Chapter 25: The Victor of the Verdict, Shenfu
Back District of Bei City · Palace Rear Garden.
This was a vast courtyard, filled with clusters of flowers and shaded by green trees. Compared to these, the pools on either side of the rear garden were more eye-catching.
Layers of mist drifted from the pools on both sides, maintaining ample humidity within the rear courtyard.
This had been renovated over a decade ago. Not only that, but the waterfall cascading down the mountain wall behind Bei City was also channeled in recent years by carving through the rock. In recent times, the Elf race had grown increasingly fond of high-humidity environments.
Within the misty rear courtyard stood a majestic building—the Kingdom Council Hall, which was only opened for major affairs.
At 7:30 AM, people began filing out from the side of the Royal Hall, heading toward the Kingdom Council Hall. These individuals were all high-ranking members of the Elf race.
Escorted by a large squad of elite soldiers, Su Xiao entered the rear courtyard. The moisture in the air here made him slightly uncomfortable—not because it was toxic, but simply because he disliked inhaling this mist.
Passing through the misty corridor, Su Xiao stepped into the Kingdom Council Hall. Many people were already inside, standing on either side of the council table or seated on elevated chairs against the walls.
The council table was about 5 meters wide and nearly 10 meters long, crafted from a single thick piece of wood. Its black surface was polished to a shine like obsidian.
The table was arranged lengthwise in the hall. At the far end, only one large chair was placed—the seat of the Elf King. On either side of the table, many chairs were set.
The Kingdom Council was scheduled to officially begin at 8 AM, but Su Xiao noticed that the Elf King and Shenfu had already taken their seats.
The Elf King appeared to be in his early fifties, wearing finely crafted armor that looked metallic yet had some flexibility. What drew more attention, however, was his gray-black streaked hair and slightly wrinkled face.
Seeing the Elf King at first glance gave one the feeling of not envying his royal status, but rather sensing the profound fatigue of this powerful figure and how much he had sacrificed for the Elf race.
Seated at the head, the Elf King dozed with his eyes closed, faintly snoring. He was actually asleep in such a setting, showing how overwhelmed he was with daily affairs.
"Your Majesty, Kukulin Bai Ye has arrived. Your Majesty, wake up."
The trusted attendant beside the Elf King called softly. After a moment, the Elf King opened his eyes, his gaze carrying even more weariness.
Seeing this, Bubu Wang and Baha, who had come with Su Xiao, both felt that the Elf King must be a wise ruler.
Not just them, but Fairy Maiden, Nether Wolf, and the others sitting opposite Su Xiao shared the same impression.
"I accidentally dozed off—how rude of me. Lately, I've married my 195th wife, so it's inevitable that I'm physically and mentally exhausted."
The Elf King spoke, and from his first words, it was clear he was an old lecher.
"Damn it~"
Baha muttered under his breath, his image of the Elf King instantly shattered.
"Since everyone is here, the Kingdom Council shall officially begin."
The Elf King at the head spoke, this time acting somewhat like a judge.
With a loud bang, the two massive metal doors of the hall closed. Everyone took their seats. The Elf King sat at the head of the table, with Su Xiao and Shenfu on either side.
Su Xiao and Shenfu sat opposite each other. To Su Xiao's right were Bubu Wang and Baha, while across from him, Shenfu's camp included Shenfu, Fairy Maiden, Nether Wolf, and Iron Mountain.
As for Crow Woman, Beast Hero, and Bee, they were not present. This was presumably Shenfu's arrangement—splitting into two groups was indeed more prudent.
Further to the sides, against the walls, were three rows of seats each. Royal descendants and high-ranking officials sat there to observe, including Guard Captain Arler.
"Regarding the poisoning of the city's groundwater, both sides have their own arguments, but everything must be based on evidence."
Elf King Cromwell's gaze sharpened slightly. His meaning was simple: whichever side, Su Xiao or Shenfu, could produce solid evidence could accuse and defeat the other.
