Bringing charges!

[Name: Xia Yi]

[Age: 887]

[Level: 299 (347)]

[Faction: Human Race]

[Equipped Saint Souls (12/16)]

[Deception Scripture (One-Star) mastery: Six-Star level 197 (15/60)]

[Martial Arts Compendium (Three-Star) mastery: Six-Star level 178 (45/180)]

[Chisel the Wall to Steal Light (Three-Star), Sword Dao True Explanation (Three-Star), Hat-to-Wings (Five-Star), Break the Cauldrons and Sink the Boats (Five-Star), Xia Yi's Minks-Banishing (Five-Star), Man Tian Guo Hai (Three-Star), Create Something from Nothing (Four-Star), Railroad Speed (Six-Star), Turtle Lives Long (Six-Star): nine in total

All mastery levels maxed at Six-Star level 200]

[Dukes, Marquises, Generals, and Ministers-Are They Born to Their Stations? (Six-Star) mastery: One-Star level 1 (0/60)]

[Special Saint Soul: Detection Art]

[Number of unequipped Saint Souls: 34]

[Total stars: 50]

[Remaining equippable stars: 6]

[Saint Soul power: 8671]

[Remaining Saint Soul Experience: 4855]

The panel's figures made things clearest.

Before condensing the Dukes, Marquises, Generals, and Ministers-Are They Born to Their Stations? Saint Soul, Xia Yi's level had dropped from 347 to 252, barely maintaining his Five-Star Jade Balance strength. Had his realm not remained at Six-Star, he would probably have been at a disadvantage against Feng Shuhu, who was at the peak of Five-Star Jade Balance.

But now, he had returned to the peak of Jade Balance. The enormous reserves of Saint Soul power within him, comparable to those of a newly ascended King, even gave him the confidence to fight any Six-Star Kaiyang. That was why he could sit on the table in Wangjiang Tower's private room, waiting at his ease for his opponent to come.

He even had the leisure to consider an unrelated question.

With his injuries halfway healed, he seemed able to draw on his Saint Soul power to nourish his body and become a little younger, probably going from a seventy-year-old man back to fifty.

Should I do that?

The Empowerment granted by Five-Star mastery had caused him some trouble. He had created quite a few Saint Souls back then. He only had thirty-four unequipped Saint Souls left because, while saving himself from his severe injuries, he had sacrificed most of his surplus Saint Souls, converting them into Saint Soul Experience.

He had used it to max out Turtle Lives Long directly.

Otherwise, his equipped and unequipped Saint Souls would have totaled several hundred. And if anyone cultivated those self-created Saint Souls to Five-Star, they would be able to see what he had looked like in his youth and middle age.

Song Qu, for example, had certainly seen him as a boy. If he appeared looking younger, Song Qu might even recognize him.

That would... be quite troublesome.

Gently stroking his white beard, Xia Yi pondered. Outside the window, he saw countless soldiers arrive and surround Chen Guang. Not long afterward, they came to surround Wangjiang Tower as well.

"Grandpa, Grandpa, are we fighting our way out?" Shi Lai asked excitedly.

"F-fighting our way out?" Zhou Xiaoxian felt that might not be such a good idea.

Xia Yi shook his head. "Be patient. Don't rush."

In the main hall of the Great General's Residence.

The atmosphere was oppressive and somber.

Ever since news of Feng Mo's death had arrived, Feng Shuhu had sat in the seat of honor, one hand resting on his long halberd, his head lowered, saying nothing. Yet his terrifying aura kept everyone in the main hall silent as cicadas in winter!

Thud!

The sound of Xu Zhou dropping to one knee broke the silence. He said gravely, "General, I have failed in my duty! I will go capture the murderer for you at once. Once this is settled, I will accept whatever punishment you see fit!"

"No. Go mobilize the troops."

"...Mobilize the troops?" Xu Zhou looked up in horror. "General, you..."

"Brother Hu!" Amid that urgent cry, a woman in palace attire rushed into the main hall without regard for appearances, even stumbling over the threshold. Tears filled her eyes, her face grief-stricken. "This isn't true, is it? Mo'er... was he really... by that bastard Chen Guang..."

"It isn't true." Feng Shuhu rose and walked toward her with his long halberd, comforting her gently. Just as delight appeared on her face, she felt pain at the back of her neck.

