Fairy, don't be afraid, I, Wang Daqi, am truly an honest man.

"impossible!!!"

Chen Liang and A Gu exclaimed in unison.

"Those ores were all dug out by our own hands, and we packed them into baskets by our own hands. Every single piece is a piece of pure, high-quality gold ore. How could they possibly be worthless rocks?"

A-Gu's face turned red with anxiety.

If this charge is proven true, the lightest punishment would be the loss of all spiritual sand and dozens of lashes.

In severe cases, their cultivation may be stripped and they may be expelled from the mining area.

Not far away, Yao Wu was hiding behind the crowd with two henchmen, a sinister and triumphant smile on his face.

"This is what happens when you offend me..." Yao Wu murmured, his eyes flashing with greed and ruthlessness.

For the past few days, he had been secretly observing Wang Daqi's group.

He found these three people to be incredibly strange.

Every time they went into the cave, they were not only the first to return, but the ore they brought back was also the best in quality.

He and his uncle Yao Datong conspired privately and concluded that they must have some method for finding rich mineral deposits!

Because Wang Daqi had a trusted disciple backing him up, Yao Datong didn't dare to do anything to him openly.

But Chen Liang and A Gu were just ordinary outer disciples; crushing them was as easy as crushing two ants.

Once he has these two people under his control, he can deal with them slowly and ask them for their methods of finding rich mines.

So, in the gap between Chen Liang and his brother handing over their tasks and the time before the Hall of Affairs had time to seal the ore, Yao Wu took advantage of his uncle's authority to secretly switch the rich ore at the bottom of the two baskets of ore with black rock waste rock.

They were trying to frame these two people.

"Still not convinced? Come on, I'll take you to confront them face to face!!"

With a sinister smile, Yao Datong led the three of them to two large bamboo baskets at the task handover point.

A group of miners had already gathered around to watch the spectacle, pointing and whispering.

"Look for yourselves, isn't this all waste rock underneath?" Yao Datong suddenly kicked over one of the bamboo baskets.

With a "whoosh" sound.

All you can see on the surface is a thin layer of dazzling gold ore, while what rolls out underneath are all black, heavy, and utterly useless ordinary rocks!

Upon seeing this, Chen Liang and A Gu completely panicked.

"No... really no! The ore was clearly golden when it was being packed into the baskets, how could it have turned out like this???"

Chen Liang knelt down with a thud, cold sweat pouring down his face.

Agu was so frightened that he stammered, "Deacon Yao, someone must have framed me! Please investigate!"

"Clear investigation? The evidence is conclusive, what's this about 'clear investigation'? Who would frame you here for no reason??"

Yao Datong's face darkened, and he shouted, "Guards! Seize these two scoundrels who have deceived the sect! First, give each of them fifty lashes with a spirit whip, then lock them in the water dungeon for interrogation!"

Several law enforcement disciples immediately surrounded them like wolves.

The barbed whip in his hand gleamed with a chilling light.

Just then, Wang Daqi, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, suddenly stepped forward and stood in front of Chen Liang and the other man.

"Wait a minute."

Yao Datong frowned and said sarcastically, "Wang Daqi, this has nothing to do with you. Although you worked with them, I can let it go because you were brought here by Senior Sister Jiang. What, you want to stand up for them?"

Wang Daqi ignored his threat, bent down, picked up a piece from the pile of rubble, weighed it in his hand, and looked at Yao Wu with a half-smile.

"Deacon Yao, although this mining camp is remote, it's still a place where rules are followed. You said they substituted these stones with inferior ones, but why do I feel... there's a familiar scent lingering on these stones?"

"What do you mean by this?" Yao Datong's heart skipped a beat, wondering if this kid had really seen through some flaw?

Since Wang Daqi had indeed activated his Azure Water Golden Eyes, these so-called "waste stones" were nowhere to be seen under the all-seeing gaze of that eye technique.

He not only saw through the material of the stone, but also clearly captured the aura of Yao Wu that remained on the surface of the stone.

He turned his head abruptly, his sharp gaze piercing like an arrow towards Yao Wu, who was watching the spectacle with a smug look on his face not far away: "This worthless stone was replaced by Yao Wu himself!!!"

"You're talking nonsense! You're slandering me!"

Yao Wu suddenly jumped out, yelling like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, but a hint of panic flashed in his eyes.

Damn it, how did he manage to find out about this kid?

No, I need to stay calm and not let anyone notice anything.

In short, as long as I don't admit it, there's nothing he can do to me.

"Wang Daqi, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. Slandering a fellow disciple is a double offense!!"

Yao Datong's face was stern, and the aura of a deacon slowly emanated from him, attempting to intimidate Wang Daqi.

"My nose has always been very sensitive."

Wang Daqi pointed to his nose and casually made up a story, "These rocks, besides the earthy smell of the mine, also have the smell of Yao Wu!"

"Your words are meaningless! I think you're just holding a grudge against me and deliberately framing me here!!!"

Yao Wu stubbornly refused to admit anything, relying on his uncle's position as a steward, unless he was caught red-handed.

"Wang Daqi, this matter has nothing to do with you. I advise you to take care of yourself and not ruin your future for the sake of two outer disciples."

Yao Datong's words were full of threat. He then stopped talking and abruptly waved his hand, "Men, take Chen Liang and A Gu away! Anyone who resists will be killed on sight!!"

