Chapter 25: It’s Simply Too Worldly

The next day.

Qi Yuan arrived at the Medicine Garden early for his shift, looking completely nonchalant.

Mo Zhengyang, the one with the highest cultivation in the Outer Sect, was only at the Late Stage Golden Core, a minor Realm below him. This was why he had dared to infiltrate Spirit Beast Peak so brazenly the previous night.

Although there were some slightly awkward interludes, they were harmless, and he had ultimately completed the mission successfully. Thus, he was in a good mood. After greeting several passing Medicine Garden Disciples, he arrived at the field of green leaf grass.

Looking across, there were over a hundred thousand stalks of green leaf grass in the field, lush and vibrant, growing beautifully. Other than that, there was nothing unusual.

Qi Yuan picked up a bucket, fetched water from the nearby Spiritual Spring, and watered the Spiritual Field with practiced ease. He made a point of giving a few extra pours to any plants that looked wilted.

Mindful of Lin Zhen's warning, he pretended to be casual while secretly focusing his attention, searching the Spiritual Field for any suspicious stalks.

However, even after he finished watering the entire field, he still found no clues. Everything he saw was just ordinary green leaf grass.

Despite finding nothing, Qi Yuan still sensed something was wrong.

Someone was watching him!

This gaze was extremely well-hidden. Had he not been highly focused with a keen perception of his surroundings, it would have been very difficult to detect.

Who?

Could it be an expert from Luoyun Valley?

Qi Yuan's gaze sharpened. Being able to peer at him so silently was no simple feat; it had to be someone at least at the Nascent Soul Realm or above!

Although he was on high alert, he remained calm on the surface. As usual, after watering the field, he returned the bucket to its place and sat under a tree beside the field, slowly absorbing the surrounding Spiritual Qi and pretending to Cultivate.

Sure enough, once he left the Spiritual Field, that faint sense of being watched vanished instantly, as if it had never existed.

This made Qi Yuan even more certain of his suspicion.

That mysterious observer wasn't targeting him specifically, but was monitoring this Spiritual Field!

If it was someone from Luoyun Valley, why didn't they step in to stop that Utility Disciple named Wen Tao when he was stealing green leaf grass from the field?

Qi Yuan frowned inwardly. After thinking for a long time, he decided to stay put for the time being.

Compared to the elusive Ten-thousand-year Spirit Medicine, he was more concerned about whether he could continue to hide his identity in Luoyun Valley until he finished his current mission phase.

Just then, a familiar and graceful figure approached from afar. With a jade-like countenance and eyes like autumn waters, her temperament was quiet and elegant. It was the Inner Sect's Eldest Senior Sister, Bai Xirou.

"Greetings, Eldest Senior Sister."

Upon seeing her, Qi Yuan immediately stood up and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Junior Brother Qi."

Bai Xirou stopped before Qi Yuan and nodded to him, her beautiful eyes showing concern. "How have you been feeling working in the Medicine Garden lately? Are you getting used to it?"

Her voice was crisp and pleasant, like pearls falling onto a jade plate, extremely beautiful to hear.

Qi Yuan quickly feigned a flattered expression. "Thank you for your concern, Eldest Senior Sister. I'm doing quite well here."

At this moment, Bai Xirou's arrival attracted a lot of attention. Many Medicine Garden Disciples were looking over curiously, especially some male Disciples whose eyes were filled with envy as they looked at Qi Yuan.

"As long as you're happy."

Bai Xirou nodded, a slight smile playing on her lips.

Then, her expression turned serious as she turned her gaze toward the nearby Spiritual Field and spoke solemnly:

"I know you and Lin Zhen were framed yesterday. Although the innocent parties ultimately cleared their names in public and those wicked people didn't succeed, such an incident is still a scandal for the Sect."

"Therefore, after uncovering the truth, the Law Enforcement Pavilion chose to cut the Gordian knot, holding only specific individuals accountable without letting it escalate too far."

Qi Yuan was stunned for a moment and asked in confusion:

"How so?"

Bai Xirou sighed softly and said slowly:

"Utility Disciple Wen Tao stole Spirit Medicine from the Medicine Garden without permission. His punishment is to have his cultivation crippled and be expelled from the Sect."

"The new Utility Disciple Liu Yingying deliberately placed the stolen green leaf grass in Lin Zhen's room. Her intentions were malicious, attempting to frame a fellow Disciple."

"Since she had not yet begun Qi Gathering and cannot be considered a Cultivator, she was spared the pain of having her cultivation crippled according to Sect rules. Instead, her memories of the Sect's Cultivation Techniques will be erased, and she will be expelled."

"As for the primary culprit, Utility Disciple Wang Luchuan, he showed a good attitude in admitting his guilt, and several Inner Sect Elders personally interceded for him. He has been ordered to pay one thousand Spirit Stones in compensation to the victims and is sentenced to one year of hard labor at Spirit Beast Peak. His monthly allowance will be suspended during this period to see how he behaves."

Hearing this, Qi Yuan was first taken aback, then couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Good grief!

As expected, one can't escape worldly ways anywhere. The mastermind with backing gets a slap on the wrist, while the accomplices without backing are crushed with a single blow and expelled directly without any leeway. It's simply too worldly.

Wang Luchuan comes from a family of Cultivators and has plenty of Spirit Stones; a fine of one thousand Spirit Stones is like a mere tickle.

As for the one year of hard labor at Spirit Beast Peak, that's even more ridiculous. That little fatty wasn't liked by Outer Sect Elder Mo Zhengyang and had already been sent to Spirit Beast Peak as a utility worker… In short, rounding it up, it's basically equivalent to no punishment at all.

Seeing Qi Yuan's odd expression, Bai Xirou thought he was dissatisfied with the handling of the matter. An apologetic look appeared on her face as she explained softly:

"Junior Brother Qi, Wang Luchuan possesses the rare Dual Spiritual Root talent, and many Inner Sect Elders have high hopes for him. That's why the Law Enforcement Pavilion showed leniency, giving him a chance to turn over a new leaf."

"Of course, if there is a next time, I will not continue to tolerate it, even if it means offending those Elders."

Qi Yuan shook his head. "I have no objection to the Sect's handling of the matter."

In terms of palace intrigue levels, a piece of trash like Wang Luchuan wasn't even in his eyes; he didn't pose the slightest threat.

Keeping him around was just to serve as a stepping stone for the Son of Destiny, Lin Zhen. It would be even better if he could trigger some more side missions.

Of course, if Wang Luchuan continued to buzz around like a fly before his eyes, Qi Yuan wouldn't mind swatting him to death to avoid being disgusted.

"Mhm, that's good."

Seeing that his tone didn't seem feigned, Bai Xirou seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and changed the subject. "Junior Brother Qi, regarding the theft at Senior Array Spirit's Immortal Cave, I'm now certain it wasn't done by anyone from our Sect."

"The key to enter the core of the Sect's Grand Formation has always been kept in the deepest part of the Treasure Pavilion, protected by layers of Restrictions personally set by the Grandmaster. No one has touched it for a thousand years."

"Without the key, entering the core of the Grand Formation is easier said than done. It requires not only an extremely high cultivation level but also profound mastery of Formations. If there were truly such a person in Luoyun Valley, the Sect wouldn't have declined to this point."

Qi Yuan nodded, agreeing with Bai Xirou's assessment.

Although he wasn't an expert in Formations, he had basic common sense. Sneaking into the core of a Sect's Grand Formation without breaking it was something an ordinary Cultivator simply couldn't do.

A Formation master capable of such a feat wouldn't likely care for the meager pickings of the Array Spirit…"