The other three were also in the later stages of Qi Refinement, one at level seven, two at level eight, with a lower rank and were Enforcement Leaders from Qingxuan City.
Zhang Lan exchanged hollow pleasantries with Lu Hui for a while, and Mo Hua, not wanting to deal with such people, kept silent on the side.
Lu Hui wore a fake smile, praised Zhang Lan a few times, then expressed his desire to meet Ji Qingbai.
Zhang Lan didn’t refuse, curious about what Lu Hui was up to.
Zhang Lan had Ji Qingbai summoned to the Taoist Court, whereupon Lu Hui cut straight to the chase and asked Ji Qingbai to join him in the mountain to help rescue Young Master of Kong Family, Kong Sheng.
Ji Qingbai frowned, “Court Leader Lu, what do you mean by this?”
Whether Kong Sheng was alive or dead, what did it have to do with him?
Lu Hui put on an act of considering Ji Qingbai’s best interests, “Brother Ji, with the Young Master missing, you can’t rid yourself of involvement…”
Ji Qingbai’s gaze turned slightly cold.
“`
Lu Hui continued, “Previously in Qingxuan City, you and your father injured Young Master Kong for no reason and then fled the scene out of guilt. Young Master Kong, being young and impetuous, sought justice and mistakenly entered Big Black Mountain, resulting in his unfortunate encounter, leaving his fate unknown.”
“Your failure to rescue him is inexcusable, both emotionally and rationally.”
Ji Qingbai, somewhat angry, said, “Lu Hui, don’t wrong the innocent, it was clearly Kong Sheng who was too overbearing!”
Lu Hui sighed, “There is public evidence of this, Loose Cultivators from the neighborhood and followers of the Kong Family all testified that you attacked Young Master Kong for no reason. Now that you have no proof, how can you prove your innocence?”
This was clearly framing.
Zhang Lan frowned as he listened, and Mo Hua also looked somewhat angry.
Ji Qingbai sneered, “Has the Taoist Court in Qingxuan City truly become the dog of the Kong Family?”
Lu Hui’s face gradually darkened, “Brother Ji, you are slandering the Taoist Court of Qingxuan City.”
Ji Qingbai snorted coldly and did not speak.
Lu Hui then sternly said, “I also heard that after Young Master Kong went missing, it was you, Brother Ji, who colluded with local cultivators to harm him in secret. Now it seems, this might not be impossible…”
“You!” Ji Qingbai was furious.
Zhang Lan frowned and said, “Is Supervisor Lu implying that the law in Tongxian City is lax, cultivators collude, and there’s a deliberate plot to murder Young Master Kong?”
Lu Hui clasped his hands and said, “Supervisor Zhang, please don’t take offense, it’s just a rumor.”
Zhang Lan’s gaze turned icy, “Please be cautious with your baseless statements, Supervisor Lu!”
Lu Hui smiled nonchalantly and then continued:
“Whether this is true or false depends on how Brother Ji acts…”
“If Brother Ji could lend a hand and successfully rescue Young Master Kong, these rumors would naturally fall apart, and the Kong Family might overlook the offense you and your father caused them. If not, the Kong Family will not let you and your father off so easily.”
Lu Hui looked at Ji Qingbai, a hint of gloom in his eyes, “What do you think, Brother Ji?”
Ji Qingbai’s expression changed uncertainly.
He had fled all the way to Tongxian City, yet the Kong Family and these dogs still wouldn’t let him go. He just wanted to find a place to live in peace.
Left with no choice, Ji Qingbai could only sigh, “Then we shall do as Supervisor Lu says.”
“Good! We’ll enter the mountain tomorrow.”
Lu Hui nodded, a shadow of ruthlessness flickering in his eyes.
After Lu Hui left, Ji Qingbai looked grave.
Mo Hua asked Ji Qingbai, “Uncle Ji, this Lu Hui isn’t a good person, is he?”
Ji Qingbai offered a bitter smile, “You noticed?”
Mo Hua nodded, “He’s like a snake, always so sneaky and insidious, hissing with his tongue, as if he were spitting venom.”
Ji Qingbai sighed, “Lu Hui is greedy for wealth and extremely ruthless, with deadly means. He is most devoted when working for the Kong Family.”
“Has he done a lot of bad things?”
“When the Kong Family commits atrocities and gets reported to the Taoist Court, he is the one who covers up for them, resorting to threats, bribes, or coercion.”
Ji Qingbai’s expression grew somber as he slowly continued:
“Two years ago, Kong Sheng harmed a girl of fourteen or fifteen, leaving her in a state worse than death, eventually leading her to kill herself out of shame.”
“Her father sought justice at the Taoist Court, only to be thrown into the Taoist Prison by Lu Hui and tortured for days before being released, no longer daring to speak up. Feeling that he had failed his daughter and having lost the will to live, he took his own life…”
“The incident caused a huge uproar at the time, but in the end, it just fizzled out.”
Listening, Mo Hua felt a chill and turned to Zhang Lan, asking:
“With things having gone this far, is there no one to intervene?”
Zhang Lan felt outraged too but could only sigh, “It’s beyond our control. In places like this, entrenched powers are intertwined and deeply rooted; it’s very hard to eliminate them.”
Mo Hua said, “There should be supervisory bodies within the Taoist Court, right?”
Zhang Lan was a bit surprised, “How did you know that?”
“I guessed,” said Mo Hua.
The Taoist Court couldn’t possibly delegate power to a local court without creating a mechanism for supervision; otherwise, local courts could act unscrupulously without checks and balances.
Zhang Lan nodded, “The Taoist Court does indeed have a Supervision Court to monitor whether the local courts’ deeds violate Taoist Law. However, the Supervision Court operates covertly and, with limited manpower, cannot cover every base.”
Mo Hua’s eyes lit up, “Uncle Zhang, you’re a clan member, aren’t you?”
Zhang Lan had an ominous feeling, “What are you planning to do?”
“Can you file a complaint with the Supervision Court?”
Zhang Lan helplessly said, “Filing a complaint isn’t so easy. Nine State is vast, and the Zhang Clan’s influence isn’t everywhere; even the Supervision Court might not be able to manage.”
“Why not give it a try?”
Zhang Lan sighed, “Alright, I’ll send a message back and ask. But don’t get your hopes up too high. The mighty dragon doesn’t suppress the local snake, especially in small places like this, where the various powers have formed alliances, and it’s impossible to root out the weeds.”
“Weeding out even a bit would help,” Mo Hua smiled, “Thank you, Uncle Zhang.”
Ji Qingbai also showed his excitement, clasping his hands, “Many thanks, Supervisor Zhang!”
Zhang Lan waved his hand, “It’s what I should do. We won’t have any news about this issue for a while; first, we need to capture those Sin Cultivators and find Kong Sheng, alive or dead—we need a result…”
“And be wary of that Lu Hui, he’s very cunning.”
Mo Hua nodded, “Don’t worry.”
Lu Hui, huh…
Mo Hua quietly took note of him.
If he dared to come to Tongxian City to cause trouble, then don’t think about leaving.