The person from the Righteous Clarity Courtyard was just a young Daoist. He didn't have to wait for long before he saw Zhang Yan walk out. He quickly stood up and bowed respectfully, "I am Righteous Clarity Courtyard's attendant Qi Tao. Greetings, Uncle-Master Zhang. I am here on Vice-Chancellor Pan's orders because …"
Zhang Yan waved his sleeve and smiled, "Attendant Qi, there's no need to say more. I know why you're here, so I'll go with you."
The attendant was stunned for a moment before regaining his composure, "Yes, yes, please follow me, Uncle-Master."
Before coming, Vice-Chancellor Pan had told him that he was here to invite Zhang Yan and not to interrogate him, so he couldn't be rude. However, it was not a good thing for Righteous Clarity Courtyard to invite someone over. He thought that since Zhang Yan's Dan had reached the first grade, this matter would be difficult. He didn't expect it to be so easy.
Zhang Yan and the deacon left the cave abode and used their escape techniques to head towards the Righteous Purity Courtyard. Not long after, they arrived above the Heavenly Prisoner Peak. The deacon said on the cloud, "Uncle-Master, Vice-Chancellor Pan said that this time, he invited Uncle-Master to answer his doubts, so there's no need to go to the main peak's main hall. You can go to the side peak's Reincarnation Stream.
Zhang Yan didn't mind, so he turned the cloud around and went to the side peak.
He looked down and saw a few people sitting cross-legged on several bluestones. On the northern seats were Zhuang Bufan and Vice-Monastery Head Pan. Opposite them was Daoist Chi Fa, who was in front of the Clear Nether Heavenly Lake. Other than them, there was no one else. He also pressed down on the cloud and stood on an empty rock. He cupped his hands and said, "Zhang Yan greets the two monastery heads."
Vice-Chancellor Pan stood up and returned the greeting with a smile, but Zhuang Bufan didn't move. He just said in a low voice, "Junior apprentice-brother Zhang. This time, I called you here because Senior apprentice-brother Xiao Zhu said you had a personal duel with his disciple Xiao Chuo. What do you have to say? "
Zhang Yan spread out his robe sleeves and sat cross-legged on a rock. He glanced at the red-haired Taoist and said with a smile: "Senior Brother Zhuang, this Senior Brother Xiao is not being truthful. How can this be considered a private duel? That Xiao He and I both signed a duel agreement. "
Zhuang Bufan asked, "How is Xiao He now?"
Zhang Yan said, "Within my Clear Nether Heavenly Lake's formation, there was no damage."
Zhuang Bu Fan asked again, "Where is the book?"
Zhang Yan reached into his sleeve and took out the book. He handed it over.
Zhuang Bufan took it in his hand and glanced at it. Suddenly, he flicked his finger and the book shattered into pieces. He said expressionlessly, "This book doesn't have the seal of the True Purity Courtyard. It was done privately, so there's no need to read it."
Vice-Chancellor Pan frowned slightly, but the red-haired Daoist's eyes were filled with joy.
Zhang Yan just smiled lightly, as if he didn't care at all.
Zhuang Bufan stood up and said solemnly, "Junior Brother Zhang, let Xiao He go and we'll let this matter rest."
Although he had a grudge with Zhang Yan, the four Daoist Grotto-Heavens of the master and disciple lineage were all in seclusion, and most of the disciples were also preparing for the competition in three years. As one of the top ten disciples, he still had to fight for a ranking, so he was cultivating in seclusion and didn't want to get involved in this matter.
However, he was usually inflexible and upright, and when it came to enforcing the rules of the sect, he was ruthless. This time, the Xiao clan had come to him with the excuse of a private fight between fellow disciples, and asked him to be the judge. This matter was reasonable, and as the Vice Chancellor of the Zhengqing Courtyard, he had no choice but to accept. He wasn't happy about it.
He understood that the Sect Leader had appointed him to be the Vice Chancellor of the Upright Purity Courtyard not because he wanted him to be an impartial judge, but because he wanted to use the Upright Purity Courtyard to suppress the aristocratic families. There was no reason for the Xiao clan to take advantage of him.
Moreover, Zhang Yan's core was now first-grade. Furthermore, Zhou Chongju, who was on good terms with the Sect Leader, was involved in this matter. If he didn't handle it well, it would easily alarm the other Enlightened Masters and cause a storm. Therefore, he didn't want to cause trouble and wanted to end things easily.
The red-haired Taoist was slightly disappointed. He thought that Zhuang Bufan would take the opportunity to suppress Zhang Yan, but he didn't expect him to let him go so easily. However, this was within his expectations. Zhuang Bufan was a disciple of the Master and disciples, so it was impossible for him to stand up for a disciple of an aristocratic family.
He thought to himself, "Now that both sides take a step back and pretend this never happened, the clan won't punish Xiao He too harshly."
Vice-Chancellor Pan looked around. Although he also thought that it wouldn't be easy to resolve this dispute, he also understood that Zhuang Bufan's decision was unfair to Zhang Yan.
In the eyes of many junior disciples, Zhang Yan had always been someone who dared to fight against the Celestial Gate's aristocratic families. There were many people who admired him, and this time, Xiao He had brought people to provoke him. If he could return unscathed, once this news spread, it would definitely damage his previous reputation.
A cool breeze blew through the mountain, lifting up the leaves and creating a rustling sound. Aside from that, there was no other sound. Zhang Yan didn't immediately answer. He sat there without saying a word or moving, as if he was thinking about something.
Zhuang Bufan quietly stood there with his sleeves fluttering in the wind. Although there was no emotion on his face, he didn't say anything either.
Seeing that Zhang Yan didn't answer for a long time, the red-haired Taoist couldn't help but wonder, "What? Could it be that Zhang Yan doesn't want to comply?"
