Chapter 010: True and False

At this moment, Yuchi Zhenjin was so furious his hair stood on end, wishing he could fight Wang Bo to the death.

Wash away one's own shame with the enemy's blood.

But every time he recalled that punch just now, Yuchi Zhenjin's courage plummeted like a cliff—it was not that he was unwilling to fight the enemy to the death.

It was that the enemy was too powerful, so powerful that he could kill him with ease; fighting to the death would be utterly meaningless before such a foe. Thus, Yuchi Zhenjin had no choice but to grit his teeth and swallow this humiliation.

"Wang Shao'ai, you dare insult an imperial official?"

Wang Bo paid no heed whatsoever to Yuchi Zhenjin's fury and said coolly, “This time is merely a lesson. If you dare act recklessly again, do you truly believe I wouldn't kill?”

As he spoke, he tried his best to keep a straight face.

Yuchi Zhenjin had never been threatened like this before. His fiery temper was about to explode, but then he remembered he was no match for Wang Bo, so he took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed it.

At this moment, an official from the Court of Judicial Review quickly took off his outer garment and draped it over Yuchi Zhenjin.

Yuchi Zhenjin's face flushed red then pale. Finally, he gritted his teeth, cupped his hands in salute, and lowered his head, saying, "In today's matter, I, Yuchi, was too rash. I beg you not to take it to heart."

Wang Bo's gaze was calm, and he couldn't help but think a little more highly of Yuchi Zhenjin. This fellow might have a fiery temper, but he knew when to bend and when to stand firm.

He said coldly, “Leave this place. My home does not welcome you.”

Yuchi Zhenjin gave a cold snort, put on his clothes, and said, "We're leaving."

Then, with his men, he left the Wang residence without looking back.

After Wang Bo watched Yuchi Zhenjin leave, he felt something was off.

Yuchi Zhenjin, as the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, indeed held a high and powerful position, but he was by no means a fool. On the contrary, anyone who could remain in that post was definitely no ordinary person.

But his performance today greatly disappointed Wang Bo.

He swaggered up to his own home, laid hands on people at the slightest disagreement, and even personally took action.

He didn't seem at all like a high-ranking official of the third rank, but more like a brainless brute.

But the problem is, the Court of Judicial Review, which is specifically responsible for adjudicating criminal cases, is equivalent to the present-day Supreme People's Court—the highest legal institution in the land.

The ringleader among them is actually a reckless brute?

How could that be!

Although in the story, Yuchi Zhenjin seems to be overshadowed by Di Renjie's intellect, gradually reduced to a mere fighter who contributes over eighty percent of the action scenes.

But Wang Bo would never think that Yuchi Zhenjin is a reckless man, and a reckless man would not have gained Wu Zetian's trust, nor would he have presided over the Court of Judicial Review for so many years, as steady as Mount Tai.

In the end, he was even promoted to the rank of Supreme General of the Jinwu Guard.

But from today's perspective, Yuchi Zhenjin was indeed quite rash. Apart from the final moment when he showed flexibility, which caught Wang Bo's eye, from start to finish, there was nothing that made Wang Bo look at him with new respect.

So this is the caliber of the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review—how utterly disappointing.

On the other hand, after Yuchi Zhenjin left the prince's mansion with his men, one of them said, "My lord..."

Yuchi Zhenjin glared at him. "Shut up."

The subordinate immediately lowered his head and stepped back.

The group mounted their horses and galloped at full speed along the streets, quickly leaving the prince's mansion behind them.

Along the way, Yuchi Zhenjin's face was dark and gloomy, and no one knew what exactly he was thinking.

Before long, they returned to the Court of Judicial Review.

After dismounting, Yuchi Zhenjin advanced along the broad corridor, led several of his men up a tower, walked to a room on the second floor, and pushed the door open.

The subordinates behind him filed in one after another.

In this elegantly appointed room, a man in coarse hemp clothing stood with his back to Yuchi Zhenjin, gazing out at the training ground beyond the balcony.

On the training ground, a group of officials from the Court of Judicature and Revision were training with fervent zeal.

Some were training lightness skills, others were engaged in blade and sword combat.

After Yuchi Zhenjin entered, Zhang Zhicheng knelt on one knee, clasped his hands above his head, and said, “Your subordinate Zhang Zhicheng pays respects to Lord Yuchi.”

The several subordinates behind him knelt down one after another, saying, "Your subordinate pays respects to Lord Yuchi."

If Wang Bo were here, he would certainly be surprised to learn that the Yuchi Zhenjin he saw was not the real Yuchi Zhenjin, but a man named Zhang Zhicheng in disguise.

The real Yuchi Zhenjin never left the Supreme Court from beginning to end.

At this moment, the man with his back to the crowd—the real Yuchi Zhenjin—rose and turned around. His crimson hair lent him a striking presence, and his deep blue eyes seemed to pierce through the secrets of one's heart.

“How goes it?” Yuchi Zhenjin asked in a deep voice.

Zhang Zhicheng, who was impersonating Yuchi Zhenjin, said, “Your Excellency’s brilliant foresight proved correct—that Wang Bo indeed possesses peerless martial skills. I was no match for him even in a single bout, but he exercised great restraint and merely inflicted some superficial flesh wounds upon us.”

Yuchi Zhenjin gave a light snort and said, "That Wang Bo only wounded but did not kill a heinous villain like Zhao Wuyan; he is clearly a soft-hearted, benevolent, and pedantic sort, and naturally would not kill you."

Zhang Zhicheng hastily lowered his head. "Your Excellency is absolutely right."

Yuchi Zhenjin asked again, "And the result of your probing—how did this person react to someone from the Court of Judicial Review?"

Zhang Zhicheng couldn't help but shake his head. “This man has no goodwill toward our Court of Judicial Review, and he is arrogant and unruly. When I chose to act, he resisted immediately, without a moment’s hesitation. Without a doubt, this man holds the court in contempt.”

Yuchi Zhenjin was not surprised at all. "Since ancient times, Confucians have disrupted the law with their writings, and knights-errant have violated prohibitions with their martial prowess. Most people of the jianghu are unruly and disdainful of the court. It is not surprising that this person is the same. So, did you manage to probe what martial arts he uses?"

Without hesitation, Zhang Zhicheng said, "Hard qigong!"

"Hard style?"

"Indeed, this man's body is invulnerable to blades and spears, his hard-style martial arts having reached the pinnacle; even your honor's Tang saber could not scratch him in the slightest."

Zhang Zhicheng reached this point and suddenly recalled something, hastily saying, "During my battle with him, Your Excellency's Tang sword was destroyed by a single punch from this man. It was my carelessness that ruined Your Excellency's Tang sword. I beg Your Excellency's forgiveness."

Yuchi Zhenjin's face twitched slightly a few times, as if somewhat pained, but what was more important was still what Zhang Zhicheng had just said.

"You're saying my weapon was destroyed by a single punch from him."

"Exactly so," Zhang Zhicheng said uneasily.

Yuchi Zhenjin's voice was low. "My weapon was bestowed by the imperial court and forged by the court's divine craftsmen. It is not only incomparably sharp but also indestructible. This man can destroy my weapon—his martial prowess is unfathomable."

Even he himself had no way to destroy this powerful weapon.

Doesn't this mean that Wang Bo's strength is actually above my own?

"When did such a young, top-tier master appear in the jianghu?" This was what truly baffled Yuchi Zhenjin.