Your Injury Is Not in Your Meridians

"Lu Guang, are you going to cover for him?"

"Shi Qijiang, are you trying to frame me?"

As the two voices fell, the well-prepared soldiers stepped forward in unison, their scabbards striking their armor, tightening the encirclement even further.

The disciples of Zhaoye Sect drew their swords and stepped forward, and one by one the lanterns at the mountain gate lit up, signifying that the grand formation connected to the mountain gate's fortune had been activated.

The two sides faced off with the stands in the center, their scabbards and sword sheaths so close that if either of them trembled their fingers, today's apprenticeship ceremony could turn into a funeral.

The common people caught in the middle are the ones who suffer the most; nobody cares about apprenticeship anymore.

All eyes were on the two people on the stage.

Apart from the border regions and the capital, within a prefecture, the City Destroyer Realm is the most elite.

The number of people was small, and since they were all important figures who cared about their reputation, the tense situation between the two City Destroyer Realm experts had not occurred for a very long time.

Shi Qijiang, with an imposing and arrogant demeanor, said: "This official's judgment is correct; Zhaoye Zong has indeed grown too powerful over the years."

He continued:

"Today we were merely reviewing the roster and investigating a wanted criminal, yet Sect Leader Lu first obstructed the city guards, and then publicly questioned whether the city government was framing him. Are you suggesting that if we don't intervene in a few years, the city government will have to listen to you?"

Lu Guang said sternly, "If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext."

"A fabricated charge?"

Shi Qijiang smiled. "Caught red-handed just now, Sect Leader Lu, are you still claiming innocence?"

Lu Guang clenched his fists in his sleeves, causing the lights on either side of the stone steps at the mountain gate to flicker.

Shen Gui stood at the edge of the crowd and glanced at the stone lanterns on the mountain path.

Shi Qijiang also saw the lights, and the smile in his eyes deepened.

"Sect Leader Lu, I am here today to save face for the Zhaoye Sect."

"Leading the soldiers to surround the mountain, is that what you call saving face?" Lu Guang asked.

"certainly."

Shi Qijiang said, "If this prefecture really doesn't give us face, what comes won't be the prefecture's soldiers, but the Ministry of Justice's clerks and the decree of Chengtian Prefecture. At that time, it's hard to say whether these few mountain-protecting lamps will still be hanging on the mountain road."

The expressions of several elders of the Zhaoye Sect changed.

Someone tried to speak, but Lu Guang raised his hand to stop them.

Shi Qijiang stared at him and continued, "The Zhaoye Sect was granted an official title by the imperial court to educate demon disciples, which is a good thing. Beiyang Prefecture has also given you face for many years. Many demon cases in the villages and towns at the foot of the mountain were covered up by the prefectural government for you."

"Now that the lights are dimming, the roster is in disarray, and the demon disciples are out of control, if Sect Leader Lu were in your position, what would you do?"

Lu Guang's eyes tightened.

Shi Qijiang's voice slowed down even more: "You've rarely come down the mountain these past few years, haven't you? Everyone outside says that Sect Leader Lu is quiet, mature, and prudent, but the rumors I've heard are a bit different."

He glanced at Lu Guang's rolled-up sleeves. "Is it because you're physically unwell?"

"Don't push your luck!" An elder of the Zhaoye Sect's face immediately turned red.

Lu Guang didn't turn around, he only said, "Step back."

As soon as he finished speaking, a sudden gust of wind arose.

Centered on two City Destroyer Realm experts, an invisible clash of vital energies erupted.

Several fine lines appeared on the stone slab beneath Lu Guang's feet.

Shi Qijiang pushed the dust away from his feet.

The papers on the desk were flipped up one by one and then pressed down again, the air began to distort, and the guards standing nearby turned pale and retreated.

The two were still talking.

They are still fighting.

"I, Lu, am not good at beating around the bush, and Your Excellency has said so much," Lu Guang asked, "What exactly do you want?"

Shi Qijiang said, "The Zhaoye Sect has moved out of the prefectural city by a hundred miles. From now on, the list of sect members will be reviewed by the prefectural government. When a demon is registered, the prefectural government will stamp the list before the sect can enter the mountain."

"impossible."

