What Should I Do If My Junior Sister Is the Future Demon Emperor? - Chapter 9

Xing Yun arrived quickly, with Qiu Yuebai tagging along as she insisted on poking her nose into the matter. Behind them followed a dense crowd of Discipline Hall disciples, their presence solemn and imposing.

Lin Xi tapped the empty seat beside her, signaling the two to sit, then turned to Shen Ning. “The professionals are here. Speak freely; hold nothing back.”

Shen Ning didn’t waste time. After bowing to Xing Yun, she recounted everything in detail, including the glaring inconsistencies in the accusations against her.

Xing Yun turned her cold gaze toward the Teaching Elder. “Are you unaware that no one except a Peak Master is permitted to use the Soul-Scourge Whip?”

The Elder, who was used to acting like a local tyrant on the Medicine Peak, had never faced such a rare and terrifying “triple trial” involving two Great Elders and a literal killing goddess. He was so terrified he couldn’t squeeze out a single word.

Lin Xi calmly poured tea for the two newcomers, completely indifferent to the suffocating tension in the air. It was as if she had truly just come for a tea party.

Qiu Yuebai took a sip, her expression shifting as she looked at Lin Xi. Lin Xi met her gaze, puzzled. Qiu Yuebai smacked her lips and gestured for Xing Yun to try the brew. Xing Yun, caught off guard, nearly lost her composure after one sip. She shot a glare at the gloating Qiu Yuebai, quietly set the cup down, and turned her focus to the busy Discipline Hall disciples.

A round-faced disciple stepped forward, bowed to the elders, and began the interrogation directly. “Elder Liu, you claimed the Silver Cloud Grass was stolen last night. However, I see these leaves are fresh that’s plucked no more than four hours ago. Isn’t it a bit of a joke for the Elder to use this as ‘evidence’?”

“This…” The Elder clenched his fists, his eyes darting away. “Perhaps she stole the spirit herb last night but only hid it today, and a leaf accidentally fell out?”

The disciple’s eyes were sharp and professional. “Silver Cloud Grass leaves have a tough skin. A simple scrape wouldn’t dislodge them. Furthermore, there are clear pressure marks on this leaf; it was undoubtedly plucked by hand.”

It was a blatant frame-up.

She narrowed her eyes and looked at the disciple who had previously testified. “You said you saw Junior Sister Shen stealing the herb last night. We have already sent someone to inspect the planting site. The time of extraction was between the Hour of the Ox and the Hour of the Tiger (Between 2:00 AM – 4:00 AM).”

“Medicine Peak regulations state that unless a disciple is tending to specific rare herbs, no one is allowed in the fields after midnight. According to the night patrol, Shen Ning was never seen during that window. Therefore, your testimony is invalid.”

The witness bit his lip and nodded frantically. “I… I definitely saw her.”

“According to Sect Rule 324, providing false testimony results in thirty strikes of the heavy rod and one year of solitary reflection. Are you absolutely certain of your statement?”

The disciple was terrified by her intensity. His legs gave out and he collapsed, instinctively glancing toward Li Feng.

Li Feng’s expression was dark, his eyes filled with warning, yet his words sounded righteous. “Don’t worry. As your Senior Brother, I will see justice done for you.”

The Discipline Hall disciple followed his gaze to Li Feng and began to approach him. Li Feng instinctively took a step back. Immediately, a disciple came forward with a measuring ruler to check his stride. After a moment, the disciple stood up and asked, “Has this Senior Brother visited the Silver Cloud herb field?”

Li Feng nodded. “Of course. The theft of the Silver Cloud Grass is a major event. As the Head Disciple in charge, it is my duty to find the culprit.” He cast a seemingly casual glance at Shen Ning.

Shen Ning glared back, unfazed.

The Discipline Hall disciple recorded notes without looking up. “So, you only went to the fields this morning?”

Li Feng confirmed this was true.

