Called to Account

"Sect Leader Kang, a message from the state court has ordered the suspension of your positions as Pingrong County and City Lieutenant of Double Brightness."

Xie Liusheng looked at the somewhat astonished Kang Dabao, and recalling his previous experience of showing weakness in front of Fei Shuhe, a hint of pleasure immediately appeared on his face.

Forcing a smile, he said seriously, "Acting Commandant Deng has sent me, Xie, to take Sect Leader Kang to Double Brightness Trade Market. Luo Heng and Gun Qiushou will be waiting for you there. Commander Tie has sent a squad of Xiezhi Iron Guard to take the three of you convicted officials back to the state court. Please, Sect Leader Kang, set off quickly, lest you be late."

"You surnamed Xie!" Chu Huer smashed his cup. Pei Yi and Yuan Jin glared at Xie Liusheng with unfriendly expressions, He Yuanbing and Duan Anle even walked out of their seats.

"What? You, the Chongming Sect, dare to disobey the decree of the state court?" Xie Liusheng was somewhat frightened, but he dared not show it.

Even though the Daoist Black Shoes was sitting above Sect Leader Kang Da, Xie Liusheng still put on airs and angrily rebuked the Chongming Sect members.

"Cough, alright, I'm going." Kang Dabao's eyes were still devoid of any spirit. His chest injury had not yet healed. He coughed and stood up.

"Good, Sect Leader Kang is finally a reasonable person." Xie Liusheng nodded with satisfaction, then turned to Yuan Jin and said, "Fellow Daoist Yuan and Fellow Daoist Ye, your positions as Bad Leader and Chief Accountant are also temporarily relieved, and Acting Commandant Deng is also relieved of his duties. If you two have nothing else to do, please don't go to the market, lest you make a wasted trip."

"A triumphant cat is more ferocious than a tiger. Thank you, fellow Daoist. You have truly impressed me today." Yuan Jin said in a sinister tone, his expression grim.

Xie Liusheng merely smiled faintly upon hearing this, showing no fear whatsoever.

The state government won a great victory in this battle, not only capturing Auspicious Brocade Gate at Little Wu Mountain in one fell swoop, but also sweeping away all the unstable forces in Cloud Horn Prefecture, leaving them completely wiped out.

This incident has largely wiped out the prestige that the Two Instruments Sect had accumulated over a thousand years in Cloud Horn Prefecture.

There are even rumors circulating that forces like the Three Incense Cult of Pu Prefecture and the Feng Prefecture Ge Household, which had long been colluding with the Two Instruments Sect, were wiped out by the Earl of Nan'an, severing their lineage.

Xie Liusheng, who had completely switched sides to support Deng Baichuan, was naturally pleased with the state government's strong stance. After all, with the state government becoming more efficient and harmonious, he, who considered himself a lackey of the state government, could also rise in status.

When Kang Dabao brought him onto the ship, the stove in the state government office was neither cold nor hot.

This action, to some extent, reflects his willingness to serve his country loyally.

Furthermore, Deng Baichuan now favors him quite a bit. This man is a close disciple of the Acting Sima Gun. If he serves under him and does his job well, he can be sent out to work as a corrupt official in the future. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Kang Dabao realized the thoughts of the rebellious and petty man before him, but he had no intention of wasting his breath arguing with him.

He forced himself to say a few hurried words to his junior brothers, and then, under the worried gazes of the disciples, followed Xie Liusheng out of the Chongming Sect's gate.

The Daoist Black Shoes simply watched as Sect Leader Kang Da walked out, his body hunched over, without uttering a word.

"Sect Leader Kang, I'm sorry!" Xie Liusheng said he was sorry, but his actions of putting the spirit shackles on Kang Dabao were quite rough.

The Hardness, sharp edges of the spirit shackles chafed Sect Leader Kang Da's barely visible neck until it was a bloody mess. A powerful spiritual restriction pressed down on the shackles, making the flow of his Law Power extremely sluggish.

