Elder Lu held his chin high with arrogant pride. "Someone, open that money pouch and inspect it!"
Senior Sister Yuan Xi frowned. "Elder Lu, what do you mean by this?"
Elder Lu's gaze was cold and sinister. "You say you caught a thief, and that makes it true? For all we know, you martial sisters colluded with the thief and deliberately disrupted order in the Marketplace!"
Yuan Xi was nearly angered into laughter. "And what evidence do you have for saying that?"
Lin Qi protested, "The Marketplace rules are so strict, yet you let thieves run wild? Instead of focusing on catching the thief, this elder led people to tie up his own sect disciples. Could it be that you and the thief are in the same gang?!"
"You insolent brat!" Elder Lu's brows drew tightly together as he glared furiously.
As if Lin Qi had exposed the truth, he flew into a rage at once.
The full pressure of a Golden Core cultivator burst forth, intending to teach Lin Qi a lesson.
Without a second thought, Senior Sister Yuan Xi released her own aura, blocking Elder Lu's pressure.
Anger flashed in her eyes as she shouted, "Elder Lu, how dare you bully my junior sister!"
After spending so long with Senior Sister Yuan Xi, this was the first time Lin Qi had seen her angry.
Forget Elder Lu—even Lin Qi herself was badly startled.
Elder Lu also seemed to realize that he had gone too far. His gaze visibly darted aside, and he withdrew his aura.
He explained weakly, "She spoke rudely. I only wanted to scare her!"
Senior Sister Yuan Xi's anger did not abate. "You, a Golden Core cultivator, used your pressure to frighten a little disciple at Qi Refining First Stage? Were you trying to scare her, or trying to take my junior sister's life?!"
"Hmph!" Elder Lu snorted coldly, offered no further explanation, and had the guards continue their search.
Senior Sister Yuan Xi sensed something strange in Elder Lu's actions. She did not dare gamble with Lin Qi, so she tossed the money pouch in her hand to the guards.
As soon as the guards opened it, they took out two jade bottles containing pills.
The moment the stoppers were removed, a faint medicinal fragrance filled everyone's nostrils.
Elder Lu stepped forward with a smug expression, waving the pills before Yuan Xi.
"Pill Peak's Fifth-grade Spring Return Pill. Explain to me how it ended up in the money pouch of a little disciple who had only just entered the sect. Don't tell me True Monarch Qingyun gave it to her?!"
Lin Qi turned to look at the scholar on the ground and said with certainty, "He must have slipped the pills into my money pouch!"
Unfortunately, Elder Lu had already obtained his "evidence." He had no desire to listen to Lin Qi and Yuan Xi's explanations.
With a sweep of his hand, he said, "Take them all away! You can explain yourselves slowly in prison."
Lin Qi was about to explode with anger. Was something wrong with this Elder Lu's brain?
This was utterly inexplicable!
Senior Sister Yuan Xi stopped her, preventing her from saying another word. The two of them were escorted together to the prison in the northern Marketplace.
Lin Qi looked utterly depressed. She had only come down the mountain to buy something. She had been pickpocketed by accident, and now she and her senior sister had ended up in prison?
Today really was a magical day.
"Senior Sister, don't you think Elder Lu acted very strangely?"
Senior Sister Yuan Xi calmly sat cross-legged on the ground. Hearing this, she slowly opened her eyes and made a shushing gesture at Lin Qi.
Lin Qi immediately did not dare make another sound.
Only then did Senior Sister Yuan Xi explain unhurriedly, "Everything about today's matter reeks of strangeness. We merely had the bad luck to stumble into it."
After speaking, she deliberately sent Lin Qi a voice transmission to explain further.
"Elder Lu is the younger brother of True Monarch Tinghan of Slaughter Ice Peak. Over the years, relying on True Monarch Tinghan's influence, he secured the right to manage the Marketplace. Unfortunately, his talent is lacking, yet he thinks himself extraordinary. He loves throwing his weight around under True Monarch Tinghan's banner and often tramples the low while fawning on the high within the sect."
