Chapter 186: That Kick of Yours Was Truly Brilliant

“What exactly happened here? Who can explain it to me?”

The Fourth Prince swept his gaze around before settling on He Yang.

He Yang’s legs were severely injured, so he could only sit on the ground and clasp his fists:

“Fourth Prince, please forgive me for not being able to rise.”

“Those injuries… they came from a Tripwire Rope.”

The Fourth Prince saw at a glance what He Yang had suffered, and his brow furrowed slightly.

A Tripwire Rope appearing in the Water Qilin Cave meant some people were definitely up to no good.

Li Ruhai and the others exchanged glances, then looked coldly toward Gu Weizhou’s side.

He Yang said in a deep voice: “Fourth Prince, while I was in the Water Qilin Cave, Star Observation Academy disciples set up an ambush for me with a Tripwire Rope.

If Chief Constable Yang hadn’t arrived in time, I would have died in the Water Qilin Cave.”

“Before me, Star Observation Academy disciples had already murdered quite a few martial artists and looted their harvest from this trip.”

Having said that, he glared intently at Gu Weizhou.

Gu Weizhou’s face darkened: “How could the disciples of my Star Observation Academy possibly do such a thing…”

“Chief Constable Yang, you explain.”

The Fourth Prince said.

Yang Ling: “The Star Observation Academy disciples were indeed setting up ambushes and harming passing martial artists.”

With that, he removed three pouches from his waist:

“The rare exotic herbs and flowers inside these are what I confiscated from them.”

Everyone’s eyes fell sharply on those three pouches. Judging by how bulging they were, it was clear the contents wouldn’t be few in number.

“Sigh, those bastards robbed quite a few people!?”

Zhang Shendao and the others looked at each other in shock.

Li Shou glanced at his own pouch, which contained only a single rare herb.

And the other martial artists who had made it out smoothly also looked grim—their harvest was utterly insignificant compared to those three pouches.

Yang Ling continued: “At that time, they tried to ambush me as well. After I killed them in self-defense, I discovered Sect Master He was still alive, so I brought him along to serve as a witness.

Fourth Prince, as martial artists of Zhao State, are the actions of Star Observation Academy disciples any different from the Rong tribe’s?

I find it difficult to judge—were they simply spies for the Rong tribe, or merely acting out of malicious intent?”

Gu Weizhou gasped sharply. The Star Observation Academy disciples beside him showed fear in their eyes.

This was nothing short of a damning accusation!

Li Ruhai and the others looked at Yang Ling’s legs and indeed saw a mark identical to He Yang’s leg.

This already confirmed that Yang Ling had also encountered the Tripwire Rope.

“Gu Weizhou, are there Rong tribe spies in your Star Observation Academy?”

The Fourth Prince’s tone had grown colder.

Gu Weizhou quickly said: “Fourth Prince, this is slander! The disciples of our Star Observation Academy study the words of sages—how could they commit treason!?”

After saying this, he shot a vicious look at Yang Ling:

“Chief Constable Yang, why didn’t you keep someone alive back then? Now there are no witnesses left, only your one-sided account. How can you expect me to believe you!?”

“How could I keep someone alive? It was already the tenth day in the Water Qilin Cave—everyone was rushing to evacuate. If I kept a prisoner and they turned around to bite me, I’d be risking my life!”

“If they had delayed the Fourth Prince’s evacuation, that would be a capital offense, and your entire Star Observation Academy would face execution by the entire clan!”

“I didn’t have enough time to interrogate whether they were Rong tribe spies. But the fact that they had harmed Zhao State martial artists was already established, so killing them on the spot was entirely justified.”

Yang Ling said calmly.

Gu Weizhou was so angry he couldn’t speak, and a chill rose in his heart.

With just a few sentences, that man had pinned an enormous crime on Star Observation Academy!

Lu Yunchen picked up the conversation: “Now that we have both witnesses and physical evidence, Brother Gu should not shield your disciples.

After this, our Ironclad Department will conduct a thorough investigation to determine exactly how many people died at their hands.

As for the issue of compensation, I hope Brother Gu can start thinking about it now.”

Gu Weizhou tried to speak again, but seeing the Fourth Prince’s increasingly dark expression, he had no choice but to suppress his words, his face turning a grim, iron gray as he remained silent.

