A spirit colt collapsing from illness was something Jiang Man had witnessed once before, on the day right after his wedding.
That time, Fang Yong had framed him.
Back then, Jiang Man had merely been caught in the crossfire by accident.
The root cause had been Young Master Cheng and his crowd wanting to toy with Fang Yong and make life difficult for him, using the weak period as an excuse to enjoy a good show.
As for this time...
It was almost certainly not a weak period.
Jiang Man examined the spirit colt closely. Its body was convulsing, its coat was disheveled, and its entire frame had turned dull and lusterless.
Though it resembled the earlier Tread-Flame colt, the condition was entirely different.
This colt was gasping for air, weak and short of breath. It was far more than simple physical distress; it showed every sign of poisoning.
It was definitely intentional.
Having raised horses for years, he had a fair amount of experience.
This was no place to linger.
Just as Jiang Man turned to leave, Young Master Cheng and several others suddenly arrived in haste.
"What happened?" The short Young Master Yang spotted the spirit colt on the ground right away and asked in a low voice.
At this moment, he seemed entirely reasonable and easy to talk to.
Jiang Man cast a glance their way.
Three people had come in total.
Leading them was still Cheng Moyang.
Beside him stood the short Young Master Yang.
The third person, surprisingly, was Chang Qiwen, the third-ranked disciple of the Sixth Courtyard.
The moment they arrived, Fang Yong immediately turned to Jiang Man and accused him, "Jiang Man, what did you put in the fodder?"
This time, he truly believed it.
"It has nothing to do with me," Jiang Man answered.
Young Master Yang walked over to the fodder, inspected it, and furrowed his brows. "The fodder is poisoned."
With that, he took out a talisman and slapped it onto the feed.
Sure enough, black vapor billowed from the talisman.
It really was poisoned.
He then turned to Fang Yong and said pleasantly, "Young Master Fang, this happened on your watch. You'll need to explain yourself clearly."
Hearing this, Fang Yong pointed the blame straight at Jiang Man. "Jiang Man, what else do you have to say for yourself? The fodder is from your stable, and the problem happened right here. Aren't you going to come over and apologize?"
Seeing this, Chang Qiwen, who had followed them over, looked at Fang Yong and said, "How could an apology possibly be enough? This is genuine poisoning, and the loss falls on Young Master Cheng.
"He might choose not to make a fuss, but that doesn't mean you can ignore common decency.
"Compensation must be paid.
"Besides, Young Master Fang failed to notice the problem beforehand, so he cannot escape blame either."
Saying so, he looked toward Cheng Moyang and asked, "What does Young Master Cheng think?"
Cheng Moyang looked at him with a faint smile. "Young Master Chang makes a fair point. I'll leave the matter to you to handle, then."
Hearing that, Chang Qiwen felt much more reassured. He then glared at Jiang Man. "Do you know the price of this spirit colt? Do you have any idea what price must be paid for poisoning one?
"Even if you raise horses for a lifetime, you wouldn't be able to afford one of Young Master Cheng's saddles."
Jiang Man looked at him. "Why does Young Master Chang assume this has anything to do with me?"
"If it has nothing to do with you, what did you come over for?" Chang Qiwen retorted, staring at Jiang Man. "If you didn't harm it, why did it collapse at your stable instead of someone else's?"
Jiang Man frowned. This was simply picking a fight without reason.
Even Fang Yong wasn't quite this obnoxious.
"I'm just a stable hand. Could I afford poison?" Jiang Man countered.
"Isn't someone grooming you? Perhaps you wheedled the poison out of her?" Chang Qiwen paused, then continued, "Besides, the facts are right before us. The spirit colt met with misfortune at your stall, and your fodder was tainted. Who else could it be?
"Young Master Cheng hasn't even said anything yet, and you're already shirking responsibility.
"Is this your attitude toward admitting your wrongdoing?"
With that, he stepped forward, about to strike.
Yet he hesitated slightly and glanced back at Young Master Cheng and the others.
Seeing this, Young Master Yang smiled and said, "Be bold. After all, we're only seeking justice. If any trouble arises, it's on me."
