Chapter 837: Reunion
All Myriad Snake Gang’s mid management and senior executives were put in locked collars and paraded down the streets.
“The Myriad Snake Gang has committed many evils, so the Coiling Dragon Clan will uphold justice today and put them on a public trial. Our aim is to return a clean, untainted Azure Sea District to everyone. If any one of you have injustices or grudges to tell of, please reveal them now, but without any embellishment.”
There were at least one hundred people kneeling in the square when all the big and small ringleaders of the Myriad Snake Gang were accounted for. The boss and elders of the gang were actually all emperor realm experts. Even the normal ringleaders were at sky sage realm at a minimum. One had to say that a power like this could literally do anything they wanted to the wandering cultivators. However, Jiang Chen didn’t think that this Myriad Snake Gang was simply a gang made up of wandering cultivators. If they were, they wouldn’t have dared act so arrogantly.
The fact that they had dared do what they did meant that they had a patron behind them. Thankfully, the Ling father and daughter were frightened but safe. Therefore, Jiang Chen didn’t plan to go down this particular rabbit hole much further. When the news of Myriad Snake Gang’s public hearing spread, almost every wandering cultivator in the Azure Sea District rushed to attend. There were plenty of victims of the Myriad Snake Gang who showed up as well. All kinds of accusations and complaints were thrown around like snowflakes in a blizzard. Only the heavens knew exactly how many sinister secrets this utterly unethical organization possessed, so any one of these witnesses voiced a tremendous number of charges. The total amount of crimes this gang had accrued were almost innumerable.
Six hours had pa.s.sed since the public hearing started, but the number of accusers had only grown bigger over time. The sight was getting unbearable even for the likes of young master Ji San. He cursed fiercely, “I never imagined that a tiny gang like this could’ve committed so many crimes. They truly are evil to the core.”
Jiang Chen smiled, “Brother Ji, you’re a great clan descendant who sits high above the status quo and leads a pampered life, so you couldn’t possibly imagine just how cruel the compet.i.tion at the bottom rung is.”
Ji San smiled wryly, “Are you lecturing me, brother?”
Jiang Chen shook his head, “What for? You only need to look at these furious wandering cultivators to know just how hard it is to live amongst the roots of society. Veluriyam Capital is quite fair already compared to many other places. It is only normal that there exists a rotten apple or two wherever you go.”
“You don’t need to console me, brother,” Ji San sighed. “Veluriyam Capital has always prided itself as a city of freedom and justice. If these wandering cultivators can’t get the protection they deserve here, then it is our breach of responsibility as the administrators of this city.”
Jiang Chen looked to the distance and found that the queue of accusers was practically endless. He couldn’t help but smile wryly, “I think we can save the public hearing then, brother Ji. The evidence and statements are more than enough to hang them a hundred times over. Also, if you keep this up, the hearing won’t end even if you keep this up for three days.”
That wasn’t an exaggeration either. From the looks of things, every single person who stood up to provide their statements at the hearing were full of grievances to tell. The tears and snot on these people’s faces were as pitiful as one could imagine. If this hearing were to continue like this, they might not be done even in ten days’ time.
Ji San waved a hand to get a semblance of quiet before declaring loudly, “Everyone, the evidence and statements we’ve collected are enough to sentence the Myriad Snake Gang to death a hundred times over. Be at ease, the Coiling Dragon Clan will definitely return justice to you all. We will be imprisoning these evildoers and placing them onto death row for the moment. Once we’ve reported this to our superiors and verified the evidence, we will announce a public execution and settle your pains once and for all!”
The Azure Sea District had been terrorized by the Myriad Snake Gang for a very long time, so when an upholder of justice finally showed his face in the form of Ji San, no one was willing to let him go just like that. That being said, they also understood that the Myriad Snake Gang was likely doomed for sure this time since the Coiling Dragon Clan itself had gotten involved in the matter. The Myriad Snake Gang left the Azure Sea District under heavy guard. The wandering cultivators who were watching this scene couldn’t help but throw a few glances in the Ling father and daughter’s direction. Tongues were wagging spiritedly.
The Myriad Snake Gang has finally been toppled. What a satisfying outcome!”
“I know right? They thought that those two wandering cultivators were easy pickings, but it turns out that they were the exact opposite. The Myriad Snake Gang absolutely deserved what they got. Only the heavens know just how many crimes they’ve committed, and how many lives have been lost to them.”
“I wonder what’s the connection between this father and daughter pair and the Coiling Dragon Clan?”
“That may not necessarily be the case. Perhaps someone reported the Myriad Snake Gang to the Coiling Dragon Clan?”
“Maybe the Coiling Dragon Clan had their eyes on the Myriad Snake Gang for a long time already.”
“Hehe, you guys know nothing at all. The Coiling Dragon Clan has kept a low profile for so many years, and they need an opportunity like this one to prove their might to the world. This Myriad Snake Gang is nothing but the appetizer for bigger things to come.” All these wandering cultivators were br.i.m.m.i.n.g with excitement. It was obvious that the elimination of the Myriad Snake Gang was a good news of enormous proportion to all of them. Although not all of them were necessarily a victim of the Myriad Snake Gang, everyone in Azure Sea District knew that the gang wasn’t a power they could provoke. Every time the Myriad Snake Gang was brought up, there existed no one who wasn’t scared witless by the possibility of being targeted by them. Now that this knife hovering over their heads had finally been taken away, almost all the wandering cultivators felt like celebrating. Meanwhile, those at the center of the affair felt like they were dreaming.
