great hall with his hands behind his back, carrying the Jade Balance Xiejing Beast on his shoulder. In his right hand, he was unmistakably holding the shoe he had just used. Its sole pattern was clear, making it obvious that it had been put to use only moments ago.

Clearly, he had just received intelligence from the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Learning that Su Jian had not returned to work but had instead come here to complain, he had grabbed the weapon of the crime and rushed all the way to the Papal Palace.