Turmoil Within the Sect, Chapter 23: Miss, Your Act Is Not Over Yet

Chu Xing caught a clear look at the newcomer, and his heart stirred as a realization dawned on him.

No wonder those two men seemed familiar; weren't they the very same pair escorting this young woman on his way to the market?

As soon as the young woman appeared, the two boisterous, overbearing brutes instantly lost their bravado, their arrogance deflating by half.

She first surveyed the crowd, who were brimming with righteous indignation, and sighed softly, as if lamenting the injustices of the world. Only then did she glide forward with elegant, measured steps to the stall. She picked up the two alleged fakes, examined them for a moment, and then compared them to a piece of ore from the old man’s collection.

"Tsk, tsk."

She shook her head with a look of profound pity, tossed the stones back onto the table, and finally turned her gaze toward the two brutes.

"My good sirs, the mud on this stone is triple-colored red soil, found only in the Yuan-nurturing nursery gardens. Yet, these pieces belonging to Elder Li were all excavated from the depths of a mine. Are you... perhaps mistaking a flowerpot for a mine shaft?"

She pointed to another shard. "And this one here—the fracture is as smooth as a mirror, still radiating the residual heat of a cultivation-energy blade. Your attempt at fraud is truly lacking in effort."

Her words were clear and logical, laced with a playful, biting sarcasm. The crowd fell silent for a moment before erupting into a massive uproar.

"So they were scammers!"
"I knew Elder Li wasn't that kind of person!"

The tide of opinion shifted instantly. The old man let out a long sigh of relief and stepped forward, trembling with gratitude. "Thank you, young lady, for your assistance. This old man..."

The young woman gently raised a hand to stop him, her demeanor radiating righteousness. "Elder, there is no need for such formalities! If we cultivators were to turn a blind eye to such bullying and the distortion of truth, then this cultivation we possess would be worthless!"

Her words rang out with resonance, drawing cheers from the surrounding stall owners and passersby. Facing the approving gazes of the crowd, the young woman could barely hide the smug smile on her face.

Watching from the sidelines, Chu Xing almost felt like applauding.

*What a performance,* he thought. *With lines and stage presence like that, it would be a pity if she weren't leading the recitation of sect rules at the grand ceremony.*

Caught red-handed, the two brutes turned various shades of green and white. The one with the jowly face, unwilling to give up, roared, "You... you’re talking nonsense! We don't understand! We only know that the ore we bought from this old geezer is useless!"

He tried to make a final stand by playing the rogue.

The young woman’s smile only deepened at these words. "Shall I help you refresh your memories? Yesterday... when you were under the tree on the west side of the market, plotting how to make your act look more convincing, you didn't sound so confused."

As soon as she finished speaking, the two brutes looked as if they had been struck by lightning. Their faces turned deathly pale, and the looks they cast toward the young woman were filled with unconcealable terror.

The two exchanged a glance, shot the woman a look of pure malice, and after dropping a harsh threat, prepared to exit according to their script.

"Stinking girl, stop meddling! Consider yourself lucky! Let’s go!"

With that, they turned and began pushing through the crowd.

***

Seeing this, Chu Xing understood everything in an instant.

*Is it over already?*

What a well-rehearsed double act. First, send underlings to cause trouble and ruin the old man's reputation, then step in personally to play the role of the righteous hero. Once the old man owed her a favor, she could easily ask for this stall, and it would be perfectly justified.

Chu Xing glanced at the old man beside him. The elder looked as if he had just survived a disaster and was weeping with gratitude, clearly believing every word the girl had said.

He then looked at the old man's hands—calloused and deformed from years of hammering stone—and a thought crossed his mind.

He cleared his throat. "Wait a moment."

Stepping out from the crowd with a look of sincere admiration, he cupped his hands toward the girl in the green dress.

"Young lady, your righteousness is truly admirable! But..."

Chu Xing shifted his tone, pointing toward the two men who were trying to slip away with a pained expression. "If you let them go just like that, isn't that being too lenient on them?"

As soon as he spoke, many of the surrounding stall owners chimed in.

"That's right! Can't let them just run off!"

The smile on the young woman’s face faded slightly as her sharp, intelligent eyes fixed on Chu Xing.

She shook her head gently, her tone carrying an air of magnanimity. "A small punishment is enough; one should be forgiving when possible. We cultivators should not abuse our power."

Her words were airtight, projecting both benevolence and reason. The crowd felt there was some sense to it, and the commotion began to subside.

Chu Xing, however, acted as if he hadn't understood her meaning. He cupped his hands again, raising his voice even louder.

"I admire your magnanimity, young lady! But while you only think of forgiving them this once, have you considered that if they can scam Elder Li today, they could scam Shopkeeper Wang or Uncle Zhang tomorrow?"

He swept his gaze across the crowd and declared loudly, "If we don't send them to the sect's Law Enforcement Hall today as a warning to others, wouldn't your righteous act be incomplete? How is this any different from the mercy of a fool?"

The phrase "mercy of a fool" was like a needle, precisely piercing the young woman's pride. The lofty image she had just built was instantly dragged down a notch by those four words.

The stall owners, who had just calmed down, were incited once more. The looks they gave the girl shifted from pure admiration to a mix of expectation and scrutiny.

The young woman’s expression finally flickered. Her intelligent eyes were now cold as ice, fixed firmly on Chu Xing.

She suddenly remembered: this was the very person she had glared at near the market entrance. And now, he was using her own words to block her path!

"This young master, what is your intention?" Her voice turned cold. "Leave a path for others so we may meet again in the future. Your aggressive stance is truly excessive."

"Young lady, you misunderstand." Chu Xing spread his hands. "I am not being aggressive; I am simply... helping you make this performance of righteousness more complete."

***

He purposely emphasized the words "performance of righteousness" with a meaningful tone.

The young woman’s heart skipped a beat!

*Did he see through it?*
*Impossible!*

Feeling the expectant and approving gazes of the crowd, she realized she had been backed into a corner. She took a deep breath and squeezed two words through her teeth.

"Fine! Then... take them!"

When the two brutes saw the young woman nod, their faces turned green. They looked at her for help, but received only a cold, icy glare.

The two shuddered, instantly realizing the situation!

*This act must go on!*

"What... what are you people trying to do!"
"In broad daylight, you dare to lay hands on us!"

They immediately put on a show of bravado, though their confidence was clearly lacking.

Chu Xing sneered inwardly, but said, "To deal with scammers like you, everyone has the right to punish you!"

As he spoke, he didn't move, instead gesturing for the young woman to take the lead, giving her the full glory of the protagonist.

Gritting her teeth in silent fury, she had no choice but to lunge forward first. Seeing this, several hot-blooded men in the crowd let out a shout and swarmed forward as well.

The scene descended into chaos.

The two brutes weren't particularly skilled, and facing the young woman and the agitated crowd, they had no chance to fight back, retreating step by step as they were beaten.

Chu Xing only threw a few symbolic kicks from the side, watching as the two were pinned to the ground, bruised and battered.

As he stepped on the back of one of the brutes, he found the situation increasingly amusing.

The two men lay on the ground, their minds blank. *This isn't right. According to the young mistress's plan, they were supposed to leave after being exposed—why did they end up getting a beating?*

Just then, as one of them was shoved, a cyan jade token slipped from his robes and hit the ground with a crisp sound.

The old man, standing closest, instinctively picked it up.

With just one glance, his expression changed drastically, and he gasped, "Qingyun Sect! You... you are actually people from the Qingyun Sect!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd erupted into total turmoil.