Chapter 99: Sin

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“Some have already forgotten the authority of the Enforcement Hall. Just handle him according to standard procedure. Execute him on the spot, and hang his corpse on the main gate of the Enforcement Hall later as a warning to others.”

With that, he waved his hand impatiently and was about to leave the main hall.

He didn’t even bother to listen to Lin Hao’s explanation.

Seeing this, Lin Hao was filled with anger.

He shouted loudly, “Elder, are you going to punish me without any investigation? You just believe what your disciple says is absolutely true without asking me, the person involved?”

The elder stopped in his tracks at the outburst.

He then turned around, glaring at Lin Hao with displeasure and some anger, thinking Lin Hao was mocking the Enforcement Hall and challenging his authority.

The elder said to Lin Hao, “I will determine the truth myself. You have no right to interrupt. Since you dare to offend, you must have the courage to accept the punishment. No matter what you say today, the Enforcement Hall will not spare you.”

After speaking, the elder turned and sat in his seat at the main hall, sternly saying, “Today, I will personally witness your punishment.”

“Someone! Come and shatter his spiritual root! I want him to suffer and die slowly,” he said cruelly.

Lin Hao was truly astonished. It seemed this elder had no intention of listening to anyone else and was determined to act arbitrarily.

Following the elder’s command, Lin Hao’s gaze fixed on the man beside him, who looked increasingly smug and arrogant. The man stepped in front of Lin Hao and poked his forehead with a finger.

“See? The elder has given the order personally. Even if the Heavenly King himself came, he couldn’t save you today. Tie him up! I want to personally cripple his spiritual root.”

With that, several men nearby stepped forward and bound Lin Hao’s hands and feet tightly.

The man gave Lin Hao a sinister look, slowly channeling spiritual energy into his hand, then raised it, about to strike Lin Hao’s heart meridian with a palm.

If the strike landed, Lin Hao’s spiritual root would be completely destroyed, leaving him with nothing.

Lin Hao, however, remained calm, fists clenched, eyes narrowed with a hint of madness, watching the man’s palm approach.

Just as the strike was about to be delivered, a voice called from outside, “Wait!”

The room fell silent, the raised palm paused, and everyone turned to look. It was Cao Yi who had arrived.

Seeing Cao Yi, a complex emotion flashed in Lin Hao’s eyes, and his clenched fists slowly relaxed.

Cao Yi calmly walked up to Lin Hao, frowned as he saw him bound tightly by the Enforcement Hall men, and his expression turned cold.

The men instinctively relaxed their grip.

The man next to Lin Hao, who had just raised his palm, also hesitated and lowered his hand.

When he realized this, he panicked.

But seeing the elder in the main hall, he straightened his chest and sneered coldly, “Senior Brother, what brings you to the Enforcement Hall today? The elder is currently administering justice. If you have something, you can wait until we finish our duties.”

He was clearly playing dumb, implying he didn’t want Cao Yi interfering with the Enforcement Hall’s affairs.

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The elder frowned at Cao Yi with a hint of suspicion.

Hearing his disciple’s words, he relaxed his brow and said, “Yes, Cao Yi, what business does the sect leader have coming here today? If it’s not important, please wait until we finish our enforcement duties. We can talk privately later. For now, please wait aside.”

Cao Yi quietly listened to their exchange, his gaze fixed on Lin Hao.

Lin Hao looked at Cao Yi with confidence.

Seeing this, the elder asked, “What’s this? Do you know this young man?”

Usually, the Enforcement Hall had little contact with the outside world, especially the elder, who strictly adhered to tradition and rarely communicated externally. So he didn’t know Lin Hao well, only having heard some rumors.

Now seeing Cao Yi and Lin Hao together, it was clear they were acquainted, prompting the question.

Cao Yi didn’t deny it, but the elder, with a displeased tone, questioned, “You didn’t come here to plead for this boy’s case, did you?”

“No,” Cao Yi answered crisply.

Hearing this, the elder’s expression softened somewhat, and his tone became gentler.

“Then you…” The elder was about to say that since Cao Yi wasn’t pleading, he should wait aside and let them deal with Lin Hao first.

Before he could finish, Cao Yi spoke again, “Why plead? Has he committed any wrongdoing?”

