As soon as Shu Xin finished speaking, the expressions of the surrounding cultivators became rather peculiar.
It wasn’t because of anything else. After Shu Xin mentioned breaking off the engagement, someone began sharing, via divine sense transmission, the conversation she had previously had with Lin Youwei.
Specifically, the part about her originally being a man.
The transmission wasn’t encrypted, so even Xu Guan of the Wenshen Sect heard it.
Changing from a man into a woman was still somewhat beyond the bounds of common sense for these upright, orthodox cultivators.
“That’s more or less the situation.” Seeing their subtle expressions, Shu Xin knew exactly what they were thinking. She was more than happy to have everyone’s attention diverted to something else.
In any case, she wasn’t exactly famous in the cultivation world. At most, this news would spread throughout the Longevity Dao Sect. Once it left the sect, who would even know who she was?
“Ahem. Dao Lord Situ, since this is ultimately a matter between the two of you, may I ask what your thoughts are?” Someone finally broke the silence and questioned Situ Jian, who had remained silent nearby.
“What Shu Xin said is something we discussed together,” Situ Jian replied calmly. “We are still fellow cultivators and fellow disciples. We have merely ended our engagement.”
“Exactly. When all is said and done, this is a private matter between him and me. As long as the two of us agree, that’s all that matters.” Shu Xin smiled. “Besides, without me holding him back, Situ’s cultivation will progress even faster. In these past years, I suppose I was the one who delayed him.”
“Not at all.” Situ Jian shook his head. “You have shown me kindness as profound as a mountain and as deep as the sea. If you ever need me in the future, I will do as you command.”
Shu Xin raised her brows slightly.
It seemed Situ Jian truly valued their friendship. By saying this in front of everyone, he appeared to be trying to protect her.
“Not at all, not at all. It was all thanks to your own hard work.” Shu Xin followed his lead and responded politely.
The guests had genuinely been left with nothing to say.
When people broke off an engagement, it was common for them to become bitter enemies who never spoke again. This kind of polite, amicable separation was something they were seeing for the first time.
Could it be that their relationship really had only been an ordinary one?
“I should leave the venue to everyone else. I mustn’t steal the spotlight.” Shu Xin smiled. “Please continue discussing the Dao. I won’t disturb you any longer.”
With that, Shu Xin smoothly began backing away, clearly unwilling to remain the center of attention.
Hurry up and leave. Hurry up and get out of here.
Lin Youwei couldn’t help thinking this to herself.
Shu Xin retreated step by step, and she was just about to leave the banquet grounds.
At that very moment, an elder from the Law Enforcement Hall brought several people forward and happened to block Shu Xin’s path.
“Elder Shu, we have learned that you recently accepted a sect mission and will be leaving the sect for ten years. Is that correct?” The elder leading the group from the Law Enforcement Hall seemed to have no intention of keeping the family scandal private. He directly intercepted Shu Xin at the banquet entrance.
Here it comes.
Shu Xin was already prepared.
Sure enough, the Lin family had no intention of letting her off so easily.
If she could leave this venue without incident today, then even if the Lin family tried to obstruct her later under some other pretext, Situ Jian would be able to help block them. Moreover, once she left such an important occasion, even if something happened to her afterward, the sect could suppress the matter. It would be very difficult for anyone to justifiably kill an outer sect elder at the Dao Infant realm.
“That’s correct.” Shu Xin nodded. “It hasn’t been convenient for me to remain in the sect recently, so I planned to travel outside for a while. May I ask what the problem is?”
“There isn’t much of a problem.” The elder from the Law Enforcement Hall stroked his beard, a distinctly cold smile on his face. “We merely hope that Elder Shu will personally explain why the quality of the spirit fruits served at this banquet did not match their price. The spirit-fruit merchant has reported that you embezzled funds and abused your authority for personal gain. This violates the sect’s regulations. Since the matter has been brought before the Law Enforcement Hall, we naturally cannot turn a blind eye. Please come back with us and cooperate with the investigation. If you are innocent, you can carry out your mission afterward.”
The commotion at the banquet entrance naturally attracted the attention of those inside.
Many cultivators turned their gazes toward them.
“That’s strange.” Seeing that her opponent had chosen to attack from this angle, Shu Xin instinctively pretended to be confused.
Taking kickbacks might be an unspoken rule, but it was ultimately not something that could be openly acknowledged.
If they truly investigated the matter, they could drag it out for ten or twenty years, then claim that she had escaped prison and kill her on the spot. She would have no grounds to object.
[See? They found out about you taking kickbacks.] The Sword Spirit sounded rather gleeful. [I told you this wouldn’t work.]
