Chapter 47: An Innocent Child, Undercurrents Begin to Appear

Xie Jingxing let out a sigh and stepped forward, his eyes filled with reluctance.

"Junior Brother Zhao, why must you do this to yourself? Since your body cannot withstand this flogging, it is better not to force it!"

"Senior Brother, save me!"

As a deacon disciple with a cultivation at the sixth level of Qi Refinement, Zhao Cheng was considered a figure of some standing in his daily life.

Now, however, his tiger-like eyes were brimming with tears, and his face was filled with terror, looking utterly miserable.

"Senior Brother, I implore you to step in and plead for me! Ask them to let me take the remaining twenty-six lashes all at once! I swear, I definitely won't pass out this time!"

Hearing this, Xie Jingxing finally nodded in agreement. "Fine, I will discuss it with them."

For the sake of Xie Jingxing, a true disciple, the executioner brother merely let out a cold snort and stretched his wrists.

"Consider yourself lucky. Today, I'll expend a bit of extra effort to finish these remaining twenty-six lashes in one go."

*Crack!*

*Crack, crack, crack!*

Lash after lash fell. Zhao Cheng's body was already a mess of wounds, looking like a limp, mangled piece of meat.

His fingers gripped the edge of the execution platform tightly, and his teeth bit down hard on his lower lip, tearing his mouth into a bloody mess.

His consciousness was on the verge of collapse, yet his body forced itself to stay upright, not daring to faint.

*Almost there,* he thought. *Just hold on a little longer, and the thirty lashes will be over.*

He did not know how much time had passed; to Zhao Cheng, time felt as though it had stagnated, yet the lashes striking his body felt agonizingly real.

A bloody afterimage appeared before his eyes, accompanied by a faint, compassionate voice.

"Junior Brother Zhao, I advise you to confess. Once you confess, you won't have to suffer this physical torment anymore."

Zhao Cheng's mind drifted for a moment. *Who am I? Where am I? Why does my body hurt so much?*

The voice paused for a moment and let out a sigh.

"We have already investigated thoroughly. You abused your authority within the Talisman Pavilion, using the guise of 'talisman making' to secretly kidnap and deceive servant disciples to turn them into 'Living Talisman Humans'... The witnesses and evidence are all present. Do you still insist on resisting?"

*The witnesses and evidence are all present? The witnesses and evidence are all present?*

Zhao Cheng felt his mind descend into chaos, and an uncontrollable sense of dread rose from the depths of his heart.

*It's over. Have my secret dealings been discovered by the sect?*

Seeing that he did not respond, the voice suddenly turned cold.

"I originally thought that if you were honest, you would be treated leniently and spared your life, but I did not expect you to be unrepentant... Fine. Since you refuse to admit your wrongdoing, just kill him directly. Someone, continue the execution!!"

Zhao Cheng's heart trembled, and he cried out in a panic, "I'll confess! I'll confess! Don't kill me, please don't kill me!"

Xie Jingxing's gaze turned cold as he continued using the secret transmission method: "Recount everything you have done, starting from the very first move!"

Zhao Cheng's expression turned desolate, yet he did not forget to try and absolve himself.

"I was also coerced! I had no choice! I am innocent! That person fed me a venomous insect and threatened me, saying I must provide two servant disciples to them every month, otherwise they wouldn't give me the antidote and would let the insect devour me to death!"

"Who is that person?"

Zhao Cheng shook his head. "Every time we met, that person wore a bamboo hat and was covered from head to toe in black cloth. It was truly impossible to discern their identity, and the time and place of our meetings were always different."

Xie Jingxing frowned. "Think carefully. Does that person have any other characteristics?"

Zhao Cheng thought for a long time but still shook his head.

"I only know that he is a Foundation Establishment Martial Uncle within the sect... However, once, he let something slip. He revealed that he had once participated in the encirclement of a Golden Core Great Demon! And that he had even received some of the spoils of war."

