Huang Rong from The Return of the Condor Heroes: Guo'er, calm down.

Inside the main hall, all eyes were on Yin Zhiping.

Zhao Zhijing's eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost.

Yin Zhiping, who is usually very careful about his reputation and always thinks things through carefully, has suddenly become so arrogant that he's sticking up for this little bastard.

Yin Zhiping took two steps forward and knelt directly in the center of the main hall.

"Sect Leader, this boundary marker was not broken by Yang Guo."

Qiu Chuji frowned: "What do you mean?"

"That boundary marker, its inner core was shattered by my disciple half a month ago," Yin Zhiping fabricated without batting an eye. "Recently, I've made some progress in my internal alchemy practice, so I often go to the back mountain to test my skills on this marker. It looks intact on the outside, but its inside has long been reduced to dust. Yang Guo only touched it lightly today, and it shattered."

Zhao Zhijing almost laughed out of anger.

"Junior brother, are you trying to fool a three-year-old?" Zhao Zhijing pointed at the broken stone. "The break is brand new; it's clearly caused by a powerful external force. You practice Quanzhen internal energy, which emphasizes gentleness and richness. How could you possibly produce such an effect? ​​To protect your disciple, you'd even lie like this?"

Yin Zhiping turned to look at Zhao Zhijing, his eyes surprisingly showing a hint of contempt.

"I don't blame you for not understanding, senior brother."

Yin Zhiping said calmly, "There are three thousand great paths, but they all lead to the same destination. Who says that Quanzhen internal energy cannot be fierce? I recently comprehended the Dao of Heaven and felt that our Quanzhen martial arts were too yin and lacked killing power, so I tried to improve them. I never expected them to have such power."

As he spoke, he looked at Qiu Chuji and kowtowed deeply.

"Master, I have damaged the ancestral boundary marker without authorization and failed to repair it in time, which has led to today's misunderstanding. It is all my fault. Please punish me, Master!"

Qiu Chuji paused, his hand twirling his beard.

This reason... while it sounds somewhat far-fetched, isn't entirely impossible. After all, Yin Zhiping is one of the most outstanding disciples of the third generation; if he were to have had some kind of epiphany, it would be plausible.

"And what about his martial arts?" Zhao Zhijing pressed on. "Lu Qingdu said Yang Guo didn't use the Quanzhen Swordplay at all; he just rolled around on the ground, his moves were vulgar, and he had immense strength! How do you explain that?"

"That's what I taught you too," Yin Zhiping replied quickly.

"You taught him that?" Zhao Zhijing sneered. "When has our Quanzhen Sect ever had such a shameless martial art?"

Yin Zhiping straightened his back, his face righteous: "That's called 'Seventy-Two Rolls of Earthly Fiends,' a style I created myself based on the passage from the Tao Te Ching: 'The highest good is like water. Water benefits all things without striving, dwelling in places that others disdain.'"

A collective gasp filled the hall.

Even Yang Guo couldn't help but give his cheap master a thumbs up in his heart.

Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!

To call "lazy donkey rolling around" "seventy-two rolls of the earthly demons" and even bring up the Tao Te Ching—this is how cultured people lie in a different way. They are not only shameless, but they also appear to be very cultured.

Yin Zhiping continued passionately, "Yang Guo's skills are still in their infancy, and his foundation is not yet solid. Forcing him to practice swordsmanship would be counterproductive. Therefore, I will teach him according to his aptitude, letting him first practice the 'Earthly Fiend Roll' to strengthen his lower body and temper his character. As for his strength..."

He paused, then glanced at Yang Guo.

"This child has superhuman strength; it's a gift from heaven. What does it have to do with sorcery?"

Zhao Zhijing was speechless for a long time.

He had prepared a whole host of arguments, intending to pin the blame on Yang Guo for secretly learning martial arts from the Ancient Tomb, but who knew that Yin Zhiping would take the whole blame?

Claiming to have created one's own martial arts is absurd, but as long as there is no evidence to prove that it belongs to the Ancient Tomb Sect, it can only be considered "exploration and innovation".

"Master!"

Yin Zhiping kowtowed again, "This disciple has failed in his duty to teach, causing Yang Guo to accidentally injure a fellow disciple; I have destroyed the boundary marker, showing disrespect to the patriarch; and I have even privately taught unverified martial arts, nearly causing a great disaster. All of these are my faults!"

