Chapter 7: Three Blows Shatter the Dandy's Spirit, Officer, I'm an Honest Man (Patreon)

Wise and Belle learned the full account of what had just happened from the old man.

They also learned that Gusttave had originally offered to take him somewhere safe, and as for his wife and daughter, Gusttave had promised to bring them back to him — whether alive or dead.

But the old man had insisted on staying by Gusttave's side, refusing to leave no matter what.

They'd also found out that it wasn't those spoiled young nobles who'd saved the old man, but a masked sword immortal.

Belle said admiringly, "Hiding your true face behind a mask, doing good deeds without leaving a name — now that's a true wandering hero."

But Wise spoke up, "Never mind that for now — little sister, stop eating. There's something dirty in there."

Just then, outside the inn, all manner of venomous spiders swarmed in and surrounded the building.

"Why are there so many?!" Belle sucked in a sharp breath.

Wise had already risen. She lifted her pale hand, and a faint golden barrier of flame spread out silently, shielding the two sisters and the old man within it.

Her expression stayed calm, but her eyes grew grave — dark green poison mist was already seeping in through the cracks of the window lattice, and the wooden frame was visibly blackening and rotting before their eyes.

Downstairs, Gusttave set down his teacup, unhurried.

The instant the cup touched the table, every venomous spider froze in place, bound where it stood.

The mastermind behind it all was sealed along with them.

Gusttave declared flatly, "Venom Master, you stand accused of kidnapping humans and yao to build your castle. You're under arrest."

"Since you haven't taken any lives, you'll be imprisoned for a hundred years as punishment."

"Who... who exactly are you?!" the Venom Master demanded sharply.

Gusttave said, "This poor Daoist is the Daoist of Great Peace."

"You... you're that...?" The Venom Master's voice began to shake.

"That's me." Gusttave nodded. "So you should count yourself lucky. I'm not as ruthless as I used to be, or you'd already be dead."

An invisible golden light bound the Venom Master in midair, sealing every trace of his venomous power. He had no room left to struggle, and could only stare down in wide-eyed horror at the plainly dressed figure below.

The dark green poison mist, as if gripped by an unseen hand, vanished in an instant. The countless venomous spiders froze where they stood, then rained down to the ground a moment later, utterly lifeless.

Belle stared, eyes wide, tugging at Wise's sleeve. "Sis, he... he's way too strong! I didn't even sense a ripple of yao energy just now!"

Wise nodded lightly, her gaze settling on Gusttave's back, a trace of gravity creeping into her gentle features.

Gusttave raised a hand and waved. The golden light shrank the Venom Master into a small bundle and tossed him casually into an unremarkable cloth pouch at his waist.

Only then did he turn and head upstairs at an unhurried pace, his gaze sweeping over the two sisters before settling on the old man.

"Your wife and daughter were taken to build his fortress. They're still alive."

The old man trembled all over and dropped to his knees with a thud, tears streaming down his face. "Daoist Priest... is that really true?!"

"Of course." Gusttave's tone stayed even. "Tomorrow I'll take you there myself and get them out. After that, I'll send you to a village under the Way of Great Peace, where you can live out your days in peace."

The old man kowtowed again and again, not even noticing the blood on his forehead, thanking him over and over.

Afterward, Gusttave led the group to the site where the Venom Master had been building his fortress.

There, many yao and humans were being forced to build the castle.

In hopes of winning Venom Lady's heart, the Venom Master had captured a number of humans and yao to build her a magnificent Star-Plucking Tower — only to be caught by Gusttave right after finishing the foundation.

Oddly enough, Gusttave found no sign of Venom Lady anywhere — whether she simply wasn't there that day or something else was going on, he couldn't say.

The foundation of the Star-Plucking Tower lay bare in the wilderness, a jumble of stacked stones and crooked wooden scaffolding. Countless humans and yao in tattered rags, chained together, hauled stone under the blazing sun, backs bent low. The air reeked of sweat, dust, and a faint, lingering despair.

The moment Gusttave's group drew near, the yao overseers bared their teeth and lunged at them — but before they could close the distance, an invisible wave of force sent them flying, and they crashed to the ground, unable to move.

"Everyone, stop."

His voice wasn't loud, but it struck every ear like a clap of thunder.

Every laboring human and yao froze, looking up in confusion. The chains had cut deep, bloody grooves into their skin. Some looked numb, some afraid, and in a few eyes, a faint spark of hope flickered to life.

The old man spotted his wife and daughter at the back of the crowd at once. He stumbled toward them and threw his arms around them, sobbing uncontrollably.

