Ba Mingyang had already cleaned himself up and changed into a nobleman's attire, standing beside Ba Shanyue.
Seeing that Xiaosuo was about to be wronged by Sun Qingde, he was furious and wanted to step forward to speak.
But Ba Shanyue stopped him, shaking his head to signal him to remain silent.
In the past, Ba Mingyang would have ignored his father's obstruction.
However, after narrowly escaping death last time and causing his third brother to miss out on the Meridian Soothing Pill, he had become much more composed.
His father wouldn't harm him, nor would he harm Xiaosuo.
If he was being held back, there must be another plan.
Even though he was angry, he held it in.
Chen Guisou stretched his neck and said:
"City Lord Zhu, Guardian Ba, you must not let Sun Qingde pin the blame on Zhu Xiaosuo."
Ba Shanyue nodded:
"We're about to strike at Sun Qingde's weak spot like a venomous snake; we can't let him escape. If he recovers, the three of us will have no peace."
Zhu Jingyue also frowned:
"Zhu Xiaosuo has contributed greatly; we can't abandon him. Elder Sun, in his eagerness to save people, mistakenly blamed Zhu Xiaosuo. We must find a way to make him see the truth."
The three old foxes were desperately thinking of ways to completely pin this black pot on Sun Qingde's head.
But would Sun Qingde give them that time?
They wanted to bring down Sun Qingde, but Sun Qingde also wanted to drag them down.
Seeing Zhu Xiaosuo sobbing uncontrollably, unable to respond, he pressed on:
"Speak! Did you intend to harm the cultivators within the Spirit Vein to gain their benefits in Immortal-Knocking Town? How dare a mere Rebirth Stage cultivator attempt such a thing? Who instructed you to do this?"
Hearing Sun Qingde's questioning, Zhu Xiaosuo was secretly startled.
This Elder Sun was quite cunning.
He thought he was being forced to share the blame, but it turned out he intended to smear City Lord Zhu and the others.
His skill in sharing the burden was truly admirable to Zhu Xiaosuo.
Zhu Xiaosuo immediately wiped away his tears and retorted:
"Elder Sun, as soon as I discovered the Spirit Vein, I used the Sound Transmission Order to notify you. Why are you framing me?"
"Framing? My Mission Order was issued two days ago, and you only reported now. Isn't that intentional delay?"
"Delay? Your Mission Order was issued two days ago, and only I reported. Isn't it others who are intentionally delaying?"
Hearing Zhu Xiaosuo's words, the other cultivators present were displeased.
They had searched for two days and nights without any results, and now they were being blamed?
"Zhu Xiaosuo, what do you mean! We all searched diligently; you just got lucky and found it!"
"Right, who would be against rewards! We all searched diligently! Not finding it in two days is normal!"
Zhu Xiaosuo nodded:
"Exactly, not finding it in two days is normal. So is it abnormal that I found it in two days, Elder Sun? Are all the cultivators here plotting harm?"
Zhu Xiaosuo's move was the Murong family's secret technique, Star Shifting.
Since you insist on dragging me down, I'll tie myself to the passenger ship.
Either the ship capsizes and everyone sinks with me, or you find a way to pull me up.
Sun Qingde was furious as Zhu Xiaosuo defused his attack.
Even though Sun Qingde was a Humbling the Present Stage cultivator, he couldn't provoke public anger.
The Immortal Sect is a place of rules, not where the strongest has the final say.
Violating the Sect Rules, even a Humbling the Present Stage cultivator must be punished.
Moreover, Zhu Jingyue, who was also at the Humbling the Present Stage, was present.
His strength was comparable.
This prevented Sun Qingde from using his authority to twist the truth and forcibly frame Zhu Xiaosuo.
Seeing Zhu Jingyue and the others, Sun Qingde's anger grew.
Although these three were not as high-ranking as him, they were incredibly annoying on the scene.
After all, they had the authority to report the matter to the Provincial Capital.
Zhu Jingyue, the old silver coin, always carried a recording pearl to document the situation.
This prevented Sun Qingde from speaking recklessly and hindered his actions.
Damn it!
These three had clearly returned to the City of Seeking Immortality, so how did they arrive at the scene not much later than him?
Zhu Xiaosuo! It must have been Zhu Xiaosuo who notified them in advance!
This kid, he guarded against me so thoroughly!
Sun Qingde hated Zhu Xiaosuo even more.
Gritting his teeth, his face turned ruthless:
"According to the Sect Rules, Article 993, the Mission Elder has the right to question the reasonableness of mission completion and impose rewards and penalties."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Jingyue, Chen Guisou, and Ba Shanyue had varied expressions.
Ba Shanyue looked worried, fearing Zhu Xiaosuo might be caught by this rule.
Zhu Jingyue frowned deeply, glancing at Zhu Xiaosuo, seemingly concerned.
Chen Guisou's face turned pale, like white paper, unsure of what he was worried about.
Then Zhu Xiaosuo laughed heartily:
"Elder Sun, as an elder of the Immortal Sect, you can't even remember the Sect Rules. Article 993 states that the Mission Elder has the right to question the reasonableness of mission completion and report it to the Provincial Capital for further review."
Sun Qingde's eyes widened:
"You... you aren't..."
"I'm not unaware of the hundred rules concerning Immortal Sect elders from Article 900 to 1000?"
Zhu Xiaosuo pulled out a thick copy of the Cultivator's Beginner Guide from his pocket.
"Once bitten, twice shy. I can't fall over the same stone twice, can I? So, over the past two days, I searched for the Spirit Vein while reviewing these hundred Sect Rules. Who would have thought it would come in handy?"
Zhu Xiaosuo patted the book and said:
"Knowledge changes destiny."
Sun Qingde, like a defeated rooster, was utterly deflated.
If only he could control Zhu Xiaosuo, he could definitely escape heavy punishment.
With Zhu Xiaosuo in his hands, he could torture him at will.
Forcing a confession, framing him, it would have been too easy.
But once again, he failed.
Who would have thought Zhu Xiaosuo would carry the thick and heavy Cultivator's Beginner Guide with him!
And he was so bored that he spent two whole days reading those hundred Sect Rules!
They say once bitten, twice shy.
But who learns so quickly like him?
His execution was flawless.
Sun Qingde was completely out of tricks.
Encountering Zhu Xiaosuo, he could only admit his bad luck.
If any other cultivator had found the Spirit Vein, he would have already brought the "criminal" to justice.
Fate.
Sun Qingde said weakly:
"I misremembered the Sect Rules. According to the last rule, misquoting the Sect Rules requires handing over a Spirit Stone to the cultivator who corrected you as thanks."
After speaking, he casually tossed a Spirit Stone in front of Zhu Xiaosuo.
Then he glanced at the more than a hundred cultivator corpses displayed behind him and shook his head.
A self-deprecating smile.
At this moment, a voice suddenly echoed in Zhu Xiaosuo's mind from Sun Qingde:
"Kid, you're impressive, but I, a dignified Humbling the Present Stage cultivator, won't sit idly by. You better pray the Immortal Sect doesn't punish me too harshly for this."
Then he turned his head slightly to glance at Zhu Xiaosuo:
"If I'm forced to defect from the Immortal Sect, I will kill you."