Free Web NovelChapter 315: Chapter 197: Who Agrees, Who Opposes (Part 2)
Xiang Tianlin shot Red Eagle a cold glare, and for a moment, the atmosphere in the hall turned frigid.
You Yu spoke up. "Elder Xiang, why don’t you start by telling us what you propose."
"Report it to the Immortal Sect. This matter is of the utmost importance, and we can’t be certain if he truly colluded with an Evil God."
"If that’s the case, we should notify the Immortal Sect and let them determine if the aura of an Evil God is present." Xiang Tianlin paused, then continued, "Until the Immortal Sect arrives, we will not convict or arrest Jiang Man."
"I disagree," Red Eagle said coldly. "Jiang Man must be arrested. We cannot let him go."
"Let’s open the meeting and vote," You Yu said.
As she finished speaking, all three took out their Identity Tokens and placed them on the table.
The Identity Tokens then began to resonate.
Light enveloped them.
All such official commands required this process.
Of course, it didn’t have to be the Tokens; Divine Soul resonance would also work.
What was required was the Token and the person. Without a Token, a Divine Soul would suffice.
This was to prevent a situation where a Token was lost and its owner was controlled by an Evil God.
Because the resonance would be scanned by the Divine Soul Array established by the Immortal Sect.
「Inside the Immortal Mansion.」
As Jiang Man was studying the Array Pattern Books, he suddenly felt his Identity Token vibrate.
He then discovered a meeting had begun.
And it seemed he had been automatically invited to join.
’I can observe, too?’
In the next instant.
A holographic image emanated from the Identity Token.
But this was also an Array that he had to decipher himself, and it required some materials.
Jiang Man immediately gathered the materials and began setting it up using his basic knowledge.
Fortunately, the requirements for the Identity Token weren’t very high.
Soon, three figures appeared before him.
They were just blurry silhouettes; he couldn’t see any other details.
He could only confirm that they were seated.
Furthermore, they hadn’t even noticed his presence.
Jiang Man breathed a sigh of relief.
He then watched quietly, waiting to see what orders they would issue.
Just then, the man at the head of the group spoke slowly, "Everything that needed to be discussed has been discussed."
Jiang Man was speechless.
That single sentence threw him for a loop.
’The discussion is over?’
’Then what was the point of holding a meeting?’
The speaker continued, "Then let’s proceed directly to the vote. My proposal is this: the charge against Jiang Man for colluding with an Evil God is valid. The Old Yellow Ox is suffused with a strange aura and is by no means innocent."
"Jiang Man brought the ox here, so he must have ulterior motives. Not only that, but there are also problems with his own Cultivation advancement."
"We cannot rule out a connection to the Old Yellow Ox."
"We cannot rule out the possibility that he may endanger the Sect."
"He needs to be captured at once, interrogated, and stripped of his status as a Sect Disciple."
"Who is in favor, and who is opposed?"
As soon as he finished, he was the first to speak again. "I am in favor."
Jiang Man sighed inwardly. ’Just as I expected.’
’But everything he said is true. Old Huang really isn’t innocent.’
’It seems I won’t be able to stay in the Sect any longer.’
’What a pity.’
"I object." Jiang Man saw the man on the other side speak up. "This is too drastic. He is the benchmark for the Visualization Skill. If we do this, the Visualization Skill will be ruined."
"I am in favor," the last person, a woman, chimed in. "There are some things we simply can’t afford to gamble on."
Jiang Man sighed. ’Two to one. It looks like I’m really finished.’
But just as he sighed, his Identity Token vibrated. It seemed...
...he could also state his position.
「Meanwhile.」
「In Zhenyue Hall.」
Seeing that the other two had cast their votes, Red Eagle began, "Alright, with a two-to-one vote, it’s deci—"
Just as Red Eagle was about to continue, a voice suddenly cut in. "I object."
The appearance of a fourth voice took all three in the hall by surprise.
They all looked over in unison.
Then, they saw a blurry, indistinct figure slowly materialize in the hall.
The moment he appeared, everyone understood who it was.
The newcomer was the Special Inspector from the Immortal Sect.
Zui Fusheng.
Although Xiang Tianlin was surprised, he looked at Red Eagle and said, "Two to two. It’s a tie."
Red Eagle frowned. The mysterious Inspector had always operated in the shadows.
He had subconsciously overlooked this person.
He never imagined the Inspector would actually appear at a time like this.
And to oppose his proposal, no less.
What was a three-person decision had now become a four-person one.
’How are we supposed to vote now?’
Red Eagle looked at Zui Fusheng and asked, "Inspector, you object. Do you have an alternative proposal?"
’I don’t. I just object to you arresting me,’ Jiang Man thought.
But he couldn’t let it show. He looked toward the only one of the three who had opposed the motion.
Xiang Tianlin immediately spoke up. "I propose we let the Immortal Sect intervene to determine whether Jiang Man has colluded with an Evil God. He is, after all, a key figure in the Immortal Sect’s revision of the Visualization Skill. It would be a shame to destroy him without conclusive evidence."
