Something might be afoot

"Well, thank you, Wen Chang, for presenting your side of things," Yang Qing gently spoke, clasping his hands together as he stared at both the Emerald Leaf Cow and Sect Master Cheng Yuan.

He remained silent for a moment, as if in deep contemplation, though his gaze never left the pair. His expression abruptly shifted from solemn to a small smile.

"I believe it would be more beneficial for Sect Master Cheng Yuan and Emerald Leaf Wen Chang to discuss this matter among themselves before I offer my judgment. Something about this case feels off. What do you think, Mao Yunru, Yi Jie? I'd also like to hear from you, Feng Xin, since you're the assigned inquisitor for this case."

"It's unfortunate for the sect master and the Emerald Leaf Cow," Mao Yunru said, nodding in agreement with Yang Qing's remark.

"Feng Xin, you need to move quickly," said Yi Jie, who stood to Yang Qing's left, his eyes following Feng Xin as he made his way toward the courtroom doors.

"I will," Feng Xin replied, his intense, murderous aura lingering as he exited the room.

"Sect Master Cheng Yuan, judging from your expression, it seems you have some doubts yourself, don't you?

It might be worthwhile to talk things out with Wen Chang over there. I can tell she treats the sect as her home, just as you do. If what I suspect is afoot comes to pass, you may need each other more than ever," Yang Qing said.

Sect Master Cheng Yuan looked dazed, while Wen Chang had an utterly confused expression. She seemed lost, struggling to grasp what had happened in the seconds since she finished speaking.

It was understandable. Despite her strength as a spirit beast, she had been sheltered her entire life and couldn't comprehend the veiled intricacies of the world. In many ways, she still carried a childlike innocence, oblivious to its darker truths.

After a moment, Sect Master Cheng Yuan collected himself and glanced at Wen Chang. His gaze was different now—no longer filled with resentment or anger, but with self-reproach, shame, worry, and regret.

"Wen Chang, can I confirm some things with you, please?" he asked, his voice soft, almost trembling. Wen Chang was startled. It had been years since she'd heard him speak in such a tone, especially during the tense years between them. She could even detect the shakiness in his voice and the storm of emotions in his eyes.

Though she couldn't make sense of the situation, Wen Chang instinctively nodded, signaling him to proceed.

Cheng Yuan managed a polite smile before continuing. "Do you remember how many high-tier earth-rank herbs and low-rank sky herbs you saw that day the elders brought you into the sect treasure vault?"

Wen Chang frowned, puzzled by the question. As sect master, wouldn't he know the inventory better than anyone? Still, she adopted a contemplative look as she tried to recall the number.

"Mao Yunru, can you help her recollect?" Yang Qing softly interjected.

Mao Yunru nodded, raising her right hand. She pointed toward Wen Chang and muttered, "Myriad Thoughts Purple Cloud."

A light purple cloud emerged from her finger and quickly enveloped Wen Chang. Flickering starlights shimmered within the cloud.

Wen Chang was initially alarmed but soon felt a cool, soothing sensation flow through her mind. The memories she struggled to recollect grew clearer with every passing moment. Even more astonishing, the scenes she remembered began imprinting themselves onto the surrounding clouds, as though she were standing in the vault itself.

"Wen Chang, may we project what you're seeing for the rest of the court?" Yang Qing asked.

Wen Chang, entranced by the vivid images, absentmindedly nodded. It was as if she were truly in the vault, able to discern even the grain patterns on the amber Deerwood used for herb preservation.

With her permission, Mao Yunru expanded the projection. The purple clouds spread above the courtroom, displaying rows upon rows of herbs for all to see—most notably Sect Master Cheng Yuan.

Upon seeing the images, Cheng Yuan's face paled with shock. He muttered, "How could this be?" over and over again.

"What do you mean, 'how could this be'? Aren't these the herbs you've been hoarding for who knows what reason?" Wen Chang interjected bitterly, her frustration spilling over.

Cheng Yuan ignored her remark, his gaze locked on the projection as he recounted the herbs again and again, hoping for a different result.

"Sun Marjoram, Auspicious Nocturnal Bay Leaf, 2,000-year-old Dream Dust Cassia, Silent Echo Pokeroot, Blood Snakeberry, Heart-Calming Lily, Core Tribulation Wood, Butcher's Vine Fruit, Jade Bottle Wood… How are all these herbs here?" His eyes widened with disbelief.

