"Elder! This person deliberately spread false information, slandering my Junior Sister for taking pills to boost her cultivation. His intentions are malicious! I ask the elders to see the truth!"
Jin Bao'er had emerged as a genius, and after the Grand Competition, she was quite famous. The elders of the Law Enforcement Hall had also heard of this matter, and they treated it with even greater caution.
"Spare my life, Elder! This disciple only heard others say it and thought it was true! It really has nothing to do with me!"
The male disciple who had been dragged in turned pale with fright and hastily cleared himself of any blame.
With baseless rumors like this that lacked any concrete evidence, it was impossible to track down the ultimate spreader, leaving the Law Enforcement elders helpless. The Senior Brother frowned deeply, while the other Senior Brothers were filled with righteous indignation.
"Are we just going to let the rumors continue to spread like this?"
The Third Senior Brother's chubby face was filled with anger, clearly dissatisfied with this outcome.
After a moment of silence, Jin Bao'er spoke.
"Since you heard it, you must be able to find out who you heard it from, right? I refuse to believe that in such a vast Miaomiao Sect, we can't find the person who spread these falsehoods!"
As soon as her voice fell, the disciple on the ground hurriedly blurted out a name, terrified of being implicated if he spoke too slowly.
The method was crude, but it was extremely effective. After a morning of investigation, the target was finally locked down... Xiao Shi!
This man directly admitted to his actions in public and had the audacity to boast, "Even with a single ice spirit root and ten times the effort, it is impossible to reach Qi Condensation Level 4 in half a year! How else did Jin Bao'er get her cultivation? Do we even need to guess?"
This single statement caused the elders of the Law Enforcement Hall to hesitate. Taking pills to boost cultivation was a taboo within the Sect, especially since the master of Huaming Peak just happened to be an alchemist!
Hearing this, the group of disciples gathered behind them could not help but harbor suspicions about Jin Bao'er, making the expressions of several Senior Brothers look even uglier!
As if he had seized Jin Bao'er's weakness, Xiao Shi's expression grew increasingly arrogant.
"What? Cat got your tongue? Feeling guilty? Heh, ever since I entered the sect to cultivate immortals, it took me six whole years to barely reach the Great Circle of Qi Condensation! And I also have a single spirit root, and I never slack off in my daily cultivation! Yet you... having only entered the sect half a year ago! How is it possible for you to reach Qi Condensation Level 4!?"
His tone reeked of absolute certainty, to the point that even the elders of the Law Enforcement Hall found it unbelievable...
Yet Jin Bao'er, having experienced all sorts of things in her past life, was hardly going to be intimidated by his words! Facing everyone's suspicion, she stepped forward without hesitation, casting a cold gaze at Xiao Shi, the sarcasm at the corner of her lips making him look like a complete clown.
"I'm a genius, so is that my fault? Should my hard work be questioned? Just because you're incompetent doesn't mean others have to be as incompetent as you! It's just losing a match—could it be that Senior Brother Xiao is a sore loser?"
This remark instantly made Xiao Shi's face flush red. As the runner-up for three consecutive Grand Competitions, this year he had finally advanced to the Foundation Establishment Grand Competition as the top-ranked competitor. He was practically guaranteed first place—who could have foreseen that Jin Bao'er would suddenly emerge out of nowhere?
Was he jealous? Absolutely! But even more so, he wanted to vent his frustration on behalf of Su Xianzhi! How could he accept seeing such a lovely girl publicly humiliated by this vicious woman?
"Fine! Since you all doubt my cultivation, why don't the elders test me yourselves? Let's see whether my cultivation is a gift of nature or the result of cheating later on!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the elders instantly breathed a sigh of relief. It was best that she brought it up herself; otherwise, she would continue to face such slanderous situations in the future.
However, this was also equivalent to insulting a genius—after all, what proud genius would willingly submit to something akin to a body search?
Before long, the results were out! Jin Bao'er's cultivation was entirely the fruit of her own labor, her spirit root was pure, her spiritual energy was abundant, and she possessed the genuine physique of a body cultivator.
