Begin your practice with the crane-shaped stance.

Chapter 99 Tensions Rise

The air in the hall seemed to freeze instantly.

A storm raged through Xia Dong's heart, and a cold sweat instantly broke out on his back. But he remained rooted to the spot, neither turning to flee as his body instinctively succumbed, nor preparing to activate the ancient bronze bell.

He was well aware of the current situation.

Sitting in the hall were Commander Xiang, Lord Qian, Lord Wang, and this unfathomable monk—a total of four great cultivators who had already entered the Foundation Establishment stage.

No matter how powerful the ancient bronze bell is, it can only suppress one person at most at a time. Once its trump card is revealed but it fails to annihilate the enemy, it will face a hopeless situation with no chance of survival.

Moreover, even if he were detained, he wouldn't be without hope of turning the tables.

Master Guyue is coming to the prefectural city today; this is his talisman to protect his life.

The only problem now is, if I am captured on the spot, who will deliver the message to Master Guyue?

"The remnants of the Xuantian Temple—"

Summer and winter's thoughts raced.

Zhao Ting had clearly handled the whole incident at the Fuqingshan cemetery perfectly, even erasing the memories of his subordinates who knew about it. How did this monk find out?

He glanced almost imperceptibly at Zhao Ting beside him out of the corner of his eye, and a suspicion immediately arose in his mind. But he quickly suppressed the thought—those masked men in black who had dug up the grave also knew the details of "Snake Taoist" and Xuantian Temple, so the information might not have leaked from within.

The situation is like a fog, unclear and difficult to see clearly.

Before figuring out the true purpose of these people, saying too much is a recipe for disaster and could easily lead you into a trap set by others.

So Xia Dong kept her lips tightly shut, lowered her eyelids slightly, and chose to remain silent, secretly observing the reactions of the others present out of the corner of her eye.

In the silence, someone couldn't sit still any longer.

"Bang!"

Master Qian slammed his teacup heavily onto the rosewood table beside him, splashing tea everywhere.

His usual affable demeanor vanished, replaced by a dark and gloomy expression. Zi Guang stared intently at the monk: "Ci Xiang, you've gone too far! This is the Thousand-Household Office of the Eagle Wolf Guard in Lin Yuan Prefecture, not your Red Lotus Temple's meditation hall, much less a place for you to set up your own court and interrogate prisoners!"

Hearing this merciless reprimand, Xia Dong's tense nerves relaxed slightly.

Judging from Lord Qian's furious reaction, he was clearly unaware of today's attack.

Since Lord Qian was unaware of the situation, the possibility of Zhao Ting betraying him was extremely slim. After all, selling Xia Dong to Vice Commander Wang's faction would be entirely detrimental to Zhao Ting.

Sure enough, Xia Dong caught a glimpse of Zhao Ting out of the corner of his eye. Zhao Ting, who had been tense because of the monk's attack, breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Lord Qian speak up to defend him, and he put down the hand that had been gripping the hilt of the Embroidered Spring Knife.

Xia Dong quickly figured out the key to it after a little thought.

Lord Qian's forceful intervention was not merely due to "protecting his own."

Everyone in the garrison knew that Deputy Commander Wang and Lord Qian were mortal enemies, and this kind-faced monk was obviously an outsider invited by Old Wang; the two were in cahoots.

The other party immediately accused Xia Dong of treason by labeling him a "remnant of the Xuantian Temple," a move akin to Xiang Zhuang's sword dance aimed at Liu Bang.

Xia Dong is a promising young talent that Lord Qian has recently taken a liking to. A few days ago, he even took Lord Qian's private key and brazenly entered the armory of the Thousand Households to select martial arts techniques and divine weapons.

If Xia Dong is frightened out of his wits by this monk's sudden shout and says something irreversible, or even gets taken away, then Lord Qian, as the patron who "protected the rebels and privately distributed weapons," will inevitably be implicated.

If mud gets into your crotch, no one will believe you if you try to deny it.

