Elderly Martial Saint: Sixty Times the Cultivation Speed ​​at the Start

Xiao Zhengyan stood in the center of the side hall, half a head taller than Yi Yang, blocking the view of the desk.

His right hand rested on the sheathless heavy sword at his waist. This treasure-level sword had been repaired many times, with old marks on the blade and the leather cord at the hilt soaked in sweat and turned dark brown.

Xiao Zhengyan's late-stage True Qi had not been fully released, but the oppressive feeling had already filled the side hall.

That kind of oppressive aura wasn't from internal energy; it was purely something that naturally emanated from years of holding a high position.

Two guards from the Punishment Division stood side by side at the entrance, their shoulder armor touching, leaving no room for anyone to pass.

The stance is very clear.

If we don't give an explanation today, no one will get away with this easily.

Yi Yang did not back down. His fingers were still resting on the edge of the secret letter, his back was straight, and his face was expressionless.

Pei Zongyue sat at the table, holding a teacup, his fingers lightly tapping the rim. He left space for the two of them.

The side hall was quiet for three breaths.

Yi Yang was well aware of Xiao Zhengyan's plans.

Whether Zhou Yang and the other two live or die is probably not of concern to Xiao Zhengyan.

What truly brought this ruler of the Punishment Division to the scene was that the Court of Judgment had bypassed the Punishment Division to arrest people. If he returned empty-handed today, everyone in the Punishment Division would only see one thing.

The three patrol supervisors of his own unit were taken away by the newly appointed commander of the Zhenfu Guard, and the superior officer didn't even utter a word.

If people feel stifled like this, their hearts will naturally fall apart.

Pei Zongyue sat behind his desk, his gaze falling between Xiao Zhengyan and Yi Yang.

This old fox naturally knew that the program was just a shell.

Right now, it's a battle of pride, a fight to see who backs down first.

Xiao Zhengyan waited a few breaths, and seeing that Yi Yang did not answer, he lowered his voice and said in a deep tone:

"Didn't you hear me, Lord Yi?"

"I heard you clearly."

Yi Yang raised his eyelids and said indifferently:

"Lord Xiao said that those from the Punishment Department should be tried by the Punishment Department first."

"That's right."

"So, if the Court of Judgment discovers that someone in the Department of Punishment is colluding with bandits, do people have to queue up and get a number before they can be arrested?"

The two guards at the entrance gasped for breath.

Pei Zongyue picked up his teacup, hiding half his face behind it, and remained silent as if it were none of his business.

Xiao Zhengyan stared at Yi Yang and took a step forward.

Only two feet remained between the two. A fraction of his inner energy leaked out from his shoulder and back, causing the three secret letters on the table to be lifted by the airflow, their pages turning and bits of sealing wax rolling off the table.

"Lord Yi just received the Commander's token; the excitement hasn't worn off yet, has it?"

Xiao Zhengyan removed his right hand from the heavy sword, and spread his five fingers in front of Yi Yang.

"You're capable, I saw it."

"But the Celestial Patrol Division doesn't rely on a single arena match to determine the victor. To win against two people today and suddenly gain control of a palace, four departments, and a guard tomorrow—is there such a cheap deal in this world?"

He bent down his first finger and said:

"I have served in the Sky Patrol Division for a total of thirty-three years."

"In his first year as the patrol commander, more than two hundred bandits gathered at the Red Bat Cave in the north of the city. The government troops besieged the area for three months, and four captains who led the patrol died."

"I led eighty men from the Punishment Division and charged in."

"Three days later, 142 people were beheaded and 56 were captured alive. The Punishment Division brought back 23 stretchers, and I personally delivered the compensation money to each household."

Bend down the second finger.

"In the eighth year, I was promoted to acting chief inspector."

"The leader of the Nine Evil Sect, Blood Asura, slaughtered two villages and used more than two hundred lives to refine blood pills. I chased him from Suining Prefecture to the border of Qingzhou, and didn't sleep for seven days and seven nights."

"At the foot of the Cliff of Dry Bones, he used twelve civilians to block his way."

Xiao Zhengyan paused, his hand on the sword hilt tightening.

"I chased after him, ripped that beast's head off, and hung it on the cliff edge for three months."

Bend down the third finger.

"In the third year after I was promoted to deputy chief inspector, Li Feng, the leader of the Nine Evil Cults, sneaked into the city and killed eleven of my guards from the Punishment Department."

"That person cultivated the evil art of blood transformation, and his physical body can disperse into blood mist. Ordinary weapons can cut through him without causing any harm."

"I talked to him for most of the night."

"He turned into the blood mist and prepared to escape, so I chased after him into the blood mist, cleaved through his protective energy with a sword, and then used my inner energy to shatter the vital point hidden in the blood mist."

Xiao Zhengyan patted the heavy sword at his waist.

Two deep repair marks on the blade were facing Yi Yang.

"In that battle, I broke three ribs, had a large hole in my chest, and this sword also chipped in two places."

"When Li Feng's head was sent into the Hall of Judgment, the blood on my body was still wet."

The last two fingers are bent down, and the large hand is clenched into a fist.

"These achievements were made possible by the deaths of countless people."

"Lord Yi, your skills are not bad, but you haven't established yourself yet."

The two guards from the Punishment Division stood upright at the entrance.

Having followed Xiao Zhengyan for many years, they naturally knew these old stories. The people of the Punishment Division recognized the heavy sword that had been repaired five times.

Every notch on the sword holds a person buried within.

Xiao Zhengyan also had his own obsessions.

The Punishment Department can make mistakes, people can die, and even internally deal with scoundrels, but external departments cannot overstep its bounds.

As long as he remains in the position of deputy chief inspector, this rule cannot be broken.