Just as several law enforcement disciples were about to make their move, and the atmosphere reached its peak of tension, a clear, cold voice slowly drifted from the camp entrance:

"Steward Yao, the matter hasn't been resolved yet. Aren't you being a bit too hasty in arresting people? This doesn't seem to be in accordance with the sect's rules."

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Jiang Xuerou had already stood on the outer perimeter at some point.

Her white robes fluttered, her face was like frost, and her sharp aura, unique to her direct disciples, instantly shattered Yao Datong's oppressive aura.

"Senior Sister Jiang..." Yao Datong's expression hardened slightly, and a hint of apprehension flashed in his eyes.

Although he was a camp steward, he was ultimately just an outside manager.

Jiang Xuerou is a key disciple being cultivated by the Inner Sect's Divine Weapon Peak, and she is likely to be promoted to a True Disciple in the future.

In terms of status, Jiang Xuerou was no less than him.

Jiang Xuerou glanced coldly at Yao Wu and Yao Datong, ignoring them.

She walked straight to Wang Daqi's side, then turned to Yao Datong: "Deacon Yao, Junior Brother Wang says that these stones bear the aura left by Yao Wu. Since we have conflicting accounts, to be fair, why not have the 'Spirit Tracing Disc' of the encirclement's array examine them? Anyone who has touched these stones will leave a spiritual imprint on the disc. I wonder if Deacon Yao... dares not?"

Upon hearing the words "Spirit Tracing Disc," Yao Wu's face turned deathly pale, and his legs began to tremble uncontrollably.

Yao Datong never expected that Jiang Xuerou would use such a precious testing tool for Wang Daqi.

He forced a smile, his tone somewhat stiff: "Senior Sister Jiang, isn't it making a mountain out of a molehill to use the Spirit Tracing Disc for a few scrap stones? You should know that activating that Spirit Disc consumes a considerable amount of energy each time..."

"When it comes to the integrity of fellow disciples and the rules of the sect, even the smallest matter is a big deal."

Although Jiang Xuerou's tone was calm, it conveyed a resolute determination that left no room for negotiation.

Wang Daqi stood to the side, nodding and saying, "Hmm, not bad. Let's use this trick. Yao Wu, if you frame someone, guess what will happen? It probably won't be a simple punishment, will it?"

"Frame a fellow disciple, that's an even greater crime!!" Jiang Xuerou snorted coldly.

Yao Wu was startled. At this moment, he really panicked and quickly looked at Yao Datong.

Yao Datong's face darkened, and he cursed inwardly that Jiang Xuerou was a real nuisance.

Now that things have come to this, he absolutely dares not use the Spirit Tracing Disc.

Although it's not possible to detect this with 100% certainty, he didn't dare to gamble!

"Senior Sister Jiang, don't worry. Since you've stepped in to protect them, I have to give you face."

Seeing that things were not going well, Yao Datong forced a smile that looked more like a grimace onto his fleshy face and quickly interjected, "Perhaps there were too many people involved just now, and something went wrong. Since Senior Sister Jiang trusts them, this matter must be a misunderstanding, so there is no need to disturb the elders and use the Spirit Tracing Disc."

Having said that, he abruptly turned and glared at the still-shaken Chen Liang and A Gu, shouting sternly, "What are you all standing there for?! Hurry up and thank Senior Sister Jiang! If it weren't for Senior Sister Jiang's sake, you'd be in big trouble today!!"

Chen Liang and A Gu felt as if they had been granted a pardon. Their knees buckled and they almost knelt down again, bowing repeatedly: "Thank you, Senior Sister Jiang! Thank you, Senior Sister Jiang, for saving our lives!!"

"You did nothing wrong, no need to thank me."

Jiang Xuerou merely gave a cold snort, her eyes still filled with chill.

Actually, she breathed a slight sigh of relief. The "Spirit Tracing Disc" was kept by the elder stationed in the mining area. Opening it once not only consumed a huge amount of spirit stones, but also required reporting at every level.

More importantly, that magic weapon is not omnipotent. If Yao Wu used a special object to switch it from a distance, he might not be able to leave enough traces of spiritual energy.

Both sides were essentially gambling, but Yao Datong clearly couldn't afford to gamble.

"Let's go."

Jiang Xuerou didn't even glance at the Yao family uncle and nephew, and spoke softly to Wang Daqi.

After Wang Daqi and the other two had walked away, Yao Wu realized that his back was already soaked with cold sweat.

The night breeze felt cool and piercing straight to my bones.

"Uncle... are we just going to let it go like this?" Yao Wu gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with resentment.

"What else can we do but forget about it? Really go and alarm the elders?"

Yao Datong's face was so dark it could drip water. He slapped Yao Wu on the forehead, "You piece of trash! I can tell you didn't do anything clean, and you almost dragged me into this!!"

"Uncle, I didn't expect Senior Sister Jiang to step in! It's one thing for her to help Wang Daqi, but why did she help those two too?"

Yao Wu said with a bitter face.

Yao Datong watched Jiang Xuerou and Wang Daqi walk side by side, and said resentfully, "This is really strange. What's so special about that Wang Daqi? Jiang Xuerou, such a proud and arrogant young lady, would actually risk offending me, a steward, for him? Could it be that that kid really has some great talent?"

Even a blind man could see that Jiang Xuerou stepped forward to stand up for Wang Daqi, and definitely not because of Chen Liang and A Gu!