Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen stared at each other and they could sense the same terror in each other’s eyes.

“You two will need to stand to the right of the black blob over there,” Feng Xin said as he pointed to the rightmost part of the circular platform. The two elders complied as they made their way completely avoiding eye contact with sect master Cheng Yuan. From the way they acted, they were no different than strangers.

“Yang Qing there are also some things I’ll need your input on after the case. I ran into some interesting things in the green fog region.” Feng Xin said with an excited smile as he placed emphasis when mentioning the words interesting things.

“How many?” Yang Qing quickly fired a question with excitement showing in his tone accompanied by glowing eyes.

“About six or seven though I’ll need help handling one of them it's rather big and will require careful craftsmanship to make the best use of it,” Feng Xin said as he slurped his tongue like a dog.

“You two we have a case ongoing can you continue your discussions after we deal with the matter at hand? We are already behind schedule as things stand. I don’t want to be found here after working hours. I have a wine discourse I promised to go to today,” Yi Jie hurriedly interjected once he saw the discussion between the two gluttons starting to heat up.

“Right message received,” Yang Qing solemnly answered with a knowing look

“I understand,” Feng Xin responded swiftly with a smirky grin accompanied by a greedy gulp.

Yi Jie formed a small smile as he nodded appreciatively.

“Isn’t there anyone normal among these three,” Mao Yunru couldn’t help but shake her head as she thought to herself. She could tell Yi Jie was putting on a farce about continuing with the case. His real purpose was to get the two to save up whatever they were discussing for his wine recipes. Two gluttons and a wine enthusiast, all who seem to always put their hobbies above their work.

“Ahem let’s continue where we left off. Sect master Cheng Yuan from both your and Wen Chang’s testimonies it's safe to assume that your feud with her was a result of the machinations of a few elders from your sect being led by your junior brother and the vice sect master Peng Zhen.

Based on what we have heard from Feng Xin his coconspirators are;

- Gui Bingwen the vice leader of the disciplinary hall

- Dong Yanlin who was a deacon in charge of external affairs

- Jia Tingfeng who was in charge of training core disciples before you took over

- Hao Ye who was an elder of the alchemy division

These four conspired with Peng Zhen to cause a feud between you and Wen Chang and when you didn’t take each other out they schemed to have you both settle your dispute at the Order leaving the sect unmanned. They emptied the treasury and even dug out the tupelo tree and incapacitated everyone from the sect while they were at it. Luckily no one was found dead by the time Feng Xin arrived there and from his judgment, their survival was by design and not a fluke.

In transit, while making their escape Dong Yanlin’s true identity was revealed to be one of a member of the blood ghost hands syndicate. In his escape, he sacrificed Jia Tingfeng and Hao Ye leaving only Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen as the only survivors from the whole debacle. Dong Yanlin is presumed to be dead at the moment as none of his remains were left intact after the attack.

That’s about the gist of it right Feng Xin?” Yang Qing asked after he had recounted a summary version of the events.

“Yes, it is,” Feng Xin curtly replied.

“Good. Now Elder Peng Zhen I’d like you and your friend to clarify a few things for me before I make a verdict. Before that, as you’ve well heard my name is Yang Qing, by my side is head inquisitor Yi Jie and at the desk below me is judicial assistant Mao Yunru. Now that the introductions are done there are a few things I’d like to know. One is what is how did you and Dong Yanlin end up as acquaintances? From what Cheng Yuan said, he got into the sect and became an elder under your referral. The other which I think your senior brother over there is more curious about is why you betrayed the sect. Seeing how there were zero casualties as you pilfered the sect should mean you at least have some attachments to it. I’m curious what would drive such a person to betrayal?” Yang Qing softly asked as he motioned Peng Zhen to take the floor.

“Greetings judge Yang Qing. The answer to the second question is related to the first question. I met Dong Yanlin who pretended to be a rogue cultivator at the time during one of my travels outside as I was tempering myself and looking for opportunities to deepen my cultivation. I was wary of him at first but he has a way with people and after partnering together in exploring a few abandoned cultivation abodes we became friends who had shed blood and sweat together. When I felt I had enough harvest from roaming outside I decided to return to the sect for secluded cultivation. I took the opportunity to invite him along to join the sect. He was at the 6th stage of the foundation stage and he didn’t seem to be old so I thought he’d be a great addition to the sect. Him surviving as a rogue cultivator and reaching his current realm meant he was a resourceful person which would be a plus for the sect and I had seen him fight so I knew he was capable.

