## Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-Three: Three Li Hear Stink, Ten Thousand Countries Transmit Name

When the Mirror World Platform first proclaimed Jiang Wang’s alleged crime of colluding with demons, righteous indignation surged through the vast majority of Qi’s populace. Their nation’s pride, having just painstakingly shed the ignominy of a dirty name and cleared away the shadow of treason, was suddenly burdened with the accusation of demonic conspiracy. The injustice was palpable!

Jing Country’s intent to suppress the pride of Qi Country was blindingly obvious. Many believed that the earlier suspicion of treason leveled against Jiang Wang had also been a calculated move by Jing Country to manipulate public opinion and force the Yellow River leader out of Qi. Why was he so maligned by the world? Because their hero was the enemy’s enemy!

Yet, a faction of “rational” Qi citizens adopted a notably “calm” perspective. Among them was the renowned scholar Er Fengming, who had previously penned the scathing “Essay on Merits and Demerits,” nearly sealing Jiang Wang’s fate. He publicly declared:

“Though Jing has wielded power for ages, it has never wavered from the great righteousness of the human race. For millennia, they have accumulated immense achievements in executing demons and eradicating monsters. Chong Xuanzun, too, is a pride of our nation, whose talent in the Viewing River Platform is rivaled only by Dou Zhao. His Five Mansions shine with equal brilliance, illuminating this era, his genius no less than Jiang Qingyang’s! Why should the name of demonic collusion be untainted? One must stand upright! This is akin to mud and sand flowing together, yet the long river remains clear; dung heaps ferment, their stench heard three li away! Since ancient times, the execution of demons has been a common accord; never have I heard of someone being accused without sin. Does Hell not involve itself? Does the Equality Country not involve itself? Does the demon race not involve itself? To pass a dung pit thrice and emerge unstained is unheard of, ancient or modern!”

He further cited historical examples of Jing Country executing their own prodigious cultivators who had colluded with demons, proving Jing Country’s impartiality in such matters. He brought forth instances of cultivators from Qin and Mu countries who had colluded with demons, all captured and publicly executed after trials on Jade Capital Mountain, yet neither Qin nor Mu protested any injustice. These, he asserted, were true cases of demonic collusion.

Jing Country’s leadership in the demon-slaying alliance was a time-honored tradition stretching back many years. They would not, and had no need to, break this established rule for a single Jiang Wang. No matter how gifted Jiang Wang was, could he compare to the world’s youngest True Person, Li Yi?

Er Fengming urged his countrymen not to deceive themselves. A mere Inner Mansion realm pride might not amount to much in the future. What reason would the contemporary strongest nation, Jing Country, have to target him? He asserted that Jiang Qingyang should not evade the issue, nor attempt to shield himself with public opinion, but face the problem squarely. Perhaps a momentary possession by a ghost still offered a chance for redemption. A lifetime of obstinacy, however, would lead to self-exile from the world.

He reiterated that the people of Qi were, first and foremost, people. While he, Er Fengming, was loyal to the Qi monarch and loved Qi Country, he was primarily a person and must stand on the side of the human race. Demonic collusion was a fundamental issue threatening the very foundation of the human race, a matter of absolute right and wrong. He was grateful for the honors Jiang Wang had brought to Qi Country, but would not therefore ignore such a matter of principle as demonic collusion. As he had said before, merits and demerits could not cancel each other out.

For a time, voices clamored:
“Flies do not sting seamless eggs. With so many dirty matters involved, how could Jiang Wang himself truly be without fault?”
“If he were truly innocent, he wouldn’t run away. A public trial on Jade Capital Mountain would witness his innocence; why would he avoid it?”
“Relying on Qi Country’s cultivation resources, he achieved a few meager merits, and now expects the country to protect him at all costs? Where is such a good thing? Should even demon race spies be protected?”

Such pronouncements were rampant.

The cacophony only ceased temporarily when the Qi Court issued a state letter condemning Jing Country, publicly declaring their stance, and dispatching Ji Zhaonan, Shi Mingxun, Wen Yanyu, and others with extreme urgency to retrieve Jiang Wang. Er Fengming, too, sealed his courtyard doors, declaring his intention to read in seclusion, weary of worldly affairs. Many felt he was disillusioned with reality.