It was as if he was carrying a millstone on his back, making walking extremely difficult.

"Ha," Kang Dabao suddenly found it amusing. He used to be the one putting the spirit shackles on others, but today it was finally his turn to experience it. Interesting, very interesting.

"Save your energy, Sect Leader Kang. Don't laugh for too long. Think about what to say when you see the official in charge of criminal matters." Xie Liusheng couldn't stand Kang Dabao being happy, so he deliberately told him some discouraging things.

Kang Dabao, however, was not in the mood to speak, which left Xie Liusheng feeling awkward.

They had only taken a few steps with Sect Leader Kang Da when an old woman leaning on a spirit wood cane blocked their path.

"Senior Sun! What brings you here?" Xie Liusheng immediately put on a smiling face.

In his opinion, Kang Dabao had committed a crime that even the Earl of Nan'an would investigate, so the Fei Household should no longer have any dealings with him.

Perhaps the moment Sect Leader Kang Da was imprisoned, the divorce papers from the Fei Household would arrive. Under such circumstances, he truly hadn't expected that Fei Shuhe would send her own dowry maid.

"Remove it," Nanny Sun said in a low voice, her face grim.

"Hey, it's being unloaded, it's being unloaded!" Xie Liusheng wasn't stupid; he had to consider who he was before he could use someone else's power.

The elder of the Illusory Sword Alliance who was beaten to death by Nanny Sun a while ago is still hanging on his own door. It's almost dried out and hasn't been taken down yet. Xie Liusheng is just bad, not stupid! That's why he doesn't dare to provoke Nanny Sun.

With the shackles removed, Kang Dabao felt as if a huge mountain had been lifted from his back, making him feel much lighter. He then clasped his hands in thanks and said, "Thank you, Granny."

"Young master has been wronged," Nanny Sun simply shook her head and said softly, "There's not much I can do. Miss has already written to the elders at home, and she will set off tomorrow to see Madam and the Old Madam. Young master, please don't worry."

"Thank you, Granny. Please also thank her on my behalf," Sect Leader Kang Da said after thinking for a moment.

"It's all a servant's duty," said Nanny Sun, not taking credit for herself. She then turned to Xie Liusheng and said, "Take good care of me on the journey. If my son-in-law returns and says even the slightest bad word about you, I'll hang you on the archway of Double Brightness Trade Market and have you skinned alive in the street."

"Yes, yes, yes, senior, don't worry! I will definitely take good care of Uncle Shi!" Xie Liusheng felt remorseful, but how could he dare to say no? He hurriedly agreed.

Take care, son-in-law.

"Take care, Granny."

Nanny Sun gave Xie Liusheng another few words of advice before heading towards Green Lotus Courtyard with some lingering unease. On the way, she saw a Daoist priest in Black Shoes and plain clothes, carrying a sword, waiting for her.

"Friend Black Shoes, respectful greetings."

"Thank you very much, Fellow Daoist Sun." The Daoist Black Shoes looked at Kang Dabao, who had been freed from his spirit shackles and was being helped onto his mount by Xie Liusheng, and thanked him softly.

"It was all at my young lady's behest. I told her before I came that with Fellow Daoist Black Shoes here, the young master will certainly not suffer any great injustice," Nanny Sun said with a faint smile.

"I can't. If I were to intervene, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to resist cutting down that scoundrel with my sword. That would really backfire. Kuang Liuting isn't a magnanimous person. If he finds out about this, Brother Bao will inevitably suffer more."

The Daoist Black Shoes looked worried and sighed softly.

"Fellow Daoist Black Shoes has thought things through thoroughly," praised Nanny Sun, thinking to herself that she was right. Everyone outside said that Kang Dabao was her illegitimate son; otherwise, he was just an ordinary junior, so why would she care so much?

"I have another question for Fellow Daoist Sun,"

"Fellow Daoist, please speak."

"As you mentioned earlier, the young lady of the Fei Household wanted to go home and ask her elders to say a few words of leniency for this good-for-nothing. Was this just you trying to comfort me, or is it truly the case? Please clarify, fellow Daoist."

