Using the many to oppress the few

He lowered his head even further, glancing left and right as if he had something difficult to say. He then knelt on the ground with a thud, remaining silent.

Without replying, Master Chengshan said, "If you refuse to tell the truth, once I find out, it won't be as simple as just a handprint."

Rong Yan stammered, his body trembling violently. His fellow disciples in the hall were all speechless when they saw the injury on his hand.

"Reporting to the elder, it is..." He stammered, looking around, and met Xu Yourong's gaze. The other woman's face turned pale instantly.

"Didn't your master teach you to answer?" Master Chengshan looked displeased. Seeing that the situation was not right, Xu Yourong's knees buckled and she knelt down on the ground. "Reporting to the elder, Junior Brother's injury was caused by the competition."

The two lackeys knelt down in unison, not daring to breathe.

"Oh?" Master Chengshan raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting to Xu Yourong, his eyes sharpening. "Who would want to fight a disciple who can't even hold a sword properly?"

As everyone gradually came to their senses, Xu Yourong, with her selective and downplaying attitude, said, "It was just a minor incident. The disciples simply made a mistake due to carelessness. The elder has misunderstood."

Rong Yan's injuries looked serious, and anyone with eyes could guess what had happened. Moreover, his appearance of being bullied but not daring to stand up for justice further convinced that Xu Yourong was lying.

Under immense pressure, Zhan Tingyu, unable to hold back any longer, straightened his chest with a resounding voice and confessed the truth, "It was I who forced myself to compete with my junior brother, which led to the accidental injury. It's all my fault."

He also pleaded for the Xu brothers, saying, "Brother You Rong and You Ruo are just bystanders."

“Yes, yes, Tingyu is right.” Xu Youruo quickly echoed, but his brother glared at him and buried his head even deeper.

Is that so?

When asked this question, Rong Yan's hand trembled, and he looked weak and pitiful. "That's how it is."

Master Chengshan turned around and said, "Since that's the case, I have no choice but to punish you. I'll punish you by making you clean the Scripture Pavilion for two days. As for the three of you, your private fight has damaged the reputation of your fellow disciples. Go to the Discipline Hall to receive your punishment."

Several people agreed in unison.

After class, Rong Yan walked quickly, and Zhan Tingyu deliberately walked alongside him, saying, "Junior brother, I'm sorry."

"I don't understand what my senior brother is saying."

His attitude was clear, and he refused to say another word, only saying, "I still have to clean the library. It's getting late, so I won't have dinner with my senior brother."

The library is quite far from the disciples' residences. To make things easier for him, he needs to go back to pack his belongings. It will only take two days, and he can sleep for one night.

Fortunately, he didn't have many clothes with him, just a small bag.

The little boy carried his luggage, traversing half of the Misty Sect, until he arrived at a pavilion with carved pillars and red beams. The old man guarding the scripture pavilion was hunched over. After handing over the key, he disappeared.

The Sutra Repository is half the height of a tower and houses hundreds of books, covering immortals, humans, demons, historical materials, and cultivation techniques.

It was quite strenuous for him to clean by himself. This was only the first day, and his hands were so sore he couldn't move them at all. After cleaning the first floor, he looked up at the sky and saw that there were four or five more floors.

I don't know when, but I fell asleep from exhaustion on the makeshift bed I had made in the corner.

His nose was unbearably itchy; who was playing a trick on him?

Rong Yan rubbed his eyes; it was already dark. He looked at the woman in front of him with sleepy eyes.

"Are you stupid?" Lingfang tilted her head and stared at him, then reached out and pinched his cheek.

He shook his head, dodging her hand. "It hurts."

"So you're not stupid after all." Lingfang withdrew her hand, squatted down, and asked, "Why are you sleeping here?"

“I did something wrong, and the elder punished me by making me clean the library,” he explained.

Lingfang suddenly realized, "Oh, is that so?"

"I've heard about it." She smiled. Although Xu Yourong and the others weren't beaten, they were punished by being made to clean the latrine, which made them feel somewhat aggrieved.

