NOVEL WEB Chapter 91: There Are No Eternal Friends, The Debt of Gratitude Has Been Repaid Long Ago
Shen Qing's figure slightly turned as he looked down.
The traitor of the Huang Tian Sect had his arms and legs broken, curling on the ground and groaning.
Tian Xiaohu stepped forward timely, gently unfolded the scroll in his hand, and presented it in front of Shen Qing.
This was an image drawn based on eyewitness descriptions from that day on the street, a standard for capturing criminals.
Shen Qing's gaze wandered back and forth between the scroll and the traitor on the ground, carefully comparing the depicted visage with the traitor's face.
After observing for several moments, he confirmed without a doubt that this was the person who had committed the crime in the street that day.
Shen Qing said with a long, meaningful tone, "To commit murder in broad daylight without regard for law and order, the crime deserves death."
The traitor turned pale instantly upon hearing this, despair and panic flashing in his eyes.
He lifted his head, only to see Dong Jing behind Shen Qing. Grasping at a straw, he loudly begged for mercy, "Lord, spare me! It was all under the command of Lord Dong, Dong Jing. I was merely following orders, had no choice!"
The traitor's voice trembled with fear, struggling desperately to approach Shen Qing, trying to save his life.
Hearing this, Shen Qing's lips curled into an enigmatic smile.
He slowly turned his head to look at Dong Jing, asking, "Dong Chasi, do you have anything to say?"
Dong Jing loudly rebuked, "How can a man of a noble family like me collude with the Huang Tian Sect? This is a baseless accusation! Damnable!"
Suddenly Dong Jing's right hand swiftly reached toward his waist, grasped the dagger's hilt, and with a forceful pull, drew the blade out with a piercing metallic scrape.
In the air, silver light flickered, the dagger cut a fierce arc straight toward the traitor's throat.
The move was so swift, it happened almost within a breath, leaving no time for anyone to react.
The traitor's face was filled with shock and horror: "Save me, Lord!"
In a critical moment, Shen Qing gently waved his right hand, as his sleeve fluttered, a spiritual power quietly gathered in his palm, transforming into an invisible golden hand seal, falling on Dong Jing's dagger.
Bang!
A surging force, like mountains collapsing into the sea, swept from the dagger.
Dong Jing could not resist at all, the dagger flew out of his hand, embedding into the ground beside him.
Shen Qing sternly asked, "Dong Chasi, what do you mean by this?"
Seeing the situation, Dong Jing's face grew even more sullen, and he said without hesitation, "This person is spreading lies, daring to slander court officials; he should be executed on the spot!"
Shen Qing glanced up and down at Dong Jing, realizing he was in a rush!
Just now, it was evident he had decided to go all out to eliminate any hidden dangers.
"If one is upright, there's no need to fear a crooked shadow. If it's really like this, before the truth is revealed, why is Dong Chasi in such a hurry?" Shen Qing said slowly and steadily.
At this moment, the traitor suddenly thought of something and shouted, "Lord, I have physical evidence. Lord Dong gave me three 'golden fish' when instructing me, all engraved with words from the Dong Family Bank. If the lord searches this room, you will surely find them."
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"And, Lord, the reason Dong made me pretend to be a traitor of the Huang Tian Sect was to make trouble for you, to bring you down..." In his desire to survive, the traitor wholly revealed Dong Jing's plans.
Dong Jing shouted, "Nonsense!"
At this statement, Sun Ding and others drew their daggers in unison, warily pointing them at Dong Jing.
"Dong Chasi, how do you explain this?"
"Just the defamation of a mere wanderer; why take it seriously, Lord?"
Hearing these words, Shen Qing held his dagger, sternly said, "Both eyewitness and material evidence exist, do you take us for fools? These past days, all the rumors inside the government office appeared to originate from you."
In his words, Shen Qing linked the recent events, and the plot's outline became increasingly clear.
At this point, facts had already triumphed over argument.
Dong Jing knew well that he had torn his cover with Shen Qing, thus he had few scruples.
His face gradually calmed down, he said slowly, "By the way, didn't the lord owe me a favor before? As we are friends, why not let this matter pass, and today we settle our scores."
When speaking, Dong Jing deliberately emphasized the words "favor," as if reminding Shen Qing of something.
Shen Qing chuckled, saying, "The favor I owed you was repaid when I met you today; you just didn't accept it."
Dong Jing's face quickly turned cold, "So, Vice Director, do you really want to go against me? Don't forget, I have the Dong Family backing me. If I reveal that thing, do you think you'll come out unscathed?"
"You're threatening me?" Shen Qing took a step forward, "Have you considered that behind me stands the entire Great Zhou Court, allowing no room for your insolence?!"
"Fine, if that's the case, don't blame me for this; on the day you killed..."
Before Dong Jing could finish, he only saw a flash of cold light before his eyes.
Accompanied by a dull noise, a sharp streak of cold light swept beneath his chin.
Splat!
A grim wound suddenly tore open on Dong Jing's neck.
Blood gushed out like an unrestrained flood, continuously scattering on the ground.
The air quickly filled with a strong scent of blood.
Under everyone's gaze, the wound on Dong Jing's neck gradually expanded, eventually severing completely.
Dong Jing's head retained a shocked expression as it rolled to the ground.
Shen Qing flicked his wrist, gently waving, shaking the blood off the dagger, as naturally as brushing off dust, then sheathed the long blade.
His face bore no emotion, deep eyes cold and determined.
Shen Qing looked down at Dong Jing, muttering to himself with a sigh, "In this world, there's no such thing as forever friends. If there are, you are certainly not one."
"You killed the Dong Family's young master, the Dong Family won't forgive you," a burly man from the casino roared, "You are doomed!"
Hearing this, Shen Qing looked and scoffed, "What Dong Family's young master? Both eyewitness and material evidence are here; this is a traitor of the Huang Tian Sect, slaying him was warranted."
He called, "Sun Chasi!"
"This subordinate is here."
"You've done well this time, not only catching the traitor and bringing them to justice, but also capturing an accomplice of the traitor, accomplishing a significant deed. When we return, I will report this to the Chief Officer and Lord Commander, to honor you and reward you."
Sun Ding rapidly processed his thoughts, comprehending the deeper meaning in Shen Qing's words.
This was meant to let him claim the 'merit,' elevating him with the intent to support.
Simultaneously, it aimed to use the Sun Family's power to withstand the Dong Family's pressure.
Dong Jing was only a concubine's son, his status in the Dong Family not high, comparable to his own.
Now with eyewitness and material evidence in hand, if reported to his father and others, they could potentially leverage this to take a piece from the Dong Family, enhancing his standing in his father's eyes.
Weighing the pros and cons, Sun Ding realized this deal not only could be done but profitably so!
At that moment, he was wholly impressed by Shen Qing.
Working under him in the future might indeed be a beneficial thing.
Without further hesitation, Sun Ding excitedly said, "Thank you, Lord, this subordinate will certainly exhaust all efforts, not letting the Lord down."