Indeed!

Hearing this, the previously skeptical crowd suddenly came to a realization.

That’s right. According to common sense, the effort and reward in this matter were completely disproportionate.

A Servant Disciple’s monthly stipend was a mere two spirit stones. Three thousand spirit stones were equivalent to a full one hundred and fifty years of wages.

A person carrying such an enormous sum was hardly likely to commit theft for a measly four or five stones.

Of course, one couldn’t entirely rule out the possibility that he was some psychologically twisted deviant who pursued the forbidden thrill of theft for its own sake.

But this Big Qi had recently passed the entrance temperament test with an evaluation of “Excellent Temperament.” He certainly didn’t look like a pervert.

Seeing that Qi Yuan was essentially cleared of suspicion, Lin Zhen, who was still bound on the ground, was overjoyed. “I told you earlier that Brother Qi and I were framed! We never stole any Jade Leaf Grass. Hurry up and let me go!”

He struggled to stand as he spoke.

“Stay still!”

The disciple from the Law Enforcement Hall guarding him immediately shoved him back down.

The young woman leading them, surnamed Nie, glanced at him coldly. “Regardless, the Jade Leaf Grass was found in your room. Even if Junior Brother Qi didn’t do it, you are still implicated.”

“A mere Servant Disciple has no way to enter the herb garden to steal spiritual herbs. I advise you to confess your accomplice’s identity immediately.”

“Otherwise, we will take you to the Law Enforcement Hall right now. We have plenty of ways to make you talk there.”

Hearing this, Lin Zhen laughed instead, his face full of mockery. “It seems your Law Enforcement Hall isn’t all that impressive. You can’t even see through such a simple frame-up.”

“How dare you!”

The woman surnamed Nie was so angry her delicate eyebrows shot up. She raised her hand to slap Lin Zhen, but before her palm could make contact, a large hand caught her wrist, intercepting the strike.

She turned her head and saw that the person gripping her wrist was none other than Qi Yuan. Instantly, a trace of anger appeared on her pretty face.

“Big Qi, what are you doing?”

She instinctively tried to break free, but found the hand gripping her wrist was like an iron clamp, unmoving no matter how she struggled.

Seeing this, the other Law Enforcement Hall disciples were furious and swarmed around them.

“You dare lay hands on Senior Sister!”

“Let go of Senior Sister Cuilan immediately!”

Qi Yuan glanced at Lin Zhen, then spoke calmly to the woman. “Whether my friend here stole the Jade Leaf Grass or not isn’t for you or me to decide. Let the facts speak for themselves, and we can bring this case to a clear resolution.”

He smiled slightly and casually released her wrist. “Jade Leaf Grass is a vital material for refining Qi Gathering Pills and is consumed in large quantities. My job in the herb garden is tending a field of it.”

“If there is a mastermind behind this frame-up, then this bundle of Jade Leaf Grass must have been picked from that spiritual field.”

“I start work at the Hour of the Dragon and return to my residence to rest at the Hour of the Rooster. That means out of the twelve two-hour periods in a day, I am away from the spiritual field for six hours. Therefore, whoever picked this Jade Leaf Grass must have done it while I was absent.”

Nie Cuilan felt both embarrassed and angry, glaring fiercely at Qi Yuan. “What’s the use of saying all this? You weren’t even there. How could you possibly know who did it?”

Inwardly, however, Nie Cuilan was shocked. She possessed a cultivation at the Perfection of Qi Refining, yet she had been completely powerless against this man’s grip just now!

Suffering such a loss in front of everyone—if it were any other time, she would have already taught him a lesson. But for some reason, facing this Servant Disciple, she couldn’t muster even the slightest courage to turn hostile.

“Heh, who told you that not being present means you can’t identify the culprit?” Qi Yuan’s mouth curled slightly. “I’m someone with a strong sense of responsibility; I’ve always loved what I do. Since the sect assigned me to care for the spiritual field, naturally, I must fulfill my duties diligently.”

“To monitor the growth of the Jade Leaf Grass and prevent problems, every day after finishing work, I place a low-grade Recording Talisman on the big tree by the field.”

“This way, even when I’m not at the spiritual field, I can observe the Jade Leaf Grass’s growth at night through the Recording Talisman. If someone sneaks in to pick Jade Leaf Grass, they would definitely be recorded by it…”

As he spoke, he smiled and withdrew a spirit talisman emitting a faint white light from his robe.

“This is last night’s recording. I just finished work when you called me over and haven’t had time to watch it yet.”

As his words fell, everyone looked at the Recording Talisman in Qi Yuan’s hand with strange expressions.

