Born with immortal seed

Chapter 61: Who plots against whom?
“Senior Brother Bai, poisoning doesn’t necessarily require the person to do it. Just the day before Junior Brother Kuang was poisoned, I happened to see you, the servant disciple, and we traded a bottle of Wind Breath Snake Venom.”

When Quan Guanzhong saw that his junior brother Kuang was trembling, he gave him two glances but there was no response. He cursed him under his breath for being useless.

Remembering Senior Brother Xiong's instructions that the legacy of their ancestor was dwindling with each use and considering his uncertain future, he had no choice but to steel himself and take the lead himself.

He glanced at it, and Mo Changfei sent someone to tell him that the middle-aged handyman disciple had been bribed. Quan Guanzhong immediately pointed at Su Lie.

"A bottle of Wind Breath Serpent Venom costs at least ten spirit stones. Senior Brother Bai, would a menial disciple spend so many spirit stones to buy an item that is completely useless to him?"

Bai Zichen was shocked; they had actually bribed the attendant disciples.

He looked at Su Lie, and even this usually calm and composed man was somewhat flustered, standing there in astonishment.

"No, Elder Ma, I have never bought any Wind Breath Snake Venom!"

Su Lie banged his head on the ground, making loud thuds, and blood flowed freely after a few blows, his expression seemingly genuine.

Bai Zichen's expression was unreadable. He had originally thought that since his divine sense was often scattered, even if the two menial disciples made some small moves, they wouldn't be able to hide it from him.

But if Su Lie had truly been bribed and received the so-called Wind Breath Snake Venom, then he would have no way to defend himself.

"No, if Su Lie has already betrayed his master, he shouldn't be acting like this at this time. He could just pretend to be unable to withstand the intimidation and drag me down with him... Even if it's just acting, this is going too far!"

Bai Zichen was somewhat confused, unable to figure out what other tricks his opponent had up their sleeve to frame him.

"Bai Zichen, what else do you have to say in your defense?"

Ma Ming's slanted eyes gleamed upwards, his cold gaze fixed on me, making me feel a chill run down my spine, as if I were being stared at by a venomous snake.

"I've heard that the sect has a soul-searching technique. Elder Ma, why don't you give it a try and see if Su Lie is lying?"

Bai Zichen suddenly thought of the "Questioning the Heart and Revealing the Truth" technique mentioned in the ancient texts, which was also a way to prove oneself.

"Only two Core Formation Ancestors can perform the Mind-Searching Technique. Soul Search... the victim is often rendered mentally impaired. My Qingfeng Sect is not a demonic sect, how could we possibly cast such a vicious spell on our disciples?"

Ma Ming glanced sideways and jumped, realizing he had seen through Bai Zichen's thoughts.

"But don't think you can escape punishment just because you don't have a similar spell. This mongoose I keep is a natural enemy of snake-like monsters, and the Wind Breath Serpent venom is very beneficial to it. As long as you have been in contact with it recently, you won't be able to escape its sense of smell!"

Ma Ming shook the spirit beast pouch at his waist, and a spirit beast the size of a house cat emerged, with a long body, long tail, and a pointed head.

With a leap of its short limbs, it jumped onto Ma Ming's shoulder and greeted its owner affectionately.

"Go, find out who smells of Wind-breath Serpent Venom!"

The mongoose received a spirit fruit from its master, pounced forward, ran around Su Lie twice, shook its little head in confusion, and then ran towards Peng Jinhu.

After searching for a while without finding the scent of the most beloved Wind Breath Snake Venom, the Meerkat jumped to Bai Zichen's side, but also came up empty-handed.

After sniffing twice, the mongoose abandoned its master's guidance and jumped onto Kuang Shidi and Quan Guanzhong in a flash, letting out a sharp squeak.

"Uncle Ma, it seems your spirit beast didn't detect the Wind Breath Serpent Venom here, but the informant did. It's understandable that Junior Brother Kuang would smell snake venom on him because he was poisoned, but Junior Brother Quan, so you were the one who bought a bottle of Wind Breath Serpent Venom!"