The undercurrents surrounding Jiang Wang, however, never truly subsided. Jing Country had held its prestige for too long; often, Jing Country’s pronouncements were treated as golden rules. Within Qi Country, there were always those who complained that pillars of the nation like Shi Mingxun and Wen Yanyu should not be running around for a Jiang Wang, whose suspicions could not be cleared. They argued that a Divine Arrival realm pride like Ji Zhaonan should be accumulating merits after the Ten Thousand Demons Gate incident. The subsequent war on Star Moon Plain was even laid at Jiang Wang’s feet…

Until this day.

Yu Beidou, the world’s acknowledged top-tier physiognomist, personally presented evidence to the Three Punishments Palace, the holy land of Legalism. The Three Punishments Palace publicly affirmed that Yu Beidou’s statements were not false. The so-called crime of demonic collusion propagated by Jing Country’s Mirror World Platform was fundamentally unfounded from beginning to end. The lingering demonic aura, the peculiar cultivation progress, the past practice of evil arts… all were overturned by the matter of sealing the “Extirpate Emotions and Desires Blood Demon Art.”

Yellow River leader Jiang Wang not only had no crime of demonic collusion but was, on the contrary, a hero in executing demons. To participate in the sealing of a demonic art at the Inner Mansion cultivation realm could be called an act of great wisdom and courage, admirable and lamentable! One must understand that killing demons is easy, but killing demonic arts is difficult. How many Divine Arrival cultivators avoided the dangers within! Even a strong individual like Yu Beidou, among the contemporary strongest True Persons, frequently faced setbacks. Who could say Jiang Wang was not brave enough?

With this root crime cleansed, all other problems dissolved. Jiang Wang broke the record of the Heaven Mansion old man, battled and killed an Outer Building realm demon, becoming the first Inner Mansion in blue history. This ignited the world, making the people of Qi swell with pride. This was a feat significant enough to be etched onto a stele in cultivation history. Wang Yiwu’s breaking of the Tongtian realm’s historical limit once earned boundless praise from the military god Jiang Mengxiong, who declared he had a successor. Jiang Wang now created a record in the Inner Mansion realm. Compared to a legend like the Heaven Mansion old man, how could its significance be less than a Tongtian realm record?

For a time, the entire nation was filled with praise! The voices in Qi Country that had trampled upon and defiled Jiang Wang suddenly fell silent. Those who had sworn Jiang Wang definitely had problems each shut their doors and played dead, as if they had never opened their mouths. The nameless and surname-less figures quietly faded into the past. But those with names and surnames, the figures who had passionately guided public opinion, were not so easily let off.

The renowned scholar Er Fengming’s scenic residence in the eastern suburbs, with its courtyard lotus pond, was poured with ink. The entire pond turned black, and the fish all died. Words were left on the shore: Mud and sand cannot dirty clear water, but can ink?

His courtyard in Linzi had dung poured on its gate by someone taking advantage of the night. Passersby at the time covered their noses and hurried past, laughing as they said: “So this is three li hearing the stench.”

The Er family, angry and frustrated, went to the patrol inspection office to report the crime, demanding an investigation of neighbors and streets to find the person who had poured dung and defiled their gate. The head of the patrol inspection office only replied: “How many people in the world hate Lord Er? Shoulder to shoulder, they would extend beyond three li. The patrol inspection office truly lacks the power to investigate.” For a time, “Three Li Hear Stink Er Fengming” spread everywhere in Linzi.

When Jiang Wang first gained renown, he did so on the world-attention-grabbing Viewing River Platform. When his reputation was sullied, it was also sullied for the entire world to know. Some in the world knew him, some did not, but during this period, it was difficult for anyone to avoid his name.