He didn't think too much about it before, but now that he thought about it, his expression changed slightly. He vaguely guessed some of the reasons and was immediately overjoyed. If Zhang Yan refuted Zhuang Bufan's words today, he would be able to watch a good show.
Not long after, Zhang Yan smiled and stood up. He said to Zhuang Bufan, "Since senior brother wants me to release him, it's not a problem. However, since the two vice-chancellors are here today, and in front of the Xiao clan, I have something to say."
Zhuang Bufan only looked at Zhang Yan without saying anything.
Vice-Chancellor Pan coughed and said, "Junior brother Zhang, if there's anything, just say it."
Zhang Yan cupped his hands in greeting and said in a deep voice, "I won't hide it from the two vice-chancellors. Although this Xiao clan member is also a disciple of the Qincang School, he has repeatedly tried to harm me. If I let Xiao He go today, I'm afraid he will become even more unscrupulous."
The red-haired Taoist was both shocked and angry. He suddenly stood up and pointed at Zhang Yan and scolded, "Zhang Yan, don't talk nonsense! My nephew is indeed hot-tempered and impulsive, but he only came to your sect because he heard of your reputation, Zhang Yan. He wanted to exchange pointers with you and had no other intentions. How can you say that my Xiao clan wants to kill you? Ridiculous! Ridiculous! "
Zhuang Bufan stared at Zhang Yan with flickering eyes and said, "If you don't have concrete evidence and continue to cause trouble, the sect's rules will not tolerate you!"
Zhang Yan smiled faintly and said, "I naturally won't talk nonsense."
When he fought with Xiao He, there was indeed a flaw in his book, but it wasn't because he was careless. He had purposely revealed this flaw. If the Xiao clan dropped the matter, then it would be over. But if the Xiao clan used this flaw to make a fuss, then they would be playing right into his hands.
The red-haired Taoist felt a little uneasy when he saw Zhang Yan's confident expression. However, no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't figure out what trick Zhang Yan had up his sleeve.
Zhang Yan reached into his sleeve and took out a human bag. He untied the bag and poured it on the ground. Immediately, a white-haired old man rolled out. However, this person was lying unconscious on the ground.
The red-haired Taoist was puzzled at first when he saw this person. Then, as if he thought of something, his expression suddenly changed.
Zhuang Bufan glanced at him and asked, "Who is this person?"
Zhang Yan said in a serious tone, "This person is the Clan Master of the Qing Xiao Hou Clan, Hou Boxu. He is a relative of the Xiao clan. When I was searching for medicine outside, I was ambushed by this person. Fortunately, I received help from a fellow Daoist. Just Now, I have captured this person. After a thorough investigation, I found out that this person was ordered by the Xiao clan to harm me …"
The red-haired Taoist suddenly shouted, "Zhang Yan, let's not talk about whether this person is Hou Boxu or not. Even if he really is him, how can you say that it wasn't someone else's scheme? Purposely trying to frame our Xiao clan? "
Zhang Yan smiled and said, "This person is here right now. Whether he is telling the truth or not, and what his identity is, I believe the sect has a way to find out. Senior Brother Xiao, you don't need to worry. If it really wasn't done by the Xiao clan, justice will be served."
The red-haired Taoist's expression turned ugly. The Qincang School naturally had a method to search for souls. Not to mention the Enlightened Masters, even the two deacons in front of him could do it. If it was someone else, it would be fine, but Zhang Yan was a true disciple. If he really found out something was wrong, the Enlightened Master would take the opportunity to make things difficult for the Xiao clan.
The red-haired Taoist glanced left and right, and his heart was filled with killing intent.
At this time, he was the only Yuanying cultivator standing here. Including Zhuang Bufan, none of them were a match for him. Moreover, Hou Boxu was only a few steps away from him. He only needed one move to destroy his soul. No one would be able to stop him. Without concrete evidence, what could he do to a Yuanying Enlightened Master like him?
However, he hesitated. If he really did this, then it would be impossible to bring Xiao He back.
Zhuang Bu Fan furrowed his brows. Zhang Yan suddenly threw out such a matter. He was also annoyed in his heart. He didn't want to see Zhang Yan going against the Xiao Clan, one of the five great clans. However, if he didn't do anything about it, Zhang Yan wouldn't let it go.
It wasn't that he couldn't see what Zhang Yan was planning. If the matter with Xiao He didn't satisfy Zhang Yan, then the other party would make things difficult for him.
Despite his reluctance, Zhuang Bufan had no choice but to take a step back. He solemnly said, "If that's the case, let's capture this person first. I will personally interrogate him. Before this matter comes to a conclusion, let's not talk about Xiao He."
Zhang Yan gladly said, "Very well, Senior Brother Zhuang has always been fair. I trust you."
While the two of them were talking, the red-haired Taoist became very anxious. If Hou Boxu fell into Zhuang Bufan's hands, then wouldn't he be able to use him as an excuse? This was tantamount to a knife hanging over the Xiao clan's head!
At this time, he didn't have the time to think. He steeled his heart and suddenly stepped forward, shouting, "This person of unknown origin dares to tarnish my Xiao clan's reputation?! This is intolerable! You really want to kill this old man!"
Although his words were slow, his hands were not slow at all. A golden light flew out and hit Hou Boxu's head. Before he could even make a sound, he died on the spot, and his soul disappeared.
After doing all this, his heart was at ease, and he heaved a sigh of relief. But when he raised his head, he saw that Vice Chancellor Pan and Zhuang Bufan didn't seem surprised at all, and they were just looking at him with a ruminating expression. When he turned his head again, he came into contact with Zhang Yan's spurious smile, and his heart couldn't help but palpitate.
Could it be … that he had fallen into a trap again?
…
To be continued …
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