When Li Xianyu opened the door to the room, Li Peiyun’s head was lowered, as he was sipping tea at the table near the window. Wearing electromagnetic handcuffs specially used to bind demon descendants, he lifted his head and glanced coldly when he heard sounds and movement from the door.
Even Li Xianyu, his great enemy, could not cause any waves to his calm heart.
As a prisoner who was in a dangerous state and might face the death sentence, Li Peiyun remained calm and graceful as he sipped tea.
Li Xianyu was deeply impressed. “Don’t think I can’t find you just because you are hiding here. It’s useless, such an impressive man like you is like a firefly in the dark no matter where you are. Outstanding and exceptional. Your greasy hair that hasn’t been washed for three days, your cigarettes that cost 4.5 dollar per pack in your pocket and…” Li Xianyu took a deep breath. “The sour scent of not having showered for a few days, have betrayed you!”
Li Peiyun’s act was exposed as he said solemnly, “What are you doing here?”
Li Xianyu sat down and replied, “I’m here to mock you, to rub salt into your wound.”
Li Peiyun snorted coldly.
“Lightning King said you wouldn’t give up the shelter of the remaining members of the Ancient Gods Clan and where the bombs were buried. Can I understand that you want to use this as a bargaining chip to blackmail the Buddhist society and Baoze to let you off?” Li Xianyu lit a cigarette, crossed his legs and stared at Li Peiyun.
“So what?” Li Peiyun replied nonchalantly.
“The desire for survival is understandable, but I guess you didn’t think from the start, that you would actually detonate the bombs buried in the ordinary society. No, you might not have even buried the bombs. You actually buried the bombs in the territory of all the Taoist sects.”
“How are you so confident? The Ancient Gods Clan is capable of doing anything.”
“That’s why I said you’re an incompetent cult leader, you are even more incompetent than Zhang Wuji.” Li Xianyu tutted, “Baoze investigated that you were expelled from the family at the age of 15, and disappeared for ten years. Sanliban Village was the first time you showed up, until today at the Forum Conference. Judging from your few deeds, you are not actually a member of the evil cult.”
“You still have a certain bottom line in terms of morals. You didn’t commit indiscriminate killing of innocent people in the demon descendants community, let alone the ordinary society. You are wanted by the Buddhist society and Baoze Group mainly because you are the leader of the Ancient Gods Clan.”
“Thus, Baoze is willing to give you a chance to turn to the light. In the last three days, we have sent people to check the provincial capitals and did not find any bombs, but why am I so sure you didn’t bury the bombs? It is because the members of the Ancient Gods Clan don’t dare to.”
“You have learned the orthodox Taoist doctrine so I’m sure you know more about the Taoist teachings of yin and yang. There is always light and dark in the world, and it is impossible to eliminate all evil cult members.”
“Baoze’s way of handling it is to drive cult members who have done evil openly to the stinking ditch and make them rats. The members of the Ancient Gods Clan know that too, so there was always a balance between the two parties.”
“No matter good and evil, everything in the world follows the path of balance, which is the natural instinct of life. If the Taoist Reverend dies, then your goal, Master Li Zhu’s goal, and the aim of the evil cult behind you, have all been achieved.”
“Thus, they would never detonate a bomb. If the fireworks light up, their fates are sealed. In the end, only a small group of ordinary people will be buried with them.”
“Thus, the leverage you have on hand is just a lie. Even if you did bury the bomb, Baoze will bet that you don’t dare to detonate it.”
Li Peiyun was silent.
Li Xianyu was right. His bargaining chip was fake.
Seeing his silence, Li Xianyu sighed. “I want to save you, I don’t want to see you die.”
Li Peiyun froze.
“Although we are enemies, I admire Master Li Zhu as a man who has lived for most of his life and never bowed to powerful evil forces. He reminds me of my father, who might not have come to a miserable end if he had someone like your great-grandfather.”
“To be honest, I’m actually a true disciple of the Demonic Priest and am your great-grandfather’s junior. If you don’t mind, you may call me Senior Uncle. Or you may call me Second Master,” Li Xianyu said.
Li Peiyun was silent. “Are you teasing me?” he remarked solemnly.
“Of course not.” Li Xianyu raised his arm, scoffed and the sword of qi burst out. A faint white light shot out and it was extremely faint and weak.
“Look, my sword of qi was passed on from the Demonic Priest personally. Although your sword of qi was also a gift from the Demonic Priest, after all, your skill of the Tri-Elements Sword Technique was passed on to you by your great-grandfather. The Demonic Priest is teaching his grandson on behalf of his disciple, there’s no problem, isn’t it?”
