Not allowed to leave for three months.
How was that any different from executing him?
"Fists were thrown, so this is no longer a simple matter," the interrogator said.
Jiang Man felt utterly helpless. "They were the ones who attacked. I was only defending myself."
"And what about the spirit colt?" the interrogator countered.
Jiang Man fell silent. They were running in circles again.
The interrogator looked at him. "To be honest, if you have someone backing you, you might as well call them in and give it a try."
Jiang Man understood. The man was giving him an opening to flash his background.
Unfortunately, he had no such backing.
After a brief hesitation, something came to mind.
Drawing it out, he asked, "Will this work?"
The interrogator took Jiang Man's token, his expression puzzled. "What is this thing? Don't make me show it to the steward only to get chewed out."
Jiang Man slipped him another ten spirit sources.
At that, the interrogator immediately put on a solemn, upright face. "If you had something like this, you should have brought it out earlier. I'll go look for our steward."
Jiang Man was speechless.
Once the man left, Jiang Man reviewed the day's events.
He had the distinct feeling that Chang Qiwen had targeted him intentionally.
Qi-Linking sixth layer, ranked third in the courtyard.
Chang Qiwen possessed the qualifications to compete for the top two spots.
Why would he resort to throwing punches directly? He was not like Song Qing, driven into a corner where his only option was scrambling to become someone's guard.
Fang Yong, on the other hand, had held back and deliberately trailed behind.
That was normal behavior.
Still, Jiang Man needed to take a lesson from today.
The next time a spirit colt collapsed, he had to flee the scene immediately.
Only then could he steer clear of trouble.
While Jiang Man was still lost in thought, the interrogator returned.
Approaching Jiang Man, his demeanor was entirely transformed from before. Beaming warmly, he said, "Young Master Jiang, it was all a misunderstanding! If you had told me earlier that you had such a mysterious background, you wouldn't have had to sit here at all."
With that, he stepped closer and surreptitiously returned the ten spirit sources. "We're all on the same side. No need to treat me like a stranger over something like this."
Jiang Man looked at the returned spirit sources, somewhat surprised. "You should still keep it. Even brothers keep clear accounts."
The interrogator offered an awkward smile and handed over another ten spirit sources. "No need to settle accounts; we're on the same side!"
Jiang Man pocketed the spirit sources and smiled along. "I'll defer to your judgment, Brother Daoist."
He then asked, "So, may I leave now?"
"You may. However, an official conclusion hasn't been reached yet. It will take three months at most," the interrogator said after a moment's thought. "If the other party insists on compensation, it might still cause some trouble."
"I have to pay compensation?" Jiang Man asked.
"Hard to say. It all depends on the findings of the investigation," the interrogator replied.
Pausing briefly, Jiang Man inquired about the other two.
The interrogator saw no reason to hide it. "Fang Yong has already left. The other one, Chang Qiwen, is still locked up."
Jiang Man was puzzled.
Why had Fang Yong been released?
Hadn't they said everyone had to wait three months?
The interrogator merely offered a knowing smile.
Jiang Man understood. Fang Yong's situation was likely similar to his own.
Either he had paid a substantial sum of spirit sources, or someone had pulled strings for him.
Moreover, Fang Yong's situation was far milder; he had merely followed behind without lifting a hand.
Getting him out cost very little.
For Chang Qiwen, the price was considerably steeper.
As for whether Young Master Yang and his peers would bother bailing Chang Qiwen out, Jiang Man considered it impossible.
After leaving the Law Enforcement Office, Jiang Man went to purchase pills.
Then he returned to his residence.
He skipped the courtyard entirely; after all, word had already been sent when they were arrested.
"The poison in the fodder was planted by Young Master Yang's subordinate," the old yellow ox said.
Taken aback, Jiang Man asked, "Brother Ox, you saw it?"
"No," the old yellow ox replied, shaking its head. "I smelled a familiar scent."
"I find this entire affair rather strange," Jiang Man mused. "Under normal circumstances, with the three of us locked up, none of us would be able to compete for the spots.
"That doesn't benefit Young Master Cheng and his clique in the slightest.
"Why would they go to so much trouble?"
Jiang Man pondered it further. The ones apprehended were the second and third rankers of the Sixth Courtyard, along with its biggest dark horse.
If all three were stripped of their qualifications to compete, who stood to gain the most?
The fourth ranker, Cheng Yu.
