"What’s going on?"

"I heard they caught the culprit from Wooden Man Alley."

"Let me see what kind of badass this is."

...

The disciples in front of the Law Enforcement Hall were buzzing with discussion.

Elder Wang from Wooden Man Alley and a group of disciples had surrounded a young man and were escorting him to the Law Enforcement Hall.

The Divine Mansion Sect’s rules were extremely strict, forbidding the use of unauthorized punishments.

Of course, this only applied to seniors bullying juniors or using their age and cultivation realm to oppress others. No one would intervene if peers fought to the death; how could martial artists not have a bit of fighting spirit?

Therefore, if Elder Wang wanted to punish Bai Yuan, he had to go through the Law Enforcement Hall.

For this reason, the Law Enforcement Hall’s status was in no way inferior to that of the Herb Hall or the Instructor Hall.

"Who stands before this hall?"

Seated high in the Law Enforcement Hall, Elder Li frowned as he watched the crowd swarm in.

Elder Wang sneered endlessly at Bai Yuan.

"Brother Li, this defiant disciple destroyed all the mechanical wooden men in my Wooden Man Alley! The witnesses are here. He must be severely punished!"

In his eyes, Bai Yuan was already a dead man.

How could an ordinary Outer Disciple possibly compare to an Elder like him? How dare he oppose him?

Killing him would be as easy as flipping a hand. The Law Enforcement Hall wasn’t truly impartial; it would undoubtedly favor an Elder over an Outer Disciple. Such cases were innumerable.

The Law Enforcement Hall’s Elder, Li Da, couldn’t help but size Bai Yuan up.

The incident at Wooden Man Alley had long been the talk of the sect, so he had naturally heard about it.

’What a... character.’

Li Da was somewhat speechless.

To dismantle several hundred mechanical wooden men from Wooden Man Alley in one night... setting aside his strength, that level of endurance was far beyond ordinary.

Although there was no rule in Wooden Man Alley against damaging the mechanical wooden men, the matter had caused an Elder to lose all face.

To uphold the dignity of the Elders, he had to punish this young man severely. Otherwise, if other disciples followed his example, the consequences would be dire.

Killing a single Outer Disciple to intimidate the masses was simply too good of a bargain.

A human life, in the face of the bigger picture, was of course not worth mentioning.

"Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Li Da said coolly.

It was just a formality. No matter what this young disciple said, he wouldn’t escape severe punishment. Even if he wasn’t killed, his martial arts would be crippled and he’d be thrown out of the sect.

Bai Yuan shook his head.

"No."

He was, after all, the one who had destroyed the mechanical wooden men.

Li Da’s eyes narrowed. The boy’s calm demeanor made him feel uncertain.

’Could it be that he has a powerful backer?’

At this thought, Li Da couldn’t help but shudder.

Being an Elder in the Divine Mansion Sect, the first thing one learned was to memorize the faces of the sect’s "second-generation martial artists." Those young masters were absolutely not to be trifled with.

Li Da thought for a long time but couldn’t recall Bai Yuan’s face among those second-generation martial artists.

He asked tentatively, "Who is your master?"

Bai Yuan: "Dong Wanjun."

Li Da: "!!!"

Elder Wang: "!!!"

A disciple of the Thousand-Handed Butcher?!

Li Da’s eyes narrowed. Only then did he recall that Peak Master Dong had indeed taken on a disciple from outside the sect. His surname seemed to be... Bai?

Li Da: "What is your name?"

"Bai Yuan."

Li Da leaned back in his chair, his face filled with relief. ’Thank goodness I asked that one more question.’

He wouldn’t dare touch an Inner Sect Disciple of Dong Wanjun, not even if he were given ten thousand times the courage.

Elder Wang was dumbfounded, and he began cursing up a storm in his mind.

’Fuck! Fuck!’

’He’s Dong Wanjun’s disciple? What’s the point of this damn accusation then?’

’Everyone knows the Law Enforcement Hall is Dong Wanjun’s private garden!’

’It’s like that old joke: "Who in the court dares to accuse me, the magistrate?"’

’Trying to win a case against Dong Wanjun’s disciple in Dong Wanjun’s own territory was a complete joke.’

Elder Wang’s expression was uglier than if he had swallowed a fly. Just looking at Li Da’s attitude, he knew this disciple named Bai Yuan’s identity was anything but simple. He might even be that Old Thief Dong’s illegitimate son.

