Chapter 234

Chapter 234: Not Convinced?

There was no doubt that Yang Jia was completely stunned by that slap.

　　When had he ever suffered such humiliation?

　　He immediately forced himself to stand up, his right hand instinctively swinging hard at Zhou Gu, yet nothing happened.

　　And in that moment, he suddenly realized that he currently had no cultivation at all.

　　Seeing Yang Jia’s provocative gesture, Zhou Gu said nothing and went straight in with another slap.

　　Smack!

　　Yang Jia was sent flying more than ten zhang by the slap, crashing heavily onto a stone step. His body couldn’t take it, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, his vision filled with stars.

　　He was dazed.

　　Zhou Gu glanced at Yang Jia, “What kind of trash are you? The Guanxuan Law? Don’t you know that our Xianbao Pavilion has the final say on the Guanxuan Law?”

　　Yang Jia: “……”

　　At that moment, a beautiful woman rushed over to Yang Jia and helped him up, her voice trembling, “Jia’er…… are you alright? Are you alright?”

　　Yang Jia shook his head. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, then looked up toward Zhou Gu not far away and was about to speak, when the beautiful woman held him and shook her head, choking back tears, “Jia’er, don’t say anything. The common people can’t fight officials. Whatever they say is ‘the law’. The moment we resist, they say we’re breaking the law……”

　　Yang Jia’s brow furrowed deeply.

　　Not far away, the middle-aged man from the Ye family panicked a little when he saw Yang Jia beaten until he spat blood. He hadn’t expected that the Xianbao Pavilion would dare to openly beat someone in broad daylight, without even putting on a pretense.

　　At this point, Zhou Gu was clearly growing impatient. He waved his hand again, “Tear it down!”

　　Nearby, a steward reminded him, “Manager Zhou, there are still some people inside. If we force the demolition, something bad might happen…….”

　　Zhou Gu’s face was expressionless, “If a few people die, no one will dare to cause trouble again.”

　　The steward didn’t dare say another word, and with a wave of his hand, the Xianbao Pavilion cultivators waiting around them surged forward all at once.

　　Rumble, rumble.

　　The entire Ye Manor was brought crashing down, and since there were still people inside, cries of anguish filled the manor in an instant. Some who couldn’t get out in time died on the spot.

　　Seeing this, the middle-aged man from the Ye family’s expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly said, “Our Ye family is willing to move, willing to move…….”

　　Zhou Gu sneered, “Ye Yu, you were given a chance before and you refused. What’s the point of saying this now? Too late!”

　　Ye Yu was the patriarch of the Ye family, and also Ye Jia’s father.

　　Ye Yu glared at Zhou Gu with fury, “Zhou Gu, with all your lawless behavior, aren’t you afraid of the Xianbao Pavilion, the Academy, or the Young Master?”

　　Zhou Gu let out a light laugh, “The Young Master anticipated there would be troublemakers long ago. He once said that demolitions are bound to meet resistance, and when they do, forceful measures may be taken if necessary…… The Young Master truly has foresight!”

　　Yang Jia: “…….”

　　Hearing Zhou Gu’s words, Ye Yu’s face turned ashen. Faced with this overbearing Xianbao Pavilion, what could a small family like the Ye family do?

　　”Tear it down!”

　　With Zhou Gu’s voice ringing out, the Xianbao Pavilion cultivators in the field quickly picked up their pace. In moments, the entire Ye Manor was razed to the ground, the whole estate thrown into chaos, cries of anguish everywhere.

　　Not far away, Yang Jia stared fixedly at Zhou Gu, silent.

　　As if sensing the gaze from the Yang family’s direction, Zhou Gu suddenly looked toward him, and in the next moment, Zhou Gu charged straight over and delivered another slap.

　　Smack!

　　With a crisp crack, Yang Jia was sent flying again, crashing heavily into a stone wall.

　　Yang Jia felt his head buzzing, his mind a complete blank.

　　Seeing this, the beautiful woman’s expression changed drastically. She immediately knelt before Zhou Gu, kowtowing repeatedly, pleading, “Manager Zhou, he’s still young, he doesn’t know any better. Please, in your great magnanimity, spare his life……”

　　Zhou Gu simply kicked out, sending the beautiful woman flying. She crashed heavily onto a stone step and fell unconscious on the spot.

　　Zhou Gu himself walked over to Yang Jia, who was now far too weak to get up.

　　Zhou Gu bent down and looked at Yang Jia, smiling, “Still not convinced?”

　　Yang Jia wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, then said quietly, “Convinced.”

　　When the other side was stronger, one naturally had to bide their time.

　　Hearing Yang Jia’s words, Zhou Gu smiled. He lightly patted Yang Jia’s face, “I know you’re not convinced, but that’s fine, because I just love seeing that look on you — defiant, yet unable to do a thing to me.”

　　With that, he turned and walked away, waving his hand broadly, “Tear it down, tear it down fast. If the project is delayed, I’ll have your heads!”

　　After quite a while, Yang Jia managed to drag himself up. He walked quickly to the beautiful woman’s side. This woman was the birth mother of the original owner of this body. Though they shared no blood, seeing how she had protected him just now, he felt a stirring in his heart. He hurriedly helped her up.

