"Master said that you brought someone into Jade Purity Palace without permission, Junior Brother. You acted without his approval, and now many of our fellow disciples are dissatisfied."
"Although quite a few of them were guilty of the same offense..."
"They've all been sent to reflect on their mistakes facing the wall by Master!"
"The commotion has died down, but wrongdoing must be punished. Otherwise, it'll be hard to convince everyone."
As if afraid Lin Chuan wouldn't believe him, Daoist Duobao explained once more.
If it had been another disciple, he wouldn't have bothered to say so much. After all, he was the chief disciple, with a status second only to one person and above countless others.
However...
Lin Chuan's position was quite unusual.
Even he didn't dare say too much at a time like this.
For reasons he couldn't fathom, Lin Chuan had become a Personal Disciple, and now it seemed Master was constantly protecting him.
Sect Master Tongtian's intentions were unclear.
That was why Daoist Duobao didn't dare say much.
When Zhao Gongming heard this, he immediately came to his senses, but he looked rather angry.
"This..."
"They're obviously trying to drive a wedge between you and Master. They're just jealous!"
Zhao Gongming had been about to say more, but then he realized that the main reason Lin Chuan was being punished was that he had brought Zhao Gongming into Jade Purity Palace without permission.
But...
In his view, this was a minor offense at worst.
By his reckoning, Senior Brother Lin shouldn't be punished at all. Master seemed to favor him greatly.
He wouldn't punish him so lightly.
It was definitely because those people were jealous that things had blown up like this. In the end, Master had been forced to hand down this punishment.
It was far too unfair!
Of course, Zhao Gongming didn't have much say in the matter. Even though he had become an Inner Sect Disciple, the punishment had ultimately come about because of him.
He had no standing to object!
Still, he felt the punishment was deeply insulting. Senior Brother Lin was a Personal Disciple, after all, and possessed such formidable strength.
If anyone had to guard the gate, surely it shouldn't be Senior Brother Lin!
So he wanted to fight back. He even considered going to see Master, but then he realized he had no right to do so.
Unless Senior Brother Lin spoke up himself.
Several times, he started to say something, only to stop. In the end, he felt thoroughly stifled and said nothing.
Daoist Duobao glanced at him. He understood that this wasn't a major issue, and the punishment was neither too harsh nor too lenient.
It might seem insulting...
But it also served as an example for the others, letting everyone see for themselves that Master treated them all equally.
Of course, Daoist Duobao understood the implications better than most, which only made him more wary and concerned.
He wasn't sure what kind of standing Lin Chuan really had.
"That's what Master meant. No matter how dissatisfied you are, a mistake is still a mistake. There's no arguing with that!"
"Be more careful from now on. Whatever you do, consider the circumstances, and make sure to inform Master beforehand."
"That way, this sort of thing won't happen again."
Duobao Tathagata took a fairly neutral stance and didn't deliberately side with anyone.
After hearing this,
Zhao Gongming felt a little better. But he was still deeply annoyed with those people who were so twisted and jealous.
If he could find out who they were...
He'd make them pay!
"Mas—"
Zhao Gongming hadn't even finished speaking when he froze.
Daoist Duobao was just as dumbfounded.
Neither of them had paid much attention at first, but now they saw that Lin Chuan was already lying off to the side.
That pose...
It looked strangely familiar.
Good heavens!
At such an important moment, no one should have acted like this. Whether accepting Sect Master Tongtian's punishment or protesting against it, shouldn't he have shown some kind of reaction?
But...
Lin Chuan had fallen asleep right there.
This...
Even Zhao Gongming was at a loss.
In his view, this was the moment to fight back. They absolutely couldn't let those shameless, scheming bastards get their way.
Otherwise, endless trouble and headaches would follow.
Yet Lin Chuan was so indifferent that it was truly unexpected.
Lin Chuan had been rather excited at first, but once he understood what had happened and why, he realized on the spot that it had all been nothing but false hope.
He immediately lost all interest in listening.
And promptly fell asleep...
Whatever the punishment was, he didn't care. More than anything, he hoped to be kicked out as soon as possible. The rest of the punishments were no big deal to him.
Neither too light nor too harsh...
While Daoist Duobao and Zhao Gongming were at a loss for words,
a system notification suddenly rang out in Lin Chuan's mind.
[Ding! While Daoist Duobao was issuing the decree, the host slacked off!] [Reward: Intermediate Spirit Gathering Array!]
Daoist Duobao glanced at him but didn't dwell on it. He'd delivered the message; whether Lin Chuan followed it was no longer his concern.
Of course,
he also knew that his junior brother probably wouldn't cause too much trouble.
Lin Chuan generally understood the bigger picture.
"Junior Brother, Master's just putting on a show so that all the disciples can see he's being fair. Otherwise, any imbalance could easily stir up discontent."
Daoist Duobao said this, then left.
Zhao Gongming understood that Sect Master Tongtian was trying to maintain balance, but he still felt somewhat dissatisfied.
It was just...
It was all so unreasonable. Sure, Lin Chuan had made a minor mistake, but as a Personal Disciple—
That kind of mistake shouldn't have mattered at all.
If those people hadn't been jealous, would any of this have happened?
In the end, it was the discontent and jealousy of most of the disciples that had caused this. Otherwise, they wouldn't have reacted like that, and Master wouldn't have issued the order.
Zhao Gongming felt that the punishment was downright insulting. Even reflecting on his mistakes facing the wall would have been better than guarding the gate!
But he had no say in the matter. Feeling stifled, he kept all of this to himself, though he didn't hold a grudge.
He had, however, begun to feel a growing distaste for those who stirred up trouble.
In contrast, he was filled with gratitude toward Lin Chuan. Senior Brother Lin had brought him into the Rear Hall of Jade Purity Palace, and now he was being treated like this in return.
He'd done it all for Zhao Gongming!
If Zhao Gongming hadn't been able to cultivate here, his strength wouldn't have improved, and he wouldn't have obtained a top-tier cultivation method.
Lin Chuan had given him a whole new lease on life!
Before you continue