’Absolutely not to be provoked.’

In truth, he had already inquired about the situation before coming. This young man named Bai Yuan was just a new Outer Disciple of the Divine Mansion Sect.

He never expected to have kicked an iron plate.

The Martial Hall’s faction was at odds with his own backer, so he had no idea that You Shengnan had taken Bai Yuan to the Martial Hall.

"Elder Wang, if I recall correctly, there isn’t a rule in Wooden Man Alley against damaging the wooden men, is there?"

"Since there’s no such rule, we’ll just let this matter go."

Li Da looked at Elder Wang with a righteous expression, completely different from his earlier demeanor, showing no intention of pursuing the matter.

’After all, Bai Yuan is one of us.’

Elder Wang took a deep breath.

"It was I who misjudged the situation."

As soon as he said this, the expressions on the faces of all the spectating disciples became incredibly colorful.

For a disciple to actually make an Elder back down was a rare sight indeed. But once they remembered that the young man before them was Dong Wanjun’s disciple, it all made sense.

Li Da waved his hand dismissively. "Since it was a misunderstanding, everyone should disperse."

Elder Wang’s face was grim.

He knew he couldn’t gain any advantage in the Law Enforcement Hall today. He would have to swallow the bitter fruit of the Wooden Man Alley incident himself.

「After the crowd dispersed.」

Only then did Li Da look at Bai Yuan with a beaming smile. "As expected of Elder Dong’s disciple. A budding talent, with a heroic bearing."

Bai Yuan rolled his eyes internally.

’You’re the budding talent.’

"Thank you for your help today, Elder Li. When my master returns to the mountain, I will be sure to inform him of today’s events."

Seeing how tactful Bai Yuan was, Li Da stroked his goatee in gratification. Despite being an Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall, the number of times he could meet Dong Wanjun was pitifully small. Dong Wanjun probably didn’t even remember his name.

In contrast, an Inner Sect Disciple like Bai Yuan had a much better chance of getting close to him.

If Bai Yuan were to put in a few good words for him in front of Dong Wanjun, perhaps he might get more opportunities.

"Junior Brother Bai, if you ever have any trouble in the future, feel free to come to the Law Enforcement Hall. I, your big brother, will definitely do everything in my power to help."

Given his seniority, it would have been more than appropriate for him to call Bai Yuan "Martial Nephew."

But the moment he thought about Bai Yuan being Dong Wanjun’s Inner Sect Disciple, he didn’t dare take advantage of his seniority and place himself on the same generational level as Dong Wanjun. So, he simply lowered his own status and addressed Bai Yuan as a brother.

Bai Yuan: "Brother Li, in that case, I’ll head back to Wan Jun Peak first."

Li Da stood up to see him off.

"Come by often in the future."

After saying it, he felt it wasn’t quite right. This was the Law Enforcement Hall; there was really no need to "come by often."

...

The storm had passed.

Bai Yuan returned to his small courtyard on the mountainside of Wan Jun Peak.

’It really is nice to have a big tree for shade.’

If he hadn’t used Dong Wanjun’s name today, things certainly wouldn’t have ended so smoothly.

The Law Enforcement Hall was nicknamed Yama Hall in the Divine Mansion Sect. Anyone who went there would lose at least a layer of skin. It was rare for someone to get off as lightly as he had.

If he were just an ordinary disciple, he would have been crushed to death by Elder Wang’s oppression. Having his tendons cut and being thrown out of the sect would have been considered merciful.

’To make your way in the Jianghu, you really need two things: a powerful backer and your own skills.’

Bai Yuan sighed internally.

He cast aside his distracting thoughts, took out the newly purchased "Fierce Fire Renders Fat," and slowly opened its pages.

"On Ancient East Mountain lived a Divine Chef who cooked meat with fierce fire and heavy oil. Those who ate it had their lives extended by ten years—a nearly godlike skill."

[Name: Bai Yuan]

[Occupation: Demon Hunter, Swordsman, Boxer, Cook]

[Skills: Cooking (Master), Fierce Fire Renders Fat (Entry), Demon Seeking (Adept), Demon Control (Adept), Tiger Form and Crane Style (Master), Blood Tiger Saber (Master), Soul-Hooking Steps (Proficient)...]

[Enhancement Points: 0]