Chapter 21
Coercion, Bribery, and Deliberate Difficulty
The following morning, a notice posted on the outer gate bulletin board spread throughout the entire outer gate in an instant, causing quite a stir.
The words were written in black and white, bearing the sect's seal, and every single one was aimed at Xie Yanchen, without any attempt to conceal their true intentions.
Notice: Outer disciple Xie Yanchen has exhibited abnormal behavior during the assessment period, suspected of privately practicing unknown cultivation techniques and disrupting sect order. Effective immediately, all of his monthly cultivation resources are frozen, his access to the second floor of the Cultivation Technique Pavilion is suspended for three months, and his use of Cultivation Room No. 7 (Grade A) is revoked. Further action will be taken after investigation is completed.
Three penalties, each precise and fatal.
Freeze resources and cut off daily cultivation supplies; suspend access to cultivation techniques and cut off the path to advanced levels; reclaim cultivation rooms and cut off efficient cultivation sites.
A dull knife cuts flesh, neither killing nor punishing, yet it forcefully blocks all paths forward; like boiling a frog in lukewarm water, it slowly grinds down your cultivation and exhausts your spirit.
A group of outer disciples gathered around the bulletin board, discussing amongst themselves with complex expressions.
"In the end, he was too arrogant. He dared to defy the elders right after winning the championship, and now he's being targeted."
"Wang Demao is the most narrow-minded and vengeful. Now Xie Yanchen has no way out."
"Without resources, without a cultivation room, and without access to cultivation techniques, one's cultivation will inevitably stagnate and regress within half a month, and the hard-won glory of being the champion will be completely wasted."
Mocking, pity, and spectator voices rose and fell.
At the entrance of the Resource Hall, disciples lined up in an endless stream to receive their monthly spirit stones and pills.
Xie Yanchen stepped forward calmly and handed over his identity token.
The money steward, nicknamed "Money Skinner," is in charge of distributing resources. He is a master at tailoring resources to different people and withholding them from others. He is Wang Demao's trusted confidant.
He glanced at the token without even lifting his eyelids, his tone indifferent and harsh: "Xie Yanchen, your resources are frozen, you have no right to claim them. Get out of the way immediately and don't delay others."
"Based on what?" Xie Yanchen asked calmly.
"Elder Wang gave the order personally, and the sect's announcement serves as proof; no further evidence is needed." Qian Bopi casually tossed the token back, his face full of impatience. "The elder's decision to investigate you is the strongest evidence. As a low-level disciple, just behave yourself; why be delusional and seek your own death?"
It was blatant and deliberate obstruction, and an undisguised abuse of power to oppress people.
101 Reading - Read books at 101 Reading Website, 0kw.com - Super reliable, all-hand-typed and error-free site.
Xie Yanchen accepted the token without arguing or getting angry, and silently turned and left.
Arguing is pointless, and debating is useless.
All the difficulties stemmed from Wang Demao's greed and resentment. Verbal disputes cannot acquire resources or resolve the predicament.
Only strength, trump cards, and irrefutable evidence can break the deadlock and turn the tide.
Walking on the dirt road back to the stone house, the terminal quickly compiled all of Wang Demao's dirty laundry and evidence, listing them clearly one by one.
Target: Wang Demao (Late Foundation Establishment Stage, Outer Sect Elder in Charge)
Summary of evidence of disciplinary violations:
1. Long-term withholding of monthly resources from outer disciples, embezzling spirit stones and pills for personal gain;
2. Colluding with the mine manager to illegally mine the sect's shallow spirit stone mines and sell them privately for profit;
3. Tampering with the borrowing records of the cultivation techniques pavilion, misappropriating the sect's cultivation techniques resources, and gifting them to direct disciples;
4. Accepting bribes from inner disciples, abusing power for personal gain, and illegally allocating cultivation rooms and determining assessment rankings;
5. Colluding with Zhou Yuanshan in secret, sharing benefits, and manipulating the rewards, punishments, promotions, and demotions of outer disciples.
The evidence is overwhelming, and every single one of the charges is irrefutable.
