Chapter 3963 — Senior Sister Shangguan Arrives

"Agree to him first..." Ma Jian gasped hoarsely, his voice frayed to a thread. "Whatever you do, don't go blabbing about this once you're out..."

Ma Jian was no fool either. This whole mess was his own doing—something he had cooked up behind his superiors' backs. If Niu Qiang got spooked and went straight to Gongyang Jun the moment he walked out that door, then yes, Wei Zhao would be a dead man—but Ma Jian would be just as dead. Even setting aside Wei Zhao killing him, Gongyang Jun would never let him off the hook! He had never reported this affair upward; he had done it all on the sly, as a favor to curry favor with Xu Lingchong.

Gongyang Jun stood up for his subordinates, true enough—but if you went off on your own private rampages with no regard for discipline whatsoever, the Law Enforcement Hall would have descended into chaos long ago! If Wei Zhao were killed, with Xu Lingchong pulling strings, the matter could probably be buried. But if it were exposed now... his subordinates simply offing someone at will? Gongyang Jun would have his head on a platter for certain! That was why he was even more on edge about Niu Qiang's behavior than Wei Zhao was.

"Fine, I'll agree to it!" Niu Qiang nodded and turned for the door. Had Wei Zhao's demands been excessive, he might have entertained other ideas—but if it was just this sort of petty errand-running, and he knew perfectly well the other man was chasing a dead end, there was no need at all for him to take that risk.

Of course, if that Xiao Che fellow really did have some trick up his sleeve, that would be a clash on the level of Xu Lingchong himself—and had nothing to do with Niu Qiang. No sense in throwing Ma Jian's life away over it.

After Niu Qiang left, Wei Zhao kept his hand clamped around Ma Jian's neck just the same. This was, after all, no ordinary opponent—a solid mid-Foundation Establishment expert, and on his enemy's home ground to boot. The slightest slackening, and if the man broke free, it could mean utter ruin.

Still, Wei Zhao left him just enough breath to live on. After all, if he accidentally killed this one, then even if he did manage to summon help, it would be hard to walk away unscathed.

"It's useless... whoever you find, it's useless... the Law Enforcement Hall never does anyone any favors... I advise you to kowtow and confess while you still can... maybe I'll spare your miserable life..." Ma Jian did not believe for a moment that some newcomer could save Wei Zhao. In the end, if it came to nothing, he would still have to crush the life out of him—so he threatened with one breath and reasoned with the next.

Since Wei Zhao lacked the resolve to fight to the death, there was no need for him to be afraid. Wei Zhao still could not escape his palm; sooner or later he would be crushed in his grip, as easily as pinching an ant to death.

Bang! Before Ma Jian could finish, Wei Zhao raised a fist and drove it into his belly. "Before you speak, I'd advise you to take a good look at your own situation first. My temper really isn't very good—if I accidentally do in your esteemed Enforcement Envoy self, I really won't be able to live with the guilt."

Doubled over in pain, Ma Jian's body curled up like a dead shrimp. But with Wei Zhao's hand clamped on his throat, he could not even cry out. The interrogation room was left with only a strange, halting sound of hiccuping gasps. That he did not suffocate on the spot was reason enough to praise Ma Jian's luck.

Half an hour later, the iron door of the interrogation room finally opened—and the first person to poke her head in was, just as Wei Zhao had expected, Shangguan Lan'er.

"Little Junior Brother, so you really are here!" At the sight of Wei Zhao, Shangguan Lan'er's face lit up. She bounded over and checked him up and down. "How is it? How is it? Did these bastards bully you? Did they torture you or anything? Your little Senior Sister will get even for you!"

Watching this, Ma Jian was so stunned he nearly keeled over on the spot. As one of Xu Lingchong's people, of course he recognized Shangguan Lan'er—the first young lady of the Chongtian Pavilion.

Back when he had served as an examiner for the new recruits' assessment, he had seen her twice. At the time, this young lady had clearly looked down on Wei Zhao with utter disdain. How had things suddenly turned into this?

Following Shangguan Lan'er in was Niu Qiang, wearing the same look of having seen a ghost—and then another man: Xiao Che, the very person Wei Zhao had named for him to fetch. From his gait, he seemed to have taken some injury.

"Thanks for the trouble. That wound—nothing serious, I hope?" Wei Zhao nodded to Xiao Che. His purpose in having Niu Qiang fetch Xiao Che had been exactly this.

Xiao Che had once seen Little Curly Bear deliver a letter to him. In other words, of everyone around him, apart from Murong Zhen and Li Zhengming, whom he had encountered on the back mountain earlier, only Xiao Che knew of his connection with Shangguan Lan'er.

That was precisely why he had specifically named Xiao Che for Niu Qiang to fetch rather than Senior Brother Kubi and the others—and events had proven that he and Xiao Che did indeed share that kind of unspoken understanding. In the present situation, only this young lady Shangguan Lan'er could bail him out.

"It's nothing." Xiao Che smiled. Ordinarily, a mere newcomer of the Qingyun Pavilion could never get into the core area of the Chongtian Pavilion, let alone find the young lady Shangguan. So he had had to bide his time and sneak his way in by force. Luckily his fortune held and he ran into Shangguan Lan'er—coming away with only this slight injury was already remarkably lucky.

As they spoke, Shangguan Lan'er had already finished inspecting Wei Zhao from head to toe. Finding no injuries, she finally let out a breath of relief, then turned to Ma Jian with a show of ferocity: "Good thing Little Junior Brother is fine—otherwise this young lady would go find that cold-faced demon and have him come punish you personally!"

Ma Jian nearly jumped out of his skin. The "cold-faced demon" Shangguan Lan'er spoke of was none other than their direct superior in the Law Enforcement Hall—Gongyang Jun.

Had anyone else said such a thing, he could have dismissed it as alarmist bluster, let it go in one ear and out the other. Gongyang Jun's arrogance was known to all—a man who never gave even the higher-ups of the Sandie Pavilion a second glance. Words from such people might not amount to a fart in his ears.

But this young lady Shangguan before him was a different matter. She was not a higher-up of the Sandie Pavilion; she held no power whatsoever. But her grandfather, Shangguan Tianxia—that formidable Pavilion Master of the Chongtian Pavilion—was the only big shot in the entire Sandie Pavilion who could tame Gongyang Jun.

Even a winged steed needs its Bo Le. That Gongyang Jun had reached his present heights was inseparable from Shangguan Tianxia's long-standing recognition of his talent. He was not Shangguan Tianxia's direct disciple—but he had once stood a single step away from becoming one.

It was not that Shangguan Tianxia thought little of him. Rather, Shangguan Tianxia had once said: Gongyang Jun is the greatest genius I have seen in my life. No one can truly teach him—no one but himself.

Such an appraisal was the capital on which Gongyang Jun had swaggered through the Sandie Pavilion all these years. No one dared point a finger at him; he could ignore any so-called big shot of the Sandie Pavilion he pleased—with the sole exception of Shangguan Tianxia.

Shangguan Lan'er, as Shangguan Tianxia's most doted-upon and only granddaughter, if she truly went to find Gongyang Jun, no doubt Gongyang Jun would not make things difficult for her over such a trifle.