Chapter 227
Chapter 227: Do Not Ask Right or Wrong
“Wang Jie, why are you here?” Zhao Kun glared fiercely at Wang Jie.
Wang Jie shrugged calmly: “Ambushing Wu Yan. That’s my task.”
The man stared coldly at Wang Jie: “It was you who sent word to the Central Hub saying Wu Yan was here. You used us.”
Wang Jie recognized this man. He was the one responsible for the spaceship docks, the very same person who had pointed out which ship to board on Wang Jie’s first day. “My apologies, Senior Brother. I truly thought she was Wu Yan.”
Di Zi’s voice was chilling: “The Ming Huang Hall and Dagger Bearer differ like heaven and earth. Are you telling me you couldn’t tell them apart? Wang Jie, do you realize that by interfering, you’ve ruined our mission and may even be accused of colluding with the enemy, letting Wu Yan escape?”
Wang Jie repeated calmly: “I already said, I thought she was Wu Yan. Why don’t you ask her yourself if she introduced herself at all after we met?”
“Or perhaps you obtained intelligence confirming Wu Yan’s gender, combat techniques, and appearance? Well, I certainly didn’t.”
Zhao Kun was enraged: “You’re twisting words to suit yourself!”
Wang Jie didn’t care at all.
Everything depended on how one spun the story. What he said couldn’t be proven false. Since people could disguise their faces, why couldn’t they also disguise their battle techniques?
Qiao Xi gave Wang Jie a deep look, then turned and walked away.
Wang Jie frowned slightly: “You two, that woman is an elite from Ming Huang Hall. Are you waiting to become sworn siblings instead of killing her?”
Senior Brother Liu immediately moved to attack.
Di Zi prepared herself as well. The commotion here was already so great that even if Wu Yan had passed by, he would surely have noticed. Ambushing him now was impossible, so it was better to claim Qiao Xi’s head.
After all, Qiao Xi was renowned as Ming Huang Hall’s candidate to become the next Great Senior Sister. Her life had immense value.
Zhao Kun grabbed Di Zi: “Senior Sister, kill Wang Jie instead!”
Di Zi rebuked sharply: “Have you gone mad? Senior Brother Liu is still here! How will you explain killing him to the sect?” She rushed forward as she finished speaking.
Zhao Kun, unwilling to accept this outcome, stared hatefully at Wang Jie.
Wang Jie suddenly raised his hand.
Zhao Kun instinctively took a step back.
But Wang Jie merely adjusted his hair casually, saying, “Don’t worry, I won’t hit you.”
Zhao Kun gritted his teeth: “Wang Jie, you will die horribly. I guarantee it.”
Wang Jie shrugged indifferently, leaped up out of the formation, swallowed a Swift Movement Pill, and dashed toward the ship floating just beyond the planet.
The ship hovered not far outside the planet’s surface. The distance was short enough to jump across.
He hadn’t expected Di Zi or the others to bring him back anyway. If Senior Brother Liu faced trouble, perhaps Di Zi might even join Qiao Xi in killing him. Anything could happen on the battlefield.
Now was the perfect chance to slip away in the chaos.
Zhao Kun didn’t dare chase after Wang Jie—his strength paled far too much in comparison. Seeing Wang Jie board their spaceship, Zhao Kun immediately shouted for Di Zi to stop him. But Di Zi was locked in fierce battle with Qiao Xi, deafened by rumbling heavenly thunder, completely unaware.
All Zhao Kun could do was watch helplessly as Wang Jie vanished.
Wang Jie smoothly returned to the Central Hub. Upon arriving, he went straight to the lounge to rest, performing his fitness exercises to recover. A few days later, Di Zi and the others returned, immediately requesting punishment for Wang Jie from the Central Hub, even drawing the attention of two Elders.
Li Tong He looked helplessly at Wang Jie, wondering why this kid’s name kept coming up every few days.
Standing nearby was Elder Ming.
At this moment, Wang Jie stood opposite Di Zi, Zhao Kun, and Senior Brother Liu.
Zhao Kun accused him furiously, his voice trembling: “If not for Wang Jie, we definitely could have captured Wu Yan. Wang Jie deliberately sent false intelligence just to protect himself! Master, Elder Li, please deliver justice!”
Wang Jie stood quietly and calmly.
Li Tong He looked toward Di Zi and Senior Brother Liu: “Is that true? You two speak as well.”
