Cheng Shi's thinking was simple.
If the Iron Law of [Order] wanted to escalate things publicly, he'd pull Justice (Order) directly into the scene and challenge the truth of [Order]'s split inside the Sea of Desire right to its face. If Justice chose to hide the truth, that would demonstrate a hole in [Order] itself — and Cheng Shi would use it as leverage to negotiate. If Justice chose not to hide it and ca out to "set the record straight," that was even better — the mont the [Order] throne ca vacant, he could boldly stake his claim.
But if the whole thing could be kept within a small circle, Cheng Shi would have far more room to maneuver for both the [Order] and [Chaos] thrones.
Simply "take care of" [Chaos] quietly, and then when facing Justice (Order), he'd have earned so credit for protecting order — giving him more leverage going in.
So no matter how the Iron Law of [Order] decided to respond, a wide net was already spread before it. Like prey that hadn't yet realized it was cornered, it had nowhere to struggle.
Cheng Shi had already anticipated that the Iron Law of [Order] would not let the universe descend into chaos. So when it chose "private proof" for the sake of the universe's order, Cheng Shi called in Long Jing.
Li Jingming's mory was dense with evidence. Any being who could access [mory] could sort through those mories and compile a case against the Iron Law of [Order].
There were witnesses too, of course — but whether it was Kataro, the [Void] servant, or Zhen Xin, the top-ranked follower of [Deceit] who knew all the details — the Iron Law of [Order] would likely not believe either of them. Their identities were too sensitive; their testimony for Cheng Shi would look like "manufactured collusion."
Only a [mory] follower who had no prior involvent carried any credibility at all.
And why, out of all the [mory] followers available, did it have to be the Dragon King who had already aligned with [Deceit]? No special reason — Cheng Shi simply preferred not to share his mories with anyone outside the circle.
As for whether the Iron Law of [Order] would believe it — you don't know until you try.
And so Li Jingming was summoned without the faintest idea of what he was being pulled into.
The mont Long Jing appeared in the void, he imdiately realized he had been dragged into soone else's disaster.
Imagine: anyone summoned by a divine being and then imdiately confronted with the sight of the Fate Weaver — the man scheming to replace the gods and kick them off their thrones — locked inside a steel cage before them. What would they think?
Plan exposed? Ringleader caught? Sentenced on the spot? Am I next?
Especially since the Iron Law of [Order] was the most skilled arbiter among all the gods. It had deliberately used [Order]'s power to suppress the voices of the suspects inside the cage — making self-defense impossible — and limited their movents, leaving the witness with nothing but their backs.
Add the violent surging of Lightning Punishnt power throughout the surrounding space, and the atmosphere felt less like a courtroom and more like an execution ground.
That seamless sequence, applied to anyone with inside knowledge, would have had them confessing eighteen generations of family secrets to prove their innocence.
The pressure ca crashing onto Long Jing's head. His heart seized.
Li Jingming had almost never faced [Order]'s judgnt power in a trial, let alone been confronted head-on by a furious Iron Law of [Order] right from the start. But even knowing nothing of [Order]'s thods, he understood the Fate Weaver. He knew Cheng Shi was not soone who would bow. Which ant confessing was out of the question.
Once he plugged that logic into what he was seeing around him, things beca clear.
The witness's expression shifted from shock to calm. The Holy Light Law Code spoke, its resonance filling the space.
"Follower of [mory] — do you consent to testify against the cris of the prisoner in the cage?"
The two inside the cage couldn't speak or move — but they could still hear.
Just hearing the Iron Law of [Order] — the most ardent upholder of order among all divine beings — use this kind of pressure tactic to elicit testimony made Li Wufang's heart jump into his throat.
He didn't doubt the [mory] Chosen's capacity. But it depended on who you were up against — and the one conducting this trial was a god. Could the friend the chief had specifically brought in hold his own here?
Li Wufang was tense with anxiety. Cheng Shi, by contrast, watched the Iron Law of [Order] with nothing but contempt.
He trusted the Jokers the sa way he trusted himself. He had no fear that Long Jing would panic and betray them.
Though the reality turned out to be more... interesting than anticipated.
Li Jingming didn't hesitate at all. He nodded imdiately.
"I consent."
"!!!"
"???"
Li Wufang went blank. He strained to look sideways at the chief standing beside him, desperately hoping he'd heard wrong.
Cheng Shi blinked — and then his expression went completely dark. He'd already guessed what Long Jing was about to say.
The Iron Law of [Order] took in every reaction from all three mortals. It was already certain this witness intended to assist the [Deceit] follower's sche. They were all on the sa side.
Sure enough, Li Jingming continued:
"I acknowledge that the Fate Weaver, in the course of his dealings, has engaged in coercion, deception, extortion, price gouging, unpaid debts and refusals to settle — conduct that severely undermines market fairness and harms the interests of others.
I respectfully implore the great [Order] to conduct a thorough investigation, deliver a verdict of market disruption, and order the Fate Weaver to compensate those he has wronged in his transactions.
In service of this, I will provide all supporting mories and will cooperate with your investigation and judgnt at any ti."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Even the Iron Law of [Order] — to say nothing of the three Fear Faction gods outside the void — couldn't sit through this.
[Ti] had no ti to spare. It quietly withdrew, as if it had never been there.
[Silence] was deeply satisfied — seeing its own will being propagated here without even saying a word, it departed without ceremony.
[Death] was not at ease about its employee. After all, this troublemaking employee was tied to the survival of its own follower — so [Death] remained in the void, continuing to ensure the outco of this foregone-conclusion trial.
The furious [Order] energy raging through the void lurched — and began to dissipate. No longer suppressed, Cheng Shi turned around at once and looked at Li Jingming — head still lowered, saying nothing — and gave him a huge, drawn-out... thumbs-up.
Never mind which finger he used. A thumbs-up is a thumbs-up.
From the corner of his eye, Long Jing glimpsed Cheng Shi inside the cage. He ignored him. His gaze drifted past to Li Wufang standing beside Cheng Shi — a slight nod. Consider that a hello.
The Iron Law of [Order] observed all three of their minor gestures and said nothing. Following the rigid procedures of judgnt, it prompted the witness to provide the relevant evidence.
But before that — it asked one question first.
"Follower of [mory] — do you know who I am?"
"?"
The question was more than a little strange. Who, upon seeing that holy-light-wrapped to, would fail to recognize its identity?
And besides — a divine being asking, to soone's face, who that divine being is? Surely a divine being's identity was not sothing that needed a [mory] follower to help it rember?
Li Jingming's gaze sharpened. From the corner of his eye he caught the knowing smile on Cheng Shi's face — and in almost the sa instant, understood. He also understood the "trap" embedded in the question. He considered for a brief mont, then answered with deliberate gravity:
"I do not."
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