Chapter 83: Confessing the Crime

“The first match is won by Su Che!”
No matter how Song Pangzi died, and no matter how displeased the Zhen sisters were, the facts were clear. As a notary, Zhen Zhen had to announce it this way.
With Song Pangzi’s body lying there, Su Che calmly stepped forward and took possession of the spiritual weapon hammer he left behind, as well as the Qi Bag at his waist.
“Wait!”
Seeing Su Che about to keep those items for himself, Zhen Lan immediately stood up and shouted to stop him, “Su Che, you can’t take Brother Song’s belongings!”
But Su Che turned a deaf ear. In just a few swift movements, he put the spiritual weapon hammer into his own Qi Bag, while hanging Song Pangzi’s Qi Bag around his waist.
After securing the items, he stepped to the edge of the competition platform and bowed, saying, “Sister Zhen Lan, you’re wrong. ‘Song Qing’an’ has already been defeated by me. According to our earlier agreement, he must leave the sect and no longer be a disciple of our faction. Besides, since he died by suicide before leaving the platform, it’s clear he voluntarily gave up everything he had. As the winner, I have the right to claim these spoils.”
“Nonsense!”
Zhen Lan was furious but couldn’t think of a proper reason to refute him right away. She certainly couldn’t declare in public that many of Song Pangzi’s belongings were gifts from her. Such cheating would only work if everyone was aware of it privately; she couldn’t bring it up openly without losing face.
Yu Qing chuckled and interjected, “I think Su Che makes a good point. If Song Qing’an had left the platform before committing suicide, his belongings would have been unclaimed and should have been handed over to the sect for disposal. But since he chose to kill himself on the platform, it means he handed over everything to his opponent to handle. This logic holds true anywhere.”
“That’s right, exactly that,” Lei Xiao stood up and agreed loudly.
Lei Qingxue also stood up to support him, “According to the agreement, the loser loses their status as a disciple of our faction. Since he’s no longer a disciple, whatever belongs to him goes to whoever gets it first.”
The Lei family had deep roots in the Tianxuan Sect, so they weren’t afraid of the Zhen sisters.
Hua Lu from Tianlu Peak came up with an argument that could counter Su Che and Yu Qing’s views to some extent. Just as he was about to speak, he remembered that he had owed Su Che a favor due to the sealing of the Demon Realm. It would be unreasonable to oppose him now without repaying that favor.

As the saying goes, cunning and deceit can be considered skills, but outright shamelessness makes one a scoundrel. Hua Lu valued face highly; he would rather be a hypocrite than a true scoundrel, so he forced down the words he was about to speak.

Similarly, as a genuine disciple, Zhen Zhen placed even greater importance on her own reputation. Losing a spiritual artifact and a few other items wasn’t worth causing a scene in front of everyone. So, she quietly nudged her sister, signaling her to stop arguing.

Everyone in the audience fell silent. Thus, the matter of the spoils was settled. Su Che turned his gaze downward, looking down at the scoundrel Jiang Chen, who was about to curl up in fear.

“Junior Brother Jiang,” Su Che said, his voice sharp as a sword, “it’s your turn now.”

“No, no, I won’t go!”

Jiang Chen was already terrified, with no courage left to face the upcoming battle. Just now, Song Fatso’s fate served as a clear warning of what awaited him if he stepped onto the stage.

“Senior Sister Zhen…” Jiang Chen looked at Zhen Lan, nearly in tears, not knowing how to ask for help.

Zhen Lan glared at him with disgust, unwilling to speak another word to him. She also regretted having taken such a worthless guy as her follower…

The others also looked at Jiang Chen with utter contempt, thinking: You may be afraid of death, you may admit defeat, you may openly admit you accept the outcome—but you shouldn’t be this cowardly. There’s not a shred of dignity left in a cultivator…

On the other hand, Su Che on the stage understood Jiang Chen’s cowardice. After all, he was also just a fifteen-year-old boy. It wasn’t strange for him to panic in a life-or-death crisis, but that didn’t exempt him from the punishment he deserved.

“Jiang Chen…”

Su Che’s tone suddenly softened. “You can give up this battle, but you must meet two conditions. First, you must admit defeat in public and voluntarily renounce your status as a disciple of mine. Second, you must stand here and confess truthfully everything you did to me back then, then I’ll accept your surrender.”

“Huh?”

Already terrified, Jiang Chen lost even his usual wits. Hearing this, his survival instinct overwhelmed his intelligence. At this moment, as long as he wasn’t forced onto the stage and his life wasn’t taken, he was willing to do anything!