“At least they’re a clan that has stood firm in the sect for so many years. If they didn’t even have this much ability, I’d be very disappointed.” Shu Xin showed not the slightest trace of fear. “Since I dared to take kickbacks, naturally I was confident they wouldn’t be able to find any evidence against me.”
Who still left a paper trail when taking kickbacks these days?
“Elder from the Law Enforcement Hall, I request that you thoroughly interrogate this spirit-fruit merchant and prove my innocence,” Shu Xin declared righteously.
“Oh? So Elder Shu is denying it?” the elder from the Law Enforcement Hall pressed. “The procurement of these spirit fruits was handled entirely by you, Elder Shu.”
“Why should I admit to it?” Shu Xin asked in surprise. “The Longevity Dao Sect is a massive sect. As an outer sect elder, how many things do you think I’m responsible for purchasing? Spirit fruits are only one of them. This merchant claims that I embezzled funds and abused my authority. May I ask if he has any written evidence? May I ask if anyone else was present? May I ask whether I threatened or coerced him? If none of that exists, then on what basis can you say I violated the sect’s regulations?”
“Elder Shu, I gave you ten percent of the procurement funds in spirit stones. Don’t even think about denying it!” the spirit-fruit merchant hurriedly said. “It was three months ago, on the seventh day of the month. I handed it to you personally.”
“You’re certain you handed it to me personally?” Shu Xin asked in return.
“How could you possibly handle such a thing yourself? I gave it to one of your subordinates.” The spirit-fruit merchant immediately changed his story.
“Then please have the Law Enforcement Hall summon my subordinates so we can confront one another face-to-face.” Shu Xin cupped her hands. “We absolutely must not allow an innocent person to be falsely accused by some unknown individual.”
The elder from the Law Enforcement Hall looked at Shu Xin suspiciously.
The evidence that she had taken kickbacks was already conclusive, and quite a few people in the sect knew about it. Could she really turn black into white?
“On the seventh day of the month three months ago? I wasn’t even in the sect. I was accompanying Elder Wang on an inspection outside.”
“I wasn’t there either. I was in seclusion that day. The sect’s cultivation grotto has records of my retreat, which can be retrieved at any time.”
“Me? As for me, I ask the elder to investigate carefully. Wasn’t I in the Law Enforcement Hall that day, asking what precautions needed to be taken when hosting the banquet? I was so busy I could barely spare a moment. How could I have had time to meet some insignificant spirit-fruit merchant?”
All three of Shu Xin’s subordinates came forward. Each of them had clear evidence proving they had not been present three months earlier on the seventh day of the month.
If the Law Enforcement Hall insisted on continuing the investigation, they would have to investigate every other area of the sect involved as well.
Elder Wang, who had been conducting the inspection, came from another clan—the Shangqiu Wang family—which was no less powerful than the Jinyi Lin family.
Most importantly, Elder Wang was notorious for shirking all responsibility while taking credit for everything. He also had seniority, so every achievement belonged to him, while none of the work did. If anything implicated him or involved responsibility for whether a task had been completed, he would absolutely never admit to it.
The people in charge of renting out the spiritual-energy grotto-heavens were several major clans. Their records were so chaotic that even the accountants at Tilanqiao would shake their heads. No one could make sense of them, and it was even less likely that anyone could investigate them.
Even the Enforcement Hall, for all its imposing appearance, never actually kept attendance records. Many of its disciples came and went without a trace. In any case, they couldn’t possibly let the blame land on their own doorstep.
Was an insignificant spirit-fruit merchant really worth paying such a high price for?
“Elder of the Enforcement Hall, you’re still far too naïve. The sect is tangled up in countless relationships. We may take kickbacks, but we’ve never neglected to grease the palms that needed greasing. With so many cultivators and so many chains of vested interests throughout the sect, who would risk putting themselves in danger over an accusation made by a mere spirit-fruit merchant?” Shu Xin threw back her head and laughed at the Sword Spirit. “Every trading day, I make thorough preparations to prove I wasn’t there. You think this little matter can bring me down? Dream on! If you’re capable, let the Enforcement Hall turn the entire sect upside down!”
【With scheming like yours, if you used it for cultivation, you’d have become a Grotto-Heaven True Immortal long ago.】
“Tsk. My hands aren’t clean, of course I have to take precautions. Why do you think I’m always so generous to my subordinates, giving them and their clans such large shares? So they can take the blame for me when the time comes.” Shu Xin replied, “These days, it’s not being set up that you have to fear. What you really have to fear is having the blame dumped on you and being unable to throw it off. Leaving behind traces of your work in advance is a good way to protect yourself.”
“Shu Xin is only an outer-sect elder, and now she’s preparing to leave the sect to travel. Don’t even think about shielding her!” Seeing how matters stood, the Enforcement Hall elder knew he had little chance of gaining the upper hand today. He could only berate Shu Xin’s three subordinates harshly, hoping to force them to say something incriminating about her.