"Sect Leader Lu, please don't be in such a hurry to refuse."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Then I'll say something else."

Shi Qijiang then asked, "Do you want Zhaoye Sect to relocate, or to be exterminated?"

As soon as these words were spoken, chaos erupted in front of the mountain gate.

Some people screamed, some pushed back, and a child was stepped on. The child cried out, but his mother quickly covered his mouth.

The toad, which had been hiding under the table, was now clinging tightly to the table leg with both hands, its whole body swaying in the wind, looking quite pitiful.

He shouted frantically, "Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me!..."

Hu Zhaoying stood at a distance, her tail pressed tightly against her robe.

Hu Yanshan pressed his hand on his shoulder, with even more force than before.

"Listen to me, don't move," Hu Yanshan said.

Hu Zhaoying asked nervously, "Uncle, are these two really going to fight?"

Hu Yanshan didn't answer, because he didn't know either.

If the two City Destroyer Realm experts were to fight in front of the mountain gate, the soldiers would die, the disciples would die, and a large number of the young men and demons who came to become disciples today would also die.

On the stage.

Lu Guang stared at Shi Qijiang, and the ghost-faced token in his sleeve suddenly felt cold.

The chill crept up his palm and down his wrist, as if trying to bring back the blood pressure in his veins, or urging him to make a decision.

Shi Qijiang was in no hurry and did not make a move directly, continuing to use his superior strength to overwhelm the opponent.

He knew Lu Guang was injured, though not entirely, but enough to be of use.

A city-destroying realm expert, whose roots have been damaged, has been hiding in the back mountains for so many years. Today, he has been forced to the front of the stage in public. How many breaths can he last?

Ten breaths.

Twenty breaths.

One hundred breaths?

Shi Qijiang said softly, "Sect Master Lu, if you are not feeling well, please don't push yourself. I will give you a dignified way out. Hand over the criminal today, suspend the acceptance of disciples, and submit the transfer of sect regulations within three days. I can also write a message to the court on your behalf: Lu Guangshouli."

The stone lantern on the mountain path swayed again.

This time there was more than one lamp.

From the mountain gate to the mountainside, more than a dozen lamps flickered one after another, the flames dipped and then rose again.

Upon seeing this, the disciples of the Zhaoye Sect finally couldn't hide their panic, as the strength of the mountain gate lanterns had always represented the Zhaoye Sect's fortune.

"metropolitan……"

Lu Guang felt a tightness in his chest, but his back began to hunch over, and the blood in his throat had reached between his teeth.

"Shi Qijiang".

"Um?"

"You're a good student."

Lu Guangdao said, "What a pity, all that learning has gone to waste! Zhaoye Sect won't back down! As long as I live today, I will definitely report this matter to Chengtian Prefecture!"

"You're asking for it." Shi Qijiang added a bit more force.

The tension between the two suddenly pressed outwards.

The desk cracked.

The paper exploded.

Those soldiers who were nearby were thrown backward by the shock, and the disciples of the Zhaoye Sect also lost their footing and fell down one after another.

Lu Guang swayed, and he could no longer hold back the mouthful of blood, which he spat onto the stone steps.

The area in front of the mountain gate was completely blown up.

"metropolitan!"

"Sect Leader Lu has vomited blood!"

The sounds were a chaotic mess.

Lu Guang braced himself against the table to keep from kneeling, and blood was already dripping from between his fingers as he covered his mouth.

Shi Qijiang walked up to Lu Guang, looking down at him.

He had anticipated this scene, so it was not unexpected at all. The next step was to force Lu Guang to make concessions, and then have Xun Jinsi add fuel to the fire. In that case, the open infighting would become a clear indication of his keen observation.

"Sect Leader Lu," Shi Qijiang said, "to relocate the sect, or to annihilate it?"

Lu Guang raised his head, blood still visible at the corner of his mouth.

He wanted to yell back.

I want to say that the lamps lit by ten generations of the Teruno clan are not something that you, Shi Qijiang, can move with just a few words.

Before he could finish speaking, a voice suddenly rang in Lu Guang's ears.

Very close.

The sound seemed to originate from within the body!

The tone was flat and clear.

"Your injury is not in your meridians."