Biochemical Martial Arts: Supreme Heavenly Venerate

At this moment, Fang Ranran stood outside the small courtyard, looking both shocked and angry at the middle-aged man with a sallow face kneeling beside her.

He was a fifth realm Martial Cultivator, over 30 years of age, with a strong and vigorous body, bright piercing eyes, and a sharp, resolute gaze.

Fang Ranran knew that this Yu Wendan was surely a death warrior sent by the Jin family, with the purpose of nailing her grandfather, the Imperial Censor Zheng Cheng Zhao Yang, to his death.

According to the rules, once high-ranking officials in the court were suspected of being involved with the Heavenly Demons from beyond the realm, they must request leave to stay at home, awaiting investigation and verification by the royal court.

This meant that the Imperial Censor Zheng Cheng Zhao Yang could no longer exercise his powers and could only be trapped at home, sitting and waiting for death.

Fang Ranran had not expected the Jin family to act so swiftly, feeling nothing but an icy chill throughout her body.

Just moments later, Lin Rui and Meng Weiyun walked out of the courtyard together.

After looking the middle-aged man with the sallow face up and down, Meng Weiyun's eyes revealed suspicion, "You wish to accuse the Imperial Censor Zheng Cheng Zhao Yang? Claiming he is a Heavenly Demon from beyond the realm? Do you know how long Zhao Zheng Cheng has served as an official in the court?"

——That was not only the leader of the upright officials in the dynasty but also a veteran of three reigns in the Great Song, having served under three emperors with a depth of experience surpassing all other court officials.

"My lord!" Yu Wendan, under the intense gaze of Meng Weiyun, bowed without any hint of fear, "Imperial Censor Zheng Cheng Zhao Yang has been in office for 700 years, exactly the period when the Heavenly Demons started to overflow! And I, the commoner, have evidence."

He took out a document from his sleeve and held it in his hand, saying, "Commander, I have investigated all of Imperial Censor Zheng Cheng Zhao Yang's experiences since his rise to power and listed all the suspicious points on this document. Please, Commander, take a close look."

Meng Weiyun's brows slightly furrowed as she moved aside with a serious expression on her face.

She realized that once this man's document was presented, it would inevitably lead to another storm throughout the court.

Meng Weiyun's emotions were complex; she and her master had collaborated several times with the court's upright faction to rectify excesses, and they had developed an understanding, starting to move in step with one another.

At this time, Lin Rui had just become the Commander of the Bureau of Scouring Treachery, and another Imperial Censor Zheng Cheng had been implicated by the case in Shazhou and had already been removed from office and exiled from the capital.

This was the time for them to flex their muscles, yet Zhao Yang, the leader of the upright officials in the court, had this incident occur.

Meng Weiyun truly hoped that nothing was wrong with Zhao Yang but was also unwilling to see any Heavenly Demon from beyond the realm ascend to high ranks within the Great Song's court.

If Zhao Yang truly was a Heavenly Demon, it would certainly be a rare major case of the Heavenly Demon in the last eight hundred years.

Zhao Yang was a renowned evergreen of the court, having served as the Imperial Censor Zheng Cheng for 120 years with students and disciples spread all over the world. If he got into trouble, the upright faction of the entire Great Song court would suffer a severe blow.

As the Commander of the Bureau of Scouring Treachery responsible for the case, Lin Rui would also face resistance and even hostility from the upright officials of the entire court.

Meng Weiyun wanted to offer a reminder but felt it was inappropriate to speak out; after all, her junior brother was the distinguished Commander of the Bureau of Scouring Treachery and must not lose face in public, nor provide fodder for gossip.

She thought it better to first see how her junior brother would act in this situation; if there were anything improper, she could remind him in private later.

Lin Rui, on the other hand, looked at 'Zhao Yingxu' with a peculiar gaze.

This woman was approximately two meters and ten centimeters tall. Even dressed as a man, her face was still extremely beautiful, exquisite, captivating, and capable of toppling empires.

Her figure was also slender and elegant, emitting a very pleasant fragrance that seemed to contain a trace of bewitching power.

Even by the aesthetic standards of Earth's humanity, she was very beautiful.

Unfortunately, this woman was too tall, towering over two meters, not Lin Rui's type; he preferred the beauty of Meng Weiyun and Fang Ranran.

The problem was that Lin Rui thought of a line of poetry: Ranran, almost reaching the illusory; calm and changing the present and the past; the beauty by the clear river, that night, singing in bitter yearning—

If Zhao Yang was Linghu Mingde, could this Zhao Yingxu possibly be the alter ego of Fang Ranran?

