Thinking of this, the middle-aged man crushed the communication jade slip and called for reinforcements from the family experts.
“Evan, come with me.”
Seeing the other side silent, James Li called out to Evan Chen and prepared to leave with him.
Just as Evan was about to move, a dazed Jack Wang lunged at him.
“You brat, how dare you steal the Wang Family’s Violet Immortal Crystal! You think you can get away with it so easily?”
Jack’s intention wasn’t just to stop Evan; he wanted to kill him on the spot. With Evan dead, all the blame would fall on him.
Jack, at the peak of the Fifth Immortal Realm, had learned some family combat techniques and was much stronger than Evan. He formed his hand into a claw and aimed for Evan’s throat.
Jack’s speed was incredible, leaving Evan no room to dodge. But James Li, experienced in dealing with such ambushes, had honed his instincts to a razor’s edge.
“Slash!”
James drew his sword, and with a swift strike, a bloodied arm fell to the ground. Jack collapsed, his face twisted in agony, screaming in pain.
James, not one to show mercy, decided to finish what he started. He flashed forward, his Flaming Sword aimed straight at Jack’s throat.
“Stop!”
At that moment, an elder appeared, seemingly teleporting, and caught James’s sword between two fingers.
“Hmph, Eighth Immortal Realm? You think I’m afraid of you?”
James, filled with rage, was ready to kill even an Eighth Immortal Realm expert. His body trembled, and red Immortal Light burst forth. The Flaming Sword hummed, and a powerful force shook the elder’s fingers loose.
James seized the moment and thrust his sword into the elder’s chest. The elder was shocked. This man, an Ascendant, had such ruthless and powerful techniques that, despite being only in the Sixth Immortal Realm, he could threaten someone in the Eighth Immortal Realm.
Fortunately, the elder’s armor protected him, and he managed to stabilize himself after being pushed back a few feet. Otherwise, he would have been seriously injured.
“Stop, let’s talk this out.”
The elder wasn’t truly afraid of James. After all, this was the Wang Family’s territory. How could a mere Sixth Immortal Realm cultivator take on the entire Wang Family?
His main concern was the person associated with James.
“Fourth Elder, this man and that thief stole a thousand pounds of our Violet Immortal Crystal!” The middle-aged man hurriedly explained.
“Oh? Do you have any evidence?” the elder asked sternly.
“The evidence is in that thief’s storage bag, but he won’t let me check it,” the middle-aged man said angrily.
Evan raised his head and said, “Jack Wang is framing me. Honestly, how could I possibly steal that much Violet Immortal Crystal?”
The middle-aged man retorted coldly, “Stop lying. If it wasn’t you, why won’t you let me check your storage bag?”
Evan didn’t argue further, but James Li sneered, “I suspect your mother has my lost treasure hidden under her skirt. Should I call her over to check?”
The middle-aged man’s face turned red with anger. “You! How dare you insult my mother! I’ll kill you!”
James remained unfazed and said calmly, “You can falsely accuse my little brother, but I can’t say anything about you?”
The middle-aged man, fuming, said, “You say I’m framing him. Then show me the evidence to prove his innocence!”
“With your pig brain, it’s no wonder the Violet Immortal Crystal was stolen,” James said disdainfully. “The storage room is protected by formations. If a young brat like him could break through without alerting anyone, would he still be working here like a slave?”
“Then who do you think stole the Violet Immortal Crystal? Could it have just disappeared?” the middle-aged man asked.
James sheathed his Flaming Sword and said, “Idiot, have you ever heard of a ‘Spirit Devouring Beast’? Go catch it quickly, or the Violet Immortal Crystal will be completely consumed.”
“A Spirit Devouring Beast! A beast that specializes in eating Violet Immortal Crystals!”
The elder suddenly realized that this was a possibility. These creatures could ignore formations and restrictions, making them nearly impossible to guard against. However, they hadn’t been seen in the mining area for centuries, and the younger generation of the Wang Family had never even heard of them.
With this in mind, the elder flashed into the mining area and began searching with his Immortal Sense. After about fifteen minutes, he emerged holding a dead, violet-furred giant rat, its belly round and swollen.
Due to its concealment techniques, it was nearly impossible for ordinary people to detect it. The elder had learned a beast-catching method from an old predecessor years ago, which allowed him to capture it easily.
James flicked his finger, and a Sword Qi shot out, slicing open the giant rat’s belly. A large pile of Violet Immortal Crystals rolled out onto the ground.
“So it was the Spirit Devouring Beast that stole the crystals. Evan Chen was falsely accused!”
“Thank goodness for Big Man Li. Otherwise, Evan would have been in big trouble.”
“I knew it. Evan is a good person and would never do something like stealing.”
The truth was revealed. Evan silently breathed a sigh of relief, feeling immense gratitude for James Li’s righteousness.
The middle-aged man from the Wang Family was so embarrassed that he wanted to dig a hole and hide in it.
“Beast! You caused this mess and falsely accused someone, making me lose my head for a moment!” To cover his embarrassment, the middle-aged man kicked the wailing Jack Wang a few times.
“Enough, Old Seven. This was all a misunderstanding. No one is to blame. Take him back for treatment, and everyone else can disperse,” the elder said.
“Yes, Fourth Elder.”
The middle-aged man ordered someone to carry Jack away and then prepared to leave with the elder.
“Wait.”
James Li called out to them.
“Big Brother Li, the matter is clear now. I didn’t suffer any losses. Let’s just let it go,” Evan said, feeling aggrieved.
But what could he do? The Wang Family was powerful, and he and James couldn’t afford to provoke them.
James signaled Evan to stay quiet and stepped forward. “Return our labor contracts. We’re done here.”
Working in the mining area usually involved signing a hundred-year labor contract, and breaking it was a serious crime.
“Heh, Brother Li. This was just a small matter. The Wang Family won’t hold a grudge. You can continue working without worry,” the elder said nonchalantly before flying away.
The farce ended just like that.
“I was the one wronged, but it feels like the Wang Family was the one shamed. What kind of world is this?” Evan said, feeling deeply frustrated but powerless to seek justice.
…
Outside the mining area, in a small tavern.
Evan treated James to a good meal to thank him.
“What are your plans now?” James asked while drinking.
“What?” Evan was confused.
“You idiot, you don’t plan to keep working in the mining area, do you?” James looked exasperated.
“Do you think the Wang Family will really retaliate against us?”
“Heh.” James chuckled bitterly. “What do you think? After such a big embarrassment, do you think the Wang Family will let you, a mere ant, off the hook?”
“But I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Evan felt extremely aggrieved. He had been falsely accused and almost had his hands chopped off. Now he was the one in the wrong and had to worry about retaliation?
“You really don’t understand the tyranny of powerful families. It’s not your fault; you’re just a naive chick,” James said. “Do you believe that the Wang Family will transfer you somewhere else next month, and then you’ll disappear forever?”
Disappear forever…
A deep sense of anger and helplessness surged in Evan’s heart.
Is this the sorrow of being a lowly commoner?
They can bully you whenever they want, make you disappear whenever they want, and no matter how you struggle, you can’t make the slightest ripple.
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