After listening, Yi Yang did not refute.

Xiao Zhengyan was fierce and had a tough temper, but he was not just someone who used his official position to intimidate others. He had actually walked through piles of corpses and had also collected corpses for his subordinates.

No wonder the officials in the Punishment Department respected him, but while they admired him, they still held a grudge.

What Zhou Yang and the other two sold was his life.

Xiao Zhengyan withdrew his leaking internal energy, and the oppressive atmosphere in the side hall lessened somewhat. He turned halfway around and pointed to the three tokens on the table.

"Ding Xiang, the former commander of Zhenfu Guard, was assassinated by the Nine Evil Sect a year ago."

"The case remains unsolved."

"Now that you've taken his place, this old case falls on your shoulders."

Xiao Zhengyan turned his head and said bluntly:

"Zhou Yang and the other two betrayed their colleagues and deserve to die. I wasn't prepared to protect them."

"But they are under the jurisdiction of the Punishment Department."

"You haven't even avenged the former commander of the Zhenfu Guard, yet you've already set your sights on my Punishment Division. What will people outside think?"

"So you, Yi Yang, are really good at solving cases?"

"Or is it that the Zhenfu Guard has a new commander, and they dare not set fire to the Nine Evil Cults first, but only to their own people?"

After saying this, Pei Zongyue finally put down his teacup.

Xiao Zhengyan hit the nail on the head.

Ding Xiang has been dead for a year, and the Zhenfuwei is suppressing the fire.

If Yi Yang had just received the token and then used the three chief officials of the Punishment Division as a sacrifice, people would have said he was picking on the weak.

But Yi Yang's hand, which had been clenched in his sleeve, quickly loosened.

The image of the underground main hall of Shanruo Temple flashed through my mind.

altar.

Copper pillar.

Blood clots inside the iron ring.

The energy flow behind the three hidden doors.

The strongest among them had reached the late stage of True Qi cultivation.

Yi Yang already knows where Ding Xiang died. As for who lured Ding Xiang there, clues have also emerged.

These things cannot be said.

Shanruo Temple has been operating for many years, and several True Qi Realm experts are hiding underground. The abbot travels back and forth in and out of the prefectural city, and it is still unknown how many people he has connections with.

Now that the information is out in the open, the Nine Evil Cults will soon relocate.

When the altar is dismantled and the monks disperse, Ding Xiang's case will have to remain unsolved.

Yi Yang suppressed the anger in his chest, released the secret letter, and took half a step back.

Yi Yang swallowed his anger.

The expression on his face changed from somber to indifferent.

He loosened his fingers from the secret letter and took a half step back.

"Lord Xiao is right."

He spoke in a low, unhurried, and neither humble nor arrogant tone:

"I will investigate Commander Ding Xiang's case thoroughly."

"We will give every single one of the Zhenfuwei (garrison commanders) an explanation."

Xiao Zhengyan raised his eyebrows slightly; he had originally thought that Yi Yang would continue to be defiant towards him.

He entered the martial arts world after the age of sixty, and within six months he became the commander of the Zhenfu Guard. He also defeated two sect masters in public at the training ground. If it were a young person, they would have been strutting around like crazy.

Yi Yang swallowed his anger for the time being.

Xiao Zhengyan did not look down on him because of this; on the contrary, he took a second look at him.

Moving forward is easy; daring to retreat is difficult.

The knife on the ring yesterday was ruthless, but today he's managed to control his temper in the side hall. This old man, who's only just shown his true colors after sixty years, is certainly troublesome.

Seeing that the time was right, Pei Zongyue rose from his chair and said amiably:

"Both of you are chief officers of the Sky Patrol Bureau. It wouldn't look good if word got out that you were fighting over three traitors."

He neatly stacked the confessions on the table, put them into a leather file, and moved the three patrol officer tokens to the left side.

"How about this?"

"Zhou Yang, Meng Qiming, and Zhao Hongyuan will remain in custody by the Court of Judgment."

After the Ding Xiang case and the leaking case are investigated together, they will be dealt with jointly.

He glanced at Xiao Zhengyan, then at Yi Yang, his tone carrying a conciliatory tone.

"Lord Xiao, Lord Yi, is that alright?"

His words were perfectly watertight.

The person wasn't sentenced to death on the spot, and the proper procedures weren't bypassed. Xiao Zhengyan, as the head of the Punishment Department, saved face.

However, at the same time, the authority to deal with Zhou Yang and the other two was not returned to the Punishment Department; it was merely temporarily suspended, awaiting an opportune moment.

Xiao Zhengyan stared at Pei Zongyue for a couple of moments, realizing that this man was not as easy to deal with as Yi Yang.

"Can."

Xiao Zhengyan nodded and withdrew the pressure from his late-stage True Qi cultivation level.

The air in the side room relaxed, and the corner of the secret letter on the table finally stopped trembling.

Xiao Zhengyan turned and walked towards the door.

As he passed by Yi Yang, his steps slowed by half a beat.

Tiger's eyes swept over, lingering for a moment on Yi Yang's aged face.

His lips moved, as if he wanted to say something.

In the end, he didn't say anything.

As he stepped across the threshold, two guards from the Punishment Division followed.

The three figures disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Pei Zongyue sat down again, picked up the now-cold tea, and smiled:

"You retreated quickly enough."

Yi Yang picked up the three tokens on the table, flipped them over one by one to look at the names on the back, and said casually:

"What's the rush?"

"These three heads will be attached to their necks for now."

He put the token back in its place and turned to walk out the door.

"It's time to solve Ding Xiang's case."

As Yi Yang walked away, Pei Zongyue, whose expression had been calm, whispered:

"Could he have actually found out something?"