By the time they arrived at Zonglei Peak, True Monarch Qingyun had already returned from Slaughter Ice Peak.
After listening to every word Senior Sister Yuan Xi had to say, she asked Lin Qi a few more questions.
Lin Qi swore solemnly, "There couldn't possibly have been a fifth-grade pill in my money pouch. If the guards checking the bags didn't frame me, then that thief must have planted it!"
Senior Sister Yuan Xi said with a grave expression, "Master, Elder Lu's target was that thief!"
"My move definitely wouldn't have killed him. He must have done something shameful and wanted that thief dead."
True Monarch Qingyun asked no further questions and directly brought the two of them to the sect master's hall on Tianyi Peak.
The sect master, who was over three hundred years old and wore a kindly face, flew into a rage after hearing True Monarch Qingyun's account and slammed his hand against the table.
"Is that truly so?! This is outrageous! Go invite True Monarch Tinghan at once, and tie Elder Lu up and bring him here while you're at it!"
True Monarch Qingyun gave the sect master a meaningful look.
The moment True Monarch Tinghan entered the sect master's hall with Elder Lu in tow, True Monarch Qingyun spoke carelessly.
"I would also like to hear Elder Lu's explanation. A Golden Core True Person used his pressure to intimidate my second disciple—what imposing authority!"
Her voice was gentle and her bearing approachable, yet her aura alone was unfathomably lofty, frightening Elder Lu so badly that he nearly dropped to his knees outside the door.
Just then, the peak master of Law Enforcement Peak arrived with a whole line of bound disciples, his voice filled with grief and indignation. "The disciples of Law Enforcement Peak violated the Marketplace's rules. I have come especially to plead guilty before the sect master!"
With a tiger before him and wolves behind him, no matter how furious True Monarch Tinghan was with Elder Lu, he could only brace himself and enter.
The sect master instantly shoved the blame onto him. "Nephew Tinghan, what do you think about this matter?"
True Monarch Tinghan's brow twitched uncontrollably.
What did he think?
What could he possibly think?!
True Monarch Tinghan flicked his sleeve and coldly shouted at Elder Lu, "Get up here and explain yourself!"
Elder Lu instinctively knelt before the sect master and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Sect Master, I acted impartially. I was merely somewhat rigid in following the rules. I never expected to offend the masters of two peaks..."
The peak master of Law Enforcement Peak was so enraged that his beard seemed ready to fly off.
"Nonsense! It wasn't as though disciples of Law Enforcement Peak had never accidentally entered the Marketplace while carrying out missions before. According to sect rules, missions take priority in all things. If innocent people are implicated during a mission, they are punished after the mission is complete."
"I questioned Chen Lin and the other disciples of Law Enforcement Peak. You brought guards and seized her without a word, locked her in the dungeon, and even took the fugitive away on your own authority. That fugitive was a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator. What level were those Marketplace guards of yours? If Nephew Yuan Xi hadn't severely injured him, did you really think your shabby dungeon could have held that fugitive?!"
Elder Lu was both angry and ashamed, yet he stubbornly refused to yield. "Sect rules? Which rule says that everything must give priority to Law Enforcement Peak?! I've only just taken charge of the Marketplace, so don't bully me because I don't understand the sect rules!"
The peak master of Law Enforcement Peak was so furious that his face turned blue.
Some rules had always been unspoken understandings. Things had always been handled that way, but if he were suddenly asked to find the relevant sect rule, he himself could not produce a reasonable basis for it.
True Monarch Qingyun had no interest in lowering herself to quarrel with a Golden Core cultivator.
She spoke to the sect master with unhurried composure. "I have no authority over the affairs of Law Enforcement Peak or the Marketplace. Regarding today's matter, I have only two doubts."
"First, Lu Feng found a Fifth-grade Spring Return Pill in Xiaoqi's money pouch and immediately insisted that Xiaoqi had colluded with that thief, then threw her into the dungeon."
"I am very curious: how much evidence does he have to prove that my Xiaoqi colluded with that thief? Did the procedure he followed in locking Xiaoqi in the dungeon conform to the rules he keeps shouting about?"
The smile on True Monarch Qingyun's face abruptly faded. A chill filled her eyes, and her voice took on a sharp edge.