Xie Jingxing noted this information down. "Did he say when the next meeting would be?"

Zhao Cheng thought about it. "He didn't say, but based on previous patterns, it will be at least twenty days from now."

Twenty days!

It was just enough time for Zhao Cheng's injuries to heal. Once he had recovered, they could secretly monitor his movements and surely capture that person in one fell swoop!

Xie Jingxing suppressed his emotions. "In view of your confession, the death penalty is waived, but you must continue to endure this corporal punishment."

With that, he summoned the execution disciples to continue the punishment.

Zhao Cheng was startled and pleaded for mercy repeatedly.

But soon, the tearing pain that struck his body again rendered him unable to speak, and he fell into a deep unconsciousness.

Having witnessed the end of Zhao Cheng's punishment, Jiang Youling felt the pent-up frustration in her chest dissipate, leaving her in a remarkably good mood.

However, Senior Brother Xie had allowed her to watch the execution from the side and had even specifically given her a piece of salt... She felt something was wrong!

Thus, she took the initiative to step forward. "Senior Brother Xie, aren't you going to explain yourself?"

Xie Jingxing snapped back to reality, his tone gentle. "Zhao Cheng's petty actions and repeated bullying of sect disciples were something I could not overlook, so I simply lent Junior Sister a small hand."

Seeing him try to brush her off, Jiang Youling frowned. "But I feel like things aren't quite that simple."

Xie Jingxing smiled. "Junior Sister, you are overthinking it. I am a very upright person. When we first met, didn't I give you a fragment of a sword manual?"

*That's right! There was also the sword manual fragment!*

A spark of realization flashed through Jiang Youling's mind, and she finally realized what was amiss.

No matter how generous a True Disciple might be, would he be so magnanimous as to gift a manual fragment just for watching him practice swordplay?

There was a problem. There was definitely a problem!

Jiang Youling huffed lightly. "Fine, if you won't say, then when Junior Brother Zhao wakes up later, I'll tell him that you secretly gave me that piece of salt just now."

Xie Jingxing's expression shifted slightly. "Junior Sister!"

Jiang Youling smiled. "Is Senior Brother still unwilling to speak?"

Xie Jingxing pondered for a moment and finally let out a sigh.

"Fine. This matter should have been told to you, but because it is of great importance, I had no choice but to keep it hidden. Since you want to know, I will tell you, but you must never let it reach anyone else's ears—not even your close friend who lives with you!"

Jiang Youling nodded. "Don't worry, I won't say a word."

Fifteen minutes later, at Zhenyang Peak.

Xie Jingxing's tone was solemn. "There are many ears on Baina Peak. This matter is critical, so I have activated the cave dwelling's formation to prevent eavesdropping."

Influenced by his gravity, Jiang Youling's expression also became serious. "Please, Senior Brother, speak."

Xie Jingxing nodded slightly. "Zhao Cheng's covetousness toward the Songwen Sword was something I did intentionally."

Jiang Youling's pupils dilated slightly, and her lips pressed together instinctively. "Why did you do that, Senior Brother?"

"Half a month ago, the Sect Master accidentally discovered that someone was secretly targeting the sect's servant disciples, so he ordered me to investigate. After several months of covert investigation, I finally locked onto Zhao Cheng. However, Zhao Cheng is very cautious and leaves no traces, making it impossible to catch him in the act."

Xie Jingxing recounted the process in detail.

"Coincidentally, the Immortal Sect Examination was approaching, a time for recruiting new disciples. After much deliberation, the Sect Master bestowed the Songwen Sword upon you. I intentionally showed interest in the sword in front of him to lure the snake out of its hole. Given Zhao Cheng's arrogant nature, he would surely try every means to make things difficult for you. At that moment, I could take the opportunity to catch him red-handed."

Anger flared up in Jiang Youling's heart. "So, Senior Brother, you actually used me as bait without my knowledge?"