Ling Wen had already walked up and stood beside the throne, dressed in black, without a hint of a smile. Holding a booklet, she checked off a list and said, "Emperor, a few officials are patrolling outside and couldn't return."
Jun Wu nodded slightly and said, "They informed us in advance."
Ling Wen bowed her head in acknowledgment. Jun Wu then turned to Xie Lian and said, "Celestial Music must already know why we've called you here today."
Xie Lian bowed his head again and said, "I have a rough idea. But I thought the matter with General Pei Jr. was already settled."
At this moment, a man's voice said, "It's hard to say how this matter should be settled."
The voice came from behind him. Xie Lian turned around to see a martial god entering the hall, walking with a sword in hand, heading straight to the front. As he passed by Xie Lian, he paused, curled his lips into a smile, and said, "Crown Prince, I've heard much about you."
This martial god looked about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, carried himself with grace, but his actions were decisive.
His appearance was even more striking than the statue Xie Lian had seen at Yu Jun Mountain, someone who could easily win women's hearts. Xie Lian hadn't yet responded when the man continued, "Our little Pei has really been under your care."
Xie Lian silently thought, "I've really offended this person now." Out loud, he said, "Not at all. General Pei, it's an honor to meet you."
This was no empty flattery. Recently, Xie Lian had been comparing scrolls and reading scattered tales of famous officials, mainly about this Bright Light General, Pei Ming.
Although this northern martial god had many military achievements, people were most intrigued by the stories he left behind in the red-light district.
Tales of him spending a fortune to save a famous courtesan, who then devoted herself to him, or less savory stories of him galloping a thousand miles overnight to have a tryst with a married woman.
In some ways, these stories were quite impressive. After reading them, Xie Lian thought it was unreasonable that he had only stirred up one Xuan Ji over the years.
Because he was successful both on the battlefield and in romance, many rivals and colleagues wished him dead, preferably from a venereal disease, but he was incredibly resilient.
He walked through a garden of flowers without getting sick; not only did he refuse to die, but he lived longer than others. Finally, one day, he lost a battle, and everyone thought, "Ha! Now he's done for!" But then, at the critical moment, he ascended.
This made his surviving opponents die of anger.
After ascending, Pei Ming didn't change his ways, and his stories of romantic conquests expanded greatly.
From immortal maidens to demonesses, he dared to pursue any beauty. Many romantic stories loved to use him as the main character.
If Xie Lian's path didn't require him to be pure-hearted, he might have read a couple out of curiosity.
So, besides being the northern martial god, he was often worshiped as the god of good fortune in love.
Even many officials in the Heavenly Court, when passing by him, would secretly turn their heads to pray for some of his luck. It must be said, although there were subtle similarities, he was much luckier than Feng Xin, who was innocently given the title "Giant Sun."
All the officials knew what these two "heard much about" referred to and secretly laughed.
After exchanging pleasantries, Xie Lian asked, "General Pei, what do you mean by 'hard to say'?"
Pei Ming snapped his fingers, and suddenly, a suspended corpse appeared in the center of the hall.
Strictly speaking, it was an empty shell lying there. This human shape had no soul, hollow inside, and was covered in blood from head to toe, indistinguishable from a corpse. Looking at the face, eyes closed, handsome features, it was A-Zhao. Or rather, it was General Pei Jr.'s avatar.
Among the elegant officials in the Divine Martial Hall, this sudden appearance was quite shocking. Soon, Pei Su was also brought in. Though he was shackled, he remained indifferent, head bowed and silent. Xie Lian asked, "General Pei, what is this about?"
Pei Su knelt in the Divine Martial Hall, and Pei Ming said, "During the interrogation of Little Pei, he mentioned something I found curious."
He circled Xie Lian halfway and said, "I'm very clear about Little Pei's abilities. Although his avatar's power is far less than his own, it's not particularly weak. He should be able to hold his own against a 'fierce' one. Yet, he told me someone beat him without him being able to fight back. Isn't that strange?"
Pei Ming continued, "I pursued the matter further and found out that at Half Moon Pass, there was a young man in red accompanying the Celestial Music Crown Prince."
Upon hearing "red clothes," some officials' expressions became unnatural. Pei Ming continued, making their discomfort undeniable: "And this young man, in the dark, slaughtered hundreds of Half Moon soldiers about to turn fierce in an instant!
"—Crown Prince, who exactly is this young man in red?"
If not "fierce," then it's "supreme"! And... a supreme who can kill a hundred fierce ones in an instant, dressed in red.
Anyone could guess who this young man most likely was. However, no one wanted to be the first to say the name.