The Three Punishments Palace always stood by the law, never favoring any single force in the world. The Regulate Heaven and Measure Earth law palaces rarely intervened in the mortal world; only the disciples of the Punish People Palace often traveled the world. Unlike cultivators from other schools who might act chivalrously, uphold righteousness, punish evil, or promote good, all depending on their heart’s justice, Punish People Palace disciples, no matter where they arrived, carried out punishments and executions in accordance with local laws. Laws differed from place to place. Theft, under Qi law, incurred a ten-fold penalty. Under Qin law, it meant the amputation of a finger. Adultery, under Chu law, resulted in varying sentences of five years or more. Under Mu law, it was “horse tail castration,” where the key parts were tied to a horse’s tail and the person dragged alive for castration.

There was once a foreign merchant named Wu who, upon seeing a beauty on the grasslands, harbored ill intent, and was consequently executed the next day… This case, found in Mu Country’s criminal records, states: “…the tool was very small, could not be tied to the horse’s tail; the executioner could not bear it and waved the knife to cut it off.” It is said that this merchant named Wu spent a considerable amount of silver, wishing to be tried in his own country, yet failed. This case spread widely, a clear testament to the differences in laws across various countries.

The law codes of the world’s various countries were all originally derived from the “Legal Classic,” but due to differences in time, place, and the ideas of different Legalist cultivators, many variations appeared. Legalist disciples were proficient in the world’s law codes, their behavior never violating the law. They often handled evil matters with local officials as the primary authority, and were extremely welcomed in many countries, even considered a powerful supplement to their own country’s officials. For powerful countries that greatly emphasized official dignity, traveling Legalist disciples were exactly the most unwelcome. Of course, these countries spared no effort in recruiting Legalist talents. Ultimately, what they desired was “orders from themselves,” followed by rules.

The Three Punishments Palace, respecting the laws of different places, would only choose to send talents to take office in places where they felt the laws were not proper, quietly making corrections through established laws, never directly interfering with any country by force. Thus, their reputation was extremely good. However, outside of the various countries, when matters involved the human race as a whole, such as demons, fiends, or sea races… the Three Punishments Palace followed the “Legal Classic.”

Jiang Wang’s matter of colluding with demons was precisely something the Three Punishments Palace could pay attention to, bypassing Jing Country’s laws. In terms of public credibility throughout the world, the Three Punishments Palace was far from comparable to the Mirror World Platform. Thus, as soon as the Three Punishments Palace made its statement, Jing Country’s Mirror World Platform’s public opinion collapsed.

In this situation, Jing Country remained silent, yet the world was not without sound.

In the Manor of the Duke of Huai Country in Great Chu.

A middle-aged beautiful woman, her hair bun held only by a moon hairpin, slowly walked in the garden. Although her clothing was extremely plain, her demeanor was naturally dignified. At that moment, the fragrance of the flowers in the garden subtly surged, and a tree slanted against the setting sun in the sky. A handsome youth wearing a long water-blue robe sat alone in the pavilion, practicing a technique. One stone bench, one person alone. Water flowed around his body and turned, wave light subtly revealing the pavilion’s terraces and buildings. Seeing the water pavilion and dragon palace appear and then vanish further highlighted the person’s extraordinary presence.

“Xiao Guangshu…” the woman said. Her voice was exceedingly gentle, seemingly able to smooth all wrinkles in the world.

Zuo Guangshu opened his eyes and, through the flowing water, faced the woman. “Mother, what is it?” His eyebrows slightly furrowed, a hint of unhappiness at being disturbed. It wasn’t that the mother and son had a bad relationship; he was simply engrossed in cultivation, seeking only progress. His mother, however, came at least five times a month to advise him to rest more and play more. She always found excuses to affect his cultivation, today citing the fruits in the apricot garden, tomorrow the flowers in the fertile fields. At his age, good words said multiple times were useless, and he inevitably became a little impatient.

The middle-aged beautiful woman who walked into the garden was named Xiong Jingyu. She was a female member of the Great Chu imperial family, the current Chu Emperor’s sister by blood, of noble lineage. Her marriage into the Duke of Huai Country Manor that year was the envy of everyone in Chu. After Zuo Guangshu’s father died in battle, the Chu Emperor was heartbroken for his sister, advising her to remarry and listing several noble families to choose from. However, she firmly refused, only saying, “Once a long river, difficult to follow the waves.” With her own hands, she raised her two sons, personally teaching them, saying that they should “inherit the spirit of heroes,” and she indeed achieved this. Her eldest son was very promising, revitalizing the Zuo family’s prestige, dominating the young generation of Chu Country until the River Valley War, where he fell… This strong and gentle woman’s footsteps were very light, a habit developed over the years, fearing she might affect her child’s cultivation.

