Chapter 156 A Pot of Porridge:

Shang Gan's flying sword suddenly flew out of its sheath, but Shen Bingsi was a step faster. With a flash of golden light, Shang Gan's flying sword was struck by spiritual pressure and retreated back into its sheath with a "bang".

This exchange ended in the blink of an eye. Before the surrounding cultivators could react, they saw Shang Gan's face turn pale in an instant. His hand, holding the flying sword, was raised in mid-air, and a trickle of blood flowed from his tiger's mouth, running over the wooden grain of the scabbard.

Lu Yingqi shifted his gaze from Shang Gan and looked at Shen Bingsi with considerable appreciation.

Elder Bai also showed a hint of pride, but only for a moment. When he thought that Shen Bingsi had to come to their rescue, Elder Bai's expression became indescribable again, and he stared at Shang Gan with a gloomy look.

Only Rong Xie looked at Shen Bingsi with deep concern. He knew exactly what state Shen Bingsi was in. She was putting on such a show, and he didn't know how much suffering she was secretly enduring.

Moreover, Shang Gan was not the kind of person who could reason with others.

"Shen Bingsi, I don't want to break ties with you, but don't think I'm afraid of you." Shang Gan said sinisterly, "Right now you're just at your limit, while I'm like the rising sun. I advise you not to stand in my way, otherwise, I won't hesitate to use the methods of the Mirror Palace to catch criminals in front of everyone to deal with you."

Rong Xie had seen the methods used by the Mirror Palace to capture criminals. The Mirror Palace token could turn into an inescapable chain. Shen Bing Si had used that chain to capture Madam Mei. For Shang Gan to use such a trick against Shen Bing Si, a former adjudicator, was truly shameless.

Rong Xie shook his head at Shen Bingsi, signaling him not to take the lead.

“Master Shang, everything should be based on reason. You suspect that Xiaozhi is a monster, but Shen Bingsi has already proven that he is not with the Shengxie Sword. If you still want to take Xiaozhi away, I'm afraid that's not quite reasonable, is it?” Rong Xie said gently.

Shang Gan initially disregarded Rong Xie's words as a mere passerby from the Spirit Mirror Sect. However, Rong Xie's words did make some sense. Shen Bing Si's Victorious Evil Sword still held considerable prestige in the cultivation world, and the results he had tested were considered facts by everyone. For Shang Gan to disregard the facts and seize upon Xiao Zhi, he would need overwhelming strength. However, Shang Gan hadn't gained the upper hand on this front either. Lu Ying Qi had remained silent throughout, yet his strength far surpassed Shang Gan's. Not to mention Elder Bai, a senior whose prestige and spiritual pressure were not to be underestimated, who was currently firmly standing on Lu Ying Qi's side.

If Shang Gan cannot offer a compelling reason, things may not end well today.

"I still understand the difference between demons and monsters, Sword Saint Shen. The Victory Sword in your hand can only detect demons, not monsters, right?" Shang Gan softened his tone, but his words became even sharper, directly pointing out the loopholes in Shen Bing Si's words. "Today, the Heavenly Mirror has sent a mission to capture a demon, but it didn't say whether it's a demon or a monster. This demon can travel thousands of miles in an instant, and its strength is truly terrifying. Among the many locations shown by the Heavenly Mirror, there is even our Ruthless Dao Palace. It's only reasonable for me to start investigating from within my own territory, isn't it?"

"Could it be that the Heavenly Mirror revealed this courtyard?" Rong Xie asked, frowning.

He always felt that Shang Gan was using this as an excuse to make a fuss, but when he glanced at Shen Bingsi, whose face was somber and seemed to have thought of something—could it be that Shang Gan's talk about the demon-catching mission was not unfounded?

Rong Xie was unaware that Shen Bingsi had come to the Wuqing Dao Palace on a demon-catching mission and even clashed with Elder Bai. The other three present, however, knew. Shen Bingsi, Elder Bai, and Lu Yingqi all simultaneously recalled that night when Shen Bingsi had come to Zhilan Ridge to capture a demon capable of teleporting thousands of miles in an instant. She had even spent the entire New Year period searching for this demon, but to no avail.