However, most of the evidence was not fatal enough, only enough to punish and hold them accountable, but not enough to completely bring down the deeply rooted outer sect elders.
To strike decisively and eliminate future threats, one must find the fatal flaw that undermines its very foundation.
As my thoughts raced, a hunched figure quietly came into view in front of the stone house.
Granny Liu, the old woman from the outer kitchen, had a full head of white hair, a hunched back, and a coarse bamboo basket in her hand. She waited at the door with faltering steps.
During Xie Yanchen's three most destitute years at the bottom of society, when he was bullied by everyone and ignored by everyone, only this old woman from the bottom of society would secretly give him leftover food and hot porridge, giving him the only warmth and kindness in the world.
In a desperate situation where no one is kind to you, this small act of kindness is all the more precious.
"Yanchen, I heard you've been wronged." Granny Liu said kindly, handing over a warm bowl of porridge. Her voice was full of concern. "Don't take the outside world's troubles to heart. Eat well, cultivate yourself well, and you have nothing to fear."
A bowl of warm brown rice porridge and a dish of pickled vegetables—simple and ordinary, yet they warm the heart.
Xie Yanchen took the bamboo basket, his heart stirred slightly, and he thanked her softly.
Granny Liu was not good with words, she just smiled kindly, waved her hand and turned to leave, her hunched figure disappearing at the end of the dirt road.
Looking at the warm bowl of porridge, Xie Yanchen's coldness subsided slightly, and his resolve grew stronger.
He not only has to break through his predicament and turn the tide for himself, but also protect the last remaining kindness in the world and protect all the innocent disciples from being manipulated, bullied, and exploited by the powerful.
"The terminal will include Granny Liu in the list of those with the highest level of security protection."
"We will provide advance warnings and full protection against any suppression, harassment, or trouble targeting her."
The warm porridge warmed my stomach and dispelled the slight chill.
Xie Yanchen cleared his mind of distractions, his gaze becoming increasingly resolute.
Wang Demao, Zhou Yuanshan, sectarian undercurrents, experimental prisons... The road ahead is full of thorns, but he moves forward step by step, fearless and undaunted.
The words were written in black and white, bearing the sect's seal, and every single one was aimed at Xie Yanchen, without any attempt to conceal their true intentions.
Notice: Outer disciple Xie Yanchen has exhibited abnormal behavior during the assessment period, suspected of privately practicing unknown cultivation techniques and disrupting sect order. Effective immediately, all of his monthly cultivation resources are frozen, his access to the second floor of the Cultivation Technique Pavilion is suspended for three months, and his use of Cultivation Room No. 7 (Grade A) is revoked. Further action will be taken after investigation is completed.
Three penalties, each precise and fatal.
Freeze resources and cut off daily cultivation supplies; suspend access to cultivation techniques and cut off the path to advanced levels; reclaim cultivation rooms and cut off efficient cultivation sites.
A dull knife cuts flesh, neither killing nor punishing, yet it forcefully blocks all paths forward; like boiling a frog in lukewarm water, it slowly grinds down your cultivation and exhausts your spirit.
A group of outer disciples gathered around the bulletin board, discussing amongst themselves with complex expressions.
"In the end, he was too arrogant. He dared to defy the elders right after winning the championship, and now he's being targeted."
"Wang Demao is the most narrow-minded and vengeful. Now Xie Yanchen has no way out."
"Without resources, without a cultivation room, and without access to cultivation techniques, one's cultivation will inevitably stagnate and regress within half a month, and the hard-won glory of being the champion will be completely wasted."
Mocking, pity, and spectator voices rose and fell.
At the entrance of the Resource Hall, disciples lined up in an endless stream to receive their monthly spirit stones and pills.
Xie Yanchen stepped forward calmly and handed over his identity token.
The money steward, nicknamed "Money Skinner," is in charge of distributing resources. He is a master at tailoring resources to different people and withholding them from others. He is Wang Demao's trusted confidant.
He glanced at the token without even lifting his eyelids, his tone indifferent and harsh: "Xie Yanchen, your resources are frozen, you have no right to claim them. Get out of the way immediately and don't delay others."
