Chapter 194: Master Chun, Little Thief

At the inn, Shi Chun could not escape the arranged interview.

The conversation revolved around the events inside the Western Extreme Arena. Shi Chun was quite surprised to learn the interrogators' identities, never imagining that a competition would attract such individuals.

He had heard of the Star Gazing Pavilion members in the Land of Exile and knew what they did; they were said to be the Empress's enforcers.

As long as it wasn't related to demonic matters, Shi Chun had nothing to fear.

They didn't ask many other questions and weren't interested in the Insect Core Crystal competition. Their only inquiry was whether he knew who had intervened to repel him during his confrontation with Mu Lan Qingqing.

Firstly, Shi Chun truly didn't know who had intervened. Secondly, he had already been instructed by a hidden master, so he adamantly maintained his ignorance.

There was no other meaning behind his refusal. If the Star Gazing Pavilion could demonstrate the ability to cleave through the void, he might have honestly confessed.

However, he hadn't even understood the method of attack, yet they were asking about the direction it came from. The disparity was too great; how could he possibly tell the truth?

He would naturally side with the stronger party; otherwise, he wouldn't know what hit him later.

The interrogation was suspended abruptly. Outside the inn where the Wukang Mountain group was staying, thousands of armored soldiers suddenly appeared – the Royal Capital Garrison had arrived.

Their arrival was far from gentle; they immediately surrounded the inn and burst inside.

"Stop!"

Several black-clad figures at the courtyard entrance immediately shouted, attempting to block their way.

With a flash, swords were drawn and pressed against the necks and bodies of the black-clad men, forcing them aside.

Among the black-clad men who rushed out from the inn courtyard, one produced a Xuanji Token. However, before he could display it, the back of a sword struck his wrist, knocking it loose, and a swift kick sent the token flying into the mountain forest beyond the courtyard wall. "Didn't see it, wasn't there."

The commotion from both sides, shouting at each other, was even heard by Shi Chun, who was still undergoing interrogation inside. Then, the door was kicked open with a bang, and a group of armored soldiers burst in.

Confronted by the drawn swords, the interrogator slammed his hand on the table, stood up with a bang, and furiously pointed at the armored soldiers, demanding, "What is the meaning of this?"

The leading general surveyed the bewildered Shi Chun and asked, "Shi Chun?"

Shi Chun cautiously stood up. "That would be me," he confirmed.

The leading general then turned to the interrogator. "Regarding the Heavenly Meteor Shower Grand Assembly," he stated, "we suspect this young man of cheating."

He then turned to his subordinates and commanded, "Take him away!"

Cheating? Nonsense! Shi Chun immediately panicked. This was a competition of individual skill; how could there be any cheating? He loudly protested, "I've been wronged! I didn't cheat..."

The armored soldiers paid no heed to his protests and simply dragged him away.

Once in the courtyard, he saw that Wu Jinliang, Xiang Lan'er, Bian Weiying, Yin Huixin, Elder Ke, and nearly all the Wukang Mountain group had been brought out. Only Bian Jixiong was absent.

Bian Jixiong was still in the inn's finest room, its door tightly shut. Standing outside were two black-clad figures, a man and a woman, both with remarkably refined features.

A general, accompanied by a group of armored soldiers, quickly approached. Just as he was about to smash the door, the female black-clad figure smiled faintly. "If you know who is inside," she said, "it would be best not to trespass. You are aware of the consequences. If not, feel free to try."

The general's raised fist faltered.

The male black-clad figure calmly and politely stated, "Please wait a moment."

The general, his jaw tight, lowered his hand.

Just then, the door silently swung open, revealing a tall, fair-skinned, handsome middle-aged man in a green robe, who appeared quite composed.

The moment the man in green appeared, the general's mouth twitched, and he quickly moved to the side. The accompanying armored soldiers, though unaware of the situation, mimicked his actions.

The man in green stepped out, moving calmly and unhurriedly, with the man and woman who had been guarding the door following closely behind him.

Bian Jixiong, who emerged shortly after, also found no freedom and was immediately taken into custody.

In the inn courtyard, the man in green scanned the gathered crowd, his gaze settling directly on Shi Chun. He stared at Shi Chun intently for a considerable time, making Shi Chun feel utterly uncomfortable.

Just before entering the carriage, the man in green suddenly paused and asked, "Was the 'Xuanji Token' not shown?"

A black-clad figure immediately stepped forward to report. "It was shown," he admitted, "but they feigned ignorance and deliberately struck the token away."

"Oh," the man in green responded. "Who did it?"

The black-clad figure immediately scanned the area, then raised his hand and pointed to one of the leading armored soldiers present. "Him!" he declared.

The man in green turned his head, his cold gaze fixed on the soldier.

The moment the soldier's gaze met his, blood suddenly gushed from the soldier's neck. A Silver-Glow Swordsman had abruptly appeared, severing his neck with a single strike, startling everyone present.

As the head hit the ground, the Silver-Glow Swordsman vanished instantly, before anyone else could even move.

The scene erupted in gasps of shock, yet no one dared to make a move. With the appearance of the Silver-Glow Swordsman, it was clear to everyone who the man in green was.

Shi Chun's brows furrowed. He didn't know the man in green's identity, but he recognized the sect or faction he belonged to.

Frightened, he instinctively activated his right eye's special ability, guarding against a potential assassination.

Before boarding the carriage, the man in green cast another subtle glance at Shi Chun.

Shi Chun's heart pounded as he vaguely realized that the man had killed the soldier as a demonstration for him.

What astonished him even more was that the man in green, along with his black-clad followers, simply departed, having killed a member of the Royal Court on the spot. The Royal Court's forces dared not intervene and allowed them to leave unimpeded.

