When I woke up, the entire cultivation world was talking about my master.

Chu Xianlan paused slightly.

Although he didn't need to take Xiao Huandu's nonsense to heart, he did have some doubts. After all, in similar situations in the past, his master would usually let him follow him around to train... Could it be that his master got annoyed with him because he had been by his side for so long?

So that's why we decided to split up?

Speaking of which, there was a time when the theft case was being discussed at the market's main tent.

Chu Xianlan had assumed that his master didn't like being too close to others, so he habitually left a spacious spot next to him. However, before he could even call out, his master walked over as if he hadn't seen him and sat down in the small empty space next to Pei Fang'an.

...Was he overthinking it?

Chu Xianlan raised her hand and scratched her head, feeling more and more puzzled. Could it be that serious? He shouldn't have done anything too strange. Oh well, she'll just be more careful in the future.

"What are you daydreaming about? Let's go." Xiao Huandu whistled.

The two then went together to their night patrol location.

A giant spirit-gathering array is set up under the territory of the Taiyi Sect. Because the scale of the array is too large, a single core array eye cannot support it. Therefore, countless smaller array eyes are set up in various parts of the sect.

These small array points need to be guarded and maintained regularly, and the disciples' night patrol routes basically follow the direction of these array points.

A night breeze blew in her face as Chu Xianlan stood on the flying artifact, her eyes lowered as she stared at the rapidly receding scenery below, pondering the events of the day.

Although Ji Cheng'an is impulsive and annoying, he is indeed a nuisance.

But he shouldn't be that mentally deficient.

Regardless of the relationships among the royal offspring, this theft case appears bizarre and full of loopholes from any angle.

Even if Ji Cheng'an really lost his mind and had a thieving urge, he should have chosen someone who had no apparent connection to him to do it. Letting Wei Yi do it is just obviously putting suspicion on himself.

From both a moral and logical standpoint, there's no reason to take this risk and ruin one's future...

"We're here, let's go down."

The two landed and were immediately confronted by a massive array eye stone.

The array eye stone is irregularly shaped, with a rough texture on its surface. It is surrounded by spiritual energy and emits a luminous fluctuation from within, like breathing.

The two disciples guarding the outermost core of the formation bowed respectfully as they approached, saying, "Senior Brother Chu, Senior Brother Xiao."

Chu Xianlan nodded in response and casually took out a palm-sized treasure-hunting bell from her storage bag.

This object makes a sound depending on the surrounding spiritual energy. It is mostly used to find high-quality materials and can also detect the concentration of spiritual energy near the array's core.

Just as they were about to step forward to check, the disciple in front of them hesitated for a moment and said, "Senior brothers, Senior Brother Zhao from Jianming Hall is giving instructions inside."

"Zhao Jianren?"

Xiao Huandu's face showed disgust upon hearing the name.

There are always a few big sects that act like they have a big deal out of nothing, and they like to use the guise of giving pointers to boss people around and make their presence felt. Zhao Jianren is one of the best examples of this.

This person is an inner disciple of Elder Wenjian of Jianming Hall. In terms of seniority and status, he is only one level lower than the personal disciples. Ordinary disciples can only swallow their anger when they encounter him.

Sure enough, several shouts came from afar:

"The elders have ordered arrests and a thorough investigation of all suspicious individuals, both inside and outside the sect! Everyone, be on high alert tonight!"

"No slacking off, no negligence, do you all hear me?"

After gesturing wildly and finishing his speech, Zhao Jianren swaggered out.

But when he caught a glimpse of the two people at the door out of the corner of his eye, the arrogance on his face vanished instantly.

In an instant, Zhao Jianren seemed to change his expression and quickly approached, "Oh! Senior brothers, what brings you two here? It's windy outside, come in and sit down!"

This is the part of this person that makes people feel most uncomfortable.

A typical example of bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

He was so eager to befriend his two protégés who were of higher rank than him that he had no moral bottom line.