Gusttave raised a hand and swept it through the air. The chains binding everyone snapped apart instantly.

"I've taken down the Venom Master. You're free."

The crowd went silent for a moment, then erupted into long-suppressed cries and cheers.

Some dropped to their knees in prayer, others held each other up. Their long enslavement had finally come to an end.

Belle's heart warmed at the sight. "You're a ruthless one," she said, "but you're soft on ordinary people, huh."

Wise gave her a light tug and offered a faint, grateful smile. "Daoist Priest, you saved so many innocent lives today. That's truly a good deed."

Gusttave waved a hand. "Just doing what needed to be done."

Afterward, Gusttave, with the Venom Master and his accomplices in custody, headed toward the Way of Great Peace's prison in the Southern Kingdom.

Because of the treaty that had been signed, every city in every nation now had dedicated prisons for criminals, holding both humans and yao alike.

Along the way, through interrogation, Gusttave learned that the Venom Master and Venom Lady weren't actually together — everything he'd done had been his own idea, all to win her favor.

Belle, walking at the back of the group, kept glancing back at the Venom Master bound in golden light, then turning to look at the plainly dressed figure leading the way ahead. She lowered her voice to Wise. "Sis, he's really strong. I heard that Venom Master was actually somebody in the Southern Kingdom, and in his hands he's like a little chick."

Wise gave a soft "Mm," her gaze also fixed on Gusttave's back.

From their first meeting by the stream to now, only a few short days had passed, yet this man had always felt to her like a pool too deep to see the bottom of.

But on the road, Gusttave's group was suddenly ambushed.

A little girl launched a sneak attack on Gusttave.

He swatted her away with a single slap, sending her flying.

A panda-man caught the flying girl and said, "Princess, this man is not to be trifled with — don't act rashly!"

The little girl fumed, "How dare they come onto our Southern Kingdom's territory and bully our people! I'll teach them a lesson!"

Belle scoffed. "Hmph, teach us a lesson? You, you little brat? Come on then, if you've got the guts!"

Stung by the taunt, the little girl shot back, "Wh-what did you say? Aren't you a brat too?!"

Belle retorted, "I'm a kid. You're a brat. Not the same thing."

"You... I'm going to kill you!" the little girl shouted, feeling picked on.

Beside her, the panda-man held on tight, keeping her from actually charging in.

But Belle kept egging her on. "Come on then! So what if you've got a panda? If you've got the nerve, sic it on me!"

The little girl gritted her teeth and roared, "Don't you dare insult the panda!"

"You... say that again, and I'll... I'll kill you!"

Belle kept mocking her. "You sure talk a lot. Why aren't you coming up here? Are you gonna sic the panda on me or not..."

Faced with Belle's taunting, the panda-man couldn't help but say, "Young lady, I am an Elder of the Southern Kingdom, not a pet."

Belle said, startled, "Wow, the Southern Kingdom's really fallen if even a panda can be an Elder."

Meanwhile Gusttave and Wise watched the two of them bicker with looks of speechless exasperation.

In the chat group, everyone was watching the whole argument unfold between Belle and her opponent.

[Grandpa Lan Yan: Little Lan Yan's still got so much energy.]

[Gaming: Wonder what Lan Yan would think if she saw this.]

The little girl arguing with Belle in the footage was none other than a young Lan Yan.

Naturally, some were quite unhappy about Belle's mockery of the panda.

[Pan Yinhu: What's wrong with pandas? Why can't a panda be an Elder? You're discriminating against pandas!]

Wise sighed helplessly, reached out, grabbed her sister by the collar, and pulled her back. "Belle, that's enough."

"But Sis, she started it—"

"Mm?"

Belle pouted and reluctantly shut her mouth.

Watching the scene, the corner of Gusttave's mouth curved up slightly. He stepped forward, his gaze settling on the Panda Elder, and gave a slight nod. "Elder of the Southern Kingdom, the case against the Venom Master is backed by full testimony and evidence. Under the Human-Yao Accord, he's to be imprisoned for a hundred years. If your nation has any objection, you may petition the Accord Tribunal for a review."

The Panda Elder's expression sobered. "The Venom Master's crimes are well-proven. The Southern Kingdom has no objection. It's only that the Princess is young, and seeing one of our own yao arrested by an outsider, she acted rashly. I hope the Daoist Priest won't hold it against her."

Gusttave glanced at the little girl still glaring furiously and said evenly, "It's fine. Protecting one's own people is simply a ruler's duty. She did nothing wrong."

