"Elder Liu, please calm your anger. I only acted in haste and trusted one sided testimony." Elder Zhou's voice was already shaking, the pitch climbing with every syllable as cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
They were both elders, but the difference between them was vast. He was only a market garrison elder, a peripheral figure tasked with mundane oversight in this dusty corner of the world, while Liu Qingchen was an outer sect elder of the sect itself. Their standing wasn't even remotely comparable.
"I was misled by Lin Xiao. Yes, that is it, by him. He framed Chen Zhēnrén. I failed to see clearly. I deserve death."
Tears and snot streamed down his face as his words fell into chaos, his composure shattering entirely under the weight of the moment. His fat fingers trembled as they pointed at Lin Xiao, who had gone just as pale, his face draining of all color. Like a drowning man grabbing his last straw, he shoved all blame over without restraint, his eyes wide with desperate self-preservation.
"Elder Liu."
Lin Xiao stared straight at Liu Qingchen, forcing himself to withstand that mountain like Golden Core pressure that threatened to crush his very bones. He raised a hand to point back at Elder Zhou, his fingertips trembling from the sheer strain of the spiritual weight pressing down on him.
"Elder Liu, I respect you as a sect elder, but your words are clearly biased. Elder Zhou enforced the law impartially. What crime did he commit?
This woman stole my third tier spirit plant, the Qingfu Seed. I saw it with my own eyes. The evidence is ironclad.
Someone who stains the dignity of the alchemy path and tramples the rules of Medicine King Valley deserves death by all. As an outer sect elder, you should be upholding sect law, not shielding a thief and using your power to suppress others.
Just because she was introduced by you, does that mean she stands above valley rules? Does that mean she can act without restraint in Medicine King Market? If she walks free today, how will alchemists across the world view Medicine King Valley? Are you trying to turn the valley into a laughingstock?"
In desperation, Lin Xiao flipped the accusation back, his voice filled with grievance and righteous outrage as he tried to crush others with sect doctrine and the heavy weight of public opinion.
Elder Zhou stood to the side, stunned, looking at Lin Xiao like he was staring at a madman. This fool actually dared to confront Elder Liu head on.
"Zhou's life will be judged by valley law. It's not your place to speak. Guards."
"Yes."
The two law enforcement disciples waiting outside had just recovered their breath. They didn't dare hesitate for even a second and stepped forward at once, their expressions grim.
"Strip Elder Zhou of his garrison post immediately. Seal his cultivation and imprison him in Blackwater Prison. After the alchemy gathering ends, Discipline Hall will punish him strictly according to valley rules."
"No. Elder Liu, spare me."
Elder Zhou begged endlessly, his voice cracking, but the disciples roughly seized his arms. A yellow sealing talisman slapped onto his forehead, instantly locking all spiritual power and even his voice. Like a heavy sack of mud, he was dragged away across the dirt.
A market garrison elder was nothing more than a disciple who had failed to obtain resources outside the sect and had no hope of further advancement, so he came to this thinly spiritual place to serve the sect in his later years.
Daring to bully an outer sect Zhēnrén was a capital offense.
After dealing with the disgraced Elder Zhou, Liu Qingchen's gaze returned to Lin Xiao, who had just questioned him.
A numbing chill shot from Lin Xiao's soles straight to his crown. The shadow of death clamped around his heart like a physical vice.
Still, he was a Golden Core cultivator. He didn't immediately kneel and beg.
"Please consider that my ancestor once served the valley."
"Your ancestor?"
Before he could finish the sentence, Liu Qingchen let out a cold, sharp laugh, dripping with contempt.
"If not for the fact that your grandfather died gathering herbs for the valley and left behind a trace of bloodline, do you think you would have lived to this day? The reputation of Medicine King Valley isn't something filth like you can soil again and again.
Lin Xiao, vile in character, repeatedly walking crooked paths, framing fellow cultivators. Your crimes are unforgivable. Expel him from the market immediately. Throw him far away and forbid him from ever stepping into Medicine King Valley territory again."
