10: Law Enforcement Hall

“Is Lu Chen here?”

A solemn voice suddenly sounded from outside the courtyard, clearly entering the yard.

Lu Chen was slightly surprised.

The voice was very unfamiliar; it wasn't any of the Disciples who entered the Sect with him, nor was it the Transmission Elder, nor was it Deacons Zhou Song or Hu Tai. Who else would be looking for him?

Stepping out of the house and opening the courtyard gate, Lu Chen saw two young cultivators.

The young man in front had a bronze complexion, was extremely sturdy, nearly two meters tall, and exceptionally imposing.

The young man behind him had a cold, sharp face with thin lips, appearing very unapproachable.

More importantly, these two had very high cultivation Realms. Lu Chen, being at the Nerve-Gathering Later Stage, couldn't see through their Realms at all. They were at least at the peak of the Spirit Transformation Realm, or even beyond the Spirit Transformation Realm!

Inner Sect Disciple, and the strong kind within the Inner Sect!

“Law Enforcement Hall business,” the tall, bronze-skinned young man in front said in a booming voice, showing his Law Enforcement Hall identity token: “Are you Lu Chen?”

Why would the Law Enforcement Hall look for me?

This thought flashed through Lu Chen's mind, and he replied, “That's right.”

“News from the Internal Affairs Hall says you were still at the peak of the Qi Condensation Middle Stage yesterday. How did you enter the Nerve-Gathering Later Stage today?” The tall, sturdy young Disciple asked, his eyes scrutinizing, as if wanting to see Lu Chen inside and out.

This tone and attitude? Did something happen?

Lu Chen's heart stirred slightly, but he didn't panic: “I was only a step away from a Breakthrough anyway, so I naturally broke through.”

The tall, sturdy young Disciple's tone suddenly shifted: “Did you go to Twilight Mountain yesterday?”

Lu Chen: “I accepted the Blood Savage Rhino Horn mission at the Internal Affairs Hall, so I did go.”

“Did you see Outer Sect Disciple Ma Qi, Lu Bozhong, and Yu Xiaoxuan?” A jade talisman appeared in the young Disciple's palm. He swiped it, and light and shadow emerged, showing three ethereal figures. They were indeed Ma Qi, Lu Bozhong, and Yu Xiaoxuan, the three Lu Chen had seen on Twilight Mountain.

Did these three guys cause some trouble on Twilight Mountain?!

And drag me into it?

Lu Chen answered truthfully: “I did see them once.”

After a pause, Lu Chen still asked: “Did the three of them violate Sect rules?”

The tall, sturdy young Disciple waved his hand and put away the jade talisman. His highly aggressive gaze swept back and forth over Lu Chen for a long time. After a while, he asked in a deep voice: “You truly don't know?”

Lu Chen: “I don't know.”

“They're dead! All three, not one missing, all died on Twilight Mountain, their bones gone!” The tall, sturdy young Law Enforcement Hall Disciple stared intently at Lu Chen: “And you are the only Disciple who went up Twilight Mountain yesterday and saw the three of them.”

Dead?

So the Law Enforcement Hall Disciples suspected him of killing Ma Qi and the other two!

Lu Chen's mind suddenly went blank. Why would they be dead? They clearly came down the mountain yesterday...

Wait, those few poachers that Ma Qi and the others ran into?

Lu Chen suddenly looked up: “When I came down the mountain yesterday, I heard Ma Qi and the others say they caught a few rogue cultivators poaching on Twilight Mountain.”

“Rogue cultivators poaching on Twilight Mountain?” The tall, sturdy Law Enforcement Hall Disciple's gaze swept over Lu Chen, and finally he waved his hand: “You are not to leave the Sect in the next few days. Once this matter is investigated, your innocence and freedom will naturally be returned to you.”

There are Elders in the Sect who are skilled in divination and calculation. They can use this to deduce, and there will be a result soon.

