Chapter 65: Law Enforcement Hall

Feng Qian took the initiative to speak, a trace of unquestionable firmness in his tone: "People from the Great Tang and the Academy recently arrived to investigate the bloodshed at the Lin family estate ten years ago. They are in the Enforcement Hall right now, and we hope you will cooperate with our investigation."

Lin Fei nodded gently, his expression calm and unruffled. His composure was not without reason.

He had long since prepared himself mentally, though he had not expected the investigation to arrive so swiftly.

A youth with a cold expression stood beside Feng Qian. He let out a cold snort, his tone brimming with disdain: "Feigning composure, courting death! Now, even if you grew wings, you'd find it hard to escape!"

Lin Fei’s gaze swept over the youth, vaguely finding him somewhat familiar.

Suddenly, a crisp, sharp sound shattered the silence.

The youth casually tossed a pair of rust-covered iron chains onto the ground, his face plastered with contempt: "Put these on and follow us to the Enforcement Hall!"

Seeing this, Feng Qian did not speak, though a flicker of displeasure crossed his eyes.

A device like iron chains was typically reserved for the most heinous criminals, bearing a meaning of humiliation far greater than any practical restraint.

Yet, he remained silent.

For the youth was named Feng Yu, and he was Feng Ning's biological younger brother.

Feng Yu was usually arrogant and conceited. Clearly, bearing a grudge because Feng Ning had been severely injured by Lin Fei, he was intentionally using this method to exact revenge.

Lin Fei’s gaze did not linger on the iron chains. He said indifferently, "Lead the way."

Feng Qian nodded and was about to speak when he was interrupted by a sharp voice.

"Did you not hear what I said?" Feng Yu's voice was filled with the anger of being ignored. His face was gloomy, and his tone carried obvious displeasure.

As if he had not heard, Lin Fei walked past Feng Yu. From beginning to end, his gaze remained as calm as water, without casting a single glance at the youth, treating him as though he were merely an unremarkable stone by the roadside.

Feng Yu instinctively moved to raise his sword-holding right hand, but Feng Qian suddenly pressed it down.

"Bah! Coward!"

Feeling the warning in Feng Qian's eyes, Feng Yu could only flick his hand away in frustration, spit on the ground, and viciously curse: "Utterly devoid of manners! Truly some mindless creature raised by a father with no mother to teach him!"

The venomous curse echoed in the air, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

Feng Qian furrowed his brows slightly, and those around them unconsciously took a deep breath, tension written across their expressions.

Having witnessed firsthand the ruthless methods Lin Fei employed during the Sword Trials, they could not help but feel a lingering sense of apprehension.

Lin Fei stopped in his tracks, slowly turning around to fix his profound, dark eyes on Feng Yu.

He suddenly smiled—a smile that sent an inexplicable sense of alarm through the assembled crowd, causing Feng Yu to instinctively take two steps back.

At that very moment, he felt a bizarre fluttering in his chest.

Then, Lin Fei took a single step forward.

Feng Qian immediately materialized in front of Feng Yu, his expression grave.

Yet, just as everyone held their breath in anticipation, Feng Yu suddenly spat a mouthful of blood. His body curved like a shrimp as if struck by an invisible, heavy hammer, and he flew backward, crashing heavily onto the ground ten meters away.

The fluctuation of spiritual energy emanated from behind them. Feng Qian turned his head with an expression of fury, which instantly gave way to an undisguised look of astonishment.

Lu Shuili stood not far away, slowly withdrawing her right hand, her expression remaining as cold as ice.

The disciples of West Ridge Mountain snapped back to their senses and glared angrily at Lu Shuili.

Feng Qian demanded in a deep voice, "Fellow disciple of the Sword Sect, why resort to such a heavy hand against Junior Brother Feng?"

"A dog's mouth cannot spit out ivory; such a creature naturally deserves a lesson."

With that, Lu Shuili swept her gaze across the crowd, raising her voice slightly as she provocatively asked, "Does anyone have an objection?"

Wherever her gaze fell, save for Feng Qian, everyone else involuntarily lowered their heads.

Lu Shuili's prestige among the disciples had long since taken root in their hearts, and at this moment, that intimidating aura was unmistakably displayed.

Feng Qian fell silent, and the courtyard descended into a heavy hush.

