"Senior Brother Bai, you don’t have to be the one to administer the poison yourself. The day before Junior Brother Kuang was poisoned, I happened to see this servant disciple of yours trading for a bottle of Wind Breath Snake Venom."

Quan Guanzhong saw Junior Brother Kuang’s body trembling, and after giving him a couple of meaningful looks to no effect, he cursed inwardly, ’Useless trash.’

Thinking of Senior Brother Xiong’s instructions, the dwindling protection from his own Ancestor’s legacy, and his uncertain future, he could only harden his heart and step forward himself.

He glanced over at the middle-aged servant disciple Mo Changfei had sent a messenger about, the one who had supposedly been bribed. Quan Guanzhong immediately pointed a finger at Su Lie.

"A bottle of Wind Breath Snake Venom costs at least ten Spirit Stones. Tell me, Senior Brother Bai, would a servant disciple spend that many Spirit Stones on something completely useless to him?"

Bai Zichen’s heart lurched. ’They even bribed one of my servant disciples.’

He looked at Su Lie. The man, who was usually so calm and composed, was now flustered, standing frozen in bewilderment.

"I didn’t, Elder Ma! I’ve never bought any Wind Breath Snake Venom!"

Su Lie kowtowed, his head hitting the ground with loud THUDS. After just a few times, blood was streaming down his face, and his expression showed no signs of deception.

Bai Zichen’s expression was hard to read. ’I usually keep my Divine Sense extended,’ he thought. ’Even if my two servant disciples were up to something, they shouldn’t have been able to hide it from me.’

But if Su Lie had really been bribed and had accepted the so-called Wind Breath Snake Venom, then Bai Zichen would have no way to defend himself.

’No, that’s not right. If Su Lie had truly betrayed me, he wouldn’t be reacting like this. He would just pretend to break under intimidation and drag me down with him... Even if this is an act, it’s far too over the top!’

Bai Zichen was momentarily confused, unable to figure out what other tricks his opponent had up their sleeve to frame him.

"Bai Zichen, do you have anything else to say in your defense?"

Ma Ming’s slanted eyes narrowed, and his icy gaze fixed upon him. It was like being stared down by a venomous snake, sending a chill through his entire body.

"I’ve heard that the Sect possesses a mind-questioning Soul Searching Technique. Why not use it, Elder Ma? Then you’ll know if Su Lie is lying."

Bai Zichen suddenly remembered the mind-questioning truth-telling technique mentioned in the archives; this was one way to prove his own innocence.

"The Mind-Questioning Technique can only be performed by our two Core Formation Ancestors. As for a Soul Search... the target is often left a drooling idiot. The Qingfeng Sect is not some Demon Sect; how could we use such a malicious technique on our own disciples?"

A muscle in Ma Ming’s slanted eye twitched as he thought he saw through Bai Zichen’s plan.

"But don’t think that just because we can’t use a technique like that, you can escape punishment. This Earth Listening Mongoose I’ve raised is the natural enemy of snake-type Demon Beasts. Wind Breath Snake Venom is a great tonic for it. If you’ve had any recent contact with the venom, you won’t escape its sense of smell!"

Ma Ming shook the Spirit Beast Bag at his waist, and a Spirit Beast the size of a house cat crawled out. It had a long body, a long tail, and a small, pointed head.

With a single leap from its short limbs, it landed on Ma Ming’s shoulder and greeted its master affectionately.

"Go. Find who has the scent of Wind Breath Snake Venom on them!"

After receiving a Spirit Fruit from its master, the Earth Listening Mongoose pounced forward. It circled Su Lie twice, shook its little head in confusion, and then ran toward Peng Jinhua.

After a good while of not smelling its favorite Wind Breath Snake Venom, the Earth Listening Mongoose hopped over to Bai Zichen, but again found nothing.

After a few more sniffs, the Earth Listening Mongoose gave up on the targets its master had indicated. In a flash, it leaped onto Junior Brother Kuang and Quan Guanzhong, letting out a series of sharp squeaks.

"Junior Martial Uncle Ma, it seems your Spirit Beast didn’t find any Wind Breath Snake Venom on me, but it did smell it on the accusers. It’s understandable that Junior Brother Kuang would have the scent of snake venom on him since he was poisoned. But Junior Brother Quan... so you were the one who bought a bottle of Wind Breath Snake Venom!"

