39: framing someone

"Oh?"

Hearing Zhang Ping's sinister words, Disciple Liu, an Inner Sect Disciple who was already preparing to leave, stopped. He turned around, and a genuine hint of interest finally appeared in his arrogant eyes.

"A permanent solution? Tell me about it."

"Hehe..." Zhang Ping let out a cold laugh like a night owl. His already fawning face twisted at this moment due to his malicious schemes. "Senior Brother Liu, this Little Bastard is no longer a good-for-nothing. Now, he's the 'Body Refining Genius' everyone in the Outer Sect reveres, a 'Rough Jade' praised personally by the Grand Elder!"

When he spoke the words "Genius" and "Rough Jade," his tone was filled with undisguised, intense jealousy and venom.

"Genius?" Disciple Liu scoffed disdainfully. "He just got lucky and practiced some low-tier Body Refining martial arts. People like him will still be at the bottom once they reach the Inner Sect."

"Senior Brother Liu is right!" Zhang Ping quickly nodded and bowed in agreement, then changed the subject, lowering his voice even further, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue. "But... precisely because of this, he's given us an incredible opportunity!"

"What opportunity?"

A crazy and greedy glint flashed in Zhang Ping's eyes. He leaned forward and, in a voice only the two of them could hear, said word by word, "An... opportunity to ruin his reputation, ensure he never recovers, and by the way... find a perfect scapegoat for us!"

Above the eaves, Lin Ye's heart suddenly sank!

He knew the most crucial part was coming!

"Senior Brother Liu, think," Zhang Ping's speaking speed began to quicken, sounding somewhat excited. "The biggest hidden danger in our resource reselling business is the Sect's accounts. The resources consumed by the Outer Sect each year are fixed. The Medicinal Pills and medicinal herbs we've resold over the past few years add up to no small sum. If an Elder investigates thoroughly in the future, how will we explain this deficit?"

Hearing this, Disciple Liu's expression also changed slightly. This was indeed the only flaw in their business deal.

"Therefore," Zhang Ping sneered, revealing the core of his vicious plan, "we need someone to bear all these charges! Someone who can make everyone believe that he was the one who embezzled, that he stole those resources... a scapegoat!"

"And this Lin Ye is simply the most perfect scapegoat Heaven sent us!"

A hint of realization finally flashed in Disciple Liu's eyes. He looked at Zhang Ping with interest, signaling him to continue.

Seeing that his scheme had caught the other party's attention, Zhang Ping became even more smug. He lowered his voice, like a devil's whisper:

"Senior Brother Liu, what are Lin Ye's characteristics?"

"First, he's about to leave the Outer Sect! A 'dead man' who's about to leave is the best target for framing! Even if the charges are established and the Deacon Hall wants to investigate, he'll already be in the Inner Sect, and the Outer Sect's reach won't extend that far. Once the storm passes, who will remember this matter?"

"Second, he has no background! If an orphaned handyman is wronged, who will stand up for him? Who would dare to stand up for him?"

"The most important point!" Zhang Ping's voice was filled with malicious glee. "His performance in this Minor Competition was too 'Prodigious'! A good-for-nothing with poor Aptitude, in just three short months, cultivated an impenetrable body! This itself is illogical!"

"At that time, we just need to fabricate some evidence and guide public opinion in the direction of 'the reason he progressed so rapidly is because he embezzled, stole a massive amount of the Sect's Cultivation resources, and forcibly built up his cultivation with Medicinal Pills and medicinal herbs'...

"You tell me, at that time, will they believe this 'unexplained' Genius, or will they believe us 'innocent' stewards and Inner Sect Senior Brothers?"

His words were airtight and utterly vicious!

Above the eaves, Lin Ye felt a bone-chilling coldness instantly surge from the soles of his feet to the top of his head!

He never imagined that a human heart could be so malicious!

This Zhang Ping not only wanted to pin the blame on him but also wanted to completely tarnish his only reliance, the 'Genius' title he had painstakingly earned!

Once this charge was confirmed, he would no longer be a 'Rough Jade' who had accumulated strength, but a shameless thief who stole Sect resources and deceived his superiors! At that time, let alone being promoted to the Inner Sect, he would probably have his cultivation crippled on the spot, be expelled from the Sect, or even... be killed on the spot!

What a vicious, two-birds-with-one-stone scheme!

In the courtyard, Disciple Liu fell into a brief silence after hearing Zhang Ping's entire plan.

After a long while, a slow, cold smile, full of approval, appeared on his arrogant face.

"Not bad," he nodded. "Zhang Ping, I underestimated you. It's a pity your mind isn't used for political maneuvering."

"Hehe, thank you for the compliment, Senior Brother Liu! This humble one... this humble one just wants to share Senior Brother Liu's worries!" Zhang Ping, affirmed, was so excited his waist almost bent to the ground.

"What do you need me to do?" Disciple Liu asked.

"It's simple," a glint flashed in Zhang Ping's eyes. "Tomorrow is the day that brat collects his Inner Sect attire. We just need to secretly place some 'stolen goods' in his dilapidated wooden hut before he leaves. Then, I will take a forged ledger, recording his 'theft,' and 'report' it to the Deacon Hall!"

"At that time, with the person and the stolen goods together, the evidence will be irrefutable! Even if he had a hundred mouths, he wouldn't be able to explain it!"

"Good!" Disciple Liu nodded decisively. "I'll leave this matter to you. Do it cleanly, and don't leave any loose ends."

"Senior Brother Liu, don't worry! Aren't you confident in my work?" Zhang Ping patted his chest, his face full of fawning and confidence.

After the two conspired over some more details, Disciple Liu no longer lingered. His figure flickered, and like a ghost, he disappeared into the dense night after a few movements.

Zhang Ping watched him leave, the fawning smile on his face slowly fading, replaced by a ferocious expression filled with venom and glee.

"Lin Ye... Little Bastard..."

"Tomorrow will be your death day!"

He let out one last cold laugh, then merged his own figure into the boundless darkness.

It wasn't until the entire courtyard returned to dead silence that Lin Ye slowly straightened up from the shadows of the eaves.

He never imagined that he just wanted to quietly Cultivate, yet there were always these flies, buzzing around, even trying to kill him!

"Framing, is it..."

In the darkness, Lin Ye silently curved his lips into a cold arc, full of mockery and killing intent.

"What a grand scheme."

"Since you all want to play so much, then I will... play a good game with you!"