Chapter 77

"WHAT? Yue Chengzu, could you really do such a heartless thing?" After listening to Ye Zhen’s account, the sect leader Guo Qijing was furious.

"Even the silver given to the Meng family for their resettlement, you dared to embezzle. Elder Hong, what a fine disciple you have taught!"

Liao Feibai shot a series of sarcastic remarks at the Fifth Elder Hong Banjiang, and gave Ye Zhen a thumbs up, "Ye Zhen, well done! If I had known about this outside the door, I would have definitely cut him down with one sword."

Instantly, the Fifth Elder Hong Banjiang’s face turned a deep liver color.

The faces of the other elders in the hall became exceptionally grave; this was a matter of moral corruption and a loss of integrity.

"Sect leader, this is a loss of integrity. Such a person cannot be allowed to remain in the sect. His cultivation should be stripped, and he should be expelled from the sect," the First Elder Lu Changchuan said solemnly.

"I say, just kill him with one sword!"

As he spoke, a cold sword light suddenly shot out, aiming for Yue Chengzu. Almost simultaneously, a beam of spiritual light flew out from the Fifth Elder Hong Banjiang’s sleeve, blocking Liao Feibai’s sword light.

"Sect leader, this is just Ye Zhen and Meng Xiaoyue’s one-sided account. You should at least let my disciple speak a few words," the Fifth Elder Hong Banjiang said, somewhat unwillingly.

Mainly, he couldn’t afford to lose face. Yue Chengzu was a disciple he had personally selected. If he were to be stripped of his cultivation and expelled from the sect due to a loss of integrity, it would be a loss of face for Hong Banjiang.

"Alright, Yue Chengzu, what do you have to say!" In the end, the sect leader Guo Qijing gave the Fifth Elder Hong Banjiang some face, as any elder who could enter this hall was of great importance in the Qiyun Sect.

"Sect leader, please forgive me, please forgive me! I did indeed commit this grave mistake, but there were reasons. I beg the sect leader to be lenient. Moreover, the events do not entirely match what Ye Zhen said." Yue Chengzu, kneeling on the ground, touched his head to the floor and wept bitterly.

"Speak!"

"Sect leader, last year when I went to Yinshan County to deliver the silver, my hometown, Dingbei County, suffered a great disaster. Seeing the villagers displaced and starving, with some even resorting to cannibalism, I couldn’t bear it and used all my savings to help them. However, my savings were limited, so I had the idea to use the Meng family’s resettlement silver. I planned to make up for it when I delivered the silver to the Meng family this year. I had already prepared the silver, but who would have thought..."

As he spoke, Yue Chengzu took out a stack of silver bills and burst into tears, lying on the ground. A cunning look flashed in his eyes as he wept.

"This..."

"Sect leader, Dingbei County did indeed suffer a natural disaster last year, with nearly ten thousand casualties. My disciple even returned to his hometown to help with the disaster relief," the Fifth Elder Hong Banjiang added.

Ye Zhen frowned deeply, "Yue Chengzu, even if your embezzlement of the Meng family’s resettlement silver last year was understandable, what about the previous five years? How do you explain your embezzlement then?"

"Previous five years?"

Yue Chengzu, who was weeping on the ground, raised his head, looking bewildered, "The resettlement silver for the past five years, I delivered every single coin to Lady Meng. How could there be any embezzlement?"

Ye Zhen was furious, "Yue Chengzu, you still dare to deny it? Over the past six years, the silver you delivered each year was only one hundred taels, and Meng Xiaoyue saw it with her own eyes. How can you, a person from the thirteen northern counties, have such a heartless conscience?"

"I really didn’t, by heaven and earth! Lady Meng gave me a receipt every time. I even mentioned this to Lady Meng last year, and she agreed to it." Yue Chengzu swore to the heavens.

"Yue Chengzu, you are shameless! Lady Meng has already passed away, and you are using her to cover for yourself!"

The sect leader Guo Qijing frowned deeply, turning to Meng Xiaoyue, "Xiaoyue, did you see it clearly?"

Meng Xiaoyue nodded firmly, about to speak, but was abruptly interrupted by the Fifth Elder Hong Banjiang, "Five or six years ago, how old were you? Could you remember things so clearly? Could you even recognize the denominations of the silver bills?"

"I can, I could remember things from the age of seven..."