"What are you saying, Fellow Daoist in Black Shoes? I can't make decisions for Miss. How could I dare to speak up if she doesn't want to do something herself?" Nanny Sun shook her head and said, her tone unusually questioning towards the Daoist Black Shoes.

"Very well, I agree, fellow Daoist!" After listening attentively, the Daoist Black Shoes said earnestly, "Then I will trouble you, fellow Daoist Sun, to tell Shuhe after you return to your courtyard that from this day forward, I, Black Shoes, have accepted her as my daughter-in-law."

Having said this, the Daoist Black Shoes said no more to Nanny Sun, bowed in farewell, and followed Kang Dabao and Xie Liusheng toward Double Brightness Trade Market.

Xie Liusheng's mount was the Golden-beaked Goose that Sect Leader Kang Da and Deng Baichuan had recently decided on. These kinds of spirit birds are average in terms of fighting and speed, but they are quite steady in their movements.

Kang Dabao did not experience any bumps or jostles along the way, and by the time he arrived outside the Double Brightness Trade Market, the wound on his neck had already scabbed over.

Xie Liusheng was exhausted. The current Sect Leader Kang Da was no longer the easygoing person he used to be. He rode the Golden-Beaked Goose without stopping the whole way. Xie Liusheng dared not stop or try to stop him, and he was left looking rather disheveled.

"Sect Leader Kang, you've worked hard." Deng Baichuan greeted him with a smile, his tone devoid of any mockery or sarcasm, a stark contrast to Xie Liusheng's smug demeanor.

Seeing that Kang Dabao had arrived riding a spirit bird, Deng Baichuan was quite satisfied with Xie Liusheng.

"This fellow actually has some brains, unlike that fool who just took the Gun Qiushou Lock! Doesn't he realize that it's my master Acting Sima Gun's, close cousin? He's made such a mess of things; how will they get along in the future?!"

Deng Baichuan took Kang Dabao's hand, revealing a rather affectionate expression, and led him to a luxuriously decorated restaurant.

After being led into the side room by Deng Baichuan, Kang Dabao discovered that Gun Qiushou was also there. At this time, he looked quite disheveled, with hardly any good skin left on his body, indicating that he had suffered a lot.

"It's a great relief that you're alright, my dear brother!" Although the cold wind had blown him all the way, Sect Leader Kang Da was still in low spirits, but he was able to cheer up and socialize normally without any problems.

"My dear brother, alas." Gun Qiushou's voice was trembling with tears. He hadn't even finished a few words before his voice broke with grievance.

Seeing this, Sect Leader Kang Da didn't know how to answer.

Gun Qiushou's desertion in the face of battle caused the entire battle line to collapse, making him undoubtedly a useless general. "An incompetent general can cause the death of three armies." This saying couldn't be more fitting for him.

However, even if he were to fight to the death against hundreds of cultivators from the Clear Cloud Alliance led by two Foundation Establishment cultivators, the outcome would likely be no better.

Both men are now guilty and in similar circumstances, sharing a common plight. Therefore, Sect Leader Kang Da has no interest in arguing with Gun Qiushou about right and wrong.

Unlike Kang Dabao, who looked as if he had lost his parents, Deng Baichuan, who entered at this moment, had a beaming smile on his face.

Even the news from Sect Leader Kang Da that the Fire Dragon Daoist, sent by the state court to be stationed in Double Brightness Trade Market, had died in the battle did not affect Deng Baichuan's mood.

To entertain Kang Dabao and his companion, Deng Baichuan prepared a large table of delicacies. During the meal, he drank and chatted as usual, showing no signs of distress. He was as friendly as ever to the two convicted officials, even more so than when Sect Leader Kang Da was not convicted.

Kang Dabao was a little confused. After Gun Qiushou finished crying, he perked up and started drinking and eating. Halfway through the meal, he even clapped his hands and asked Deng Baichuan to call in two female musicians.

