Now that the truth was laid bare for all to see, an explanation had to be given to those involved.
Under the gaze of countless onlookers—some filled with intense interest, others with complex and dark emotions—the Yuxu Sect outer elder coughed softly. Turning to face Lu Yujiao with a solemn expression, he spoke in a heavy voice, “Yujiao.”
Lu Yujiao’s mind was buzzing in confusion as she looked at him blankly. “Elder, I...”
The outer elder felt that being on duty today and encountering such an affair was truly rotten luck.
If it were an ordinary disciple, he could simply punish them according to the rules.
But Lu Yujiao was, after all, the daughter of Lingle Peak's peak master and held the status of an inner disciple and personal disciple. If handled poorly, incurring the displeasure of the Lingle Peak peak master, he, a mere outer elder, would gain nothing good.
Furthermore, Lu Yujiao herself possessed an exceedingly rare gift for the Talisman Dao. Although she had made a fool of herself today, a talisman master was still a talisman master. Barring any accidents, her future standing in the Yuxu Sect would be smooth sailing, and he, as an outer elder, might even need to rely on or curry favor with her one day.
However, with so many rogue cultivators watching the spectacle today alongside numerous sect disciples, as an outer elder, he had to bring a proper conclusion to this matter.
Punishing her too severely would not do, but punishing her too lightly might fail to satisfy the crowd. It was truly a headache... The outer elder let out a few quiet sighs before finally speaking:
“As a senior sister, you jumped to conclusions without discerning truth from falsehood, acting far too rashly. Return to the back mountain to meditate in reflection facing the wall for three days.”
Lu Yujiao bit her lip, her eyes flashing with resentment as she forced down her anger and feelings of grievance. “...Yes.”
“She's actually reluctant about a mere three days of reflection?” the crowd muttered, perking up their ears to wait for the rest of the elder's punishment.
But the elder said no more. He simply turned around, flicked his sleeves, and departed.
Wait, that was it? It ended with just three days of reflection?
The spectating crowd looked at each other in utter disbelief.
Taken to its extreme, Lu Yujiao's words and actions amounted to maliciously framing a fellow sect member. Yet now, the outer elder had brushed it aside with a few words, dismissing it as merely “jumping to conclusions and acting rashly”—clearly minimizing a major offense into nothingness.
A chorus of boos erupted among the rogue cultivators present.
“I thought the sect handled matters with absolute fairness, but it turns out to be no different.”
“Ooh, three days of reflection! Even an outsider like me has to laugh at such a punishment.”
Several outer disciples exchanged looks, then glanced at Chen Er, who had been in a miserable state earlier. A chilling sense of empathy gradually welled up inside them.
Had it not been for the unexpected turn of events, Chen Er would have been expelled from the sect. Yet now, Lu Yujiao's act of harming a fellow disciple was met with nothing more than three days of reflection.
The stark contrast born from status difference left everyone feeling deeply conflicted.
Facing this noble Senior Sister Lu once more, many disciples wore strange expressions and involuntarily took a few steps back. Even the sycophants who had previously flattered her and followed her every step now looked hesitant, forced to carefully ponder whether Senior Sister Lu might treat them the same way in the future.
Lu Yujiao was still immersed in her intense humiliation and failed to notice her fellow disciples stepping back. Had she noticed, her anger and hatred would only have flared higher.
Her face burned with anger, and her mind was a chaotic blur as she pondered how to redeem her reputation.
If there were only Yuxu Sect disciples here, it would be easy to handle. Upon returning to the sect, she could simply have her father warn them, and none of them would dare utter a word out of line, allowing this matter to be brushed under the rug.
But as ill luck would have it, this incident took place right here at the defense line—a place teeming with all kinds of people. Aside from Yuxu Sect disciples, there was a considerable number of rogue cultivators present.
She knew without asking that these rogue cultivators—who fought viciously over meager cultivation resources she herself looked down upon—were no different from gossiping old women in the mortal world. Once they left, they would surely embellish and spread rumors about today's events far and wide.
One moment, thoughts of If only I could kill all these people flashed through Lu Yujiao's mind; the next, a dark wish welled up: If the spirit beasts riot, I hope every single one of them dies in the beast tide.
Finally, her venomous gaze fell upon Chen Er and Shi Yu.
