36: Who put this storage ring on me?!

Soon, the Law Enforcement Hall Disciples arrived.

Three people came, led by a middle-aged Cultivator with a rigid face and a cultivation of Foundation Establishment Level 4.

After understanding the situation, the middle-aged Cultivator's brow furrowed.

This matter involved an outside guest as well as fellow Disciples, and it had caused quite a stir, making it rather tricky.

He first looked at Wang Ming. "You say they took one thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones from you. Do you have any evidence?"

Wang Ming shook his head. "No, but the Spirit Stones were indeed lost in my room, and they have been inside. I request a search of their storage Magical Artifacts."

The middle-aged Cultivator then looked at the Horse-faced Man and his companion.

The Horse-faced Man immediately puffed out his chest. "We are willing to accept a search! An upright man does not fear his own shadow!"

As he spoke, he voluntarily handed over his Storage Pouch, and his companion did the same.

The middle-aged Cultivator took them, probed them with his Divine Sense in front of everyone, and then took out the items inside one by one to display them.

Some Medicinal Pills, Talismans, a few Low-Grade Spirit Stones, a Disciple token... miscellaneous items that were clear at a glance.

There was no sign of the one thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones at all.

"Nothing," the middle-aged Cultivator announced the result, looking at Wang Ming. "The one thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones you mentioned were not found. What else do you have to say?"

The Horse-faced Man and his companion immediately looked at Wang Ming provocatively.

"Well? Did you find anything? Qingxin Palace is a place that follows the law! It's not a place where you can just make things up and slander people as you please!"

The Horse-faced Man snorted coldly and cupped his fists to the Law Enforcement Hall Cultivator. "Senior Brother, according to the sect rules, this should count as a false report to the Law Enforcement Hall, right? Shouldn't we..."

Before he could finish, Wang Ming spoke up. "Just because they aren't in these two storage pouches doesn't mean they don't have... other storage Magical Artifacts on them."

After saying that, he remained calm and, using his overwhelming Divine Sense, secretly placed a Storage Ring onto the Horse-faced Man.

The Horse-faced Man scoffed.

For ordinary Inner Sect Disciples like them, it was already good enough to have a Storage Pouch. Where would they get other storage Magical Artifacts?

"Hmph! Stubborn to the end!" the Horse-faced Man volunteered. "Senior Brother, feel free to search! Search our persons! See if we have any other storage Magical Artifacts hidden! If you find anything, I'll accept the consequences!"

The middle-aged Cultivator frowned but stepped forward as requested.

He first searched the Horse-faced Man's companion, finding nothing other than that Storage Pouch.

Then, he walked up to the Horse-faced Man.

The Horse-faced Man spread his arms, telling him to search as he pleased.

The middle-aged Cultivator searched carefully, his hands feeling around the waist, cuffs, and chest... suddenly, his movements paused.

His fingers felt a ring-shaped object on the inside of the Horse-faced Man's belt at the small of his back.

The Horse-faced Man felt his lower back being touched. He was first confused, but then an ominous premonition suddenly surged in his heart!

Something was wrong!

When did... something extra get into his belt?!

Before he could react, the middle-aged Cultivator hooked his finger.

A simple-looking black ring was pulled out from the inside of his belt.

The ring was pitch black all over and had no spiritual energy fluctuations; it looked like an ordinary piece of jewelry.

But as soon as the middle-aged Cultivator's Divine Sense swept over it, his expression changed immediately!

There were faint spatial fluctuations inside this ring!

And the space was not small!

"This... what is this?! Who put this Storage Ring on me!" When the Horse-faced Man saw that black ring, his face instantly turned as pale as paper!

This ring... was not his at all!

He had never seen it before!

"A Storage Ring," the middle-aged Cultivator said in a heavy voice, his eyes sharp as he looked at the Horse-faced Man. "Why do you have another storage Magical Artifact hidden on you? And hidden so deeply?"

"No! This isn't mine! I don't know! I've never seen this thing before!"

The Horse-faced Man shouted in terror, "Someone is framing me! Someone must have put it on me when I wasn't paying attention! Senior Brother, please investigate clearly!"

The middle-aged Cultivator didn't listen to his explanation at all. His powerful Divine Sense directly broke through the Restriction on the Storage Ring and probed inside.

And then.

Not knowing what he saw, his pupils constricted suddenly.

Without a word, he abruptly tilted the Storage Ring!

Crash—!!!

Dazzling light burst forth once again!

A large number of Low-Grade Spirit Stones poured out from the ring!

Not a single one more, not a single one less.

Exactly one thousand!

The entire scene fell into a deathly silence.

The middle-aged Law Enforcement Cultivator took a deep breath, his face ashen. "Caught red-handed with the stolen goods!"

"Take them away!"

"Hand them over to the Punishment Hall for strict interrogation!"

The other two Law Enforcement Disciples stepped forward and, without another word, restrained the Horse-faced Man and his companion, who had collapsed onto the ground.

Wang Ming looked at the two being dragged away, his face still devoid of any expression.

He just lightly leaned over and collected his Spirit Stones again.

Then, he nodded to the middle-aged Law Enforcement Cultivator as a gesture of acknowledgment.

He turned around and walked back to his guest room.

Once again, with a bang, he closed the door... Inside Yaoguang Hall.

Steward Zhao stood with her head bowed, reporting the beginning and end of the West Wing Guest Courtyard incident in detail.

Zhang Wanyi sat cross-legged with her eyes closed, the prayer beads in her hand having long since stopped turning.

After a long while, she finally opened her eyes slowly.

A trace of gloom flashed deep within her eyes.

Useless!

Two veteran Disciples went after a newcomer who had just started out, and not only did they fail, but they were also toyed with by the other party, making fools of themselves in public and even implicating Xiao Ce, making it known to everyone!

"Grand Elder," Steward Zhao asked cautiously, "this matter... has quite an impact on Senior Brother Xiao Ce's reputation. Does this old servant need to... make arrangements? Perhaps with the Law Enforcement Hall, or those who are gossiping..."

"No need," Zhang Wanyi interrupted her suggestion.

"Taking any action now would only be a cover-up and meaningless. It would only make people feel that we have a guilty conscience and confirm the suspicion that Ce'er instigated it."

She saw clearly that Wang Ming's methods were sophisticated and his mind meticulous; he was by no means an easy person to deal with.

At this moment, in the eye of the storm, any small move could be caught by him and used to bite back.

"Go and tell Ce'er," Zhang Wanyi said in a heavy voice, "to behave himself these next few days and Cultivate peacefully. For now... do not take any action. Everything will be decided after the Palace Master returns."

Once the Palace Master returned, whether it was the final determination of Wang Ming's talent or the characterization of this incident, there would be more room for maneuver.

For now, they must remain still to counter the changes.

"Yes, this old servant understands," Steward Zhao bowed and quietly withdrew.

Zhang Wanyi sat alone in the quiet room, watching the rising curls of green smoke, her eyes flickering with uncertainty.

This Wang Ming... it seems that not only is his talent startling, but his Heart-Nature and methods are also not simple!

...The next morning.

The door to the West Wing Guest Courtyard was knocked on again, this time much more gently.

Wang Ming opened the door, and standing outside was Ouyang Yaoxi.

She was dressed in a moon-white palace dress, which made her skin look even fairer, but there was a trace of worry in her brow that was hard to miss. She had clearly heard about yesterday's events as well.

"Are you... alright?" She looked Wang Ming up and down. Seeing that he was calm and composed, she felt a little more at ease, but she still asked.