In this verdict, whichever side spoke first would hold an absolute advantage. The reason was that neither Su Xiao nor Shenfu had actually poisoned Bei City's groundwater, so this was a mutual mudslinging contest.
When slinging mud, the one who strikes first naturally has the better chance. Once the mud is thrown, even if it doesn't stain the opponent, they won't come out clean. In layman's terms, in this round, whoever goes first has an over 80% chance of winning.
In this verdict, Su Xiao and Shenfu could not speak freely. When one side presented their case, the other could only listen. The decision of who spoke first rested with the Elf King.
"Considering the evidence provided by both sides and various other factors, I have decided that Shenfu will present his evidence first."
The Elf King's words sparked low murmurs among the royal descendants and officials in the observation seats. Some nodded in agreement, while others remained silent.
Shenfu had seized the initiative, easing the minds of Fairy Maiden and the others. The situation was too murky. They wanted to use the Elf race's power to eliminate Su Xiao, but they also had to bear the corresponding risks. The Elf race was a double-edged sword, either cutting down Su Xiao or turning on Shenfu, Fairy Maiden, and the rest.
Shenfu did not stand up. He cleared his throat and spoke in a calm tone:
"Kukulin Bai Ye, I have three questions for you. First, what is your relationship with the Mushroom Prophet of Sunshine Wetland? Second, what is your relationship with Jungle Hunter Lago? Third, where did you get the formula for the medicine to treat Blood Turbidity Syndrome?"
After Shenfu asked these three questions, Baha, beside Su Xiao, felt a jolt in his heart.
Not just Baha, but Guard Captain Arler and Royal Descendant Eliton, sitting in the observation seats behind Su Xiao, were also startled.
They were now on the same boat as Su Xiao. If they could defeat Shenfu, their status would surely rise another step with the "Life Secret Medicine" formula Su Xiao possessed.
Royal Descendant Eliton's position seemed second only to the Elf King, but he knew well that compared to the other four royal descendants, he lagged far behind in both real power and prestige. Eliton sought nothing more than to stand on equal footing with the other four, avoiding being used as a scapegoat in times of crisis.
Shenfu's simple words made Eliton's heart race. The three points he mentioned struck like critical blows, precisely targeting their preparations.
Shenfu paid no attention to the reactions. He continued in his calm tone:
"From what I understand, Bai Ye, you met the Mushroom Prophet several months ago. It was then that you planned the poisoning of Bei City's groundwater. Four months ago, you arrived here but did not enter Bei City yourself.
Four months ago, you and Nicholas Kaiser came here. Nicholas Kaiser was responsible for gathering intelligence, while you handled the poisoning arrangements. However, it wasn't exactly poisoning. More precisely, you used a device to dissolve Abyss Force into the groundwater, contaminating the entire water source of Bei City."
Shenfu paused briefly, allowing everyone to process his words. Under his guidance, they gradually began to believe the "facts" he was creating.
"You two were clever, not personally setting up the device. You needed some locals to do it. Finding suitable locals became the problem, and in the end, you uncovered the fishing village incident from 15 years ago."
At Shenfu's words, the royal descendants and high-ranking officials in the observation seats erupted in murmurs. They all knew about the tragedy of the fishing village 15 years ago, which, fundamentally, was caused by the decision-makers of Bei City.
"Bai Ye, you needed people who hated the royal family to carry out your heinous act. So, four months ago, you sought out four thugs from the fishing village. Though they were village scoundrels, they had long fought sea monsters, eating their raw flesh, giving them extraordinary strength beyond imagination.
You used their hatred for the royal family, their familiarity with the sea, and their unmatched courage to have the four fishing village men dive deep into Bei City's underground river, set up the Abyss Force release device, and contaminate the entire groundwater of Bei City."
At this point, Shenfu looked at the Elf King and said, "Your Majesty, the four fishing village men are in the palace's underground dungeon. You can have them brought up."