Lan Yan blinked, clearly not expecting the "bad guy" who'd slapped her away to actually speak up for her.

Belle was startled too, tugging at Wise's sleeve. "Why's he taking her side? She's not even one of ours."

Wise didn't answer, but her gaze on Gusttave grew a touch more thoughtful.

[Pan Yinhu: This Daoist of Great Peace is actually pretty reasonable.]

[March 7th: Little Lan Yan is so cute, hahaha, arguing with Belle like two puffed-up kittens!]

[Hu Tao: But wait, is the Panda Elder a panda or a person, exactly?]

[Silver Wolf: Now that's a question that cuts to the soul.]

The Panda Elder cupped his hands toward Gusttave, his tone considerably softer now. "Since the Daoist Priest is acting by the treaty, the Southern Kingdom certainly won't stand in the way. It's just that the Venom Master is, after all, a yao of our territory — should there be any further need, the Southern Kingdom will cooperate fully with the Accord Tribunal."

Gusttave nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

The Panda Elder half-dragged, half-carried Lan Yan away, though she still twisted around to stick her tongue out at Belle before leaving.

Belle immediately returned an even more exaggerated face — tongue stretched out impossibly long, eyes rolled back to show nothing but white. It left Lan Yan's face flushed red with anger, but the Panda Elder held her fast, and she couldn't break free.

"All right, they're long gone now." Wise gave her sister's head a resigned pat.

Only then did Belle drop the face, huffing. "That little brat thinks she can take me on."

Watching the scene, Gusttave found his mouth curving up without meaning to.

The group set off again.

Gusttave led the way at the front, the golden light still binding the Venom Master and his minor yao accomplices, moving toward the prison at an unhurried pace.

Wise and Belle walked side by side in the middle, with Belle stealing glances at Gusttave's back the whole way, occasionally murmuring to Wise under her breath.

"Sis, what do you think his background really is? Someone this powerful can't be a nobody."

Wise shot her sister a glance. "If you want to know, just go ask him yourself."

The Southern Kingdom's dense forest gradually fell away behind them, and ahead lay a small town the Way of Great Peace had established at the Southern Kingdom's border.

The city walls weren't tall, but they were clean and sturdy. A steady stream of merchants and travelers passed through the gate, with human and yao vendors setting up stalls side by side. Now and then, disciples enforcing the law for the Yiqidao League could be seen patrolling the streets.

Belle clicked her tongue in amazement. "So this is the Way of Great Peace's territory? Humans and yao really are doing business together here?"

"A treaty's signed to be enforced," Gusttave said evenly. "Everyone's equal before the law. Given enough time, people simply get used to it."

Wise's gaze swept over the harmonious faces in the marketplace. "To get two races to set aside a thousand years of grudges — that Daoist of Great Peace really is no ordinary man," she said softly.

After the Venom Master was locked away in Jie'an City's prison, Gusttave settled the old man's family and the two sisters, Wise and Belle, in the city.

The old man's wife and daughter were sent to a clinic in the city to recover, and once they were well, dedicated officials would help them register residency and allocate farmland.

Meanwhile, Gusttave also sent word to those who'd taken over his former position, ordering a special campaign to root out organized crime and dealing harsh, lawful blows against criminal syndicates.

It targeted every kind of case, cracking down hard on the pampered scions of immortal sects and noble clans alike.

Thirteen years earlier, Gusttave had swept across the realm and crushed the entire Yiqidao League. Though he'd dismantled some of the immortal sects and clans that surrendered to him—

Even though their industries and influence now amounted to less than a tenth of what they'd once been, the ingrained habits of these families had barely improved.

And because they were cultivators wielding far greater power than ordinary people, they posed a much greater danger to society — which was exactly why they had to be dealt with harshly.

The order was carried out swiftly.

Toppling organized crime took long, careful planning, but the pampered scions of the immortal sects and clans were a different matter entirely.

The slightest bait was enough to make them leap out and take it themselves.

And the moment they did, the law enforcement officers standing ready would spring into action, wielding club-shaped magic treasures to enforce the law.

Under the officers' blows, the young nobles usually dropped to their knees begging for mercy in no time — after all, you couldn't expect much backbone from spoiled scions.

The common folk, for their part, were only too happy to watch these pampered brats get taken down a peg.

[Zenless Zone Zero · Belle: Three clubs and their pampered pride shatters — "Officer, I'm a good citizen!"]

[Lumine: A baton with heart, law enforcement with punch.]

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