Instantly, Xiao Shi stiffened, his eyes filled with shock and complex emotions. The surrounding disciples were dealt a harsh slap to the face. To have slandered a true genius like this... this...
"According to the rules of our sect, disciple Xiao Shi has slandered a fellow sect member. He shall receive one hundred lashes and be sent to repent at the Cliff of Reflection for half a year!"
Hearing this, everyone was panic-stricken, and Xiao Shi turned pale with fright, clearly terrified of the hundred lashes!
Upon hearing this, Jin Bao'er nodded, feeling immensely gratified. In her past life, mindful of Su Xianzhi's feelings, just as she was about to leave in the face of others' slander and mockery, a pink figure had suddenly rushed in, nearly colliding with her. When she sidestepped to avoid her, the girl had tumbled directly to the ground, letting out a startled cry!
"Elder! Please don't punish Xiao Shi, he was only confused for a moment!"
In an instant, everyone's gaze turned to that girl—Su Xianzhi! Even at such a young age, she already possessed a pitifully delicate beauty, and her pure and lovable nature warmed people's hearts.
Yet the elders of the Law Enforcement Hall had always been swift and resolute, strict with themselves. Su Xianzhi was barking up the wrong tree this time!
The lead elder frowned and sharply rebuked, "Which peak's disciple are you? So reckless and devoid of manners! To dare scream and shout upon seeing this elder—what is your crime?"
It seemed to be Su Xianzhi's first time hitting a brick wall and suffering a rebuff. The pitiful expression on her face froze instantly, her pupils dilating slightly as if she hadn't yet processed what was happening.
At that moment, a muffled sound of mocking laughter suddenly rang out from the crowd, snapping Su Xianzhi back to her senses. Her face turned beet red with utter shame and humiliation! She then hurriedly scrambled to her feet and executed a respectful bow.
"Disciple Su Xianzhi, paying respects to master..."
Before she could finish, the Law Enforcement elder waved a hand to interrupt her, looking at her with impatience.
"Enough! This elder couldn't care less who your master is! I'll let it slide this time, but there will be no mercy next time! Dismissed!"
To plead for someone only to end up being lectured herself—that was precisely Su Xianzhi's state of mind right then. The awkwardness on her face was enough to make one squirm in secondhand embarrassment.
Seeing the Junior Sister he cherished so dearly being scolded, how could Xiao Shi remain indifferent? Disregarding which elder stood before him, he directly retorted, "My Junior Sister was only kindly pleading on my behalf, how could the Elder use such harsh words? It was merely a rumor, and Jin Bao'er hasn't suffered any real harm. To make such a big fuss over this is simply abusing power for personal revenge!"
When all was said and done, it seemed everything was still her fault?
Before Jin Bao'er could reply, Su Xianzhi shook her head repeatedly, tears streaming down her face as she put on a look of profound grievance.
"Elder Sister Jin, although Xiao Shi was in the wrong, you've also caused him to lose face publicly. Why don't we just let this matter rest here? No one can endure those one hundred lashes. I thank you here and now, and consider this debt owed to you."
The subtext of her words made it seem as though any refusal on her part would mean she was ungrateful and didn't know what was good for her. This completely refreshed Jin Bao'er's understanding of this pair. How utterly foolish she must have been in her past life to be played like a fiddle by these two!
Jin Bao'er chuckled. Just when everyone thought she would agree to let Xiao Shi off and pursue the matter no longer, she suddenly took two steps forward.
"What a thick face our Junior Sister has! You owe me this favor? What qualifications do you have to owe me anything? Is it because you are stuck at Qi Condensation Level 3 and don't know a single cultivation technique? Or is it because of your pitiful, tear-stained, pear-blossom-in-the-rain fragility? Heh! The path of cultivation is rugged and arduous—how far can Junior Sister walk when she is this fragile?"
"If she has no qualifications, then do I have them?"