40: Punishment

Hearing this, Hong Yu nodded with difficulty and said bitterly, "That's right."

Ma Yuan nodded in satisfaction, his gaze toward Hong Yu softening even more. "Then next, we should talk about the matter of compensation."

Ma Yuan then went on to explain a long list of reasons in detail, including the status of the three—Li Fei, Zhang Meng, and Tong Ming—their contributions to the Sect over the years, and how much the Sect had invested in cultivating them. Finally, he reached a conclusion.

"In summary, you need to compensate the Sect with eighty thousand, three hundred and ninety-two Low-Grade Spirit Stones. From this day forward, you must pay in full within one month. If the payment is not cleared after one month, your entire being, including your Soul, will become the private property of the Xuan Yun Residence. Do you have any objections to this?"

What? It was only eighty thousand Spirit Stones, not ninety thousand?

Hong Yu was somewhat overjoyed. He had always assumed the Xuan Yun Residence would follow the highest standard of punishment, so he thought the fine would be ninety thousand Spirit Stones. He hadn't expected that after all the calculations, they would actually charge him ten thousand fewer stones.

Moreover, the calculation started from today, rather than from the day of the killings.

This couldn't help but make him feel a bit touched; for the first time, he felt that the Xuan Yun Residence was actually quite humane.

One must know that as the largest neutral power, the Xuan Yun Residence's style of conduct had always been between good and evil, and could even be said to lean more toward the Demonic Path. He hadn't expected them to be so lenient in handling this matter, and their attitude was beyond reproach.

Therefore, Hong Yu couldn't help but want to bargain to lower the punishment a bit more. "Li Fei and the other two were the ones who moved first, and they were after the top-grade magic tool in my hand. I was acting in necessary self-defense, so do you think this punishment could be a little lower?"

Ma Yuan smiled upon hearing this, closed the dossier in his hand, crossed his arms over his chest, and looked at Hong Yu with interest. "This punishment is already the final result; I am only notifying you now. To be honest, Li Fei's and the others' families are also dissatisfied with this outcome."

"Especially Li Fei's grandfather, Li Guangen. A few days ago, he went directly to our Hall Master, expressing that they were very unhappy with this punishment. They didn't even want the fine; they only wanted the killer to pay with blood."

"Although Li Guangen is an Elder of Pan Mountain, the country has its laws and the Mansion has its rules. If everything followed personal feelings, then what would be the point of the sect rules? So, these sect rules are protecting you, wouldn't you say?"

"I understand." Hong Yu took a deep breath, cupped his fists, and said, "Thank you, Sir. I will definitely pay the fine within the specified time."

After saying this, he reached into his Storage Pouch and grabbed a handful of Spirit Stones. Without counting how many there were, he stuffed them into Ma Yuan's hand.

"However, Sir, as you know, I was originally just a lowly Outer Sect Disciple. This one-month timeframe is indeed a bit rushed for me. Do you think the time could be extended by a few days?"

Ma Yuan fended off Hong Yu's hand with a half-smile and said, "Don't start that. Do you think the Law Enforcement Hall is a place that lacks a few Spirit Stones? As for the time, when we say one month, it means one month. Don't get any crooked ideas. If you want to run, you can try."

Hong Yu gave a sheepish smile, withdrew his hand, and said, "I understand. Please rest assured, Sir. Since I have joined the Xuan Yun Residence, I will naturally abide by the rules."

Hong Yu no longer had any thoughts of escaping. Whether it was Ma Yuan's attitude of treating him like a God of Wealth, or the unfathomable cultivation levels of the Law Enforcement Hall Disciples he saw after entering, everything proclaimed a silent fact.

Every criminal was a walking gold mine, and they would absolutely never let one escape.

"By the way, may I ask, Sir, do you know the whereabouts of Mountain Master Pang Hu?" Hong Yu asked before leaving.

"I do." Ma Yuan was also in a quite pleasant mood. With a flick of his finger, a streak of light sank into Hong Yu's head.

In an instant, information regarding Pang Hu merged into Hong Yu's memory.

"Thank you, Sir."

Hong Yu turned and left, deciding to go see Pang Hu first.

With the boost from the Blood Shadow Movement Technique, Hong Yu turned into a streak of blood-colored light and soon arrived at Pang Hu's Immortal Cave, politely knocking on the main gate outside.

Inside the Immortal Cave, Pang Hu was healing his injuries, his expression still shifting between anger and gloom.

After being beaten up by Zhang Meng that day, he had sent people to investigate the causes and consequences behind it and had issued a gag order, strictly forbidding anyone who knew about the matter from spreading it. Who knew that after a few days, the reason for the matter had not yet been investigated clearly and the person who framed him had not been found, yet the news of him being beaten up was already spreading like wildfire Inside the Mansion.

Therefore, he naturally could only stay in closed-door cultivation, strictly forbidding Disciples from approaching to disturb him, hoping only that the passage of time would brush away this unpleasant memory.

At this moment, hearing the knock on the door, he thought it was a reply from the Disciples he had sent to investigate. So, he performed a Technique, opened the gate of the Immortal Cave, and asked in a heavy voice, "Is the investigation clear? What is the reason? Speak quickly."

"Senior Brother, it's Hong Yu. I've taken the liberty of visiting. If I've disturbed you, Senior Brother, I hope you can forgive me."

The voice arrived before the person. From a distance, Pang Hu heard Hong Yu's voice. He frowned, and after thinking for a moment, he finally remembered who Hong Yu was.

Why is he here?

After Hong Yu entered the Immortal Cave, he held twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones in both hands and respectfully presented them to Pang Hu, saying, "Senior Brother led me into the Inner Sect; I have always kept this great kindness in my heart. It's just that I previously had nothing of value and didn't know Senior Brother's preferences, so I've delayed until now. Fortunately, I earned some Spirit Stones from a mission earlier, so I hurried to visit you. This small gift is a token of my sincerity, I hope you will accept it."

Pang Hu was first stunned, then he took the Spirit Stones from Hong Yu's hands, and the expression on his face softened a bit. He didn't expect Hong Yu to be such a person of honor and gratitude deep down. He was currently worried about having no one to use, and since this kid was so sensible, he could be worth cultivating.

"You are thoughtful."

Hong Yu heard the weakness in Pang Hu's tone, and looking up to see Pang Hu's face covered in bruises, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "Senior Brother, what happened to you?"

"It's nothing serious." Pang Hu knew Hong Yu was referring to his injuries. That dog Zhang Meng had aimed every blow at his face after he lost consciousness. Now he had let Hong Yu see a joke, so he quickly said to cover it up.

"A few days ago, I sparred with another Mountain Master at the Foundation Establishment Stage. Although I narrowly won in the end, fists and feet have no eyes. His cultivation was higher than mine, so it was inevitable that I suffered some superficial injuries."

"As expected of Senior Brother Pang, to be able to fight across levels and even emerge victorious. You truly are a Core Disciple, the future of the Sect," Hong Yu said with a face full of sincere admiration.

He did not doubt the truth of Pang Hu's words; he truly admired him. Especially since his own combat experience had become quite rich during this time, he knew full well how difficult it was to fight across levels.