Chapter 82: 82: The Pinnacle of the Demon Realm (17)
That jade was very similar to the one Li Tang had, but Li Tang was certain it wasn’t the one given to him by Chuzheng.
A lightbulb went off in Li Tang’s mind, sensing what Zhao Yue was trying to do.
He looked at Zhao Yue, who revealed a sly and provoking expression before turning to speak righteously, “Elder, I’ve seen that jade in Li Tang’s possession before. He must have been unable to tolerate it any longer and killed Sun Fei!”
“This is not my jade.”
“Not yours? I saw with my own eyes that you had such a jade. If it’s not yours, then whose is it? If you say it’s not yours, then take out yours and let us see!”
Li Tang: “…”
What Zhao Yue wanted was not to frame him for the murder, but to expose his identity as a member of the Demon Clan.
Once he took out his jade, Zhao Yue would use the pretext of inspection and comparison to take the jade away.
She had said not to part with the jade.
But when did Zhao Yue discover he was from the Demon Clan?
And how did he know this jade was key?
He had always been very cautious in his interactions with others in the Outer Sect…
The Law Enforcement Hall Elder knew Li Tang was that person from North Spirit Peak, but this was a matter of life and death, and he had to act impartially, “If Young Master Li Tang is certain that the jade in the deceased’s hand is not yours, please take it out for us to see.”
Li Tang’s hand, which hung by his side, clenched tightly, his gaze fixated on Zhao Yue.
“What’s the matter, can’t take it out?” Zhao Yue sneered, “It was you who killed Sun Fei!”
Even if he couldn’t expose Li Tang’s identity as a member of the Demon Clan, he could still make him bear the burden of a life taken, Zhao Yue was killing two birds with one stone.
This was definitely not a strategy that a fool like Zhao Yue could come up with.
There was someone guiding him from behind.
“Young Master Li Tang,” the Law Enforcement Hall Elder was still polite after all, given that the person from North Spirit Peak was now their Ziyun Sect’s God of Wealth.
Li Tang forced himself to calm down and took out the jade from his waist.
Zhao Yue’s eyes gleamed, and he called out, “Elder, I want to see if that one is the same one I saw before. What if he’s just trying to fool me with any jade? Sun Fei cannot die in vain; the murderer must be severely punished!”
The Law Enforcement Hall Elder frowned, merely inspecting a jade didn’t seem like much.
Thinking this, he nodded in agreement.
Zhao Yue quickly approached Li Tang and reached for the jade.
Li Tang dodged him, and Zhao Yue grasped at air, then sneered coldly, “What’s the matter, you’re scared? Scared I’ll expose you?”
“You’re not worthy of holding it. If you want to see, see it like this.”
“You…” Zhao Yue’s face turned dark with menace, “You’re guilty and dare not let me see, right? Elder, look at him, he must be the murderer! Elder, you must seek justice for Sun Fei, he can’t just die like this without any explanation.”
The Law Enforcement Hall Elder raised his hand and pressed it down, signaling Zhao Yue to be quiet.
“Young Master Li Tang, it’s just a piece of jade, please hand it over and let everyone see clearly. As long as we can verify that the jade in Sun Fei’s hand has nothing to do with you, I will make Zhao Yue apologize to you.”
“Elder!” Zhao Yue’s heart twisted. Why was even the Law Enforcement Hall Elder siding with him?
“Could it truly be him who killed?”
“If not, why won’t he hand over the jade?”
“He was at odds with Sun Fei and Zhao Yue before; could he have killed Sun Fei by accident?”
The surrounding disciples whispered amongst themselves.
Zhao Yue was getting impatient and a venomous light flashed in his eyes; suddenly, he made his move to snatch the jade from Li Tang’s hand.
Zhao Yue acted suddenly and swiftly. In front of the Law Enforcement Hall Elder, Li Tang didn’t dare to expose too much and the jade slipped from his hand.
A tightness formed in his throat, and the next second someone grabbed his wrist, and his body was forcefully pulled back.
He felt a familiar presence. Was she back?
The jade was initially grabbed by Zhao Yue, but now it floated mid-air, free from Zhao Yue’s grasp.
Zhao Yue’s body flew backward at the same time, crashing into a nearby building.
The scene suddenly fell silent.
“What are you doing?” A cold, indifferent voice shattered the silence.
The Law Enforcement Hall Elder’s spine stiffened as he hurriedly clasped hands and bowed, “Miss Chuzheng.”
Chuzheng, holding Li Tang’s wrist, swept her gaze across the crowd with indifference, “I asked, what are you doing?”
The girl exuded a chill and distance. Although devoid of emotion, everyone simultaneously felt a chill down their spine and dared not meet her gaze.
The Law Enforcement Hall Elder glanced at Zhao Yue lying on the ground and recounted what had happened.
“Did you kill him?” Chuzheng asked Li Tang, turning her head.
Li Tang felt a burning heat on his wrist. An abnormal warmth seemed to spread through his limbs, and his mind was muddled with thoughts.
Only when Chuzheng asked did he turn around and awkwardly avoid her gaze, “I didn’t kill him.”
Chuzheng stared at him unblinkingly. Li Tang felt a heaviness in his heart—did she not believe him, either?
“I didn’t.”
“Heard that.” This was addressed to the Law Enforcement Hall Elder.
Law Enforcement Hall Elder: “…”
This matter involved North Spirit Peak, and he had no idea how to handle it.
Li Tang was somewhat stunned. Did she believe him after all?
Chuzheng raised her hand, and a jade in the air drifted toward her. Just before it could land in her hand, someone intercepted it mid-way.
The jade flew off in a different direction.
Lin Chen arrived with a few Inner Sect disciples, riding on swords. That piece of jade was now in his hand.
“It’s Brother Lin Chen!”
“Really, to see Brother Lin Chen here…”
The female disciples among the Sect members present were infatuated.
One had to admit Lin Chen was indeed handsome, even more charismatic and elegant than when Chuzheng first saw him in the Underground Demon City.
What’s there to look at!
Put him in beggar’s clothes, and see how handsome he can be!
Shallow!
Ignorant!
And he stole her jade!
Just because he’s good-looking doesn’t mean he can do whatever he wants!
Chuzheng’s hand, suspended in mid-air, slowly retracted. At that moment, the sword Lin Chen was on suddenly went out of control, wobbling erratically. The people on it scrambled to regain control, but to no avail, and they eventually fell from the sky.
Luckily, they were not far from the ground, and everyone landed safely.
However, their swords shattered into pieces the moment they hit the ground.
The Inner Sect disciples looked around with wariness. Had someone attacked them? But why hadn’t they felt anything?
All was calm around them.
The atmosphere at the scene became awkward.
No one knew what had just happened, not even the Law Enforcement Hall Elder, who was utterly bewildered.
In front of the Outer Sect disciples, it was quite a show by the Inner Sect disciples.
Lin Chen appeared much steadier. Holding the jade, he walked to the center, “Uncle Master.”
“Lin Chen…” The Law Enforcement Hall Elder called out, “What brings you here?”
“A disciple reported a casualty here, and Master ordered me to come take a look,” Lin Chen replied.
“The Sect Master knows about this too?” The Law Enforcement Hall Elder was slightly taken aback.
Logically, the news shouldn’t have reached the main peak so quickly.
“Uncle Master, have you found any clues?” Lin Chen ignored Chuzheng and Li Tang entirely, speaking only to the Law Enforcement Hall Elder.
“This…” The Law Enforcement Hall Elder glanced at Chuzheng.
From Chuzheng’s earlier implication, it was clear that they were now dismissing Li Tang’s involvement.