After Zhang Yong was arrested, he was taken directly to the Hall of Punishment by the committee.
With more than a thousand disciples of the sect present, Zhang Yong stood before the Elder of the Hall of Punishment, with two deacons on either side of him.
The right deacon spoke, raising his finger toward Zhang Yong.
"Zhang Yong, you are accused of killing an inner disciple of the sect. How do you plead?"
His hands were shackled, yet Zhang Yong's expression remained calm. Internally, he was a bit nervous, but the use of the word "accused" meant that it wasn't confirmed yet that he was the perpetrator.
Fortunately, this was one of the possibilities Zhang Yong had anticipated.
He raised his shackled hands and scratched his ear.
"Well, don't you think this is a farce? Especially coming from elders like you?"
Rage boiled in the blood of the left deacon, who stood up and shouted,
"Zhang Yong, you're just an outer disciple and you dare insult the elders?!"
Zhang Yong sighed calmly.
"So, what makes the elders believe I did it?"
The Elder of the Hall squinted his eyes while observing him.
"You seem calm, child. What makes you so confident?"
Zhang Yong showed a fake smile.
"Oh, that's for two reasons. First, I didn't do it, so why should I fear something I didn't commit? Second, I trust that the Hall of Punishment is Honest and fair. Before justice, why would any innocent person be afraid?"
The elder stroked his long beard and spoke.
"Very well. Deacon Zhao, show him the evidence."
The right deacon quickly reached into his robe and pulled out a partially burned paper, though the writing inside remained legible.
"We found this paper at the scene. It has your name and signature."
Zhang Yong scoffed coldly in his heart. 'What a twist of fate. The only thing left was that paper. Seems like Zang Dan kept his documents well.'
Zhang Yong raised his hand and explained,
"That paper was something I signed with Brother Zang. It doesn't prove anything."
The deacon smirked slyly.
"Oh? And how did you know the paper belonged to Zang Dian? Could it be you are indeed involved? I haven't even mentioned the disciple's name yet."
'Oops. That slipped out… No matter.'
Zhang Yong laughed coldly.
"That's easy. The only contract I ever signed during my time in the sect was with Brother Zang. If my name appeared on a document with someone, and that's the only paper I've signed, how could I not know who it belonged to?"
The right deacon was left speechless, unable to say another word. At that moment, Zhang Yong innocently asked,
"May I ask when this incident happened, and the details of it?"
The Elder's eyes gleamed as he answered,
"Last night, there was an explosion in his residence."
Zhang Yong stroked his chin and thought aloud.
"Then it couldn't have been me. Last night, I was in the Techniques Hall until very late—almost until dawn. The Techniques Hall elder can vouch for that."
The elder immediately pointed to one of his disciples.
"Go and verify this with Elder Bai at once."
Five disciples left at the same time. Within fifteen minutes, they returned. One knelt and reported,
"Report to the elder. Elder Bai confirmed that outer disciple Zhang Yong stayed in the s Hall all night."
'Everything is going according to plan—an alibi, a show of cooperation. One more step to end this.'
Zhang Yong raised his hands and protested,
"See, Elder? I didn't do it. While we're at it, may I ask—what was the murder weapon?"
The right deacon shouted,
"There's no need for an outer disciple to—"
Before he could finish, the Elder raised his hand.
"According to our investigation, the murder weapon is believed to be an explosion talisman."
Zhang Yong held his chin for a moment as everyone's gaze focused on him.
"That's strange. Talismans are supposed to be expensive, right? i am poor and i lost a lot of money in gambling , Besides, a murder would require motive—and to my knowledge, no one dares to fight an inner disciple."
His words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples of thought in everyone's minds.
The elder and deacons all reached the same conclusion in their hearts: 'That's right , Although evidence suggests that the tool used is an explosion talisman , this student's background and current abilities do not allow him to possess one, let alone a complete set to use in the process. He wasn't the perpetrator, he was simply unlucky , In this case, it couldn't have been an outer disciple... but an inner disciple!'
Seeing their shocked expressions and the sudden realization dawning upon them, Zhang Yong laughed secretly and hid his cold gaze.
'They took the bait. That's right. Now they'll likely start suspecting an inner disciple, and they'll forget about a mere outer disciple like me. They're walking exactly where I want them to.'
Immediately, Zhang Yong lowered his head and raised his hands before him.
"Honorable elders! Can this student know your esteemed decision? Since I was a victim of this accusation, I wish to help in the investigation to clear my name."
Zhang Yong laughed inwardly.
'All of this is just an act. I don't care if they accept or not. But if they accept, I'll be involved in the investigation and mislead them as far from the truth as possible. And I can't believe these elders will pour all their resources into looking for someone who doesn't exist... because the real killer is standing right in front of them, and they're oblivious!'