Holy crap!

A Recording Talisman could be used like that?

As its name implied, a Recording Talisman could record images from a certain distance over a period of time and save them. Although it had no sound, it provided clear and realistic visuals and was widely used in the cultivation world.

Besides being used to transmit messages or for matchmaking and socializing, Recording Talismans had also been developed for many additional functions.

For example, recording certain Dao discussions or duels for study and contemplation. Some even specifically used Recording Talismans to film stimulating private content, making copies to sell at high prices—once even snatching business from the Joyful Union Sect’s illustrated book trade…

But no one had ever been bored enough to use Recording Talismans to continuously film a patch of dirt under the pretext of observing the growth of grass at night.

Even though a low-grade Recording Talisman was cheap in the cultivation world, it still cost at least three spirit stones each. Doing this would mean spending ninety spirit stones per month.

A Servant Disciple’s monthly income was two spirit stones. This meant this guy worked hard in the herb garden for a month only to end up with a net loss of eighty-eight spirit stones…

However, remembering that Qi Yuan had just received a huge reward of three thousand spirit stones made everyone suddenly feel this behavior wasn’t entirely unacceptable.

After an eerie silence fell over the crowd, Outer Sect Elder Mo Zhengyang was the first to react. He beckoned to Qi Yuan, speaking solemnly:

“In that case, bring it here. Let me see.”

“Yes, sir.”

Qi Yuan responded respectfully, handing the Recording Talisman to Mo Zhengyang.

The moment the talisman changed hands, a Servant Disciple within the crowd suddenly turned deathly pale. His body trembled violently, uncontrollable fear written all over his face.

After an eerie silence fell over the crowd, Outer Sect Elder Mo Zhengyang was the first to react. He beckoned to Qi Yuan, speaking solemnly:”In that case, bring it here. Let me see.””Yes, sir.”Qi Yuan responded respectfully, handing the Recording Talisman to Mo Zhengyang.

The moment the talisman changed hands, a Servant Disciple in the crowd suddenly turned deathly pale, his body trembling violently, uncontrollable fear written all over his face.

“Junior Brother Wentao, what’s wrong with you?”A fellow disciple noticed his strange behavior and quickly stepped forward to support him.

But the disciple seemed oblivious, muttering to himself:”No… this can’t be happening…”

“So it was you!”Qi Yuan suddenly strode over, grabbed the man from the crowd, and tossed him in front of Mo Zhengyang.”Elder Mo, no need to check the Recording Talisman. This is the one who picked the Jade Leaf Grass.”

At this, the Servant Disciple completely broke down. He fell to his knees, trembling violently:”Spare me, Elder Mo! It wasn’t my idea! Wang Luchuan saw me working in the herb garden and gave me ten spirit stones to steal the Jade Leaf Grass. I was blinded by greed…”

The crowd erupted in an uproar. Those standing near Wang Luchuan instinctively stepped back from him.

Wang Luchuan’s face turned livid as he glared furiously at the disciple:”Wentao, don’t slander me! I’ve never even seen you! If you claim I ordered this, where’s your proof?”

Wentao wore a grief-stricken expression:”Wang Luchuan, you can’t deny it! You sent someone to deliver the ten spirit stones to me personally…”

“That’s enough!”Mo Zhengyang roared, his cold gaze sweeping over the crowd:”You fools! Have you not disgraced the sect enough already?”

Everyone fell silent, shrinking back in fear.

After a moment of thought, Mo Zhengyang turned to Nie Cuilan and instructed:”Junior Nephew Nie, take Wentao to the Law Enforcement Hall for thorough interrogation. Make sure to uncover the full truth and punish those who violated sect rules severely.”

Then he looked at the bound Lin Zhen:”As for Lin Zhen, since the facts are unclear and evidence insufficient, release him for now. We will make a final judgment once the investigation is complete.”

“I obey your orders, Senior Uncle Mo.”Nie Cuilan shot a disgusted glance at Wang Luchuan, then waved her hand. Several Law Enforcement Hall disciples swiftly restrained Wentao.

Mo Zhengyang tossed the Recording Talisman back to Qi Yuan, half-amused and half-annoyed:”You rascal, you even dared to trick me! What was the point of giving me a blank Recording Talisman? If Wentao hadn’t panicked, how would you have gotten out of this?”

Qi Yuan grinned:”Not a chance, Elder. You’re known for your impartiality and keen insight. The moment you picked up the talisman, any wrongdoers would have been scared out of their wits—they couldn’t possibly hide their guilt.”

Blank?In an instant, everyone froze, their eyes wide with shock.