"I'm a Jīndān Zhēnrén. You're also a Jīndān Zhēnrén. How can you touch me?" A vicious glint flashed through Lin Xiao's eyes, as if he might strike out at any moment.
His Golden Core pressure burst forth in a sudden, jagged wave. Though it was far weaker than Liu Qingchen's vast power, it still made the nearby disciples shiver.
Chen Jinshu remained unaffected, her cultivation steady as a rock. She simply watched the scene calmly, curious to see what else he thought he could struggle over in this hopeless situation.
Liu Qingchen's gaze paused, his eyes sweeping over Lin Xiao as if he were watching a pathetic joke.
Lin Xiao seemed to have forgotten what grade of Golden Core he had achieved, and exactly how he had achieved it.
With sudden, desperate confidence, he stepped forward hard, his early Golden Core aura erupting without any further reservation.
Compared to Liu Qingchen it was scattered and hollow, an unstable foundation clearly piled up by expensive pills, but a Golden Core was still a Golden Core.
"Good. A fine show of iron backbone and righteous words."
The laughter stopped abruptly, leaving a sudden, chilling silence.
"Lin Xiao, do you think forming a Golden Core lets you point at a deer and call it a horse before me, twisting black and white at your will? That hollow, mixed aura of yours that reeks of pill residue might fool others, but you think it fools me?"
He swung his wide sleeve. A pale green palm seal, shimmering with wood essence, descended toward Lin Xiao, carrying overwhelming pressure.
Chen Jinshu felt the tyrannical wood aligned force humming within it and couldn't help but be moved by the display. If she fought Liu Qingchen head on, she would still win, but it wouldn't be easy.
As the glowing green palm pressed down, his voice rang out.
"Relying on a bit of cultivation stacked by pills and you dare act wildly before me. Medicine King Valley's rules aren't for someone with a crooked heart like you to question. Suppress."
"Argh."
The green palm struck Lin Xiao head on. Green light exploded across his body, mixed with a mist of blood. He was sent flying through the air without any suspense. His moon white robe tore apart under the violent spiritual force. Blood sprayed wildly from his mouth, drawing a glaring crimson arc through the stagnant air.
Liu Qingchen waved casually and had the law enforcement disciples take him away.
Expelled from the market.
Lin Xiao's ancestors had contributed to the sect. Even Liu Qingchen couldn't kill him outright without a formal trial. Otherwise he wouldn't have been allowed to run rampant in the market for such a long time. But expulsion was still permitted.
Only then did Liu Qingchen turn to Chen Jinshu. The thunderous anger on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a warm smile tinged with a deep apology.
"Chen Daoyou." He cupped his hands slightly toward her.
"The sect is unfortunate to have produced such scum. I let you suffer a fright. This was my negligence. I failed to restrain my subordinates and disturbed your cultivation, even destroying your temporary residence."
His gaze swept over the ruined doorway and the remnants of the shattered restriction. His brow furrowed at the damage.
With a flick of his hand, Elder Zhou's storage ring flew into his palm. He took out an ancient bronze key that shimmered with a gentle green light.
"This is Zhou's private residence in Meiyun Residence of the inner market. The spiritual energy there is decent and the environment is quiet, far better than this place. It also has complete protective restrictions, so ordinary troublemakers would never dare disturb it.
Consider it a small compensation from Medicine King Valley for this unwarranted disaster. I hope you won't refuse."
He placed the bronze key gently on the only stone table that was still mostly intact amidst the debris.
Chen Jinshu's expression remained calm. She nodded slightly. "Elder Liu is too kind. These were minor twists, nothing worth mentioning. I will accept the key with embarrassment. Many thanks for your consideration."
"Haha, as long as you don't dislike it." Liu Qingchen stroked his beard and laughed, as if a heavy burden had finally been set down.
"Rest easy and recover. The Hundred Herbs Alchemy Gathering is approaching. Don't let such trivial matters disturb your state of mind. If anyone without eyes comes to bother you again, just crush the jade talisman. I will arrive at once."
"You trouble yourself." Chen Jinshu replied lightly.
After a few more polite words, Liu Qingchen turned into a streak of green light and departed with ease.