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The tension between the third family head and the major clans was about to ignite, and placing a group of disciples under house arrest wasn’t a bad idea. When the time came to uproot the family clans, they would slaughter these so-called geniuses as well.

“Young Master Li, are you satisfied with my decision?”

Sun Mu looked toward Li Xiaobai and asked.

“Elder Sun is a wise man. Since that’s the case, let’s get moving and meet with the steward,” Li Xiaobai replied with ease, as the outcome was within his expectations. He just didn’t know if any of the elders from the Punishment Hall had been bought off by the Situ Household.

If they encountered resistance, they might have to employ some measures.

…

Several minutes later.

Inside the grand hall.

The elders of the Punishment Hall looked solemn, their brows slightly furrowed as they regarded the group of people before them.

“Li Xiaobai, what brings you here today? If the matter of the masked man can’t be completely resolved, we will have no choice but to bring you to trial,” the Great Elder asked in a deep voice, feeling troubled by Li Xiaobai’s puzzling behavior. It was quite a predicament that he brought the entire village into the city center without consent, leaving the Great Elder somewhat at a loss.

“The true identity of the masked person has been captured, and these are some of the culprits at fault,” Li Xiaobai said, tapping Mei Youdie beside him.

“Cough cough, respected elders above, I am Mei Youdie, a disciple of the Mei Family!”

“The entire incident of the masked cultivator causing chaos in Aolai Country was masterminded by Young Master Situ of the Situ Household. We were forced into compliance and had no other option but to follow. I beg the elders to have mercy and spare us!”

Mei Youdie fell to his knees with a thud, tears streaming down his face.

With Li Xiaobai, a martial arts master, present, there was no escape, so he could only pray for a lenient punishment.

“You claim that this is all your doing, but where is your evidence?” an elder asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

“They were caught by me when they were burning down houses in the village. I’ve brought all the villagers with me. If the elder does not believe me, you can verify it at any time,” Li Xiaobai said indifferently.

“Hmph, that’s just your side of the story. Who knows if you haven’t bribed those villagers?”

“It’s not uncommon to spend some Spirit Stones to exonerate oneself,” the elder continued, his expression filled with suspicion and distrust, clearly implying that Li Xiaobai should be executed.

“According to the elder, what evidence is there to prove that I am the mastermind behind the masked person incident?” Li Xiaobai asked, frowning, and silently noting the elder’s appearance.

“Heh, there’s the testimony of the villagers. Could that possibly be fake?”

“The entire village of Aolai Country can testify that you all are the instigators of this incident!”

“In my opinion, you should stop resisting and submit to the law promptly. Stop disrupting the peace of this land. The major family clans were living in harmony until your arrival, which has only made things increasingly unstable!” the elder said lightly, looking down from his high position with the demeanor of a judge.

“Pure nonsense, despite being an Elder of the Punishment Hall, to think we have villagers to testify on our side, who captured him successfully while he wore a hood, only for you to say our villagers are bribed, as if such a thing were true!”

Su Yunbing was the first to explode. The old man opposite spewed ridiculous statements, acting without any logic. Without any evidence, he dared to pronounce them guilty—what kind of proceedings were these?

“Indeed, how do you even get by in the Punishment Hall with such lack of investigative sense, could it be that you entered through the back door?”

Liu Jinshui responded sarcastically, thinking the old man was either feigning ignorance or truly foolish. Given the current situation, the former seemed more likely.

At this critical moment, whoever played the fool and whoever defended the Situ Household had a problem!

“It can’t be, right? There aren’t really people who got in through the back door, right?”

Yang Chen chimed in with a tone of an old cynic.

“You!”

“A bunch of juniors dare to lecture me?”

“Moreover, rashly barging into the Punishment Hall and causing a disturbance is a charge in itself. Even if we overlook the matter of the masked individual, it’s enough to lock you all up!”

The Elder was suddenly livid, feeling as if his spine had been jabbed by these young people.

Liu Jinshui was right; he had indeed entered through the back door, or more precisely, used his family’s influence to sneak into the Punishment Hall.

Usually, relying on his decent cultivation level when enforcing the law outside, he had never considered that someone would tell him to be logical when handling cases.

In this era, the one with the stronger fist was the logic. This was a clan conflict, as well as a struggle among the three heads of households. On the surface, they were conducting an investigation, but in reality, it was a fight between teams. With the shadow of families and the three heads behind the masked person, how could serious case investigation be expected?

“Elder Wang, please calm down. I actually believe that these youngsters make some good points, even showing a bit of reason,”

“Now, it’s as clear as day that Young Master Situ led the team, with other household’s young masters participating, disregarding the laws of Aolai Country and attempting to frame Li Xiaobai and his companions,”

“The situation couldn’t be clearer. In my opinion, should we not take initiative and arrest the culprits?”

“After all, in the face of the truth, we can’t wrong good people, can we?”

Elder Sun said with a smile on his face, directly confronting Elder Wang.

“All this is but the one-sided story of Li Xiaobai. These family disciples, as well as the common folk, are clearly his hired actors. What else is there to investigate? Just handle it officially and quell this disturbance as soon as possible—that’s the top priority.”

“Moreover, the major families are the economic lifeline of our Aolai Country. How could they be arrested and detained on the mere word of this youngster?”

Elder Wang watched Li Xiaobai with an indifferent gaze, his eyes cold.

“Indeed, Elder Wang is right. The key is to calm the anger of the common folk first.”

“The people are the foundation of the state; when the foundation is strong, the state is stable. Only when the people are secure can Aolai Country develop. We can’t shake our very foundation.”

Several Elders spoke in favor of Elder Wang’s words.

On the high platform, the Great Elder watched with a cold eye, silently observing everything as the Elders below argued incessantly, rubbing his temples with a headache.

“Since both sides are at an impasse, why not let me report the situation here and ask the three heads of households to decide?”

“Good!”

“It’s best to let the three heads know!”

The crowd of Elders nodded in agreement, and a hint of a smile flickered in the eyes of Elder Wang and the others. The three heads were on their side, and once they received the news, they would surely inform the Situ Household. After coordinating between the families, taking down Li Xiaobai would be a piece of cake.

“Young Master Li, you have traveled a long and weary road. Please rest for a day within the Punishment Hall. By tomorrow, I will have a response for you, how about that?”

Li Xiaobai instantly understood, as the Great Elder had emphasized the timing, indicating he knew about the three-day agreement with one of the heads. It seemed the elder was on his side.

He nodded and replied, “I’ll leave all arrangements to the Great Elder!”