The other side was about to step forward and forcibly take them away.
Su Wan’er’s expression changed abruptly as she drew her sword to respond, the blade pointing straight ahead.
Whoosh—
The Enforcement Hall members reacted with astonishing speed, drawing their swords in unison at the same instant.
Beams of sword light interweaved, spiritual energy scattered, and the small hall filled with a suffocating aura of pressure.
The other guests had already retreated to the far corners, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Standing at the very center of the spiritual pressure, Su Wan’er felt her scalp tingle, but she clenched her teeth and refused to take a single step back.
“How dare you!”
Su Wan’er shot a glance at Lai Li’an, about to speak, but felt her hand gently pressed down.
Her master’s hand rested on the back of hers, the force light yet carrying an undeniable meaning.
She bit her lip and finally sheathed her sword.
Li Xiuyuan saw this and let out a light sneer.
“Now that’s knowing when to yield.”
He waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to put away their weapons.
“If the two of you cooperate with the Enforcement Hall’s investigation, you can explain yourselves clearly at the Law Hall. If there’s truly a misunderstanding, the Enforcement Hall won’t wrong an innocent person.”
The words sounded high-sounding, but the mockery in his tone was undisguised.
The fire in Su Wan’er’s heart flared up again.
Insulting her was one thing, but insulting her master was not allowed.
“Do you know who my master is?” she said with a fierce edge. “If my master wanted to kill you, it would be but a snap of his fingers!”
The entire hall fell silent.
This sharp cry caused the Enforcement Hall members to change color collectively.
Their probing gazes, filled with suspicion, once again fell upon Lai Li’an.
A snap of the fingers to annihilate a Late Core Formation cultivator—what bold words.
If he truly possessed such strength, why would he remain silent here?
Probably just putting on a front.
But the more they looked, the more something seemed off.
This man hadn’t changed his expression even while surrounded, not even raising an eyelid.
Could it be that he truly had nothing to fear?
Lai Li’an, the focus of everyone’s gaze, maintained a façade of calm like still water, but inside, his mind was in turmoil.
‘Little brat! Are you trying to get your master killed?!’
‘Snap of the fingers? I’d be lucky to snap my fingernail!’
He only had one Immortal-Slaying Delusion-Breaking Talisman.
If it couldn’t kill all these people, he wouldn’t even be able to escape.
He wanted to cry but had no tears.
Forcing himself to stay composed, Lai Li’an raised his eyes slightly, his tone calm and peaceful:
“Fellow Daoists, I’m afraid there’s some misunderstanding here…”
“What misunderstanding is there!”
Before he could finish, one of the Enforcement Hall members shouted harshly:
“You injured our sect’s disciple—witnesses and evidence are both here, and you still dare to quibble here!”
Lai Li’an nearly ground his molars to dust.
‘Can this guy let me finish a sentence?’
He cursed viciously in his heart, but no ripple showed on his face.
He patiently tried to explain a bit more, but Li Xiuyuan no longer gave him the chance.
“Say whatever you need to say at the Law Hall.”
Li Xiuyuan’s expression was blank as he reached out to grab Lai Li’an’s shoulder.
Spiritual power faintly circulated between his fingers, clearly intending to arrest him by force.
Lai Li’an’s eyes darkened.
Playing along was one thing, but he wouldn’t swallow this humiliation.
In the three years since his transmigration, he had often scammed his way through meals, but he had never suffered such bullying.
A Head of the Enforcement Hall, slapping charges on him out of nowhere, not even letting him finish an explanation before reaching out to seize him.
He shoved Li Xiuyuan’s hand away.
“If there’s a misunderstanding, Venerable Self will make it clear. No need for physical contact.”
Li Xiuyuan’s expression abruptly changed.
The few Enforcement Hall disciples behind him didn’t understand what was happening; seeing their leader pushed away, they all took half a step forward and raised their swords a little higher.
But Li Xiuyuan himself stood frozen, a turbulent wave of shock and uncertainty surging in his eyes.
Earlier, he had already probed Lai Li’an and clearly sensed he was at Mid Golden Core—a full minor realm lower than himself.
