94: Chapter 94 Master, please kneel down first.

"In the interest of fairness, and to avoid anyone saying I'm showing favoritism..."

Wang Ming smiled slightly, turned to look at Gu Qingyi in the crowd, and spoke warmly.

"Senior Sister Qingyi has always been known for her fairness and integrity. Why don't I have Senior Sister do the honors and search Junior Brother Chen Ye's Immortal Cave on my behalf?"

Hearing this, Gu Qingyi took a deep breath, suppressed the displeasure in her heart, and nodded expressionlessly: "Fine."

Wang Ming smiled with satisfaction, then turned to Chen Ye and made a gesture of invitation: "Junior Brother Chen Ye, no problem, right?"

Chen Ye crossed his arms and said nonchalantly, "As you wish."

"Forget searching my cave; even if you flip over my bedboards, I don't care."

"That’s good then."

Wang Ming stepped aside, signaling Gu Qingyi to step forward.

Gu Qingyi said nothing. She walked straight to the front of Chen Ye's Immortal Cave, and with a wave of her jade-like hand, the cave's entrance slowly opened.

She stepped inside.

Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the entrance.

Time passed minute by minute. The cave was silent, without any movement.

The Disciples put their heads together and whispered in low voices.

"Why hasn't Senior Sister Gu come out yet?"

"There couldn't really be something inside, could there?"

"Impossible! Chen Ye was so confident just now, there's definitely no problem!"

Just as everyone was discussing it, the stone door of the cave suddenly opened.

Gu Qingyi walked out from inside.

Her expression was terrifyingly grim.

And in her hand, she was carrying a bulging cloth bag.

...

The confident smile that was originally on Chen Ye's face completely froze the moment he saw Gu Qingyi's expression.

His heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition welled up within him.

And when he saw the cloth bag in Gu Qingyi's hand, his heart sank straight to the bottom!

He knew very well that he didn't have such a cloth bag at all!

He knew everything in his Immortal Cave like the back of his hand.

This bag was absolutely not his!

"This... how is this possible?!"

Waves of shock surged through Chen Ye's heart as he stared fixedly at the cloth bag.

"I've been inside the cave all these days; absolutely no one has entered. Where did this bag come from?!"

At this moment, Palace Master also noticed something was wrong. Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at Gu Qingyi, "Qingyi, how is it? Did you find anything?"

Gu Qingyi didn't speak, but simply threw the cloth bag in her hand toward Palace Master.

Snap!

The bag landed in Palace Master's hands.

Palace Master's brow furrowed slightly. She didn't open the bag immediately, but instead used her Divine Sense to probe inside.

She was the Palace Master and knew that the privacy of female Disciples was of paramount importance.

If she opened the bag directly and the contents were seen by everyone, no matter what it was, it would have a huge impact on the female Disciple's reputation.

The moment her Divine Sense entered the bag, Palace Master's face instantly darkened.

Seeing Palace Master's expression, the Disciples immediately began to speculate.

The Palace Master had always been calm and composed, never showing her emotions, yet now her face was livid.

The items in that bag were likely far from ordinary!

"It looks like Chen Ye is really finished this time!"

"I told you, how could a Foundation Establishment Disciple be so arrogant? It turns out he had a guilty conscience!"

"Hmph, putting on an innocent act while doing such shady deeds in secret—he's simply a disgrace to our Qingxin Palace!"

"To think Senior Brother Wang Ming was willing to give him a chance; he was truly blind!"

Everyone glared at Chen Ye.

"Chen Ye, what else do you have to say?!"

"Just confess your crimes already, stop making a fool of yourself!"

"Someone like this should be expelled from the Sect and never be admitted again!"

For a moment, public indignation was stirred, and everyone pointed their finger at Chen Ye.

Meanwhile, Chen Ye stood there, his face as pale as paper, unable to say a word.

He couldn't understand no matter how hard he tried—where on earth did this bag come from?!