This dramatic turn of events made Bai Zichen break into a relieved smile.

Whatever mistake the person scheming against him had made to cause this outcome, one thing was obvious: Quan Guanzhong had trapped himself.

"Impossible... How could this be..."

Quan Guanzhong stood there, stunned as a wooden chicken. It was normal for him to have the scent of Wind Breath Snake Venom on him; the bottle Junior Brother Kuang had taken was the one Mo Changfeng had given him to pass along.

But according to what Mo Changfeng had said, a whole bottle of Wind Breath Snake Venom was supposed to be buried in the courtyard. The Earth Listening Mongoose should have discovered it long ago.

Unless... what Mo Changfei said was all a lie!

There was no bribed servant disciple, no buried venom as evidence! It was all a lie fabricated by Mo Changfei, and he had stupidly believed it and walked right into the trap.

’Why frame me? Isn’t Bai Zichen the one he’s hostile toward? How could someone with Mo Changfei’s personality set a trap for me?’

Quan Guanzhong’s mind went blank. He wanted to say something in his defense but found he had no idea where to even begin.

"You bastard!"

Ma Ming’s face was ashen. Poisoning a fellow sect member was a shocking affair, and with the supposed victim personally coming forward to report it, he had thought the evidence was solid.

But now, it was clear this was just a clumsy frame-up, one riddled with holes.

Having made a trip for nothing and lost face in the process, Ma Ming mentally blacklisted the three Outer Sect Disciples. He scooped up his Spirit Beast and prepared to leave.

"Junior Martial Uncle Ma, it seems it wasn’t I who poisoned someone, but rather these two who tried to frame me... I wonder, what is the crime for falsely accusing an Inner Sect Disciple in our Sect?"

Bai Zichen had no intention of letting these Outer Sect Disciples off easily, even if they were just pawns on the board.

Pinning Ma Ming down with his words and using the Law Enforcement Hall to deal with them was the simplest solution. It would also serve to annoy the Foundation Establishment Elder a little.

"The accuser shall suffer the crime they accused another of! They accused you of poisoning, so they will be convicted of poisoning! As for the specific punishment, that will be deliberated back at the Law Enforcement Hall!"

Ma Ming tossed out a rope-like Magical Artifact. It grew in the air, binding the three of them together in a line, and he departed in a streak of light.

From far away, the sounds of their begging and wailing could still be heard.

’Who exactly is scheming against me? And why did they stop at the last moment, only to turn around and screw over Quan Guanzhong and his friends...?’

The look of relief vanished from Bai Zichen’s face. The feeling of having an enemy lurking in the shadows was deeply unsettling.

’My cultivation is still not high enough. If I were already a True Disciple, I’d crush anyone’s ambitions to move against me. No one would dare try anything then.’ 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

From the recent chaos in the Market to today’s attempt to frame him, Bai Zichen had come to truly understand that the Qingfeng Sect was not the paradise outsiders believed it to be.

It had its own share of scheming and backstabbing, its own dark and dirty secrets.

’And as the competition becomes more intense in the future, I’m afraid there will be no shortage of underhanded tactics!’

The positions for True Disciples, the rumored chance to become the Sect Leader’s personal apprentice, and even future opportunities for Foundation Establishment—each one would bring out new competitors.

Bai Zichen called Su Lie and Peng Jinhua over. He offered a few kind and reassuring words, telling them not to be frightened by the day’s events.

All they needed to do was perform their duties well and guard the entrance.

After arranging these matters, Bai Zichen returned to his training room, took a Qi Replenishing Pill, and resumed the process of Refining Spiritual Energy.

The day’s events had filled him with a great sense of urgency.

’No wonder the family has sent so few disciples to the Qingfeng Sect over the years. At least I have the status of an Inner Sect Disciple... If one joins as a servant or Outer Sect disciple, life must be even harder. The bullying and backstabbing are probably much more severe.’

While the Bai Family had some internal strife, it was nothing compared to the life-and-death struggles within the Qingfeng Sect.

’I won’t come out of seclusion until I reach the Late-Stage of Qi Refining!’

Bai Zichen set this small goal for himself. As the pill’s medicinal power dissolved within him, he quietly closed his eyes.