Chapter 30 Did Li Bazi commit suicide?

Li Pazi returned to his home in a disheveled state.

A large lump was swollen high on his forehead, rising like a little hill, appearing quite comical.

Sweat and fresh blood were mixed together; it was unknown how Li Pazi had managed to get it all over his face, making him look somewhat horrifying at first glance.

He was trembling all over, as if having an epileptic seizure.

"It's over, it's finished, I'm dead for sure." Li Pazi was a mess of tears and snot as he rummaged through cabinets and chests, packing up everything of value in his home.

Although his Family assets had long been hollowed out—in order to take revenge on Yun Bai, when he hired someone to ambush Yun Bai in the Black Prison, he had already spent most of his savings from these years.

"Yun Bai has come out, he won't possibly let me go." Li Pazi had self-awareness.

He was different from Chen Qiang; Chen Qiang was, to some extent, a wealthy playboy, while he was nothing more than a local bully and rascal in Chu Prefecture, with absolutely no background.

"Hurry and run, perhaps it's still not too late." Li Pazi grabbed his bundle and bolted out the door.

Just as he was about to leave, two burly men suddenly appeared outside the door.

He couldn't dodge in time and bumped headfirst into the arm of one of the burly men.

"Ouch!" Li Pazi fell to the ground.

He saw stars and was at a loss.

"Li Pazi, where are you going?" One of the burly men asked with an ill-intentioned smile.

"Uh, hehe, I, I'm just heading out to buy groceries." Li Pazi offered a dry, obsequious smile. "Two gentlemen, may I ask what you are looking for me for?"

"Ha, we have no business. But you are about to have some trouble."

With a single thud, from then on, Chu Prefecture was missing one rascal.

...

...

...

A side hall of the State Religion.

"What did you say? Li Pazi committed suicide?" Upon hearing the news brought by Zhang Huai, Yun Bai's brows instantly knitted together, and a nameless fire rose in his heart.

He had been called over early in the morning by Zhang Huai's urgent message, initially thinking there would be a final result regarding the investigation into the Black Prison assassination and the framing by Chen Qiang and Li Pazi, but he had not expected to hear such news.

Zhang Huai's face held a hint of helplessness and apology as he whispered, "Brother Yun Bai, calm down. The government's preliminary investigation results have concluded as such. The scene... it appears to be a death by hanging."

"Suicide?" Yun Bai was almost angered to the point of laughter. He looked sharply at Zhang Huai. "Brother Zhang, do you believe this? He failed to hire someone to kill me in the Black Prison, and instead of thinking about running away, he stayed at home to hang himself?"

This was clearly silencing a witness; it was the despicable method commonly used by the Chen Family! Yun Bai instantly understood the scheme behind it.

Once Li Pazi was dead, many leads would be broken, and all the charges could be pushed onto this rascal who could no longer defend himself.

Zhang Huai sighed and lowered his voice, "I know you don't believe it, and neither do I. But there are no signs of a struggle at the scene, and no other evidence."

"Also, regarding what you said about them framing you at the State Religion's assessment trial grounds, we sent people to investigate, but all traces at the scene had been destroyed; nothing could be seen. The trial grounds also didn't have any surveillance Formation set up..."

The trial grounds for the State Religion's entrance assessment were relatively crude; they only required the examinee to obtain a Demon Core. They didn't care at all if you killed the magical beast yourself to get it, bought it with Spirit Stones, or snatched it.

Therefore, the State Religion had only demarcated a vast wilderness area as the trial grounds and had not spent much effort setting up anything else.

Zhang Huai gestured toward the entrance of the side hall, "Patriarch Chen Sheng of the Chen Family, bringing Chen Qiang, has arrived. They are waiting outside right now, saying they want to talk to you about this matter."

Yun Bai took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart.

He knew that Zhang Huai was only a messenger and that many things were beyond his control. He wanted to see what kind of play this Chen Family could put on.

"Invite them in," Yun Bai said coldly.

Soon, the door to the side hall was pushed open. Leading the way was a man wearing brocade robes, with a scholarly appearance and a steady demeanor; it was none other than Patriarch Chen Sheng of the Chen Family. Following behind him was Chen Qiang, who still had his arm in a splint, his face somewhat pale, but his eyes carrying a hint of evasion and opportunism.

As soon as he entered, Patriarch Chen Sheng bowed, his face wearing an appropriately sorrowful and apologetic expression: "This must be young friend Yun Bai, right? I am Chen Sheng. I have failed to educate my son, causing this rebellious son Chen Qiang to be misled by others and to offend you, young friend, together with that villainous Li Pazi. Today, I have specifically brought this rebellious son to apologize!"

After speaking, he turned to the side and shouted sternly, "Rebellious son! Why don't you hurry and apologize to young friend Yun Bai!"

Chen Qiang jumped, hurriedly stepped forward, and bowed deeply to Yun Bai. His tone was feigned to be completely sincere, even carrying a hint of a crying voice:

"Brother Yun Bai, I'm sorry! I am truly sorry! It was all because I was possessed by ghosts and listened to the slanders of that scoundrel Li Pazi! He said your home had easy pickings, that's why I went."

"I really didn't know he would dare to even hire assassins to ambush you in the Black Prison!"

He raised his head, trying hard to make his eyes appear sincere and innocent: "Brother Yun Bai, that Li Pazi just saw that I had some Family assets and wanted to drag me into the water to swindle my Spirit Stones! All the bad things were planned by him alone!"

