Seeing this, Gu Changqing snorted coldly and said impatiently, "Shut up! At a time like this, you still have the mood to think about these things? You're really something. It's still unknown whether you can save your life. Instead of wasting your time, you should think about how to beg Elder Liu for forgiveness!"

Upon hearing this, the disciple dared not speak again, immediately shut his mouth, and looked extremely aggrieved.

The disciple did this simply to relieve his inner tension.

He's completely panicked right now; he doesn't know what to do.

"Elder Liu, how should we deal with this person? Should we deal with him now, or wait until the Sect Master comes out of seclusion and let the Sect Master decide?" Gu Changqing asked with a faint smile and a calm expression.

“There’s no need to wait for the sect leader to return before dealing with someone as ill-intentioned as him. I’ll deal with him now,” Elder Liu said with a cold smile and an angry expression.

He is now extremely angry at the thought that the sect's sacred artifact was stolen by this disciple.

If it weren't for this disciple stealing the sect's sacred artifact, he wouldn't be so restless and worried.

He would definitely not let this disciple off easily; even if he didn't kill him, he would punish him properly.

Moreover, because of this disciple, he wrongly blamed his former personal disciple, causing that disciple to suffer such injustice and grievances, and even be beaten black and blue. All of this was because of this disciple in front of him.

Upon hearing this, Gu Changqing laughed and said, "Elder Liu is right. People like him deserve to be torn to pieces."

Upon hearing their conversation, the disciple panicked, terrified out of his wits, and broke out in a cold sweat. He immediately began kowtowing and begging for mercy, repeatedly saying, "Elder Liu, spare my life! Chief, spare my life! I know I was wrong! I promise I will never do it again! Please give me a chance!"

"Now you're begging for mercy? Where were you before? You brought this on yourself, you deserve it! Who told you to have such thoughts? Of all the things you could steal, why did you have to steal the sect's treasures? Weren't you just walking into the line of fire? Weren't you just courting death?"

Gu Changqing gave a cold laugh and said with an icy expression.

Gu Changqing would not be polite to such a traitor.

Elder Liu said angrily, "Because of you, I'm almost sick with worry, and you even made me indirectly wrong my former personal guard. How dare you beg for mercy? You're shameless, your skin is thicker than a city wall."

The disciple obediently replied, "Yes, yes, it's all my fault. I'm willing to admit my mistake and accept punishment. I'll never dare to do it again. Please give me a chance. I promise I will turn over a new leaf and start anew!"

Despite the disciple's pleas for mercy, Gu Changqing and Elder Liu remained unmoved.

It's not that they're heartless, but that this disciple is too despicable, too wicked, worse than a pig or a dog.

At this moment, Gu Changqing suddenly thought of something and said in a serious tone, "We have all overlooked one thing. We have only focused on finding the sect's sacred artifact and dealing with this disciple, but we have overlooked the most important piece of information."

Elder Liu was completely bewildered and asked with a puzzled look, "What important information have we overlooked?"

“We overlooked why he stole the sect’s sacred artifact, what his purpose was in stealing it, didn’t he know that it was a treasure of our sect and what it represented? Why did he choose to steal the sect’s sacred artifact instead of something else? Didn’t he know that if he stole the sect’s sacred artifact, we would definitely find out that something was missing?” Gu Changqing directly voiced his doubts.

He couldn't understand why this disciple was so determined to steal the sect's sacred artifact. Was it for money or something else?

If it were for money, he wouldn't have needed to steal the sect's sacred artifact, because stealing other things would have been just as easy and less likely to be discovered.

On the contrary, stealing a sect's sacred artifact would be easier to be discovered and difficult to escape.

If it were any other insignificant thing that was lost, Elder Liu wouldn't make a big fuss about searching for it. But losing a sacred artifact of the sect is a different story. Elder Liu won't give up easily if he can't find it.

Thinking about it this way, I feel very conflicted and can't figure it out no matter what.

Elder Liu found Gu Changqing's words very reasonable. He had been so focused on finding the sect's sacred artifact and dealing with the man that he hadn't thought about this aspect. Now, hearing Gu Changqing's words, he clearly sensed that something was amiss.

Elder Liu, his face grim, asked with a serious and cold expression, "Hurry up and tell me why you stole the sect's sacred artifact, and what your purpose is?"

Faced with Elder Liu's questioning, the disciple looked flustered and said very guiltyly, "At first, I was very curious and thought it was some valuable treasure. I was momentarily blinded by greed and stole it without thinking. Only after stealing it did I realize that it was a sacred artifact of the sect. I didn't know what was inside before."

"So, according to you, why didn't you return it intact without anyone noticing, so that no one else would find out you stole the sect's sacred artifact?" Elder Liu retorted with a cold smile.

The disciple said helplessly, "Replying to Elder Liu, I originally intended to return the sect's sacred artifact, but before I could return it, you discovered it was missing. Now I dare not return it, for fear of being caught red-handed when I go to return it. Then I would be unable to clear my name no matter what. I was thinking of returning it quietly after this storm had passed, but who knew that Chief Gu would find me so quickly? I didn't even have a chance to return it."

He was extremely annoyed. He felt incredibly unlucky. He had only stolen one thing and yet it had caused such a huge disaster. He should never have had such a wicked thought.

"What he said makes sense, but regardless, you did steal it. Our sect has clear rules: for disciples who steal, the punishment ranges from expulsion from the Qingyun Sect to self-criticism and expulsion from the sect, or even the death penalty. However, since our current sect leader took office, the death penalty has been deemed too cruel and abolished. But even so, you still cannot escape serious consequences," Elder Liu said with a cold smile and a serious expression.

Although he hated this person to the core, he would not kick him when he was down.

But even if he didn't kick him while he was down, this disciple still couldn't escape punishment.

Gu Changqing smiled faintly and said with a playful expression, "Do you think you'll be expelled from the sect directly, or have your cultivation abolished first and then be expelled?"

Upon hearing their words, the disciple panicked and said in a trembling voice, "Elder Liu, please have mercy! I truly know I was wrong. I don't want my cultivation to be crippled. Without cultivation, I'm no different from being dead."