Chapter 176: 176. The Adventures of Li Ruyu (Part Three)
After Yu Xu Wanderer vented for a while, Qing Jing Wanderer finally spoke up.
“This matter is simply nonsense. Quickly send people to the Cloud Sea Mountains to find out the truth and see who is spreading rumors and causing trouble!”
Although these words sounded somewhat familiar, they could be considered a solution.
Since people were sent to the Cloud Sea Mountains to investigate the situation a few days ago, it’s likely they haven’t arrived yet. So, they dispatched a few faster ones.
To see who is spreading rumors and slandering and ruining the reputation of their Xuanji Sect.
When Yu Yang Wanderer suggested punishing Li Ruyu, the previously furious Yu Xu Wanderer immediately rejected it, stating that the truth of the matter has yet to be clarified, and punishing the disciple rashly would be unfair.
If Li Ruyu were punished, wouldn’t it confirm the rumor that she was streaking at midnight?
Thus, Li Ruyu once again escaped a disaster without receiving any punishment.
Of course, this was only on the surface.
Not a few hours after returning, the deacon from last time came to inform her not to guard the gate here but to do cleaning in the back mountains.
Li Ruyu dared not voice any objections and left the gatehouse with her luggage to the deserted back mountains.
Forced to clean in the back mountains, it can be said that Li Ruyu’s personal future in the Xuanji Sect was thoroughly cut off. The so-called cleaning in the back mountains was just a polite term, essentially punishing her to be a menial worker for a lifetime.
Recalling the look Yu Xu Wanderer gave her when she left, Li Ruyu’s heart filled with panic.
It’s fine to offend Yu Yang Wanderer, but offending Yu Xu Wanderer was disastrous. Yu Xu is narrow-minded and vindictive, with a worse temper than Yu Yang.
What kind of karma did I commit in my past life to suffer such a fate?
Which enemy is targeting me? I won’t let you off even if I die!
Li Ruyu felt that she was even more wronged than Dou E, like snow falling in June, like a bolt from the blue.
Now she was considering not how to make a comeback or prevent retribution, but how to preserve her life.
As for defection, Li Ruyu was loyal to the Xuanji Sect… um, though it wasn’t impossible to consider.
However, the punishment the Xuanji Sect meted out to defectors was terrifying, and Li Ruyu couldn’t make up her mind right then.
Yu Xu Wanderer left her dojo and went to a secluded, deserted area outside the Xuanji Sect.
Not long after, a figure descended from the clouds—it was the Sect Master, Qing Jing Wanderer.
Seeing Qing Jing Wanderer appear, Yu Xu Wanderer immediately complained indignantly, “Senior sister, it must be Yu Yang instructing Li Ruyu to slander me. You must stand up for me!”
Qing Jing Wanderer quickly comforted her, “Don’t speak rashly. Li Ruyu has been watched closely these days and hasn’t interacted with outsiders.”
Besides, you enjoy streaking at midnight, which is true. If not for my restraint, it would have been widely known long ago.
But Yu Xu Wanderer responded, “Then how do you explain how Wangyue Daily knows about my situation? Using Li Ruyu’s name clearly to provoke. If you don’t handle it, I’ll go find Yu Yang myself.”
With that, she was about to leave, but Qing Jing Wanderer quickly stopped her, “It must be a coincidence, or someone stirring up discord. Even if Yu Yang is dissatisfied with you, it is unlikely she would reveal this matter. I will investigate thoroughly and give you an explanation.”
Yu Xu continued to pout angrily, being harder to placate than Yu Yang.
Ah, dealing with two junior sisters simultaneously is really troublesome.
Qing Jing Wanderer sighed and, using her excellent persuasion skills, soon calmed Yu Xu Wanderer.
Under the moonlight, their figures gradually overlapped.
Li Ruyu had been cleaning in the back mountains for a few days, and before she could decide on escaping, she was once again brought before all the high-ranking members of the Xuanji Sect.
This time, it wasn’t just limited to Yu Yang Wanderer or Yu Xu Wanderer. Almost every high-ranking member had a disagreeable and stern expression.
Every gaze seemed to want to skin Li Ruyu alive.
Qing Jing Wanderer asked, “Li Ruyu, do you bear resentment towards the sect’s treatment of you?”
Previously, Yu Xu Wanderer asked this, then Yu Yang Wanderer asked, and now it was finally the Sect Master Qing Jing Wanderer’s turn.
Li Ruyu didn’t need to guess what the situation was, covering her face with her hands, tears streaming down, “I am not, I have not, I really have not, please believe me!”
A newspaper was thrown in front of Li Ruyu.
The headline on the newspaper read—”The entire Cultivation World is frantically spreading news that a major sect secretly does such a thing. It is utterly despicable. If you don’t share after reading, you are not a cultivator.”
Li Ruyu peeked through her fingers.
Good, this time it didn’t name me directly, which was some progress.
But Li Ruyu’s heart didn’t harbor any lucky thoughts, otherwise the sect’s high-ranking members wouldn’t have brought her here again.
Sure enough, the news source was still the anonymous Ms. Li Ruyu, who was punished to clean in the back mountains after revealing Elder He’s streaking at midnight.
She accidentally entered the sect’s forbidden area and discovered that the sect actually imprisoned errant male disciples in the forbidden area, providing them for high-ranking members’ pleasure.
Upon seeing this, Li Ruyu nearly lost her soul and was almost scared witless.
She had stayed in the back mountains these days, naturally not seeing anything. But those seeing the newspaper outside the sect wouldn’t know this, and those inside the sect would probably have doubts after seeing it.
After all, since the founding of Xuanji Sect, the phenomenon of favoring females over males had been extremely serious. Male disciples were of low status and suffered discrimination.
Xuanji Sect has existed for over three hundred years without a single male elder.
Many male disciples had climbed onto the beds of Dharma Transmission Elders or masters for cultivation resources, which wasn’t really news, but rather a well-known unspoken rule.
This was also why Li Ruyu dared to seduce her junior disciple back then. After all, junior disciples couldn’t escape their master’s clutches in the future anyway, might as well let her take the first bite.
But even if Xuanji Sect had such a culture, they certainly wouldn’t imprison male disciples for high-ranking members’ pleasure.
They were still a prominent sect, part of the righteous path. Their low standards had a limit; otherwise, what distinguished them from the Demon Sect?
The first two news pieces could be seen as mere speculation, but this third news was outright fabrication and malicious slander, and far more serious than the previous two.
The first two news pieces targeted individuals alone, regardless of truth, the impact on Xuanji Sect would not be significant. These days, which sect doesn’t have some romantic rumors among its high-ranking members, the truth is known only to themselves.
But the third news directly attacked the reputation of Xuanji Sect.
As previously mentioned, the importance of reputation to a sect is no less than its own strength.
Once a sect’s reputation is tarnished, with negative prestige, it’s doomed. Talent will dry up, peers won’t do business with you, and you’ll be spat on while traveling.
Unless you degenerate and mingle with fringe groups or Demon Sect cults, there’s no solution.