"I... I was at most just a bit greedy for small gains and poor at judging people... If I had known earlier that he was this kind of person, I wouldn't have dared to associate with him even if it killed me! Now that he knows his sins are grave and has hanged himself in atonement, it is... it is what he deserves..."

Yun Bai watched Chen Qiang's impassioned performance with cold eyes, sneering repeatedly in his heart.

This rhetoric must have been carefully prepared by the Chen Family in advance, clearing themselves completely and splashing all the dirty water onto a dead man. Li Pazi was dead, Zhao Xiang had run away, and there was no one left to verify the truth—truly a brilliant scheme!

His gaze swept over Chen Qiang's two arms, which he had severed and then reattached, and then looked at how he was standing there "completely unharmed" instead of being in prison awaiting trial. He gained a deeper understanding of the Chen Family's power in Chu Prefecture.

To be able to suppress the matter in such a short time, release a serious criminal charged with murder on bail, and even make the government quickly close the case as "suicide"... This level of influence was certainly not something he, a small Cultivator who had just joined the State Religion and had no Foundation, could compare to.

Patriarch Chen Sheng stepped forward at the right moment, his tone gentle but carrying an unquestionable implication: "Young friend Yun Bai, my rebellious son certainly has faults—poor judgment of character and impulsive actions—but he truly does not deserve to die. Li Pazi was the mastermind and main culprit, and now he has reaped what he sowed. Look, can we resolve this privately for the sake of this old man's meager face? My Chen Family will certainly give you a satisfactory compensation."

Resolve it privately? Use Spirit Stones to smooth over the fright his sister suffered, the injustice and imprisonment he endured, and that fatal assassination attempt?

Yun Bai had a foul anger pent up in his chest; he wished he could immediately draw his sword and slay this ingrate Chen Qiang. Deep down, he desperately hoped the government would thoroughly investigate and provide justice.

But he also knew that in front of the great tree that was the Chen Family, he was currently too insignificant. If he went head-to-head, it would very likely be he and his sister who suffered.

Zhang Huai's silent gaze on the side also hinted at this point—although the State Religion was transcendent, it would not easily intervene in such tangled, messy disputes between local Families, especially when there was no ironclad evidence.

In the end, reality overwhelmed impulse.

Yun Bai dug his fingernails deep into his palms, using the pain to keep himself calm. He took a deep breath and said slowly, "Do you think that because your Chen Family has taken root in Chu Prefecture for a hundred years and has a deep Foundation, you can act arrogantly and domineeringly in Chu Prefecture with no one daring to provoke you!"

The smile on Patriarch Chen Sheng's face showed a crack, but he still maintained it: "Young friend, why say such things? My Chen Family has come this time with full sincerity. Young friend, calm down and listen to me. This matter was indeed planned by that Li Pazi alone. My Chen Qiang was merely misled by treacherous words and has no major crime. If you cannot trust my Chen Family, can you not trust the government, or the State Religion?"

Yun Bai snorted coldly: "Do you think I, Yun Bai, am here to beg for food?!"

A trace of imperceptible sharpness flashed in Patriarch Chen Sheng's eyes.

Patriarch Chen Sheng saw that Yun Bai's attitude was currently tough, filled with righteous indignation, and he was extremely disgusted with the Chen Family, leaving no room for negotiation.

"If young friend Yun Bai insists on investigating, my Chen Family naturally has nothing to say and will certainly cooperate. It is just that everything must be based on evidence. If it is ultimately verified to be exactly as the government stated... at that time, I hope young friend can calm your anger and value harmony."

He paused slightly, as if after careful consideration, and proposed a seemingly compromise solution: "Since young friend has made up your mind, then let's do this. Perhaps there are indeed details in this matter that need time to be clarified. This old man proposes that ten days from now, I will host a banquet at the Wangtian Restaurant in the city. At that time, I invite you to come, and both our sides can calmly and peacefully resolve this matter once and for all."

"Both of our sides can invite friends from the military and the State Religion to be present as witnesses, ensuring we give both our families a fair explanation. These ten days can also serve as time for you, young friend, to further investigate and confirm. I wonder what you think, young friend? Please, by all means, grace us with your presence for the appointment at Wangtian Restaurant."

Yun Bai instantly understood the subtext of the Chen Family. On one hand, Patriarch Chen Sheng meant that they had already cleaned up all loose ends and were not afraid of Yun Bai finding anything. On the other hand, these ten days were also a buffer time for the Chen Family to further perfect their layout and make Yun Bai completely give up.

Yun Bai was extremely angry: "What a 'harmony brings wealth', what a Hongmen Banquet!"

He was angry at his own powerlessness, and angry at the Chen Family's use of power to oppress others.

Yun Bai was furious, his hair standing on end. He left the side hall directly, ignoring Patriarch Chen Sheng, who remained in his seat.

His chest heaved violently; that feeling of powerlessness and stifling frustration was almost going to drown him. He was clearly the victim, yet he had to play along with his enemy, and even had to accept this seemingly "fair" deal!

Power! Everything was because he was not strong enough! If he were a high-ranking member of the State Religion, or even a great expert with heaven-defying cultivation, how would the Chen Family dare to bully him like this? How would the government dare to be so perfunctory? Rules were always made by the strong for the weak to follow!

"Brother Yun Bai." Seeing his ugly expression, Zhang Huai wanted to speak up to offer a few words of comfort.

But Yun Bai suddenly raised his hand to stop him, his voice low and suppressed: "Brother Zhang, no need to say more. I understand."

He turned and left, his back resolute.