"Why are you sitting? This is a routine night patrol, not a trip for fun." Xiao Huandu glanced at Zhao Jianren sideways.

"What a coincidence! I just finished explaining the night patrol rules to my junior brothers and sisters. Before, they took turns on duty by themselves, and I was always worried that there would be omissions. But as soon as I arrived, everything was organized perfectly!" Zhao Jianren smiled broadly, his tone smug.

He patted his chest, pointed to the array eye stone behind him like a team leader, and then pointed to the disciples on duty nearby.

"Look, the key stone of the formation is firmly in place, and everyone is on high alert. With me here, there will absolutely be no mishaps!"

Xiao Huandu was truly impressed by his shamelessness.

What he's saying is simply taking credit for everyone's hard work while ignoring the efforts of others, making his few words the most important achievement.

Do you really think everyone is blind?

Chu Xianlan glanced around at the disciples who dared not speak out in anger, and suddenly said coldly, "In that case, I'll trouble Junior Brother Zhao to go through the trouble a bit more."

Zhao Jianren: ?

"After all, the reason our sect's grand formation has remained safe and sound is entirely due to Junior Brother Zhao's overall management." Chu Xianlan said with a smile on her lips and a soft tone.

Zhao Jianren's smile froze.

Immediately afterward, Chu Xianlan patted his shoulder, adopting a serious expression, "So, if anything happens to this eye stone in the future, you'll naturally be fully responsible, right?"

With a jolt, Zhao Jianren realized that what was pressing on his shoulder was not a hand.

It was a large pot.

With such a huge pot hitting him, it was suffocating him, and he dared not admit it.

The array eye stone is related to the sect's barrier. If something goes wrong, even if an elder or inner disciple comes, he cannot bear the responsibility, let alone an elder or inner disciple!

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Zhao Jianren's face. He rubbed his hands together and forced a smile, saying, "Haha, Senior Brother Chu, you're joking! We're all brothers, and we're all working to solve problems for the sect. Why should we divide our credit?"

Chu Xianlan put her hands behind her back, smiled and nodded, "Yes, if we're going to solve problems, there's no need to create them."

The implication was clear: Zhao Jianren's actions were unnecessary and only caused trouble.

Wanting to claim credit but not daring to take responsibility—there's no such thing as a free lunch.

"I... I was just saying it casually, senior brother, please don't laugh at me." A flash of annoyance crossed Zhao Jianren's eyes. He was embarrassed and didn't dare to lash out.

Xiao Huandu chuckled, "Ah, there's an old saying that goes, 'You can't just eat whatever you want, and you can't just say whatever you want.'"

The other disciples were moved by what they saw, and they knew that Chu Xianlan and Xiao Huandu were standing up for them.

That being said, I used to think that Senior Brother Chu was approachable and always had a smile on his face, but I never expected him to be so ruthless when he was criticizing people.

Chu Xianlan picked up the treasure-hunting bell and walked around the array eye stone. After she finished her investigation, she beckoned to Xiao Huandu: "Let's go and check out the next array eye stone."

The two ignored Zhao Jianren and turned to leave.

"Well then, take care, senior brothers~"

After they had gone far away, Zhao Jianren's fawning smile slowly faded, leaving only barely concealed resentment. He glared fiercely at their retreating figures.

"Pah! So what if he was lucky enough to have a good master and become a disciple? He's so ungrateful! What's so great about that!"

Zhao Jianren joined the sect early and has been cultivating for a long time. Not long ago, he also touched the threshold of the Golden Core stage. He believes that his strength is no less than that of his direct disciples, but he is always overshadowed by those two guys.

I'm really annoyed.

Especially that Chu Xianlan, who actually dared to threaten him openly and secretly, what a smiling tiger!

With nowhere to vent his frustration, he turned and walked back, his gaze falling on a female healer with braided hair next to him, his eyes darting around.

"You, you from Baicaotang, come here!"