Xie Lian glanced at the silent Pei Su and said insincerely, "Ahem, really? I don't quite remember. At the time, there was a group of merchants trapped at Half Moon Pass, and we were together for a few days. Perhaps he was one of them."
Pei Ming said, "No, Crown Prince, according to Little Pei, you and that young man were very close, not like you'd only been together for a few days. How could you forget so quickly?"
Xie Lian thought, "No, you're mistaken. I'm telling the truth. We really were only together for a few days."
His expression remained calm. At this moment, not far away, a white-clad Taoist leisurely shook his white whisk and said, "General Pei, you're only hearing one side of the story from Little Pei, and Little Pei is guilty and in confinement, soon to be exiled. How credible his words are needs to be weighed."
Pei Ming said, "That depends on whether General Nan Yang and General Xuan Zhen can help a little."
Following his gaze, Xie Lian indeed found Feng Xin and Mu Qing in the southwest and southeast of the hall.
Feng Xin was as he remembered, always tall, standing straight, with a determined gaze and a slight frown as if something was bothering him, though he wasn't actually annoyed.
Mu Qing, however, was somewhat different from his impression, still pale with slightly colored lips, eyes lowered, but with an air of indifference, arms crossed, tapping his right fingers on his left elbow, as if calculating something.
Though both were handsome, each had their own prickly qualities.
Hearing Pei Ming call their names, they both looked at Jun Wu first. Jun Wu nodded slightly, and they slowly stepped forward.
This was the first time Xie Lian had faced them since his third ascension. As they faced each other, the gazes directed at him became even more intense.
It was understandable.
The Divine Martial Hall was the hall of the first martial god, and without being a heavenly official, one couldn't enter to discuss matters.
When the Celestial Music Crown Prince first ascended, he appointed Feng Xin and Mu Qing as generals.
Back then, they were lower-level officials in the middle heavenly court, not even qualified to clean the floor here. But now, the two former lieutenants could stand in the Divine Martial Hall, ranked higher than their former lord. Truly, times had changed.
The three of them looked at each other awkwardly for a while, then quickly pretended nothing was wrong and looked away, each unsure of what the others were thinking. However, Xie Lian roughly knew what Pei Ming wanted them to help with.
Sure enough, Pei Ming said, "General Nan Yang and General Xuan Zhen have both fought with Hua Cheng and should have some authority on that one's weapon."
He had brought out A-Zhao's shell for everyone to examine the wounds.
Feng Xin and Mu Qing slowly approached the floating shell, and Xie Lian followed, taking a few steps to look, but the blood was too much, mostly blackened, making it hard to see clearly. The two of them examined it seriously, then looked up at each other, neither wanting to speak first. Ling Wen, under Jun Wu, said, "Generals, what do you think?"
Feng Xin was the first to speak, saying in a deep voice, "It's him."
Mu Qing said, "It's the curved blade E-Ming."
Probably, among the officials in the Divine Martial Hall, only Xie Lian didn't know what those four words represented.
The curved blade E-Ming was the weapon Hua Cheng used in a dream battle to single-handedly defeat thirty-three officials, scattering their souls and shattering their courage!
Inside the Divine Martial Hall, the officials began whispering in groups, looking at Xie Lian with strange eyes.
Pei Ming said, "Thank you, Generals, for confirming this. If the young man in red accompanying the Crown Prince is indeed that one, things could get complicated."
The white-clad Taoist spoke again, "General Pei, are you suggesting the Crown Prince colluded with the Ghost King to frame General Pei Jr.?"
This Taoist had spoken twice, both times siding with him, so Xie Lian couldn't help but take a look at this intriguing immortal. Turning around, he saw the Taoist had clear black and white eyes, a jade belt, a whisk draped over his arm, a long sword on his back, and a folding fan at his waist, exuding elegance and charm.
His features seemed vaguely familiar, but Xie Lian couldn't recall where he had seen such a friend.
Pei Ming also glanced at him, as if he were an annoying elder unwilling to argue with a child, shook his head, waved his hand, and removed the floating shell of A-Zhao, turning around and saying, "It's not necessarily collusion. But that one is capable of covering the sky with one hand, and it's possible he used some trick to deceive the Crown Prince."
This implied he wanted to paint Hua Cheng as the mastermind behind the chaos at Half Moon Pass. Xie Lian said, "General Pei, even if you don't trust me, you should trust the Wind Master. The Wind Master heard the entire confession of General Pei Jr."
Pei Ming glanced at the white-clad Taoist again. Xie Lian continued, "And we're all in the Divine Martial Hall right now. If there's any trace of deception on me, you can ask the Emperor."
