Chapter 227

Chapter 227: No Right, No Wrong

“Wang Jie—why are you here?” Zhao Kun demanded, eyes red with fury.

Wang Jie spread his hands. “Ambushing Wu Yan. That’s my mission.”

The man who had arrived first stared at him, voice hard. “You sent a message to the Command Hub saying Wu Yan was here. You used us.”

Wang Jie recognized him—Liu Lin, the one who managed the harbor docks, the same man who’d directed him on his first day.

Wang Jie didn’t deny it. “Sorry, Senior Brother. I thought she was Wu Yan.”

Di Zi’s tone turned icy. “Singing Phoenix Hall and the dagger-offering order are worlds apart. You couldn’t tell?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Wang Jie, do you understand what you’ve done? You disrupted our mission. At worst, you could be suspected of colluding with the enemy and letting Wu Yan escape.”

Wang Jie repeated, unhurried, “I said I thought she was Wu Yan.”

He tipped his chin toward Qiao Xi. “Ask her. From the moment we met until now, has she ever introduced herself?”

“And tell me—did you receive intelligence that Wu Yan was male? What techniques he used? His appearance? Anything at all?”

His gaze stayed steady. “Because I didn’t.”

Zhao Kun snapped, “You’re twisting words!”

Wang Jie didn’t even look at him. On the battlefield, whoever controlled the narrative controlled the judgment. And no one could prove he was lying. People could disguise themselves—why couldn’t techniques be disguised as well?

Qiao Xi gave Wang Jie a long, unreadable look, then turned to leave.

Wang Jie’s brow tightened. “Senior Brothers, Senior Sister—she’s a Singing Phoenix Hall powerhouse. If we don’t kill her now, are we waiting to swear brotherhood with her?”

Liu Lin moved immediately, launching forward.

Di Zi hesitated only a heartbeat before she followed. With this much commotion, even if Wu Yan passed by, he’d see it. An ambush was impossible now. Better to take Qiao Xi’s head.

Qiao Xi was rumored to be the next Eldest Senior Sister of the Singing Phoenix Hall—a future leader. Her life carried weight.

Zhao Kun grabbed Di Zi’s sleeve, voice urgent and vicious. “Senior Sister, kill Wang Jie!”

Di Zi jerked free, furious. “Are you insane? Liu Lin is here. If you kill him now, how do you explain it to the sect?”

She shot forward, joining the fight.

Zhao Kun stayed behind, breathing hard, glaring at Wang Jie as if he could burn a hole through him.

Wang Jie suddenly lifted a hand.

Zhao Kun flinched back on instinct.

Wang Jie only smoothed his hair, expression flat. “Relax. I’m not hitting you.”

Zhao Kun’s teeth ground together. “Wang Jie, you’re going to die horribly. I promise.”

Wang Jie shrugged, then sprang upward. He cleared the edge of the Track-Gathering Formation, swallowed a swiftstep pill, and shot toward the ship hovering outside the planet.

It was close enough to reach in a single leap.

He didn’t trust Di Zi to bring him back. If anything happened to Liu Lin, Di Zi might even join Qiao Xi to kill him.

On a battlefield, anything could happen.

Leaving while chaos reigned was the smartest choice.

Zhao Kun didn’t dare chase him. The gap between them was too wide. He could only shout for Di Zi to stop Wang Jie, but Di Zi was locked in battle, thunder roaring, too far to hear.

So Zhao Kun could only watch as Wang Jie vanished into the ship’s hatch.

Wang Jie returned smoothly to the Command Hub. The moment he arrived, he shut himself in a rest room, recovered, and resumed his exercise routine.

A few days later, Di Zi’s group returned and formally requested punishment for Wang Jie. Two elders were even pulled into the dispute.

Elder Li Tong He stared at Wang Jie with weary disbelief. How did this little kid manage to stir trouble every few days?

Standing beside him was Elder Ming.

Wang Jie faced Di Zi, Zhao Kun, and Liu Lin.

Zhao Kun launched into a furious accusation, voice hoarse with rage. “If not for Wang Jie, we would’ve caught Wu Yan! He sent a false message just to save himself! Master, Elder Li, please give us justice!”

Wang Jie stood calmly, hands at his sides.

Li Tong He looked to Di Zi and Liu Lin. “Is this true? Speak.”

