"Insolence!" A furious roar echoed, making everyone's ears buzz. Disciples with lower cultivation even bled from their ears.
The Grand Elder's full-force strike was caught by an old man, easily neutralized.
"Junior brother, are you alright?" Jin Xu rushed forward, helping Xiao Man, who had fallen to the ground, her face ashen, and asked anxiously.
The Third Elder shot a hateful glare at Jin Xu. He was the master, and he had also fallen to the ground, yet this scoundrel had gone to help Xiao Man first instead of him!
However, this was not the time to dwell on such matters. The Third Elder got up from the ground. "Greetings, Grand Elder."
The Grand Elder was also somewhat startled, having not expected to alarm the Grand Elder. "Greetings, Grand Elder."
"Jin Yang, you've become quite capable. You've learned to bully your own kin," the Grand Elder said coldly, looking at the Grand Elder. "You don't even spare your own brethren."
"Grand Elder, it's not like that. It's just that the Third Elder's disciple murdered my grandson. I came here seeking justice, but the Third Elder insisted on protecting his disciple, leaving me no choice but to resort to force," the Grand Elder quickly explained.
"I didn't kill anyone, they framed me," Xiao Man quickly said. "I beg the Grand Elder to uphold justice for us. The disciples of the Martial Arts Hall, relying on their high cultivation, arbitrarily bully disciples from other halls, and have injured one-third of the disciples from our Alchemy Hall, calling our Alchemy Hall disciples dogs!"
"Nonsense!"
"Senior brother, call out all the injured senior brothers."
"Alright."
A moment later, quite a few people poured out from inside, each with bruised and swollen faces, clearly having been beaten severely.
"Take off your upper garments."
Everyone took off their shirts, revealing their torsos covered in various wounds. The injuries appeared to be mere bruises, but to an astute person like the Grand Elder, he knew very well that these were injuries caused by the "rod of intimidation." The bones beneath the skin were likely fractured.
The Grand Elder naturally saw it too. "Even if the Martial Arts Hall disciples were in the wrong, you couldn't kill someone!"
"I said, I didn't kill anyone!" Xiao Man calmly retorted. "Your Martial Arts Hall disciples are wicked. Besides our Alchemy Hall and the Forging Hall, there are other external disciples who are often bullied by you. To suppress other halls, you've often resorted to framing others."
"Grand Elder, this is slander. My disciples are not like that!"
"Slander? Did the Grand Elder not lead people to attack the Alchemy Hall, did he not injure the Alchemy Hall disciples, and did he not frame me for murder?" Xiao Man said with hatred. "Your Martial Arts Hall disciples testified that I killed Jin Quan tonight. However, at the hour of the 'mao' (third earthly branch), all the disciples of the Alchemy Hall returned. They were injured, and I, along with the unharmed senior brothers, were busy treating their injuries, so we didn't go out. Yet you falsely accused me of murder. It's utterly preposterous!"
"Grand Elder, the situation is not..."
"Grand Elder, how exactly did Jin Quan die? Why don't the Grand Elder personally examine him? After all, the Grand Elder was once an alchemist himself!" The Third Elder interrupted the Grand Elder and stepped forward, pleading. "Please, Grand Elder, uphold justice for our Alchemy Hall!"
The Grand Elder glanced at the Grand Elder. The Grand Elder also said solemnly, "Please, Grand Elder, uphold justice for my grandson!"
The Grand Elder stepped forward to examine Jin Quan's body, asking as he did, "How did Jin Quan die?"
"According to the account of the Martial Arts Hall disciples, I attacked Jin Quan from behind and beat him to death!" Xiao Man said calmly.
The Grand Elder turned Jin Quan's body to show the Grand Elder. "If he was truly attacked from behind, why are there injuries on both his front and back?"
The Grand Elder looked at the numerous wounds on Jin Quan's body, and tears welled up in his eyes. He seemed disbelieving. His grandson's body was covered in injuries, and these were the marks of the "rod of intimidation," with a method very similar to that of their Punishment Hall. While they appeared to be superficial wounds, they had damaged internal organs!
These were injuries inflicted by people from the Martial Arts Hall, not disciples from the Alchemy Hall! Only their own people could inflict such internal injuries!
The Grand Elder's gaze seemed to want to devour someone as he ferociously looked at the disciples huddled to the side. But with the situation escalated to this point, if he admitted that disciples from the Martial Arts Hall had killed someone, it would confirm his crime of attempting to frame the Alchemy Hall and eliminate his rivals!
"What's going on? Such an unpleasant scene late at night?" The family head arrived upon hearing the news, accompanied by Madam Jin.
"Grand Elder, what happened?" Madam Jin, who was very well-maintained and appeared to be in her early thirties, exuded charming grace with every move.
"Madam, Jin Quan, he... Jin Quan was murdered," the Grand Elder choked out. "The disciples in the hall said that Jin Quan was killed by Lan Xiao from the Alchemy Hall. Furthermore, Jin Quan had a conflict with her during the day, so I came to inquire. Who knew..." Su Dan Novel Network
Madam Jin looked at the Third Elder and saw an old man standing beside him. When the old man's gaze swept over her, she felt a jolt and almost lost her footing, but she managed to steady herself with all her might.
"Who is this..."
"Madam, you forgot to introduce yourself." The Jin family head quickly pulled Madam Jin forward to pay respects. "Greetings, Grand Elder."
The Grand Elder glanced at Madam Jin. "The Alchemy Hall holds a crucial position in the Jin family and must not be bullied."
"Grand Elder, no one in the Jin family bullies the Alchemy Hall..."
"Are you blind?" The Grand Elder showed no regard for the Jin family head's feelings and looked at the injured disciples of the Alchemy Hall lined up. "This is what you call no one bullying?"
The Jin family head's gaze fell upon the people from the Alchemy Hall, then shifted to the Grand Elder, and finally to the people lying on the ground. "What is going on?"
"The Alchemy Hall disciples poisoned them. The Fifth Elder and the others were all taken down by the Alchemy Hall disciples."
"We are all family. How can you poison them? Third Elder, first detoxify Elder Wu and the others."
The Third Elder looked at the Grand Elder. Seeing the Grand Elder nod, he then looked at Xiao Man and said, "Detoxify them."
"Yes, Elder."
Xiao Man took out a bottle of medicine and handed it to Jin Xu. Jin Xu took it and gave each of the fainted people a pill. He then offered one to the Fifth Elder. Just as the Fifth Elder was about to take it, Xiao Man stopped him.
"Fifth Elder, your poison is different from theirs. This medicine cannot cure your poison; on the contrary, it will accelerate its effects."
The Fifth Elder's face contorted violently, and he crushed the pill in his hand into powder. Xiao Man flinched slightly, then took out another antidote and flicked it to the Fifth Elder.
"Fifth Elder, don't crush it. There's only one. If it breaks, Fifth Elder will likely be crippled!" Xiao Man said unhurriedly, and after saying this, she didn't forget to hide behind the Third Elder.
The Third Elder glared at her and decisively took a step forward, blocking Xiao Man.