Thinking back, all Jiang Man could recall about Cheng Yu was that she was lively, cheerful, and radiated a sunny, generous disposition—she did not seem like someone who would secretly plot behind the scenes.
Jiang Man shook his head.
Regardless, the ultimate beneficiary was Cheng Yu.
On that point alone, he could not afford to let his guard down around her.
Cheng Yu and Cheng Moyang—perhaps there was a connection between them.
Could someone who stood to gain so directly truly be entirely innocent of scheming?
Jiang Man refused to believe it.
Afterward, he prepared to cultivate.
Only about ten days remained until the hundred-day mark.
He had to secure the Visualization Method this time around.
Now that he had used the token, he had to achieve an exceptional score.
Otherwise, being eliminated would mean immense trouble.
Jiang Man spent the entire night cultivating, absorbing the medicinal potency of the Spirit Gathering Pills.
By dawn, the sixth "gourd" was finally opened.
All at once, he felt the gourd grow noticeably heavier. Furthermore, the spiritual qi circulating through his body felt significantly denser.
A casual strike from him now carried tremendous force.
This was the direct result of the spiritual qi's intrinsic weight.
Afterward, he attempted to unleash the Six Harmonies Palm, then circulated the Divine Travel Step.
From this, he arrived at a realization.
Yesterday, Chang Qiwen had held back.
He had intentionally slowed his pace to wait for Fang Yong.
Otherwise, Jiang Man's dash to the Guard Post would have been far more disheveled.
So Chang Qiwen's original aim had been to drag them down together and ensure they were all arrested.
Not only that, brawling recklessly on Yunqian Division grounds could directly strip them of their qualification to contend for the spots.
As to whether Chang Qiwen still held that qualification, Jiang Man did not know.
Regardless, he was determined to claim the top spot in the Sixth Courtyard today.
If he did not take first place, he feared being filtered out by the sect.
If he failed to obtain the superior-grade Visualization Method, he would never have another chance to claim first place in the future.
So even if he had to conceal his strength, he could not hide too much.
Whether it was Luo Xuan, Fang Yong, or Cheng Yu lurking in the shadows—
This time, Jiang Man intended to suppress them all.
After mucking out the stable, Jiang Man finally set out for the Sixth Courtyard.
This time, he took a careful look around the stable, thoroughly prepared to make a run for it at the first sign of trouble.
Fortunately, nothing happened.
Though the old yellow ox mocked him for his paranoia, he paid it no mind.
Inside the Sixth Courtyard.
Little fatty looked surprised upon spotting Jiang Man. "Brother Jiang, why are you here? Weren't you detained?"
Jiang Man looked at him and said, "I'm out again."
"How did you get out?" Little fatty pondered for a moment before asking, "Did Luo Xuan bail you out? Becoming her guard is fine and all, but it still feels like a pity.
"If you weren't a guard, it would be much easier for me to put in a good word for you back home."
Jiang Man offered an enigmatic smile. "Don't worry. When the rankings come out on the seventeenth, you'll have plenty to say."
Hearing that, little fatty perked up with delight. "Brother Jiang, is your rank going to jump? Can you reach the top ten?"
Jiang Man considered it briefly, then shook his head. "Tenth won't do."
"Tenth won't do?" Little fatty looked disappointed once more. "Well, eleventh or twelfth is still fine. That's plenty impressive, just not jaw-dropping.
"Do you need any more pills? I still have some."
Jiang Man shook his head; he did not need them for now.
He would wait until he passed the hurdle of the prodigy fate before deciding.
Otherwise, racking up too large a debt to little fatty might leave him with no way to repay it.
Before long, everyone from the Sixth Courtyard had assembled.
Fang Yong and Jiang Man's return came as a surprise to the others.
"Earlier, everyone was discussing how Young Master Fang could have been arrested when he's an esteemed young master, and how you were arrested despite being a guard groomed by Luo Xuan,
"Now everyone's convinced: Young Master Fang really is Young Master Fang, you really are backed by Luo Xuan, and Chang Qiwen is the only one who's genuinely destitute," little fatty remarked.
Jiang Man had no words.
All three of them had seemingly come from impoverished backgrounds.
He could not be certain about Fang Yong's exact circumstances, of course.
Yet in the eyes of Young Master Cheng and his crowd, Fang Yong was undoubtedly just as destitute as he was.
Chapter 30