Chapter 366: Jiang Fan's Strength Exposed

Uh...

Lin Yuheng glanced sideways at Jiang Fan, who was standing right beside her, a hint of surprise on her face. "You are Jiang Fan?"

Ruan Qingsu, standing nearby, also froze for a moment. Then, she secretly gritted her teeth. "Jiang Fan, is it? You little rascal, I'll remember your name!"

Jiang Fan said, looking serious, "Commissioner Lin, please feel free to ask any questions you have. This disciple will hold nothing back and will fully cooperate with the inquiry."

Seeing Jiang Fan's deferential attitude, Lin Yuheng felt she had inadvertently scared him. She quickly softened her tone and said gently, "Don't be afraid, this is just routine procedure. I'll just ask a few simple questions."

Liu Wenchen and the elders exchanged glances, feeling a sense of relief. They were relieved that Jiang Fan had evidently made a good impression on Lin Yuheng. Perhaps she would show him special consideration and be lenient with the punishment, out of consideration for Jiang Fan.

Jiang Fan smiled and said, "Please go ahead, Senior Lin." He had acted with a clear conscience during his time at the Grand Elder Sect and didn't feel he had done anything wrong.

Lin Yuheng nodded slightly and took out a handwritten letter from the Grand Elder Sect Master. She began, "Not long ago, the Grand Elder Sect Master sent this letter of accusation to the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. The accusation states that the Azure Cloud Sect Master is shielding his kin and acting passively in the war effort!"

From Liu Wenchen down to the ordinary disciples, countless question marks appeared in their minds. They had been speculating about the content of the Grand Elder Sect Master's accusation. They had considered a hundred, even a thousand possibilities, but none of them had imagined it would be about shielding kin and acting passively in the war effort! "What is this based on?"

Liu Wenchen asked, bewildered, "Commissioner Lin, are there any other accusations besides this?"

Lin Yuheng shook her head slightly. "Just this one."

Liu Wenchen couldn't help but scoff, "I've sent my daughter to the Giant Sect's frontline to carry out the most dangerous mission. How can this be considered shielding my kin? This is a joke!"

The elders also found the accusation baffling. Liu Qingxian was currently fighting on the front lines of the war between humans and beasts. "How could she be considered passively fighting? Furthermore, even if Liu Wenchen were reluctant to let his kin take risks, would it warrant such an accusation?"

Lin Yuheng looked at the detailed content of the accusation letter, frowning. "Sect Master Liu, is Jiang Fan your kin? The accusation letter states that Jiang Fan is your son-in-law."

"Uh..."

Liu Wenchen paused, then nodded and said, "Yes, our sect did publicly announce that Jiang Fan is my son-in-law. It's not wrong to say he's my kin. But I also assigned him a mission, and he has only just returned. How can this be called shielding him?"

"This..."

Lin Yuheng was also starting to get confused. She had initially thought Jiang Fan was some top-tier disciple. Only now did she realize that he was merely a new disciple. His cultivation was, at best, at the sixth or seventh layer of Foundation Establishment, right? To send him out on a mission, how selfless was that? It had absolutely nothing to do with shielding. What was wrong with this Grand Elder Sect Master? What kind of problem was he even reporting?

It was Ruan Qingsu, standing nearby, who squinted her charming eyes and spoke up. "May I ask, Sect Master Liu, what kind of mission did you assign to Jiang Fan?"

Liu Wenchen glanced at her and said confidently, "A Level 3 mission: escorting spiritual herbs. There's nothing wrong with that, right?"

Lin Yuheng nodded slightly. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it. Given Jiang Fan's strength, a Level 3 mission was perfectly suitable. She truly couldn't understand why the Grand Elder Sect Master had lodged such an accusation.

Ruan Qingsu, however, gasped and exclaimed, "What? You made him undertake a Level 3 mission? No wonder the Grand Elder Sect Master filed a report!" Jiang Fan, with his terrifying strength, could go to the front lines and brutally beat down a group of beast kings. Yet they sent him to perform a Level 3 logistics mission within the Nine Sects territory? "Forget the Grand Elder Sect Master; she wanted to file a report herself now! This shielding is far too excessive!"