"Second, Elder Lu, a dignified sect elder and Golden Core cultivator, actually used his pressure to bully a sect disciple who had only reached the Qi Refining First Stage. Had Yuan Xi not been present, even if my Xiaoqi had not been crippled, she would have been half-ruined. Whose backing is he relying on to run wild and tyrannical here?!"
The moment those words fell, both the sect master and True Monarch Tinghan changed expression.
The sect master's kindly face took on a trace of solemnity. "Did this truly happen?!"
Senior Sister Yuan Xi stepped forward neither servile nor overbearing. "Reporting to the sect master, with so many people watching, I would never dare utter a single lie!"
"At the time, Elder Lu acted improperly. My junior sister questioned him a few times, and he became angry from embarrassment. He said my junior sister had spoken disrespectfully and that he would teach her a lesson."
"Teach her a lesson?!"
True Monarch Qingyun gave a soft laugh, her eyes shifting.
The might of a Nascent Soul True Lord burst forth without hesitation, and Elder Lu was instantly crushed flat against the ground.
True Monarch Tinghan hurriedly released his own pressure to shield him. "Qingyun, what do you mean by this?!"
True Monarch Qingyun smiled faintly, her voice pleasant. "I was merely teaching him a lesson. True Monarch Tinghan need not make such a fuss."
"You..." The moment True Monarch Tinghan remembered that Elder Lu was in the wrong, he found himself unable to say anything.
Frightened by the Nascent Soul pressure, Elder Lu's legs trembled violently, and his heart nearly leaped out of his chest.
He truly had not expected True Monarch Qingyun to be so overbearing, to actually pressure him directly before the sect master...
True Monarch Qingyun bowed to the sect master. Her attitude was gentle and courteous, yet it carried absolute force.
"Sect Master, please handle this matter impartially. Zonglei Peak will not swallow this loss."
Then her tone shifted as she continued, "The matter of catching the thief is riddled with doubts. I suspect Elder Lu committed some offense and, after someone learned of it, wanted to kill them to silence them. Sect Master, why not invite True Monarch Baiyi to come out and investigate thoroughly? The sect may be vast, but it cannot tolerate filth and corruption hidden within!"
The peak master of Law Enforcement Peak hurriedly added, "Sect Master, Law Enforcement Peak violated the Marketplace's rules. Once I return, I will punish them immediately. But Elder Lu's actions were arrogant and suspicious. I ask the sect master to investigate carefully!"
True Monarch Tinghan wanted to protect Elder Lu, but unfortunately, he did not know the specific circumstances. He did not even know where to begin if he wished to argue.
The sect master lowered his eyes and pondered for two seconds before clapping his hands to make the decision. "Very well. For now, this matter will be handed over to True Monarch Baiyi for investigation."
"Although Elder Lu is responsible for maintaining order in the Marketplace, he neglected his duties and allowed the thief to exploit an opening. That is his first crime. He used his status as an elder to oppress a disciple, acting without regard for severity. That is his second crime. He failed to distinguish right from wrong, abused his authority, and cast a sect disciple into the dungeon. That is his third crime."
"Then you will be stripped of your position and sent to Chaotic Wind Cliff to reflect behind closed doors for one year! As for the rest, we will decide once True Monarch Baiyi uncovers the truth."
The moment the sect master finished speaking, Elder Lu wailed to heaven and earth, "Sect Master, please show mercy! I know I was wrong!"
True Monarch Qingyun said unhurriedly, "Don't rush. First, let us discuss how you intend to compensate my two frightened little disciples. True Monarch Tinghan governs Slaughter Ice Peak, after all. Surely he will not be too stingy?"
Lin Qi stared in shock as her gentle, kind, and understanding master carved flesh straight from True Monarch Tinghan's heart.
The two Nascent Soul True Lords calmly haggled back and forth, only reaching an agreement after a long while.
Seeing True Monarch Tinghan's face as cold as a god of slaughter, Lin Qi quietly leaned close to Senior Sister Yuan Xi and asked, "Senior Sister, why does Master insist on asking for two slots to enter the Lübing Abyss?"
Wishing everyone a happy New Year! It's another new year, and this author will definitely work hard to write more, hahaha. Please invest, vote recommendations, keep reading, leave comments, and send monthly votes—the more, the better~
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