"I brought you here to ask you about the demonic cultivator you encountered."

Jing's world turned cold, and his eyes widened in shock, but he quickly tried to hide it. However, the old man's smirk seemed to indicate his awareness of it. Something that made Jing fall into the depths of anxious hells as his heart began beating pondering the implication of that statement.

"Now," The Elder commanded. "Tell me what happened without hiding any details. Or else." The word or else was enunciated in a different tone, a tone that made Jing feel even more small and vulnerable.

With another gulp, as he brushed his sweaty palms against his robe, he explained with a stuttering voice, "I was trying to put my horse in the stables... And that's when I heard a scream from the stableboy who was in front of me and I ducked. Behind me was a demonic cultivator who followed me with a long knife trying to take my life."

"Hmm..." The Elder murmured, his gaze sharp as he scrutinized every detail on the disciple's face. "Out of nowhere, unprovoked, and without reason a famous demonic cultivator who was known for always being careful tried to kill you? A small Body Tempering disciple?"

Jing felt even more shocked. The fact that they were aware of the demonic cultivator's identity made his lie even more baseless. "I don't know," Jing said. "I heard him say something about needing only a single soul..."

The Elder appeared deep in thought, but his eyes were relentless as they followed Jing with a scrutinizing glint. "Your very first encounter with him was in the stable?"

Jing's heart skipped a beat. 'Does he know something else?' He thought. "Yes..." He said hesitantly.

The Elder chuckled and said, "You are lucky it's me who is investigating this matter. If it were my subordinates they would have thrown you to the refinement prison already. Because," His voice paused and an amused light flashed through his eyes. "You were seen entering the city with that demonic cultivator whose name was Xu Fufu."

'Oh no,' Jing exclaimed, and a dam of emotions burst out within him. His nose felt prickly and his heart was wildly drumming inside of his chest. 'I am going to die,' His mind thought as a panic attack began to form. However, just as he was about to completely lose it, a very lucid thought appeared that changed the trajectory of everything.

Channeling all of his panic and fear, he kowtowed in front of the elder and began to cry, "No... Nn.. no... I swear, by the Heavens. I.. I'm sorry. He forced us to accompany him into the city because he was afraid... and I was afraid that I let a demonic cultivator into the city that is why I lied... And that is why he wanted to kill me..."

"Hmm..." Murmured The Elder once again, seemingly not expecting that. "I see," He said. "Now, if I ask your other friend, would he tell me the same thing?"

Jing gulped in horror, realizing that his fate was in Shen Yun's hands after the lie he had just made up.

Would Shen Yun think of the same lie as he did?

He nodded with much difficulty, "Yes, yes..."

"That is good," The Elder commented as he scratched his long white beard. "Tell me more details about this encounter with Xu Fufu. Where did you meet him? How did you meet him? What was the first thing he asked of you? And most importantly. Why is it that your other friend left for the Inn and you and Xu Fufu continued for stables on your own?"

Another wave of fear washed over him. Jing understood that the more details he gave, the less likely it was for Shen Yun to say the same thing, and that would make them not just suspicious, but guilty of being involved with demonic cultivators in the heart of the Golden Mountain Sect. The treatment that they would receive was far more vicious than any torture method his previous world was capable of conceiving. After all, he had heard a lot of horror stories from Xu Yun about soul refinement.

He gulped once again and an intense sense of nausea assaulted him due to the nerves as his stomach churned. "We..." He said with a choked voice. "We met him in a forest, I don't know its name. The first thing he said was a question 'Are you two young brats going to the Golden Mountain's entrance test.' He then threatened us and said we would help him enter the city and he would leave us alone. And the reason we separated was because he told Shen Yun that he could leave and ordered me to help him put the horses back and he will let me go... "

"Is that a fact?" The Elder questioned with an intrigued eyebrow raised.

"Yes, yes." Jing nodded.

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The Elder merely smirked knowingly and gestured with his hand for him to leave.

Jing stood up with a crestfallen expression and left.

In the hall outside, he saw Shen Yun and Wang Fei surrounded by those tall lanky middle-aged men. He and Shen Yun exchanged a look, and as best as he could he tried to telepathically convey the complexity of what had happened in a glance. However, despair gripped him, understanding that the Elder was shrewd. The fact that he brought them separately made him believe that he would be the only one questioned, and this made him answer accordingly. If the Elder were to question Shen Yun now, his answers would be completely different from Jing's.

Death never felt so close in his two lives as it did at that moment.

It was then he remembered something very crucial!

'Representative Leeway...' He thought with eyes that just grasped something. In his mind, he shouted for Aukhman, "Can you connect both our minds? Quick!!!"

"I can," Aukhman's voice echoed in his mind. "But only in a three-meter range."

