The original repairer

Chapter 194: Embarrassment and the Fox

Shi Chen said, "That's good. Sect Master, you can prepare the spiritual medicine. The elixir refining should mainly focus on the advanced stage, with the emphasis on the cultivation elixirs of the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages and above. This is the only way to win over the backbone of the sect. I will start refining the elixir as soon as possible, hoping to be able to help the sect."

Fang Huan said, "Thank you, Shi Chen."

Fang Huan looked at Shi Chen and breathed a sigh of relief. With Shi Chen's help, he was confident he could get through this difficult time.

Just as the two were about to leave the Immortal Inn and return to Qingxuan Sect, an angry shout was heard outside the Immortal Inn.

"Shi Chen, come out and see me!"

After a cup of tea, Shi Chen finally walked out of the Xian Inn leisurely. Seeing two people walking on the road in front of the Xian Inn, the streets of the market were already crowded with people waiting to watch the fun.

A slightly plump man, dressed in a dark robe embroidered with intricate golden patterns, betrayed his noble status. His hair and beard were both graying, but neatly combed. His face, marked by the marks of time, revealed a calmness and wisdom that comes with years of experience. His eyes were deep and piercing, as if he could see through everything.

A tall, thin man with a goatee wore a gorgeous purple brocade robe, adorned with glittering gemstones that shimmered in the sunlight. His hair was meticulously combed, his beard neatly trimmed. His face was slightly gaunt, with prominent cheekbones, and his eyes held a sly, sinister look. He was puffing his beard and glaring at Shi Chen.

"Shi Chen, do you admit your guilt?" the tall and thin Taoist in brocade robe shouted angrily.

"Excuse me, who are you? We don't know each other. What crime have I committed?" Shi Chen said calmly.

"Hmph, I am the Great Elder, and he is the Second Elder. As a disciple of the Qingxuan Sect, you openly violate the sect's rules. Isn't that a crime?" The slightly plump Great Elder glared at him.

"The sect's rules? When have I ever violated them? Nothing I have done has ever violated the sect's laws, so how can I be guilty?" Shi Chen responded neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"You still dare to quibble! You secretly refined the elixir and did not offer it to the sect. Isn't this an act of rebellion?" The second elder also shouted.

"The pills I refine, firstly, do not use the sect's spiritual medicine resources, secondly, there is no contract with the sect, and thirdly, the pill formula also costs spirit stones to study. Shouldn't I handle it myself? The two elders, please don't slander me here." Shi Chen looked at them firmly.

"You kid, how dare you talk back! I will punish you for your disrespect first, and I will teach you a lesson today!" The Great Elder said as he was about to take action.

"Two elders, the right and wrong will be judged by the public. You are so unreasonable. Aren't you afraid that it will disappoint everyone in the sect?" Shi Chen said fearlessly.

"You..." The first elder and the second elder were very angry at Shi Chen's words, but they didn't know how to refute for a moment.

"You are disrespectful to your teacher. He entrusted you with an important task, but you shirked your responsibilities. This has caused difficulties for your fellow disciples in cultivation and has plagued them with inner demons. What crime should you be punished for?" The second elder shouted angrily.

"Second Elder, please don't lie. Since I joined the sect, no master has entrusted me with any important task. How can you shirk responsibility? My fellow disciples are having difficulty in cultivation and are plagued by inner demons? As far as I know, that person is a member of the Second Elder's clan. He couldn't complete the task assigned by his master and was afraid of his master's punishment. So he gave birth to evil thoughts in his heart and was plagued by inner demons. His mind is weak and he is not responsible, but he still blames the sect's disciples for this?" Shi Chen said righteously.

"You!" The Second Elder's expression turned even uglier when Shi Chen revealed the truth. "Stop your nonsense and slander my people!"

"Whether I'm talking nonsense or not, the Second Elder knows it in his heart." Shi Chen was not afraid at all. "It's certain people with ulterior motives who are deliberately stirring up trouble, hoping to arrest me and eliminate that demon in their heart, right?"

"Shut up, all the incidents are caused by you. I am punishing you for your disrespect and crime on behalf of Elder Li. What else do you have to say?" The second elder said coldly with a gloomy face.

"If you want to accuse someone of a crime, you can always find a pretext. Since the Second Elder wants to punish me, I have nothing to say. However, I, Shi Chen, have always done things with a clear conscience, and I am not afraid of the criticism from the two elders today! What's more, I have not yet become Elder Li's disciple, so how can I be charged with disrespecting my teacher? The Second Elder knows the reason very well." Shi Chen responded neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Stop talking nonsense and take him back to the sect first. We will make a decision after holding a sect meeting." The elder said in a cold voice, with spiritual power flowing through his body, ready to arrest Shi Chen.

"The Great Elder has such great prestige and power!" Fang Huan walked out of the Immortal Inn and said to the Great Elder.

"So the Sect Master is here too," the Great Elder said as he saw Fang Huan emerge from the Immortal Inn and stand beside Shi Chen. A flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. He already had a plan in mind. "Since the Sect Master is here, please order the arrest of the sect's criminals and bring them back to the sect's law enforcement hall."

"Great Elder, are you going to order me to do something?" Fang Huan's aura was fully released, pressing down on the Great and Second Elders. "Even if Shi Chen is guilty, that's the Law Enforcement Hall's business. Great Elder, aren't you overstepping your authority?"

"Fang Huan, what do you mean? As the Grand Elder, don't I have the right to deal with the sect's disciples?" said the Grand Elder.

"What crime has Shi Chen committed? Disrespecting the master? Who did he become his disciple? Which peak, which hall did he join? Did he have a ceremony? I remember that he started as a lowly errand disciple, passed the sect's alchemist certification, and was promoted to an inner disciple. Now he's just a second-rank alchemist in the sect." Fang Huan stared at the first elder. The second elder said slowly, "Disrespecting the master? Did he pull your hair? Or your beard?"

They were silent for ten breaths, staring at each other, oppressing each other.

"Alright, very good, Fang Huan, are you going to protect Shi Chen?" The Great Elder's face darkened. "Shi Chen, you now have two choices: commit suicide and apologize, or have your cultivation abolished and be expelled from the sect!"

"Great Elder, are you threatening me?" Fang Huan said lightly.

"Fang Huan, are you condoning Shi Chen?" the second elder also said coldly.

"I said, what crime did Shi Chen commit? Who convicted him?" Fang Huan emphasized again.

"He secretly refined the elixir and did not offer it to the sect. This is a crime of disobedience!" said the Great Elder.

"Oh?" Fang Huan laughed. "Great Elder, are you just making a specious argument? Shi Chen made the elixir himself, so he has the right to decide how to dispose of it. Furthermore, his elixir doesn't harm the sect's interests. Why do you want him to give it to the sect?"

"Fang Huan, are you favoring Shi Chen?" said the second elder.

"I'm just being reasonable," Fang Huan said. "If you want to punish Shi Chen, then produce evidence. Otherwise, I won't let you succeed."

"Evidence?" the Great Elder said, "Fang Huan, don't think I'm afraid of you just because you're the Sect Master. Shi Chen must return to the Sect with us today!"

"I respectfully call you the Great Elder, since you are being unreasonable! Don't blame me for being ruthless, Ling Daoji!" Fang Huan said the Great Elder's full name in a cold voice.