"This man is indeed Retainer General of mine, Yushan..."
Hearing the boy's resolute questioning, Cao Ming raised his hand to lift the blood-red shadow from the deep pit, a complex expression appearing in his eyes.
He really couldn't understand it.
How could a lieutenant whose only redeeming quality was his martial arts skills have appeared before him in such a way?
"It's my problem."
After a moment of silence, Cao Ming decided to state his position first.
Regardless, the problem stemmed from him, and he cannot escape responsibility for it.
"Of course I know it's your problem."
Ye Li chuckled and put down his teacup, saying, "To allow one's own confidant to commit such a disastrous act, I truly don't understand why the Prefect dared to question me so brazenly before."
"You've run into me today. If it were any other Retainer General, would you really have knocked them unconscious, dragged them away, and seized the evidence?"
If that's really the case.
At this point, Ye Li casually took out the jade seal from his robes and tossed it directly towards Cao Ming, coldly laughing:
"No need to steal it, just take it!"
Click!
The sound of the jade seal being inserted into the blue brick floor was exceptionally clear and jarring, and Cao Ming felt his Blood Vitality rushing to his head.
The patterns on the jade seal flickered between light and shadow.
On the smooth surface, he could see his face gradually turning red.
"This is in..."
Such a sight shocked Su Yongye and his guards, who quickly exchanged glances, their stunned expressions clearly visible to each other.
What are they doing?!
Having stayed in Yushan for so long, I've never seen anyone dare to treat Prefect Cao like this. Even the governor personally appointed by the Dasheng dynasty didn't have this kind of attitude!
This person has an audacity beyond belief!
Unfortunately, he was in the wrong... Su Yongye's throat bobbed.
He swore he had never seen Prefect Cao so radiant today; the immense and overwhelming Martial Dao emanating from him was unstoppable!
Even the sky darkened, and the Sea of Clouds roared and boiled!
This is the aura of a Venerable One in the Cosmic Birth Realm.
The Boy in Black inside the Naihe Hall remained as calm and composed as ever, letting the jade seal remain stuck in the ground, gleaming brightly against the gloomy sky.
"If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too; why should Prefect Cao feign politeness?"
Ye Li kept his eyes straight ahead, sensing the Soul Anchor Point thousands of miles away, and said calmly:
"Please accept it, so others won't say I'm impolite."
[Publicly humiliating Cao Ming, the prefect of the Cosmic Birth Realm Fifth Level in the Xianjing Continent! Malice Points +!]
A Venerable One at the Cosmic Birth Realm Fifth Level, huh? Interesting. No wonder I've been feeling the alarm radar beeping all the time... Ye Li sipped his tea.
With his exceptional self-control, he effectively suppressed the surging emotions within him and selectively ignored the blank stares directed at him from the surroundings.
Fortunately, he had Zeng Fan as leverage over him; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to make such sarcastic remarks.
In addition, he possesses several life-saving trump cards, including [Indestructible Golden Soul], [Good Fortune Avoids Calamity], and [Rook Exchange].
Ye Li was almost 100% certain.
Even if Cao Ming, a mere Venerable One, could severely injure him instantly, he certainly wouldn't be able to hold him back.
For a moment, the entire mansion fell into an eerie silence.
"..." Cao Ming's face remained tense.
Fortunately, after a moment of mental preparation, he quickly made a decision, bent down to pick up the jade seal from the ground, took a deep breath, and said:
"You flatter me, young friend."
He raised his hand and pushed the jade seal back in front of Ye Li, his voice, now calm, carrying a hint of apology:
"This matter is indeed a dereliction of duty by our Yushan Nine Luminaries Division, and we will certainly punish those responsible according to the laws of Dasheng."
"I, Cao Ming, have never been one to bend the law for personal gain before, and I will not do so again. I hope you can rest assured, young friend."
Looking at the middle-aged man in the blue robe, whose soul did not tremble in the slightest.
Ye Li was slightly surprised, then nodded gently, acknowledging the explanation given by the Prefect of Xianjing.
Cao Ming then turned to look at Zeng Fan was severely injured in the deep pit.
Nourished by the Venerable One's Magic Power, the latter finally regained some consciousness and knelt on the ground, saying, "Prefect... Prefect..."
"Who gave you permission to mobilize troops without authorization to assassinate your colleague?" Cao Ming asked calmly.
Seemingly sensing the Killing Intent in the other party's words, Zeng Fan trembled and hurriedly shouted:
"I'm doing all this to prepare for the Xuanming Sword Sect's [Sword Master Ceremony] in two days!"
"A lie." The boy's voice drifted on the wind.
"I... I'm just so angry."
Zeng Fan lowered his head, his words carrying a clear sense of resentment and bitterness.
Cao Ming listened attentively to what he had said, then nodded slightly and said softly:
"You have done a lot of good things for Yushan, but this misdeed is no joke. I believe you are mentally prepared for punishment."
"..." Zeng Fan's lips moved slightly, but his mind went blank. He couldn't bring himself to say "I didn't" no matter what.
Attacking and killing a colleague without cause is a capital offense if it were handled according to the laws of Dasheng!
A high-ranking lieutenant general like myself, destined to end up like ordinary people?!
Why is that?
Because I failed to grab it!
If he had actually managed to seize the jade seal from Ye Li, and after the baptism was completed before being convicted, he would certainly have had a more compelling reason to stand up for himself, instead of being speechless like he is now!
"When I appointed you as a lieutenant general that day, you didn't have such a resentful look in your eyes. Has a mere Jade Mountain Refinement made you lose your true self?"
Seeing his expression, a hint of disappointment flashed in Cao Ming's eyes, and he finally shook his head slightly:
"If someone like you were to truly attain the status of a Venerable One in the future, and the Demon Race were to offer you further benefits, I'm afraid you wouldn't hesitate to kill even your master along with you."
"General Ye."
Cao Ming's voice startled everyone present, the effect of making an example of him was clearly evident. "Please do it for me, and help me save face."
"We've been master and disciple for many years; I can't bring myself to do it."
"Understood."
The moment those calm words fell, Zeng Fan was on the ground, suddenly became furious and fled in panic!
However, the Boy in Black who had been drinking tea suddenly raised his hand towards this spot.
Without even glancing at it, the gleaming immortal Immortal Sword reappeared in his palm!
"..." Zeng Fan's pupils contracted, but he was unable to utter any more words.
Only a sharp sword light burst forth from in front of him!
Boom!!!
A flash of white light appeared in the sky, causing the mansion to shake violently.
[Publicly killed Zeng Fan, a subordinate Zeng Fan at the second level of the Nine Luminaries Division Dao Evolution Realm of Jade Mountain! Malice Points +!!]