What Should I Do If My Junior Sister Is the Future Demon Emperor? - Chapter 6

The news of Lin Xi’s return had reached the Wanning Sect long before she stepped through the gates.

Qiu Yuebai paced back and forth at the entrance, nervously fiddling with her fan and rubbing her temples. She was generally kind to the disciples, and they didn’t fear her much; one of them even had the audacity to approach her and ask what was happening. She simply waved her hand to disperse the crowd of onlookers. “If your homework is finished, go practice twenty more sets of sword forms!”

The group scattered instantly, leaving her alone in the silence.

The moment Lin Xi’s figure appeared, Qiu Yuebai reflexively started to bow, but she caught sight of the other people present and forced herself to stop, settling instead for a stiff, formal nod. “Why is Elder Qiu standing guard here?” Lin Xi asked.

Qiu Yuebai maintained an air of professional detachment, acting as nothing more than a messenger. “The Sect Master says those individuals are already waiting in the Great Hall, pending your decision.”

Lin Xi smiled, her tone laced with a hint of mockery. “If they have done something wrong, the Sect Master should handle it according to the sect rules. Why would it fall to me to decide? I am merely a member of this sect; naturally, I trust the Sect Master and would have no objections.”

Qiu Yuebai let out a wry smile. Of course, she thought. If you’re dissatisfied, you’ll just handle it yourself. Why would you bother with an “objection”?

To determine the appropriate sentences for these few people, Xing Yun had been losing hair by the handful. At just over two hundred years old, she had already visited the Medicine Peak elders to buy hair-growth tonics.

As they reached the doors, Qiu Yuebai couldn’t help but whisper, “Please, restrain yourself a little. If our Sect Master who has been in office for less than a century is provoked to death, it won’t be good for the sect’s reputation.”

Lin Xi smiled but said nothing. Ji Ling muttered under her breath, “Senior Sister isn’t that kind of person.”

Shen Xun’an, still clutching Congxin, stole a shocked glance at Lin Xi. Who exactly was this woman that the sect’s second-in-command would speak to her like that? She tightened her grip on the creature. If even the Sect Master was helpless against her… Shen Xun’an could only think of the legendary Immortal Master from the rumors.

The story went that she had once entered the Demon Realm alone. Upon her return, she had suddenly descended into madness and slaughtered an entire major sect—one that had achieved great glory and suffered massive casualties in the human-demon war. For reasons unknown, the high-ranking leaders of the cultivation world refused to discuss her crimes, allowing her to roam the lands as she pleased. Only recently, she had even destroyed the guardian array of the Sword Resonance Sect.

If this “Senior Sister Lin” was truly that person…

Shen Xun’an’s thoughts were interrupted by a sharp, light nip on her hand. She realized she had been squeezing Congxin so hard his fur was flattened. She quickly apologized, and Congxin hopped onto her shoulder with a flick of his tail. Shen Xun’an sighed; the little thing was heavy, but she would just have to endure it.

******

The atmosphere in the Great Hall was heavy. The Sect Master paced irritably in front of his throne, while the disciples below stood as silent as quails. When Lin Xi arrived, the disciples from Ji Ling’s team stole glances at her, praying that Elder Xu had been exaggerating. When Lin Xi took the seat directly beside the Sect Master, the last flicker of hope vanished from their eyes.

Lin Xi glanced at the shards of a broken tea cup on the floor but said nothing. Instead, she poured a fresh cup for Ji Ling. Shen Xun’an stood beside Qiu Yuebai, subtly distancing herself from the other disciples.

The Elder of the Discipline Hall, Xing Yun, hurried in and bowed. She pulled out a dossier to begin announcing the sentences, but after a glance at Lin Xi, she produced a second copy and handed it to her. “If the Immortal Master is dissatisfied with anything, you may change it directly.”

Lin Xi signaled for her to proceed and began flipping through the pages. Ji Ling reached out and snatched the pen out of Xing Yun’s hand before Lin Xi could take it. Xing Yun was always fair; the verdict would surely satisfy everyone, and they didn’t need to influence her. Mostly, Ji Ling was afraid her sister would move everyone to the “death penalty” column in a fit of rage. Lin Xi looked at her sister with a helpless, amused expression.

Throughout the process, no one looked at the Sect Master sitting in the high seat.

“Xu Wenchang, as the lead elder, abandoned his disciples and failed his duties. He is fined one thousand taels of spirit stones and sentenced to three years of reflection in the back mountains.”

“Liu Qin, after being saved by Ji Ling, pushed her in return, leading her into danger. For harming a fellow disciple and showing such ingratitude, his spiritual root shall be crippled, and he is expelled from the sect.”

Liu Qin looked up instantly. “I do not accept this!” he argued loudly. “She was the one who insisted on saving me! It was her own lack of strength that nearly got her killed. She deserved it!”

“I could have dodged the Qingya Wolf’s attack,” Ji Ling said, her voice shaking with anger. “But you pushed me from behind. Had I known, I would have fed you to the wolf myself.” She was stunned that someone could be so shameless.

“You have no proof,” Liu Qin sneered, attempting to drag both women down. “Why should my fate be decided by your word alone? Or is it because you have an Immortal Master backing you up that you can do whatever you want?”

Lin Xi looked at Ji Ling and mouthed the words: I am backing you up.

Ji Ling reached over and physically turned Lin Xi’s head back. She didn’t need her to intervene just yet. Lin Xi took a sip of tea, feeling a bit regretful that she had no excuse to use force.

“But… even before this, you were constantly squeezing Junior Sister Ji out and saying…” Shen Xun’an, who had been silent until now, spoke up suddenly. She looked toward the Sect Master as if frightened by Liu Qin and stopped herself.

