"Exactly!" Su Xuanwu sneered incessantly, "Why was Wei Zhuang wearing a defensive secret treasure during the sparring between him and Su Mu? Isn't this against the rules of the sect? How should this be handled?"
He didn't mention how Yang Kai should be dealt with, but first tied Wei Zhuang to the matter, which made the Great Elder's expression change, unsure of how to respond.
"If Wei Zhuang had really won Su Mu with his true abilities, it would only be Su Mu's fault for not being proficient enough. Now, Wei Zhuang is relying on the protection of a secret treasure to humiliate my grandson. Do you think I'm made of mud, Senior Brother?" Su Xuanwu roared in anger, slapping the armrest of his chair into pieces with one palm.
Wei Xitong had to lower his stance and said, "Second Brother, calm down. The defensive secret treasure Wei Zhuang wore was indeed bestowed by me. I only wanted to ensure his safety, but I didn't expect the child to be so mischievous, using the power of the secret treasure to spar with others. This is Wei Zhuang's fault."
After saying this, he shouted at the people below, "Wei Zhuang, why haven't you apologized to your Junior Brother Su Mu yet?"
Wei Zhuang was quite obedient. Upon hearing this, he immediately clasped his hands and said, "Junior Brother Su Mu, this time it was Senior Brother Wei's fault. I apologize to you. Junior Brother, be magnanimous and don't hold a grudge!"
"Humph!" Su Mu turned his head away, ignoring him.
But with the matter already this far, what could Su Xuanwu do?
The Great Elder said again, "Wei Zhuang is at fault, but Yang Kai's offense is even greater. He held a divine weapon and nearly killed Wei Zhuang. If the Disciplinary Hall disciples hadn't intervened in time, Wei Zhuang might have already lost his life. This incident has a terrible impact, and Yang Kai must be severely punished to set an example!"
Elder Zhou Fei and Elder You Zizai nodded in agreement.
The Second Elder sneered, "Why is it that Wei Zhuang can get away with just an apology for breaking the sect rules, while Yang Kai must be severely punished? Could it be because Wei Zhuang is your grandson, Senior Brother, that he can enjoy some privileges? If this is true, what credibility will the Lingxiao Pavilion Elders' Council have in front of all the disciples?"
Wei Xitong said solemnly, "Second Brother, you are mistaken. The offense Yang Kai committed cannot be compared to Wei Zhuang's. Wei Zhuang only wore a defensive secret treasure to protect himself, not to harm others. On the other hand, Yang Kai held a killing secret treasure, intending to kill. The severity of their actions should be clear to you, Second Brother!"
Su Xuanwu asked, "May I ask, Senior Brother, who saw Yang Kai holding a killing secret treasure? If there really was such a weapon, why didn't the Disciplinary Hall find it on him? Elder Zhou, does your Disciplinary Hall have any reports on this?"
The Disciplinary Hall was under the jurisdiction of Elder Zhou Fei, who shook his head upon hearing this, "Although we didn't find it, there were so many people present who saw Yang Kai holding a blood-red dagger. This is undeniable. If not for the immense power of that weapon, Wei Zhuang's Xiuyun Chainmail would not have been destroyed."
Su Xuanwu snorted, his internal essence energy swirling, and a slender long sword suddenly burst from his fingertips. This long sword, formed from essence energy, shimmered, clearly indicating its immense power.
"If that's the case, am I also holding a weapon in my hand?" Su Xuanwu looked coldly at the three people opposite him.
"This is just a sophisticated use of essence energy, not a weapon," Elder You Zizai slowly shook his head.
"Senior Brother, are you saying that the Third Layer Kaiyuan Realm Yang Kai can already manipulate essence energy to this extent?" Elder Zhou Fei looked at Su Xuanwu with a half-smile.
This was simply ridiculous. Only when a martial artist reached the True Essence Realm, with essence energy transformed into true essence, could they form such a substantial weapon. Yang Kai, at the mere Third Layer Kaiyuan Realm, was far from the True Essence Realm and could not possibly have such ability.
"I didn't say he could control essence energy to this extent, but have the senior brothers forgotten about martial techniques?" Su Xuanwu grunted.
"It's impossible. Even if he used some unique martial technique, a mere Third Layer Kaiyuan Realm martial artist could not break through the defense of the Xiuyun Chainmail," Wei Xitong shook his head repeatedly.
"Nothing is impossible. It just shows that the senior brothers, long residing in the Lingxiao Pavilion, obsessed with power struggles, have become too rigid in their thinking and are out of touch with the times!"
These words were harsh, and Wei Xitong's face immediately turned cold, "Second Brother, are you determined to protect Yang Kai at all costs?"