Shang Gan explained it so specifically, it seems Tianjing has assigned this task to him again.

"Hmph, that's none of your business," Shang Gan sneered, glancing around. Seeing that Shen Bingsi, Elder Bai, and Lu Yingqi had all fallen silent, he was in a good mood. "Not only this little servant boy, but also other people of unknown origin. All Dao Palace disciples who haven't recently taken the Illusion Realm test must be taken away for detailed investigation. Anyone who dares to resist is going against our sect and against the Mirror Palace!"

After Shang Gan displayed his power, the men he brought became restless again and tried to grab Xiaozhi.

Lu Yingqi ignored what he said and simply stood in front of Xiaozhi. Anyone who wanted to cross the line would have to think twice about whether they were strong enough to be stabbed by Xuan Tian's sword.

"Don't be afraid, everyone, just charge!" Shang Gan rallied the crowd from behind. "Lu Yingqi, if you're not satisfied, you're welcome to leave the sect and get out of here!"

Lu Yingqi stared coldly at Shang Gan, about to speak, when Elder Bai called out first, "Yingqi!"

Lu Yingqi turned his head to look at Elder Bai, whose face showed a hesitant expression.

Lu Yingqi felt a sudden unease, a premonition struck him, and his heart sank heavily.

"Ying Qi, let them go. I will handle this matter," Elder Bai said.

Lu Yingqi remained blocking Xiaozhi's path, the spiritual pressure emanating from him preventing the other cultivators from getting close.

"Ying Qi, don't you still believe your master's words?" Elder Bai sighed.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment as Lu Yingqi stared intently at Elder Bai.

Suddenly, the spiritual pressure eased, and the cultivators who had been crowding at the front had a chance to rush to Lu Yingqi's side. They were surprised for a moment before they remembered to catch Xiaozhi.

Lu Yingqi waved his hand: "Don't touch him."

A layer of silver light enveloped Xiaozhi, and those who reached out to grab him were repelled by the silver light and retreated.

"Xiaozhi, you can go if you want, and no one can stop you if you don't want to." Lu Yingqi was still looking at the approaching cultivators around him.

Xiaozhi slowly walked out from behind Lu Yingqi, her eyes still filled with fear, but also with more determination.

“Brother Qi…I believe in you, I believe in Elder Bai, so I’ll go with them…it’s alright.” Xiao Zhi said, bowing to Lu Yingqi and Elder Bai respectively, then lowering her head and walking towards Shang Gan.

He was protected by a spell cast by Lu Yingqi, and no one could touch him. Shang Gan glanced at him and said, "Lu Yingqi, what do you mean by this? We want to investigate him, but you've cast a spell here. How are we supposed to investigate him?"

Elder Bai cleared his throat: "Ying Qi, Shang Gan is, after all, an adjudicator and holds the sect leader's order. I doubt he would dare to do anything against justice and morality. If you are worried, just leave a trace of your divine consciousness on the little servant boy."

Lu Yingqi looked at Xiaozhi, and Xiaozhi nodded slightly to him.

The silver light on Xiaozhi's body gradually disappeared, leaving only a wisp, which hid behind his ear.

Seeing this, Shang Gan laughed and said, "Those who understand the times are the heroes, that's more like it. Let's go!"

Shang Gan and his men left in a huff, and the courtyard quickly emptied out.

With Xiaozhi gone, no one opened or closed the gate anymore, and the wide-open courtyard gate swayed in the wind.

Rong Xie turned and went out, stood on the steps and watched for a while. He saw several cultivators surrounding Xiao Zhi, but they did not tie him up or take any coercive measures. He breathed a sigh of relief, closed the door and returned to the courtyard.

Shen Bingsi sheathed the Shengxie Sword, leaned against the door, and stared at the sky, seemingly uninterested in anything.

Lu Yingqi remained expressionless, but upon closer inspection, his gaze appeared somewhat vacant. Elder Bai stood beside him, rambling on and on about something.