At these words, the observation seats fell silent. Royal Descendant Eliton and Guard Captain Arler, who had sided with Su Xiao, felt a storm rising in their hearts.
Guard Captain Arler, in particular, began to doubt. Could it really be Su Xiao who poisoned Bei City's groundwater? He had personally captured the four fishing village men and knew how brutal they were.
Soon, the four fishing village men were brought in. The Elf King asked, "Who hired you four?"
Before they could answer, the red-hooded woman standing behind them raised her hand. A strange light flickered from the ring on her index finger.
When the four fishing village men came to their senses, they found their fingers all pointing at Su Xiao.
The red-hooded woman's ability worked like this, forcing instinctive reactions from people off guard. However, against beings like Su Xiao, Shenfu, or the Elf King, her ability was essentially useless.
"Take them away."
The Elf King ordered the four fishing village men removed. They seemed to realize they had inadvertently "betrayed" Su Xiao and were furious. The fourth one even cursed the Elf King and brought up the fishing village incident from 15 years ago.
"The Lord says, hatred is like a sprouting seed, taking root in people's hearts. Hatred disfigures people, and hatred breeds more hatred."
Shenfu's gaze carried a hint of pity, as if mourning the tragedy of the fishing village 15 years ago.
"Ladies and gentlemen, while this may already prove that Kukulin Bai Ye, Nicholas Kaiser, and the Mushroom Prophet conspired to harm all of Bei City, in my view, the evidence is still insufficient."
Shenfu's words surprised everyone. They stopped whispering and continued listening.
"Any shocking crime has a purpose, whether for psychological satisfaction or material gain. In this incident, Kukulin Bai Ye's goal was material benefit.
Everyone, you may not understand potion crafting. Given the complexity of Blood Turbidity Syndrome, no one could develop a specific antidote within a day of arriving in Bei City. Therefore, this was Kukulin Bai Ye's plan all along. Months ago, or even earlier, he had already developed the 'Life Secret Medicine.' He created the cure first, then caused Blood Turbidity Syndrome to appear. He and the Mushroom Prophet have done this many times before.
I am not fabricating this. Please look—these are several potion formulas. The original Life Secret Medicine was called 'Blood Purifying Secret Medicine.' According to these formulas, Kukulin Bai Ye refined it four times to create the current 'Life Secret Medicine.' Based on discussions with the Elf race's physicians, this could not have been completed in just two days."
Shenfu tossed a stack of formulas onto the table, looking at Su Xiao with a gentle smile.
How Shenfu obtained these formulas was unknown. Why didn't he use them to create the "Life Secret Medicine" himself? If he could, he would have, but the problem was that it was impossible to brew.
Shenfu had two purposes for presenting these formulas: 1. To corroborate his earlier statements. 2. To reassure the Elf royal family, subtly hinting that the formula was obtained, so killing Su Xiao would be fine.
One could only say this old man was too steady. He wasn't just on the fifth level anymore; he was floating in the atmosphere.
"Let me summarize for everyone. Four months ago, Kukulin Bai Ye happened to meet the Mushroom Prophet. They conducted a normal transaction using Soul Coins, establishing initial trust. Through the Mushroom Prophet, Kukulin Bai Ye learned of the Elf race's existence and the Abyss Force spreading in this world. Don't be so surprised—Abyss Force doesn't only exist in this world.
To seek, no, to extort the Elf race, they chose to create a disaster and then rescue them, extorting massive resources from the Elf race. During this process, to perfect their plan, they brought in Nicholas Kaiser.
Eight days ago, Kukulin Bai Ye arrived in this world. Using a pre-set mark, he went to the Black Forest to track the Mushroom Prophet's location."
As Shenfu spoke, he pointed to the mark on the Mushroom Prophet's mushroom cap, carved by Mawen Hua'erzi. The Mushroom Prophet wanted to speak, but according to the verdict's rules, it could not speak now, or it would be seen as challenging the entire Elf race.