"What happened to your hands?" she asked with concern, holding his hands tightly and not letting him pull away.

Rong Yan was somewhat flustered and answered hastily, "It's nothing, I accidentally hurt myself."

"Don't move," she whispered, grabbing his arm firmly. "Speaking of which, we've met once before. Do you remember me?"

Lingfang took out the ointment from her sleeve and carefully applied it to his palm.

It was an incredible coincidence. Rong Yan recalled that day in Lanxi Town as if it were still vivid in his mind. "I remember you, your name is..."

"Lingfang, just call me Senior Sister Ling."

He obediently replied, "Senior Sister Ling."

"Good boy." Lingfang patted his head with satisfaction. Actually, the two of them weren't that much older.

His wound was wrapped up like a steamed bun, making it difficult to even eat. Fortunately, he had prepared some dry food in the morning.

Skipping a meal won't kill you. But if you don't finish cleaning, you'll be held accountable.

He made a move to get up, and Lingfang asked in surprise, "What are you going to do so late?"

"I haven't finished cleaning yet. The elders will punish me if they find out."

Lingfang stood up and stopped him. "How can you clean with your hands like this?" She put her hands on her hips. "Wait, I'll help you."

After saying that, he picked up the broom that was placed aside and began sweeping the floor with heavy breathing.

Feeling guilty, Rong Yan picked up a light broom and began sweeping the stairs.

After a busy night, the cleaning was finally finished. Lingfang collapsed on the ground, exhausted. She had never done any dirty or tiring work before. If it weren't for those three good-for-nothings, she wouldn't have had to do it herself.

She struggled to sit up, looked at Rong Yan sleeping soundly beside her, and crouched down stealthily. She placed a flame-breathing talisman on Rong Yan's back, then covered it with an invisibility talisman. Only after she had finished doing all this did she fall asleep.

After sleeping until noon, after sweeping the floor, I still have to fetch water to wash it.

Lingfang used a water-controlling talisman, and raindrops slowly began to fall from above their heads.

As the talisman moved, Lingfang manipulated the clouds to moisten the clean floor.

Rong Yan started mopping the floor, lying on the ground and wiping the stairs with his hands and feet.

The two helped each other out. From last night until now, Lingfang talked a lot on her own, and Rong Yan listened attentively, occasionally offering a few words of flattery. Lingfang enjoyed it.

As evening approached, the two were standing between the pavilions when someone trespassed.

"Junior sister—"

The familiar voice drew closer. Lingfang was still talking to Rong Yan when she seemed startled by the voice. Standing at the top of the wooden stairs, she tried to grab Rong Yan, but her hand slipped and she tumbled down the stairs with a thud.

At the same time, Lingfang activated the talisman as she fell.

Rong Yan spontaneously combusted without any wind, instantly engulfed in flames, and sparks flew wherever he went, igniting the Scripture Pavilion in an instant.

Xu Yourong rushed in and, seeing this scene, shouted, "Junior brother, how could you push your junior sister?!"

Rong Yan hurriedly took off his clothes, but in the midst of the crisis, the hem of his clothes got tangled and he couldn't break free at all.

The disciples' robes are waterproof and impervious to flames. Ordinary swords and blades cannot cut through them. Even the imperial court wanted to buy them to make armor. However, this is karmic fire. Even if the clothes cannot be burned through, under the high temperature, one will either die or lose a layer of skin.

Zhan Tingyu did not participate. He had always felt guilty towards Rong Yan. Ignoring the fire and Xu Yourong's attempts to stop him, he rushed into the sea of ​​fire, stripped Rong Yan of his clothes, activated his protective barrier, and escaped from the fire.

"Clang—clang—clang—"

The Phoenix Bell rang loudly.

Smoke rose slowly, and in an instant, all the high-ranking disciples of the Misty Sect gathered, even the elders in charge were alarmed.