"Hey, my brother, you have no idea! I was just dragged back to the Pingrong County by the local militia you brought, and before I could even rest, an elder from my clan came to find me with a message from my uncle. In front of all the immortals and mortals at the government office, he mercilessly lashed me thirty times with a soft rhinoceros whip, and wouldn't even let anyone administer medicine to me. I've suffered so much!"

Gun Qiushou, perhaps in a bad mood, became slightly tipsy after only a few jugs of spirit wine. His eyes were bloodshot, and he couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"Haha, my master meant well. If we didn't do something to impress you, my worthy brother, it would be difficult to explain to the Earl if he inquired. This battle was a complete victory. The only minor setback was at Jiazixu Mountain, but that's because those treacherous Clear Cloud Alliance traitors are cunning. It's not your fault, my worthy brothers!"

Deng Baichuan refilled Gun Qiushou's wine cup. He had been a disciple of Acting Sima Gun Qiushou. They were very familiar with each other.

"Of course." Gun Qiushou nodded matter-of-factly, then downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, and casually began to flirt with the woman in his arms.

After sharing a cup of wine with a female musician, Gun Qiushou said with a relaxed expression:

"What's such a minor defeat? Lord Marquis is so wise, he wouldn't do something as foolish as cutting off his own arm. Over the years, the Imperial Guards have lost so many battles in the capital region, and they've lost more than ten large Spirit Stone mines, yet among those who were beheaded, how many weren't peasants?"

"So, this guy wasn't crying because he was worried about his life or being held accountable, but because he was in pain?" Deng Baichuan and Gun Qiushou, two fellow townsmen from the capital, were talking, and Sect Leader Kang Da couldn't get a word in edgewise.

However, hearing that they had handled their trip to the prefectural court so easily put his mind at ease. Judging from Gun Qiushou's words, this trip to the prefectural court was probably just a formality, and they would simply strip off their official skins once again.

If that's the case, it would really suit Sect Leader Kang Da's wishes. He's tired of being a petty official; he hasn't gotten many Spirit Stones, but he's almost bled dry. It's better that he doesn't have to do it!

To find spiritual objects to repair the foundation of the mistress, improve her personal cultivation, teach her disciples and followers, reorganize and integrate the four spiritual sites in the Pingrong County section of Cold Crow Mountain, and reopen Chongming Small Pavilion.

Kang Dabao has too many things he's eager to do. If he can truly break free of his shackles and gain a carefree life, that would naturally be a good thing.

After the three finished drinking, they walked out of the market together.

At this moment, a market patrolman lay dead at the market entrance. Kang Dabao could hear the conversation and knew that this was the same man who had meticulously taken the Gun Qiushou Lock.

The market is a place where businesses are open for sale. Normally, even if a constable who has done something wrong is beaten or killed, it would never be displayed in such a conspicuous place at the entrance.

Deng Baichuan's purpose in doing so is self-evident.

A hint of pleasure flashed in Gun Qiushou's eyes, while Xie Liusheng was drenched in cold sweat from fright. He never expected that Nanny Sun's warning would save his life!

Xie Liusheng was still shaken, and his expression towards Sect Leader Kang Da was somewhat complicated.

I'm just a nobody, I can't see the bigger picture. They haven't even lost power yet, and I'm already kicking them when they're down. What if Kang Dabao makes a comeback someday?

Those who awaken to the truth like Xie Liusheng are few and far between. At this time, many people have gathered in and around the market, and a plump female cultivator with a large bust and a pert bottom is particularly eye-catching.

Hearing that Kang Dabao was about to be taken to prison, she specially abandoned her business to come here and watch the spectacle.

Seeing Kang Dabao's gaze fall upon her, the female cultivator spat, feeling a sense of schadenfreude. "Back then, I offered myself to you, and you still looked down on me! Yet you've gotten involved with that little slut from the Huo Household!"

Bah! He was just a lowly peddler, yet he thinks he's suddenly a lord! He doesn't even know how to enjoy fine meat; he should go eat prison food in jail.