Shu Xin gave her subordinates a meaningful look, and they immediately understood.
“Elder, we’ve been wronged!”
“Although our cultivation is low, we’ve always worked diligently for the sect. This is clearly a case of manufacturing a crime where none exists!”
“Elder, we were wrong. Our mistake was failing to listen when this merchant claimed we had substituted inferior goods for quality ones. That was what gave him the chance to slander us!”
The subordinates dropped to their knees on the spot. One grabbed the Enforcement Hall elder by the sleeve, another wrapped his arms around the elder’s leg, and the third began crying on command.
Shu Xin was not about to be outdone. She wiped away her tears as well.
“I… I don’t even know whose rice bowl I’ve smashed. Perhaps someone set me up. I know I’m unpopular. After all, I’ve been engaged to Situ for so many years. But I’ve already backed down. I don’t know who is still determined to drive me into a corner. I… I might as well die.”
With that, Shu Xin made as if to draw her sword and kill herself.
“Stop!”
“Hold it!”
“Wait!”
Three entirely different voices rang out simultaneously in the banquet hall.
They belonged to Situ Jian, Xu Guan, and Lin Youwei.
Shu Xin’s eyelids twitched, and she restrained the sword in her hand.
“Get a grip. Just because someone shouts ‘wait’ doesn’t mean you have to get excited. It’s not like you can bite your master anyway, so what’s the point of getting worked up?” Shu Xin snarled at the Sword Spirit.
【Then I’ll at least scrape a little skin off you. I want to see just how thick your face really is.】 The Sword Spirit was eager to try.
“You don’t even like that name, do you?”
【If I get the chance to scrape some skin off you, I don’t mind accepting it for the moment.】
“Give it a rest. Sit still and watch the show, you bastard!” Shu Xin snapped irritably. “It’s not easy putting on a performance like this.”
The three of them flew out one after another.
Quite a few cultivators who had been watching the spectacle followed them out as well.
“Elder of the Enforcement Hall, Shu Xin entered the sect a hundred years ago. Why do you refuse to trust a sect disciple but choose to believe an outsider?” Situ Jian’s voice was cold, and there was already a note of accusation in it. “If the Enforcement Hall insists on acting this way, I will report the matter to the sect as well. This banquet is being held by me. Coming to my banquet to arrest my… friend is going too far.”
“So this is how the Longevity Dao Sect treats its guests?” A petite, pretty young woman quietly peered out from behind Xu Guan and spoke up indignantly. “I’ve certainly learned something today. Apparently, an outsider can make up a few lies and be taken seriously.”
“Elder, this matter clearly requires a thorough investigation.” Lin Youwei was already breaking out in a cold sweat. If Shu Xin really killed herself here, it was hard to say whether Lin Youwei would die as a result, but the blame would certainly be pinned on the Lin family.
Although the Lin family was indeed behind it, they absolutely could not admit it.
The Enforcement Hall elder found himself caught between a rock and a hard place.
He had only received orders to use this method to take Shu Xin temporarily to the Enforcement Hall, after which he would no longer need to concern himself with the matter. With the spirit-fruit merchant as a witness, it should have been a simple task.
Who could have expected the situation to turn so sharply and become this mess?
The Enforcement Hall elder himself had yet to figure out what was happening.
Now, in this situation…
His thoughts raced. He knew he absolutely could not take responsibility for this, but neither could he reveal the person behind him. If he did, he would be punished under the sect rules.
“Tell me, where did you come from, you spy? How dare you slander an elder of our Dao Sect on such an auspicious occasion?” With a sweep of spiritual energy, the Enforcement Hall elder struck the spirit-fruit merchant and sent him crashing to the ground, then shouted sternly.
The spirit-fruit merchant rolled several times across the floor, vomiting blood the entire while. He could not even manage to get out a single word of explanation.
“Everyone, it seems there is still room for discussion here. Most likely, this spirit-fruit merchant deliberately slandered Elder Shu. How about this? Elder Shu, come with me to the Enforcement Hall for now. The innocent will be proven innocent, and I’m sure the sect will deliver a fair judgment. Isn’t that right, Elder Shu?” The Enforcement Hall elder gave a hearty laugh, as though he had just proposed an excellent solution.
Damn old parasite. Who knew what kind of “evidence” your Enforcement Hall had forged? If she went with him, she would never be able to explain herself.
Shu Xin refused to take the bait. She merely let tears fall from her eyes in grief. “I know. I’m only a rogue cultivator by birth. No matter how diligently I’ve served the sect, in the end it all comes to nothing. My Dao heart has been shaken. What meaning is there in staying alive? I might as well die and be done with it. It’s just a pity that I’ll be ruining Situ’s happy day. Let’s be friends again in our next lives.”