Lin Xi looked at Xing Yun. “Your Discipline Hall people really are all carved from the same mold.” Even the way they held their brushes to write was identical.

Xing Yun looked up, a hint of pride in her voice. “Naturally. They are my disciples, after all.”

The Discipline Hall was the most unique place in the Wanning Sect. There were no outer sect disciples there; once you entered the Discipline Hall, you were considered inner sect. Despite the heavy workload and the tendency to offend others, many sought entry for that status. However, Xing Yun was extremely picky about temperament; only a few passed her scrutiny each year, so her staff remained small.

“Arrest him.”

She gave the order nonchalantly while continuing her notes. Two disciples immediately lunged forward and pinned Li Feng to the ground. The crowd was stunned, their eyes filled with confusion as they looked at the one who gave the order.

“Your footprints and aura appeared near the Silver Cloud Grass. Not this morning, but last night, during the exact time of the theft.”

“A disciple reported seeing you leave your quarters last night, intentionally avoiding the night patrol. Where exactly did you go at that hour?”

A wisp of white smoke swirled around her fingertip, eventually forming a thin line that connected Li Feng to the Silver Cloud leaf. The crowd gasped, looking at Li Feng in disbelief. This smoke was a tracking artifact that could link an object to the person who had the most contact with it over the last three days.

No one expected it to be Li Feng.

It was common knowledge that this “Senior Brother,” aside from flattering the elders, spent his time exploiting younger disciples and forcing them to hand over their meager monthly stipends. Anyone who resisted was ostracized. He would never step into the herb fields, especially the remote Silver Cloud plot.

Many began to wonder: was it because Shen Ning was too stubborn to pay “protection money” that Li Feng resorted to such a low-handed scheme?

Li Feng’s face was deathly pale as he was pressed into the dirt. The Teaching Elder, finally reacting, slapped him across the face. “How could you do such a thing? I truly misjudged you!”

Li Feng’s eyes were shadowed with resentment, his chest heaving, but he stubbornly kept his mouth shut. The round-faced disciple from earlier patted the shoulder of the false witness, flashing two small tiger fangs in a bright smile. “Don’t worry, you’ll be joining him.”

“I have no grudge against you. Why did you frame me?” Shen Ning stared at Li Feng, her voice thick with suppressed anger.

She had no conflict of interest with him. If this was truly because she hadn’t paid him, she was speechless. Outer sect disciples received a pittance; after buying alchemy materials, they had nothing left. Besides, even if she had the money, she wouldn’t give it to a dog like him.

“Do you confess your crimes?” Xing Yun asked at the appropriate moment.

“I confess,” Li Feng muttered, his eyes hollow as they stared at the ground. He spoke no more. Xing Yun waved her hand, and disciples led him away.

“Why hasn’t Peak Master Jueming arrived yet? Has something happened?” Qiu Yuebai, who always bumped heads with the Medicine Peak, asked with a hint of malice.

The messenger disciple wiped sweat from his brow and forced a strained smile. “The Peak Master said… these matters are for you to handle as you see fit. She will not participate.”

The actual quote was for Lin Xi to kill whoever she wanted as long as she stopped bothering her. The disciple felt a wave of desolation. Their Peak Master spent her entire existence locked in the pharmacy, sometimes not appearing for months. She managed nothing, which allowed people like the Teaching Elder and Li Feng to run rampant. No one had a place to report their grievances, leaving them to endure bullying in silence.

It wasn’t that no one had tried; Shen Ning had rebelled before. The result was only more severe mistreatment. The others had turned their resentment toward Shen Ning for making things worse, and Shen Ning herself was relegated to the most grueling labor for the lowest pay. If their own Peak Master were even a tenth as responsible as the Hall Master of Discipline, they wouldn’t spend their days wishing for death.

Qiu Yuebai and Xing Yun both turned to look at Lin Xi. Lin Xi took a sip of tea and looked back, confused. “I am, at most, a Guest Elder. I do not get involved in these affairs.”