Lin Fei broke the silence, asking softly, "Why are you here?"

Lu Shuili turned and walked toward Lin Fei, her tone calm: "I heard about this halfway and hurried over."

Only then did Lin Fei notice that Lu Shuili had not yet changed her clothes; the hem of her robe still bore fresh stains. Clearly, she had rushed over in a hurry before she even had a chance to return to South Mi Mountain.

Lin Fei casually brushed the dust from her shoulder, gently reminding her, "Since you went back, you should have changed your clothes first."

Accepting Lin Fei's care quite naturally, Lu Shuili shook her head instead: "I wasn't at ease."

Hearing this and witnessing the intimate interaction between the two, Feng Qian could no longer suppress the emotions boiling within him. Clenching his fists tightly, he finally blurted out, "Junior Sister Shen, do you even know what he has done?"

Lu Shuili responded coldly, "What business is it of yours?"

Feng Qian wanted to say more, but Lin Fei interrupted him once again.

"Lead the way."

...

Inside the Enforcement Hall, the usual desolate chill was replaced by an unusual, tense atmosphere.

As Lin Fei stepped into the hall, he immediately felt gazes converging upon him from all directions—sharp and direct, like unsheathed swords examining him as if trying to see right through him.

Guan Shao, the Great Elder of West Ridge Mountain, sat squarely in the center. Flanking him were Gu Chuanqiong of North You Mountain and Su Yueke of South Mi Mountain, all gathered together.

With several senior elders assembled in one place, such a lineup was more than enough to demonstrate the gravity of today's matters.

No disciples were permitted to watch from within the hall; even Lu Shuili was barred outside.

The expressions of the elders were exceptionally grave, rendering the atmosphere within the hall heavy and oppressive.

On the left, a middle-aged man with the refined and gentle disposition of jade sat quietly, wearing a serene smile.

On the right, a rugged, burly man radiating the aura of the military sat expressionless. The contrast between the two was like fire and ice.

The former came from the Academy and was named Xu Tianyou; the latter came from the Great Tang frontier and was named Zhang Taitai.

The purpose of their journey here went without saying—it was for that old case that had once shaken the entire Great Tang.

Lin Fei stood in the center of the grand hall, facing everyone's gazes with poise. His figure appeared steadfast and unflinching.

"I am glad you did not choose to run."

The hall remained silent for a moment—so quiet that even the drop of a needle could be heard—until Guan Shao broke the silence with those words.

Hearing this, Lin Fei raised an eyebrow, a trace of puzzlement crossing his face.

He had never once thought of concealing this matter, nor did he harbor any intention of evading it.

He acted with an open and upright mind; as long as he believed himself to be in the right, there was no need to care about the perspectives of others.

Above all, from beginning to end, he never felt that he had done anything wrong.

Outside the hall, the air seemed to have grown thick and heavy alongside the tension within.

As the newly appointed Master of the Enforcement Hall, though Feng Qian had been excluded from participating in the interrogation, his mind was entirely elsewhere.

"I don't understand why you hold him in such high regard."

There was a hint of earnest seriousness in Feng Qian's voice: "Nor do I believe I am any less capable than him."

"You're overthinking it."

Lu Shuili looked straight ahead: "You are no match for him."

Feng Qian's expression darkened instantly.

He had once heard Lin Fei casually utter those exact same words back at Dongming Mountain.

Yet today, he had never expected to hear them once more, and from the lips of the woman he had long admired, no less.

Those few simple words struck him like a heavy hammer, allowing him to truly experience the taste of defeat.

Feng Qian's originally handsome face gradually paled, and his voice carried an unmistakable trace of desolation: "Why? Just because he defeated me and Senior Brother Feng during the Sword Trials? But if I were to try again—"

Without waiting for him to finish, Lu Shuili directly interrupted him: "If you and I were at the same realm and sparred with swords, what would the outcome be?"

Feng Qian paused, contemplating the question earnestly. After a moment, he replied thoughtfully, "Four-six. You six."

"Right now, it's three-seven."

Lu Shuili lifted her chin and fell silent for a moment before continuing, "But do you know? Over the past few months, I have sparred with him a full three thousand times. I gave it everything I had, yet the result was ten-zero."

Lu Shuili paused slightly, her tone earnest: "He takes the ten."