Knowing that young people are unfamiliar with such a scene and are easily flustered under pressure, Old Qian cut off the monk Cixiang's words with official etiquette before Xia Dong could speak.

At the head of the hall, Commander Xiang still held his teacup, his eyelids drooping, like a clay or wooden sculpture, seemingly oblivious to the tense atmosphere below.

At this moment, Wang, the deputy commander sitting next to Ci Xiang, chuckled twice and slowly began to speak.

"Lord Qian, what are you doing? Why are you so angry?" Lord Wang looked at Xia Dong with a half-smile, his tone gentle. "We are all officials appointed by the court. How could we set up a private court in the Qianhu Office? It's just that there are some old cases that we really need to have a good talk with this Brother Xia about."

Xia Dong slowly raised her head, meeting the gaze of Deputy Commander Wang without backing down, her previously meek posture straightening ramrod straight.

"Lord Wang," Xia Dong replied in a steady, unwavering voice, using an extremely formal and cold tone, "I am a seventh-rank captain of the Great Youying Wolf Guard. In such a formal setting as the council hall of the Thousand Households, please address me by my official title."

The fake smile on Deputy Commander Wang's thin face visibly froze.

He squinted, preparing to speak.

Before Lord Wang could react, a burst of hearty laughter suddenly rang out in the hall.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Lord Qian clapped his hands and laughed, glancing at Xia Dong with a look of approval. He then turned to Vice Commander Wang with a half-smile: "Lord Wang, Commander Xia is right! This is our commandery's council hall, a proper official setting. We, as superiors, should take the lead in upholding the dignity and rules that the imperial court should maintain."

Old Qian's meaning couldn't be clearer: whatever crimes you, Old Ghost Wang, and the bald monks of the Red Lotus Temple can fabricate behind the scenes, whatever framing they want to do, that's your business, and it's none of his concern.

However, in the council hall of this thousand-household garrison, as long as Xia Dong's crimes have not been confirmed by his superiors, and as long as the court has not stripped him of his official rank, Xia Dong is a genuine seventh-rank general of the Eagle Wolf Guard of the Great You Dynasty! He holds an official position!

If you dare to act against the rules here, you are disregarding the laws of the court, setting up a private court of punishment under the very noses of the Eagle Wolf Guard, and arbitrarily trying officials appointed by the court!

The mere fact that the label of "disrespecting the law" has been firmly attached to them is enough to deter even a powerful force like the Red Lotus Temple, let alone a mere deputy commander like Old Wang. If the matter were to escalate to the "Tongxuan Division," which is in charge of monitoring extraordinary forces, what would they have to say in the future?

Lord Wang's face immediately darkened.

Seeing Lord Wang's discomfiture, the monk Cixiang of Honglian Temple, who had been sitting upright beside him, finally couldn't hold back any longer.

He turned to look at Commander Xiang, who remained calmly seated at the head of the table, and said in a deep voice, "Commander, this matter of Xuantian Temple is of great importance. Are you really going to let Lord Qian continue to protect and shield him like this?"

Lord Qian immediately retorted with a sneer: "Prime Minister, back then your Red Lotus Temple was outmatched and almost swept out of the Great You Dynasty by the Xuantian Temple. You harbor resentment and want to take revenge, so I think your rudeness this time is somewhat understandable."

Lord Qian mercilessly exposed the monk's sinister motives, then stared intently at the compassionate face, pressing him with each word: "But our yamen operates according to the law! Every wanted criminal is registered in the arrest warrants for Xuantian Temple. I ask you, is Xia Dong's name among those warrants?"

A moment of silence fell over the hall.

Lord Qian's words hit the nail on the head. Back then, the imperial court wanted to arrest the core disciples of Xuantian Temple.

Even if it were discovered that Xia Dong was a descendant of Xuantian Temple, it was the previous generation that was wanted. His Majesty's decrees never mentioned implicating the descendants of Xuantian Temple.