Sitting above, Jun Wu's expression was calm, indicating there was no problem with Xie Lian. Xie Lian added, "Let's keep things separate. Even if the young man with me was Hua Cheng, it has nothing to do with what General Pei Jr. did. The Ghost King may have a bad reputation, but not everything can be blamed on him."
He calmly mentioned the name, causing several officials to shiver. Pei Ming said, "In any case, I believe this matter needs further discussion. The Half Moon National Teacher you took should also be brought up for questioning."
Question what? Force a confession? Xie Lian hadn't responded yet when someone else spoke. Pei Su seemed unwilling to stay in the Divine Martial Hall any longer and said softly, "General, enough."
Pei Ming said, "What?"
Pei Su said, "There's no deception. It's my doing. I'm sorry to disappoint you."
Pei Ming was trying to clear his name, but Pei Su interrupted him, his face turning slightly cold, and said in a deep voice, "What did the Half Moon National Teacher give you to drink? Shut up."
Pei Su raised his head and said, "Enough, General! Little Pei isn't afraid to admit what he's done. Since I've been caught, I'm not afraid of any consequences."
Pei Ming's face was full of disbelief, as if he couldn't understand why Pei Su, usually so sensible, was suddenly acting up. He was about to kick him awake when Jun Wu said, "Enough."
When he spoke, Pei Ming held back his kick and bowed slightly. Jun Wu said, "The matter of Half Moon Pass is over. Take Little Pei away; he'll be exiled soon."
After a moment of silence, Pei Ming said, "Yes."
Xie Lian had just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard him say, "But the wounds on this shell are indeed from the curved blade E-Ming."
Jun Wu said, "Hmm. That's another matter."
Pei Ming said, "Please investigate thoroughly."
Jun Wu said, "I will investigate this matter myself. Everyone can rest assured. For now, let's adjourn. Celestial Music, stay behind."
It seemed he wanted to keep Xie Lian behind for a personal inquiry. The officials had no objections and bowed, saying, "Yes."
Since the meeting was over, people left in small groups. Feng Xin glanced at Xie Lian as he passed, hesitated, and Xie Lian gave him a slight smile, causing him to pause before leaving. Mu Qing walked past as if Xie Lian didn't exist, deliberately passing in front of him.
The white-clad Taoist came over, shaking his whisk with a smile, about to speak when the recently defeated Pei Ming, one hand on his sword and the other rubbing his nose, approached and said helplessly, "Qingxuan, for your brother's sake, please don't cause trouble."
The white-clad Taoist's smile faded, and he said, "General Pei, don't use my brother to pressure me. I'm not afraid of him."
"You..." Pei Ming seemed frustrated, like he wanted to gnash his teeth, but couldn't do anything about it. Finally, he pointed at him and said, "You, you, Little Pei was really harmed by you this time. Two hundred years of exile."
The white-clad Taoist shook his whisk wildly and said, "That was Little Pei's own doing, nothing to do with me!"
As if not wanting to continue the conversation, he quickly ran off. Xie Lian had wondered if Pei Ming would stay to mock him, but he didn't.
He also left. In the vast Divine Martial Hall, besides Jun Wu on the throne and Xie Lian below, only one person remained: the Crown Prince of the Eternal Peace Kingdom, Lang Qianqiu. Xie Lian was puzzled why he stayed.
Approaching, he found the man standing there asleep with his eyes closed.
Xie Lian couldn't help but laugh, thinking it was impressive, and gently patted the young man's shoulder, saying, "Crown Prince, Crown Prince?"
Lang Qianqiu suddenly woke up, saying, "What?!"
Xie Lian said, "Nothing, the meeting's over."
Lang Qianqiu, still groggy from sleep, said in confusion, "It's over? What was discussed? I didn't hear anything!"
Xie Lian said, "If you didn't hear, it's fine. It wasn't important. Let's go back."
Lang Qianqiu said, "Oh!" He left, and before exiting the hall, he looked back at Xie Lian with a puzzled expression, then smiled broadly and said, "Thanks for waking me up."
Xie Lian smiled and waved at him. Once everyone had left, he slowly turned around. Jun Wu also walked down from the throne, hands behind his back, and approached him, saying, "Blood Rain Seeker, Curved Blade E-Ming."
Xie Lian felt like a cat grabbed by the scruff, involuntarily standing straight.
Jun Wu continued, "So, what's going on?"
Xie Lian glanced at him and suddenly knelt down.
Before his knees touched the ground, Jun Wu reached out and supported his elbow, preventing him from kneeling, and sighed, "Celestial Music."
Xie Lian stood straight again, bowed his head, and said, "I'm sorry."
Jun Wu looked at him and said, "So you admit your mistake?"
Xie Lian said, "I admit it."
Jun Wu said, "Then tell me, what mistake do you admit to?"