Yet his expression remained unchanged as he strode over to the middle-aged man with the sallow face and took the document from his hand.

After Lin Rui read it through, he too furrowed his brows, "This document is full of conjecture. Do you not have any solid evidence then?"

The middle-aged man with the sallow face looked up and cast a sideways glance at 'Zhao Yingxu' beside him.

They held as evidence that one stump of rotted dragon mushroom, and it all depended on whether the Linghu family would act sensibly.

He then gave Lin Rui a grand bow, "Although I, the commoner, have no solid proof, Zhao Yang has indeed acted suspiciously. In this commoner's document, I've recorded thirteen instances in his life that suspiciously involve the Heavenly Demons, including the two mentioned Heavenly Demons from beyond the realm that are currently hiding in the Zhao residence. My lord only needs to send someone to capture them and conduct a thorough investigation to uncover the truth, revealing the true form of these Heavenly Demons."

Fang Ranran's face turned pale, and she also bowed towards Lin Rui, "My lord, my family's ancestor has toiled for Great Song all his life, having served three dynasties. When civil and military officials and scholars from all over mention my family's ancestor, who doesn't speak of his esteemed virtue and high reputation? Even the Emperor and the Divine Envoy have shown nothing but trust in him. Yet now, this scoundrel spews blood, claiming my family's ancestor is a Heavenly Demon from beyond the realm—is this not absurd? This is clearly the machinations of some vile and treacherous person within the court, framing and attacking my family's ancestor. I implore my lord to discern the truth!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Rui smiled faintly.

He thought to himself that if this 'Zhao Yingxu' really was Fang Ranran, she was truly worthy of being herself.

This girl was quick to react, immediately directing the matter towards court factional strife, thus exonerating her grandfather from suspicion,

Lin Rui listened but withheld judgment, his gaze icily fixed on the sallow-faced middle-aged man: "Yu Wendan, is it? According to our great Song's laws, a commoner accusing an official is like a son killing his father. One starts with fifty lashes; a fifth realm Martial Cultivator receives an additional two hundred. Even if you win the case, you will be sentenced to exile two hundred thousand li away. Are you aware of this?"

Regardless of this man's motives, the idea was to beat him first and ask questions later.

The sallow-faced middle-aged man's mood darkened upon hearing this, but he still bit back his words and said, "This commoner understands."

According to their knowledge, the newly appointed Commander Lin, also known as the Twelfth, was known for his integrity and deep enmity towards demons. He not only slaughtered demons throughout Wang City County during his tenure but, under the guise of investigating foreign Heavenly Demons, cooked up several major cases. He even implicated the Governor of Sha State, epitomizing the fierce and unyielding official.

Submitting this written accusation to Commander Lin was undoubtedly the right choice; it would maximize their benefits.

This was killing two birds with one stone: not only could they strike at Zhao Yang, but they could also sow discord between the third Divine Envoy and the reformist faction.

"Glad you understand!" Lin Rui signaled to his left and right with hands clasped behind his back: "Take him down and give him two hundred and fifty lashes. We lack an executioner here. Twenty-Seven, you'll have to do it, however reluctant. You can borrow the chastisement rods from the post commander."

He sent a message to Wang Sen: Beat him to death!

Wang Sen immediately bowed in assent and, accompanied by several of Lin Rui's trusted aides, dragged the sallow-faced middle-aged man down to personally administer the punishment.

He was also on alert. Although he was not sure if Zhao Yang was Linghu Mingde, since it involved someone related to them, caution was imperative.

Moreover, what was Fang Ranran's relationship with them? Wang Sen knew that his and Lin Rui's rise to power owed much to the Fang family, and they were still under Fang Ranran's protection. Therefore, he was ruthless, with each strike causing flesh to tear and blood to fly.

Fang Ranran felt a mix of relief and worry upon witnessing this scene. She approached Lin Rui with an earnest expression, intending to further advocate for her grandfather. However, Lin Rui glared coldly at her, his tone unfriendly: "Miss Zhao, I bear the heavy trust of the Emperor and the Divine Envoy as the Judicial Investigator Commander. My duty is to impartially uphold justice and eradicate demons for the court!

"And as the saying goes, 'the innocent have nothing to fear.' If your grandfather truly is not a foreign Heavenly Demon, why worry? Should this case prove to be as you say, a conspiracy of traitors within the court attempting to frame him, I will naturally investigate to clarify the truth. There's no need for your unsolicited opinions and interference!"