Qiu Yuebai offered a thin smile. “And what does the Immortal Master think of the situation?” Even if she wouldn’t “get involved,” they had to pay her the courtesy of asking.

“Then just kill them all,” Lin Xi said flatly.

Ji Ling immediately clamped a hand over her mouth, smiling sheepishly at Xing Yun. “Elder Xing, please, you take the lead.”

Lin Xi blinked innocently. Was my suggestion not good? It’s so efficient.

Xing Yun looked at the broken Soul-Scourge Whip on the ground. “Unauthorized use of torture: a fine of five thousand spirit stones and three years of solitary reflection.”

“Use of the Soul-Scourge Whip by a non-Peak Master: a fine of one thousand spirit stones and one year of reflection.”

“Failure to report the use of the whip to the Discipline Hall: a fine of three thousand spirit stones and three years of reflection.”

Shen Xun’an and the others stood by, and Shen Ning quietly gave a thumbs-up. Beautiful. This would force that greedy “Skin-Peeler” to vomit back everything he had stolen. To him, losing spirit stones was far more painful than losing his life. He was likely cursing them all in his head right now.

The Teaching Elder’s hands were shaking. He didn’t dare cross the three titans before him, so he directed a venomous glare at Shen Ning. Shen Ning didn’t flinch; she simply grinned back. She would enjoy the mockery now; she didn’t believe she would still be tilling the Medicine Peak in seven years anyway. Worst case, she would just find another place to be an outer disciple.

Lin Xi suddenly spoke. “Do you have a grudge against him?”

Shen Ning was stunned for a moment before realizing Lin Xi was speaking to her. She shook her head, then nodded. “I suppose…”

Two years ago, she had caused this man to be fined eight hundred spirit stones. All the bribes he had collected that year were gone, and he had to pay extra out of his own pocket. Since then, the Elder never missed a chance to insult her. A few days ago, he had even told her that a “disobedient person” like her could never achieve the Great Dao. Shen Ning found it baffling: how could a narrow-minded, profit-driven man have the face to say such a thing? If the previous incident hadn’t affected Shen Xun’an, she definitely would have talked back.

Lin Xi nodded and looked at the other disciples of the Medicine Peak. They had various expressions, but many looked away when the history was mentioned. It was understandable they didn’t want to be the “first bird” to get shot, but without Shen Ning’s reporting, more of them would have been exploited. And yet, they had turned around and slandered her afterward.

Lin Xi lowered her gaze, her finger tapping rhythmically on the armrest. The silence grew so heavy you could hear a pin drop. Then, she asked a question that stunned everyone—even Qiu Yuebai turned her head away in silence.

“When I arrived, I saw many disciples working the herb fields, most of them carrying heavy buckets of water on shoulder poles.”

“If I remember correctly, my Master—to reduce such time-consuming and exhausting labor—specifically set up several spirit formations with Immortal Master Cinian. While perhaps not groundbreaking, they were certainly better than nothing. Now, I do not see a single formation active. Do you believe you have the authority to turn off those arrays?”

As she spoke the last words, Lin Xi’s aura turned ice-cold. Her smile became incredibly dangerous. The disciples began to whisper in shock. They had heard of such formations, but they assumed they were a luxury reserved for inner sect disciples. How could they, the lowly workers, be worthy of such treasures? They had heard the elders mention convenient arrays for watering and weeding in the past, but they assumed those were just fever dreams of disciples who were about to collapse from exhaustion.

The Teaching Elder looked utterly confused, shouting his innocence. “Immortal Master! I truly did not do this! I don’t have that kind of authority! It was…” He stopped, looking hesitantly toward Qiu Yuebai.

Lin Xi rested her chin on her hand and looked at Qiu Yuebai, a playful glint in her smile.

Qiu Yuebai swallowed hard. “Listen to my… uh, my explanation.”

Xing Yun began biting her nails, refusing to look up. “I… the Discipline Hall still has things to do. May I leave first?”

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