Suddenly, Yang Hong of the Nine Immortals Dao Palace spoke:

“Fourth Prince, that senior of our Nine Immortals Dao Palace this time…”

Chi Qingyao and the others’ expressions shifted slightly, their faces complex.

The Fourth Prince said thoughtfully: “This matter is a bit complicated. Let’s discuss it after we leave Tianyuan River.

The only thing certain now is that senior did not leave the Water Qilin Cave.”

With that, the Fourth Prince turned to look at Yang Ling, a faint hint of a smile in his eyes:

“I have to say, that kick of yours was truly brilliant.”

Yang Hong was a bit unsettled. He glanced from the Fourth Prince to Yang Ling, then looked at Chi Qingyao.

Chi Qingyao frowned slightly and shook her head.

Yang Hong took a deep breath and said with a grave face: “What are you shaking your head for!? I need to know the details of this matter—it concerns that senior of our Nine Immortals Dao Palace!”

A wry smile appeared on Chi Qingyao’s face.

She really didn’t want to talk about this in front of so many people.

How could she say that the Second-Rank Human Immortal of the Nine Immortals Dao Palace was a member of the Rong tribe?

If this got out, where would the Nine Immortals Dao Palace’s dignity be?

They would be a laughingstock for at least thirty years!

Li Ruhai’s expression shifted, and he immediately said with a smile:

“Fourth Prince, the real purpose of our trip to the Water Qilin Cave was to rescue that Second-Rank Human Immortal of the Nine Immortals Dao Palace who had been trapped in the Water Qilin Cave for a full 240 years.

If any mishap occurred here, I hope the Fourth Prince can explain in detail. We also need to report back to our superiors.”

At these words, the martial artists who didn’t know what was going on all gasped sharply.

They had been listening in a fog until Li Ruhai’s statement made it clear what had happened.

“Hiss—”

Zhang Shendao and the others gasped inwardly, stunned.

A Second-Rank Human Immortal trapped for 240 years?

“No way, how could a Second-Rank Human Immortal survive in the Water Qilin Cave that long? Wouldn’t it freeze him to death!?”

“Is that for real? Is he even human anymore…”

This matter somewhat shattered their understanding of the “Divine Realm.”

The mood of the various martial artists was similar to Zhang Shendao and the others’—also deeply shocked.

Even if they were native martial artists, they had never imagined that the Second-Rank Human Immortal frozen in the Water Qilin Cave 240 years ago could still revive.

“Amitabha, let the Fourth Prince make things clear right here.”

Jie Hai pressed his palms together and chanted a Buddhist verse.

Seeing this, Pei Ran said solemnly: “Fourth Prince, the Four Sects cooperated with Zhao State on this mission, and our superiors reached certain agreements.

We have the right to know what happened.”

The Fourth Prince thought for a moment and said calmly:

“Fine, then I’ll explain what happened.”

“This time, the Rong tribe sent countless elites from the Heavenly Wolf Guard into the Water Qilin Cave, all for the sake of that Second-Rank Human Immortal.”

“Based on their words and actions, it can be confirmed that this Second-Rank Human Immortal is of Rong tribe origin.”

“He was one step away from being taken out of the Water Qilin Cave by the Rong tribe. At that point, Zhao State would have faced the situation of the Rong tribe gaining another Second-Rank Human Immortal!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the scene fell into dead silence.

Yang Hong was shocked and enraged: “That’s impossible! How could a Second-Rank Human Immortal of my Nine Immortals Dao Palace be a Rong tribe spy!”

“Why is it impossible? The Ironclad Department had already investigated and found out his true origins, but unfortunately, the Heavenly Wolf Guard was also well-informed and knew we had caught on.”

“Otherwise, they wouldn’t have gone to so much trouble to send people to the Water Qilin Cave this time; they would have just sat back and reaped the benefits.”

A stranger’s voice came from above.

The crowd was startled and instinctively looked up. They saw a figure sitting cross-legged on an enormous golden eagle.

The golden eagle was silently circling overhead. If the speaker hadn’t spoken, they might not have even noticed its presence!

Yang Ling was slightly startled and quickly stared at the newcomer, simultaneously opening their status panel.