The Sect Master, finally feeling noticed, sat up straighter and cleared his throat. “Speak the truth. What did he say?”

“He said Elder Xu is a direct descendant of the orthodox lineage, and that even the Sect Master has to answer to him.”

After speaking, Shen Xun’an shrank behind Qiu Yuebai, her doe-like eyes looking piteous and vulnerable.

Lin Xi suddenly coughed. Ji Ling patted her back. “I told you not to drink tea while listening to jokes.”

The Sect Master’s face turned green. He believed Shen Xun’an’s words completely. Xu Wenchang’s branch loved to brag about their mortal bloodlines and use it to bully others. In the beginning, they had even tried to dictate the Sect Master’s actions until he shut them down. It was a laughingstock that cultivators were still clinging to such petty notions of “lineage.”

The Sect Master had only been in power for a hundred years, and many elders only gave him face because of his title. This meant he had few people he could truly trust. No matter how incompetent Xu Wenchang was, he was at least “his” man. He had turned a blind eye to his behavior until now, but since it had been brought into the light, he would see if that “direct lineage” could save the man now. The Sect Master snorted and ignored Liu Qin’s pleas.

Xing Yun, having enjoyed the gossip, rolled her eyes and signaled a disciple to produce a Recording Stone. It clearly displayed Liu Qin’s crimes, leaving him no room for defense. Lin Xi watched Liu Qin’s disbelief while a mechanical bee on her finger glowed faintly.

Cen Shangsu was a master of artifacts who had created all sorts of bizarre tools, half of which were stored at the Wanning Sect. For instance, these “Recording Bees” could fly for six months and transmit everything they saw back to a mother stone in the Discipline Hall. This was a secret known only to the lead elders—a way to monitor disciples and ensure their safety. Apparently, Xu Wenchang hadn’t been paying attention to that particular briefing.

Once the interruption was over, the Discipline Hall elder continued. The others hadn’t committed major crimes; mostly just failing to help. They were fined a few hundred spirit stones and given three years of cleaning duties and reflection.

Liu Qin, however, refused to give up. “The cultivation world is governed by the law of the jungle! It is a matter of survival and skill. Since she chose to save someone, she must bear the consequences!”

Xing Yun rolled her eyes. Can someone let me finish a sentence? She maintained her professional poise. 

“Sect Rule 132: One must not bully the weak, and one must not stand by when others are in mortal danger.”

This rule had been added a hundred years ago, so it was understandable if some didn’t know it… actually, no, it wasn’t. These brats clearly needed a refresher course on the sect rules they were currently trampling all over.

Lin Xi let out a sharp laugh when she heard the rule. Xing Yun stopped speaking and waited for her to take the floor. The crimson ink of the verdict seemed to pierce Lin Xi’s eyes like dried blood. She closed her eyes and silently recited the rules. Do not bully the weak. Do not stand by in danger. Do not… use “the greater good” to coerce others.

“The law of the jungle?” Lin Xi opened her eyes and looked at Liu Qin. “If that were truly the case, do you think any of you would still be alive?”

She didn’t wait for a response. A silk thread wrapped around Liu Qin, tightening before it seemed to melt into his skin. Although there wasn’t a drop of blood, he began to wail in agony, begging for mercy. The disciples near him scrambled away in fear.

Lin Xi’s smile remained. “Do you see? This is the law of the jungle. Within a single breath, your life could be gone, and no one would be able to avenge you. However,” her tone shifted, “this is the Wanning Sect, and everything will be done according to its rules. I hadn’t planned on pursuing other matters today, but since Elder Xing mentioned the rules, I recalled that you have likely broken more than one. In fact, I have some interesting things here. Would you like to see?”

Without waiting, she handed several dossiers to Xing Yun. The elder’s eyes widened as she read. Theft of spirit herbs, bullying of younger disciples, and even collusion with the demon race, every crime was listed with meticulous detail.

As Xing Yun read each item aloud, Liu Qin’s face grew paler until he was dripping sweat onto the floor. The threads on his skin glowed with a faint light.

“Liu Qin, do you confess?”

Liu Qin was in too much pain to speak, his lips merely trembling. Lin Xi pulled a pen from her bag and crossed out his name without looking up. “Refusing to accept punishment. Double the sentence.”

The other dissatisfied disciples tucked their heads down. The only sound in the hall was the man’s whimpering.

“Since you have entered the sect, you must follow its laws,” the Sect Master said, waving for two disciples to drag the man away. He gave Xing Yun a look, and she immediately understood, reading the remaining sentences at a much faster pace to prevent anyone else from interrupting. If they didn’t finish soon, Lin Xi might find a reason to sentence everyone in the room.

When she finally finished, Xing Yun breathed a sigh of relief and stepped back toward Qiu Yuebai.

Lin Xi’s gaze swept over the various faces in the hall. “The elders of the Wanning Sect seem to be getting worse with every generation,” she noted with a light laugh. “Sect Master Uncle, you should keep your eyes open. Do not let distant, untalented relatives infiltrate the sect and disturb the peace of the disciples.”

It was a direct slap to the Sect Master’s face, yet he simply maintained a forced smile. “The Immortal Master is correct.”

Xing Yun and Qiu Yuebai exchanged a look, both marveling at the thickness of the Sect Master’s skin. Qiu Yuebai coughed; the Sect Master might not have the highest cultivation, but he was a master of social grace. If someone threw a dirty rag in his face, he would simply wash it, fold it neatly, and return it with a smile. It was a level of tolerance Qiu Yuebai knew she had yet to reach. No wonder he was the one in charge.

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