A useless person with five spiritual roots? I sacrificed the proud daughter of heaven.

Sheng He nodded, not taking it to heart, and casually asked, "What about Senior Sister Yun? Is she going too?"

"Xiaoyun? Didn't she arrive a while ago?"

Mu Yao handed Sheng He a sizzling grass carp and pointed outside the door.

Sheng He looked in the direction Mu Yao was pointing and saw Song Jinzhi and A Yuan standing in the pond in front of the cabin. The water in the pond was above their thighs, and they were bending over, looking for something in the pond.

Yun Qianshan stood on the shore with his hands on his hips, directing the two. Every now and then, A Yuan and Yun Qianshan would catch a fish and throw it onto the shore, and Yun Qianshan would happily put the fish into his storage bag.

"Hurry up! You two hurry up! Xiaohe loves grilled fish the most. Whoever catches more fish, I'll put in a good word for you with Xiaohe!"

Upon hearing this, the two fished even more diligently.

A Yuan was a mermaid, so he didn't even need to catch them himself; fish kept swimming into his hands. He threw the fish onto the shore and looked at Yun Qianshan with eyes full of joy: "Sister Yun, you must tell Xiao He that I caught all these fish!"

Yun Qianshan's eyes crinkled with laughter as he quickly stuffed the fish into his storage bag: "Of course, of course!"

Song Jinzhi was not convinced, so he secretly drew a formation in the water. A large group of fish were trapped in the formation and then suddenly ejected from the water.

Song Jinzhi raised an eyebrow and looked at A Yuan with a smug expression.

Yun Qianshan was busy picking up fish and had no time to notice the undercurrents between the two.

Sheng He stared blankly at the three people working hard by the pond, then looked down at the grilled fish that she had already taken a bite out of.

"Is this how this fish came to be?"

"Yes! I don't know what's different about the water in your pond compared to other places, but the fish in it have exceptionally tender flesh. Even though I'm fasting, I can't help but catch a couple to eat from time to time."

"This is great! With their help, they caught so many fish at once. We won't have to catch fish ourselves for a long time."

Mu Yao's eyebrows curved into smiles, her face radiating satisfaction.

Sheng He thought about it carefully and it seemed to make sense.

Song Jinzhi and A Yuan seemed to be competing with each other, and their speed in catching fish increased by leaps and bounds. Seeing that the fish fry they had put in the pond earlier were almost all caught, Yun Qianshan quickly called a stop, and Song Jinzhi and A Yuan reluctantly went ashore.

The group of five walked in a grand procession toward the square, where a large crowd had already gathered. On the high platform, two disciples of the Discipline Department were escorting an outer disciple.

The crowd below was bustling, with most of the Qingyun Sect disciples present. After all, such an opportunity to interrogate a disciple in front of the entire sect in the square was a once-in-a-decade occurrence.

Many people were discussing the identities of the outer disciples on the stage. Mu Yao and Yun Qianshan skillfully took out a small bag of melon seeds from their storage bags and handed a handful to Sheng He. They then looked at Song Jinzhi and A Yuan, who were watching eagerly, and remembered that they had worked hard to catch fish, so they gave each of them a small handful as well.

Song Jinzhi and A Yuan were flattered to receive the melon seeds and thanked him. However, they immediately gave all the melon seeds to Sheng He as if they were treasures. The two almost got into a fight on the spot because they were arguing about who got the first melon seeds.

Mu Yao, Yun Qianshan, and Sheng He: ...Stand back quietly, lest others think we know them.

Before long, the elder of the Discipline Department arrived. He glanced at the outer disciple who was tightly bound by the spirit-binding rope, his head hanging low and his face full of despair, then straightened his face and cleared his throat.

"quiet!"

The square fell silent instantly, even A Yuan and Song Jinzhi stopped what they were doing, and everyone's eyes were focused on the high platform.

"All of you present here today are disciples of my Qingyun Sect. You must have already read the Qingyun Sect Rules. The third rule states that anyone who harms fellow disciples or kills one another shall have their cultivation abolished and be expelled from the Qingyun Sect!"

"Yesterday, our Discipline Department obtained conclusive evidence that outer disciple Wu Yan colluded with the Seven Killings Pavilion to harm his fellow disciples for personal gain! Wu Yan, do you admit it?"

The two disciples from the Discipline Department loosened their grip on Wu Yan. His disheveled hair covered most of his face, and Wu Yan swayed as he straightened up, his vision blurred.

"I...I admit it."

These words immediately caused an uproar in the audience.

"It's Wu Yan! He's always been a loner, only close to Junior Sister Yanran of Sword Peak. I never expected him to collude with the Seven Kill Pavilion!"

"How dare he harm his fellow disciples! Hasn't he already reached the Foundation Establishment stage? The inner disciple selection is next month; his future is bright. Why would he harm his fellow disciples?!"

"You can know a person's face but not their heart!"

Hearing the whispers around her, Sheng He remained silent. She looked at Wu Yan on the stage. Several years had passed, and she had almost forgotten about him. She hadn't even recognized him just now as the spirited young man who had protected Zhao Yanran on the flying boat.

Mu Yao gently tugged at Sheng He's sleeve and whispered, "Xiao He, this Wu Yan sounds familiar. Do we know each other?"

“When I first joined the Qingyun Sect, you took me to the Discipline Department to collect spirit stones, and we met him there.”

Mu Yao nodded in sudden realization.

The elder of the Discipline Department's gaze hardened, his face stern, and he once again shouted, "Silence!"

"The Qingyun Sect abhors fratricide above all else. Outer disciple Wu Yan has violated the sect rules and his crime is unforgivable. He is being interrogated here today so that all disciples may take this as a warning and never repeat it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the elder of the Discipline Department turned around solemnly and struck Wu Yan's dantian with a palm. Wu Yan's dantian ruptured instantly, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood, his whole body convulsing.

"Yan...Yanran, I did all this...for you..."

Wu Yan stretched out his hand in a daze. His dantian was shattered, and all the spiritual power in his body was leaking out wildly. All his efforts over the past few years had been in vain in just a few breaths.

His future, his path of cultivation, were all ruined the moment he decided to go to the Seven Kill Pavilion.

"Yan...Yanran..."

He murmured in despair, his body limp and lifeless.

"Guards! Throw this disloyal and unrighteous traitor out of the Qingyun Sect as a warning to others!"

"Yes!"

Two disciples from the Discipline Department carried the heavily injured Wu Yan on either side and threw him out of the Qingyun Sect like a rag doll.

The elder of the Discipline Department did not say anything more. He glanced at Sheng He, who was standing in the crowd, without leaving a trace. He was startled when Tian Yu suddenly mentioned Wu Yan to the Discipline Department yesterday. It turned out that it was for his little disciple.

But how come his little disciple is so easily embroiled in trouble? She's been interrogated by the sect leader in the Discipline Department twice, and she's like a mortal enemy to Xuanxiao's two good-for-nothing disciples. This time, there's even a disciple who's conspired with the Seven Killings Pavilion to kill her.

The mere presence of Sheng He has added a great deal of burden to the Discipline Department. The elder of the Discipline Department sighed, turned back from where he had already stepped out, and earnestly advised all the disciples to read the sect rules more often, to cultivate diligently on a daily basis, and never to cause trouble.