Chapter 99
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Chapter 99: Turmoil in People’s Hearts
That night, Meng Han, the inner guard leader of the Yunyang Sect, led three hundred inner sect cultivators to search the entire city.
They swiftly captured over a hundred members of the Purple Palace family suspected of involvement in the human hunting case.
The next day, the number of detained suspects surged to nearly a thousand, expanding the scope of the investigation.
Five days later, Yunshan City was reopened.
Grandmaster Ji Guandao issued an edict.
Seven Purple Palace members had their entire fortunes confiscated and were imprisoned in the Demon Subduing Cave for a hundred years, with no chance of amnesty!
At the same time, twelve Purple Palace members were punished, sent to pioneering teams to serve three years and redeem their crimes.
As for the family members and affiliated cultivators who directly participated in the case, those with serious crimes faced execution, while those with lesser crimes were sentenced to hard labor!
Furthermore, the inner guards discovered that the instigator of the human hunting case was an assassin from the Guiyuan Sect!
Two years ago, a group of Guiyuan Sect disciples infiltrated Yunshan City disguised as loose cultivators. They used various means to approach the Purple Palace family members, gained their trust, and incited them to commit wrongdoing.
Ultimately, they orchestrated the horrific human hunting incident.
Their goal was to tarnish the reputation of the Yunyang lineage and shake the foundation of the Yunyang Sect!
Most of these assassins committed suicide during the capture process, and a few surviving captives revealed the truth under torture.
The truth was finally unveiled!
The Guiyuan Sect and the Yunyang Sect were situated opposite each other, with nearly equal strength and influence.
For centuries, the two families had frequent clashes due to hunting grounds and mineral resources, leading to conflicts on multiple occasions.
Three sect wars had erupted in the past!
Although the Yunyang Sect won all three battles, earning the reputation of the top sect in Tianyun, they had not gained a significant advantage over their rival.
In recent decades, the Guiyuan Sect had been behaving themselves in the north, so no one expected them to pull such a stunt!
Once this sect announcement was issued, the entire Yunyang Sect was enraged.
Everyone’s attention immediately shifted away from the human hunting case, and their anger turned toward their northern adversary.
The enmity between the Yunyang Sect and the Guiyuan Sect had a long history, and few doubted the authenticity of the announcement. Countless cultivators from both the inner and outer sects were filled with righteous indignation, eager to seek justice against their wicked neighbor.
The calls for war grew louder!
Yet, the sect’s upper echelons maintained considerable calm and restraint.
As the saying goes, to resist outsiders, one must first stabilize oneself; how could there be unity to face external threats if the internal situation was unstable?
Grandmaster Ji Guandao dispatched a flying ship, sending the relevant evidence, including several Guiyuan Sect assassins, to the Jiuyue Sect.
The upper echelons of that sect would negotiate with the Guiyuan Sect, seeking justice for the Yunyang Sect and the innocent victims among the loose cultivators!
Thus, after half a month of turmoil, the sensational human hunting case that had stirred up the entire sect concluded for now.
When Wang Chen returned to Yunshan City, he noticed that many storefronts along the street had changed their signs, and the atmosphere in the city was markedly different from before.
A Sense of Change!
In a tea house, Wang Chen met Wei Xiong.
Today, the two had agreed to meet here.
"Brother Wei."
After sitting down, Wang Chen smiled and said, "You look great."
The last time they met was several months ago.
At that time, Wei Xiong was seriously wounded, with a weak constitution that had harmed his foundation; his condition was quite dire.
But now, this innate martial artist appeared energized and radiant, not only fully healed but seemingly at a higher cultivation level!
However, the scars on his face remained, less prominent than before.
Wei Xiong touched the scar on his face and smiled, "I’m doing okay."
He poured a cup of spiritual tea for Wang Chen and asked, "How have you been, Immortal Master Wang?"
Actually, they kept in touch through letters of crane paper, so they were not unfamiliar with each other’s situations.
"I’m managing well enough."
Wang Chen took a sip of tea and asked, "Has the Xie family been affected this time?"
The human hunting case had stirred up such chaos that many Purple Palace families in Yunshan City were implicated.
Wei Xiong replied without hesitation, "The Xie family is fine. There was some unrest, but the impact was minor, and no direct descendants faced punishment."
He shared a lot of information with Wang Chen due to their deep friendship.
The Xie family had five Purple Palace members, three of whom served in the inner sect, giving them extensive connections at the top.
Plus, Xie Yao was a disciple of the Golden Core.
As the saying goes, one should not judge a person by their appearance; even if Meng Han, the inner guard leader, was harsh, he wouldn’t take drastic measures against the Xie family.
Of course, the Xie family must not have significant issues.
Otherwise, who would dare to engage in favoritism under the Grandmaster’s oppressive force?
However, with such a large family of thousands, it’s inevitable that some branches would go astray.
Thus, the Xie family had weathered this storm, but they paid a price.
Compared to other families deeply involved, their situation was far better!
Especially the Yin family, where both their patriarch, Yin Honghui, and another senior member were punished and imprisoned in the Demon Subduing Cave for a hundred years, with almost all their assets confiscated; the entire family had collapsed.
Their grandson, Yin Derong, was the most deeply implicated. If he hadn’t died unexpectedly, he would now be heading to the execution platform!
When talking about the unfortunate Yin family, Wei Xiong’s words dripped with schadenfreude.
This was quite normal.
As a loose cultivator, Wei Xiong harbored a deep hatred for the second-generation cultivators like Yin Derong, who engaged in hunting humans.
A thousand cuts would be too good for them!
"Good news, good news!"
At that moment, an excited shout came from the street outside the tea house.
Sitting by the window on the second floor, Wang Chen leaned out to look and saw a common-clothed cultivator running while shouting, "The Grandmaster has decreed a 30% reduction in the rent for the fields for Outer Sect farmers this year, and rice seeds will be free from now on; grain payment will be based on weight!"
Upon hearing this, passing pedestrians immediately stopped, and several spiritual plant farmers blocked the way, asking, "Is that true?"
"The Grandmaster’s decree cannot be false!"
The common-clothed cultivator’s eyes widened. "The notice is already posted at the city gate; you can go see for yourselves!"
A few spiritual plant farmers quickly sprinted toward the city gate.
Reducing rent for the fields, free rice seeds, grain payment by weight!
This news did not concern cultivators in Yunshan City.
But for the farmers outside the city who relied on spirit fields to support their families, it felt like a windfall from the heavens.
How could they not be excited?
Witnessing this scene, Wang Chen and Wei Xiong exchanged glances.
When Wang Chen said goodbye to Wei Xiong and arrived at the city gate, he saw that the area in front of the city wall was surrounded by layers of cultivators.
Many of them were Loose Cultivators.
Everyone’s attention was focused on a large golden-bordered decree notice with cloud patterns!
Due to its considerable height and size, even those standing outside could see it clearly.
This Grandmaster’s decree not only addressed the spiritual plant farmers in the outer sect.
Its main focus was on the compensation plan for the relatives of the victims of the human hunting case!
Direct family members of the victims (limited to five) could relocate to the Yunyang outer sect, granted thirty acres of land, and exempted from rent for three years.
Additionally, they would receive one spot as an Outer Sect Disciple!
At the end of the notice, there was also a provision for the loose cultivator Zhao Huai’an, who had pleaded for help.
He would be directly promoted to the inner sect and enjoy the treatment of a true disciple!
Wang Chen felt that the emotions of the people were boiling like water in a pot, churning violently!