The Elder waved his hand dismissively
"There's no need. That's the duty of our Hall to investigate. The Hall apologizes for the false accusation, and as compensation, we shall offer you ten Qi Refining Pills."
Upon hearing that, the eyes of all present disciples sparkled with envy and jealousy.
Zhang Yong cursed inwardly.
'Damn this old man. With everyone staring at me like this, I'm gaining jealousy points like crazy. If I accept, all the disciples here will be so jealous they'll want to beat me to death! This elder...he plan on sending me to hell in the hands of others'
He raised his head and forced a fake smile.
"No need, Elder. I don't feel offended—I have full trust in the Elder. If you, Elder, respect my trust, then there's no need to give me these pills or any compensation at all."
Zhang Yong quickly changed the subject to honor. If the hall really did compensate him despite him saying that, it would be like slapping themselves.
Faced with such a statement, the Elder could only close his eyes and decided,
"Since that is your wish, I will not argue. You may leave."
One of the Hall disciples stepped forward and used a key to unlock Zhang Yong's cuffs. Zhang Yong nodded and bowed before walking away with the crowd of disciples.
Su Ming approached.
"Zhang Yong, there's something you should know. Somethin unexpected happened."
Zhang Yong's vision blurred slightly, but he still asked,
"What is it?"
"It's…" Su Ming sighed in sorrow.
"Lin Fang and the others… there's no trace of them in the sect anymore. Most likely, they…"
Zhang Yong nodded, understanding what Su Ming was trying to say.
"There's nothing that can be done. They knew the place was dangerous, and death was a high possibility. It was their own choice."
"I understand," Su Ming sighed inwardly. Though they hadn't spent much time together, Lin Fang was the one who told them about the opportunity. And with the Deep Lotus, they managed to refine the Mist Barrier Pills.
Zhang Yong held his head for a moment before speaking.
"Su Ming, I'll head to my residence after this. Don't worry about lunch for me."
Su Ming tilted his head.
"What's the matter? Usually, you don't miss lunch… or any food at all."
Zhang Yong sighed and started walking toward his residence.
"Comprehending six laws at once drained me mentally, and then a trial right after that—you can imagine my state."
Su Ming nodded in understanding.
"Alright. Get some rest."
Zhang Yong returned to his residence and lay on his bed, drifting into thought.
'Truly, the cultivation world is brutal. If I let down my guard even a little, I could perish Cultivation… I started it without knowing anything, and now look at me. I've started wondering—how did cultivation first begin? It certainly didn't fall from the sky. And it's not like the heavens would hand over cultivation techniques so humans could rebel. So how did someone first discover cultivation and pass it down generation after generation? If cultivation was a tool, it would make more sense—like how humans evolved from wielding stones to firearms. Then it would be logical.'
From all of Zhang Yong's perspectives, the origin of cultivation remained deeply mysterious. If there was a tool that truly allowed cultivation, how were techniques created in this current age?
'Could it be… the Ancestor of Humanity? According to Su Ming, no one knows where he came from or how he appeared. He just appeared out of nowhere.'
His mind raced with possibilities, and then another arose.
'The will of the world. Maybe the world's will sent the Ancestor of Humanity to teach cultivation to mankind. That would at least make sense. But there's one last possibility… and it seems the most impossible: time travel. Perhaps the world's child, or main character, was born too late and the world was collapsing. So they traveled back in time to teach cultivation to humanity. Still, all possibilities point to one person: the Ancestor of Humanity. He could be the world's child, but disappeared long ago—maybe even died. Then a new one would be chosen. Ugh… this is endless.'
He scratched his head rapidly as he thought—unclear possibilities, undiscovered secrets, and many more things.
He exhaled softly.
"Thinking about this won't help now. I just have to get stronger. Only then can I uncover the truth."
Zhang Yong pulled the blanket over himself and lay on his left side.
"But that truth… will I ever reach it? Or even if I do, will it change anything? I've got only ten years at most to live"
Zhang Yong closed his eyes and fell into a quiet sleep
Secretly, the elders of the Punishment Hall held a secret meeting with each other.
"Deacons, do you think that outer disciple did it?" The Hall Elder asked calmly
"I rule it out. His background is poor, and it's impossible for him to do such an act."Deacon Cao, the second deacon of the Hall, replied.
"I agree with Deacon Cao. From all sides, it's unlikely." Deacon Zhao nodded calmly.
The Hall Elder pondered for a moment.
"There's something missing, a piece of the equation missing."
Deacon Cao replied "We can't just accuse an outer disciple just like that. We accused that disciple to end the matter faster. That disciple Zang Dan had a feud with the group of disciples before."
Deacon Zhao continued, "What's unexpected is that that outer disciple had an alibi, which brought us back to square one and ruined our plan."
The Hall Elder then declared definitively, "I still have my suspicions about that outer disciple. I feel he has a hand in it. So, we'll keep a discreet eye on him with a minimum number of people for a while."