Chapter 27: Who Said I Have No Evidence?

"Xu Ze, I never imagined you were this kind of person. I truly must have been blind to have been friends with you for so many years!"

Luo Xiaojia cast a cold, indifferent glance at him. "You had better just confess quickly; that way, you might still beg the Enforcement Hall for a lighter sentence."

Seeing the situation descending into chaos, the Outer Sect Elder, Mo Shenglin, frowned and barked, "Silence! What kind of behavior is this, bickering and shouting in public?"

As the crowd fell quiet, Mo Shenglin swept his gaze across the area, finally resting his eyes on Su Yi. With a calm expression, he asked, "Zhang Yi, did you not do this?"

His tone was gentle, not at all like an interrogation, but rather like a casual chat between friends. Seeing this, Zhao Zijing, who had previously been brimming with confidence, felt his heart skip a beat; a vague sense of unease began to linger.

Su Yi smiled faintly. "Reporting to Elder Mo, this matter has nothing to do with me."

Seeing Su Yi deny it flatly, the enforcement disciple in charge of bringing him in grew anxious. The young woman leading the group stepped forward and gestured to the bundle of spirit herbs. "Zhang Yi, stop trying to lie! You are responsible for managing the Azure Leaf Grass in the herb garden. Now that more than a dozen freshly picked stalks have been found in your roommate's room, how is this not evidence?"

Unexpectedly, before Su Yi could offer a rebuttal, Mo Shenglin waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "Junior Nie, there is no need to ask further. Since Zhang Yi says he did not do it, it is unlikely to be him."

"I had you bring him here merely to clarify things in public, so as to avoid any rumors spreading later."

He then fixed his gaze on Su Yi. "Junior Zhang, our Xianxia Sect has always rewarded merit. You may speak now, in front of everyone, about how much the sect rewarded you the day before yesterday."

Su Yi rubbed his nose, looking somewhat embarrassed, and spoke slowly. "This disciple was fortunate enough to perform a small, insignificant service."

"But I did not expect the sect to treat me so generously. They bestowed upon me three thousand spirit stones, fifty bottles of high-grade Qi Gathering Powder, and a mid-grade magical artifact. I am truly unworthy of such rewards."

As his words fell, a wave of gasps erupted from the crowd. They stared at Su Yi in disbelief, their eyes filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment.

Just how great a contribution had this kid made? To be awarded three thousand spirit stones, fifty bottles of high-grade Qi Gathering Powder, and a mid-grade magical artifact all at once!

Such a heavy reward bestowed upon an outer sect disciple who had been in the sect for less than a few days was simply inconceivable!

Mo Shenglin nodded and said with a serious face, "Azure Leaf Grass is the main ingredient for refining Qi Gathering Powder and is very easy to sell in the markets, but these dozen stalks are worth at most four or five spirit stones."

"Tell me, would someone who has just received a reward of three thousand spirit stones risk being stripped of their cultivation and expelled from the sect just to steal a few stalks worth four or five stones?"

That was true! Hearing this, the crowd, previously skeptical, suddenly realized the truth. Indeed, logically speaking, the risk and the reward were completely disproportionate. A servant disciple's monthly allowance was only two spirit stones; three thousand stones were equivalent to one hundred and fifty years of pay. Someone holding such a massive fortune was unlikely to commit theft for a mere pittance.

Of course, one could not rule out the possibility of a psychologically twisted individual who enjoyed the thrill of forbidden acts. But the problem was that this guy had recently passed his entrance aptitude test and had been rated as having "Perfect Character." He didn't look like a deviant at all.

Seeing that Su Yi had basically cleared his name, Xu Ze was overjoyed and hurriedly said, "I told you, Brother Zhang and I are innocent! We never stole any spirit herbs; you just wouldn't believe me! Let me go!"

As he spoke, he tried to stand up, but the enforcement disciple nearby pressed him back down.

"Stay still!" The young woman surnamed Nie gave him a cold look and sneered, "Regardless, the Azure Leaf Grass was found in your room. Even if Junior Brother Zhang didn't do it, you are inseparable from this mess!"

"As a servant disciple, you have no way of entering the herb garden, let alone the opportunity to steal the herbs. I advise you to honestly reveal who is behind you; that way, you might still strive for a lighter sentence!"

"Otherwise, don't blame us for sending you to the Enforcement Pavilion. Once there, we have plenty of ways to pry your mouth open."

Xu Ze smiled bitterly at these words. He had thought that since Zhang Yi was cleared, he would be able to explain himself as well, but he hadn't expected them to insist on labeling him as the thief. Feeling a sense of sorrow, he couldn't help but mock them. "I see the Enforcement Pavilion is nothing more than this. You can't even see through such an obvious frame-up—you're just living off an empty reputation!"

"How insolent!"

The young woman surnamed Nie was so angry her eyebrows stood on end. She raised her hand to slap Xu Ze, but before she could touch his face, her wrist was seized by a large hand, unable to move a fraction further.

Looking up, she saw that it was Su Yi who had grabbed her wrist. A flush of anger appeared on her pretty face. "Zhang Yi, what are you doing!"

As she spoke, she instinctively tried to break free, only to find that the hand on her wrist was like an iron vice, completely immovable.

Seeing this, the other enforcement disciples were furious and swarmed forward. "You dare attack a Senior Sister!" "Release her at once!"

Su Yi glanced at Xu Ze, then said calmly to the young woman. "My friend did not steal the Azure Leaf Grass. It is not for you to say, nor for me to say. It would be better to let the facts speak and bring the truth of this case to light."

With that, he smiled, released her wrist nonchalantly, and continued. "Azure Leaf Grass is a vital material for refining Qi Gathering Pills, and the demand is huge. My job in the garden is to manage a field of these herbs."

"If there is a mastermind trying to frame me, then this bundle of grass must have been picked from that very field."

"I start my shift at the hour of the Rabbit and return to my quarters at the hour of the Rooster. This means that out of the twelve hours in a day, I am away from the fields for six. Whoever picked these herbs must have acted while I was away."

Nie Yuman was both embarrassed and annoyed, glaring fiercely at Su Yi. "And what is the use of saying all this? You weren't there. Do you actually have evidence to catch the culprit?"

Despite her anger, she didn't act rashly, feeling secretly shocked. She possessed the strength of a complete Foundation Establishment practitioner, yet she had been unable to offer any resistance against Su Yi!

To have suffered such a loss in front of everyone—at any other time, she would have slapped him back. But for some reason, facing this servant disciple, she didn't have the courage to turn hostile.

It was only because the man before her was simply unfathomable!

Su Yi let go of her hand and laughed. "Who said I couldn't have evidence just because I wasn't there?"