Five thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, a full five thousand!

Yet the young man in front of him simply tossed out a casual, “I am willing to pay it off on behalf of Senior Lai.”

Elder Sun’s eyebrow twitched fiercely.

He naturally recognized Meng Qiuran, a Core Disciple of the Alchemy Sect Branch. To think he would pay a fine of five thousand Spirit Stones for a Rogue Cultivator he had just met, without even asking for a reason or looking at the evidence, it was as if, in his eyes, this “Senior Lai” was simply incapable of doing anything dishonorable, and the so-called theft accusation was nothing but a trivial misunderstanding.

Just what was the background of this man surnamed Lai?

Elder Sun’s gaze subconsciously drifted toward the man in the hall below. The other party still wore a very faint smile, as if all of this had long been within his expectations.

He withdrew his gaze and coughed lightly. “Since Fellow Daoist Meng is willing to pay the fine for Fellow Daoist Lai, the matter of compensation is hereby closed.” He paused before continuing, “As for the conflict between Fellow Daoist Lai and Hundred Herbs Hall, since Qian Fu was the one pulling the strings and both sides were victims of his deception, we shall drop the matter here. What do you two think?”

Lai Li’an nodded slightly and was just about to speak.

“Elder Sun, wait!”

Hong Wu suddenly took a step forward, his face flushed red. “This guy surnamed Lai says he left a Tracking Mark on Qian Fu, claiming he wants to follow the trail to root out Qian Fu’s accomplices. These are all just his one-sided claims! Just because he says he left one means he did? Dare I ask Elder Sun, if everyone acted like him, making up excuses about ridding the people of evil after being caught stealing, then what use are the rules, and where is the prestige of the Law Enforcement Hall?”

He grew more agitated as he spoke, “Unless he actually captures Qian Fu and confronts him face-to-face, I won’t believe it!”

“Presumptuous.” Meng Qiuran’s voice wasn’t loud, but it felt like a basin of ice water poured right over the head. He looked at Hong Wu coldly. “Why would Senior Lai need to prove his actions to you?”

Pierced by that gaze, Hong Wu’s momentum instantly deflated, but he still refused to yield verbally. Stiffening his neck, he was about to say something else when Elder Sun raised a hand to stop him.

“What Fellow Daoist Hong says is not entirely unreasonable.” Elder Sun pondered for a moment. “Fellow Daoist Lai says he left a Tracking Mark. Whether this is true or false, indeed only Fellow Daoist Lai himself knows. The Law Enforcement Hall handles cases based on evidence, not one-sided claims. Let’s do this. Li Xiuyuan.”

“Your subordinate is here.”

“Follow Fellow Daoist Lai and assist in capturing Qian Fu. If you can catch him red-handed with the stolen goods, this case will be thoroughly concluded, and it will also restore Fellow Daoist Lai’s innocence.”

Hong Wu opened his mouth, wanting to say more, but Elder Sun waved his hand. “That is all for this matter. Court is adjourned.”

Seeing that it was impossible to continue penalizing Lai Li’an, Hong Wu’s face turned livid. He let out a heavy snort, flicked his sleeves, and stormed off.

After the hearing concluded, Meng Qiuran quickly walked over to Lai Li’an. The cold, stern expression on his face had already faded, replaced by humility. “Senior Lai has been wronged. That man surnamed Hong doesn’t know what is good for him. I hope Senior will not stoop to his level.”

Lai Li’an smiled and cupped his hands. “Thanks to little friend Meng’s generous financial assistance today. This Venerable will remember this favor.”

Meng Qiuran hurriedly waved his hands, a hint of fluster appearing on his face. “Senior overstates it! A mere five thousand Spirit Stones is not worth mentioning. Oh, right,” he said, as if suddenly remembering something, his tone turning more serious. “The date of the Alchemy Conference is drawing near. I hope Senior has not forgotten about it. This junior will respectfully await Senior’s arrival.”

Lai Li’an gave a slight nod. “Rest assured. This Venerable naturally will not forget what he has promised.”

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries before Lai Li’an found an excuse and took Su Wan’er to take their leave.

Stepping out of the Public Hearing Hall’s main doors, they passed through a corridor and arrived at the plaza in front of the Law Enforcement Hall. A figure stepped out from behind a pillar. It was Li Xiuyuan. He cupped his hands toward Lai Li’an: “Fellow Daoist Lai, Elder Sun ordered me to accompany you to capture Qian Fu. When does Fellow Daoist plan to depart? So I can arrange the manpower.”

