Coming to Lodge a Complaint
The head of the family gave the order, and no one dared to disobey.
Sang Ying and the others were unaware of what these people were discussing. They had only exchanged a few words in front of the city lord's mansion, and then the gates opened in the blink of an eye, welcoming them inside.
However, Sang Ying wasn't stupid. Before entering, she asked, "Today's events have caused quite a stir. There are still many cultivators outside who came with me to seek justice. I wonder if we could let them come in and listen, so they can all witness the heroic figure of the Moonless Household Head?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Wangchuan, who was following behind her, almost burst out laughing on the spot.
He was startled to find himself no longer at the inn when he woke up this morning.
Fortunately, Jiang Zhuoxue arrived in time and briefly explained what happened last night to him. She also told Gu Wangchuan about the scene in his dream where he slapped the flying corpse puppet.
Gu Wangchuan felt a little embarrassed by what he said.
Having learned what had happened, the three of them, without even having breakfast, grabbed the "evidence" tied to the two ropes and walked to the entrance of the city lord's mansion while proclaiming it.
Their commotion was quite loud, so a large crowd had already gathered in front of the mansion gate. Taking advantage of the situation, Sang Ying spoke up, and the others who had come to watch the spectacle joined in, jeering:
"What this female cultivator says is true. A major incident has occurred in our city, so let's see how the acting city lord handles it impartially!"
The man emphasized the words "handle impartially," and Sang Ying glanced in the direction of the voice. She guessed that the man was someone planted by the Yin Mountain Sect to stir up trouble.
However, since she would ultimately benefit, Sang Ying didn't interfere much.
The other onlookers were also intrigued by the man's words. Most of them were outsiders who were only temporarily staying in Moonless City. Even if they offended the Moonless Household, they could simply leave.
But wouldn't it be a shame to miss out on such an interesting and exciting event?
As more and more people joined in the commotion, and the matter escalated, the collateral relatives who had come to welcome Sang Ying into the house panicked. They had no choice but to quickly report to their elders, and as usual, they received a scolding.
In the end, they agreed to the matter. However, the city lord's mansion was not very large, so not all the cultivators could enter. Only a group of people were allowed to go in with Sang Ying, most of whom were cultivators from other worlds.
The junior disciple sent by the Yin Mountain Sect was also among them. After noticing Sang Ying's gaze, he secretly winked at her.
Sang Ying withdrew her gaze and focused all her attention back on the mansion.
The City Lord's Mansion is the residence of the town's ruler. Although the Moonless Household Head also has a residence in his own clan's territory, he spends most of his time in the City Lord's Mansion after becoming the acting City Lord.
At a glance, everyone would notice that the decorations here were full of the Moonless Household's atmosphere, and even the lanterns hanging around the room bore the Moonless Household's logo.
Upon seeing this, Sang Ying couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.
It seems the Moonless Clan completely considers the City Lord's Mansion their own; they seem very confident about this competition.
However, considering Wuyue Hao's attack on them last night, Sang Ying and the others were bound to cause some trouble for the Moonless Household during this competition.
The group was led to the main hall of the city lord's mansion, where the Moonless Household Head was already sitting upright, waiting for them.
Sang Ying and the other two, as the victims in this case, were led into the main hall, while the rest of the people were left outside to observe this unique interrogation.
Inside the hall, there was not only the Moonless Household Head, but also several other people sitting around him. They were all the current managers of the Moonless Household and held important positions in the clan.
Upon seeing Sang Ying, they adopted a cold expression, seemingly filled with contempt and disgust for the three of Sang Ying.
"How should I address you, young lady?" The Moonless Household Head, seemingly oblivious to the rudeness of those around him, asked Sang Ying with a smile.
Sang Ying: "My surname is Sang, and I am but a nobody, not worthy of the City Lord's attention."
The word "generation" was particularly unpleasant to the ears of the Wuyue family leader.
"I heard you've come to the City Lord's Mansion because you have a grievance that you want me to resolve? I wonder what it is that has caused so many of you to gather in front of the City Lord's Mansion, giving me quite a fright." The Moonless Household Head's gaze swept over the crowd outside the hall, as if he were trying to memorize their faces.
Sang Ying could hear the hidden threat in his words, but before she could speak, the Yin Mountain Sect disciple outside spoke first, "It's because we heard that such a terrible thing hasn't happened in Moonless City for many years, so everyone thought we'd come and see what kind of villain dares to cause trouble under the acting city lord's nose!"
Gu Wangchuan listened, burying his head behind Jiang Zhuoxue, afraid that others would see the corners of his mouth turned up.
Sang Ying didn't want to waste time with them. Ignoring the murderous glares from the Moonless Household, she dragged the corpse puppet and the corpse controller into the conversation. "These are the villains who attacked our inn last night. They also damaged the inn's doors, windows, and walls. This is probably a huge expense, and these people should be made to pay for it."
"That's not all. There's also compensation for other guests who were woken up late at night, and losses from damaged inn rooms that can't accommodate new guests. Each of these amounts to Spirit Stone, and they have to pay for it!" Gu Wangchuan added a few more words at the end.
Several corpse controllers who were only bound and not yet unconscious immediately protested, pointing at Sang Ying and the others and crying, "You're talking nonsense! We didn't break it, you did..."
"What's wrong with us?" Sang Ying turned around and smiled gently at the group. The corpse controller, who had been complaining a lot, immediately shut up and even trembled uncontrollably a few times.
Upon witnessing this scene, the Moonless Household Head's wariness of Sang Ying deepened even further.
"We've delivered the person. How to investigate and interrogate her is beyond the control of us juniors. We'll leave everything to the acting city lord. We hope you can give us a satisfactory answer." These words, practically a threat, were easily uttered, leaving the Moonless Household members helpless, unable to do anything to Sang Ying.
Since things have come to this point, an interrogation is definitely necessary, and it must be conducted in front of everyone.
The Moonless Household Head glanced at Sang Ying before turning to the corpse controllers and asking, "Who are you? Who ordered you to attack these young fellow cultivators?"
The corpse controllers exchanged glances discreetly; how could they dare to speak the truth in front of the patriarch?
One of them, thinking of his family still remaining in the Moonless Clan, could only grit his teeth and say, "We couldn't stand this outsider female cultivator. She's clearly unremarkable, yet she managed to gain benefits from the Severed Vitality Mystic Realm. That's why we wanted to teach her a lesson, to make her back down and leave Moonless City!"
"I see." The Moonless Household Head nodded. "I wonder about the answer..."
"Words are no proof. I've heard that the acting city lord seems to know a soul-searching Cultivation Method that can reveal the memories of the person whose soul is being searched. I wonder if the acting city lord would be so kind as to do us three innocent travelers?" Sang Ying wouldn't give the other party a chance to smooth things over, so she interrupted him the moment the Moonless Household Head started to speak.
The sharp gazes of the people in front of her swept over her, as if they could devour Sang Ying alive in an instant.
But she ignored him, staring intently at the Moonless Household Head without saying a word.
Since we've already offended them, we might as well go all the way!