Yet when that push came, he hadn’t detected any trace of spiritual power circulation at all.
Even more terrifying, he hadn’t even been able to dodge it.
If that man had been holding a weapon just now…
Cold sweat suddenly broke out on Li Xiuyuan’s back.
He steadied himself, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and when he spoke again, his tone had noticeably softened:
“Fellow Daoist, please forgive me. This is the procedure.”
He took a Spirit-Sealing Lock from his waist—a magic artifact the Enforcement Hall used specifically to restrain cultivators.
Once worn, one’s spiritual power would be suppressed, forcing even the strongest to submit obediently.
“Please cooperate, Fellow Daoist.”
Lai Li’an slowly raised his gaze, sweeping it across Li Xiuyuan’s face.
Suddenly, a burst of Sword Qi erupted from his surroundings.
Lai Li’an secretly retrieved the Immortal-Slaying Delusion-Breaking Talisman from his system space.
The Sword Qi silently swept through the entire hall.
Li Xiuyuan felt as if something invisible had struck him head-on, and the Enforcement Hall disciples behind him stumbled back repeatedly, their long swords nearly flying out of their hands.
But the Sword Qi came abruptly and vanished just as quickly—it dissipated within a single breath.
Lai Li’an stood in place, his gray robe not even stirring, as if that devastating Sword Intent had nothing to do with him.
He looked at Li Xiuyuan, his tone calm:
“Venerable Self doesn’t want trouble, but I’m not afraid of it either.”
“Fellow Daoist, please show some restraint.”
Li Xiuyuan stood there, sweat pouring down his forehead, but he didn’t even dare to raise his hand to wipe it off.
He stared intently at the man before him, trying to find any flaw in that face.
That Sword Qi just now—in his hundred years of cultivation, he had never felt such pure Sword Intent.
He couldn’t see through this man at all.
The silence lasted for a full ten breaths before Li Xiuyuan finally slowly returned the Spirit-Sealing Lock to his waist.
“Since Fellow Daoist is willing to cooperate, there’s no need to wear the Spirit-Sealing Lock.”
His tone had unconsciously become much more polite.
“Please follow us. Right and wrong will be decided at the Law Hall.”
Lai Li’an gave a slight nod, raised his hand to adjust his sleeve, and stepped forward.
Su Wan’er quickly sheathed her sword and followed closely behind her master, her heart still pounding a bit fast.
She secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
‘Master could have cut them down with a single sword stroke, yet he chose to reason with them. That Sword Qi just now was merely a glimpse of Master’s authority.’
The Enforcement Hall members silently parted to make way, none of them daring to walk in front of Lai Li’an to lead the way.
A few disciples at the back exchanged quick glances, all seeing regret in each other’s eyes.
Just who in the world was this man?
The distance from the Hundred Flavors Pavilion to the Enforcement Hall dungeon wasn’t long, but being escorted there made it especially unbearable.
The cultivators on the street quickly moved aside.
A few bold ones stopped at a distance to watch, whispering among themselves.
Lai Li’an didn’t need to listen to know what they were saying—nothing more than gossip like “The Enforcement Hall has caught someone again” or “Who are those two people?”
His face showed no expression, but inwardly, he had already cursed Qian Fu’s ancestors down to the eighteenth generation.
If he had known it would bring the Enforcement Hall, he never would have accepted that money in the first place.
What a pity—he hadn’t even gotten to enjoy his big meal yet.
But what exactly had they done wrong?
Lai Li’an’s mind raced.
He had definitely been reported by that escaped Hong Wu.
The key point, however, was Qian Fu.
Qian Fu was the true owner of the spirit fields.
As long as he came forward to testify, he could prove that Hong Wu’s group were the ones who had forcibly occupied the fields, while he and Su Wan’er had only been helpers acting out of righteousness.
Unfortunately, Qian Fu wasn’t here now.
Wait—Lai Li’an suddenly recalled the last smile on Qian Fu’s face.
At the time, he had thought it was gratitude, but now that he looked back, there seemed to be something else hidden beneath that smile.