“Bang—!”
The chair made of Thousand-Year Clear Mind Wood beneath Ji Yuchan exploded into countless fragments. The pressure of the Great Perfection of the 9th stage Divine Transformation Realm crushed Elder Xiao flat against the ground, leaving him unable to move at all.
“Elder Xiao! Are you certain the one who withdrew from the sect was Jiang Han? My junior brother Jiang Han?!” Mo Qiushuang’s face was icy cold, her fingertips trembling uncontrollably. “Think carefully before you speak!”
She had imagined countless possibilities. At most, she thought Jiang Han had gone out to clear his mind. She had never imagined he would directly complete withdrawal procedures.
How dare he? How dare he?!
This was defection. This was betrayal of the Heavenly Dominion Sect!
No matter how poorly they had treated him, they were still his master and senior sisters. How could he do this to them?
Was he truly leaving no room for reconciliation?
Even if Master had never held a formal apprenticeship ceremony for him, they had always regarded him as a junior brother.
Mo Qiushuang was not the only one stunned. Xia Qianqian was equally shaken. Jiang Han had actually withdrawn from the sect?
She had never realized that this useless person had such audacity. Did he not understand what withdrawal meant?
Ordinary disciples might be one thing, but he was the sect master’s direct disciple. How could he casually withdraw? Master would never let him go.
“Master, please calm your anger!” Mo Qiushuang steadied herself. “Junior Brother Jiang has always been timid. This must have been a moment of foolishness. I will immediately bring him back.”
Ji Yuchan glanced at her and suppressed the unease in her heart. She withdrew her pressure and snorted coldly. “I knew he wouldn’t have the guts. Withdraw from the sect? Hmph!”
“Go bring him back. Isn’t it just some resources? If he wants them, give them to him. To make such a fuss over such a small matter. That wicked creature is narrow-minded and will never achieve greatness!”
With a wave of her hand, she directly pushed Mo Qiushuang and Xia Qianqian out of the hall. She then looked down at Elder Xiao, who was still sprawled on the ground, nearly fainting from fear.
“Elder Xiao, explain clearly. How exactly did Jiang Han withdraw? Who approved it? I am his master, yet I knew nothing about this?!”
It was over.
Elder Xiao closed his eyes, wishing he could faint on the spot. But under the gaze of someone at the Great Perfection of the 9th stage Divine Transformation Realm, he dared not. Trembling, he began recounting everything that had happened that day.
Outside the hall, Mo Qiushuang walked forward with her head lowered, her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned pale.
“Senior Sister, Jiang Han…” Xia Qianqian hesitated, seeing her expression. When Mo Qiushuang did not respond, she hurried to catch up.
“Jiang Han must have stolen something and sold it for spirit stones. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have fled so urgently.”
Mo Qiushuang suddenly stopped and turned to look at her.
“Did you personally see him steal anything?”
Her voice was cold.
At this moment, Mo Qiushuang felt nothing but exhaustion. Even now, they still did not understand the problem. Was this about Jiang Han stealing?
He had been humiliated by them, treated like livestock, beaten and scolded at will. He had been denied food and clothing, and received not a single cultivation resource.
What was he within the Heavenly Dominion Sect? Even the pigs and dogs raised on Spirit Beast Peak were fed three meals a day.
As direct disciples of the Heavenly Dominion Sect, renowned prodigies of the Cultivation World, admired by countless disciples, what had they actually done?
They bullied Jiang Han daily for amusement, taking pride in making that small child run in circles. They even discussed how to torment him in more entertaining ways.
And she herself—what had she done all these years?
She had always known her junior sisters bullied Jiang Han. Not only had she failed to help him, she had joined them.
Was this what an eldest senior sister should do?
In the depths of Mo Qiushuang’s heart, lotus blossoms trembled violently. Her Dao heart became increasingly unstable, as if it might shatter at any moment.
Jiang Han had lived worse than a dog all these years.
“I didn’t see it myself, but Lin Xuan did,” Xia Qianqian’s voice pulled her back to reality.
“Forget the past. Just this year alone, Master’s Dragon-Pattern Pendant, my Jade Spirit Bracelet, Lin Xuan’s Spirit-Congealing Grass, Second Senior Sister’s Spirit-Stabilizing Pearl…”
“Especially Third Senior Sister’s Seven-Colored Lotus. That time, Jiang Han was caught red-handed. Third Senior Sister stepped out briefly, and the lotus disappeared. If it wasn’t him, who else could it have been?”
“And don’t forget, Eldest Senior Sister, he used to spy on your cultivation. He was always lingering near your cave dwelling. He must have been waiting for a chance to steal something when you weren’t around.”
Mo Qiushuang’s expression grew complicated.
Jiang Han had indeed followed her often. But in the beginning, he was not spying. He simply came to play with her. She found it annoying and beat him harshly, warning him not to come looking for her again.