Only then did Chang Qiwen cast aside his reservations. He took another step forward and turned his gaze toward Fang Yong. "Young Master Fang, you bear responsibility this time as well. Shouldn't you make the culprit provide some justice?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he circulated the Divine Travel Step, and the Six Harmonies Palm followed right after.
He struck toward Jiang Man.
Six great palm prints formed around them, cutting off Jiang Man's retreat.
Jiang Man was speechless.
With the qualification contest right around the corner, fighting here would result in disqualification.
He spoke up immediately to warn him.
Yet Chang Qiwen sneered in disdain. "With Young Master Cheng here, that's not an issue. You will never understand how vast the gulf between yourself and Young Master Cheng truly is."
Facing the attack, Jiang Man channeled the Six Harmonies Palm, and six palm prints similarly manifested around him to meet it.
As the palm prints collided, Chang Qiwen closed the distance, circulating the Three Powers Force to launch another strike.
Jiang Man evaded with the Divine Travel Step, but he was quickly forced back.
Against someone at the Qi-Linking sixth layer, a direct confrontation was simply impossible.
Their Qi-Linking Method was the same, their Qi and Blood Method was the same, and their spells were the same.
Yet his level was inferior to his opponent's.
He was entirely suppressed.
It was practically an insult to the title of peerless prodigy.
"Teacher Zhao!" Jiang Man suddenly called out, looking behind Chang Qiwen.
Taken aback, Chang Qiwen turned around.
There was no sign of Zhao Leming behind him.
Realizing he had been tricked, he whipped his head back, only to see Jiang Man fleeing swiftly with the Divine Travel Step.
Without hesitation, he gave chase immediately.
The other man's cultivation was lower than his; he would catch up in no time.
Watching the figures vanish into the distance, Young Master Yang looked toward Fang Yong. "Young Master Fang, don't you plan to catch the poisoner and bring him back? Or could it be that you were the one who poisoned the beast?"
Hearing that, Fang Yong immediately replied, "I'll go drag him back right now."
Once Fang Yong hurried after them, Young Master Yang chuckled. "When poor people run into trouble like this, they truly do nothing but shirk blame, even turning on each other without hesitation.
"Dignity is hardly as important as escaping compensation."
Cheng Moyang watched the pursuing Chang Qiwen and remarked, "Young Master Chang seems a bit overly eager."
"Isn't that perfectly normal?" Young Master Yang said with a chuckle. "To perform before Young Master Cheng—how many people would jump at the chance?"
Cheng Moyang paid it no mind and said with a smile, "Those three will likely be locked up. We probably won't see them for the next few months. Let's head back."
Young Master Yang remarked with regret, "Just like that, we're down three amusing poor folk. A pity, especially since they're from the same courtyard.
"We'll just have to wait until they get out to let them know that, if not for Young Master Cheng, they would have been expelled straight from the Yunqian Division."
Afterward, the two called someone over to take the spirit colt away.
As for Jiang Man and the other two, they no longer gave them a second thought.
Fighting recklessly within the Yunqian Division brought punishment, and erasing such a penalty required no small price.
They certainly wouldn't go that far for a couple of poor folk.
Meanwhile.
Jiang Man ran frantically into the Guard Post.
And so, Jiang Man, who was fleeing, Chang Qiwen, who was pursuing, and Fang Yong, who had joined halfway, were all taken into custody.
At the Law Enforcement Office.
The three of them were detained separately and interrogated.
"So you poisoned the spirit colt?" the interrogator asked disdainfully.
Being poor was nothing, but what they despised most were those lacking a spine.
"It wasn't me," Jiang Man answered.
"Yet they both claim it was you."
"Are they necessarily right?"
"Then how can you be sure it wasn't you?"
Jiang Man fell silent for a moment before asking, "Will you conduct an investigation?"
"If you deny it, we will naturally investigate," the interrogator said.
"How long will the investigation take?" Jiang Man asked.
"About three months. This matter will conclude within three months. If you deny it and we find no direct evidence in our investigation, we will naturally clear your name," the interrogator stated.
"Can I leave this place during those three months?" Jiang Man asked again.
"Naturally not," the interrogator replied.
Jiang Man was speechless.
Chapter 29