"Furthermore, the matter of the Evil God’s aura is suspicious. We cannot rule out the possibility that he was framed."
Red Eagle immediately retorted, "That’s easy for you to say. Are we supposed to do nothing and just wait for the Immortal Sect to arrive?"
You Yu added, "If you’re claiming he was framed, you need to have a suspect. There has to be something to go on, right?"
All eyes turned to Zui Fusheng.
After all, his appearance forced them to take him seriously.
The Immortal Sect’s Special Inspector.
No one knew his origins.
His sudden objection must have a deeper meaning.
They didn’t dare ask too many questions, as they were not privy to special missions.
Facing their stares, Jiang Man was not intimidated.
He was like this no matter where he was.
An Unparalleled Celestial Pride should make others lower their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.
Still, the question was easy enough to answer.
’Who would frame me?’
’There should be quite a few people like that. After all, an Unparalleled Celestial Pride has too many enemies.’
’But who’s the most suspicious?’
’The only one who struck me as odd was, of course, Zhao Tiankuo.’
’Should I have them investigate him?’
’How boring.’
Finally, he spoke slowly. "The Zhao Family of Wind and Rain City."
’Even if it’s not them, I’ll still make things difficult for you all. I can’t stand you anyway.’
The Zhao Family of Wind and Rain City? The three of them were somewhat surprised. ’Such a specific target?’
’What’s going on with this Zhao Family?’
Zui Fusheng’s confidence made Red Eagle lose his own.
It seemed that he was truly the one in the wrong.
After a moment of silence, Red Eagle finally spoke again. "In that case, let’s hold a new vote."
"Jiang Man is suspected of colluding with an Evil God, but the matter is full of doubt and cannot be confirmed. Furthermore, he is the top disciple of the Outer Sect and a key figure for the newly revised Visualization Skill, so we must not be careless."
"The Sect will report this to the Immortal Sect and request a thorough investigation to ascertain the facts."
"While awaiting the Immortal Sect’s arrival, the Sect will suspend all support for Jiang Man, including but not limited to: resource provisions, access to lectures, support for competitions, and channels for advancement."
"All places where the Sect directly sells items and books, such as Elixirs, Talismans, and Arrays, will no longer be open to him."
"During this period, he is not permitted to leave the Sect grounds or see the Old Yellow Ox."
"Once his time in the Immortal Mansion is over, he must remain in the Law Enforcement Hall for three days for a simple review. If no problems are found, he may be released."
"However, any large expenditures must be reported for review."
"Who is in favor, and who is opposed?"
Jiang Man was stunned. ’Aren’t these restrictions a bit too severe?’
’I can’t buy anything or learn anything.’
’Well, only through Sect channels.’
’I can still buy from some of the regular shops.’
’But it’s much more expensive.’
’And what qualifies as a large expenditure?’
Regardless of his thoughts, the others had already begun to vote.
The two of them both agreed.
The motion passed.
The meeting was adjourned.
Back in the hall, the three sat in their seats.
All of them were a bit surprised.
Red Eagle looked at Xiang Tianlin. "Can you contact him?"
Xiang Tianlin shook his head. "No, I can’t."
"Then is it possible that Jiang Man just happens to be part of his mission?" You Yu asked.
Hearing this, the others nodded in agreement.
That was indeed a possibility.
But now that the decision was made, the first step was to issue the order.
They also needed to report to the Immortal Sect.
And then there was the matter of the Zhao Family.
"First, have someone secretly investigate the Zhao Family," Red Eagle said.
"The Zhao Family of Wind and Rain City. Don’t make a mistake," Xiang Tianlin specified.
Red Eagle paid him no mind and directly ordered the investigation.
「Three days later.」
Red Eagle stared at the investigation report, his brow deeply furrowed.
He couldn’t care less about any of their shady dealings; that wasn’t within his purview.
However, there were indeed some oddities.
For example, this Zhao Tiankuo reached Foundation Establishment right after joining the Sect. On the surface, it seemed plausible and quite normal.
A person like that should be a chosen one, radiating brilliance.
But he gave off a strange sense of frailty.
’If someone like that can reach Foundation Establishment right upon joining, the Sect would’ve been doomed long ago.’
And yet, he couldn’t find any concrete faults.
’How strange. Something this strange must mean there’s a problem. It’s the same feeling Jiang Man and the Old Yellow Ox give me.’
’It doesn’t make sense, but I have no proof.’
He continued reading and discovered that someone from the Zhao Family had indeed sent a paper effigy to Jiang Man’s residence.
The timing matched the appearance of the Evil God’s aura.
When he finished reading the report.
He let out a heavy sigh. ’This Inspector really knows what he’s doing.’
’The Zhao Family really does have some issues.’
’If the Evil God’s aura really came from them, then this is also a huge problem.’
’Where did they get that aura?’
’And they dared to hide it.’
’The very fact they could preserve it is enough to warrant a full investigation.’
He immediately gave the order: "Get to it. Arrest the Zhao Family. Send every suspicious person to the Law Enforcement Hall for a preliminary interrogation and investigation."