The entire Enforcement Hall fell silent, no one dared utter a word.

The elder was stunned, speechless.

The others were shaken by Cao Yi’s sudden forceful presence.

When Cao Yi spoke, an icy aura radiated from him, as if those nearby were frozen solid, shivering collectively.

Especially the four men who had been hostile to Lin Hao, one of whom was closest to Lin Hao.

Cao Yi cast a glance at him, causing the man to nervously look away, unwilling to meet Cao Yi’s gaze.

Lin Hao’s mood shifted from gloom to surprise. Hearing Cao Yi say “no,” he wondered if Cao Yi had abandoned him, leaving him here for the Enforcement Hall’s sake.

Thus, after Cao Yi’s two-word reply, Lin Hao was ready to act, poised to attack at any moment.

If Cao Yi truly ignored right and wrong, abandoning him here, Lin Hao wouldn’t blame him. But on Christmas Eve, he would never surrender quietly.

No matter what, he wouldn’t let them deal with him like this.

Yet what happened next was an unexpected twist.

Even Lin Hao, still gathering spiritual energy in his hands, stared at Cao Yi in astonishment.

The elder snapped back to reality, his face turning dark and sour. The smile froze on his lips as he glared at Cao Yi and said displeasedly, “What do you mean by that? Are you suggesting the Enforcement Hall has wronged him? Do you know what crimes he has committed to say such things? Don’t think that just because you’re the senior disciple of Qingcheng Sect, the Enforcement Hall has to listen to you.

“I’m giving you face today, pretending you never said that. Now, leave the Enforcement Hall immediately, or I will see who dares to challenge the dignity of our Enforcement Hall.”

With that, the elder slammed his fist on the table with a bang, shattering it, revealing his fury.

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All eyes turned to Cao Yi, waiting for his choice.

The Enforcement Hall members all watched Cao Yi, especially the four men, who looked anxious and eager for him to leave quickly.

Lin Hao also fixed his eyes on Cao Yi, but he was calm, not nervous.

From what he had just seen, Lin Hao knew Cao Yi would not abandon him.

Sure enough, Cao Yi wasted no time and said, “I recommended this man. If he has done something wrong, I will take full responsibility. Elder, please tell him what mistake he has made.”

“Good, very good! So you intend to take charge of this matter? Then I’ll tell you what crime he’s committed. He dared to disrespect the Enforcement Hall and even actively came here to provoke us. Isn’t that a serious offense?

“Don’t I have the right to punish him?” The elder’s eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Cao Yi, appearing fully justified, as if Lin Hao had committed an unforgivable crime.

In his eyes, such a crime deserved death, especially for openly defying him.

What he didn’t know was that at this moment, the four men below had turned pale and looked terrified.

Those four were the ones who had troubled Lin Hao from the start, especially the one who had summoned the elder.

Now that man kept as far away as possible, almost at the door, seemingly desperate to leave unnoticed.

Cao Yi noticed this and fixed him with a fierce glare. The man immediately froze like a zombie.

“Elder, how did you decide on this charge? From beginning to end, it was your men speaking, and I never said I came to provoke anyone!” Lin Hao quickly interjected.

Hearing Lin Hao speak, the elder stared incredulously, about to say something.

Lin Hao continued, “Also, senior brother, are you trying to leave? Don’t. We haven’t clarified things yet. After all, this is between you and me, isn’t it?”

At Lin Hao’s words, all eyes turned to the man trying to leave.

“Mu Sen, where do you think you’re going?” The elder looked at Mu Sen displeased.

It turned out Mu Sen was only nominally the elder’s disciple, a mere junior disciple.

Everything that happened today was Mu Sen’s doing; he was the one who brought the elder here.

Seeing Lin Hao’s firm tone and Mu Sen standing by the door, pale-faced and avoiding the elder’s gaze in panic, the elder felt a bad premonition.

Raising his brow, he sternly demanded, “Speak. What exactly is going on? Tell me everything. What trick are you playing? If you dare lie to me, you won’t be staying in the Enforcement Hall today.”

“No, Elder, it’s not like that!” Mu Sen’s face changed completely as he hurriedly tried to explain.

Lin Hao stepped forward and said, “Senior brother, what do you want to say? Do you want to explain to the elder why I came here? Or explain the conflict between us?”