Secular Immortal of the Nine Realms - Chapter 167

Chapter 167: Arresting the Culprit

The group returned to the Fang Manor.

Fang Zhixue was sent to undergo the spirit assessment. Xia He told Xia Song to take her back, but Xia Song intently stared at the half-blind Zhao Yan.

Zhao Yan looked at Xia Song and coldly smiled. “It has been a while, Brother Xia.”

“It has indeed been a while,” Xia Song replied with gritted teeth. “I didn’t expect you to be so underhanded.”

“Underhanded? So be it,” Zhao Yan nonchalantly replied, unfazed by Xia Song’s criticism.

Fang Canghai and his wife spent quite a while in thought before finally figuring out the situation. If that fellow who kidnapped our daughter and the Auspicious King’s Sixth Daughter is still alive, it would mean that Fang Chen hasn’t found a reason to kill him yet.

“Chen’er, we’ll leave this matter to you,” the two of them said before taking their leave.

Xia Song hurriedly turned to Fang Chen and asked, “Imperial Duke Fang, that man over there is Zhao Yan. He has committed many atrocities in the South Immortal Commandery. Why did you spare his life?”

“He should go through a proper trial even if he’s to be executed. It wouldn’t do for me to undermine the judicial system. Take him away,” Fang Chen said.

Xia Song frowned. He could see that Zhao Yan was unharmed, which suggested that the latter’s strength was unimpaired. We don’t have the means to take a fully-abled Zhao Yan away with us.

“Rest assured, I came here to end things once and for all. I won’t flee, and I don’t want to flee anymore,” Zhao Yan impassively said.

Xia Song was stunned.

Minutes later, Xia Song and Xia He got onto a horse. In Xia Song’s hand was a long chain, which was linked to the shackles binding Zhao Yan’s hands.

“Master, that man is a powerful martial artist. His martial arts are bound to be formidable too,” Victorious Buddha quietly told Fang Chen.

Great Mountain Tiger nodded. “Grar! (We should steal it!)”

Azure Sky agreed as well.

Zhao Yan had embarrassed the three faes in front of Fang Chen.

In particular, Azure Sky had just made a cultivation breakthrough and hadn’t had a chance to prove herself yet when she was humiliated in front of her master. Due to that, she was filled with animosity toward Zhao Yan.

“That’s his fortuitous encounter,” Fang Chen said. “I don’t have to stoop down to stealing from a criminal to obtain a formidable martial arts manual. All I have to do is to make a trip to a grade-8 or grade-7 state.”

Cultivators looked down on martial artists because they had the means to easily obtain their martial arts, not to mention immortal cultivation was superior to martial cultivation.

In contrast, there was no martial artist who didn’t covet the cultivators’ means of lengthening lifespans. For instance, the spirit spring just in front of the Fang Manor could lengthen lifespans, albeit mildly.

Fang Chen might not look down on martial artists, but he still wouldn’t pay much heed to a martial arts manual.

Just then, a deep reverberation echoed from the Fang Manor.

Dong!

The tolls stopped at three, signifying that Fang Zhixue had inferior cultivation talent, though it was superior to Fang Cangyou’s. Fang Chen wasn’t disappointed by the result, knowing that few people in the world were capable of cultivating.

Often, talented buds lived their lives without a chance to become a cultivator.

While Fang Zhixue’s cultivation talent might be lacking, she was already practicing the Purple Aura Formula, and it helped that she could access a huge supply of ki stones. That already put her ahead of many people.

That was why luck was often an important factor for cultivators.

…

“Ja!”

Xia Song galloped on horseback, accelerating faster and faster. He wanted to see how strong Zhao Yan was. Yet, no matter how fast he traveled, Zhao Yan continued walking with unhurried footsteps, easily keeping pace with him.

Xia Song took a glance at him. How did Zhao Yan come to possess such powerful martial cultivation? He nearly starved to death in the past because he didn’t have any food!

“Slow down, big brother! What if Big Brother Zhao Yan can’t catch up?” Xia He anxiously reminded.

“Don’t get angry at me over that scum!” Xia Song bellowed.

Xia He was indignant. “I refuse to believe Big Brother Zhao Yan is such a person! Someone else must be behind that case!”

Zhao Yan’s eyes mellowed as if a ray of sunlight was slowly thawing his many years of frost.

“The evidence is already in place. What you believe in doesn’t matter. I don’t blame you since you were young and didn’t know the details, but you shouldn’t act on your emotions!” Xia Song harrumphed.

It didn’t take long for them to arrive in the city.

The guards at the city gates were delighted to see Xia Song and Xia He. Someone quickly rushed to the Auspicious King Manor to relay the good news.

“Hm? Why is there someone following the young master?”

“His hands are shackled. Is he a bandit?”

“But the surrounding bandits have already fled a while back due to the Profound Saber Sect’s case and the arrival of the Fang Manor.”

“Regardless, it’s a good thing that the Sixth Princess is safe and sound. Hold on… could that person be the Sixth Princess’ kidnapper?”

“Relay the news! Zhao Yan, the criminal behind the vile case several years back, has been arrested!” Xia Song loudly declared.

His voice traveled far and wide.

The crowd was taken aback. Zhao Yan? This name sounded foreign at first, but it didn’t take long for it to click for them.

“He’s Zhao Yan?!”

“Our young master is truly formidable to have arrested Zhao Yan!”

“This is great!”

Many people rushed to the streets upon hearing the news, resulting in a congestion. Xia Song had no choice but to slow his pace.

“Smash him to death! That dastardly scoundrel deserves to be sliced to pieces!” someone suddenly bellowed.

A rotten tomato was hurled onto Zhao Yan’s face, but the latter didn’t even blink in response.

The infuriated civilians of the South Immortal Commandery proceeded to toss all kinds of rotten stuff that they previously didn’t bear to throw away at Zhao Yan. In just a few moments, his body was covered with all kinds of awful stuff.

Xia He shouted for them to stop, but there was not a person who could hear her amidst the commotion.

Xia Song couldn’t stop them either. He could occasionally turn around to look at Zhao Yan, afraid that he would lose his temper and hurt the civilians. Honestly speaking, he had zero confidence of subduing Zhao Yan if the latter went on a rampage.

Fortunately, Zhao Yan quietly endured all of it, displaying no inclination of fighting back. Even if someone punched and kicked him, he quietly endured their blows.

A journey that should have only taken a couple of minutes ended up taking almost an hour before they finally reached the Auspicious King Manor. By then, many civilians and officials had already gathered in the area.

The newly-appointed commandery chief went by the family name of Ouyang. He stood behind the Auspicious King along with Jue Panshi and a few other key appointment holders.

Amidst the crowd was an old man dressed in scholar robes. He had a long, snowy beard that reached his chest.

Right as Zhao Yan appeared, a group of students suddenly rushed out from the crowd and glared at him. Some of them even berated him. Their faces were puffed red, and their saliva flew everywhere.

It was only then that Zhao Yan’s stoic expression finally loosened. He slowly assessed his ex-classmates one by one, as if he was looking for something from them.

“It really is Zhao Yan…” Jue Panshi frowned.

Zhao Yan had escaped from his hands back then, so he knew that the other party possessed exceptional means. It was truly baffling how Xia Song managed to capture Zhao Yan back.

“Master Chen, is it really Zhao Yan?” the Auspicious King asked.

The old man dressed in scholar robes nodded. “Yes, it’s him.”

“Fellow countrymen, now that we have caught Zhao Yan, we shall review the case tomorrow. You’re welcome to watch. For now, you may disperse,” the Auspicious King cleared his throat and addressed the crowd.