Chapter 441: Provincial Inspector of Nanzhou

Before long, Feng Lingbo and Peng Yulan were escorted into the hall. The difference between the couple now and their earlier high spirits was like heaven and earth. Everyone present could not help sighing inwardly at how completely a single day had changed them, especially Feng Lingbo. He had been dragged inside outright, his whole person dull and vacant, as though he still had not recovered from the blow.

Everyone could understand it. He had tried to steal a chicken only to lose the rice used to lure it, and in the end had even lost both his sons.

Peng Youzai stared expressionlessly at the two of them. His cheeks tightened hard before he said in a deep voice, "Raise your heads!"

Feng Lingbo gave no response. He seemed like an idiot, whether truly dazed or merely pretending. In any case, he sat there vacantly and treated Peng Youzai's words as though he had not heard them.

Peng Yulan's eyes were red and swollen from crying, her gaze unfocused. Slowly, she raised her head, seemingly stirred by her father's voice. "Father!" With a wail, she rushed forward, dropped to her knees before Peng Youzai, and clung to his legs. "Father, Yi'er and Jie'er are dead! Shang Chaozong killed Yi'er and Jie'er! You have to avenge them!"

Peng Youzai's expression twitched. Of course he knew his two grandsons were dead, and he knew exactly how they had died. But he was not merely their grandfather. He was also Sect Leader of Tianyu Sect. In front of all the sect's senior members, how could a private blood feud outweigh everything else? Yet his daughter had actually brought up personal vengeance before everyone.

He lifted one leg and flung Peng Yulan aside with a kick. "You have quite the nerve. You dared swindle an elder's command token and falsely mobilize Tianyu Sect disciples to commit reckless acts!" With that, he tilted his head slightly to one side.

Chen Tingxiu immediately stepped forward and, in measured cadence, publicly recited the crimes of husband and wife, laying out everything the two had done.

When Chen Tingxiu finished, Peng Youzai looked down at his daughter and son-in-law and demanded sternly, "Do either of you dispute the charges Elder Chen has just stated?"

Feng Lingbo still wore the same vacant expression. Peng Yulan, her face covered in tears, slowly looked up at her father's murderous expression. Only now did she fully realize that her father had not come to stand up for them. He had come as Sect Leader of Tianyu Sect to settle accounts with them.

"It has nothing to do with Lingbo. It was all my fault. I ordered everything. I deliberately kept it from him and joined with my two sons to do it. Lingbo knew nothing at all..." Peng Yulan suddenly cried out. Looking around at everyone, she struck her chest and took every crime onto herself, trying to clear Feng Lingbo of all responsibility.

She knew very well that if Feng Lingbo bore the blame, he would unquestionably die. If she bore it, things were different. She was, after all, the Sect Leader's daughter. Out of consideration for her father, everyone would at most impose some punishment. She doubted anyone would dare demand her execution, and she did not believe her father could truly steel himself to kill her. Nor did she claim innocence. There were things that simply could not be concealed.

The moment she took all responsibility, everyone exchanged glances. As expected, the matter instantly became difficult.

Peng Youzai's face turned iron-blue. He nodded. "You like taking responsibility? Fine. I'll let you take it. I ask you only one thing: do you understand the consequences of bearing this responsibility?"

Peng Yulan froze for a moment, but still did not believe her father would kill her. She raised her voice again. "Every word this disciple has spoken is true. I was the one who directed everything. Lingbo knew nothing at all. This disciple willingly bears all responsibility!"

"Good!" Peng Youzai laughed from sheer fury, nodding with a cold chuckle. He waved one hand. "Hold her up!"

The disciples on either side hesitated, uncertain what they should do.

Peng Youzai immediately turned and glared at them. "Where are the sect rules?"

The two disciples paled. They hurried forward, hauled Peng Yulan up from where she sat on the floor, and each seized one of her arms. Peng Yulan grew frightened too. She stared nervously at Peng Youzai as he approached step by step.

At that moment, Feng Entai suddenly flashed forward and placed himself between father and daughter, blocking Peng Youzai's path. He cupped his hands. "Sect Leader, there may be hidden circumstances behind this. Why not investigate thoroughly before deciding the punishment?"

