Chapter 339

Chapter 339: Back Then, The One Who Took Her-Was It You?

In the past, Yu Zhi Yi didn’t take action because she had no solid proof.

Not the kind only she could see and understand, and not the kind that anyone could see.

She was, after all, an official of the Ministry of Justice. She had to be careful.

Now that she had evidence, there was no need to hesitate.

That very day, she led people to Juxian Manor.

Ever since the racetrack collapse and the road landslide, Juxian Manor had become a place the Martial World avoided.

If you can’t even host a grand event right-if you drop a huge chance at glory-what else can you do?

On top of that, they had offended Mystic Heaven Sect, a sect that holds grudges. Any small group that valued its life wouldn’t dare get involved with Juxian Manor.

Big powers didn’t fear Mystic Heaven Sect’s revenge as much, but the problem was this: if your venue can mess up something as basic as hosting, what future do you have?

Those big powers stayed away from Juxian Manor because it felt unlucky.

What if we don’t cut ties, and our juniors get the bad idea to hang out with you, and then you make another big mistake-wouldn’t our juniors be the ones to get hurt?

From this angle, Juxian Manor skipping the Earthly Ranking tournament made total sense.

Of course, some people are stubborn. They dream of using the Earthly Ranking to turn things around. Unless the sky is literally falling, they’ll show up no matter what.

As for Juxian Manor’s young manor lord, it was true he’d had an accident.

They said he fell off a cliff not long ago and wasn’t found for three whole days.

Lucky for him, he didn’t die from a fall that high, but he was badly hurt and still in a coma.

After Jiang Yu Chuan finished describing the situation, he noticed his daughter tipping her head and staring in one direction. Unsure what she saw, he asked: “Jin’er, what’s over there?”

As the Martial Alliance Leader, Jiang Yu Wei should have waited for hard proof before believing charges against a person or a group.

But after seeing Yu Zhi Yi show so many abilities, he let that rule go and came along.

Yu Zhi Yi didn’t explain. She simply lifted her hand and drew a line in the air in front of the two men.

They immediately saw a new scene.

Dark clouds blanketed the sky over Juxian Manor.

The clouds were moving, too, flowing in from far away without end.

Normal clouds can sometimes be seen gathering if they move fast enough. But these dark clouds couldn’t be seen with the naked eye unless Yu Zhi Yi opened their Heavenly Eye.

Before their Heavenly Eye opened, they had seen a clear sky!

Yes, it was night.

But even at night, there’s a difference between clear and overcast.

Jiang Yu Wei asked, frowning: “What’s going on?”

Yu Zhi Yi smiled and said: “They’re facing backlash.”

Jiang Yu Chuan remembered his daughter had said that once the fortune-shifting array was broken, the luck belonging to the Martial Alliance would slowly flow back.

And the ones who stole that luck would be hit by backlash right away.

However much luck they stole, that’s how strong the backlash would be.

Grinding his teeth as he looked up at the thick clouds, Jiang Yu Wei said: “Ji Guang Dai, you despicable man!”

Yu Zhi Yi asked: “Uncle, do you know when Juxian Manor’s young lord fell off the cliff?”

Jiang Yu Wei thought for a bit, then answered hesitantly: “It seems… on the day you broke the fortune-shifting array.”

Yu Zhi Yi nodded and said: “That fits.”

“They didn’t just borrow good fortune. They also borrowed the health and safety of people in the Martial Alliance. Before, our fourth brother kept getting hurt, and both you and Dad often slipped up and got injured. Those serious results came from that theft.”

“Now those results are hitting back double on this young lord.”

She clicked her tongue.

Curious, Jiang Yu Chuan asked: “Is there a problem?”

Yu Zhi Yi smiled with real interest and said: “A big one. Juxian Manor should belong to Ji Guang Dai. All the good things from the fortune-shifting array should have landed on him.”

The Jiang clan brothers nodded.

Yes.

Reputation, wealth, martial arts, influence.

In just a few years, Ji Guang Dai had risen to the top of his life.

No one would believe those blessings weren’t his.

“The benefits of the array fall on whoever receives them. The backlash should fall on that person, too. The Way of Heaven cares most about cause and effect. If Ji Guang Dai took the benefits, then he should bear the backlash. That’s the proper way.”

The rest didn’t need to be said for the brothers to understand.

In fact, the backlash fell on Ji Guang Dai’s son, while he himself was just fine.

Pointing ahead with a slender finger, Yu Zhi Yi smiled even brighter and said: “Also, he probably knows we’re coming for him. He’s already set up a trap.”

The Jiang clan brothers stared: “!!”

Not far away, a deep, rich laugh rang out. A man said: “As expected of Physician Yu, highly favored by the emperor. Your skills are truly impressive. I admire you-truly.”

The moment Jiang Yu Wei saw Ji Guang Dai, he looked at him like an enemy, eyes sharp on this hypocrite, this disgrace of the Martial World.

Caught off guard, he choked on the “melon” of gossip and blurted: “Gah?”

He turned his head, a bit dazed, and asked in disbelief: “Jin’er, what does he mean?”

Yu Zhi Yi rubbed her nose and said: “Ahem, the literal meaning.”

Jiang Yu Wei asked, stunned: “You’re a physician Yu… a doctor? Are you an imperial physician?”

Yu Zhi Yi let out a little “ah” and said: “Not an imperial physician. A fifth-rank official at the Ministry of Justice.”

Beside them, the ever-helpful Jiang Yu Chuan added to explain: “Jin’er is only fifth rank normally, but on this mission she was promoted out of turn to a third-rank prefect with imperial authority to inspect: she can execute royal relatives and nobles if needed, cut down scum among the people, and punish corrupt officials in between.”

This time it was Jiang Yu Wei’s turn to go “ah.”

He missed that long list of “can execute” and only heard “third-rank prefect.”

He had spent so long trying to curry favor with Commandery Governor Song, but truth be told, a commandery governor is only a fourth-rank local official.

And his niece was a third-rank great official!

Two ranks higher than Commandery Governor Song!

Most important of all, even Commandery Governor Song had to be polite to her.

Jiang Yu Wei finally understood why people from the Song household treated his little niece with such respect.

If your rank isn’t high enough, your best shot at a fast promotion is to have her put in a good word at the capital.

Who wouldn’t try to make nice in that situation?

Taking his eyes off his elder brother, Jiang Yu Chuan looked at Ji Guang Dai. His gaze turned cold, full of hate, as he said: “Back then, the one who stole Jin’er-it was you.”

It wasn’t a question. It was a statement.

Ji Guang Dai stopped about a dozen meters away.

He was a refined, scholarly-looking middle-aged man. His face showed signs of age, but you could still see how handsome he had been when he was young.

Even now, no one would argue if you called him a handsome older man.

Ji Guang Dai froze for a second, then smiled and said: “As expected of Overlord Tiger, Second Master Jiang. I misspoke once, and you caught the key right away.”