Imperial Cultivation

As he saw it, the matter at hand should be dealt with by direct arrests, without any politeness. They should be apprehended and severely punished to deter them from future transgressions.

Having never experienced the dungeons of the Town Protectorate or its tortures, they were ignorant of the fact that even death was a luxury, a stroke of good fortune.

If they had families, they were easy to manipulate. If they were alone, then heavy penalties and severe punishments were in order.

Their fearlessness was only temporary. Once the initial fervor subsided, they would be filled with dread. It was necessary to amplify that dread, to ensure they never dared to act recklessly again.

Chu Zhiyuan rose from his seat and descended the steps, pacing with his hands clasped behind his back.

"My lord, we must make the arrests swiftly," Gao Lingfeng urged. "Lest complications arise."

Chu Zhiyuan glanced at him: "No need to rush."

Gao Lingfeng hastily added: "If we delay, I fear they will escape."

If Bai Jingrong were to regret his actions after leaving, he might preemptively alert them, allowing these individuals to slip away.

"If they can escape on their own, it would actually save us trouble."

Gao Lingfeng was taken aback.

He then said helplessly: "My lord, this is a momentous event, an earth-shattering matter. Are we simply going to let them off so easily?"

Chu Zhiyuan smiled.

For the Town Protectorate, capturing these individuals was not difficult. Although they were new arrivals to Jade Capital, they could not evade the Protectorate's surveillance.

Moreover, the Town Protectorate was now teeming with experts, making their capture as easy as reaching into a bag.

After all, those on the list were all known figures. Those lacking sufficient cultivation were not qualified to participate, ensuring the Town Protectorate would capture each one with certainty.

"My— Lord—"

Gao Lingfeng grew increasingly anxious as he saw him still procrastinating.

Every minute wasted increased the likelihood of someone escaping.

Chu Zhiyuan returned to his seat behind the desk, then leaned back into his armchair, slowly saying: "Forget it."

"My lord?" Gao Lingfeng was stunned.

Chu Zhiyuan said: "Expel these people from Jade Capital."

Gao Lingfeng was utterly astonished: "Expel them?!"

Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

Gao Lingfeng quickly said: "My lord, please reconsider!"

"Master Gao, must we necessarily apprehend them?"

"If we don't imprison them in the Town Protectorate's dungeons, how can we disrupt their plans? Furthermore, their audacity in disregarding the imperial court warrants a lesson!"

"Bringing them in is easy, but how would we release them?" Chu Zhiyuan shook his head. "Accuse them of crimes without evidence?"

Gao Lingfeng quickly said: "But they secretly formed an alliance to assassinate the Great Zhen envoy."

"They merely formed an alliance but took no action. Moreover, Bai Jingrong would never testify against them. These people fear death, but would they stand up to accuse others?"

"Under torture, they will confess!"

"Confessions under torture are not credible," Chu Zhiyuan said. "How would outsiders view it? Killing the chicken to scare the monkey, condemning them on trumped-up charges."

"This—"

Gao Lingfeng frowned.

The martial world both feared and resented the Town Protectorate, inclined to interpret its actions with the utmost malice. They would likely think that way.

Many people would probably applaud and praise this as a brilliant move.

Chu Zhiyuan said: "Expelling them from Jade Capital disrupts the assassination plot and also intimidates them, letting them know the Town Protectorate's reach is extensive."

"Then they will be more cautious and secretive in the future."

"Haunted by suspicion, hesitant and indecisive, they will find it harder to succeed."

After all, they were all experts, each with their own arrogance and distinct personality. This alliance they formed was like a sheet of loose sand, a mere rabble.

With hesitation and suspicion added, it would be even harder to accomplish anything.

The Minister would never be angry; on the contrary, he would be pleased.

Fewer matters meant fewer troubles.

This was what officials liked most.

"...—Yes," Gao Lingfeng reluctantly clasped his fist.

Chu Zhiyuan said: "Please ask Hall Master Huang to come and speak with me."

"Yes," Gao Lingfeng clasped his fist and left.

Chu Zhiyuan picked up the list, examining the names of the one hundred and sixty-four fearless individuals. If these people joined the army on the border, they would be of great help to the military.

But they had not gone. They were not afraid of death, but they did not want to endure the harsh military life, unable to withstand the rules of the army.

Among those on the list, who were the leaders?

The key was to capture the leader first. Subduing the leader would render the others insignificant.

The first few names on the list were likely the ones.

Martial artists forming an alliance often revered the strong. By having Huang Shirong and the others clarify who was strong and who was weak, it would become clear.