The Sect Leader Kang Da, was unaware of the deep resentment this female cultivator harbored towards him. He bowed his head and followed Gun Qiushou past the prison cart that should have been used by disgraced officials, and together they boarded a luxurious beast-drawn carriage.

The prison van, which should have carried three people together, now contained only a vacant-eyed man inside, looking rather lonely.

Even though he had a very unpleasant time working with Luo Heng back then, seeing Luo Heng like this now still made Kang Dabao feel a little sad.

Knowing that Luo Heng was the "mud-footed man without a proper background" that Gun Qiushou and Deng Baichuan had mentioned during their conversation, and that of the three of them traveling together, he was most likely the only one who would lose his head.

The Sect Leader Kang Da couldn't bring himself to "sing folk songs during a fire," but because of Luo Heng's predicament, he felt a sense of melancholy, like a rabbit mourning the death of a fox.

Without the female musicians and spirit wine on the beast-drawn carriage, Gun Qiushou's enthusiasm for conversation waned.

He was actually a little angry with Sect Leader Kang Da. He had thought that the latter's military skills were really that great, thanks to the hype from the cultivators of Cloud Horn Prefecture, and that he could at least get some credit for himself.

In the end, that was just how it was; like me, he had to rely on his family's influence to save his life.

Seeing Gun Qiushou's behavior, Kang Dabao did not take the initiative to start a conversation.

In his life, he found it hardest to do things like offering his kindness to someone who wouldn't listen. When he was a traveling merchant, he couldn't help it because of the need to make a living. But now that Sect Leader Kang Da was burdened with such a heavy lawsuit, he really had no interest in currying favor with the young master beside him.

The two remained silent as the spirit beast pulling the carriage traveled on clouds all the way to Xuanwei City.

The Dingnan Niu Household once ruled this large town for hundreds of years, but now there is no trace of them left in the town.

As they approached Xuanwei City, Kang Dabao and Gun Qiushou were disembarked from the luxurious beast-drawn carriage and placed in a prison cart to keep Luo Heng company.

Upon reaching the location of the Ministry of Justice in the city, Deng Baichuan could not enter and returned by carriage. Before leaving, he asked Gun Qiushou to Acting Sima Gun Qiushou, who readily agreed.

The two spoke without a trace of worry; despite coming to this place of punishment, their mood was as pleasant and relaxed as if they were on a picnic.

The clerk of the state court, who was still a senior figure with a close relationship with Gun Qiushou, spoke to Kang Dabao, the eldest son-in-law of the Fei Household, in the same cordial tone.

He only ordered someone to take Luo Heng up for trial first, then personally poured spiritual tea for Kang and Gun.

Before long, a minor official came to report that Luo Heng had confessed to the entire crime of losing the battle at Jiaxu, but his injuries were too severe, and he died suddenly in court.

All three knew the outcome, and their expressions remained normal. The clerk in charge of criminal affairs said with a grin, "Which of you two virtuous nephews would like to go to court first?"

Gun Qiushou stepped forward first, "Nephew, you should go first. You've been out for a while; it'll be good to get home sooner."

"Yes, yes, don't worry, my dear nephew, it's just a formality." The clerk of the Ministry of Justice had a big smile on his face, and he even invited Gun Qiushou to come to his residence for drinks and entertainment the next day.

After Gun Qiushou left, Sect Leader Kang Da was left alone with Xingcao Yuan, a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator, and felt rather uneasy.

The latter thought to himself that people from small places really couldn't cultivate that calm and composed air of nobility, but he still smiled warmly and invited Kang Dabao to have tea and talk.

Gun Qiushou was gone for a long time this time, and neither of them saw him return.

At this moment, not only Kang Dabao felt panicked, but even the criminal clerk felt something was wrong. Just as he was about to call someone to ask, he saw the clerk from before rushing over with a panicked look on his face.

"Lord Meng! Lord Meng! Something terrible has happened! Pass Deputy Gun has been executed on the spot!"

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