The one who spoke was a rather average looking man who seemed to be just about to hit his thirties, with a head of black hair that was tied into a simple knot that reached his nape. His eyes were slanted and narrow, with dark pupils that seemed to view the world with a certain darkness that came from within.
His uniform was the same as the others but with shoulder pads and leg guards, along with a much more refined badge with an extra character underneath that said 'CAPTAIN', easily denoting his rank among this group.
The other Market Guards glanced at him with respect in their eyes, with more than a hint of fear present there as well. It was for good reason too, because this man had quite a dark reputation in the entire marketplace, especially among the middle class and low-upper class cultivators here.
But for Li Ling, not just disposition, but his cultivation was enough to make him feel queasy, as the man stood at the peak of Qi Refinement, with a solid and stable aura that made it seem like he could advance to the next tier at the slightest provocation.
This Market Guard Captain was seated on a stylish chair in the middle of the street, surrounded by his two vice captains with Qi Refinement level 9 cultivations and some other officers, all facing the restrained young man and his wife who was being dragged round like a ragdoll.
The Captain placed his hands together, which were covered in exquisite white gloves that gave off a formidable spiritual aura, and looked down at the young man.
"The reason I have apprehended you and your Dao Companion is simply because you have committed the gravest sin possible in existence and must be punished post haste." He said slowly, his voice deep and full of a bizarre mixture of youthful energy and mature vicissitudes.
Hearing this, not only the young man, but all those quietly listening all over Ivy Lane shook to their core, wondering rapidly what this amiable looking young man could have possibly done and whether it would affect them. Many began to wonder how well they knew him and whether they had any verifiable connection to him, planning to deny any bond with him at the first possible sign of being dragged along.
The young man himself showed shock and horror, his heart trembling as he quickly denied. "Impossible! I haven't even left my home in the past week, how could I have had the time to commit any heinous crime? Especially with my meager cultivation?!"
The nearby Market Guard was about to slap once more, but the Captain raised his hand to stop his subordinate and the man instantly retreated and bowed. Throughout this, he had never taken his eyes off the young man, as if deeply fascinated by something about him - maybe it was his defiance or his expression - but it was a cold and malevolent fascination that seemed more akin to research than interest.
"I don't know anything about that. In fact, I don't even know anything about you. I don't know your name, I don't know how long you've lived here and I don't even know your cultivation level as I haven't even bothered to scan you."
The Captain placed his steepled fingers onto his lap and smiled slightly. "I just picked you at random today out of the many options available for me, and within a single look, I was able to determine your criminal status as you have performed the greatest crime known to man, the crime of being weak."
Saying this, the Captain seemed to lose his patience for the entire affair and before the stunned young man could say another word, the Captain made a casual gesture to his men.
Immediately, the Market Guards restraining the young man pressed his face to the ground and held him down in such a position. The Captain crossed his legs and received a cup of brewed green tea that had thin spiritual mist rising in the form of vapor, then spoke his final decree of the incident.
"Alright, all of you take turns. One round per each of those who made more than 10 merits in the last operation. If you have less than ten, work harder during the next operation and you'll get a turn another time."
There was a slight pause before horror struck as the young man began to thrash greatly, understanding what was being said. Even as he resisted, he barely made his captors exert any extra effort as his movements were akin to a child trying to overpower a professional sumo wrestler.
His wife, who had been panickedly listening to the entire thing with fear on her face began to scream in horror as her modest robes were torn off, much to the cold sneers of the Market Guards in the area, a few of them surrounding her as their actions became more wanton and direct due to the approval from their boss.
Everyone on Ivy Lane felt their hearts drop to their stomachs as they closed their eyes and cut off their senses, not willing to witness this scene and not willing to be caught witnessing this scene, especially the younger women.
Li Ling, who had retreated into his cultivation room, which also acted as his bedroom, was seated cross-legged on his meditation mat while wearing simple brown brocade robes, his black hair cut short due to his circumstances while his dark blue eyes constricted deeply due to what he was sensing.
He too cut off his senses, not willing to be dragged into the horrible scene going out right beside his house, but due to proximity, he was not spared the sound of the woman's agonized cries, the satisfied grunting of her assailants and the despairing roars of her husband.
But even as he did so, Li Ling was not safe, not nearly so. Now, he was beginning to face a more severe problem that was arguably far easier, yet also far more difficult to solve than being rounded up by the Market Guards.
His problem?
The shattering of his worldview and beliefs.