Chapter 315: Judgement

After hearing both sides, Yu Xuan and Baozi fell into deep thought.At least, that was how it appeared on the surface.

In truth, the moment both factions mentioned "our senior instructed us to raid gates for experience", Yu Xuan and Baozi had already seen through the entire situation.

An accidental discovery of the Sky Silkworm.

Two groups with similar backing.

They wanted an off-record resolution.

Not justice.

Not fairness.

’Haha,’ Yu Xuan replied mentally, ’they want us to close this quietly. And they’re prepared to pay.’

Yu Xuan nodded slightly, as if pondering seriously.

"Hm... but it’s not like you were the first ones to discover the Sky Silkworm," he said casually.

Silence followed.

Just silence.

Baozi leaned back, then extended his hand lazily.

Almost immediately, both parties reacted.

Discreetly, as if this were the most natural thing in the world, each side handed over a small pouch filled with high-quality spirit stones.

Not sect points. Sect points were traceable.

Spirit stones were not.

Baozi weighed the pouch in his hand, nodded once and then suddenly grabbed the swordsman’s wrist with terrifying force.

"Hehe," Baozi said, tilting his head, eyes narrowing.

"Do I look that easy to buy?"

The swordsman stiffened, cold sweat forming instantly.

After several more "adjustments" to the deal, Baozi finally spoke again.

"Show me the Sky Silkworm," he said lightly.

"I’m curious about the little thing."

The swordsman hesitated.

Reluctantly, he produced a crystal bottle. Inside it, blue-and-white striped worms writhed gently, emitting a faint, ethereal glow.

The Sky Silkworms were mesmerizing.

"Not bad," Baozi commented.

Then, without warning, he casually slid the bottle into his sleeve.

"...Ha?"

The swordsman’s face froze.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" he shouted.

The tiger woman’s eyes narrowed sharply.

Yu Xuan stood up slowly.

"You stole this from a junior disciple," he said coldly.

"And that ’senior’ you mentioned? I’d very much like to meet him in person."

He took a step forward, his voice rising dramatically.

"And the audacity to bribe Discipline Committee members? If this isn’t courting jail, then what is?"

The swordsman’s mind went blank.

Weren’t they done negotiating?

Didn’t they already pay?

Didn’t Baozi accept the stones?!

They didn’t know that Baozi simply liked stones so he took all their burden of carrying them.

"This is daylight robbery!" the tiger woman snapped.

"Who will compensate me for my loss?!"

Baozi smiled.

"You both agreed to solve this off the record," he said calmly.

"So I’d say this is... excellent cooperation."

A suffocating pressure descended upon the room.

Both leaders paled as their bodies refused to move.

Yu Xuan continued, his tone almost cheerful.

"And during our discussion, I sensed you secretly communicating," he said.

"Oh and the poor junior disciple you robbed?"

He sighed theatrically.

"I must find that disciple and deliver justice."

The two leaders finally understood.

They weren’t negotiating with mediators.

They were being harvested.

And there was nothing they could do about it.

’They never intended to cooperate from the start,’ the swordsman transmitted grimly to the tiger woman.

’Your plan to secure official witnesses failed. Still... we can recover the Sky Silkworm later. It’s fortunate they don’t know its true value, its chance of evolving into a Great Energy Sky Silkworm is far higher than normal.’

The tiger woman’s expression remained cold, but her thoughts churned.

Initially, neither side had any intention of cooperating.

When they first discovered the Sky Silkworm, it had been in the possession of a weak, nameless disciple. They had taken it without hesitation, because that was how the cultivation world worked.

But after several days of observation inside the gate, both factions realized the truth.

The environment of that gate had drastically increased the silkworm’s evolution probability.

This was no ordinary Sky Silkworm.

If nurtured properly, it could mature into something far more far more valuable.

So they compromised.

Rather than destroying the silkworm through fighting, they decided to cooperate in secret.

To ensure exclusivity, they deliberately let tensions escalate within their own groups, staging fierce arguments and even near-death battles, forcing their subordinates to act.

The goal was simple: hoard the profit alone.

Once outside the gate, they planned to exploit the Discipline Committee’s recent reputation for fairness.

After the "judgment," one side would publicly concede defeat.

The silkworm would disappear quietly.

And even if their respective seniors later discovered the matter, suspicion would never fall on them.

After all.

A thief never searches his own home.

And their seniors would never challenge the Discipline Committee over what appeared to be a trivial gain.

It was just a Sky Silkworm.

But for them who knew the truth?

This was anything but trivial.

In the cultivation world, immense profit erased friendship and rivalry alike.

Only benefit mattered.

[A/N(Random): Benefit in Chinese 利益]

What they never anticipated... was shamelessness on this level.

Not only had these two Discipline Committee lunatics ignored their script.

They had taken the treasure outright.

And in cultivation, only three offenses surpassed all others:

Killing one’s kin.

Stealing one’s lover.

And stealing one’s treasure.

The swordsman’s resentment surged.

’As expected... I shouldn’t have trusted this beast.’

Beside him, the tiger woman thought the exact same thing.

’As expected... I shouldn’t have trusted these metal-loving lunatics.’

Their alliance had collapsed the moment greed met something worse than itself.

And both of their faces twisted.

They couldn’t expose the truth, not without exposing themselves.

If this matter came to light, it would be clear that both sides had stolen the Sky Silkworm from a weak disciple in the first place.

Neither of them could afford that. And they had to even explain the group what happened here.

"How about we... discuss this further..." the swordsman forced out these words.

"Too late," Baozi interrupted abruptly, glancing at the medallion on his wrist.

"It’s already been more than twenty minutes."

Yu Xuan’s expression darkened.

They were off duty today.

That alone made this entire affair deeply offensive.

He stood up, brushing imaginary dust, and spoke dismissively, his tone carrying the finality of a verdict.

"My judgment is simple, nobody here is guilty."

The swordsman and the tiger woman froze.

"And I thank you both," Yu Xuan continued calmly, "for generously giving the ston— ahem for returning the insect to its rightful owner for further investigation."

He clasped his hands behind his back, posture righteous.

"I, Yu Xuan, guarantee that justice will be served."

Before either of them could react.

The space rippled.

Yu Xuan and Baozi vanished without a trace.

Leaving behind two cultivators staring at empty air.

And silence filled the room.