Di Zi’s face was cold, her aura still unstable—she clearly hadn’t rested since returning. “Junior Brother Wang used Wu Yan’s trail to lure us to the battlefield with Qiao Xi. If not for that, Wu Yan wouldn’t have slipped away.”

Li Tong He turned to Liu Lin.

Liu Lin nodded once. “I received a message claiming Wu Yan’s location. When I arrived, I saw the Track-Gathering Formation and entered. Inside, it was Qiao Xi.”

Li Tong He looked back at Wang Jie. “And you? What do you say?”

If this hadn’t involved three Battle Guards—one of them an elder’s disciple—Li Tong He wouldn’t have come in person. Senior Sister Yue Jian could have handled it.

Wang Jie bowed, face serious. “This disciple didn’t know that woman wasn’t Wu Yan.”

Zhao Kun exploded. “Bullshit!”

Elder Ming’s eyes went cold. “Insolent.”

Starforce pressed down.

Zhao Kun staggered as if struck by a heavy hammer. He nearly collapsed, then forced himself upright and swallowed his rage. “Yes, Master.”

He pointed at Wang Jie again, shaking. “Wu Yan is dagger-offering order. Qiao Xi is Singing Phoenix Hall. One specializes in stealth assassination. The other uses sound arts. How could you not tell?”

“Even if you didn’t know whether Wu Yan was male or female, could you really not tell from the techniques?”

Wang Jie answered evenly. “I couldn’t.”

Elder Ming studied him. “You couldn’t distinguish dagger-offering order techniques from Singing Phoenix Hall sound arts?”

Wang Jie bowed again, then lifted his arm and twisted it at an unnatural angle. His shoulder and elbow rolled like a mechanism, storing force.

Li Tong He’s eyes widened. “The Luo Kingdom’s power-storing method?”

Wang Jie released the posture and looked at the elders. “Elder, if you encountered me on the battlefield, could you tell whether I was from Luo Kingdom or Black-White Heaven?”

Zhao Kun blurted, unable to stop himself, “Luo Kingdom people don’t look like—”

Di Zi yanked him back, cutting him off.

Wang Jie ignored the interruption. “I’m making a point. If I can learn Luo Kingdom techniques, why can’t a dagger-offering order assassin learn Singing Phoenix Hall sound arts?”

He continued, voice calm but edged. “Not long ago, the Milky Way Defense Corporation came to the sect. They even emphasized they could second sect disciples to them—introduce them to the Jia Yi Sect, teach them Jia Yi Sect battle skills.”

He lifted his chin slightly. “If a sect disciple learns Jia Yi Sect skills, does that mean the disciple must belong to the Jia Yi Sect?”

Li Tong He nodded slowly. “That’s true. If Wu Yan is a genius, it’s entirely possible he learned Singing Phoenix Hall sound arts.”

Di Zi stepped forward, eyes cold. “During our fight, Qiao Xi personally told Wang Jie she was from the Singing Phoenix Hall. Liu Lin can testify.”

Liu Lin nodded, expression stiff.

Wang Jie let out a soft laugh. “Senior Sister Di, do you know how I saved Elder Li?”

Di Zi froze.

Zhao Kun’s face twisted as if someone had stuffed ash into his mouth.

Wang Jie had saved Li Tong He by disguising himself as a Singing Phoenix Hall woman—so convincingly that even Su Su couldn’t tell.

If a disguise could fool Su Su, what did Qiao Xi’s words matter? Faces could be faked. Identities could be faked. Provocation could be faked.

Wang Jie smiled, voice smooth as oil. “This disciple truly believed that woman was Wu Yan. I could have killed her myself, but I didn’t want to monopolize the merit. I thought of my fellow disciples, so I notified the Command Hub instead.”

He sighed, all innocence. “Who knew Senior Sister wouldn’t recognize goodwill? Looks like I was overthinking it.”

Liu Lin stared at him, speechless. Shameless. Did Wang Jie really believe he could’ve killed Qiao Xi alone?

Li Tong He rubbed his temple, exhausted.

Elder Ming’s voice dropped into a cold, final register. “Wang Jie. The mission to ambush Wu Yan failed because of you. Do you accept that outcome?”

Wang Jie met his gaze. “I do not.”

He spoke clearly. “Even without Qiao Xi, there was no guarantee Wu Yan would have been intercepted.”

Elder Ming’s eyes narrowed. “Accept it, and you lose one drop of blood. Refuse, and you lose two.”

Zhao Kun’s lips curled in triumph. Argue all you want—one sentence from Master would crush you.

