The heavy, suffocating silence of the secluded residential pathway stretched for several long seconds.
Yoriichi looked at the rigid, pained expressions of Captain Lin and Vice-Captain Feng. He did not reach for his katana. He did not flare his aura. He simply looked down at the silk parcels he was holding, then back to the Law Enforcement squad.
"I understand," Yoriichi stated, his voice a calm, even rumble that lacked even a trace of anxiety or indignation. He stepped forward, gently extending his arms to offer the parcels to Captain Lin. "Please ensure these reach inside. They are newly purchased garments."
Lin hesitated, her eyes flashing with a profound, bitter guilt. She had stood shoulder-to-shoulder with this youth against a Dou Wang in the Sea of Whispering Bamboos. She knew the depth of his character. Yet, her uniform bound her to the ironclad laws of the academy.
"I will see to it personally, Xiao Ning," Lin promised, her voice tight as she carefully took the parcels.
Vice-Captain Feng stepped forward, retrieving a pair of heavy, pitch-black shackles from his spatial ring. They were forged from Qi-Restricting Cold-Iron, designed specifically to suppress the meridian flow of anyone locked within them, rendering even a Da Dou Shi completely powerless.
"Forgive the offense, brother," Feng whispered so only Yoriichi could hear, his hands trembling slightly as he locked the heavy iron cuffs around Yoriichi's wrists.
Clack. Clack.
The cold metal bit into Yoriichi's skin, and he immediately felt a heavy, numb sensation wash over his Dantian, locking his milky-white Dou Qi firmly in place. He offered Feng a slight, reassuring nod, indicating that he held no grudges against soldiers simply following orders.
Surrounded by the dozen armored enforcers, Yoriichi was marched away from the quiet comfort of his courtyard.
They navigated the winding paths of the Outer Academy under the pale moonlight. The journey was utterly silent. Eventually, the pristine white architecture of the student sectors gave way to the towering, imposing structure of the Central Administrative Building.
They bypassed the main administrative halls and descended into a specialized, heavily fortified wing: the Law Enforcement Hall.
The atmosphere here was completely different from the rest of the academy. The walls were constructed from dark, sound-absorbing basalt. The air was perpetually cold, carrying the heavy, metallic scent of polished armor and the lingering, oppressive weight of severe discipline.
The heavy oak doors of the central judgment chamber swung open, and Yoriichi was led inside.
The chamber was vast and dimly lit by floating crystal lamps. At the far end of the room, seated behind a massive, elevated desk of solid obsidian, were three strict-looking disciplinary elders.
But standing perfectly still in front of the desk, his hands clasped firmly behind his back, was the unmistakable, towering figure of Commander Wu. The scarred, iron-blooded leader of the Law Enforcement Unit radiated a natural, suffocating pressure that made the very air in the room feel dense and hard to breathe.
"Commander," Captain Lin and Vice-Captain Feng saluted sharply, stepping to the sidelines and leaving Yoriichi standing alone in the center of the cold stone floor. "The suspect has been brought in without resistance."
Commander Wu's sharp, hawk-like eyes locked onto Yoriichi. He slowly walked down the short flight of stone steps, his heavy armored boots echoing ominously through the silent hall.
Wu stopped a mere five paces away. He studied the red-haired youth, looking past the heavy iron cuffs to the completely stoic, unbothered expression on Yoriichi's face.
"Xiao Ning," Commander Wu began, his voice a deep, gravelly baritone that commanded absolute authority. "I know exactly who you are. You are a genius. A martial anomaly that some of the Core Elders, and even the Deputy Headmaster himself, deeply admire. I am fully aware of your contributions and your strength."
Wu took a slow, measured step to the side, beginning to circle the youth.
"But," Wu continued, his tone hardening into cold steel, "talent and admiration do not grant you a sovereign mandate. They do not guarantee you the right to rampage through the commercial district of this academy, terrorizing students and extorting their property. The Jia Nan Academy is a sanctuary of order, not a playground for your personal vendettas."
"I am aware," Yoriichi replied calmly, his crimson eyes tracking the Commander. "I know the laws of this institution."
"Then why did you break order?" Wu demanded, stopping directly in front of Yoriichi, his gaze piercing. "You are an intelligent young man. You know perfectly well the boundaries of our laws. So why the public spectacle?"
"Because they harmed my clanmate," Yoriichi answered, his voice steady and absolute, devoid of any regret. "They used a hidden, venomous herb to inflict unnecessary, lingering pain upon my cousin simply because she belonged to my family. That is inherently wrong. I cannot, and will not, leave them compromised while such predators walk freely."
Commander Wu's eyes narrowed. "Xiao Ning, this academy is not your clan compound. You are students here, bound by a higher authority. If you had a problem, if your cousin was attacked sneakily, you should have immediately called the Law Enforcement Unit. That is our entire purpose."
"Calling the unit would have been too late," Yoriichi countered smoothly, his logic flawless. "The venom was already in her bloodstream. The perpetrators were mocking her in broad daylight, surrounded by a crowd. To file a report and wait for bureaucratic justice while she suffered would be an injustice to my cousin."
"Too late?" Commander Wu scoffed, a sharp, humorless sound. He reached into his robes and tossed a scroll onto the stone floor at Yoriichi's feet.
"Read the time stamp, boy," Wu commanded. "That lanky student who pushed your cousin? The one who utilized the Itch-Corrosion Herb? He was arrested by my shadow patrols less than ten twenty after your little stunt in the plaza. He has already been interrogated, found guilty of utilizing banned biological irritants, stripped of his status, and is sentenced to be held punished at Thunder Valley for a decade. We move faster than you think."
Yoriichi's eyes widened slightly in genuine surprise.
His ancient soul was accustomed to the slow, often corrupt, or entirely absent justice of the outside world and his previous life. To realize that the academy's Law Enforcement Unit was actually highly efficient and deeply observant was a profound, unexpected variable.
"By using excessive force and public extortion," Wu continued, pressing the psychological advantage, "what is the actual difference between you and them? They used fear and pain to bully your cousin. You used fear and the threat of overwhelming violence to bully them. Are you a protector, or just a bigger predator?"
Yoriichi processed the Commander's words. It was a heavy, philosophical accusation.