The dramatic turn of events on the field made Bai Zichen laugh easily.

Regardless of what mistakes were made by those who were secretly plotting against him that led to this outcome, one thing is clear: Quan Guanzhong has trapped himself in this mess.

"Impossible... How could this be..."

Quan Guanzhong was stunned. It was normal for him to be tainted with the venom of the Wind Breath Snake. The bottle that his junior brother Kuang had taken was brought by Mo Changfeng and handed over by him.

But according to Mo Changfeng's statement, if he buried the entire bottle of Wind Breath Snake Venom in the yard, the Listening Meerkats should have discovered it long ago.

Unless, everything Mo Changfei said was a lie!

There was no bribery of the handyman disciples, no evidence of snake venom was buried; it was all a lie fabricated by Mo Changfei, and he foolishly believed it and fell headlong into the trap.

Why did he frame me? Wasn't Bai Zichen his enemy? With Mo Changfei's personality, why would he set me up in such a trap?
Quan Guanzhong's mind went blank. He wanted to say something in his defense, but found that he didn't know where to begin.

"Bastard thing!"

Ma Ming's face turned ashen. He thought that the victim had come to his door to report such a shocking crime of poisoning and assassinating his fellow disciple, and that there was solid evidence against him.

Looking back now, it was a clumsy frame-up, full of loopholes.

Having made a wasted trip and lost face, Ma Ming had already made a mental note of these three outer disciples. He grabbed his spirit beast and prepared to leave.

"Uncle Ma, it seems that it wasn't me who poisoned them, but rather these two who were trying to frame me... I wonder what crime it is in the sect to falsely accuse an inner disciple?"

Bai Zichen would not let these outer disciples off easily, even if they were just pawns in the open.

The simplest approach is to use words to subdue Ma Ming and then have the Enforcement Hall deal with him; this would also give this Foundation Establishment elder a piece of his mind.

"Those who make false accusations will be punished in return. If you are falsely accused of poisoning, then you will be charged with poisoning! The specific punishment will need to be discussed further in the Hall of Enforcement!"

Ma Ming threw out a rope-like magical artifact, which grew longer in the wind, binding the three of them together before departing on a beam of light.

From afar, the cries of the three could still be heard as they begged for mercy.

"Who exactly is plotting against me? And why did they stop at the last step, thus outmaneuvering Quan Guanzhong and his group..."

The relaxed expression on Bai Zichen's face faded; the feeling of having an enemy hiding in the shadows was very uncomfortable.

"My cultivation level is still not high enough. If I had become a true disciple, I would have simply cut off any other people's thoughts, and probably no one would have made a move against me."

These past few days, from the chaos in the market to the framing of someone at his door today, Bai Zichen has come to realize that Qingfeng Sect is not as good as the rumors outside suggest.

There is just as much intrigue and backstabbing, just as much darkness and filth.

"Moreover, as competition intensifies in the future, underhanded tactics will likely be indispensable!"

The number of true disciples, the qualifications for the sect leader to accept disciples (as everyone speculates), and even the future opportunities to establish a foundation—each time, new competitors emerge.

Bai Zichen pulled Su Lie and Peng Jinhu over and gently advised them not to be frightened by today's unexpected event.

Just do your job well and keep a close watch on things.

After arranging these things, Bai Zichen returned to the training room, took a Qi-replenishing pill, and continued the process of refining spiritual energy.

Today's events gave him a great sense of urgency.

"No wonder the clan has sent very few disciples to Qingfeng Sect in recent years. At least I have the status of an inner disciple... If it were a servant or an outer disciple who entered the sect, life would be even harder, and the infighting would probably be even more severe."

Although the Bai family has some internal struggles, they are far less intense than the fierce battles fought by the Qingfeng Sect.

"I will not leave seclusion until I reach the late stage of Qi Refining!"

Bai Zichen set a small goal, and as the effects of the medicine took hold, he quietly closed his eyes.

(End of this chapter)