"According to our investigation, this is the mark of a Law Destroyer, but that's not important. What matters is its function.
After arriving in the Black Forest, Kukulin Bai Ye couldn't find the Mushroom Prophet. But because he coveted the treasure beneath the Great Tree Hole, he killed the Northern Queen..."
At this point, the hall was in shock. The news of the Northern Queen's death was enough to upheave the entire North-South continent's structure. The Mushroom Prophet stared at Su Xiao in astonishment, learning of this for the first time.
"You killed the Northern Queen but failed to find the Mushroom Prophet, your co-conspirator. So, using coordinates, you continued tracking, eventually reaching Sunshine Wetland in the Southern Continent to meet the Mushroom Prophet.
Besides the Mushroom Prophet, you had another informant named Lago. A failure tempted by profit, he betrayed the Elf race and became your and the Mushroom Prophet's spy. Fortunately, Bei City's robust defenses detected Lago's anomaly. Three days ago, Lago was wounded by Bei City's soldiers and fled. Lucky for him, he ran into his leader, Kukulin Bai Ye. As everyone knows, Kukulin Bai Ye is a physician, so he saved Lago's life..."
"You're lying!"
Lago, sitting on the same row as Su Xiao and meant to be a witness, stood up, his voice hoarse.
"How dare you!"
Several guards at the door stepped forward to seize the unruly Lago. The Elf King at the head raised his hand slightly, and the black-armored guards quickly bowed and retreated.
"Your Majesty, he's lying! I didn't do it!"
Lago's voice carried a sob.
"You didn't? Dare you take off your shirt and show everyone the scars on your body? Dare you say those aren't from three days ago? Dare you say they weren't inflicted by the city guard?"
Shenfu's low questioning made Lago, clutching the seams of his shirt, collapse into his seat. Soon, a stench of urine spread—Lago had wet himself in fear.
"Take him away."
At the Elf King's command, Lago was dragged out by two black-armored guards, who also mopped the floor and removed the chair.
Shenfu's gaze turned to Su Xiao, without the smugness of a victor, only calmness and vigilance against a formidable foe.
In truth, Shenfu breathed a sigh of relief. The Lago pawn was exquisitely placed. If not for his superior skill, this pawn could have been the key to defeating him. A mouse can kill an elephant, ants can breach a dam—those overlooked small figures are sometimes the most deadly.
Shenfu's evidence encompassed almost everyone Su Xiao had contacted in the past three days. These people had different identities and did different things, yet Shenfu arranged them all logically and seamlessly.
"Everyone, it's time to show you how Kukulin Bai Ye and the Mushroom Prophet originally conspired."
As Shenfu spoke, he pulled out a beetle from his pocket. The beetle burst, revealing a translucent image.
The image wasn't even from this world but from the Fungal Wetland of Eternal Life Island in the Demon Sea, inside the treehouse where Su Xiao first met the Mushroom Prophet.
Seeing this, the Mushroom Prophet looked bewildered. Though it didn't know where Shenfu obtained this footage, it was puzzled about why he was showing it. This was just a normal transaction between it and Su Xiao.
Soon, the Mushroom Prophet in the image spoke: "Law Destroyer Sir, have you decided? Do you want to cooperate with me?"
"We can cooperate, but I want seventy percent."
"That's no problem. You'll handle setting up the device to contaminate Bei City's groundwater, and you'll also handle the antidote. I'm just a guide."
Hearing this, the real Mushroom Prophet's eyes went wide. This proved the saying: only those who wrong you know how wronged you are. How do you prove you only ate one bowl of noodles?
The dialogue in the image continued.
"We need to keep this secret. I've thought of people for setting up the device—find them in the fishing village. The incident 15 years ago made the villagers there hate the Elf royal family to the bone."
"Mm, I'll notify you when I'm ready. The suppressive medicine isn't fully developed yet."
"Alright, I'll wait for your good news."