"Miss Xiaoyue, the silver I delivered for the past five years was indeed ten thousand taels. Think again, did you remember it wrong?" Yue Chengzu said with a serious face.

"Sect leader, the matter is clear! My disciple Yue Chengzu has a good nature. Last year, to help the disaster-stricken villagers, he used the silver and even told Lady Meng he would make it up this year. This cannot be considered embezzlement," the Fifth Elder Hong Banjiang concluded.

"But Meng Xiaoyue..."

"Meng Xiaoyue is just a child. How much can her words be trusted? Could I, an elder, lie? My disciple’s hometown did indeed suffer a disaster last year, and he even exchanged the sect’s medicinal pills for silver," the Fifth Elder Hong Banjiang said.

After speaking, Hong Banjiang glanced at the other elders, "The matter is clear. What do you have to say?"

Pressed by the Fifth Elder Hong Banjiang, the other elders didn’t want to offend him over this matter and all agreed.

Only the First Elder Lu Changchuan snorted coldly, pointing at Yue Chengzu, "Compared to this scoundrel’s words, I trust Xiaoyue’s words more! Yue Chengzu, you had better not be lying, or I will personally take your life!"

Hearing this, Hong Banjiang’s face turned a deep liver color again, "First Elder, what do you mean by that?"

"I also trust Meng Xiaoyue’s words. Xiaoyue, would you like to see the place where your father, Meng Chuansheng, practiced?" Liao Feibai suddenly said.

Hearing this, Meng Xiaoyue nodded happily.

As they stepped out of the hall, Liao Feibai paused and turned back, "Ye Zhen, I have a task for you!"

"What task?" Ye Zhen asked, puzzled.

Liao Feibai’s eyes shifted, pointing directly at Yue Chengzu, "When you have the chance, get rid of this heartless scoundrel for me. If you do, there will be a reward!"

These words made Yue Chengzu and Hong Banjiang’s faces change drastically. Just as the Fifth Elder Hong Banjiang was about to react, Liao Feibai left with a flourish.

"Get rid of Yue Chengzu?"

Hearing Liao Feibai’s task, Ye Zhen frowned. He wanted to get rid of Yue Chengzu more than anyone. Even if he had given the Meng family ten thousand taels for one year, Lady Meng and Meng Xiaoyue wouldn’t have lived such a hard life!

Yue Chengzu, the scoundrel, clearly heard that Lady Meng had passed away and took advantage of Meng Xiaoyue’s youth, thinking he could get away with it.

In the end, the sect leader Guo Qijing smoothed things over and didn’t give Yue Chengzu any substantial punishment, but he did warn him a few times.

Suddenly, a beam of light flew into the hall and landed in the sect leader Guo Qijing’s hand. He stood up immediately, "Everyone, the First Prince and the Third Prince have been led to the arena by the Second Elder. The competition between our Qiyun Sect and the Lishui Sect is about to begin. Let’s go."

"Competition between the two sects?"

"You missed the sect competition, so you don’t know about this. ... Forget it, I’ll take you there." The sect leader Guo Qijing was quite amiable, sweeping Ye Zhen up with his sleeve and disappearing from the hall.

Hearing the sect leader Guo Qijing’s words, Ye Zhen’s eyes flashed with light. He suddenly thought of a way to get rid of Yue Chengzu in a justifiable manner!

In an instant, the other elders quickly left, leaving only the Fifth Elder Hong Banjiang and his disciple Yue Chengzu.

Slap!

Hong Banjiang slapped Yue Chengzu hard, knocking out one of his front teeth.

"Next time, if you do anything to make me lose face and force me to clean up your mess, I will kill you myself, without waiting for others to do it!"

Leaving these chilling words, Hong Banjiang’s figure disappeared in a flash of light.

"Ye Zhen, all this is because of that meddling scoundrel Ye Zhen!" In the empty hall, Yue Chengzu clenched his fists, veins popping.

The place of the competition between the two sects, as mentioned by the sect leader Guo Qijing, was a familiar place to Ye Zhen, the Donglai Peak arena.

After being set down by the sect leader Guo Qijing, Ye Zhen habitually looked towards the Tian Di Cliff on Donglai Peak. His face changed instantly as he saw something.

**********

PS: The ranking has been brutally beaten!

Young man, dare to rise with Pig Three?!

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