"Huh, aren't those leaves from Elder Jia's prison boab tree? And those silver fruits—they're from Elder Gui's Silver Python Tree. Wait, is that Elder Peng's 3,000-year-old Luminous Star Flower? That treasure is a sky-rank herb, and he never parts with it! How is it here?"

The more Cheng Yuan scrutinized the projection, the clearer it became that these were private stashes belonging to various elders. Yet, none of them had ever reported donating them to the sect. These weren't herbs one could easily overlook —especially considering how often he visited the treasure vault for the sect's major projects. Almost every single herb there, bar the luminous star flower, were upper tier earth rank herbs.

"I visited the vault just days ago, and none of these were there. Even the records don't mention them being added or removed."

Cheng Yuan silently sifted through the timelines in his mind, but no matter how far back he searched, he was certain he had never seen those high-tier earth-rank treasures or the sky-rank luminous star flower in the vault.

From the images, he had counted 240 Earth-rank herbs. However, based on the latest records—even accounting for the herbs recently used on Wen Chang—the sect only had around 100 Earth-rank herbs remaining, all reserved for a critical strategic plan essential to the sect's future.

He counted seven sky-rank herbs in the projection, but there had only ever been six recorded. The extra herb was the luminous star flower, a treasure belonging to Elder Peng. Among the sky-rank herbs, it was the most valuable, worth the equivalent of three others in trade.

"Wen Chang," Cheng Yuan asked with urgency, "do you recall when the elders showed you the vault and who they were?"

Though still confused by his questions, Wen Chang answered cautiously. "It was shortly after I stabilized at the Core Formation stage, about four months ago. As for the elders…" She hesitated, her tone defiant. "I don't want to get them in trouble, so I won't say."

"YOU—DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION WE'RE IN?! Hurry up and name those elders! It's critical, or we may not have a sect to return to!" Sect Master Cheng Yuan roared, his voice trembling with desperation.

He nearly lunged toward Wen Chang in his rage but stopped himself, remembering both the courtroom setting and, more importantly, the earlier brush with death he had felt emanating from Yi Jie.

"I am no.." Wen Chang was in the midst of rejecting Cheng Yuan's request with some smirkiness to her tone when she felt an overwhelming pressure slam into her body. Her legs immediately buckled and her enormous body tumbled down. Despite her enormous size and weight, the fall did no damage to the courtroom floors, in fact, she was the one who ended up with bruises on all her knees.

"I suggest you heed your sect master and answer," Yi Jie's cold, razor-sharp voice cut through the air like a blade. "You willingly submitted to the court's rules the instant you walked through those doors. Surely, the inquisitor who brought you explained the consequences of non-compliance."

Wen Chang couldn't even lift her head. The pressure and an instinctive fear of death rooted her in place.

Wen Chang had lived a sheltered life within the Green Fog Swamp Sect, her worldview shaped entirely by its walls and the teachings of its elders. The vastness of the outside world remained a mystery to her. This isolation bred a quiet arrogance.

When she broke through to the core formation realm, her pride swelled. She was one of only two members of the sect to reach that level, and she had done so in a fraction of the time it had taken Sect Master Cheng Yuan. In her mind, surpassing him was only a matter of time. Their recent fight, which ended in a draw, only served to bolster her growing hubris.

Before their arrival at the courtroom, Sect Master Cheng Yuan had repeatedly cautioned her to conduct herself with the utmost restraint. She outwardly agreed but dismissed his warnings inwardly, convinced of her superiority. She was, after all, a rising star. Holding her own against someone a minor realm above her was a feat few could claim. In her estimation, such achievements marked her as a genius.

Her ignorance of the Order only deepened her misplaced confidence. Beyond vague descriptions, she knew little of their true power. Mao Yunru's earlier display of technique and the pressure she exerted had startled her, but Wen Chang believed that, in a fair fight, she could at least survive—and perhaps even win if they were on equal footing. As a spirit beast with the radiant cow bloodline, renowned for its potential to reach the soul formation stage, she assumed she had a natural advantage in strength.

However, that confidence crumbled under the suffocating weight of Yi Jie's presence. In that moment, every illusion she had spun about her strength was shattered.

Her thoughts reeled. "Aren't we all core formation experts? How is the gap this big?" The question clawed at her, laden with bitter disbelief.