Every high-ranking and mid-ranking member of the Ten Thousand Serpents Gang was shackled and paraded through the streets.
"The Ten Thousand Serpents Gang has committed countless atrocities. Today, the Panlong Grand Clan presides over justice — a public trial of the Ten Thousand Serpents Gang, with the aim of restoring peace and order to the Haiqing District. All of you who have grievances, speak them. Those who bear grudges, lay them bare. Do not conceal anything, and do not exaggerate."
The gang's leaders, big and small, knelt across the ground — no fewer than a hundred of them.
The highest-ranking ones, including the gang master and the elders, were all Emperor-realm cultivators.
Even the ordinary division leaders were peak Saint-realm experts. One had to admit, for a force composed entirely of rogue cultivators, this was more than enough to do whatever they pleased.
But Jiang Chen didn't believe for a moment that the Ten Thousand Serpents Gang was merely an association of rogue cultivators. If it truly were, they would never have dared be so brazen.
The fact that they could act with such arrogance meant they had to have a patron backing them.
Fortunately, Ling Su and his daughter were unharmed — a scare that ended without real harm. Now that things had reached this point, Jiang Chen didn't intend to dig any deeper.
Once word spread about the public trial, rogue cultivators from across the Haiqing District rushed to the scene. Many who had been bullied by the Ten Thousand Serpents Gang came hurrying over.
Complaints and testimonies poured in like snowflakes.
A faction like the Ten Thousand Serpents Gang, which committed every evil under the sun, had buried countless sins beneath them. Any random person who stepped forward could list crime after crime — their misdeeds were truly beyond enumeration.
A full three hours passed, and the number of people coming to testify only increased rather than diminished.
Young Master Ji San could barely stand to watch any longer, and cursed bitterly: "I never imagined a small-time gang could be this vile. Their evil deeds have truly reached the limit."
Jiang Chen chuckled. "Brother Ji, you're a scion of a grand clan — high above it all, with fingers that never touch the toil of common life. How could you know the cruelty of survival at the bottom?"
Young Master Ji San smiled ruefully. "Brother, are you scolding me?"
Jiang Chen shook his head. "What would I be scolding you for? Just look at these indignant rogue cultivators, and you'll understand how difficult life is for the grassroots. The Glazed Tile King City is still a relatively fair place. Having one or two bad apples is normal."
"Brother, don't try to console me," Young Master Ji San sighed. "Our Glazed Tile King City has always prided itself on being a city of freedom, a city of justice. If rogue cultivators can't find the protection they deserve here, then it's a dereliction of duty on the part of us administrators."
Jiang Chen gazed into the distance at the queue of people seeking justice and giving testimony — it stretched out beyond the limits of sight — and couldn't help but smile wryly. "Brother Ji, I don't think we need to go through with the public trial. The evidence already gathered is enough to kill them a hundred times over. If you insist on sitting through all of this, three days and three nights wouldn't be enough."
This was no exaggeration. Given the scene before them, every person who came forward had a lifetime of bitterness to recount, nose running and tears falling — as pitiable as one could imagine.
If this continued, forget three days and three nights — ten days and ten nights might not be enough to finish.
Young Master Ji San waved his hand and declared in a loud voice: "Everyone! The evidence we have is already sufficient to sentence the Ten Thousand Serpents Gang to death a hundred times over. Rest assured — the Panlong Grand Clan will deliver justice. These scourges will be imprisoned first and thrown into the death cells. Once we report up and the evidence is verified, they will be publicly executed. That will be our answer to you all!"
The Haiqing District had been ravaged badly by the Ten Thousand Serpents Gang, so having a righteous official finally show up was rare. The people were genuinely reluctant to let Young Master Ji San leave just like that.
But everyone understood that once the Panlong Grand Clan had taken charge of the matter, the Ten Thousand Serpents Gang was beyond saving this time.
The Panlong armored guards marched out in grand formation, escorting the captured gang members out of the Haiqing District.
Rogue cultivators who witnessed the scene couldn't help but cast a few extra glances at the Ling father and daughter, whispering amongst themselves.
"The Ten Thousand Serpents Gang is finally done for. That's really satisfying!"
"No kidding! They thought the others were pushovers, and ended up kicking an iron plate. Serves them right! These years, the gang has committed every evil imaginable — who knows how many lives they've taken."
"I wonder what connection that father and daughter have with the Panlong Grand Clan?"
"Not necessarily a connection. Maybe someone reported the gang to the Panlong Grand Clan?"
"Or maybe the Panlong Grand Clan had their eye on the Ten Thousand Serpents Gang all along!"
"Heh heh, what do any of you know? The Panlong Grand Clan has kept a low profile for years. Now they need to establish their authority — the Ten Thousand Serpents Gang is just an appetizer!"
The rogue cultivators were all buzzing with excitement. Uprooting the tumor that was the Ten Thousand Serpents Gang was undoubtedly cause for jubilation among them.
Not every rogue cultivator had been a victim of the gang, but anyone who had been operating in the Haiqing District knew that the Ten Thousand Serpents Gang was not to be crossed.
The mere mention of the gang had always sent chills down people's spines, filling them with dread that they might become its next target.
That constant feeling of a blade pressing against one's back was finally gone in one fell swoop. Nearly every rogue cultivator felt a tremendous lift in spirits.
As for the Ling father and daughter at the center of it all, they felt as though they were dreaming.
Ling Hui'er, following Jiang Chen's instructions, was trying hard to suppress her excitement, but the elation on her face was almost impossible to contain.
She was simply too happy.