Seeing Zuo Guangshu’s unhappy expression, she was not offended. She only shook the jade slip in her hand and laughed softly. “I just got some interesting news. Don’t you want to know, kek?”

Ultimately, she was his mother, and he couldn’t speak harshly to her. Although Zuo Guangshu had absolutely no interest in the “interesting news” she spoke of, and was long tired of those “lamp gatherings” and “flower gatherings,” he couldn’t say so plainly. He only lowered his eyes and explained softly and patiently: “Mother, I want to cultivate.”

“Oh, like this.” Xiong Jingyu sighed. “Right. You, the talent of Great Chu, the dignified young duke, why would you care about news of a Qi Country person? It is Mother who has disturbed you!”

Zuo Guangshu looked up. But she had already placed the jade slip behind her, her back to the garden entrance as she walked away. She muttered softly: “Also, I don’t know if the Jiang Wang you said last time, the one who would accompany you to the Mountain Sea Realm and stay for a while at home… is this Jiang Wang?”

“Mother…” Zuo Guangshu called softly.

Xiong Jingyu tilted her head back, her beautiful eyes full of a smiling intent. “Who is calling me?”

Zuo Guangshu waved his hand to dissipate the water flow around him and said obediently, “It’s Xiao Guangshu!”

Xiong Jingyu turned her entire body back, still with her hands behind her back, her face showing a very exaggerated, worried expression. “Mother didn’t disturb your cultivation?”

“Not at all!” Zuo Guangshu hurriedly denied.

“Really not?”

“Indeed not!”

“Oh. Then I’m relieved.” Xiong Jingyu lightly patted her heart, making a long sighing expression. “Delaying the young duke’s cultivation, how could I face it?”

Zuo Guangshu lowered his eyes and said sheepishly, “Mother…”

“Ai yo.” Xiong Jingyu laughed lightly. “Our Xiao Guangshu, this will know how to be shy.”

“That… Mother.” Zuo Guangshu knew in his heart he couldn’t get bogged down with her. With endless chitchat, this woman could talk until tomorrow morning. He tilted his head to look behind her, stretched out a finger to point, and obediently asked, “What news did you bring for me?”

Xiong Jingyu, instead, didn’t continue to tease him. She only extended the jade slip in her hand forward. “Here.”

Zuo Guangshu took a step out of the pavilion and took the jade slip containing the information into his hand. His mind flowed through it, absorbing all the news within. He looked towards his mother, his eyes becoming crystal bright. “True?”

Xiong Jingyu laughed. “News from Zhanghua Platform, how could I fake it?”

Zuo Guangshu praised himself with a laugh. “He’s not bad, not letting down a figure who could fight with me.”

Jiang Wang and Zuo Guangshu had become friends in the Taixu Illusion Realm; Xiong Jingyu naturally knew this, otherwise, she wouldn’t have come over holding this news for the first time.

“That’s good.” Xiong Jingyu smiled as she looked at her son, then turned to walk outside. “Mother won’t disturb your cultivation, lest you become annoyed.”

“Mother, don’t say that.” Zuo Guangshu, behind her, said sweetly, “I’m not annoyed at all!”

Xiong Jingyu didn’t turn back, only waved her hand. “There’s cool phoenix wutong tea in your room. Remember to drink it when you go back.”

That retreating figure gradually moved farther away. This was a familiar retreating figure.

After his mother had walked far away, and the courtyard was empty, Zuo Guangshu suddenly clenched his fist and jumped up and down in place.

“Hey!”

The first Inner Mansion in blue history! Truly extraordinary!

Xiong Jingyu, who had already walked out of the garden, couldn’t help but laugh again.

Since then… Xiao Guangshu has rarely had such happy times.