"So what if I am!" Su Xuanwu stood up abruptly, "This incident, in simple terms, was just a sparring between juniors. You insist on making a big deal out of it. Fine, I'll satisfy your unreasonable demands. Either punish Yang Kai and Wei Zhuang together, as they both broke the sect rules, and don't let either of them off. Or, let this matter be dropped."
"No way!" Wei Xitong refused outright, "Even if, as you say, Yang Kai used a martial technique to break through the defense of the Xiuyun Chainmail, this person is young but his methods are brutal and cruel. Once he reaches a higher cultivation level, he will surely fall into the path of evil. The Lingxiao Pavilion cannot tolerate such a person!"
"He's only at the Kaiyuan Realm. How do you know he will fall into the path of evil in the future? Can you predict the future, Senior Brother?"
"Second Brother..." Elder Zhou Fei was about to speak but was interrupted by Su Xuanwu's angry shout, pointing at him and scolding, "Elder Zhou, before the Sect Master went into seclusion, he appointed you to manage the Disciplinary Hall. Look at what the Disciplinary Hall has done in these few years. Where is fairness and justice? If the Disciplinary Hall only suppresses dissent and helps others vie for power, what use is it? Tomorrow, I will report to the Sect Master and have the Disciplinary Hall disbanded! Damn, what a joke!"
Elder Zhou Fei was scolded into squinting, but he couldn't refute it, feeling extremely wronged.
"Second Brother, what if I insist on expelling Yang Kai from the Lingxiao Pavilion?" Wei Xitong asked coldly.
"You dare!" Su Xuanwu did not back down.
"Fine, then let's follow the rules set by the Sect Master and vote. Once the Elders' Council decides, I'm sure Second Brother won't object, right?"
"Ha ha, vote?" Su Xuanwu laughed, "Do you think I'm a fool, Senior Brother? Do we even need a vote?"
"If this is not allowed, and that is not allowed, what do you want? Are you even disregarding the rules set by the Sect Master?" Wei Xitong was also enraged.
The Elder Hall was filled with tension, and a fight seemed imminent.
"Calm down, everyone, calm down. Come, have a drink of water, have a drink of water, let's all calm down," the Third Elder, who had not spoken, interjected.
The Third Elder was calm and peaceful. Although he stood on the side of the Second Elder, he generally did not participate in any disputes. His name and catchphrase were the same: "Have a drink of water, have a drink of water!"
Whenever there was friction among the elders, he would give this advice, but it was largely ineffective.
"No!" the Great Elder and the Second Elder shouted in unison, glaring at each other, neither willing to back down.
The Third Elder, helpless, could only drink by himself.
While the elders were arguing, a voice suddenly came from outside the door, "Disciple has important news to report to the elders!"
Elder Zhou Fei frowned and quickly said, "Come in!"
When the Elders' Council was in session, ordinary disciples did not dare to disturb. If someone came now, it must be a major event within the sect.
The elders all knew the situation and naturally paused their argument.
After the disciple entered, Elder Zhou Fei asked, "What is it?"
"Report to the elders, someone has broken into the Disciplinary Hall's prison and rescued Yang Kai and Li Yuntian, among others. They are now confronting Senior Brother Jie Hongchen at the prison gate."
"What?" Elder Zhou Fei stood up immediately, and the other elders showed signs of shock.
"Who is so bold as to dare to break into the prison and rescue people?"
The Lingxiao Pavilion disciple dared not answer, only raising his eyes to glance fearfully at Su Xuanwu.
Su Xuanwu's heart sank, with a sense of foreboding.
The Great Elder took in everything, and had some guesses. He calmly instructed, "Speak."
"It's... it's Su Yan, Senior Sister Su Yan!"
Upon hearing this, the Great Elder's smile became meaningful, and even Elders Zhou Fei and You Zizai gave Su Xuanwu a strange look. The Third Elder continued to drink water.
Su Xuanwu's expression changed repeatedly, his teeth grinding in anger. He shouted, "Did you see clearly? Is the person who broke into the prison really Su Yan?"
The Disciplinary Hall disciple was frightened and quickly said, "Disciple saw clearly. I know Senior Sister Su Yan's name. If Second Elder doesn't believe me, you can go and see for yourself!"
"No need." Su Xuanwu waved his hand, closed his eyes, and after a moment, he truly sensed a cool, clear aura from the prison. This aura, in the entire Lingxiao Pavilion, could only belong to Su Yan.
The girl really doesn't know the gravity of the situation, so bold and reckless!
"Second Brother, what do you think of this?" The Great Elder smiled and sipped his tea, waiting for Su Xuanwu to withdraw his divine sense before asking leisurely.
At this moment, the Great Elder was confident.