Lingfang survived the ordeal, her hair was singed, and she lay in her senior brother's arms, tears streaming down her face. "It was my junior brother who pushed me downstairs. He not only wanted to harm me, but he also wanted to burn me to death."

"But his spiritual power was insufficient, so he didn't burn me to death, but sacrificed himself in the process."

After she succinctly said these words, Rong Yan knew that she was the one who had done it.

He thought that Xu Yourong and the other two were targeting him simply because they didn't like him, but now it seems that they were acting on someone's orders.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have tried to subtly inquire about his family background.

It's just that people's hearts are unpredictable, and we didn't take precautions earlier.

The junior sister cried out in anguish, and all the elders except the sect leader rushed over. Only the master was in seclusion, and the senior sister had not yet returned to the mountain.

He was also injured, not much better than Lingfang, and due to the shock, both of his arms were burned.

Master Chengshan glanced at it and said, "Take him to Medicine King Valley first."

After a thorough examination, it was discovered that Rong Yan not only had internal injuries, but also new external injuries.

His body was covered in wounds, and it was only after the Medicine King's subordinates personally treated him that he was mostly healed.

Before he had fully recovered, he was locked up in the disciplinary hall.

On the day of the incident, True Lord Biluo and True Lord Qiongyu arrived one after another. They checked Lingfang's wounds beforehand and found that she did indeed have bruises from a fall and collision.

Furthermore, with Xu Yourong and Xu Youruo acting as witnesses and giving testimonies, it was difficult to discern the truth for a time.

Lingfang cried every day, "Junior Brother is so cruel, he wants to kill me."

Master Chengshan values ​​the sect rules most, but he is not someone who cannot distinguish right from wrong. He will not resort to torture before the matter is thoroughly investigated.

Both sides have their own version of events, and one side is always telling the truth. Since one side has a valid reason, it depends on whether the testimony is tenable.

Junior Sister has witnesses and physical evidence; it all looks like Rong Yan's attempted murder.

He was locked in the discipline hall, where the guards gave him no food, only a bowl of water, and demanded that he reveal the whole truth.

"What exactly happened in the Sutra Repository?!" The Discipline Hall has more than a dozen forms of punishment, which have rarely been used throughout history.

Now, in order to interrogate a disciple who has been a disciple for less than half a month, they have even resorted to torture instruments.

The guards dared not use excessive force, but only whipped his legs, restraining their strength; the blows were painful but not fatal.

He knelt on the ground, biting his lip hard to hold back his tears. "I didn't kill her, and I didn't set the fire."

"She's lying..." Rong Yan's lower lip was bitten until it turned white; he was practically half-dead. "She's trying to harm me..."

Unable to bear being beaten any further, and with the guards still relentlessly interrogating him, he remained silent, refusing to admit to the attempted murder.

"Still won't tell the truth?"

The cold whip had barbs on it, and it was so sharp that it scratched your hand just by touching it. After one lash, Rong Yan was in so much pain that he lay on the ground and couldn't get up for a long time.

"I...didn't...kill her..."

"I humbly request... that you elders investigate this matter thoroughly."

He closed his eyes and fainted.

Unable to get the truth out of them, True Lord Biluo and True Lord Qiongyu then questioned their junior sister.

Lingfang knelt down with a thud, her eyes brimming with tears. "Disciple dares not lie. Master and Mistress must do justice for your disciple."

Rong Yan had been locked up for a day. He was awakened by the pain, struggled to get up, looked at his bandaged wound, and limped to his feet.

The disciplinary hall enshrines the ancestors of all generations. The edges of the altar are sharp. He recklessly crashed into it, reopening his wound. After a muffled thud, his body uncontrollably leaned backward and fell to the ground, landing on the prayer mat.

After a brief period of unconsciousness, he struggled to his feet and began to violently ram his body.

Until his head was bleeding, his internal organs ached from the impact, and the scabbed wounds on his palms burst open.

He collapsed to the ground, exhausted, and closed his eyes with a sigh of relief.