In the image, the Mushroom Prophet's expression froze. In reality, the Mushroom Prophet's expression also froze. It almost choked and, disregarding the verdict, said, "Elf King, though our relationship isn't harmonious, I..."
Before the Mushroom Prophet could finish, the Elf King turned his gaze toward it, forcing it to shut up.
"Execute Kukulin Bai Ye."
"That Kaiser guy can't be spared either."
"Your Majesty, you must do justice for us! My daughter also contracted Blood Turbidity Syndrome. She was only ten years old, ten years old, and she's gone."
"Execute him."
With irrefutable evidence before them, some mid-to-high-ranking Elf officials felt the verdict was no longer necessary. Regardless, they needed a scapegoat, and there was no better time than now.
Su Xiao looked across at Shenfu, who said nothing more. Fairy Maiden leaned back in her seat with a smile. Nether Wolf lowered his head, lost in thought. Iron Mountain wore an expression of vengeance fulfilled.
"Silence!"
The Elf King's authoritative voice fell, restoring quiet in the hall. He said, "Kukulin Bai Ye, do you have anything to say? It's your turn to speak."
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. He slightly raised his hands.
Clap, clap, clap~
Su Xiao applauded at a moderate pace. The observers looked puzzled.
Clap, clap, clap~
Following Su Xiao, the Elf King also raised his hands and slowly clapped. Then the five powerful royal descendants joined in.
Sporadic applause spread through the hall. Though the other royal descendants and high-ranking officials were bewildered, since the Elf King and the five royal descendants were clapping, they immediately followed suit.
In an instant, the hall thundered with applause. Only Shenfu, Fairy Maiden, Nether Wolf, and Iron Mountain did not clap.
Fairy Maiden was clearly dumbfounded, unable to grasp what was happening. The plot was too complex, and without subtitles, she truly didn't understand.
Perhaps infected by the atmosphere, Iron Mountain also started clapping, leaving Shenfu utterly speechless.
Why was this happening? Even if praising Shenfu's brilliant evidence gathering, Su Xiao shouldn't have been the first to applaud.
In reality, today's event was never a verdict. It was a public execution—a public execution of Shenfu, Fairy Maiden, Nether Wolf, and Iron Mountain.
Two days ago, Su Xiao had been pondering a question: was he truly hostile to the Elf race?
The first Elf King had discovered the "Talent Awakening Device," used it to activate Abyss Force, and ultimately caused disaster.
By now, as long as Elf King Cromwell and the five royal descendants weren't fools, they would know that the current "Blood Turbidity Syndrome" was caused by the misuse of the "Talent Awakening Device," fundamentally unrelated to the Law Destroyers.
On the contrary, at this point, the Elf race not only wouldn't worry about the Law Destroyers taking the "Talent Awakening Device," but would actually hope to find a Law Destroyer to ask if there was a solution.
Previously, the Mushroom Prophet's intelligence was wrong. The Elf race had long stopped coveting the "Talent Awakening Device." They were on the verge of extinction and had dared not use it for years, lest it accelerate their demise.
The intelligence Shenfu and the others had was similar to the Mushroom Prophet's, because everything Shenfu knew came from monitoring Lago and Guard Captain Arler.
To be precise, the wandering Elf Lago was a pawn Shenfu had prepared long ago. When Lago was severely injured, Shenfu had arranged it. Shenfu knew that after arriving in Bei City, Su Xiao would need a local. A severely injured Elf saved by Su Xiao would naturally become a priority target for support.
Shenfu was cautious, choosing randomly to avoid arousing Su Xiao's suspicion. For example, saving a guard captain or an Elf official might make Su Xiao wonder if it was a trap.
Shenfu's setup was successful, but the drawback of random selection also showed. Su Xiao indeed didn't discover that Lago was Shenfu's plant, and Lago himself didn't know he was being used. However, Lago's abilities were truly... hard to describe.
Shenfu later realized this. He admitted his miscalculation, never expecting to randomly pick such a "chosen one" with no redeeming qualities.