If earlier both sides were unwilling to back down, now there was a breakthrough.
The prison was a crucial place where the Lingxiao Pavilion detained errant disciples! Regardless of whether Yang Kai was at fault, as long as he was imprisoned, he had to stay there until the matter was resolved.
Now, Su Yan had rushed in and rescued him. Her act of bravery had violated the Lingxiao Pavilion's rules, a serious offense!
If not handled properly, even Su Yan would be punished!
Wei Xitong knew that Su Xuanwu would not let Su Yan be implicated. Therefore, he had to make a concession, and the one to be sacrificed would naturally be the disciple named Yang Kai!
To be honest, none of the five elders knew Yang Kai. The reason they were making a big deal out of him today was mainly to use him as a pretext to vie for dominance within the Lingxiao Pavilion.
Now, the Great Elder felt he could declare victory.
Once this matter was known, the disciples would naturally believe that the Great Elder's faction could influence the Lingxiao Pavilion's decisions and trends, thus achieving his goal.
Su Xuanwu's face was ashen, struggling for a long time before angrily saying, "If Senior Brother wants to do it, then do it!"
With Su Yan as a leverage, Su Xuanwu had no heart to continue arguing. To protect Su Yan from punishment, Yang Kai had to be sacrificed.
As the saying goes, as long as the green hills remain, there will always be wood to burn. There would be opportunities to settle the score in the future!
"Old man!" Su Mu's eyes widened in disbelief at Su Xuanwu.
"What did you call me?" Su Xuanwu was almost driven mad by this brother and sister.
"Grandfather! You can't do this!" Su Mu quickly changed his words.
"Senior Brother Yang saved my life. You can't abandon him. If you do, you will be ungrateful!"
"Shut up!" Su Xuanwu's face turned red with anger. Although he was extremely unwilling, he was now at the mercy of others. What could he do?
To prevent Su Mu from continuing to argue, Su Xuanwu sent a force through the air, and Su Mu immediately froze, unable to speak or move, only able to watch and listen.
"We'll deal with you later!" Su Xuanwu's nostrils flared.
"Hehe!" The Great Elder smiled contentedly, "Since Second Brother has no objections, this matter is decided."
After saying this, he looked at the disciple below and said, "Pass the order. Trial disciple Yang Kai has repeatedly violated the sect rules and used brutal methods. Order the Disciplinary Hall to capture him and return him to the prison. The Elders' Council will deliberate and decide on his punishment. As for Su Yan... considering her youth and ignorance, and that this is her first offense, we will not hold it against her. What do the other senior brothers think?"
The other elders had no objections.
"Go!" The Great Elder waved his hand, and a token flew out, landing in the disciple's hand.
The Elder's token was as good as the Elder himself! With this token, Su Yan would not dare to act rashly.
"Yes!" The Disciplinary Hall disciple received the order and quickly left.
A moment later, a short, sharp scream came from the door, followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground. The elders' expressions changed, and they were about to get up to check when a voice came from outside.
"What a great show of power, elders." The voice sounded, and an old man with thin, white hair slowly walked in. He was holding the Disciplinary Hall disciple who had just left, now unconscious, and the Elder's token had been taken by the old man.
This old man walked to where Wei Zhuang and Su Mu were kneeling and casually kicked Wei Zhuang to the side, "Get out of the way, don't block the path!"
Wei Zhuang flew out with a scream.
The five elders in the Elder Hall looked serious. Wei Xitong narrowed his eyes and said, "Shopkeeper Meng?"
The person who came was none other than Meng Wuyuan from the Contribution Hall!
Speaking of this person, the five elders were all puzzled.
Over a decade ago, he suddenly appeared at the Lingxiao Pavilion. No one knew what his relationship with the Sect Master was, but he moved into the pavilion and took charge of the Contribution Hall. The elders had asked the Sect Master about him multiple times, but the Sect Master was always vague, leaving them baffled.
However, the five elders all knew that this person was an expert, and an expert who was not inferior to themselves.
Fortunately, this person had no ulterior motives, spending his days in the Contribution Hall, behaving properly. Therefore, the elders did not pay much attention to him.
But today, he had come uninvited to the Elder Hall.
Wei Xitong had a vague feeling that facing this Shopkeeper Meng was even more pressure than facing the Sect Master! Therefore, Wei Xitong did not dare to be disrespectful to Shopkeeper Meng.
With a smile, Wei Xitong said, "I wonder what brings Shopkeeper Meng to our Elder Hall?"
Meng Wuyuan did not answer, only smiling at Su Xuanwu, who was puzzled by the stare, thinking, "What's he looking at? I don't have flowers on my face."
"Do you think your decision is correct?" Meng Wuyuan suddenly asked.