Chapter 61: Master Yu Xiaogang, You Are Under Arrest
"No... I must write a rebuttal! I cannot let this damned Jiang Xue’er ruin this Master’s reputation!"
He slammed his hand against the table and rose to his feet.
"A bunch of foolish mortals—how could you possibly comprehend this Master’s wisdom? You only know how to look down on me, how to criticize me; how could you ever grasp the magnitude of my astonishing intellect?"
He paced back and forth across the room, ceaselessly muttering his counter-arguments under his breath.
However, after circling the room a few times, he suddenly came to a halt.
"Wait... before I do that, I ought to go collect this month’s stipend first."
Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath, striving to calm himself down.
Originally, he had intended to ask Tang San to collect it for him; however, the anger he had felt moments earlier had left him agitated, so he decided to step out for a walk to clear his head.
He straightened his somewhat disheveled black robe, kicked the torn book pages into a corner, and then—with his hands clasped behind his back and adopting his customary "Grandmaster" demeanor—he pushed open the door and stepped out.
...
The Spirit Hall Branch in Nuoding City.
With his hands clasped behind his back, Yu Xiaogang strode into the reception hall.
He walked directly up to the reception counter and, without even sparing a glance at the staff member, stated bluntly, "Hand over this month’s Spirit Master stipend."
The receptionist—a young man in his twenties—looked up at Yu Xiaogang and asked in a strictly businesslike tone, "What is your name? Please present your Spirit Master credentials."
Yu Xiaogang frowned, his voice tinged with displeasure. "What is this? Do you not even recognize this Grandmaster? I am Yu Xiaogang!"
He deliberately raised his voice, drawing the attention—and sidelong glances—of several other Spirit Masters nearby.
Upon hearing this, a peculiar glint flashed in the young receptionist’s eyes. He set down the pen he was holding, scrutinized Yu Xiaogang carefully, and then slowly shook his head.
"I apologize, Mr. Yu Xiaogang, but in accordance with the latest directives, I am unable to issue you a stipend."
"What did you say?!" Yu Xiaogang’s voice suddenly shot up in volume; he slammed his hand down on the reception counter with a resounding bang.
"I’m not eligible? A Great Spirit Master is entitled to collect ten gold spirit coins every month—that is a regulation of the Spirit Hall! Hand it over, now!"
The reception hall instantly fell silent as every eye in the room turned toward the commotion.
The young receptionist’s expression also darkened, yet he maintained a professional tone: "You indeed do not qualify to receive a stipend at this time. As for the reason... blame it on the fact that you offended someone you shouldn’t have."
"I offended someone?" Yu Xiaogang looked utterly incredulous, as if he had just heard the biggest joke in the world.
"Do you have any idea who I am?! Do you know what kind of relationship I have with your Pope?!"
Trembling with rage, he pulled a token from his robes, held it high, and practically roared: "Open your eyes and look closely! I am an Elder of the Spirit Hall! I hereby command you—in the name of an Elder—to issue my stipend immediately, and then get down on your knees and beg for forgiveness!"
The token was pitch-black; engraved on its face were the images of six different Spirit Souls—it was, unmistakably, an Elder’s Token of the Spirit Hall!
A collective gasp swept through the main hall.
All eyes were fixed on the token, then shifted back to Yu Xiaogang, their gazes now filled with a mixture of complex emotions.
However, the young receptionist showed not the slightest sign of panic.
He cast a cold glance at the Elder’s Token, then called out loudly toward the inner sanctum: "Master Matthew Nuo!"
Footsteps were heard approaching almost immediately.
An elderly man, clad in the neat uniform of a Spirit Master, emerged from the inner sanctum. Pinned to his chest was an emblem featuring three crossed swords—the symbol designating a Spirit Elder.
With a stern countenance and piercing eyes, he was none other than Matthew Nuo, the Hall Master of the Spirit Hall’s branch in Nuoding City.
