After the mind-reading cripple junior sister, the entire sect rose to prominence.

Chapter 82 Punishment
At times like this, saving face is completely unimportant.

The most important thing right now is to survive!
Only then did Sect Leader Liu Wuhan speak up, "Yu Meng, you are an elder of the Punishment Hall. Let me ask you, Yu Cheng has privately amassed wealth and damaged the harmony between sects, violating the sect rules. According to the rules, how should he be dealt with?"

Yu Meng cupped his hands, lowered his eyes, and replied in a deep voice, "Replying to the sect leader, according to the rules, he should receive thirty blows of the Spirit Suppression Whip, and then be expelled from the sect after the punishment is completed."

Thirty blows of the Spirit-Suppressing Whip might not kill you, but it will definitely leave you with chronic illnesses in your internal organs, making even future cultivation a problem.

If he is expelled from a sect, he will lose his status as an inner disciple, and no force will accept him again.

Upon hearing that he would be subjected to such severe punishment, Yu Cheng panicked immediately. "I was wrong, Sect Leader, Father, please give me another chance!"

Yu Meng choked up, “Sect Leader, Garden Masters, Elders. Cheng’er has committed such a serious crime, and it is all his own fault. But as his father, I am also guilty of not teaching him properly. I am willing to share half of the Spirit Suppression Whip for my son, and I am also willing to hand over all the money I have earned in recent years as an apology.”

As he spoke, he placed his hands on the ground, and his forehead also touched the ground.

Master Cheng sneered and asked, "Elder Yu, as an elder of the Punishment Hall, you colluded with your son to amass wealth, disgracing our Qingyue Sect. Don't you bear any responsibility?"

This Master Cheng is the same Master of Haiqing Garden, the one Yu Cheng exposed who had a one-night stand with her disciple.

With her private affair exposed like this, she naturally harbored resentment towards Yu Cheng, and by extension, towards his father, Yu Meng.

Yu Meng paused, then said, "Yes, I know my crime and will accept the sect leader's punishment."

He spoke calmly, with an air of resignation.

But he knew he would be fine, and his son would not suffer the thirty lashes either.

Sect Leader Liu Wuhan's expression shifted.

If we're talking about the most adept at accumulating wealth in the sect, Yu Meng is definitely one of them.

He gained wealth not only within the sect but also outside of it; the exact amount is unknown, but it must have been a huge sum.

His statement that "all his earnings in recent years will be handed over" successfully tempted Liu Wuhan.

He knew perfectly well that this was why Yu Meng was willing to spend money to save his life, promising him great benefits so that he could protect him and his son.

On one side are disciples from three small sects, and on the other side are highly capable subordinates whom I am used to. Which one is more important?
"Considering your years of hard work and dedication in managing the Punishment Hall, I will relieve you of your position as Elder of the Punishment Hall and demote you to Deacon. In addition, you will be subject to ten more lashes of the Spirit-Suppressing Whip." Liu Wuhan made his decision. "Have you thought it through? Do you want to take half of the lashes for your son?"

"Yes."

Yu Meng bowed and knelt, but inwardly he breathed a long sigh of relief.

Yu Meng was a Nascent Soul cultivator, while his son Yu Cheng was only at the Foundation Establishment stage.

The Spirit Suppressing Whip cannot be resisted with cultivation level, so no matter what level of cultivation one has, being whipped a few times will be unpleasant.

However, people with higher cultivation levels tend to have stronger physical conditions and greater endurance than those with lower cultivation levels.

Therefore, even if he took ten lashes for himself and fifteen more for his son, it would not fundamentally damage him. However, he would inevitably need to spend more money afterwards to obtain some elixirs to repair the injuries.

This money, plus the sum he had to give to the sect leader, meant that most of his hard-earned savings over the years would be gone in an instant!

My heart was bleeding, but thinking that this was the best-case scenario, and that it was a way to avoid further trouble, I felt a little better.

Yu Cheng finally felt relieved. He wiped the sweat from his brow and smiled, relieved to have survived the ordeal.

That's great! He knew his dad wouldn't abandon him!

The thought of his family having to pay money, suffer punishment, and even losing his father's position as elder, only to be demoted to a deacon, filled him with resentment. The elder of the Criminal Investigation Department was the highest-ranking official, followed by the department head, who had two deputies below him, who were called deacons.

Before, even the head of the hall had to be careful around him, but now it's the other way around. I don't know how much more he'll have to suffer!
And all of this is because of the Immortal Sect!

Yu Cheng gritted his teeth and glared at Chen Lan, his eyes filled with malice, which he concealed beneath a hateful glint.

"Are you three satisfied with our handling of this matter?" The sect leader looked at Chen Lan and the other two. "The two of them will receive a total of forty lashes, Yu Cheng will be expelled from Qingyue Sect, and Yu Meng will be stripped of his elder position. In addition, our Xianlai Sect will provide you with some crystals and resources as compensation, and we will also treat your injuries. Moreover, if you ever come to Qingyue Sect for further study in the future, all expenses will be waived. What do you think?"

Liu Wuhan spoke with a smile, his tone warm and gentle, like a kind elder.

What do we think?

Even if we don't think it's good, what can we do about it?

Chen Lan's expression was cold, and she felt aggrieved.

If it were her, she certainly wouldn't forgive him, much less let Yu Cheng off the hook—

She wanted Yu Cheng dead!
That whip was just a minor, superficial pain; it wasn't enough to make him remember it for the rest of his life.

As for being expelled from Qingyue Sect... even if he leaves, as long as his father is still in Qingyue Sect, he will still have enough to eat, wear, and use. He will still receive good care and enjoy the resources he deserves!

As for Yu Meng, he was even more ridiculous.

His demotion to deacon was only temporary, a show to silence the gatekeepers' gossip.

As long as a few years pass and the matter is forgotten, Yu Meng will still be promoted to elder.

He was clearly a confidant of the sect leader, and much of the wealth he had amassed over the years through the practice of Falun Gong had ended up in the sect leader's pockets.

None of the people here are clean.

Chen Lan looked up. There were so many people present, and everyone was angry about what Cheng had said in the memory stone.

However, after the sect leader finished speaking, no one objected.

Firstly, because they are all members of the Qingyue Sect, while we are insignificant outsiders, so of course we should unite against external forces.

Secondly, since they had all benefited from Yu Meng's influence and would likely continue to do so, they naturally wouldn't want to exterminate the father and son.

If you say you're not satisfied with the result at this point, it won't actually change anything.

People of low status have little influence.

"We think it's great."

The other two injured disciples both answered, some even feeling flattered and moved.

They didn't think too much about it; they just felt that Qingyue Sect's attitude had already been made clear. They were just disciples of a small sect, and their masters and seniors weren't here, so they lacked confidence and naturally didn't dare to confront them head-on.

After they finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to Chen Lan.

"Chen Lan, what do you think?" Liu Wuhan asked.

(End of this chapter)