As for who that “master” actually was?
Jiang Wan suppressed the thought. Someone who could have a Soul Transformation powerhouse as a guard had to belong to one of the top forces in the Four Regions. As a Young Sect Master, she was better off curbing any unnecessary curiosity.
She looked at the plain-clothed elder beside her. “Aunt Yu, take this man into custody first to await trial. Then, ask the Grand Elder to end her seclusion. I will personally lead a delegation to the Azure Cloud Sect.”
“I want to see for myself if this so-called number one sect in the Southern Region truly deserves its reputation when the disciples they raise are so utterly disgraceful.”
The plain-clothed elder was slightly startled.
Just moments ago, the Young Sect Master had been furious and wanted to cripple his cultivation. Why the sudden change of heart and the decision to pay them a visit in person?
She glanced at Lu Beichen, who was sprawled on the ground, and then at the Young Sect Master's calm face, choosing not to ask further.
【Little Wanwan must have her reasons for doing this!】
“Yes, Young Sect Master.”
Shen Qingci feigned an attempt to defend him, stepping forward to say, “Young Sect Master Jiang, this matter hasn't reached the point where...”
Jiang Wan offered a comforting word, her expression softening. “Junior Sister from the Azure Cloud Sect, I understand what you mean. There is no need to say more.”
“Today's matter has nothing to do with the two of you. I know what to do.”
Shen Qingci opened her mouth as if to speak, but hesitated. In the end, she merely sighed, turned to pull her senior sister's sleeve, and the two sat back down.
Seeing this play out, the female cultivators in the hall immediately filled in the blanks with seven or eight different scenarios.
These two female cultivators, judging by their attire and bearing, were clearly direct descendants of prestigious families who had joined the Azure Cloud Sect.
Prestigious families always valued reputation above all else. For them to step forward, acknowledge him as their fellow disciple, and even injure him themselves—it must have been out of consideration for their sect ties, hoping the Miaoyin Sect would show leniency seeing that he was already hurt.
For a moment, the gazes the female cultivators directed at Shen Qingci and Chi Yuan carried an extra layer of pity.
To be saddled with such a fellow disciple was truly unfortunate.
They had probably just been a pair of young Dao companions, traveling together in peace and comfort to attend the Dao Discussion Conference and learn some dual cultivation techniques.
Yet they had to run into such a sickening mess.
Their wonderful trip together was ruined, and they even had to clean up after their scumbag of a junior brother.
【Tsk, so incredibly pitiful +666】
Shen Qingci sat comfortably in her chair, accepting all the pitying looks directed at her from all directions.
So what if she was pitiful?
It was all within her calculations anyway.
She really was quite pitiful. It had been so hard to get some alone time with her senior sister, yet their soak in the spiritual spring had almost... and now, attending a Dao discussion, they had run into this jinx of a Lu Beichen.
However, the harvest was plentiful.
Once today's play concluded, Lu Beichen's reputation would be utterly ruined among the female cultivators of the Southern Region, and the seeds had been sown for the Miaoyin Sect to take action against the Azure Cloud Sect.
Her Sect Master Martial Uncle was always overprotective and indulgent. Well, he could thoroughly taste the karma born from that overprotectiveness.
If he remained obstinate, she wouldn't mind going through a bit of trouble to push her master into his position.
Besides, to have such a disciple, his master was likely no saint either.
Perhaps from the moment she returned to the sect, she would have to start preparing for a power struggle.
Chi Yuan saw that her junior sister remained silent. Even though she knew this entire situation was within her calculations, seeing the pitying looks from the crowd almost broke her cold demeanor.
She secretly annoyed herself for being too gentle.
She should have castrated Junior Brother Lu so he could never harbor such filthy thoughts again.
Shen Qingci had no idea what her senior sister was thinking.
If she did, she would probably have a lot of feelings about it.
A moment later, two Miaoyin Sect disciples entered from the side door and dragged the half-dead Lu Beichen up from the floor.
Lu Beichen's jawbone was fractured, and his mouth was filled with bloody foam, leaving him only able to make muffled, wheezing sounds.