　　After some time, the beautiful woman came to. The moment she regained consciousness, she grabbed Yang Jia and looked him over anxiously, “Jia’er, are you alright? Are you alright?”

　　Yang Jia shook his head slightly, “I’m fine.”

　　The beautiful woman gripped his hand tightly, tears streaming down her face, “Forget it, forget it. The common people can’t fight officials. As long as we’re alive, that’s what matters. Let them have the house!”

　　Yang Jia said nothing, his gaze cold.

　　All around, the people of the Ye Manor were either weeping or scattering.

　　An hour later, Ye Yu dismissed some of the Ye family members, and then the family of three moved into a small courtyard.

　　The beautiful woman prepared a meal and brought it to Yang Jia’s room, only to find that Yang Jia was not there.

　　Yang Jia had gone alone to the “Supervisory Court.” Above the gate of the Supervisory Court hung four cloud-recording devices, and at the entrance, in addition to the regular guards on duty, there were more than a dozen plainclothes shadow guards.

　　Yang Jia walked straight toward the gate, but before he could get close, an old man blocked his way and stared at him, “What do you want?”

　　Yang Jia stared back at the old man, “To file a report.”

　　The old man frowned, “Don’t you know today is a holiday? If you want to file a report, come back tomorrow.”

　　Yang Jia frowned too, but said nothing.

　　The next day, he came to the Supervisory Court gate again. The old man blocked him once more. Just as Yang Jia was about to speak, the old man pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to him, “Write down what you want to report, then you can leave.”

　　Yang Jia said in a low voice, “According to the Guanxuan Law, whenever someone files a report or complaint, the Supervisory Court must accept it immediately…….”

　　The old man cut him off directly, “I don’t have time to waste with you. Are you going to write or not?”

　　Yang Jia glanced at the old man, took the paper, and began to write.

　　And so he waited — three days. On the fourth day, he came to the Supervisory Court gate again. It was the same old man. Yang Jia looked at him, “Why has there been no response to my report?”

　　The old man frowned, “What report?”

　　Yang Jia suppressed the rage in his heart and recounted the events of that day.

　　After listening, the old man said directly, “The matter you want to report falls under civil dispute and conflict. It’s not under our ‘Supervisory Court’s’ jurisdiction. You should go to the ‘Disciplinary Court’.”

　　Yang Jia stared at the old man and was about to speak, but the old man had already turned and walked away.

　　Yang Jia took a deep breath, suppressed the fury in his heart, and made his way to the Disciplinary Court. A kindly-looking old man received him. After hearing him out, the kindly old man smiled and said, “Don’t be anxious. We understand how you feel, but you’ve come to the wrong place. This matter involves an economic dispute and doesn’t fall under civil conflict. You should go to the ‘Court of Law’ and file a lawsuit through the proper legal process…….”

　　Soon, Yang Jia arrived at the Court of Law.

　　After spending two hours completing a series of procedures, a bald old man received him. The bald old man looked over his complaint papers for a moment, then shook his head, “Your matter doesn’t fall under economic dispute. If that Zhou Gu truly violated the law and discipline, it should fall under the ‘Disciplinary Commission Court’. You should go to the ‘Disciplinary Commission Court’…….”

　　Yang Jia suppressed the fury in his heart and made his way to the Disciplinary Commission Court.

　　A woman received him. The woman said directly, “You say that Zhou Gu violated the law and discipline. Do you have evidence?”

　　Yang Jia said, “For the Xianbao Pavilion demolition, at the normal rate, our Ye family should have received at least two thousand per square, but he only gave three hundred. Such conduct…….”

　　The woman cut him off directly, “Do you even understand the Guanxuan Law?”

　　Yang Jia was taken aback.

　　The woman stared at him, “The Xianbao Pavilion demolition has no clearly stipulated amount. It all needs to be negotiated between the Xianbao Pavilion and the residents. Whether or not you can reach an agreement is your own business…….”

　　Yang Jia said with some anger, “People from my Ye family died. They……”

　　The woman cut him off directly, “If people died, then it’s even further outside our jurisdiction. That would make it a criminal case. When an official is involved in a criminal case, it falls under the ‘Supervisory Court’. Go to the Supervisory Court.”

　　Yang Jia: “…….”

　　Soon, Yang Jia returned to the Supervisory Court. The same old man from the beginning received him. When the old man saw him, his brow immediately furrowed.

　　Yang Jia relayed what the woman had said. After listening, the old man shook his head, “This matter doesn’t just involve violations of law and discipline. It also involves the Xianbao Pavilion. Since he serves as a steward of the Xianbao Pavilion, if we are to investigate him, we must first notify the Xianbao Pavilion in writing. You need to go to the Xianbao Pavilion first and get a certificate, then we…….”

　　Yang Jia couldn’t hold back his anger, “One matter gets pushed from here to there and back again. Is all you know how to do is pass the buck? That Zhou Gu broke the law — that’s a fact. All you need to do is send someone to investigate and the truth will come out. Why do you have to…….”

　　The old man cut him off directly, “Do you even understand the Guanxuan Law? Do you know that everything must go through proper procedure? Who do you think you are?”

　　Yang Jia raged, “You people are just lazy, afraid of responsibility, coasting through your days. You…….”

　　A quarter of an hour later, Yang Jia was thrown into jail.

　　Charge: inciting a disturbance.