He and Peng Youzai had come from the same master. They were true martial brothers. When his senior brother was placed in a difficult position, Feng Entai had to be the one to stand up and speak.

His own mishandling of the warhorse mission to the State of Qi had caused enormous losses and should have brought punishment down upon him. It had been this same senior brother who exhausted every method to smooth matters over for him. Not only had Peng Youzai resolved the problem, he had even managed to leave Feng Entai with a measure of credit. If Feng Entai did not step forward now and take the lead in speaking, who would?

Another elder immediately echoed him. "Indeed, Sect Leader. There is no need to decide this in haste."

Peng Youzai answered in a resonant voice, "I appreciate everyone's goodwill! If it were the children of any of you, in consideration of your contributions to the sect, I could show leniency depending on the circumstances. But she is my daughter. If the Sect Leader's own daughter can take the lead in defying sect rules, then how will Tianyu Sect punish disciples who err in the future? If the Sect Leader himself takes the lead in violating the rules, how can the law be enforced?"

"Merit must be rewarded and wrongdoing must be punished. A state has its laws; a sect has its rules. Without rules, there can be no order. The facts are all here. None of you need say any more!"

With that, he shoved Feng Entai aside.

"Senior Brother, think carefully!" Feng Entai pleaded from the side with cupped hands.

"Father!" Peng Yulan was finally afraid. She struggled instinctively, but could not break free.

Peng Youzai stopped before her. "As your father, no amount of protection I gave you would be excessive. But as Sect Leader of Tianyu Sect... girl, you were foolish!"

Before he had even finished speaking, he suddenly struck. Two fingers stabbed viciously into Peng Yulan's lower abdomen. Peng Yulan gave a muffled grunt and her eyes flew wide. Then came a piercing scream. Her entire body began trembling violently as she struggled, her face twisted in unbearable agony. The two Tianyu Sect disciples held her firmly and did not let go.

Only then did everyone present understand what punishment the Sect Leader had chosen for his daughter. Feng Entai turned his head away, unable to bear watching.

A fierce current of air spilled from the place where Peng Youzai's fingers had struck. Viewed with the Dharma Eye, a faint mist could be seen rapidly leaking from Peng Yulan's abdomen. At the same time, the vitality drained visibly from her face, and strands of white began appearing in her black hair at a speed the eye could follow.

When Peng Youzai finally withdrew his hand, Peng Yulan's head had already sagged. She no longer moved. Her skin had lost its former suppleness, and she seemed to have aged many years in the span of a few breaths.

Peng Youzai had personally shattered his daughter's dantian and qi sea, crippling the cultivation she had built over a lifetime. For all practical purposes, she would never be able to cultivate again.

Everyone there was a cultivator and understood what that meant. Years upon years of bitter cultivation had vanished in an instant. To a cultivator, such a punishment could be harder to endure than death itself. The punishment could hardly be called light. But for Peng Youzai, cruel though it was, at least it preserved his daughter's life.

Peng Youzai turned his back to her and slowly closed his eyes, suppressing the grief in his heart. He said heavily, "From this moment onward, Peng Yulan is struck from Tianyu Sect's rolls and expelled from the sect!"

Everyone sighed inwardly. His own daughter had broken the rules, and as Sect Leader he had personally destroyed her cultivation and expelled her from the sect. After this, no one within Tianyu Sect could accuse him of favoritism. He had given the entire sect an accounting. Everyone withdrew. Peng Yulan was dragged away as well. Peng Youzai kept only Feng Lingbo behind in the hall.

Standing before the vacant Feng Lingbo, Peng Youzai suddenly slapped him across the face. Blood burst from Feng Lingbo's nose and mouth as he fell into a sitting position on the floor. Feng Lingbo still looked dazed.

Peng Youzai slowly crouched in front of him and gave a cold snort. "Pretend. Keep pretending. Yulan has taken all the responsibility. You're safe now. Is there still any need to put on this act in front of me? I know what kind of man you are. I know even better what kind of woman Yulan is. Without someone urging her on, there are things she would never have done. Back then, I opposed her marrying you because I understood perfectly well that what you valued was never Yulan's looks or talents. She has little enough of either. What you valued was the advantage her background could bring you. But she insisted on marrying you no matter what. Now she has paid the price for her own choice. I warn you: from now on, do not let her suffer the slightest grievance. Otherwise, I will teach you what it means to live a life worse than death!"

