Chapter 10
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Chapter 10: The Hidden Mastermind
Yuan Hua stood frozen, utterly clueless about his next move.
If he continued lying to frame Fang Lie, he’d give Fang Lie the perfect opportunity to crush him. Lies were full of holes and couldn’t withstand scrutiny.
After all, dozens had witnessed Fang Lie attending a senior’s lecture that day—they’d just been too afraid to speak up.
Now that Fang Lie wielded the Ancestor’s Token and controlled the hall, a few simple tricks would expose Yuan Hua’s lies. Under sect rules, that meant death!
Yuan Hua’s false accusation had already subjected Fang Lie to the three unyielding tortures, leaving him crippled. Such a grievous crime absolutely warranted execution.
But retracting his story now would only admit his guilt. Either way, doom seemed certain!
Too young to die yet trapped, Yuan Hua trembled silently, sweat drenching his robes.
Though savoring Yuan Hua’s ants-on-a-hot-griddle panic, Fang Lie pressed coldly, "What? Forgotten everything after mere hours? Playing mute won’t save you. Stay silent, and I’ll have no choice but to subject you to the three unyielding tortures!"
He raised the judge’s wooden hammer threateningly.
"Wait—don’t!" Yuan Hua yelped, the floor’s bloodstains screaming warnings. "You’ve won, Fang Lie! Spare me, and I’ll drop this forever!"
"Too late for surrender," Fang Lie scoffed. "Two hours ago, your smugness nearly killed me. Now you expect mercy? Am I a fool?"
"Please!" Yuan Hua begged. "I’ll compensate you with spirit stones!"
"Your filthy money means nothing here," Fang Lie snapped. "Confess! Why frame me? Who ordered it? Did you bribe Law Enforcer Li Feng?"
His glare pinned Li Feng, still kneeling nearby. The law enforcer’s mind had blanked with terror. After Fang Lie’s ruthless beating of a thousand men, Li Feng knew escape was impossible. His only hope was the Yuan family’s silence. If exposed for taking bribes, sect rules would annihilate him.
"Nephew!" Li Feng blurted desperately. "Tell the truth! I was misled—never took a single spirit stone!"
Yuan Hua shot him a bitter look. *You took a spirit pill bottle worth fortunes!* But admitting bribery would deepen his own crimes, so he muttered, "The Law Enforcer acted rashly. No corruption."
Li Feng nodded grateful tears.
"Hah!" Fang Lie barked. "Since when is corruption ‘rashness’? What a joke!"
Yuan Hua flushed; Li Feng wished to vanish.
"Enough!" Fang Lie growled. "We’ll deal with Li Feng later. Yuan Hua—why frame me?"
When Yuan Hua kept trembling mute, Fang Lie roared, "Your stubbornness seals your fate! Guards—beat him!"
Four golden-armored Heavenly Soldiers materialized, slamming flaming and watery great rods down. A sickening crack split the air as crimson welts bloomed across Yuan Hua’s back.
"Ah~ It hurts! Stop hitting me! I’ll talk, I’ll tell everything!" Yuan Hua, the pampered noble, wailed pitifully. "My mother made me do it! Li Feng even accepted a bottle of Spirit Pills from our family!"
Li Feng nearly choked on his rage, shouting, "You fool! Can’t accomplish anything but ruin everything!"
"You dare scold me?" Yuan Hua retorted. "You’re not the one getting beaten! If it were you, you’d spill everything too!"
"You—" Li Feng sputtered, red-faced.
Fang Lie grinned mockingly. "Honorable Law Enforcer Li Feng! What excuses remain?"
"I… I made a momentary mistake!" Li Feng grimaced.
"Your punishment comes later," Fang Lie snapped before barking orders. "Bring Yuan Hua’s mother here!"
A woman’s voice cut through the hall. "No need. I’ve arrived."
A noblewoman materialized, her phoenix hairpin glinting against dark hair. Though appearing twenty, her frosty gaze held centuries of cunning. This was Xiao Huan of Western Kunlun’s Xiaohan Mountain Gate – Yuan Hua’s mother.
"Pathetic," she sneered at her cowering son. "Mere flesh wounds reduced you to this?"
"Mother! Fang Lie’s gone mad!" Yuan Hua whimpered. "He flogged eight hundred nobles’ heirs! Look at the blood! He’d have killed me!"
"He won’t kill you," Xiao Huan said coolly, turning to Fang Lie. "Dead men can’t testify. Correct, Fang boy?"
"Killing’s too merciful," Fang Lie growled. "I’ll make him beg for death."
Xiao Huan chuckled. "Ruthless! I underestimated you. Surviving three unyielding tortures? Conquering the Cycle of Fire? Admirable. This defeat is deserved."
"Then die content," Fang Lie said. "Choose your end."
"First, hear my tale," Xiao Huan purred.
"What tale? Greedy curs coveting my ancestral lands?"
"True, but…" Xiao Huan flushed. "The Yuan family wouldn’t risk so much for mere property. There’s deeper currents."
"What secrets?"
"Best you remain ignorant." Her voice softened. "The Cycle of Fire restored you, granted protections. Beating nobles proves you fear no revenge. But greater powers exist – forces even the Eight-Hundred-Generation Families dread. You’re still unripe, easily plucked. Accept generous compensation through Golden Pool advancement. Let this rest."
Fang Lie snorted. "Think me some spineless bully? I’ll drag out your mastermind, even if it’s heaven’s emperor!"
"The Fang’s famed stubbornness!" Xiao Huan taunted. "But can you act?"
"Test me."
"Then swear this!" She stepped closer. "Vow not to harm my family if you spare the true culprit after learning their identity. Else you’re just blustering."
"You dare equate me with your cowardly ilk?" Fang Lie roared. "I swear! Until I crush your master, your spawn stays unharmed! Fail me, and you walk free – Li Feng too. Now SPEAK!"