"Shut up, I didn't ask you to speak!" Lin Yuheng reprimanded her. "Hadn't she shamed her master enough already?"

She turned her gaze back to Jiang Fan and asked, puzzled, "From what I see, there's nothing wrong with your mission. Did you do something at the Grand Elder Sect? Something that might have displeased the Grand Elder Sect Master? Tell me the truth. If the Grand Elder Sect Master is maliciously slandering you, I will stand up for you!"

Jiang Fan was also deeply confused. He cupped his hands and said, "To be honest, this disciple doesn't know how he might have offended the Grand Elder Sect Master. I merely exchanged knowledge of medical and martial arts with their disciples. I truly cannot think of any instance where I might have overstepped."

Exchanging medical and martial arts knowledge? That's quite normal, isn't it? What was wrong with the Grand Elder Sect Master, to so openly accuse Jiang Fan of being shielded? Liu Wenchen and the elders were all completely at a loss. This accusation truly made no sense.

It was Ruan Qingsu, however, who seemed to catch on to something. She said, "Master, perhaps you should ask him how he 'exchanged' martial arts."

Lin Yuheng thought carefully. It was only during such martial arts exchanges that he might have inadvertently offended someone and displeased the Grand Elder Sect Master. But with Jiang Fan's seemingly meager strength, whom could he possibly hurt? The disciples of the Grand Elder Sect were far stronger than those of the Azure Cloud Sect. Jiang Fan should be grateful if he wasn't injured; how could he have injured others? Still, since there was a clue, it was worth asking, as a matter of routine.

"How did you 'exchange' martial arts with the Grand Elder Sect disciples?"

Jiang Fan sifted through his memories. He spoke unhurriedly, "First, on behalf of my junior niece Yan Yuqing, I taught a lesson to someone who had been disrespectful to her."

"Hmm???"

"Junior niece Yan Yuqing?"

"Taught a lesson to someone disrespectful?"

A single short sentence, yet the amount of information it contained was so overwhelming that those present struggled to process it.

Lin Yuheng blinked. "Whose disciple is Yan Yuqing? And why would you call her your junior niece?"

Being from the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, she wasn't particularly familiar with the disciples of the Nine Sects. But the Azure Cloud Sect elders present knew perfectly well.

Liu Wenchen raised an eyebrow and quickly interjected, "Jiang Fan, stop talking nonsense. Yan Yuqing is Grand Physician Shangguan's senior disciple; how can you possibly call her your junior niece? If word of this reaches him, the repercussions will be severe." Matters of seniority are not to be taken lightly. Especially not with someone as renowned as Grand Physician Shangguan Sheng, celebrated throughout the Nine Sects. One certainly cannot take liberties with his seniority.

"So, she's Grand Physician Shangguan Sheng's disciple!" Lin Yuheng was slightly startled and warned, "Jiang Fan, be careful what you say. Grand Physician Shangguan is very well-connected within the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. If it gets out that you were disrespectful to him, certain individuals in the Heavenly Secret Pavilion will hold you accountable."

Ruan Qingsu pursed her lips. "He truly has some nerve. Daring to take liberties with Grand Physician Shangguan's seniority! Doesn't he fear someone will come looking for trouble?"

The expressions of several elders also shifted. The Grand Elder of the Grand Elder Sect, the foremost Grand Physician in all the Nine Sects—his status was lofty, and he was not to be offended!

At this point, many realized. Could it be that Jiang Fan was reported because he had spoken carelessly and offended Shangguan Sheng at the Grand Elder Sect? Case solved! The reason was right here!

Lin Yuheng was somewhat speechless. After all that, it turned out the trouble stemmed from careless words! Just as she was about to reprimand Jiang Fan, a bombshell statement came from one of the elders.

"Jiang Fan is, in fact, Grand Physician Shangguan's junior brother."