Li Peiyun thought about it. Shaking his arms, the cuffs shattered. Li Peiyun also raised his arms, and the sword of qi burst out. There was a bright and thick milky white light.
The cuffs could not trap an expert of Li Peiyun’s calibre. It was not to prevent him from escaping either. He couldn’t escape in Lianghua Temple. It was more like a formal act.
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward as the two men looked at each other in silence.
Li Xianyu quietly retracted his sword of qi. “You are indeed a genius at cultivating the Tri-Elements Sword Technique.”
What the hell, compared to you, I’m like someone who has kidney deficiency, thin and diluted, Li Xianyu thought.
“However, what I said is the truth. Your great-grandfather wants to seek justice for the Demonic Priest, and I have the same goal. I have experienced Priest Wang Chen’s experience personally.” Li Xianyu took out his mobile phone and showed Li Peiyun his short novel that was released online.
Li Peiyun actually took the phone, and looked at it quickly. When he clicked on Chapter 3, the phone was snatched back by Li Xianyu. “That’s enough. You have a chance in future if you want to see more.”
“What I want to tell you is that I have the same intentions as your great-grandfather. Due to Priest Wang Chen, I have a good impression of your great-grandfather. Thus, this extends to me having a soft spot for you and a sense of familial love towards you.”
Family love?! Li Peiyun’s face twitched.
“Otherwise, I wouldn’t have risked my life to help Priest Wang Chen that day.”
Perhaps Li Xianyu had moved Li Peiyun with both logical reasoning and emotional persuasion.
“I don’t know where the remaining members of the Ancient Gods Clan are, they don’t have fixed positions. They’re always hiding and their locations are constantly changing. Furthermore… I normally don’t care much about those bunch of guys. I am unable to do anything regarding Baoze’s requests.” Li Peiyun saying these words meant he had compromised.
When Li Xianyu looked at him, he felt like he had a complete victory in IQ. Dude, playing smart is not your forte. In fact, if you insisted that the bomb was buried there, Baoze would not dare to take this gamble.
“Have you ever thought about joining Baoze?”
“I won’t lie to you, even if I nod now to agree, I will leave later. I am not suitable for law enforcement, and I can’t stand the constraints of any rules,” Li Peiyun said.
“If I meet some people who have committed crimes against the regulations, even if their crimes don’t warrant death, I will kill them if I don’t like them. If you insist on me joining Baoze, you are just courting trouble for yourself.”
This guy is an idealist… Li Xianyu was relieved. I don’t want you to join Baoze either.
“Then you have only one path.” Li Xianyu tossed his cigarette butt into his teacup. “Welcome to the Baoze Group’s basement, Demon Locking Tower.”
“Baoze will defend you at the trial. Remember to cooperate.” Li Xianyu thought about it and took out his phone. “Oh right, what’s your WeChat account number, let’s be friends.”
“No.” Li Peiyun frowned.
Although Li Xianyu had said so much, he still had no good feelings for Li Xianyu and wanted to hit him more.
“Add me as a friend. If you want to fight in the future, you can just look for me.”
“Alright.”
Li Xianyu stood up and left the room.
Li Peiyun drank a cup of tea, narrowed his eyes and looked at the sunlight shining in from the window. His cold expression vanished, replaced by a smile.
Li Xianyu came to the yard, and Lightning King asked, “How did it go?”
“The bombs are just a cover, don’t worry. Li Peiyun had compromised but I couldn’t persuade him to join Baoze. He chose to enter the Demon Locking Tower.” Li Xianyu turned back and looked at the door, with an equally enigmatic smile.
…
6:00 P.M., Forum Conference rites location.
Part of the collapsed spectator stand had been cleared, as it would need some time to be rebuilt. The ground that was riddled with holes was paved with quick-dry cement.
On Li Peiyun’s case, a court session was officially held at 6:00 P.M., where Taoist Shangqing Sect Leader Qing Xuzi, Baoze Law Enforcement Minister Lightning King, and Buddhist Head’s Fourth Disciple Jie Du served as judges at the same time.
The Taoist sect leaders, the Buddhist temple abbots and Baoze ‘s senior staff served as juries.
Thousands of demon descendants who remained in the Lianghua Temple served as court audience.
“I heard that the Taoist Faction proposed the execution of Li Peiyun. How unfortunate, the Demonic Priest’s inheritor has just begun to shine and will soon fall.”
“Wasn’t the Demonic Priest wronged? Why is Li Peiyun still being executed?”