"Based on what?" Xie Yanchen asked calmly.
"Elder Wang gave the order personally, and the sect's announcement serves as proof; no further evidence is needed." Qian Bopi casually tossed the token back, his face full of impatience. "The elder's decision to investigate you is the strongest evidence. As a low-level disciple, just behave yourself; why be delusional and seek your own death?"
It was blatant and deliberate obstruction, and an undisguised abuse of power to oppress people.
101 Reading - Read books at 101 Reading Website, 0kw.com - Super reliable, all-hand-typed and error-free site.
Xie Yanchen accepted the token without arguing or getting angry, and silently turned and left.
Arguing is pointless, and debating is useless.
All the difficulties stemmed from Wang Demao's greed and resentment. Verbal disputes cannot acquire resources or resolve the predicament.
Only strength, trump cards, and irrefutable evidence can break the deadlock and turn the tide.
Walking on the dirt road back to the stone house, the terminal quickly compiled all of Wang Demao's dirty laundry and evidence, listing them clearly one by one.
Target: Wang Demao (Late Foundation Establishment Stage, Outer Sect Elder in Charge)
Summary of evidence of disciplinary violations:
1. Long-term withholding of monthly resources from outer disciples, embezzling spirit stones and pills for personal gain;
2. Colluding with the mine manager to illegally mine the sect's shallow spirit stone mines and sell them privately for profit;
3. Tampering with the borrowing records of the cultivation techniques pavilion, misappropriating the sect's cultivation techniques resources, and gifting them to direct disciples;
4. Accepting bribes from inner disciples, abusing power for personal gain, and illegally allocating cultivation rooms and determining assessment rankings;
5. Colluding with Zhou Yuanshan in secret, sharing benefits, and manipulating the rewards, punishments, promotions, and demotions of outer disciples.
The evidence is overwhelming, and every single one of the charges is irrefutable.
However, most of the evidence was not fatal enough, only enough to punish and hold them accountable, but not enough to completely bring down the deeply rooted outer sect elders.
To strike decisively and eliminate future threats, one must find the fatal flaw that undermines its very foundation.
As my thoughts raced, a hunched figure quietly came into view in front of the stone house.
Granny Liu, the old woman from the outer kitchen, had a full head of white hair, a hunched back, and a coarse bamboo basket in her hand. She waited at the door with faltering steps.
During Xie Yanchen's three most destitute years at the bottom of society, when he was bullied by everyone and ignored by everyone, only this old woman from the bottom of society would secretly give him leftover food and hot porridge, giving him the only warmth and kindness in the world.
In a desperate situation where no one is kind to you, this small act of kindness is all the more precious.
"Yanchen, I heard you've been wronged." Granny Liu said kindly, handing over a warm bowl of porridge. Her voice was full of concern. "Don't take the outside world's troubles to heart. Eat well, cultivate yourself well, and you have nothing to fear."
A bowl of warm brown rice porridge and a dish of pickled vegetables—simple and ordinary, yet they warm the heart.
Xie Yanchen took the bamboo basket, his heart stirred slightly, and he thanked her softly.
Granny Liu was not good with words, she just smiled kindly, waved her hand and turned to leave, her hunched figure disappearing at the end of the dirt road.
Looking at the warm bowl of porridge, Xie Yanchen's coldness subsided slightly, and his resolve grew stronger.
He not only has to break through his predicament and turn the tide for himself, but also protect the last remaining kindness in the world and protect all the innocent disciples from being manipulated, bullied, and exploited by the powerful.
"The terminal will include Granny Liu in the list of those with the highest level of security protection."
"We will provide advance warnings and full protection against any suppression, harassment, or trouble targeting her."
The warm porridge warmed my stomach and dispelled the slight chill.
Xie Yanchen cleared his mind of distractions, his gaze becoming increasingly resolute.
Wang Demao, Zhou Yuanshan, sectarian undercurrents, experimental prisons... The road ahead is full of thorns, but he moves forward step by step, fearless and undaunted.