"No! It's not like that!"

Chen Ye shook his head desperately.

"That bag isn't mine! I've never seen that thing before!"

He pointed at the bag in Palace Master's hand, "That's definitely not mine! I don't know why it appeared in my room! Someone must have framed me! Yes! Someone framed me!"

"Palace Master! Senior Sister! You have to believe me! Although I'm usually unruly, I would never do such a filthy thing!"

"Someone must have snuck into my Immortal Cave while I wasn't there and hidden that bag inside! The goal was to harm me!"

He suddenly turned his head, his gaze locking onto Wang Ming, his eyes bloodshot.

"Wang Ming! It must be you! You framed me!"

"Heh."

Gu Qingyi gave a cold laugh and continued: "So you admit this is your Immortal Cave?"

"I..."

"Since this is your room," Gu Qingyi gave him no chance to defend himself, pressing him step by step, "then how can something that appeared in your room not be yours?"

"You say Junior Brother Wang Ming put it there. First of all, you have to produce evidence, right?"

The Disciples nodded one after another, feeling that Gu Qingyi's words made a lot of sense.

"Yeah, Chen Ye, you say the bag isn't yours, so show us the evidence!"

"Unless you have proof that someone else put it there, then it's your stuff!"

Chen Ye opened his mouth, but couldn't say a single word.

How could he prove it?

He had been in the cave the whole time, and indeed no one had entered, yet he truly had never seen that bag!

He was caught in a circular logic; no matter how he argued, he couldn't clear his suspicion.

"Enough!"

Palace Master gave a sharp shout, instantly suppressing all the noise.

Her face was as still as water. She raised her jade hand slightly, and an irresistible surge of spiritual power instantly bound Chen Ye in place, making him unable to move.

"Chen Ye," Palace Master said coldly, "caught red-handed with the loot, what else do you have to quibble about?"

"I originally thought that although you were unruly, you were at least a man who dared to take responsibility. If you had admitted it openly, you would have been a man, and I might have shown leniency."

There was a hint of disappointment and pain in her voice.

"But now..."

Palace Master shook her head, her eyes full of contempt.

"Not only did you steal... you also dare to use all sorts of denials here, and even turn around and bite back, slandering your Senior Brother Wang Ming. Such behavior is simply despicable!"

"Do you know that this behavior is even more hateful than the theft itself!"

Palace Master's words were like a heavy hammer, smashing hard against Chen Ye's heart.

"No! Palace Master! Listen to my explanation!"

Chen Ye struggled desperately.

"I really didn't steal anything! That bag isn't mine! Someone framed me! Someone must have framed me!"

He looked at Palace Master, his eyes full of pleading: "Give me one more chance to investigate. I will definitely find the person who framed me!"

The disappointment in Palace Master's eyes grew deeper and deeper.

"Enough!"

Palace Master shouted again, her voice full of impatience.

"Chen Ye, you're still pestering and making trouble even now. You're simply beyond saving!"

She took a deep breath, her gaze sweeping across the field, her voice cold and majestic: "In the name of the Palace Master of Qingxin Palace, I pass judgment on Chen Ye!"

"Chen Ye, for stealing the property of a fellow Disciple, being caught red-handed, yet using all sorts of denials and slandering a fellow Disciple—his behavior is atrocious and his crimes are unforgivable!"

"Effective immediately, Chen Ye's cultivation is to be stripped, and he is to be expelled from Qingxin Palace, never to be admitted again!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire field was in an uproar.

The Disciples all gasped.

Stripping cultivation was no different from a death sentence for a Cultivator.

From now on, Chen Ye would be reduced to a Mortal, with no further possibility of stepping into the world of cultivation.

"No! Palace Master! You can't do this!"

When Chen Ye heard the words 'stripping cultivation', he felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

Palace Master just looked at him expressionlessly, without saying a word.

Clearly, there was no room for reversal in this matter.

