Filthy Cultivation: I Pierced the Heavens with the Merit System

Upon hearing this, Li Fuyao followed Bai Suifeng and asked calmly:

"Sister Qingqing, did those three brats go and complain to Elder Ye?"

A hint of worry flashed in Lin Qingqing's almond-shaped eyes, and she nodded softly in response:

"You two aren't the type to cause trouble, so why did you beat the Xia family's child like that? Did they start it?"

Qu Xiu also pinched her brow and turned around to look at their expressions, sighing:

“Their families made great contributions to the post-disaster reconstruction. Now that this has happened, Elder Ye will have to give an explanation in order to appease the people. You two will probably not escape punishment this time.”

"Don't worry, senior sisters."

Upon hearing this, Li Fuyao showed no sign of panic or unease on her face. Instead, she calmly reassured her two senior sisters:

"In terms of merit, I have far more than them. Besides, they were the ones who started the trouble first. Elder Ye will not blame me."

The two senior sisters wanted to say something more, but they were already close to Ye Wuxin's room. Hearing the commotion and sobbing coming from inside, they could only give Li Fuyao a "good luck" look, knock on the door, and go in.

"Master (Elder Ye), we have brought the person."

Upon hearing this, Ye Wuxin shifted his gaze from the group of weeping maids and servants in front of him and waved to Lin Qingqing and Qu Xiu, saying:

"Well, now that they're here, you can all leave. Make sure they get back to their clan and don't cause any trouble."

Both senior sisters glanced at Li Fuyao and Bai Suifeng with worried expressions, then reluctantly accepted the order and withdrew.

"It was you! It was you two who injured my young master!"

Seeing that the perpetrators were just two immature children, the maids and servants felt reassured and immediately pointed at them, crying and pleading with Ye Wuxin:

"Elder Ye, our young master has been pampered and spoiled since childhood, and has never suffered such injustice. Now that he has been beaten like this by the two of them, our Xia family must ask you to uphold justice!"

Now that they have left Yuanshan Town, and since the three families all come from the same place, they must support each other.

Seeing this, the merchants and the Zhou family, at the behest of their young masters and ladies, naturally joined in the commotion, saying:

"Please, you must give us justice!"

Ye Wuxin had a headache from the noise and crying inside the room.

He knew what kind of people Li Fuyao and Bai Suifeng were. Although he knew there must be more to the story, he couldn't be too obviously biased. So he pretended to be annoyed and tapped their foreheads, gently scolding them:

"You two little rascals, look what you've done!"

"The victim has already filed a complaint with me, so why don't you hurry up and confess what you did?"

Just as Li Fuyao was about to speak, the members of the three major families hurriedly spoke up to dissuade him:

“But, but we already said it once! Elder Ye, you are busy with official duties, so…”

"Or what? Are you telling me how to do things?"

Ye Wuxin glanced impatiently at the person who spoke, making the person's back of his clothes instantly soaked with sweat, his face pale, and he shut his mouth, not daring to say another word.

Seeing that the room had quieted down, he then raised his chin towards Li Fuyao and the other person with doting eyes:

"Tell me, what's going on?"

Li Fuyao didn't even glance at those people. Upon hearing this, she obediently nodded and recounted everything that had just happened.

Ye Wuxin's face darkened halfway through the conversation, and by the time Li Fuyao finished speaking in a clear voice, her usually kind eyes had turned dark and sharp as knives, making the faces of those kneeling beside her turn deathly pale.

"Oh? This is what you call bullying others by abusing one's power?"

Seeing that one of his companions was unconscious and the other was only crying, and that the surrounding servants were also timid and unreliable, Zhou Baogui immediately gritted his teeth and slandered:

"What she said isn't true; what we said is!"

"Elder Ye, she...she's lying!"

"She's lying? But the entire Bright Moon Spirit Boat is under my divine sense. What do you think happened that I truly know nothing about?"

Ye Wuxin glanced at Zhou Baogui with disgust, picked up the spiritual tea beside him and drank it all in one gulp. Then he threw the teacup heavily on the head of the servant who had been barking the loudest, and sternly reprimanded him:

"What a blatant bullying! What a hypocrite who falsely accuses others!"

"Do you Xia, Shang, and Zhou families all think I'm a fool?"

Bai Suifeng stood beside Li Fuyao, and seeing that the guy who had just been pointing fingers at him was now silent as a cicada in fear, he couldn't help but maliciously kick him while he was down:

"Elder Ye, my sister and I originally didn't want to argue with them because we might become fellow disciples in the future. But we never expected them to be so narrow-minded, causing us to suffer such injustice."

As he spoke, he caught Li Fuyao's approving gaze out of the corner of his eye, and encouraged, he puffed out his chest and pointed at the servant who had just been crying:

“My younger sister has been pampered and spoiled since she was a child, and has never suffered such injustice. Now, they have bullied her first and then slandered her by the older ones. My brother and I are determined to ask you to uphold justice!”

"Hey, brother, we can't do this."

Li Fuyao gently patted Bai Suifeng's arm. Seeing the surprise in his eyes, she straightened her face and said righteously:

“We did those things for the greater good, not to coerce Elder Ye into doing this or that like they do. How can we trouble the elder to uphold justice like they do?”

After saying that, she winked mischievously at the people from the three major families, then smiled sweetly and said to Ye Wuxin in a coquettish tone:

"However, they are a family that has rendered meritorious service after all, and we don't want to put Elder Ye in a difficult position. Since they were so eager to ask you to uphold justice just now, why don't you do them a favor and grant their request?"

"What are you pretending to be, a good person? What are you all pretending to be good people for!"

Upon hearing this, the young girl Yingluo couldn't hold back any longer. She shook off Zhou Baogui's hand, which was desperately pulling her away, stood up, pointed at Li Fuyao and Bai Suifeng, and screamed:

"The deck is so big, what's wrong with us? You injured Brother Xia and didn't even apologize, and you're colluding with him to be so arrogant. Our family has rendered meritorious service, what gives you the right?"

"My achievements are no less than those of your family."

Instead of being angry, Li Fuyao laughed upon seeing this, and spread her hands, asking in return:

"You started this whole thing, you laid the first hand on me, what did I do to deserve this? I'm just eating fruit, sunbathing, and enjoying the breeze, what right do I have to apologize to these noobs who bullied me?"

"You two are so arrogant for biting and spitting out your own flesh and blood, but we two poor little bastards who have a reason and evidence to defend ourselves are acting all high and mighty?"

Seeing the girl speechless, she grinned, showing off her small white teeth, and put her hands on her hips.

"Besides, we're not the ones in the wrong. So what if my brother and I are arrogant?"

"Alright, alright, you little brat, you're really persistent even when you're in the right."

Ye Wuxin, both amused and annoyed, pinched Li Fuyao's cheek to tell her to shut up:

"If you keep talking like that, I might as well turn my Bright Moon Boat into a toothpick shop!"

He nodded with satisfaction at Bai Suifeng, then, seeing the little girl beside him smiling with her eyes crinkled, he patted her head affectionately. When he turned to face the others, his expression darkened.

"Since you are begging for justice, then I will grant your request!"