"Master." Ji Mo Fan broke the silence he had created, turning to look at Shen Yun, who sat alone to one side, neither objecting nor responding.
Shen Yun slowly raised his head, and their eyes met in the air.
"Master, do you think so too?" Ji Mo Fan asked him.
“You are my eldest disciple,” Shen Yun said. “If I don’t trust you, who else can I trust?”
Ji Mofan seemed surprised to hear such a reply, and a look of astonishment flashed across his face.
The moment his surprise subsided, he suddenly lowered his head and chuckled softly.
"And what about the elders and fellow disciples?" As if the previous question was just a casual remark, Ji Mo Fan turned his attention to the others again.
It was so ridiculous that he couldn't help but laugh out loud.
How could she not feel pity for Shen Yun again?
Having lived two lives, past and present, the recognition he craved most finally came to fruition today. The dazed feeling from the depths of his soul was so overwhelming that he couldn't help but pause for a moment in front of so many people.
The next moment he immediately realized that Shen Yun's trust in him was not genuine.
Or at the very least, it is the result of a great deal of weighing of interests.
Shen Yun has only ever taken in two true disciples. One of them, Li Geyue, is now completely useless, and he only has Ji Mofan left.
If he doesn't defend Ji Mofan in the face of these dubious rumors, then he will truly have no one behind him.
After all, the previous petty slanders could be considered as bias, but this time it's a matter of right and wrong.
Shen Yun knew Ji Mofan well; he couldn't possibly do something so foolish.
Therefore, maintenance is the best option at this time.
Having figured out the complex web of interests involved, Ji Mofan's eyes became less emotional when he looked up at the others below the stage.
These people all acted indignantly, but in reality, it was just that Ji Mofan's interests clashed with theirs, which is why they took advantage of his misfortune at such a sensitive time.
It has nothing to do with whether he actually did something heinous; they just wanted to find an excuse to remove him from the center of power so they could divide up the remaining benefits.
The audience below the stage were spouting insults one after another, which gave Ji Mofan a headache. He couldn't help but press his temples.
He felt he bore some responsibility for the current state of the Yuncang Sword Sect.
When recruiting disciples, they accepted everyone without discrimination, but they failed to provide proper guidance during subsequent education, resulting in many of them growing up in distorted and deformed ways.
Many of these disciples were only ten or so years old when they came to the sect on the mainland, a time when they were still naive and their worldviews were forming. If he had been able to guide them properly as the senior disciple, things wouldn't have turned out this way.
...Or perhaps it can only achieve something in its own spiritual practice, but cannot be a good teacher?
"How can you elders speak of my master like that!"
Just as Ji Mofan was somewhat distracted, a loud voice rang out at the entrance of the main hall.
The familiar tone brought him back to his senses. When he looked up, he saw Ge Gen running from the entrance of the main hall to the bottom of the steps in front of him.
"Master, you're finally back." The young boy looked up at him.
Ji Mofan lowered his eyes and felt that the child seemed to have grown quite a bit in stature compared to a month ago.
Teenagers are at an age where they are growing, and they can change quite noticeably if they are not seen for a day, let alone a whole month.
Only those eyes remained clear.
"It's my fault for making you worry." Ji Mofan couldn't help but chuckle this time, genuinely feeling good.
Everyone in Yuncang Mountain weighed their own opinions on the scales, but none of them could weigh the significance of a single kudzu root in his heart.
Ge Gen seemed to have a lot to say, but he didn't waste too much time trying to build rapport.
He turned around and faced the crowd in the hall, all of whom were much older and more accomplished than him.
"My master would never betray the immortal sect." The young boy's voice was not loud, but each word was deliberate and resolute.
Whether it was because they couldn't bear to see Ji Mo Fan with others by his side, or because they were genuinely worried that Ge Gen had been misled by bad people, voices of advice rose one after another.
“Ge Gen, you are still young and there are many adult things you don’t understand.”
"How could something said by so many people be false?"
"You're so young, how long have you known the chief? And how much do you really know about him?"
"Don't take the wrong path!"
If it were an ordinary child, facing so many adults targeting them, they probably wouldn't know what to do and would cower in fear.
But Ge Gen is no ordinary child; he has seen his share of great things.
Fishermen's children learn to sail their boats through the waves from a young age.
“I don’t know what you mean by right and wrong, but I do know that my life was saved by my master.” Ge Gen’s voice was clear and crisp, showing no sign of stage fright.
"How could my master, who was able to gently comfort me when I was just a mortal child after a hard-fought demon-slaying mission, be the kind of treacherous person you all speak of?"
"Besides, if Master really had such rebellious thoughts, why would he need to travel thousands of miles from the Demon Realm back to the sect?"
"Don't you know how deep the grudge between the cultivation world and the demon world is? Why would you willingly walk into a trap that is completely unfavorable to yourself?"
"It makes absolutely no sense, neither from a logical nor emotional standpoint!"
His words were so reasonable and well-founded that they left the people in the hall, many of whom were several times his age, speechless.
Looking at Ge Gen's incredibly stubborn back of the head, Ji Mofan couldn't help but sigh again.
I feel like I've sighed more times today than I have in the previous month.
He once believed that reason should be the foundation of the world.
Unfortunately, that's not the case.
“Ge Gen, even if you say that…” The people around looked at each other in bewilderment.
“Even so, it’s a fact that the Chief’s reputation is widely criticized in the cultivation world,” Ji Yunhong said at this moment.
"For the Yun Cang Sword Sect, reputation is more important than anything else. With such a tarnished reputation, it is really not suitable for them to continue acting as the sect's representative."
Ge Gen's expression showed obvious surprise.
Suddenly, someone gently touched my head.
The palm was cool, but the touch was not uncomfortable.
He slowly turned his head, “...Master.”
"Don't be nervous, I'm fine." Ji Mofan walked to his side.
The child's head felt nice to the touch, and he couldn't resist rubbing it a couple more times.
If we don't hurry, it will be inconvenient to rub the child's head when he grows taller in two years.
"Master!" Ji Mofan's attitude was far too relaxed, making Ge Gen anxious for him.
How could we not care? This concerns our master's innocence and whether he can continue to stand in the Yun Cang Sword Sect!
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