Li Tong He said sharply, “Enough. Wang Jie. Take the one-drop punishment and go.”

Elder Ming watched Wang Jie without blinking.

Wang Jie bowed to Li Tong He. “This disciple requests the two-drop punishment.”

Li Tong He’s mouth opened, then shut. He couldn’t refute Elder Ming in front of everyone.

Elder Ming turned and left.

Zhao Kun made a throat-cutting gesture at Wang Jie as he followed, eyes gleaming.

Di Zi left without looking back.

Liu Lin left as well.

Only Wang Jie and Li Tong He remained in the room.

Li Tong He let out a long breath. “Why did you do that? Elder Ming already decided the punishment. I couldn’t oppose him publicly.”

He looked at Wang Jie, frustration threaded through concern. “You’re asking to suffer. And honestly—were you really without fault? You truly didn’t know Qiao Xi wasn’t Wu Yan?”

Wang Jie didn’t hesitate. “I knew.”

Li Tong He stared. “Then what’s the grievance?”

“There isn’t one.” Wang Jie’s voice was quiet. “I just didn’t want to bow my head.”

He added, without trying to hide it, “To be honest, Elder, I was going to find trouble with Di Zi anyway. I just got played by the Singing Phoenix Hall.”

Li Tong He’s expression softened into something grim. “Private grudges between disciples—no one cares how you settle them. That’s how the cultivation world works. The battlefield is worse. As long as there’s no evidence, many things can be buried.”

He paused, then spoke plainly. “Elder Ming judged you by intent. He had personal motives.”

Wang Jie shrugged. “One or two drops of blood. I’ll earn it back with one or two missions.”

Li Tong He shook his head. “Every mission risks your life. If Di Zi and Liu Lin hadn’t arrived in time, you might not have come back alive. How can you be certain the next mission will be safe?”

Wang Jie bowed deeply. “If you hadn’t come today, the punishment would’ve been worse.”

Li Tong He waved it off. “I didn’t come only for that.”

He pulled out a list and handed it to Wang Jie.

Wang Jie took it, skimmed, and frowned. “This is…?”

“A roster. Sect disciples who will soon arrive at the Ying Yang Battlefield. Some will join your team.”

Li Tong He’s gaze sharpened. “You’re already a Battle Guard. You can form a team and take missions.”

Wang Jie looked up at once. “This disciple doesn’t want to form a team.”

“You have to.” Li Tong He didn’t soften it. “Higher-ups named you specifically. And the members are essentially chosen for you.”

He circled several names.

Wang Jie stared at them, face going blank. “You’re sure… it’s them?”

Li Tong He sighed. “I’m sure.”

Wang Jie gave a dry laugh. “Then I can’t guarantee I won’t overturn the Command Hub.”

“That depends on your ability,” Li Tong He said.

Then he looked at Wang Jie seriously. “Remember this. No matter how Senior Xing Xue supports you, you’re still a lockforce cultivator. You were born with limits. If you want to stand firmly in the sect, you can’t do it alone—and you definitely can’t rely on Lock Xingjian forever.”

He tapped the list. “This group might be something Senior Xing Xue fought for you to get.”

Wang Jie’s brows lifted. Maybe.

It didn’t feel like it. It felt more like his cheap Master had drawn circles around his future.

Either way, there was no room to refuse.

“Rest,” Li Tong He said at last. “They’ll arrive in ten-odd days at most.”

Then he left.

Wang Jie rubbed his forehead.

He was about to be very busy.

Ten-odd days passed quickly.

When the day came, the Command Hub was unusually lively. People who normally never showed their faces were out in force, drawing envious stares.

After advancing to Battle Trooper, many cultivators formed teams. They gathered at the Edict Platform or a handful of other places—ordinary cultivators didn’t even get a chance to see them.

“Senior Brother Zhang is here?”

“I heard he was full of himself lately, talking about building a team to fight at Han Hai. Looks like he never went.”

“Junior Brother Wu, don’t flatter me. Fighting at Han Hai is beyond people like us. At most, we can make some noise on a small battlefield.”

“Look—Junior Sister Di is here too. The rumors must be true. The sect really sent a batch of big names.”

“I heard even the Zhi family sent someone.”

“If we can pull one of them into our team, our future in the sect changes.”

“Everyone’s thinking the same thing. It depends on who can win them over…”

The discussions buzzed through the crowd.