"Don't call for help, don't call for help, I'm not a bad person," came a woman's voice from inside.

Fang Ruotang scoffed, "Not a bad person, just a thief, he is..."

Before Fang Ruotang could even utter the word "alone," she saw a head peek out from under the bed. She had a good memory; this was the woman who had bumped into her when she entered the city.

"Why is it you?"

"You...you know me? My whole family worships the Imperial Preceptor. We are really not traitors. Please don't send me to a brothel."

"Clam?"

Fang Ruotang was dumbfounded. How did she end up in this?

“It’s true, I’m a woman too. Because of the Imperial Preceptor, our status as women has improved so much. I really admire the Imperial Preceptor. My family would never do anything to smear the Imperial Preceptor, much less protect such a person. We have been wronged.”

The woman said a lot, but Fang Ruotang couldn't extract a single useful piece of information.

"What are you talking about? What smearing the Imperial Preceptor? What cover-up? What have you done? And you went to a brothel because of the Imperial Preceptor?"

Fang Ruotang's expression was very unpleasant, and she had made a guess.

"Could someone be using the name of the Imperial Advisor to commit evil deeds?"

"Yes, but when my family took in that mother and daughter, we really didn't know what they had done. We were not accomplices. I still have the Imperial Preceptor's longevity tablet at home, and I myself am a loyal follower of the Imperial Preceptor. Believe me, I am really not a traitor."

"Clam?"

Fang Ruotang tilted her head and mouth, looking surprised.

I don't know if it's because she lacks comprehension or because the girl's expression is too weak, but she just didn't understand what happened.

She simply asked the little mirror directly.

Xiao Jingzi sometimes likes to speak in a mysterious way, but at least one thing can eventually be explained clearly, and she can understand it.

What exactly is wrong with this girl?

[It's a very simple matter. Someone was recruiting disciples in your name, and every new disciple had to pay an exorbitant entrance fee. The Empress learned of this and sent officials to crack down on it. However, one of them escaped and collapsed in front of her house, saying he was fleeing from his abusive husband. Her parents were good people, so they took the mother and daughter in to work at their home. Unbeknownst to them, this led to the massacre of their entire family.]

Fang Ruotang listened to the whole thing, her face scrunched up.

Are government officials really this careless? Can't they find out that this family are innocent, ordinary people who were deceived?

Whether they find out or not isn't important, is it? What's important is that they've genuinely protected the real culprit. If they're let off the hook with a simple "I didn't know," what if others follow suit? The Empress has already issued a decree for severe punishment; it's better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free.

Fang Ruotang found that what the little mirror said made a lot of sense.

The allure of the Tianyi Sect is immense.

If someone were to use the guise of recruiting disciples to amass wealth, it would be an extremely easy thing to do, since everyone in the world wants to live forever and escape the mortal body.

Even though most people aren't stupid and can spot a fake at a glance, they'll still hold onto the hope that it might actually be true!

Wouldn't that be a profit?

Therefore, when such unhealthy trends and evil practices emerge.

The Empress's decision to suppress the protests was correct.

"Get up! I already know about your family's affairs," Fang Ruotang paused and said, "I am the Imperial Advisor."

The woman suddenly looked up at Fang Ruotang, her eyes filled with shock, not hatred. She asked incredulously, "Are you really the Imperial Preceptor?"

"yes!"

The woman immediately knelt down and kowtowed vigorously, saying, "Your Excellency, I am your most loyal follower, and I would never associate with those who ruin your reputation. My parents are the same."

"Get up! I know the whole story. Your parents are still on their way to exile. I can take you there to reunite with them. Then the three of you can find a place to live in anonymity and start a new life!"

"Although your family is innocent, you did harbor the perpetrators. The Queen has ordered a severe punishment. If we let you off lightly, there's no guarantee that others won't exploit such loopholes in the future!"

Fang Ruotang knew that it was a difficult thing to make someone leave their hometown, so he gently explained it to her.

Zheng Yu was overjoyed and said sincerely, "Thank you, Grand Preceptor. I understand that our family was blind to take in that mother and daughter with wolfish ambitions. It is only right that we suffer this hardship. But I really don't want to go to a brothel. I can atone for my sins in another way."

"No need, just live a good life as a family from now on." Fang Ruotang didn't expect that she would encounter such a thing when she went out.

"My lord, Zheng Yu is skilled in pig farming; he may be recruited into the sect."

【ah?】

Some people can kill anything they raise, while others can raise anything they want to live. Zheng Yu is the latter; she's an expert pig farmer. Isn't our Spirit Beast Peak short of people?

Fang Ruotang trusted the little mirror's judgment and immediately had Zheng Yu test her spiritual root, which turned out to be a very unremarkable mixed spiritual root.

[My spiritual root isn't very good!]

"It's alright, she's just raising pigs for you anyway, as long as she can raise the spirit beasts well."

Okay!

"Our Tianyi Sect's Spirit Beast Peak is short of people. Would you like to come and help me raise spirit beasts?"

"Oh, I... I don't know how! I only know how to raise pigs."

Zheng Yu's family owns a slaughterhouse. Although she is thin and not good at slaughtering pigs, she is an expert at raising pigs.

However, she only liked raising newborn piglets. Once they got a little older, she stopped liking them, but by then they were all more likely to survive.

"The key is that you need to know how to raise pigs, to raise those spirit beasts to be strong and healthy! I am the Imperial Advisor, I can perform divination, and I know you have a talent for this. If you want to come..."

"After thinking it over and over!"

Zheng Yu couldn't wait to express his opinion.

"Grand Preceptor, just leave it to me. I will definitely raise those spirit beasts to be tall and big, and I will never let you down."

"Alright, then do your best! Your spiritual root is mottled, making cultivation difficult, but as long as you raise a good spirit beast, you can exchange it for materials to cleanse your spiritual root at the sect. When you have gathered all the materials, come find me, and I will personally cleanse your spiritual root to help you cultivate."

"Really? Thank you, Grand Preceptor! You're so kind!"

Looking at the power of faith emanating from her, Fang Ruotang chuckled and said, "You're even better."

If she were Zheng Yu, she might not be able to continue to believe in this Grand Preceptor, even if the fault wasn't hers.

"Let's go! Go find your parents now."

Fang Ruotang, determined to do good deeds to the end, even forgot to sleep and dragged Gu Yanjin along to rescue Zheng Yu's parents.

They easily rescued two people from the exiled group, after all, both her and Gu Yanjin's seals were still there.

Fang Ruotang gave the Zheng family of three a sum of money, telling Zheng Yu to settle his parents before reporting to the Tianyi Sect.