Di Zi’s expression was icy, her breath still uneven; clearly, she hadn’t even rested since returning. “It is true that Junior Brother Wang lured us into a fight with Qiao Xi under the pretense of Wu Yan’s location. If not for that, Wu Yan would never have escaped.”
Li Tong He then turned to Senior Brother Liu.
Senior Brother Liu, whose name was Liu Lin, spoke clearly under everyone’s gaze: “I received intelligence regarding Wu Yan’s location. Upon arrival, I saw the formation, entered it, but found Qiao Xi instead.”
“Wang Jie, what do you have to say?” Li Tong He turned toward Wang Jie. If the matter hadn’t involved three battle guards, including an Elder’s disciple, he wouldn’t have needed to intervene personally—Yue Jian could have handled it easily.
Wang Jie replied earnestly, looking directly at the two Elders: “This disciple truly didn’t know that woman wasn’t Wu Yan.”
“Nonsense!” Zhao Kun roared.
Elder Ming’s eyes turned cold: “Impudent.” A powerful surge of starforce crashed toward Zhao Kun, nearly forcing him to the ground, making him hurriedly apologize.
“Speak calmly.”
Zhao Kun took a deep breath, clearly still furious. “Yes, Master.” He glared bitterly at Wang Jie: “Wu Yan is a Dagger Bearer who specializes in stealth assassinations. Qiao Xi is from Ming Huang Hall, known for sonic attacks. How could you possibly not distinguish between them? Even if you didn’t know Wu Yan’s gender, could you not differentiate their battle techniques?”
“No, I couldn’t,” Wang Jie responded.
Elder Ming scrutinized Wang Jie: “You couldn’t distinguish between the techniques of Dagger Bearer and Ming Huang Hall?”
Wang Jie bowed respectfully, then moved swiftly, his arm twisting into an eerie angle.
Li Tong He’s eyes widened slightly: “Isn’t that Gong Nation’s Power Accumulation Method?”
Wang Jie stopped moving: “Then I ask you, Elder, if you saw this on the battlefield, could you clearly tell if the user was from Gong Nation or Black White Heaven?”
“Gong Nation cultivators don’t look like you,” Zhao Kun blurted out instinctively, but Di Zi pulled him back, silencing him.
Wang Jie was only making a simple point: if he himself could learn the techniques of Gong Nation, why couldn’t a Dagger Bearer master the sonic methods of Ming Huang Hall?
“This disciple recalls the Galaxy Combat Equipment Company’s recent visit. They specifically mentioned borrowing disciples from various sects, even recommending them to cultivate Armor One Sect’s techniques. If a disciple mastered Armor One Sect’s techniques, does that automatically mean they belong to Armor One Sect?” Wang Jie spoke softly yet firmly.
Li Tong He nodded thoughtfully: “Indeed. Wu Yan is a genius—it’s entirely plausible he learned Ming Huang Hall’s sonic techniques.”
Di Zi stepped forward, saying, “Disciple fought against Qiao Xi, and the woman herself said she’d informed Wang Jie that she belonged to Ming Huang Hall. Senior Brother Liu can testify to this.”
Liu Lin gave a nod.
Wang Jie chuckled, “Senior Sister, do you know how I managed to rescue Elder Li?”
Di Zi froze, her expression darkening immediately.
Zhao Kun nearly ground his teeth to dust.
Wang Jie had saved Li Tong He by disguising himself as a woman from Ming Huang Hall. Even Su Su had been unable to tell them apart.
Thus, whatever Qiao Xi said now was even less believable. If appearances could be faked, sowing discord was even easier.
Wang Jie smiled faintly, saying, “Junior Brother mistakenly thought that woman was Wu Yan and could have simply killed her, but considering fellow disciple ties and not wanting all the merit to myself, I specifically sent word to Central Command. Who could’ve guessed Senior Sister would misunderstand my good intentions? It seems Junior Brother has truly overestimated himself.”
Di Zi lifted her eyes, staring coldly at Wang Jie.
Liu Lin was speechless—[this is too shameless! Does he really think he could have defeated Qiao Xi?]
Li Tong He sighed helplessly.
Elder Ming spoke in a low, stern voice, “Wang Jie, the mission to intercept Wu Yan failed because of you. Do you admit fault?”
Wang Jie looked directly at him, “I do not. Even without Qiao Xi, it’s uncertain whether Wu Yan would have been successfully intercepted.”
Elder Ming replied coldly, “Admit your fault and lose one drop of blood. Deny it and lose two.”
Zhao Kun smirked coldly—[No matter how clever your tongue is, Master’s single sentence can still crush you.]