Jing's eyes widened, noticing that the Elder's subordinates had already begun walking Shen Yun inside the room, walking in his own direction.

"Do it!" He ordered, slowing down his pace. When he was but a few meters from Shen Yun, he immediately felt the connection between them. "Listen, it's Xie Jing!" He shouted.

Shen Yun whose eyes were gazing ahead with a serious expression was startled, and his eyes moved to meet Jing's as he took another step.

"Remember all of this or we will both die," Jing yelled, and without waiting for him to say anything else he began speaking as fast as he could. "We met Xu Fufu in a forest somewhere, under the trees. The first thing he said was a question, 'Are you two young brats going to the Golden Mountain's entrance test.' He also threatened us to help him enter the city and he would let us go. And the reason we separated was because he told you to leave and ordered me to hel..."

The connection was cut off. As slow as the two of them walked after the connection was established, Shen Yun was pushed around by two strong subordinates who didn't care for his leisurely pace.

Jing cursed in his heart, hoping that Shen Yun would connect the rest. There was a wooden bench at the edge where Wang Fei was sitting, and just as he was about to sit down beside him one of the elder's subordinates stopped him. "Go sit in the other one," He commanded.

"Sure," Jing mumbled and followed his instructions, sitting on the bench opposite to Wang Fei.

...

Shen Yun's mind was alight with energy. His thoughts continuously worked to repeat the vital words he had just heard because both of their lives depended on them. 'He ordered him to what?' He thought with a loudly beating heart.

When saw the Elder inside his heart skipped a beat as he immediately recognized him. 'Shi Yan...Disciplinary Elder,' Unlike Jing he had more knowledge from the original sect about this person.

Not only was he at the Nascent Realm, on par with the Grand Elders, but he was one of the most cunning, loyal, and anti-demonic Elders in all of the sect. His solitary efforts were enough to foil dozens of the Wandering Abyss Sect's plans, a testament to both his wit and foresight.

"Sit down Junior," The Elder spoke with an amiable smile.

Shen Yun awkwardly smiled in his direction and sat down on the mat in front of him.

"Your friend there," The Elder said with a serious concerned expression. "Had just been explaining to me the terrible ordeal you two had so unfortunately faced. Now, would you be kind and just tell me the same story just from your own perspective."

"Of course, Elder Shi," Shen Yun declared.

"Oh?" The Elder chuckled. "You seem to know me."

Shen Yun's eyes widened in but a split second before he averted his eyes and looked down. "Of course," He said. "I pride myself on being cautious and so the first thing I did when entering the sect was read the rules and learn about Disciplinary Elder Shi, and other important figures."

The moment the words left his mouth, he cursed in his heart. 'I shouldn't have said rules, what if he asked me about them? I don't know any.' He thought with some trepidation in his heart.

"Smart, smart," Elder Shi praised, his hands flowing through his beard. "As expected of one of the top ten in the new batch of disciples. Wit and might."

"Thank you, Elder," Shen Yun smiled innocently. "I try to do my best."

"So," Elder Shi nudged. "The story."

"Yes," Shen Yun said as he fidgeted a bit in his place. "Me and Xie Jing, we met along the way to the entrance test. He told me that he lived in Muddy Goat, and because I lived in Sweet Blossom City, our paths crossed. When I noticed a boy traveling on his own at the same age as me, I immediately figured that we had the same goals. So, I struck up a conversation with him and we continued our travel together."

"But," Shen Yun recounted. "When we were in Azure Valley Forest, a strange man appeared as if out of nowhere on horseback and asked us if we were going to the Golden Mountain sect's entrance test."

"That's the very first thing he said?" Elder Shi interjected.

"Yes."

"How did he phrase it specifically." The Elder questioned.

"Hmm..." Shen Yun feigned a pondering expression. "I haven't paid much attention to the exact words as I was feeling a sense of danger from him. But if my mind serves me well, it was something along the lines of Are you brats going to the entrance test perhaps."

Nodding, Elder Shi said, "I see. Continue please."

"Xie Jing was the first to respond and said yes, and the man immediately threatened us by saying that we should help him get into Golden Veil City and he will let us go away." Shen Yun said. "We didn't raise any protests as we could tell from the man that he was no stranger to killing, and we continued the journey together. When entered the city, he told me that I could just go, but he ordered Xie Jing to help him with something."

"Something?" Repeated Elder Shi with a scrutinizing look.

Shen Yun gulped, and his tongue traced the contours of his dry lips. "I think he wanted help taking the horses to the stables because along the way he asked us about the horses and we said that we would be selling them because we would be going to the sect, and he said that they were now his."

"Isn't that interesting?" Elder Shi said with an amused tone as a faint smile tugged at his lips.