Taking the clothes from Wei Zhao's hand, Duanmu Yu did not climb out from under the covers. Instead she fixed him with an odd look and said, "You didn't do that on purpose, did you?"

"Uh—of course not, you're overthinking it..." Wei Zhao broke out in a sweat at once. True, Duanmu Yu in this state was undeniably a feast for the eyes, but he genuinely had not thought of that.

"Is that so?" Duanmu Yu was half convinced, though no displeasure showed on her face. She pulled the clothes on in a few quick movements and at once regained her usual brisk, dashing air; by the look of it, she had not taken the earlier awkwardness to heart in the slightest.

"Of course it is. Would an honest man like me ever do anything so sordid? We've been through life and death together, after all—that much you ought to know about me." Wei Zhao spoke with perfect righteousness, yet gazing at Duanmu Yu, who now looked as crisp and fresh as a city office worker, his mind kept straying to the way she had looked without her clothes. He felt a little guilty at heart.

"Forget it. Seeing as you've given me so many top-grade golden cores, I suppose a look is a look. It's not as though it matters," Duanmu Yu said, showing her generous side once again.

"..." Wei Zhao sweated in silence.

Emerging from the confinement room, Qiu Mingchong did not go to guide Bing Wushuang, who was waiting in the reception hall. Instead he headed straight for the Divine Leaf Hall, the most central and authoritative place in the entire Yeling Sect—the seat of the sect master and the senior elders, from which every order, great or small, was issued.

At this hour, the sect master Ye Qingguo and all the other senior elders were present. Seeing Qiu Mingchong enter and announce himself, they all showed a flicker of anticipation. "Have you got your hands on the spirit-sense grass?"

"Reporting to Master, not yet." Qiu Mingchong performed the disciple's salute with great reverence. Though Duanmu Yu had since overtaken him, his standing within the sect was by no means low—after all, he was Ye Qingguo's personal disciple.

"Then why aren't you over there keeping watch?" Ye Qingguo frowned. The spirit-sense grass was an absolutely fatal temptation to any golden-core expert. Even though he was already the master of a sect, even though he stood at golden-core consummation, just a hairsbreadth from the rank of Nascent Soul, he still coveted it beyond measure. Had there been no chance at all, so be it, but now that it lay within easy reach, he could not help feeling impatient.

The other senior elders urged him on as well. If they could get the spirit-sense grass out of Duanmu Yu and Bing Wushuang this time, Ye Qingguo would of course take the lion's share, but they too were certain to get a piece of the pie. If they could not eat meat, at least they would get some broth.

"Yes. But just now this disciple noticed something that I felt it necessary to report to Master and the elders," Qiu Mingchong said.

"What could matter more than the spirit-sense grass?" Ye Qingguo and the elders all frowned.

"Just now, when I went to give Wei Zhao his instructions, I found our eldest senior sister hiding under the covers. And the floor was covered in scraps of her clothes. It seems they were playing rather too passionately..." Qiu Mingchong said with ulterior purpose.

"Outrageous!" At these words the senior elders burst into curses.

"As the sect's eldest senior sister, to carry on so shamelessly, openly coupling with an outsider man in a place of confinement—what becomes of the Yeling Sect's image? What decency is left?" Ye Qingguo flew into a rage.

Any discerning eye could see that he was preparing to seize on this pretext, and that was hardly surprising. For though Duanmu Yu was acknowledged as the sect's eldest senior sister, she was not Ye Qingguo's disciple—no help for it; Qiu Mingchong had simply failed to measure up.

Letting Duanmu Yu occupy the position of eldest senior sister was, for a sect master like Ye Qingguo, somewhat galling. He could hardly show it on his face, but at heart he bore a grudge. Otherwise he would not, this time, have pushed so hard to make Duanmu Yu hand over the spirit-sense grass the moment he heard Qiu Mingchong's slander. He knew full well that if word of this got out it would be humiliating, but he did not care—here was a fine chance to suppress Duanmu Yu.

And now that Duanmu Yu had actually coupled with an outsider, that was an even greater handle against her. Disgracing the sect's honor—stripping her of the eldest senior sister's position would be the least of it!

This suited Qiu Mingchong perfectly. He had deliberately chosen this moment to speak precisely so that Ye Qingguo and the other senior elders would depose Duanmu Yu from the post of eldest senior sister. That way he would naturally rise to become the sect's eldest senior brother.

His cultivation at the late peak of Foundation Establishment was a little lacking, true, but he was, after all, Ye Qingguo's personal disciple, and the Yeling Sect had never had many disciples. Apart from Duanmu Yu, no one could stand above him, so his promotion would be a matter of course.

The assembly was unanimous in righteous indignation, and Qiu Mingchong fully expected his master to fall in with his wishes. Instead Ye Qingguo said, "This concerns the Yeling Sect's image and must be investigated. But for now, let it be suppressed. We will discuss it once they have handed over the spirit-sense grass."

"Ah?" Qiu Mingchong was struck dumb, and disappointment welled up in him. What Duanmu Yu had done would certainly be severely punished sooner or later, but in his view the outcome of discussing it now and discussing it later might well be utterly different.

At this moment Duanmu Yu stood all but opposed by every senior figure in the sect. Deal with her harshly now, and her position as eldest senior sister would be lost beyond question—there might even be a heavier punishment that would leave her forever unable to rise again. But wait until later, and if she truly saw reason and handed over the spirit-sense grass, then things would be far less certain.

When that time came, for the sake of the spirit-sense grass, the sect's senior figures, his own master Ye Qingguo included, would surely be too embarrassed to press for the kill. If they let her off lightly, Duanmu Yu might well slip through, and then there would be nothing in it for him.

Unfortunately, Qiu Mingchong had no say at all on such an occasion; Ye Qingguo's word was law. For to Ye Qingguo and the other senior figures, whether to punish Duanmu Yu was a trifle—the spirit-sense grass was the great matter. If this little business drove Duanmu Yu to utter despair and stubborn resistance, that would be a loss far outweighing the gain.

"What are you standing there for? Get going!" Ye Qingguo shot him a glare.

"Yes!" Qiu Mingchong dared not dawdle, and withdrew obediently.

Before long, Qiu Mingchong led Bing Wushuang to the confinement room. The iron door opened, and sensing the faint, elusive ripples of a formation before him, Bing Wushuang could not help knitting his brows.

He knew full well that a formation of unfathomable depth lay ahead, and a creature as utterly rational as himself would never lightly take such a risk—but when he saw Wei Zhao inside the confinement room give him a meaningful look, that small worry was cast clean out of his mind. (To be continued.)