Wang Jie asked, “Elder, why must you punish me this way?”
“The mission failed because of you. You know clearly what you did.”
“So Elder intends to punish me based solely on assumptions, without checking right from wrong?” Wang Jie spoke slowly, word by word.
Li Tong He said sharply, “Enough, Wang Jie. Take the one-drop punishment and return.”
Elder Ming stared at Wang Jie coldly.
Wang Jie turned respectfully to Li Tong He, bowing slightly, “Disciple requests the two-drop penalty.”
Li Tong He seemed about to speak but held back.
Elder Ming turned and walked away.
Zhao Kun made a throat-slitting gesture toward Wang Jie.
Di Zi left without turning back.
Liu Lin followed after her.
Soon, only Wang Jie and Elder Li Tong He remained.
Li Tong He sighed deeply, “Why do this? Elder Ming had already settled the punishment, and it wasn’t appropriate for me to object publicly. You’re just making yourself suffer. And this time, are you truly blameless? Did you really not know that Qiao Xi wasn’t Wu Yan?”
“I knew.”
“Then why do you feel wronged?”
“I don’t feel wronged. I simply refuse to lower my head. To be honest with Elder, Disciple planned to cause trouble for Di Zi from the beginning, but Ming Huang Hall beat me to it.”
Li Tong He spoke frankly, “Private conflicts between disciples are overlooked; this is the way of cultivation circles. The battlefield is even darker. Many things are tolerated as long as no evidence remains. Elder Ming used assumption to convict you—clearly, there’s personal bias involved.”
Wang Jie said casually, “It’s just one or two drops of blood. I’ll do a few extra missions and earn it back.”
Li Tong He shook his head, “Every mission comes with risk. If Di Zi and Liu Lin hadn’t arrived in time this time, you might not have made it back alive. How can you be certain the next mission will be safe?”
Wang Jie faced Li Tong He, bowing deeply, “In truth, if Elder hadn’t stepped forward, my punishment would have been far worse.”
Li Tong He waved his hand dismissively, “I didn’t come just for this.”
Under Wang Jie’s puzzled gaze, he pulled out a list and handed it over.
Wang Jie took the paper, scanning it briefly. “This is?”
“Disciples soon arriving at Yin Yang Battlefield. Some of these disciples will join your team. You’re already a Battle Guard now; you can form your own squad and take on missions.”
Wang Jie glanced through the names, spotting many familiar faces. “Disciple doesn’t wish to form a team.”
“You must,” Li Tong He insisted. “The higher-ups specifically named you for the task. Actually, they’ve even chosen your members.” As he spoke, he circled several names.
Wang Jie stared speechlessly at the selected names, “Are they certain? These people?”
Li Tong He smiled bitterly, “Certain.”
“Then Disciple can’t promise I won’t flip Central Command upside down.”
“That depends on your abilities.” Li Tong He stared seriously at Wang Jie, “Remember, no matter how much Senior Xing Xue supports you, you’re ultimately a Lock Force cultivator, naturally restricted. If you wish to stand firm within the sect in the future, you cannot walk alone, much less hope to reach Lock Path Interval without allies.”
“These people might very well be ones that Senior Xing Xue fought hard to secure for you.”
Wang Jie raised his brow. [Really? It doesn’t feel like Senior Xing Xue’s doing. More like my convenient Master decided to assign them.]
Apparently, he had no room to object.
“Fine. Go back and rest. They’ll arrive in no more than ten days.” Li Tong He finished speaking and departed.
Wang Jie rubbed his forehead, sensing busy days ahead.
Ten or so days passed quickly.
This day, Central Command was bustling. Many powerful figures who rarely showed themselves had gathered, drawing envy from others around.
Many who’d advanced to Battle Soldier had begun forming teams. Most gathered at the Decree Platform or other special areas, places ordinary cultivators rarely saw.
“Why is Senior Brother Zhang here? Weren’t you confidently planning a squad to conquer the Hanhai Sea not long ago? Seems you didn’t go after all.”
“Junior Brother Wu flatters me. Conquering the Hanhai Sea isn’t something we can speak lightly of. At most, we could cause some trouble on smaller battlefields.”
“Look there! Junior Sister Di has come as well. The rumors must be true—the sect really brought in a group of talented individuals.”
“I heard even the Zhi Family sent someone. If they can be recruited into our teams, it’ll greatly benefit our future.”
“Everyone’s thinking the same; it all depends on who manages to win them over…”
The whispers continued, filled with eager anticipation.