“Okay, okay, I’ll confess everything, Senior Su Che, I’m sorry to you…”
Next, Jiang Chen, with tears and snot streaming down his face, confessed everything about how he had schemed against Su Che for a rare herb back then, as well as the subsequent acts of tormenting and framing him. Though he stammered a bit due to nervousness, he still explained the facts fairly clearly. Su Che didn’t even bother correcting the minor discrepancies.
“This kid is actually such a person?”
As the saying goes, it’s shocking to hear. No one expected that this young man, despite being so young, could be so despicable. Not only did he scheme against others without any remorse, but he also kept tormenting them over and over again—how vicious and terrifying!
Who would dare to associate with such a person?
Zhen Lan’s hands and feet were ice-cold, her face pale—she was utterly humiliated. She had lost all face by acting as an accomplice to such a scoundrel. How could she face anyone again?
Zhen Zhen also looked ashamed, wishing she could turn Jiang Chen to ashes right away. At the same time, she couldn’t help but feel resentment toward Su Che. Regardless of right or wrong, just for ignoring her advice and causing her sisters to be embarrassed in public was enough to condemn him.
With the farce having reached this point, there was no point in continuing. Zhen Zhen seized Jiang Chen’s identity jade talisman and card on the spot. With everyone present as witnesses, he was no longer a disciple of Tianxuan Sect.
Jiang Chen looked around helplessly, only to see that no one wanted to deal with him anymore. He could only slink away dejectedly, muttering to himself to comfort himself: “I’m still alive, that’s good. If I can’t become a disciple of Tianxuan Sect, I can try other sects. At the very least, I can be a free-roaming cultivator—maybe I’ll encounter great opportunities… When my cultivation is strong enough, I can come back to avenge Su Che… Those who survive great disasters will surely have good fortune later…”
But after taking a few steps, a strong hand grabbed his neck from behind.
Jiang Chen turned around, and his complexion, which had just improved, turned deathly pale once again.
“Senior Su Che…” he stammered, “Is there anything else?”
Su Che snorted coldly, “We still have some debts to settle. Who gave you permission to leave?”
“Weren’t you…?”
Jiang Chen stammered a few times before realizing it himself. Earlier, Su Che had only agreed not to have that fight anymore, but he hadn’t promised to spare him!

Jiang Chen then felt deep remorse: “Damn it, I’ve been fooled! I’m such an idiot!”
Whoosh!
Su Che didn’t bother arguing further and immediately used his mid-tier magical weapon, the Immortal Binding Rope, to tie him up. Jiang Chen’s courage had vanished entirely; he didn’t even have the will to resist.
None of the onlookers nearby would stop Su Che for such a person, especially since Jiang Chen was no longer a disciple of Tianxuan Sect.
Zhen Lan, the only one who might intervene, hated Jiang Chen to the core. Today, she had lost all face, and it was all because of him—how could she possibly save him?
Yu Qing and Linglong came over and asked, “Younger brother Su, are you taking him back to Mysterious Peak?”
“Yes, elder brother. I’m taking him back to my cultivation cave,” Su Che said without hiding his intention—to punish Jiang Chen in his own cave.
Yu Qing nodded. “I’ll accompany you.”
The distance between ‘Competition Peak’ and ‘Mysterious Peak’ was thousands of miles. If Su Che had to walk with a captive, it would take a whole day. Yu Qing, being very careful, considered the possibility that the Zhen sisters might intercept Su Che along the way to cause trouble, so she offered to fly back to Mysterious Peak with them.
“Thank you, elder brother,” Su Che said. Of course, he wouldn’t refuse Yu Qing’s kindness, and he also thought of the possibility that Zhen Zhen might cause him trouble later.
Yu Qing, who had reached the highest level of Qi Cultivation, had no problem flying with two people on her sword, though the speed would be affected.
After that, Su Che temporarily bid farewell to Lei Xiao and Lei Qingxue and boarded Yu Qing’s flying sword once again. Jiang Chen, of course, didn’t enjoy such treatment—he could only be held in Su Che’s hands, with several acupoints sealed, leaving him unable to speak.
Before leaving, Su Che heard Zhen Zhen’s message again: “Su Che, you’re quite bold to defy my wishes and bring such embarrassment to my sisters… I said I’d make your life difficult in the sect—so be prepared. I’ll keep my word.”
Su Che remained silent, not replying with words, because some people were simply unreasonable. The more he argued with them, the more they felt they were in the right.
Yu Qing seemed to notice something and suddenly turned to look at Zhen Zhen, wearing a meaningful smile as she said loudly, “Everyone has seen how just our senior sister is today. Yu Qing thanks her.”
These words carried deep meaning. Zhen Zhen replied with a smile as well, “Younger brother, you’re too polite. I will definitely do what needs to be done.”
“That’s great!”

Yu Qing smiled at the sky, channeled his vital energy, and soared into the air on his sword.