He knew he had no way out, his only hope...

"Elder Ming! Save me! Quickly save me!"

"Elder Ming! I absolutely cannot have my cultivation abolished!!"

"If I lose my cultivation, how can I help you reshape your Physical Body?"

He shouted frantically in his heart, but his mind was silent, without any response.

"Elder Ming! Say something! Have you also abandoned me?!"

A strong surge of anger welled up in Chen Ye's heart.

Elder Ming was his last trump card and his only life-saving straw.

But now, even this straw seemed to have left him.

He closed his eyes in despair, waiting for the final judgment.

At that moment, Palace Master raised her hand slightly, and a majestic spiritual force transformed into an invisible giant hand, instantly clutching Chen Ye's throat and lifting him into the air.

"No—!!"

Chen Ye let out a heart-wrenching scream, but the sound was quickly cut off in his throat.

In the next second, a cold light flickered at Palace Master's fingertip, pointing straight at Chen Ye's Dantian.

Puff!

A muffled sound, like a balloon bursting.

Chen Ye's originally full Dantian instantly collapsed under this finger.

Spiritual power flooded uncontrollably out of his body, turning into a sky full of light spots and quickly dissipating.

The excruciating pain of his power being forcibly pulled away caused Chen Ye's body to convulse violently, yet he couldn't even let out a scream.

In just a few breaths, Chen Ye was like a deflated ball, quickly shriveling up.

As the last trace of spiritual power dissipated, the light in Chen Ye's eyes also went out.

Thump!

With a wave of Palace Master's hand, Chen Ye fell heavily to the ground like a pile of mud.

He struggled to move his fingers, wanting to prop up his body, but found his limbs as heavy as iron and his body empty, without the slightest ripple of spiritual power.

Chen Ye stared blankly at the sky, his eyes hollow, his heart like dead ashes.

His life... was over!

Palace Master glanced at him, her eyes showing no pity, only disgust.

"Take him away and throw him out of Qingxin Palace."

"Yes!"

Two Law Enforcement Disciples immediately stepped forward and, like dragging a dead dog, grabbed the limp Chen Ye from both sides and headed down the mountain.

Palace Master turned around, her gaze sweeping over the Disciples watching in the square.

"Have you seen enough?"

The Disciples' hearts trembled, and they all lowered their heads, not daring to meet her gaze.

"Today's matter ends here. Everyone, disperse."

Palace Master waved her hand and turned to leave.

"Yes! We obey!"

The Disciples answered in unison and left the square.

However, just as Palace Master was about to leave, she suddenly stopped and said without turning her head, "Wang Ming, come with me."

Wang Ming's heart stirred, and he immediately stepped forward, bowing, "Yes, Revered Master."

He followed Palace Master to her bedchamber.

Palace Master sat down on a soft couch covered with white fox fur.

"Sit."

She pointed to the chair opposite her.

Wang Ming glanced at the chair, nodded slightly, walked forward, pulled Palace Master up, sat down himself, and then pulled Palace Master back down onto him.

Palace Master gave him a look but didn't resist, leaning naturally against Wang Ming's shoulder.

"You little rascal, how long has it been since you came to see me?"

Wang Ming toyed with her hair, "Did you miss me?"

Palace Master rested her chin on Wang Ming's neck and gave a soft 'mm'.

The distance was very close, and Palace Master's breath was all exhaled onto Wang Ming's neck.

That breath traveled up his neck, straight to his ear.

The faint fragrance on Palace Master's body also scrambled to enter Wang Ming's nostrils.

Wang Ming's mind immediately began to wander.

He forcibly suppressed the fluttering, "Where did you miss me?"

Palace Master's gaze shifted slightly, looking at a certain place.

Although she didn't speak, her meaning was already self-evident.

"Revered Master, I think people should learn from each other. As the saying goes, when three people walk together, one must be my teacher."

"What do you mean?"

"Come, I'll teach you something new. Squat down first."