Hearing this, Fang Ranran felt a tightness in her chest, thinking to herself that this Lin Twelfth was indeed as reported—a strong, forthright man not easily dealt with.

After Wang Sen administered the 250 lashes and dragged Yu Wendan back, the man was barely breathing, his body a bloodied pulp.

Wang Sen, feeling rather ashamed, touched his nose and bowed to Lin Rui: "My lord, this was my first time wielding such a thing, and I didn't quite gauge the force properly. Moreover, I hadn't expected someone as formidable as a fifth realm Martial Cultivator to be so physically vulnerable."

"No matter," Lin Rui flicked his sleeves and continued to ask Yu Wendan, "Yu Wendan, you claim that the Imperial Censor Zhao Yan is a foreign Heavenly Demon named Linghu Mingde. How did you come to know this?"

Yu Wendan, near death with blood seeping from every orifice and breathing labored, thought to himself how unexpectedly ruthless Lin Twelfth's executioner was, nearly killing him.

But given the man's inexperience with the punishment, perhaps hitting too hard could be excused.

Moreover, he had heard just now that Lin Twelfth had been quite harsh with Fang Ranran as well, which might indicate a character committed to impartiality.

Still summoning his strength, he replied, "My lord, as I mentioned on the accusation document, I happened upon two foreign Heavenly Demons hiding in Zhao's residence. I overheard their discussion, suggesting that Zhao Yang might be Linghu Mingde. Not only do Zhao Yang and Linghu Mingde match in age and martial prowess, but both have also succumbed to the Heavenly decline of the five extremities!"

Lin Rui responded with a cold laugh and turned to Meng Weiyun, "Senior sister, may I ask if you understand the language of these foreign Heavenly Demons?"

Meng Weiyun, not sure what he was getting at, replied truthfully, "I understand a bit, though not much."

Lin Rui continued to inquire, "Then, when dealing with an eighth realm Martial Cultivator, would these foreign Heavenly Demons engage in private conversations in their language in the presence of others?"

Meng Weiyun raised an eyebrow, her expression one of realization: "They shouldn't. To my knowledge, these Heavenly Demons have a secret method of communication that employs some unknown Mechanical Techniques, profoundly mysterious, allowing them to converse beyond our perception."

"That settles it," Lin Rui sneered, "This mere commoner claims to have heard such a crucial fact straight from the mouths of two foreign Heavenly Demons. Isn't that strange? And how does he know they are foreign Heavenly Demons to begin with?"
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A chill grew in Lin Rui's heart as he speculated that these two foreign Heavenly Demons were likely Zhao Yan and Nolan Wei.

Therefore, this case could not even have a hint of truth to it! He must suppress this case today at all costs!

Otherwise, his two fellow students were sure to die, and the repercussions might further spread to Fang Ranran and Linghu Mingde.

Yu Wendan replied with a tense expression, "My lord, there is a reason for this. Actually, I'm a medicinal trader who often deals with foreign Heavenly Demons, so I recognize them and purchase various Heavenly Demon serums from them to sell everywhere. Hence, I learned some of their language—"

They had anticipated all aspects of the situation beforehand, preparing a cover story and identity, beginning with framing Zhao Yan and Nolan Wei to first drag down Zhao Yang.

However, Lin Rui was too uninterested to engage further and bowed to Meng Weiyun, "Senior sister, this man is highly suspicious! Before filing the case, I'd like to test whether Yu Wendan is a foreign Heavenly Demon. I'm still not familiar with the capital and have not formally taken charge of the Imperial City Division. Could I trouble you to have some people from Judiciary come and detain him? In two days, Wang Twenty-Seven will go to the Imperial Censor for the Heavenly Demon Test, and we can test him then."

Upon hearing this, Yu Wendan's expression shifted slightly, taken aback.

This Lin Twelfth was reacting beyond their expectations.

He would refuse to file the case until after the 'Heavenly Demon Test'? Indeed, this man had some tricks up his sleeve,

Yet Yu Wendan still remained composed. As a fifth realm Martial Cultivator, he had made thorough preparations beforehand, and a standard Heavenly Demon Test shouldn't pose a challenge to him. Furthermore, the intelligent biological chip in his body had been removed, making him indistinguishable from the people of the Heaven's Pole Star.

Fang Ranran also held no hope upon hearing this.

She knew that the Jin family, having arranged for this man to make the accusation, must have prepared well. The Imperial Censor's Heavenly Demon Test was unlikely to help.