Shi Ning lowered his eyes and remained silent, feeling utterly helpless. He knew perfectly well what Zhi Shang and the old monk had said, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't bear to part with his junior brother whom he had watched grow up.

He raised his head and said in a deep voice, "Fellow uncles and junior brothers, you all know the allure of the nine-tailed fox. Otherwise, the fox incident would not have happened. And the mistakes made by Junior Brother Shichan were all due to being bewitched by the nine-tailed fox."

“Brother Shi Chan entered the sect at a young age. He is exceptionally talented, and everyone has witnessed his wisdom and Buddha-nature. He is devout and steadfast in his devotion to Buddhism, and he never forgets to spread the Dharma, no matter where he is.”

“The Buddha said that if you lay down the butcher’s knife, you can become a Buddha on the spot. Even if someone commits a great sin, the Buddha can forgive them if they lay down the butcher’s knife and admit their mistakes. My fellow disciple Shi Chan was originally a loyal believer of the Buddha. If he sincerely admits his mistakes, why can’t we tolerate his repentance and instead destroy him, destroying a devout Buddhist disciple?”

After Shi Ning finished speaking, the Buddhist hall fell silent, and everyone was speechless.

After a long silence, Zhi Shang sighed softly and said in a low voice, "Even if we can forgive Shi Chan's mistakes, if we do not severely punish Shi Chan, I'm afraid we will not be able to convince the public."

Shi Ning paused for a moment, then shook his head and sighed softly.

He pondered for a long time, then said in a low voice, "Then... let's expel Brother Shichan from Bodhi Temple, but we don't need to destroy his cultivation."

Upon hearing Shi Ning's words, Shi Chan's body trembled slightly.

“Abbot Brother,” Shi Shan said, “I’m afraid that’s not appropriate. If Junior Brother Shi Chan is expelled from the temple, he will no longer be a disciple of my Bodhi Temple. How can he then remember the cultivation scriptures in my temple?”

Zhi Shang nodded and agreed, "That's right. If you want to expel a disciple from Bodhi Temple, you must never take your cultivation level down the mountain. This is an ironclad rule of the temple."