With that, Shu Xin once more made as if to kill herself, but the sword in her hand did not move even an inch.
Everyone knew she was putting on an act, but no one could say, “Then go ahead and kill yourself.”
They were an orthodox sect, after all, not demonic cultivators.
“Elder Shu, let’s talk this over.” Lin Youwei was frantic. She was just about to say something when a voice suddenly reached her through divine sense transmission. Her expression stiffened for a moment, but she could only brace herself and step forward.
“The Enforcement Hall will certainly clear your name. Why don’t I accompany you?” she suggested.
“I’m an innocent cultivator. If I enter the Enforcement Hall, who knows what people outside will say? I might as well die.” Shu Xin continued making a scene.
“Nonsense. The Enforcement Hall is fair and impartial.” The Elder of the Enforcement Hall reached out to pull Shu Xin away.
“Heh. Your Enforcement Hall is clearly a mess of tangled master-disciple relationships. I heard that not long ago, one of your elders even took an eighteen-year-old Qi Refining cultivator as a concubine. I’m an innocent female cultivator, so there’s no way I’m going to a place like that.”
“Shu Xin, mind your attitude.” The Elder of the Enforcement Hall flushed bright red. How did Shu Xin know about that? His concubine clearly didn’t live within the sect.
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
A burst of applause rang out.
“Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.” Xu Guan couldn’t help applauding. The spectators beside him were also beaming with excitement.
Wow, that ticket was money well spent.
These spirit stones were worth every bit.
“Since your Longevity Dao Sect can’t tolerate a rogue cultivator like her, why not come to my Asking Deities Sect instead?” Xu Guan said, applauding. “Elder Shu, why don’t you join my sect? My Asking Deities Sect may be lacking in strength, but at least we have few people and none of these complicated schemes. I imagine the Longevity Dao Sect won’t object, will it?”
“I’d be delighted!” Shu Xin’s eyes lit up, and she couldn’t be bothered to keep pretending.
The show had gone on long enough. She had gotten her money’s worth.
Xu Guan wasn’t bad. Although he didn’t like her, he was happy to cause trouble for the Longevity Dao Sect.
As expected, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
That saying really did hold true everywhere.
“Then it’s settled.” Xu Guan smiled. “The Longevity Dao Sect and my sect have had an agreement for a long time: if any disciple of the Longevity Dao Sect willingly chooses to come to my Asking Deities Sect, the sect won’t stop them. Why wait for another day when we can do it today? We’ll take Shu Xin with us now. I assume the Enforcement Hall of the Longevity Dao Sect has no authority over a disciple of my Asking Deities Sect, correct?”
The Elder of the Enforcement Hall and Lin Youwei were both somewhat taken aback.
Why had the Sect Master of the Asking Deities Sect suddenly decided to get involved?
Before Lin Youwei or the Elder of the Enforcement Hall could say anything, someone else spoke first.
“Then I’ll leave my friend in your care, Sect Master Xu.” Situ Jian gave a slight nod. “My friend has a gentle and honest nature and never causes trouble. A simpler sect is indeed more suitable for her.”
Even Shu Xin felt a little embarrassed hearing that.
Situ really was loyal. They had known each other for so many years, and he could actually say something that went so thoroughly against his conscience.
“Then it’s settled.” Xu Guan was also happy to receive the hundred thousand spirit stones sooner rather than later. “Shu Xin, aren’t you coming over to your master?”
“All right.” Shu Xin was just about to walk over.
“Wait!”
Another grand, resonant voice rang out.
Two figures, one dressed in black and the other in white, descended one after the other.
“Senior Brother Xu, long time no see.” The black-robed middle-aged man cupped his hands slightly toward Xu Guan. “If a disciple of my Longevity Dao Sect wishes to join another sect, she must report it to the sect first. Besides, Shu Xin’s grievances have yet to be resolved. How could my Longevity Dao Sect allow a disciple to leave while still carrying an injustice?”
“That’s right. I, Old Lin, absolutely refuse to agree.” The man in white, who bore some resemblance to Lin Youwei, chimed in.
He was Lin Youwei’s biological uncle—the very same person who had sent word to Lin Youwei earlier.
“Oh, so you’re that fine junior brother of mine who fell in love at first sight with one of the Longevity Dao Sect’s heavenly prodigies and betrayed his own sect to marry into her family.” Xu Guan looked at the black-robed Daoist, his voice turning cold.
“Wow, now it’s our turn to watch the drama.” Shu Xin clicked her tongue in amazement as she sighed to the Sword Spirit.
【…Your sect is really a mess!】the Sword Spirit commented irritably.
Shu Xin: With skills like these, then let the storm come down even harder! [angry][angry][angry]