"In the past, he feared Master's prestige and did not dare offend the disciples of Zonglei Peak. I do not know what happened today, but he acted with complete disregard for consequences. I believe there must be another hidden reason behind this matter."
"Do not be afraid. We only need to wait quietly for Master to come get us."
Lin Qi blinked at Senior Sister Yuan Xi to show that she understood, then decisively scooted over to sit beside Yuan Xi.
Seeing Yuan Xi meditate so calmly, she took the opportunity to begin cultivating as well.
Chen Lin in the neighboring cell had originally been restless and anxious. When he turned around and saw that the two Zonglei Peak disciples had already settled their minds and begun cultivating, he could not help wiping the sweat from his forehead.
No wonder Zonglei Peak was so renowned throughout Tianyi Sect. Just looking at the disciples' mentality and diligence, they were already far beyond what the others could match.
Perhaps influenced by Senior Sister Yuan Xi and Lin Qi, the members of the Law Enforcement Team began entering meditation one after another.
When the peak master of Law Enforcement Peak came to retrieve them, he was so astonished by the sight that his mouth hung open.
Elder Lu also frowned at the scene, disgust in his eyes, and snorted coldly. "Putting on an act!"
The peak master of Law Enforcement Peak could endure no longer. "What exactly does Elder Lu mean by this?"
"If the Law Enforcement Team made a mistake, the Sect Master and I will naturally punish them. Since when was it your turn, a mere Marketplace elder, to pass judgment and mete out punishment?"
When his gaze landed on Yuan Xi and Lin Qi, who were imprisoned off to one side, he was so angry that he laughed.
"True Monarch Qingyun has only accepted three disciples over all these years, yet you imprisoned two of them in one go. Elder Lu, you truly are something else. Are you planning to cover the sky with one hand in Tianyi Sect?!"
Although Elder Lu had brought the peak master of Law Enforcement Peak here to see the prisoners, he did not fear him.
"I merely acted according to Marketplace rules. What, are your Law Enforcement Peak disciples justified in fighting in the Marketplace?"
The peak master of Law Enforcement Peak flicked his sleeve and sneered. "Of course not. I will immediately drag this bunch of fools to the Sect Master and plead guilty."
"However, I will kindly remind Elder Lu of one thing. After learning of this, True Monarch Qingyun has already gone to visit Slaughter Ice Peak. You should take care of yourself!"
The moment Elder Lu heard those words, his face darkened.
He had long heard that True Monarch Qingyun of Zonglei Peak acted without restraint and was exceptionally protective of her own. Now that he truly experienced it, even with his elder brother True Monarch Tinghan standing in front of him, he could not help but tremble in fear.
He no longer had any thoughts of keeping them detained. Not only did he release Lin Qi and Yuan Xi, he even specifically dispatched a team to escort them back to Zonglei Peak and offer apologies.
As for himself, he hurried to Slaughter Ice Peak to seek help.
Elder Lu's attitude had changed far too quickly. After leaving the prison, Senior Sister Yuan Xi casually asked one of the escorting guards, "How were today's thief and fugitive dealt with?"
The guard also feared her status as a direct disciple of Zonglei Peak and did not dare conceal anything.
"The fugitive has already been sent back to Law Enforcement Peak. But that thief had his heart meridian injured by your attack and is being treated. I fear he does not have long to live."
Senior Sister Yuan Xi raised her brows, took Lin Qi's hand, and continued forward without another word.
Lin Qi was completely bewildered.
Someone as measured as her senior sister would never strike with a killing blow right away.
She clearly remembered that although the scholar had howled fiercely after being attacked, he had seemed perfectly fine. How had he become at death's door in such a short time?
Still, she found Senior Sister Yuan Xi's reaction strange. She quietly followed along and did not ask again.
Please invest, bookmark, and vote with recommendation tickets~ Sweethearts, remember to keep following the story. This book will definitely update steadily.
Before you continue