"This disciple knows that I have committed grave sins and am no longer worthy to be a disciple of Quanzhen! I humbly request the Sect Leader to expel this disciple from the sect to set things right!"

These words caused an uproar in the room.

Expelled from the sect?

This is an extremely severe punishment!

Yang Guo stood aside, initially intending to watch the show. But upon hearing the last sentence, his mind started to race.

Something's off with this old guy!

Yang Guo stared at Yin Zhiping, when suddenly a thought struck him.

This isn't an apology; it's clearly an attempt to back down gracefully!

If he were expelled from the sect, wouldn't he be a free man? Without the constraints of the Quanzhen Sect's rules, wouldn't this old guy immediately pack his bags and head to the Ancient Tomb to become Sister Long's live-in son-in-law?

Yang Guo thought to himself, "Wow!"

Just now at the entrance of the ancient tomb, Sister Long's words "Come back soon" were probably taken by this old rascal as a rallying cry.

Yang Guo, ever the drama queen, felt that if he didn't put on a show of defending his disciple, he would seem too heartless.

"Thump!"

Yang Guo knelt down on both knees and kowtowed loudly.

"Master—"

Yang Guo used both hands and feet to crawl to Yin Zhiping's side, grabbed Yin Zhiping's leg, and tears welled up in his eyes.

"Master! You can't do this!"

Yang Guo cried, tears and snot streaming down his face, staining Yin Zhiping's Taoist robe. "I'm the one who did it! I smashed the monument! I hit the person! It has nothing to do with you, Master!"

Yin Zhiping's body stiffened.

He looked down at Yang Guo, who was clinging to his leg and wailing, and his lips twitched.

Let go!

You little brat, let go of me!

I finally found a perfect opportunity to escape this misery, why are you causing trouble?

"Guo'er!" Yin Zhiping gritted his teeth, trying to pull his leg away, but Yang Guo held on too tightly. "You're still young, you don't understand! I'm teaching you how to be a person! If you're wrong, you should admit it; if you're going to be punished, you should stand up straight!"

"I don't!"

Yang Guo held onto Qiu Chuji's leg tightly, looked up at him, and cried out, "Grandmaster! Don't listen to my master! He's protecting his disciple! That martial art wasn't taught by my master at all; I... I practiced it myself without any skill!"

Yin Zhiping got impatient and slapped Yang Guo on the forehead.

"Shut up! What nonsense are you talking about! That's the 'Earthly Fiend Roll' that I taught you! How can you have such a bad memory!"

As he spoke, he quickly looked at Qiu Chuji, his face filled with heartache and indignation: "Master, look, this child, in order not to implicate me, is actually trying to take all the blame upon himself. This...this is all my fault! I have spoiled him too much in the past, which has allowed him to develop such an arrogant and ignorant nature! I beg the Master to grant my request and expel me from the sect!"

"No! Get rid of me! Get rid of me!" Yang Guo shouted at the top of his lungs. "Master is the pillar of the Quanzhen Sect, he can't leave! I'm just a small-time hoodlum, let me get lost!"

"I'm the master, what I say goes! Get rid of me!"

"I'm the apprentice, I'll take the blame! Get rid of me!"

Inside the main hall, the master and disciple huddled together, each vying to be expelled.

This scene left everyone present dumbfounded.

Zhao Zhijing's mouth was open, and he couldn't close it for a long time.

This script is wrong.

According to the normal procedure, shouldn't the master shirk responsibility and the disciple cry and beg for mercy? Why are these two acting like they're vying for a reward?

Sitting at the head of the table, Qiu Chuji's eyes welled up with tears as he watched this scene.

He turned to look at Wang Chuyi, Liu Chuxuan, and others beside him.

"Fellow disciples, look..."

Qiu Chuji's voice choked with emotion, "How many years has it been since our Quanzhen Sect has produced such a devoted and loyal master and disciple?"

Wang Chuyi was also deeply moved: "Yes. Zhiping usually seems dull and unassuming, but I never expected him to be so protective of his apprentice. He'd rather ruin his own future than let his apprentice be harmed. This sense of responsibility is just like that of our senior brother back then."

Liu Chuxuan nodded: "Although Yang Guo is a mischievous child, his respect for his teacher is rare. Look at how pitifully he cried; it was a genuine expression of his feelings."