Although Ling Hui’er tried her best to control her excitement after Jiang Chen’s reminder, it was only by the barest of margins that it didn’t spill over into her face. She was just so very happy. They had been drifting here and there for the past few days and experienced countless hards.h.i.+ps before they had finally made it to Veluriyam Capital. The few days they’d spent after arriving were especially difficult where even finding an affordable inn had become serious business. They were practically on their last ropes. And now, their hards.h.i.+ps had finally come to an end in the form of senior brother Jiang Chen.
His existence was literally like that of a hero of legends. He had appeared like a G.o.d to save her and her father when she needed him the most. This feeling was just like the time Jiang Chen had cured her father’s sickness. His actions were like a battering ram that continually dealt a ma.s.sive impact to her heart. When Jiang Chen pa.s.sed by Taiyuan Tower, he said, “Brother Ji, I shall be parting ways with you here.”
“No problem. A great battle is right upon you, so be ready, brother!” Ji San refrained from inviting Jiang Chen over this time. He knew that Jiang Chen was about to b.u.t.t heads with Pillfire City’s pill dao expert very soon. This battle was one of the most important battles in the history of Veluriyam Capital. It was a battle that happened but once in a millenium. It was so important that young master Ji San dared not affect Jiang Chen in any way for fear that he would disrupt his mental state.
Jiang Chen nodded slightly at Ling Hui’er, and Ling Hui’er pulled her father by the arm towards Taiyuan Tower’s entrance. They were welcomed into the store by Taiyuan Tower’s attendants. Ling Su still had no idea about Jiang Chen’s true ident.i.ty at the moment. Therefore, he was a little anxious and worried by the situation at hand. He wasn’t sure whether to be pleased or worried at the excitement on his daughter’s face. He was afraid that they’d simply jumped out of the frying pan into the fire. But there was nothing he could do now except to take it one step at a time. These people were obviously a hundred times stronger than the Myriad Snake Gang.
If the Myriad Snake Gang was at a level where he could only put on a tiny bit of resistance, then these people were so powerful that he didn’t even have the right to resist. After they entered Taiyuan Tower, Jiang Chen spoke to Meng Redhair, “Ole Meng, you did very well today. I’ll decrease your period of servitude by ten years and give you an extra reward later.”
But Meng Redhair wasn’t overjoyed by this. In fact, he responded with a gloomy expression, “But young master, I don’t want to decrease my period of servitude. In fact, why don’t you add ten years instead?”
Jiang Chen was caught off guard, “Huh? But I thought you guys were dissatisfied when I set it at twenty years?”
Meng Redhair said hastily, “That’s them, not me. I thought from the beginning that you were an extraordinary person, and I sincerely wanted to join you, young master. I’m a wandering cultivator with no one to rely on anyway, and a person who treats his subordinates as well as you is almost impossible to find. Forget twenty years of servitude, I can spend an entire lifetime here and still be content!”
Jiang Chen smiled wryly as he was momentarily lost for words. Meng Redhair spoke excitedly, “It’s a promise then, young master! Please don’t decrease my time here. I only want increases.”
Jiang Chen gave him a smile after he realized that Meng Redhair really did want to stay here. He immediately nodded, “Of course I welcome you to stay, Ole Meng. Don’t worry, why would I chase you out if you truly wish to stay here? Keep up the good work. Taiyuan Tower’s future definitely isn’t going to stop here.”
Ole Meng nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes, I knew that from the beginning. Young master is no small fish in a pond, and it is only a matter of time before you soar to new heights!”
“Mm. Go get some rest. I’ll be talking with them for a little while.” Jiang Chen beckoned the Ling father and daughter over and walked inside. Shen Trifire and a few other Regal Pill Palace sect members also came over. However, none of the two sides recognized each other yet because they’d all disguised their appearances. Jiang Chen arrived at a private room and made sure that there were no outsiders present before he finally smiled. “Junior sister Hui’er, Uncle Ling, you’ve finally shown up. I was quite worried about you two lately.”
Ling Hui’er’s eyes suddenly reddened, and the next thing she did was incredibly shocking. She jumped straight into Jiang Chen’s arms, broke into a loud cry, and punched his chest repeatedly. “Senior brother Jiang, you have no idea how scared Hui’er was just now! We tried to find you so many times in Veluriyam Capital, but we just couldn’t, and our spirit stones were about to run out. We were so close to sleeping on the streets and we had no idea what to do…”
Jiang Chen realized that she must have suffered quite a lot of hards.h.i.+ps along the way. Their encounter with the Myriad Snake Gang had especially taught her a good lesson. Ling Su looked astonished when he heard her words, “Ne… Nephew Jiang?”
Jiang Chen patted Ling Hui’er’s back softly while casting a slightly apologetic glance at Ling Su. “I’m really sorry, Uncle Ling. I wasn’t able to find you even though I looked around a lot. I’m sorry for the troubles you’ve gone through.”
“It really is you?” Even a calm person like Ling Su couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by joy at this moment.
“It’s me,” Jiang Chen pointed at Shen Trifire and the others. “They’re all members of Regal Pill Palace. Shen Trifire also played a big role in saving you two.”
“Senior brother Trifire?” Ling Hui’er’s big eyes looked all over Shen Trifire. “Are you really senior brother Shen?”
Shen Trifire took off his mask and smiled wryly, “It is your shameful senior brother, junior sister Ling. If it wasn’t for senior brother Jiang, every one of us would’ve been sold off to who knows where already. This day of reunion would not have happened if that had happened.”
Everyone else was also extremely excited to see Ling Hui’er once more. This was the first other sect member they’d been able to meet except Jiang Chen after the destruction of the Regal Pill Palace. They were overjoyed even at this simple reunion.