“Even if the Taoist Reverend has committed a crime, he’s still the leader of the Taoist Faction. These are two separate matters.”
“What is there to be a pity about? He’s the leader of the Ancient Gods Clan, he deserves to die a 100 times over.”
Before Li Peiyun was brought up, the crowd’s voices were already spreading. Over the past few days, the handling of Li Peiyun has become a topic for discussion among the people who remained in Lianghua Temple.
There were plenty of people who both supported and did not support the execution of Li Peiyun.
The crowd separated and two Buddhist disciples escorted Li Peiyun to the scene. He stood alone in the middle of the empty space, handcuffed and shackled, with three judges sitting in front of him. On each side of which were the top three forces in the demon descendants community.
Among the senior staff members, Li Xianyu suddenly wondered whether if he had not joined Baoze or had not had great-grandmother, would he have been tried by the people of the demon descendants like Li Peiyun?
The crime would be secret possession of a Great Deities Palace treasure.
Lightning King slammed his hand on the table to get the audience to quieten down. He glanced at the script, and then at Li Peiyun. “Li Peiyun, born in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, and native of Hunan, ambushed the Baoze law enforcement team in Sanliban Village on August 18, 2020…”
Lightning King summarized Li Peiyun’s life background briefly, listing his crimes. “Now, it is up to the Buddhist society and Baoze Group to jointly decide the outcome of your punishment. Do you have any objections?”
Li Peiyun remained silent.
“What opinion does the Taoist Faction hold?” Lightning King asked.
One of the Taoist priests, a leader of a Taoist sect, said, “Li Peiyun is well-versed in the Tri-Elements Sword Technique of the Demonic Priest, and went astray and became the leader of the Ancient Gods Clan.”
“Three days ago, he murdered the Taoist Reverend of the Taoist Faction. This crime is unpardonable, and the Taoist Faction proposes to execute him.”
Lightning King glanced at the Buddhist sect members. “Does the Buddhist Faction have anything to supplement?”
The Buddhist Faction was here to merely attend and did not have any opinion.
Lightning King glanced at the Baoze members. “Does Baoze Group have anything to supplement?”
Li Xianyu stepped out. “Baoze Group does not agree with the Taoist Faction’s proposal.”
When Li Xianyu opened the door to the room, Li Peiyun’s head was lowered, as he was sipping tea at the table near the window. Wearing electromagnetic handcuffs specially used to bind demon descendants, he lifted his head and glanced coldly when he heard sounds and movement from the door.
Even Li Xianyu, his great enemy, could not cause any waves to his calm heart.
As a prisoner who was in a dangerous state and might face the death sentence, Li Peiyun remained calm and graceful as he sipped tea.
Li Xianyu was deeply impressed. “Don’t think I can’t find you just because you are hiding here. It’s useless, such an impressive man like you is like a firefly in the dark no matter where you are. Outstanding and exceptional. Your greasy hair that hasn’t been washed for three days, your cigarettes that cost 4.5 dollar per pack in your pocket and…” Li Xianyu took a deep breath. “The sour scent of not having showered for a few days, have betrayed you!”
Li Peiyun’s act was exposed as he said solemnly, “What are you doing here?”
Li Xianyu sat down and replied, “I’m here to mock you, to rub salt into your wound.”
Li Peiyun snorted coldly.
“Lightning King said you wouldn’t give up the shelter of the remaining members of the Ancient Gods Clan and where the bombs were buried. Can I understand that you want to use this as a bargaining chip to blackmail the Buddhist society and Baoze to let you off?” Li Xianyu lit a cigarette, crossed his legs and stared at Li Peiyun.
“So what?” Li Peiyun replied nonchalantly.
“The desire for survival is understandable, but I guess you didn’t think from the start, that you would actually detonate the bombs buried in the ordinary society. No, you might not have even buried the bombs. You actually buried the bombs in the territory of all the Taoist sects.”
“How are you so confident? The Ancient Gods Clan is capable of doing anything.”
“That’s why I said you’re an incompetent cult leader, you are even more incompetent than Zhang Wuji.” Li Xianyu tutted, “Baoze investigated that you were expelled from the family at the age of 15, and disappeared for ten years. Sanliban Village was the first time you showed up, until today at the Forum Conference. Judging from your few deeds, you are not actually a member of the evil cult.”
“You still have a certain bottom line in terms of morals. You didn’t commit indiscriminate killing of innocent people in the demon descendants community, let alone the ordinary society. You are wanted by the Buddhist society and Baoze Group mainly because you are the leader of the Ancient Gods Clan.”