The Wukang Mountain group was also escorted away. They didn't know their destination, only that they were taken to a garrison camp.

They were provided with a courtyard for temporary lodging. As long as they didn't attempt to escape, they had freedom of movement within the confines of the courtyard.

Shi Chun waited to be interrogated about the cheating accusation, but the array of responses he had prepared went unused because no one came to question him. It was as if his captors had forgotten the purpose of his arrest.

Meanwhile, Bian Jixiong gathered some of their members for a discussion.

"Mu Lan Qingqing of the Suyuan Sect has a fiancé named Wang Sheng, a disciple of Youxia Mountain in Xuanzhou. You all know this, right?"

Bian Jixiong's opening statement left the two elders and Shi Chun, who were privy to the truth, completely dumbfounded.

Shi Chun bowed slightly and confessed honestly once more, "Sect Master, there is no one named Wang Sheng at Youxia Mountain; your disciple made that up."

Bian Jixiong stated with certainty, "No, there truly is a Wang Sheng at Youxia Mountain, an outer disciple."

Wu Jinliang was immediately amused, chuckling, "No way, is it really that coincidental?"

Bian Jixiong continued, "He is indeed Mu Lan Qingqing's fiancé, though she has never met him and doesn't know what he looks like. Shi Chun, aware of this fact, exploited it to deceive Mu Lan Qingqing during the Heavenly Meteor Shower Grand Assembly."

As the group listened with skepticism, he added unequivocally, "From now on, no matter who asks, this is what you will say. This is the truth, this is the fact. You cannot change your story, even under threat of death, or you will suffer terribly. Do you understand?"

Not being foolish, everyone quickly grasped the implication.

Shi Chun asked, "Sect Master, who was that man in green?"

Bian Jixiong replied, "Don't ask. What you don't know won't hurt you."

Shi Chun secretly pouted.

In another military garrison in the royal capital, Chi Rang, the furious Regional Lord of Xuanzhou, finally met representatives from the Bilan Sect and ten other factions.

These representatives from the eleven factions had been recovered by a team of Royal Court forces he had dispatched to retrieve them from the Star Gazing Pavilion.

It was difficult for him not to be furious. The Insect Core Crystals belonging to the Xuanzhou forces had been stolen, and as the dignified Regional Lord, he naturally needed to question his own people about what exactly had transpired. Despite his inquiries, he only received superficial details and a vague understanding, with no one genuinely informed.

And now there was a fiancé? When did Shi Chun become Mu Lan Qingqing's fiancé?

No one knew where the Suyuan Sect members had gone into hiding.

When he questioned certain related factions who might know the inside story, he discovered that their members had also vanished. It was then that he realized something was amiss and immediately sought assistance from the Royal Court's special forces, only to find that the Star Gazing Pavilion had moved far too quickly.

It was then that he dispatched forces to reclaim the people from the Star Gazing Pavilion.

While the individuals were unharmed, certain truths were now difficult to uncover, even for him, Chi Rang, the Regional Lord of Xuanzhou.

The accounts provided by the eleven factions, specifically by those who knew the truth, had been censored. However, the information that remained after censorship was truthful and could withstand any investigation.

Any information detrimental to the Suyuan Sect had vanished.

When questioned about what the Star Gazing Pavilion had done after taking them, it was naturally these details that were probed.

With the intervention of the Royal Court's intelligence, the Suyuan Sect members were naturally located. Chi Rang furiously demanded to know about the fiancé situation. The answer he received was precisely what Bian Jixiong had stated: no one knew how Shi Chun had learned about Wang Sheng, and he had exploited this information to deceive Mu Lan Qingqing.

Chi Rang also saw Mu Lan Qingqing, who had been so angered that she vomited blood. He personally examined her and confirmed she had indeed been enraged, and she had not yet regained consciousness.

Given Mu Lan Qingqing's condition, Chi Rang could understand why the Star Gazing Pavilion had intervened to investigate the cause.

Nevertheless, this infuriated the Regional Lord. To have the first place, which was within his grasp, stolen by deceit was simply outrageous. He roared, "Shi Chun, you petty thief!" and then immediately sought out the relevant high-ranking officials in the Royal Court to lodge a complaint.

He could not simply remain silent.

The high-ranking officials did not merely take one side's word and sent for Wei Mo to confront him.

Wei Mo had already arrived near the courtyard where the Wukang Mountain group was temporarily housed, as he too wanted to know what the Star Gazing Pavilion had done with them.

He had personally arranged for the Wukang Mountain group to be retrieved from the Star Gazing Pavilion and feared they might encounter further trouble, which was why he had them temporarily housed there.

"Lord Wei," someone called out, appearing suddenly and stopping him. "The Right Grand Marshal has summoned you and ordered you to see him immediately."

"Now?" Wei Mo glanced at the still-dark sky.

"Yes, now, immediately."

"What about?"

The messenger smiled. "I don't know, but Chi Rang went to the Right Grand Marshal first."

Wei Mo suddenly understood. He clasped his hands in thanks and said, "You go ahead; I'll be right there."

"Make it quick," the messenger urged before departing.

Only then did Wei Mo leisurely make his way.

It was only after he met the Right Grand Marshal and heard Chi Rang's live accusation that he learned of Shi Chun's audacious tactics, including impersonating Mu Lan Qingqing's fiancé. He was genuinely astonished; was Shi Chun really playing such elaborate games?

That question left Wei Mo feeling somewhat awkward. He had intended to ask, but given his strained relationship with Wukang Mountain, he felt he needed to maintain a certain decorum. Besides, with the results secured, what was there to rush about?

He had just been about to inquire casually when he was summoned here.