A faint movement passed through Feng Lingbo's vacant eyes. Peng Youzai ignored it. He rose and left...

That afternoon, Peng Youzai personally went to see Shang Chaozong. He brought with him the imperial decree appointing Shang Chaozong Provincial Inspector of Nanzhou.

After the two sides spoke at length, Peng Youzai left. Tianyu Sect's house arrest of Shang Chaozong and the others was lifted, and every Goldenwing used by Shang Chaozong to communicate with his subordinates was returned.

Tianyu Sect immediately sent messages to Meilin Sheng, Governor of Huxi Commandery; Wu Tiandang, Governor of Wuyang Commandery; and Zhao Xingfeng, Governor of Tu'an Commandery, summoning all three to Changping City. Shang Chaozong likewise sent messages to his own troops. The cavalry under his command began assembling. The Yingyang and Wulie Guards regrouped and hurried toward Changping City.

Not only the Yingyang and Wulie Guards, but all the troops under Shang Chaozong that had previously been split apart and isolated began regrouping and redeploying. The three governors traveling toward Changping City knew none of this.

However, Meilin Sheng, Wu Tiandang, and Zhao Xingfeng soon realized something was wrong. Tianyu Sect had begun inserting itself even into their communications with their own troops. All three sensed that they themselves seemed to have fallen under Tianyu Sect's control.

When they asked what was happening, the Tianyu Sect disciples escorting them refused to answer. They said only that the three would understand once they reached Changping City.

After arriving at Changping City, the three governors were placed under house arrest by Tianyu Sect. This made all three uneasy. When they asked why, Tianyu Sect told them only that their families were also on the way. Several days later, Tianyu Sect indeed escorted the families of all three governors into the city. Only on the day after their families arrived were the three governors finally summoned to appear at the yamen.

Inside the main hall, Peng Youzai and the other senior members of Tianyu Sect were present. Shang Chaozong's trusted generals were there as well. Shang Chaozong alone stood in the place of honor.

He was actually standing where Feng Lingbo had once stood. The three governors looked around but saw no sign of Feng Lingbo anywhere. Their alarm and uncertainty deepened.

Once everyone had assembled, Lan Ruoting stepped forward, opened the imperial decree, and formally read aloud the court's appointment of Shang Chaozong as Provincial Inspector of Nanzhou. The decree was proclaimed, and Tianyu Sect raised no objection. The three governors were shocked. Only then did they understand that the man laughing last was Shang Chaozong. Feng Lingbo had lost. Yet the looks the three cast toward Peng Youzai were plainly filled with confusion and incomprehension.

Immediately afterward, in his capacity as Provincial Inspector of Nanzhou, Shang Chaozong ordered the three governors to cooperate with his plans for the redeployment of their respective forces. Only then did the three finally understand Tianyu Sect's intention. They had ended up in exactly the same position Shang Chaozong had occupied before them. There was nothing they could do about it. Just like Shang Chaozong before them, their lives were now in Tianyu Sect's hands. They did not dare refuse.

Tianyu Sect had little choice but to act this way. The sect had no desire to make things difficult for the three governors, but Shang Chaozong's side refused to let the opportunity Niu Youdao had created slip away. Using the pressure of Jinzhou's army on the border, Shang Chaozong had forced Tianyu Sect to compromise. He intended to seize this opportunity to dismantle the three governors' armies, reorganize them, and bring them under his own control.

Tianyu Sect likewise did not want another round of internal conflict in Nanzhou. With the court of the State of Yan watching hungrily from outside, allowing Shang Chaozong and the three governors to continue fighting would bring no benefit.

Letting Shang Chaozong take complete control was not ideal either. But between two evils, the lesser had to be chosen. Under the pressure of multiple factors, Tianyu Sect compromised and agreed to let Shang Chaozong unify command over all Nanzhou's troops as quickly as possible.

At the same time, however, the sect tightened its control over Shang Chaozong's personal safety, keeping his very life firmly in its grasp.

[End of Chapter 441]