“Thus, Baoze is willing to give you a chance to turn to the light. In the last three days, we have sent people to check the provincial capitals and did not find any bombs, but why am I so sure you didn’t bury the bombs? It is because the members of the Ancient Gods Clan don’t dare to.”
“You have learned the orthodox Taoist doctrine so I’m sure you know more about the Taoist teachings of yin and yang. There is always light and dark in the world, and it is impossible to eliminate all evil cult members.”
“Baoze’s way of handling it is to drive cult members who have done evil openly to the stinking ditch and make them rats. The members of the Ancient Gods Clan know that too, so there was always a balance between the two parties.”
“No matter good and evil, everything in the world follows the path of balance, which is the natural instinct of life. If the Taoist Reverend dies, then your goal, Master Li Zhu’s goal, and the aim of the evil cult behind you, have all been achieved.”
“Thus, they would never detonate a bomb. If the fireworks light up, their fates are sealed. In the end, only a small group of ordinary people will be buried with them.”
“Thus, the leverage you have on hand is just a lie. Even if you did bury the bomb, Baoze will bet that you don’t dare to detonate it.”
Li Peiyun was silent.
Li Xianyu was right. His bargaining chip was fake.
Seeing his silence, Li Xianyu sighed. “I want to save you, I don’t want to see you die.”
Li Peiyun froze.
“Although we are enemies, I admire Master Li Zhu as a man who has lived for most of his life and never bowed to powerful evil forces. He reminds me of my father, who might not have come to a miserable end if he had someone like your great-grandfather.”
“To be honest, I’m actually a true disciple of the Demonic Priest and am your great-grandfather’s junior. If you don’t mind, you may call me Senior Uncle. Or you may call me Second Master,” Li Xianyu said.
Li Peiyun was silent. “Are you teasing me?” he remarked solemnly.
“Of course not.” Li Xianyu raised his arm, scoffed and the sword of qi burst out. A faint white light shot out and it was extremely faint and weak.
“Look, my sword of qi was passed on from the Demonic Priest personally. Although your sword of qi was also a gift from the Demonic Priest, after all, your skill of the Tri-Elements Sword Technique was passed on to you by your great-grandfather. The Demonic Priest is teaching his grandson on behalf of his disciple, there’s no problem, isn’t it?”
Li Peiyun thought about it. Shaking his arms, the cuffs shattered. Li Peiyun also raised his arms, and the sword of qi burst out. There was a bright and thick milky white light.
The cuffs could not trap an expert of Li Peiyun’s calibre. It was not to prevent him from escaping either. He couldn’t escape in Lianghua Temple. It was more like a formal act.
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward as the two men looked at each other in silence.
Li Xianyu quietly retracted his sword of qi. “You are indeed a genius at cultivating the Tri-Elements Sword Technique.”
What the hell, compared to you, I’m like someone who has kidney deficiency, thin and diluted, Li Xianyu thought.
“However, what I said is the truth. Your great-grandfather wants to seek justice for the Demonic Priest, and I have the same goal. I have experienced Priest Wang Chen’s experience personally.” Li Xianyu took out his mobile phone and showed Li Peiyun his short novel that was released online.
Li Peiyun actually took the phone, and looked at it quickly. When he clicked on Chapter 3, the phone was snatched back by Li Xianyu. “That’s enough. You have a chance in future if you want to see more.”
“What I want to tell you is that I have the same intentions as your great-grandfather. Due to Priest Wang Chen, I have a good impression of your great-grandfather. Thus, this extends to me having a soft spot for you and a sense of familial love towards you.”
Family love?! Li Peiyun’s face twitched.
“Otherwise, I wouldn’t have risked my life to help Priest Wang Chen that day.”
Perhaps Li Xianyu had moved Li Peiyun with both logical reasoning and emotional persuasion.
“I don’t know where the remaining members of the Ancient Gods Clan are, they don’t have fixed positions. They’re always hiding and their locations are constantly changing. Furthermore… I normally don’t care much about those bunch of guys. I am unable to do anything regarding Baoze’s requests.” Li Peiyun saying these words meant he had compromised.
When Li Xianyu looked at him, he felt like he had a complete victory in IQ. Dude, playing smart is not your forte. In fact, if you insisted that the bomb was buried there, Baoze would not dare to take this gamble.
“Have you ever thought about joining Baoze?”
“I won’t lie to you, even if I nod now to agree, I will leave later. I am not suitable for law enforcement, and I can’t stand the constraints of any rules,” Li Peiyun said.