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I put forth my proposition, he pretended to be hesitant at first but soon agreed thus we went back to the sect together and I suggested he be made a deacon and deal with the external matters of the sect. I did that because I thought he wouldn’t adjust to sect life easily being a rogue cultivator and we could make the best use of his connections if he was a deacon of the sect. With my prestige, it wasn’t hard to get him that post. A few months in he had already won the approval of the majority of the sect because of the loan deals and sale channels of our herbs he helped us procure.

A year in was when an accident happened. From the friendship we built outside and later in the sect I was never wary of him I treated him as a brother. He came to my cultivation peak one night to have a drink like we always did on occasion. It has always been a habit of ours to seal our cultivation when drinking to get the most out of it and this time was not any different. I did just that but the moment the wine touched my tongue I felt a sudden overwhelming sense of drowsiness wash over me. I hurriedly tried to unseal my cultivations but Dong Yanlin with extreme speed and calculation hit all of my acupoints and halted me dead in my tracks. From that brief moment, I could tell he was stronger than me because even with my cultivation released I don't think there was any way I could have stopped his attacks. I passed out moments later and when I came to I woke up to find Dong Yanlin’s mocking gaze as he sat across for me. I was surprised to be alive but Dong Yanlin soon explained why. It turns out he had planted a gu and blood seal curse on me that required high concentration and technique, hence why he had to knock me out. Right then and there I tried to detonate myself but the gu swallowed all my explosive energy and the blood seal paralyzed me. Dong Yanlin also warned me that the blood seal would turn me into a corpse cultivator if I tried to kill myself and he would use me to destroy the sect.

I essentially became a puppet to him. Our meeting wasn’t an accident as he had been eyeing our sect because of the tupelo tree. As for why he was highly interested enough to scheme this far I can only guess he had some relation with one of their members who had a scuffle with our sect founder but disappeared soon after when their clash drove them to the green fog region.

He was wary of Cheng Yuan and never wanted to engage him directly that’s when he suggested the scheme of creating a feud between him and Wen Chang. He wanted the both of them to injure each other gravely and he could easily take care of them. He was the one who provided most of the herbs planted in the treasury vault used to trick Wen Chang. I suggested we pull in other elders to further sell the ruse. Getting elders who were long dissatisfied with Cheng Yuan to follow my plan wasn’t hard and should anything happen to them I wouldn’t feel guilty over what would happen to people who were willing to betray their sect for their selfish grievances. Dong Yanlin’s scheme had helped me route out these dissidents except Gui Bingwen. He was the only one I divulged my current predicament to and Dong Yanlin wouldn’t suspect him because as far as people in the sect knew he was being forced into retirement by Cheng Yuan. I needed an extra hand if I was to successfully pull a fast one on Dong Yanlin and other than Cheng Yuan, Gui was the only one I could trust to go along with my plan.

The scheme to cause a feud between Cheng Yuan and Wen Chang worked but I know my senior brother well to know he wouldn’t fight it all out with her. After their fight was when I suggested they involve the Order in their dispute. This was to ensure in case my plan against Dong Yanlin failed and ended in the decimation of the sect the two most powerful people of the sect would be alive and safe at the Order and they can always rebuild. It’s much easier to restart with two core formation experts at the helm. Mine and Gui's death wouldn't affect the bigger picture.

Dong Yanlin may have pretended around me but all his long schemes led me to the conclusion he had an overtly cautious personality so I had a feeling he would support those two being out of the sect. With all these in place, we had to get an additional helper whom without their presence everything would crumble, that is the Tupelo tree. It had already gained sentience and without its approval, no one would be able to dig it out as it is the most powerful being in the whole sect. Only Cheng Yuan and I knew the tree was sentient making it hard for Dong Yanlin to discover it.

I laid out my plan of destroying Dong Yanlin and whoever he was working with outside the sect and it readily agreed to help. With these, I had confidence that two peak foundation experts, a spiritual tree with the capabilities of a core formation expert, and a sky-rank treasure were enough to deal with any situation that crops up but as it turns out I had grossly underestimated Dong Yanlin and his background. If it wasn’t for that spell and Feng Xin’s intervention we would have long been dead and doomed the sect along with us.

I didn’t want to use the Order in my schemes but it was the only place I was sure Cheng Yuan and Wen Chang would be safe in case things went wrong. Given Dong Yanlin’s cautious nature I doubt he would enter a place without sufficient measures to ensure his escape and I thought those measures must be enough to injure my senior brother. As for Gui Bingwen, he was just being a loyal friend and sect member. I am willing to accept whatever punishment you deem fit but please show mercy and spare my sect and Gui Bingwen,” Peng Zhen said as he solemnly bowed at a ninety-degree angle. He wanted to kneel but he didn’t want to dirty the pristine floors of the Order with his disheveled robes.

Silence soon ensued in the courtroom with Cheng Yuan’s jaws wide open as his body trembled as it went through a rollercoaster of emotions.