Upon seeing who had arrived, Yu Xiaogang immediately shouted: "Matthew Nuo! Are you trying to stage a rebellion? How dare you show such disrespect to an Elder! Tell this insolent brat to apologize to me at once!"
Matthew Nuo walked closer, his gaze lingering briefly on Yu Xiaogang’s face before settling upon the Elder’s Token clutched in his hand.
His expression remained utterly unchanged as he calmly stated: "This man has stolen an Elder’s Token belonging to our Hall; the evidence is irrefutable. Apprehend him."
"Yes, sir!"
More than a dozen Spirit Hall deacons, who had been waiting in readiness nearby, instantly stepped forward and swarmed around Yu Xiaogang, encircling him completely.
"You... How dare you!" Yu Xiaogang’s face turned deathly pale; the hand clutching the Elder’s Token began to tremble.
"This was given to me by the Pope herself! How could you possibly..."
"A thief still has the audacity to quibble?" Matheweno interrupted him expressionlessly.
"Seize him. If he resists, kill him on sight."
The final four words were spoken with bone-chilling coldness.
Yu Xiaogang’s entire body went rigid; he could feel a genuine killing intent radiating from them. These people truly would kill him!
"I... I am a member of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan! You cannot..." He tried to struggle one last time.
But the deacons gave him no further opportunity to speak.
Two Power Attack System Soul Masters clamped down on his shoulders—one on the left, one on the right—while a Control System Soul Master’s Vine Martial Soul instantly coiled around his legs.
Yu Xiaogang attempted to summon his Martial Soul to fight back, but Matheweno’s voice rang out once more: "If you dare summon your Martial Soul, it shall be deemed an act of aggression against the Spirit Hall. By law, you shall be executed on the spot."
The words felt like a bucket of ice water being dumped over Yu Xiaogang’s head.
He parted his lips, yet ultimately lacked the courage to summon Luo Sanpao.
In that brief moment of hesitation, he was completely subdued; his hands were wrenched behind his back and bound.
Matheweno stepped forward, retrieved the Elder’s Token from Yu Xiaogang’s trembling grasp, examined it closely, and then stowed it away in his own spatial Soul Tool.
"Confine him in the dungeon for now," he ordered.
"Maintain a strict guard; His Highness is expected to arrive for an inspection within the next few days."
"Yes, sir!" the deacons responded in unison, dragging the ashen-faced Yu Xiaogang toward the dungeons.
A deathly silence fell over the main hall.
Every Soul Master present stared at the scene in stunned disbelief; no one could have predicted that events would unfold in such a manner.
A man holding an Elder’s Token—how could he possibly be arrested on charges of "stealing the token"?
Many eyes turned toward the direction in which Yu Xiaogang was being dragged away, their gazes filled with nothing but disdain and contempt.
Mathew Nuo swept his gaze across the hall and spoke in a detached tone: "The events of today are strictly internal affairs of the Spirit Hall; there is no need for any of you to dwell on them. Resume your duties."
Having said this, he turned and walked back toward the inner sanctum, leaving behind a hall filled with whispering Spirit Masters.
Meanwhile, in the direction of the dungeons, Yu Xiaogang was roughly shoved into a dark, damp cell.
The iron door slammed shut with a resounding clang, followed by the clanking of chains.
He slumped onto the cold stone floor, his eyes vacant, with only a single thought echoing madly within his mind:
It’s over... It’s all over...
...
Spirit City—Chelsea’s Private Quarters.
Qian Renxue stood before a window, holding a secret dispatch that had just been delivered.
It contained a detailed account of everything that had transpired in Notting City.
After reading it, she held the dispatch over a candle flame, watching as the paper curled and turned to ash amidst the fire.
"Yu Xiaogang..." she murmured the name softly, a cold glint flashing through her violet eyes.
"This is merely the beginning."
"Someone! Go and notify Tian Yue and the others..."
Outside the window, the sky gradually darkened as night descended.
The lights of Spirit City began to twinkle to life, adorning the magnificent metropolis like a starry firmament.