Master Qiu hadn't expected Xia Liang to suddenly turn on him. For a mont, he lost his footing, but he quickly regained his composure.
"You!"
Xia Liang let out a cold laugh. "Qiu Yinjie, do you have any idea how many people you've swindled over the years, or how many lives you've ruined?"
"You! How do you know my real na?" His heartbeat seed to skip a beat as Master Qiu blurted out the words.
He had changed his na many years ago, and it was several more years before he ca to Jinling. No one had called him by that na in decades.
"As they say, if you don't want anyone to know, don't do it in the first place. For so many years, you've unscrupulously swindled money, not even sparing people's life-saving funds. 'Adding five years to your life,' 'curing all diseases'—all of it was just a pack of lies." After a pause, Xia Liang pointed at Master Qiu's broken leg and said, "And that leg of yours? It was broken twelve years ago in Nancheng when you were scamming people, wasn't it?"
Upon hearing Xia Liang's words, a dark look crossed Master Qiu's face. It was right after his leg was broken that he changed his na and fled to another place. It was safe to say that virtually no one knew how his leg had been broken.
But why? How does this kid in front of not only know my old na, but also know that my leg was broken in Nancheng twelve years ago!
"Nonsense!" Master Qiu's voice grew flustered. "My leg was broken as punishnt from the heavens for adding years to another's lifespan! I've never even been to Nancheng!" He quickly added, "Besides, I just forced the poison from the elder's body. Otherwise, why would I have vomited blood? I also predicted what the elder would write on the paper, which everyone here saw. On what grounds do you call a fraud?!"
"Vomiting blood? That was rely because you had a blood pack hidden in your mouth. After your little performance, you spat the pack out. Let think... It should be in that trash can over there."
As soon as he finished speaking, a mber of the Chu Family rushed over. Indeed, they found sothing in the trash can.
"He's right! There's a discarded blood pack here!"
Xia Liang continued, "As for guessing what the old master would write, you can thank your contact lenses for that."
"I'm nearsighted. What's wrong with wearing contact lenses?" Knowing he had been exposed, Master Qiu didn't deny wearing them.
But everyone else could see that Master Qiu's expression had turned awful. Combined with the discovery of the blood pack, it seed what Xia Liang was saying was the truth.
Seeing this, Xia Liang simply shook his head. "So stubborn. Fine. If you think you can escape the judgnt of the law, then I will be your judge."
"You! Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to judge ? In my opinion, you're just another fraud," Master Qiu scoffed.
At this, Xia Liang smiled. "You said 'another.' Does that an you admit to being a fraud yourself?"
"No! How could I possibly be a fraud? You're the fraud! Fine! This Master would like to see just how you plan on judging today." Master Qiu adopted a defiant stance, as if he had nothing left to lose.
Xia Liang just chuckled and pulled a talisman from his robes. It was a peculiar talisman, with one black side and one white side. With a thought, the three characters for the na 'Qiu Yinjie' appeared on it.
"You have scamd people for years, destroying countless families and causing their ruin. Today, on their behalf, I will strip you of five years of your life." Xia Liang's voice was sharp and clear, capturing the attention of everyone in the hall.
Even Elder Chu Guoying, who had been slumping in his chair with his chest tight with anger at his sons' actions, sat up straight and stared blankly at Xia Liang.
Everyone wondered if they had heard correctly. It sounded like Xia Liang had just said he was going to strip Master Qiu of five years of his life.
"Co on, you can't possibly believe this, can you?" Chu Yiyi piped up. "This Master Qiu might indeed be a fraud, using blood packs and contact lenses, but the person Chu Lingmu brought can't be much better."
She had been afraid to speak earlier, thinking Chu Lingmu had actually found soone capable. But when she heard Xia Liang claim he could strip away a person's life, Chu Yiyi imdiately stood up. She was relieved to realize he was just another fraud; she clearly didn't believe him.
Nearby, Chu Lingmu was just as bewildered. He had never heard Xia Liang ntion having such an ability. Even he was finding it hard to believe.
"Haha! Ridiculous! Boy, do you really take yourself that seriously? Strip of five years of life? Why don't you just say you're Lord Yama?"
anwhile, Xia Liang began to speak slowly. "The first reckoning is for the Li Family Mother and Son from Haishi Fishing Village, twenty years ago!"
As the words left his lips, Xia Liang extended a finger and slowly drew a line across the black surface of the talisman. A faint mark appeared where his finger passed.
"Ridiculous! I'd like to see how you plan to strip away my lifespan," Master Qiu roared, but his voice trembled uncontrollably.
The Li Family Mother and Son from Haishi Fishing Village... Master Qiu's heart skipped a beat. I should be the only one in the world who knows about that! How does he know so much!
At the sa ti, as Xia Liang drew the first line, Master Qiu suddenly heard gasps of shock from all around him.
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