Ci Xiang, having his shortcomings exposed in public, decided to stop hiding them and sneered, "The demonic arts of Xuantian Temple are extremely poisonous. Any righteous person has the duty to eradicate evil completely! Otherwise, such lingering poison will become a force to be reckoned with in the future and harm the world again."

He paused, then ignored Lord Qian and clasped his hands together, chanting a Buddhist prayer towards Commander Xiang: "Commander, this campaign to annihilate the Wusheng Sect demons at the Crimson Fire Mine is of paramount importance. We must not allow demons with demonic powers to infiltrate our ranks due to negligence. If something goes wrong, who can bear the consequences?"

Upon hearing this, Xiang Qianhu slightly lifted his half-drooping eyelids. He turned the lid of his teacup and asked calmly, "Master Cixiang, what do you mean?"

"Whether he possesses demonic powers or not, this humble monk will know with a single test." Ci Xiang's gaze was piercing, fixed intently on Xia Dong.

Upon hearing this, Lord Qian almost laughed in anger.

Let someone else try it? Framing, torture, and extracting confessions—we, the Eagle Wolf Guard, are your ancestors! If this monk really lays a hand on Xia Dong, and manages to inject some trick into his body, even if it's not demonic art, it will become demonic art.

"What a joke!" Lord Qian retorted sharply. "Last year, Commander Xia assisted Commander Zhao and inner disciples of the Qixia Immortal Sect in killing three sorcerers from the Wusheng Sect. If he were a sorcerer, how could he have done such a thing?"

Ci Xiang remained unfazed, coldly stating, "Cult members are often ruthless and extreme in their actions. What's so surprising about a self-inflicted injury used to infiltrate and rise to power?"

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lord Wang bowed to Commander Xiang and said, "My lord, this matter concerns the grand plan to eradicate the Wusheng Sect. It is better to believe it than not to believe it. Please think it over carefully."

A deathly silence fell over the hall. Xiang Qianhu stared at his teacup, lost in thought.

Seeing that Commander Qianhu remained silent, Ci Xiang suddenly burst into wild laughter: "Since Commander Qianhu is in a dilemma, then I, this humble monk, will play the villain!"

Before he could finish speaking, Lord Wang had already stepped forward with a smile, seemingly casually blocking Lord Qian's path. His aura subtly surged, completely sealing off any possibility of Lord Qian intervening.

"Amitabha."

Ci Xiang uttered a Buddhist chant, and the immense spiritual pressure of the Foundation Establishment stage cultivator erupted like a tangible force, locking Xia Dong firmly in place.

Xia Dong stood there, feeling as if all the air around him had been sucked away.

He loathed this monk who spouted righteousness and morality but was actually vicious and shameless.

His vital energy and profound Yin power surged wildly, and the ancient bronze bell in his sea of ​​consciousness was poised to unleash its power. If things truly came to a head today, he would rather use all his trump cards and even die to take this bald monk down with him!

At this critical moment, Zhao Ting hesitated for only a moment before taking a step forward and standing shoulder to shoulder with Xia Dong, enduring the oppressive aura.

Zhao Ting didn't speak, but subtly winked at Xia Dong: "Brother, if things get serious later, you'd better make your own escape!"

At this moment, the atmosphere in the hall was tense, like a bowstring drawn, ready to snap at any moment.

A fierce glint flashed in Ci Xiang's eyes as he prepared to form a hand seal, ready to forcibly subdue Xia Dong.

A sudden change occurred.

An indescribable, terrifying chill descended without warning, instantly freezing the entire spacious council hall.

The blue bricks on the hall floor and the steaming tea on the table instantly froze into a thick layer of frost.

"Little monk of Red Lotus Temple, this Lin Yuan Prefecture is not a place where you can act recklessly."

A clear, melodious voice, as pure as a spring, seemed to drift down from the highest heavens, or like the bright moonlight, spreading across the world, resonating clearly in the ears of everyone in the hall.

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