As he was dragged down the aisle, the female cultivators along the way retreated in unison, as if afraid of being contaminated by something filthy.
Standing on the demonstration stage, Jiang Wan watched him get dragged out of the hall before withdrawing her gaze. She did not sit down immediately, but raised her hand to call for attention.
“Fellow Daoists, today's unexpected incident has disrupted your enjoyment. It was due to the poor hospitality of the Miaoyin Pavilion.” She bowed to all sides, her posture graceful and poised.
“The rest of the Dao discussion will be hosted on my behalf by Elder Su, a Golden Core deacon of our sect. Elder Su has practiced Consonance Qi-Guiding for many years and can explain it much more thoroughly than I. Please rest assured.”
A low murmur of whispers rippled through the crowd below.
“To express our apologies, the Miaoyin Sect will refund ten times the entry spirit stones for all fellow Daoists present today. Please register your jade plaques at the entrance after the session, and the spirit stones will be delivered to you within a day.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the whispers instantly grew louder.
With seven to eight hundred people present, the total sum was enough to sustain a small sect for ten years.
The Miaoyin Sect was truly paying a hefty price.
Jiang Wan bowed once more. “I have other urgent matters to attend to, so please excuse me.” With that, she stepped down from the demonstration stage and quickly departed through the back door, accompanied by her Dao protector.
Shen Qingci leaned back against her chair, watching the ginger-yellow figure disappear.
A tenfold refund.
This Young Sect Master Jiang was truly decisive and bold in her actions.
Indeed, without the intelligence-lowering filter of the male lead's halo, who among them was actually a fool?
Using money to silence people was the fastest method. Once these female cultivators received their tenfold refunds, they would only speak of the Miaoyin Sect's generosity and magnanimity upon leaving.
As for the scandal of Lu Beichen sneaking in, very few would keep talking about it.
As Shen Qingci was reflecting on this, a female Golden Core cultivator dressed in a lake-green dress stepped onto the demonstration stage.
Elder Su appeared to be in her early thirties, with a gentle and elegant appearance. The moment she stepped onto the stage, she commanded the room without a hint of timidity, stabilizing the crowd in just a few sentences.
She took the jade slip left by the Young Sect Master and continued the lecture from the second stage of Consonance Qi-Guiding. Her voice was clear and gentle, her explanations highly organized, showing a bit more experience than Jiang Wan.
Having received the promise of a tenfold refund, the female cultivators below felt much more at ease and pulled out their jade slips once more to take notes.
By the time the Dao Discussion Conference concluded, it was already midnight.
Shen Qingci straightened her posture.
Elder Su's explanation in the second half was indeed thorough. Even though she wasn't deeply dedicated to this path, she had still grasped eighty percent of the content.
In the future, when she and her senior sister practiced in private, these techniques would prove to be of great use!!!
Just as she was about to take Chi Yuan's hand and walk out, several Miaoyin Sect deacons approached them in the aisle. The leader carried a red sandalwood tray, upon which six storage bags were neatly arranged.
The female cultivator bowed gently. “Honored guests, this is today's compensation, totaling one hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones. Please accept it.”
“The Young Sect Master specifically instructed that today's incident was due to the poor hospitality of the Miaoyin Pavilion and has nothing to do with you two. The Miaoyin Sect will not direct any anger toward you.”
Shen Qingci glanced at the storage bags and declined.
She smiled. “There is no need.”
“With our fellow disciple committing such a shameful act, how could I have the face to accept compensation? Please convey my gratitude to the Young Sect Master, but we cannot accept the spirit stones.”
The female cultivator froze, probably not expecting anyone to reject one hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones. She parted her lips, intending to persuade them further, but Shen Qingci continued.
“This time, I truly admire Young Sect Master Jiang's way of handling things. Today's arrangements by the Miaoyin Sect show both responsibility and order. For Young Sect Master Jiang to possess such courage and vision at such a young age makes her someone well worth befriending.” She unfastened a jade pendant from her waist and placed it on the tray.
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