It was all the fault of these two... If not for them, she would never have been dragged into this nightmare.
Especially this one named Shi Yu. With such talent in the Talisman Dao, if she was not eliminated soon, Lu Yujiao feared she would spend the rest of her life living under her shadow, unable to catch her breath, her Dao Heart forever clouded.
Lu Yujiao's chest heaved as she suppressed her fury. Bearing the mocking gazes of the crowd, she summoned her artifact and departed in haste.
Sensing the murderous intent in Lu Yujiao's departing gaze, Shi Yu lowered her eyelids, her eyes turning cool.
She did not enjoy being targeted by such threatening stares. Thus, if necessary, she would strike before Lu Yujiao had the chance to move.
...
Seeing Lu Yujiao leave, Chen Er walked briskly over to Shi Yu.
He opened his mouth, wanting to express a flood of thoughts, but after holding it in for a long moment, he was at a loss for what to say or ask. In the end, he simply scratched his head and stammered, “Young Master, you weren't frightened, were you?”
Shi Yu shook her head and asked, “How are your injuries?”
“Thanks to Manager Jiang's pills,” Chen Er hurriedly thanked Jiang Qihe beside them, then turned back to Shi Yu. “It's nothing serious anymore.”
Shi Yu nodded.
On account of Shi Yu, Jiang Qihe treated Chen Er with extra warmth and offered a word of caution: “Lu Yujiao is narrow-minded. Though you cleared your name of those baseless accusations today, in the sect hereafter...”
He would likely face endless targeting and ostracization.
Chen Er gave a bitter smile and nodded in agreement. “I know.”
But what choice did he have? He could only use this to spur himself on and cultivate harder. On the bright side, after this incident, Lu Yujiao surely wouldn't force him to run all sorts of errands and delay his cultivation anymore.
Shi Yu glanced at him. “Find some time to come to my residence in a few days.”
She was planning to refine spirit robes and artifacts for herself, so she could forge a few items for Chen Er as well for self-defense and survival. She also intended to concoct pills and could spare some for him.
To her, these were mere effortless matters, but to Chen Er, they represented precious cultivation resources.
Chen Er treated her with genuine sincerity, and she did not want to see him die so easily.
Besides... having a few reliable companions on the path of cultivation was essential. Chen Er was pure-hearted, and she knew his background well, making him a perfect choice.
Hearing Shi Yu's instruction, Chen Er nodded obediently.
Reminded of refining artifacts, Shi Yu did not forget the original purpose of her trip and turned to Jiang Qihe. “Manager Jiang, shall we go purchase the spiritual materials now?”
Jiang Qihe agreed and led the way for her. “The spontaneous gathering organized by the cultivators is over there—”
But just as they took a step, they were surrounded on all sides by a crowd of oncoming cultivators.
“This young fellow talisman master is truly young and promising!”
“That Blaze Talisman possessed astonishing power and grand momentum! When it activated, it gave us quite a shock!”
“I wonder if fellow Daoist still has stock left? This Li is willing to buy them all at a high price!”
“Dream on! Fellow Daoist Shi, I am also willing to offer a high price!”
What a joke! A talisman master whose attainment in the Talisman Dao completely crushed Lu Yujiao was standing right in front of them—if they didn't try to win her favor now, then when?
Besides, the talismans Shi Yu crafted were genuinely superior. Everyone's eyes burned with desire, hoping to purchase a few.
Though the crowd was dense, everyone kept their distance without jostling against Shi Yu, their expressions bearing a touch of deference.
—They increasingly suspected that Shi Yu had an extraordinary background.
After all, to be so young yet possess such astonishing attainments in the Talisman Dao, she was likely a personal disciple from some prominent cultivation family or major sect out gaining experience in the world.
Accustomed to such scenes, Shi Yu smoothly handed the matter over to Jiang Qihe. “The talismans I craft are all sold at Tongyi Pavilion. You may direct your inquiries to Manager Jiang.”
With that, she pivoted and slipped away deftly, leaving Jiang Qihe to introduce the types and effects of the spirit talismans to the crowd with a flustered smile, suffering in delightful happiness.
Shi Yu blinked at the mobbed Jiang Qihe, then walked with brisk, light steps toward the gathering.
Rate on N.U.