Lai Li’an paused in his steps, then looked at him with an unchanging expression: “Qian Fu is cunning and suspicious. If this Venerable brings a large group of Law Enforcement Hall disciples to go there, I’m afraid it will alert the snake in the grass. How about this, you go back first, and in three days, this Venerable will naturally go look for you.”

Li Xiuyuan hesitated for a moment, but thinking of everything that had just happened in the Public Hearing Hall, he ultimately nodded, cupped his hands, and said: “Since that is the case, Xiuyuan will await Fellow Daoist’s good news.” Having said that, he turned and returned to the Law Enforcement Hall.

Lai Li’an watched his back disappear through the doors, then took Su Wan’er around two streets. After confirming that there were no suspicious gazes around them, he dodged into a deserted, narrow alley at the edge of the Market.

Lai Li’an leaned against the stone wall and let out a long breath.

His tense nerves finally relaxed at this moment, and he felt his legs go a little weak.

If he had shown even a hint of cowardice just now, he would probably be locked away in the dungeon of the Law Enforcement Hall by now, never to see the light of day again.

Still going to catch Qian Fu? He didn’t even know which direction Qian Fu had run. That so-called “Tracking Mark” was just complete nonsense he had made up on the spot.

Forget it, time to run, he calculated silently to himself. Once he got out of Yunze Market, he would find a faraway place to hide for a while. Given enough time, these people might just forget about him.

Although it was a bit of a pity that he could no longer be a judge for the Alchemy Conference, it was still better than being caught and thrown in jail.

He was comforting himself internally when he looked up, only to find Su Wan’er standing to the side with her head bowed, not saying a word.

“Wan’er?” Lai Li’an frowned slightly.

The young girl’s shoulders trembled slightly, but she didn’t look up.

She had remained silent the entire way since coming out of the Public Hearing Hall. Lai Li’an originally thought she was just frightened, but looking at her now, it didn’t seem like fear. It looked more like she was holding something back.

“Honored Master,” Su Wan’er finally spoke, asking with a hint of a sob in her voice. “Is your disciple… is this disciple very stupid?”

She looked up at Lai Li’an, tears welling in her eyes, yet she desperately held them back, refusing to let them fall.

“Honored Master saw through Qian Fu at a glance, and even guessed that the Bone-Corroding Curse on his hand was just a tattoo. Yet this disciple foolishly chased after him to ask what to do about the antidote, actually thinking I was helping him. From start to finish, this disciple didn’t notice a single thing, and almost caused Honored Master to bear the blame for theft…”

She spoke faster and faster, her voice growing increasingly choked with emotion, “If Fellow Daoist Meng hadn’t arrived in time, this disciple… this disciple almost put Honored Master in grave danger.”

Lai Li’an looked at the young girl before him, a complex wave of emotion welling up in his heart. He had thought this lass was scared of something, but it turned out she was just blaming herself again.

“Wan’er,” he sighed softly. “This Venerable has cultivated for over three hundred years and has seen more of the sinister side of human nature than you have walked roads. You haven’t encountered someone like Qian Fu before. Failing to see through him isn’t because you are stupid, but because you haven’t learned one thing yet.”

He paused and looked into Su Wan’er’s eyes. “Not having learned to doubt others is not a flaw, Wan’er. It is a very rare thing.”

Su Wan’er blinked, a teardrop rolling down from her eyelashes, but the light in her eyes grew a bit brighter.

Lai Li’an reached out and patted her shoulder, the corners of his mouth curving slightly. “Let’s put aside whether you are foolish or not for now. Right now, this Venerable actually has an urgent matter that needs your help.”

Su Wan’er immediately used her sleeve to haphazardly wipe the tear stains from her face, took a deep breath, and straightened her back. “Honored Master, please speak. This disciple will definitely accomplish it!”

“Take this Venerable away from here.”

Su Wan’er froze for a moment, and then a look of sudden realization appeared on her face. “This disciple understands! Qian Fu is no longer in Yunze Market. He deceived so many people, and the Law Enforcement Hall is investigating him. He must have fled far away by now, so we need to continue chasing him further away!”

Lai Li’an opened his mouth, but looking at her confident appearance, he ultimately swallowed the explanation that had reached his lips.

He nodded silently, a faint, enigmatic smile on his face.

Forget it, let the girl think whatever she wants. The most pressing matter right now is to first leave this place of trouble.