Huang Shirong quickly appeared in his room at the Ministry of Rites.

Accompanying her were Wen Qianqian and Xu Mengyu.

Wearing a yellow dress, the long sword at her waist made one worry that it would break her slender waist. Her expression was calm and serious.

Wen Qianqian's charming face and Xu Mengyu's delicate face were both tense.

"Young Master," Huang Shirong greeted Chu Zhiyuan, who stood up to welcome her at the door, clasping her fist and saying solemnly: "What happened?"

If it was not a major matter, she would not have been invited to the Ministry of Rites.

Chu Zhiyuan handed over the list.

Huang Shirong glanced at it, her delicate eyebrows quickly rising as she read more attentively. After finishing the entire list, she raised her head and said: "This list is—?"

"Does Hall Master recognize these people?"

"...—They are all experts," Huang Shirong nodded. "Among them are nine Grandmasters, and the rest are all experts in the Acquired Realm."

This list was already superior to that of ordinary large sects.

The True One Sect and Earth Sect were considered large sects with considerable strength, but they only had four or five Grandmasters. The Flying Flower Sword Sect, also a major local sect, had only three or four Grandmasters.

A Grandmaster could dominate a region, but they appeared more numerous and less valuable in Jade Capital.

Moreover, even ordinary Heavenly Sects did not have so many Acquired experts.

Acquired experts were the backbone of a sect, and ordinary large sects were far from having so many.

Chu Zhiyuan then explained what they intended to do.

Huang Shirong, Wen Qianqian, and Xu Mengyu all had drastic changes in expression.

If such a thing were to happen, it would be a serious dereliction of duty for the Town Protectorate.

Even if the Town Protectorate ultimately stopped them, preventing casualties to the Great Zhen envoy, it would still be a dereliction of duty.

They never imagined that an alliance had been formed under their noses, and an alliance of so many people at that.

"There must be a sufficiently powerful figure coordinating!" Huang Shirong immediately realized the key.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

He had also made this judgment.

He suspected it was the Moon Invitation Palace, but without evidence, he could not speak recklessly.

Huang Shirong frowned and pondered: "These fellows are truly unafraid of death. With the Frostscale Iron Cavalry of Great Zhen, how could they assassinate them!"

"Having not personally experienced the Frostscale Iron Cavalry, they always feel it is an exaggeration," Chu Zhiyuan said.

If he did not have super-perception and could not see the strangeness of the Frostscale Iron Cavalry, he would probably have the same thoughts as these martial artists, believing that the world exaggerated the Frostscale Iron Cavalry.

How could there be invincible cavalry? It was merely a coincidence or the incompetence of the Great Jing cavalry.

Now that King Ying had also upgraded the Wind Chasing Iron Cavalry, wasn't it comparable to the Frostscale Iron Cavalry?

"Young Master, this matter must be reported to the Middle Division Master, even the Division Director," Huang Shirong said solemnly. "Involving so many Grandmasters and Acquired experts requires mobilizing a large number of experts within the Division. I, as a Hall Master, do not have the authority."

Chu Zhiyuan smiled: "Precisely. However, my proposal is to expel them from Jade Capital, not to arrest them."

Huang Shirong was taken aback, her bright eyes flashing.

She quickly pondered the reason for Chu Zhiyuan's decision, why he did not directly arrest them, but instead directly expelled them, as if he were perfunctorily handling the matter.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled as he looked at her.

With Huang Shirong's intelligence, it would not be difficult to understand.

"Young Master, are we just driving them away?" Wen Qianqian could not help but say: "Wouldn't it be safest to catch them and put them in prison?

If we don't want to punish them severely, we can lightly punish them afterward and then release them."

Xu Mengyu softly said: "If we drive them away, wouldn't they form an alliance outside the city and then intercept and kill the Great Zhen envoy on the way?"

"If they are outside the city, the Imperial Guards will handle it," Chu Zhiyuan said.

The two women exchanged glances, not expecting him to answer that way.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and glanced at the two women, looking at Huang Shirong.

Huang Shirong nodded lightly: "I will report to the Middle Division Master."

Chu Zhiyuan smiled: "Thank you. —By the way, the employer of He Jiuji must continue to be investigated until the employer is found."

"I will report to the Middle Division Master," Huang Shirong said.

If it were not for Chu Zhiyuan's keenness in obtaining this list, the Town Protectorate would have faced great trouble this time.

Chu Zhiyuan had once again helped greatly and made a great contribution.

Continuing to investigate the employer behind He Jiuji was also very troublesome.

It required mobilizing stronger forces, higher-level forces, and even asking a Grandmaster to take action.