Martial Arts: I Have a Wilderness World

Chapter 644: Chapter 329: Paying a Visit (Part 2)

He stopped his questioning and levitated Lin Changfeng’s leg, taking it with him into the back courtyard.

Seeing this, Cheng Zongyang knew the man was probably going to see the Golden Core Steward, Zhang Ye. He stood there alone, waiting in silence.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the white-robed youth led Cheng Zongyang inside to meet Golden Core Steward Zhang Ye. A knot of tension formed in Cheng Zongyang’s stomach.

In a reception hall in the back courtyard, Cheng Zongyang saw a white-haired elder. The man’s face was stern and imposing, and he carried himself with the transcendent air of an immortal.

This was the Golden Core Steward, Zhang Ye. He was seated, his gaze as sharp as a blade, fixed on Cheng Zongyang.

The white-robed youth stood off to the side in quiet attendance.

"You are Cheng Zongyang?" Zhang Ye’s voice was deep and resonant.

Cheng Zongyang hurriedly cupped his hands. "I am."

"This severed limb carries Lin Changfeng’s aura. I’ve had dealings with him before, so I know it’s his." Zhang Ye stared intently at Cheng Zongyang. "Explain. In detail."

Cheng Zongyang took another deep breath and began to recount his encounter with Black Skull.

He gave a detailed account of how he’d posted a bounty mission with the Sect, only to be abducted by Black Skull upon his return. He then explained how he was taken from the Cheng Mansion, how he’d used a Tier Three Thunderstorm Talisman and a disposable Magical Treasure to sever the man’s lower leg, and how he had seized that opportunity to escape.

As he spoke, Cheng Zongyang periodically watched Zhang Ye’s expression for any changes.

He concluded, "...At first, I paid no mind to the leg. When I returned to the County Town, I first went to the Cheng Mansion to check on my two subordinates. I found the mansion sealed by an Array. Knowing how efficiently the Immortal Sect operates, I was certain you were responsible."

"To prove my innocence to you, Steward Zhang, I left the County Town again to retrieve the severed leg and came straight here to request a meeting."

After listening to Cheng Zongyang’s account, Zhang Ye simply glanced at the young man beside him.

The white-robed youth gave a slight nod. Then, forming a sword-finger sign with his right hand, he closed his eyes and became perfectly still.

After a moment, the young man looked at the elder. He cupped his hands and said, "Master, the disciples at the gate have checked the records. His Identity Token was indeed used to enter and exit the County Town twice today."

Cheng Zongyang was inwardly startled. ’I never imagined they actually kept records of the seemingly routine checks on Entry and Exit Tokens.’

He couldn’t help but think, ’It’s a good thing I added that detail. Otherwise, my story wouldn’t have withstood a check like this.’

Cheng Zongyang quickly added, "Every word is the truth. I wouldn’t dare utter a single lie."

Zhang Ye nodded slightly and began to question him about related matters.

Just as Cheng Zongyang had anticipated, the questions were nearly identical to the ones he had predicted.

"Where did the Foundation Establishment Pills recently sold in the city come from? What power is behind this? What is their purpose in Zi’an County?"

"What is your relationship with Lin Changfeng? If you have no connection, why was he at the Cheng Mansion? And the Teleportation Array in the basement—where does it lead?"

These were the very questions Cheng Zongyang had figured he would eventually be asked, but he hadn’t thought Zhang Ye would actually ask them.

Cheng Zongyang was already prepared. Calmly, he answered each question one by one.

"I come from the Jade Peak Commerce Association. Our Foundation Establishment Pills were reportedly obtained from the Profound Origin Secret Realm. I am just a disciple handling business for them. The Jade Peak Commerce Association is a new, little-known organization. We are in Zi’an County simply to conduct business and expand our influence, trading Foundation Establishment Pills for resources to earn more Spirit Stones."

"I have no relationship with Lin Changfeng. He broke into my mansion on his own. He must have noticed me quietly selling the Foundation Establishment Pills, which led him to discover the Teleportation Array in my basement."

"There were two Teleportation Arrays. One leads to a cave in the mountains outside—here is the Token for it. The second leads to a valley. After Black Skull took the Teleportation Token for that one, he brought a boy with him and forced me to teleport with them to the valley." After speaking, Cheng Zongyang handed the man the Token for the mountain cave.

After handing over the Token, Cheng Zongyang added:

"I knew my life would be in danger, so I immediately activated a Tier Three Golden Bell Talisman to protect myself. Then, I used a disposable Magical Treasure, an Immortal Binding Rope, to trap him for a few seconds. I took the opportunity to attack with my blade, but his reaction was extremely fast; I only managed to cut off his lower leg. I followed up by blasting the area with a Tier Three Thunderstorm Talisman. He broke free, transformed into a black mist, and was struck by lightning several times before he grabbed the boy and fled. As he left, he shouted that if he weren’t afraid of the Immortal Sect coming after him, he’d have killed me for sure. I used that chance to escape back here."

As Zhang Ye listened to Cheng Zongyang’s explanation, he found himself believing most of it.

First, it was true that Elixirs had been found in the Profound Origin Secret Realm. While many were unusable, some were still viable.

Regarding the Thunderstorm Talisman, he could indeed sense a residual trace of lightning within the flesh of the leg, which supported that claim. But the most crucial point was that only a restraining Magical Artifact or Magical Treasure could have trapped a cultivator like Lin Changfeng.

Since Cheng Zongyang had mentioned one, and all the other clues fit together, Zhang Ye was mostly convinced.

However, he still had some doubts about the Teleportation Array. After a moment of contemplation, he said to the white-robed youth, "Sanjiang, take him to inspect the Teleportation Array."

"Yes, Master," the young man replied respectfully.

Cheng Zongyang let out a silent sigh of relief, thankful he had covered that plothole before coming.

’I had dismantled the Teleportation Array leading from the cave to the East Sea Abyss, leaving only the connection from the Cheng Mansion to the cave. The story about a Teleportation Array in the valley was just a ruse. My excuse was that since Lin Changfeng had taken its Startup Token, the array in the basement was now impossible to activate.’

’I just scattered some materials for a Teleportation Array in that so-called valley and blasted them with a Thunderstorm Talisman. If they go, all they’ll find are destroyed components. There’s no way they’ll see what it looked like before.’