The evidence Shenfu presented came from stealing others' memories, peering into the past, or fabrication.
None of this mattered. After assessing the Elf race's attitude toward Law Destroyers, Su Xiao secretly contacted the Elf King. Using Bubu Wang as a "messenger," he revealed his identity as a Law Destroyer and rationalized the "Life Secret Medicine."
Su Xiao lied to the Elf King, claiming that someone had long used the "Talent Awakening Device" to activate Abyss Force, and the "Life Secret Medicine" was developed for that purpose.
Su Xiao had secretly given the "Life Secret Medicine" formula to the Elf King two days ago. The Elf King gathered physicians and alchemists to study it. He didn't actually trust Su Xiao. If the Elf race's alchemists and physicians could brew the "Life Secret Medicine," he would immediately turn against both Su Xiao and Shenfu.
Su Xiao wasn't worried about this at all, just as he wouldn't worry about an elementary school student solving the "Continuum Hypothesis."
Sure enough, three hours before the Kingdom Council, at 5 AM today, the Elf King and the five royal descendants formally established a cooperative relationship with Su Xiao.
So, this so-called verdict was nothing but a public execution. One aspect of Su Xiao's setup was unbreakable: no matter how Shenfu framed him or what irrefutable evidence he presented, the Elf King and the five royal descendants would not believe it.
The issue with the groundwater was a rumor they had decided to spread after secret discussions. As the originators of the rumor, did they not know whether the groundwater was actually problematic? Even if Shenfu spoke with a silver tongue, the Elf King and the five royal descendants wouldn't believe him.
That was the first point. The second was Su Xiao's recent behavior over the past two days. No matter how you looked at it, he seemed determined to settle the score with Shenfu in the Kingdom Council's verdict. First, he brought in the Mushroom Prophet, then he dragged Lago out of the commercial district and sent him to the palace. He even took the risky step of eliminating Guard Captain Pang Kai Lin and replacing him with his own man, Arler.
All signs indicated that Su Xiao was playing a game of chess with Shenfu, a match to decide life and death.
But the current situation was that Shenfu's "chess skills" were at least Lv.70 or above, while Su Xiao was around Lv.65. He indeed couldn't beat Shenfu at chess, as seen from the evidence-gathering phase.
The problem was that Su Xiao was not only in cahoots with the referee, the Elf King, but the five observing royal descendants were also on his side.
Just as Shenfu made his move, causing Su Xiao to lose the chess game, player Su Xiao and referee Elf King simultaneously pulled out hammers from under the chess table and started beating player Shenfu.
Shenfu had mistakenly thought this was a mental competition. In reality, it was a physical competition. Playing chess? It's perfectly normal to bring a hammer.
What did winning at chess matter? Whether you get beaten to death or not is what counts.
At this moment, in the thunderously applauding hall, Shenfu stared at Su Xiao across from him for a moment. Then, he rested his elbow on the table and pressed his hand to his forehead, as if saying, "Young man, you have no martial virtue."
Shenfu knew he had lost this round and understood that with Su Xiao and the Elf King's meticulous setup, any rash move now would only be more dangerous.
Amid the fervent applause, Fairy Maiden was still somewhat bewildered. She leaned over and quietly asked Shenfu, "Shenfu, did we win?"
Hearing this, Shenfu sighed. He suddenly felt that losing this time wasn't really unjust.
Click!
After a very brief mechanical sound, all the seats in the hall retracted into the floor. The square gathering area below was also sealed with a metal layer. One moment, applause thundered; the next, only four chairs remained in the hall, occupied by Shenfu, Fairy Maiden, Nether Wolf, and Iron Mountain.
With a loud crash, the hall's doors burst open. Amid the dense clatter of armor, black-armored guards rushed into the hall. Outside, in the rear courtyard, black-armored guards were packed tightly together. Over a dozen layers of barriers sealed off the space and everything else. Shenfu and the others had no escape.