Catching the woman as she slumped, Feng Shuhu ordered expressionlessly, "Ding Rou, Ding Yu, take good care of my wife. Take the fastest Railway Carriage and bring her to Nanji, the capital of our Great Zheng. Go to the chancellor's residence and find my father-in-law. Let her recuperate properly there!"

The two female guards hurried over to support the woman.

"Surely there's no need to go this far, General!" Xu Zhou exclaimed, still kneeling on one knee. "He's merely a brazen outlaw..."

"Chen Guang is no outlaw!" Feng Shuhu said. "He endured for thirty-five years. If nothing unexpected had happened, he would have kept enduring. Unless I'm mistaken, someone else has given him confidence. I sense trouble. Go mobilize the troops, Xu Zhou."

"...Yes, sir!"

Long halberd in hand, Feng Shuhu strode out of the main hall. Gazing at the dazzling sunlight, he fell silent for a moment.

"Chen Guang, my dear eldest senior brother, you really have given me... quite a surprise!"

In Wangjiang Tower's private room.

"Senior, this couldn't have anything to do with you, could it?" The Xiyuan Marquis, Song Qu, who had hurried over upon hearing the news, could not help blurting out the question when he saw Xia Yi.

Behind Song Qu stood a middle-aged man in official robes, a long saber slung horizontally at his waist. He looked worried and was thoroughly deferential. At those words, the worry on his face deepened.

He was a prison warden in Lieyang City, an eighth-rank official-neither particularly important nor insignificant. The area around Wangjiang Tower fell under his jurisdiction.

After receiving the news, he had brought men to seal off the surrounding streets and Wangjiang Tower securely, but he had no idea what to do next.

The victim's identity was special. He did not dare arrest Chen Guang and put him in prison, because once imprisoned, Chen Guang would have to be tried in court, and any intervention by Feng Shuhu would then violate procedure. He did not dare offend Feng Shuhu.

So he could only have his men surround Chen Guang.

Oh, and Lü Ying, who had not left either.

Knowing that so many people had seen her and that slipping away would be difficult, Lü Ying had instead stayed, sitting on the ground with Chen Guang and listening to his story.

He had thought the arrival of the Xiyuan Marquis, Song Qu, who had always hated evil with a passion, would give him someone to back him up. But the moment Song Qu said "Senior," the Prison Warden guessed Xia Yi's identity and knew things had gone wrong.

He could only hope Xia Yi...

"That man who committed the killing is a disciple I just took in. My second disciple," Xia Yi replied.

Well, there went his last hope.

Song Qu's heart tightened too, not only because of Xia Yi's words, but also because he had noticed that Xia Yi's aura seemed even more unfathomable to him now.

Countless thoughts raced through his mind before he changed the subject. "Senior, was the White Sun Star Radiance earlier connected to you?"

"An insignificant achievement. My second disciple and I created a new Six-Star Saint Soul together." Xia Yi nodded. "From reading history books, I learned that during the Human-Demon War a thousand years ago, every hero of the Human Race who created a new Six-Star Saint Soul was honored as a Void King. If a Void King killed someone, they could be held innocent so long as the killing was reasonable and justified. I wonder whether that rule is still in effect?"

Song Qu drew a deep breath. "It is."

"Good, then." Xia Yi turned his head. "Also, Prison Warden, the Holy Academy is a sacred place of the Human Race. If someone persecuted a fellow student within the Holy Academy, how should they be dealt with? And who would deal with them?"

"I don't deserve such a respectful address from you." The Prison Warden hastily bowed and replied, "If someone harms a fellow student at the Holy Academy and the circumstances are severe, it may warrant a trial by the elders of the Main Academy. If the circumstances are less severe, the local authorities administer the punishment."

Xia Yi rose with a smile. "Good, then."

He gazed out the window and declared gravely, "Today, I shall bring charges! Thirty-five years ago, Jiedushi Feng Shuhu, then the second senior brother of the Holy Academy's Beginner Class, secretly harmed his eldest senior brother, Chen Guang. How should he be sentenced?!"

Song Qu's expression grew solemn.

The Prison Warden nearly collapsed.

Shi Lai's eyes shone.

Zhou Xiaoxian pointed out the window in alarm. "Second Senior Brother's father is here, alone!"