“If I meet some people who have committed crimes against the regulations, even if their crimes don’t warrant death, I will kill them if I don’t like them. If you insist on me joining Baoze, you are just courting trouble for yourself.”
This guy is an idealist… Li Xianyu was relieved. I don’t want you to join Baoze either.
“Then you have only one path.” Li Xianyu tossed his cigarette butt into his teacup. “Welcome to the Baoze Group’s basement, Demon Locking Tower.”
“Baoze will defend you at the trial. Remember to cooperate.” Li Xianyu thought about it and took out his phone. “Oh right, what’s your WeChat account number, let’s be friends.”
“No.” Li Peiyun frowned.
Although Li Xianyu had said so much, he still had no good feelings for Li Xianyu and wanted to hit him more.
“Add me as a friend. If you want to fight in the future, you can just look for me.”
“Alright.”
Li Xianyu stood up and left the room.
Li Peiyun drank a cup of tea, narrowed his eyes and looked at the sunlight shining in from the window. His cold expression vanished, replaced by a smile.
Li Xianyu came to the yard, and Lightning King asked, “How did it go?”
“The bombs are just a cover, don’t worry. Li Peiyun had compromised but I couldn’t persuade him to join Baoze. He chose to enter the Demon Locking Tower.” Li Xianyu turned back and looked at the door, with an equally enigmatic smile.
…
6:00 P.M., Forum Conference rites location.
Part of the collapsed spectator stand had been cleared, as it would need some time to be rebuilt. The ground that was riddled with holes was paved with quick-dry cement.
On Li Peiyun’s case, a court session was officially held at 6:00 P.M., where Taoist Shangqing Sect Leader Qing Xuzi, Baoze Law Enforcement Minister Lightning King, and Buddhist Head’s Fourth Disciple Jie Du served as judges at the same time.
The Taoist sect leaders, the Buddhist temple abbots and Baoze ‘s senior staff served as juries.
Thousands of demon descendants who remained in the Lianghua Temple served as court audience.
“I heard that the Taoist Faction proposed the execution of Li Peiyun. How unfortunate, the Demonic Priest’s inheritor has just begun to shine and will soon fall.”
“Wasn’t the Demonic Priest wronged? Why is Li Peiyun still being executed?”
“Even if the Taoist Reverend has committed a crime, he’s still the leader of the Taoist Faction. These are two separate matters.”
“What is there to be a pity about? He’s the leader of the Ancient Gods Clan, he deserves to die a 100 times over.”
Before Li Peiyun was brought up, the crowd’s voices were already spreading. Over the past few days, the handling of Li Peiyun has become a topic for discussion among the people who remained in Lianghua Temple.
There were plenty of people who both supported and did not support the execution of Li Peiyun.
The crowd separated and two Buddhist disciples escorted Li Peiyun to the scene. He stood alone in the middle of the empty space, handcuffed and shackled, with three judges sitting in front of him. On each side of which were the top three forces in the demon descendants community.
Among the senior staff members, Li Xianyu suddenly wondered whether if he had not joined Baoze or had not had great-grandmother, would he have been tried by the people of the demon descendants like Li Peiyun?
The crime would be secret possession of a Great Deities Palace treasure.
Lightning King slammed his hand on the table to get the audience to quieten down. He glanced at the script, and then at Li Peiyun. “Li Peiyun, born in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, and native of Hunan, ambushed the Baoze law enforcement team in Sanliban Village on August 18, 2020…”
Lightning King summarized Li Peiyun’s life background briefly, listing his crimes. “Now, it is up to the Buddhist society and Baoze Group to jointly decide the outcome of your punishment. Do you have any objections?”
Li Peiyun remained silent.
“What opinion does the Taoist Faction hold?” Lightning King asked.
One of the Taoist priests, a leader of a Taoist sect, said, “Li Peiyun is well-versed in the Tri-Elements Sword Technique of the Demonic Priest, and went astray and became the leader of the Ancient Gods Clan.”
“Three days ago, he murdered the Taoist Reverend of the Taoist Faction. This crime is unpardonable, and the Taoist Faction proposes to execute him.”
Lightning King glanced at the Buddhist sect members. “Does the Buddhist Faction have anything to supplement?”
The Buddhist Faction was here to merely attend and did not have any opinion.
Lightning King glanced at the Baoze members. “Does Baoze Group have anything to supplement?”
Li Xianyu stepped out. “Baoze Group does not agree with the Taoist Faction’s proposal.”