As they turned to leave, the two Law Enforcement Hall Disciples suddenly stopped. The cold, thin-lipped Disciple who hadn't spoken until now turned back and asked: “Is Junior Brother Lu a new Disciple who joined a month ago?”

“That's right,” Lu Chen nodded in response.

“In less than two months, you're already at the Nerve-Gathering Later Stage. It seems Junior Brother Lu will likely enter the Inner Sect soon!” That Disciple praised, then gradually walked away, leaving only a light voice drifting back: “If the matter of Ma Qi and the others' demise is unrelated to Junior Brother Lu, you can choose to cultivate on Mingjing Peak when you enter the Inner Sect in the future. The Grand Elder of Mingjing Peak heads the Law Enforcement Hall and holds considerable weight within the Sect.”

Lu Chen watched the two Law Enforcement Hall Disciples walk away, feeling that something wasn't right!

“Could these two guys have just come to persuade me to join the Law Enforcement Hall on Mingjing Peak?!”

First, show off the prestige of the Law Enforcement Hall Disciples, let Lu Chen see the benefits of joining the Law Enforcement Hall, and finally extend an invitation?

This... is this a tactic?

Forget it, no matter how much I think about it, cultivating properly and striving to break through to the Spirit Transformation Realm as soon as possible is the important thing.

…………

On the mountain path, the two Law Enforcement Hall Disciples, who had already left Lu Chen's small courtyard far behind, stopped in unison. The coldness and seriousness on their faces instantly faded, replaced by light laughter.

“Senior apprentice-brother Zhong Yi, do you think this worked?” The thin-lipped, cold young Disciple 'Zhang Bingsong' asked with a smile.

The tall, sturdy young Disciple 'Zhong Yi' grinned: “In my opinion, there's a good chance.”

“Inner Sect Disciples from the other peaks are naturally weaker by three points in front of our Mingjing Peak Law Enforcement Hall. Junior Brother Lu Chen clearly felt this deeply just now, and you extended an invitation to him when you left. I don't believe he isn't tempted.”

“Thinking back to when I was still in the Outer Sect, I was extremely envious of the prestige of the Mingjing Peak Law Enforcement Hall Senior apprentice-brothers.”

Originally, they were just going through the motions investigating the deaths of Ma Qi and the other two. It would be best if they could find something, but if not, they would ultimately need to find the Law Enforcement Hall Elders skilled in divination and deduction to take action.

They just didn't expect that their investigation at the Outer Sect Internal Affairs Hall would lead them to Lu Chen, and what surprised them even more was that this Lu Chen was a new Disciple who had been in the Sect for less than two months.

But his strength was not weak at all. He had not only comprehended Sword Intent, but his Realm had also entered the peak of the Qi Condensation Middle Stage. Such cultivation progress was extremely rare.

For a Disciple with such obvious talent, they naturally had to bring him into their own Mingjing Peak!

Thus came the scene where they questioned Lu Chen just now.

They certainly knew that the matter of Ma Qi and the others being silenced likely had nothing to do with Lu Chen.

Firstly, Lu Chen didn't know Ma Qi and the others before. Secondly, if Lu Chen had really killed three Outer Sect Disciples and still dared to appear openly in the Outer Sect, wouldn't his guts be too big?

Or rather, was he looking down on the Elders' divination and deduction techniques?

Of course, it doesn't matter if this matter is unrelated to Lu Chen. What matters is that this opportunity can be used to let Lu Chen see the weight of the Mingjing Peak Law Enforcement Hall Disciples, planting a seed in Lu Chen's heart that the Mingjing Peak Law Enforcement Hall holds a transcendent status.

This way, when Lu Chen enters the Inner Sect later, he will likely prioritize Mingjing Peak.

Two birds with one stone, perfect.

However, Zhong Yi and Zhang Bingsong evidently didn't realize that Lu Chen was not some simple young man who didn't understand tactics. He was far from lacking in shrewdness, and Lu Chen had already seen through their little trick for the most part.

…………