Rong Xie approached and heard Elder Bai comforting Lu Yingqi:

“Ignorance is no excuse. Even if they find out that Xiaozhi was a cultivation vessel, it doesn’t matter. Your spiritual power was never obtained through crooked and shortcut methods. I can vouch for you! Besides, if someone who used a cultivation vessel cannot stand in the Dao Palace, then all of us senior uncles and elders of this generation will be expelled from the sect, and even his former master, Yuanqing Zhenren, will not be spared…”

Rong Xie thought to himself, no wonder Elder Bai agreed to let Shang Gan take Xiao Zhi away. The water in the Dao Palace has never been clear.

Every family has its own difficulties. The Wuqing Dao Palace of the Xuantian Sect is also in complete chaos, with no time to relax. In this light, although the Wuqing Dao of the Lingjing Sect has lost a Grand Elder, at least it is still united and has never engaged in factional struggles that lead to life-or-death battles or tried to take Shen Bingsi's life while his Dao Heart is broken.

Rong Xie wanted to hear a few more words, but Shen Bingsi coughed and gestured for him to come over quickly.

As soon as Rong Xie arrived, Shen Bingsi pulled him into the house.

"So, what did you find out? Does the Xuantian Sect really have a way to fight against the shattered Dao Heart?" Shen Bingsi asked anxiously.

“Yes, there is…” Rong Xie paused, “but I can’t tell you.”

"Really?" Shen Bingsi's eyes widened, looking incredulous. "Even my master doesn't have it... Are you sure their methods will work?"

"Elder Bai said there were successful precedents, he wouldn't lie to a junior like me, would he?" Rong Xie said.

"That's hard to say. That old guy is very slippery. He'll probably make up some lies to keep us in check. Look at him just now, betraying that servant boy Lu Yingqi without even blinking. What wouldn't he do for his precious disciple Lu Yingqi?"

Rong Xie was somewhat surprised: "You're not standing up for Xiao Zhi, are you?"

Shen Bingsi has always looked down on Xiaozhi, which is obvious to anyone with eyes. Xiaozhi is also afraid of him. The two are completely different people. Now, Shen Bingsi has actually started to speak on Xiaozhi's side.

"I just can't stand their behavior of abandoning their companions." Shen Bingsi crossed her arms. "Whatever they do is none of my business. Now that you've asked about the method to combat the shattered Dao Heart, let's go."

Rong Xie chuckled. Indeed, Shen Bing Si was a man of strong principles who hated evil and could not tolerate any wrongdoing. Of course, she would not approve of Elder Bai's act of betraying Xiao Zhi to overcome the difficulties.

However, they cannot leave yet.

Not to mention that Xiaozhi had helped Rong Xie many times, Rong Xie could not sit idly by and watch Xiaozhi be captured like this.

That absurd method of attaining enlightenment was something Rong Xie couldn't accomplish alone; he needed a reliable person to assist him, and Elder Bai was the only suitable candidate.

“We can’t leave now,” Rong Xie said. “The way to combat the shattered Dao Heart can only be achieved with Elder Bai’s help.”

Shen Bingsi raised an eyebrow, looking skeptical: "Really? Could it be that Elder Bai is trying to trap us this way?"

Rong Xie said with some helplessness, "It's not that bad... Speaking of which, what value do we still have that's worth getting tied up in now?"

Shen Bingsi choked: "Cough cough cough..."

“However, if you successfully overcome this tribulation and regain your power, returning to your position as a judge, then everything will return to normal. That annoying Shang Gan will stop causing trouble, and Xiao Zhi can come back…” Rong Xie sighed.

“Indeed, so we are still very useful. If Elder Bai is smart, he should do his best to help me through this difficult time.” Shen Bingsi regained her self-righteous attitude. “However, the method he mentioned, is it a method to kill someone you truly like in order to attain enlightenment? That kind of ridiculous method that even a three-year-old knows, can’t possibly be claimed as the secret of their Ruthless Dao Palace?”

"..."

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Early update for Qixi Festival! [Sprinkling flowers]