After that, Jiang Han no longer dared approach openly. Whenever he saw her, he would immediately hide to avoid being noticed.
He had only been seven then, always hiding outside her cave dwelling. Whenever she went out, he would watch from afar.
He thought she did not notice. If she had sensed even a trace of malice from him, she might have blinded him long ago.
Compared to her junior sisters, she had treated him relatively lightly. At most, she would beat or scold him when she was annoyed, and she always showed restraint.
Her junior sisters were far harsher. If anything about him displeased them, they would beat and scold him, even forcing him to eat strange and humiliating things.
When they were in high spirits, they made him perform degrading acts for entertainment. Third Senior Sister especially liked making Jiang Han wash her feet.
She was a cultivator at the Nascent Soul Realm. Did she need someone to wash her feet? A simple Cleansing Technique would suffice.
And had she not always complained that Jiang Han was filthy? Why did she not mind then?
She enjoyed it. Enjoyed having him serve her while calling him useless. It was the thrill of trampling on his dignity.
And Xia Qianqian—she had broken Jiang Han’s arms and legs more than once. As long as he was seen by her, he would be beaten.
If the mountain had not been filled with spiritual herbs for healing, Jiang Han might have been bullied to death long ago.
Mo Qiushuang felt a chill spread through her entire body. How had she not seen it before?
Or perhaps she had seen it, but never recognized it for what it was. She might have considered it normal.
They were terrifying.
Why hadn’t Jiang Han resisted?
If he had just told her once, she would have warned her junior sisters.
Did he truly lack even the courage to fight back?
“Senior Sister, Lin Xuan needs me. I’ll go first,” Xia Qianqian said abruptly and vanished into a streak of light before finishing her sentence.
Mo Qiushuang’s face darkened. Jiang Han had been driven away largely by Xia Qianqian’s treatment. And now, before he was even found, she had the leisure to leave.
With a cold snort, Mo Qiushuang summoned Lu Fei, the menial disciple responsible for Jiang Han’s daily needs.
Although he had been ordered to stop serving Jiang Han, he frequently worked on the mountain and had more contact with him than most.
If not for Lu Fei’s early care, Jiang Han’s situation might have been even worse.
“Junior Brother Lu, do you know where Jiang Han usually went when he left the mountain?”
Lu Fei had been extremely nervous, thinking he had offended Eldest Senior Sister. Hearing that she was asking about Senior Brother Jiang, he felt relieved.
It was strange. For thirteen years, the senior sisters had never cared about Senior Brother Jiang. Yet today, they had summoned him twice.
“Reporting to Eldest Senior Sister, Senior Brother Jiang often gathered spiritual herbs and fruits from the mountain and went down to sell them. He usually sold them at the trading market at the foot of the mountain, mainly to independent cultivators.”
“Sold to independent cultivators?” Mo Qiushuang frowned. “Why didn’t he sell them to the sect’s Spirit Herb Pavilion? That would have been more convenient.”
Lu Fei hesitated. “At first, it wasn’t a problem. Occasionally, when Senior Brother Jiang found rare herbs, he sold them to the Spirit Herb Pavilion.”
“But once, when he was selling herbs, Sect Master Ji Yuchan discovered it and scolded him for disgracing the sect. She said no direct disciple should waste time selling low-grade herbs and neglect proper cultivation after all the sect’s years of training.”
“After that, Sect Master Ji Yuchan forbade him from selling herbs. The Spirit Herb Pavilion no longer dared to accept anything from him.”
Mo Qiushuang felt violent waves crash against her heart, making it hard to breathe.
After a long moment, she finally steadied herself, though her voice was weaker.
“Have you ever seen him hide any stolen items?”
She asked this nervously. It was precisely because Jiang Han was repeatedly accused of theft that their disgust had deepened.
Sect Master Ji Yuchan hated wrongdoing. To have a disciple like that had always felt like a stain on their reputation.
“No.” Lu Fei shook his head firmly. He had never believed Senior Brother Jiang was the type to steal.
Moreover, the items Sect Master Ji Yuchan and the others claimed were stolen were high-tier treasures. Any one of them could be sold for an astronomical price. If Jiang Han truly had them, why would he still need to gather herbs daily just to survive?
Mo Qiushuang exhaled in relief. No evidence was good. As long as there was no proof, there was still hope.
As for Lin Xuan claiming to have witnessed it personally—she had once believed him without question. But ever since she learned about the Spirit-Congealing Grass incident, she had begun to doubt.
Even with a sneak attack, Jiang Han should not have been able to break through Lin Xuan’s protective treasures, let alone defeat him.
And Jiang Han—did he truly possess the ability to steal so many treasures?
Lin Xuan… had he really seen it with his own eyes?