“Disciple Dong, please restrain your temper in front of the Vice Headmaster.”
Hearing the Head Elder's words, Lin Dong paused and took a moment to calm down. However, Li Shen suddenly spoke up.
“So what if I gave the resources I obtain to who I chose? Aren’t you Faction Leaders doing the same thing?”
Sua Yuming and the other Faction Leaders furrow their brows, but Li Shen simply continued.
“The disciples you groom in the academy, where would they end up after leaving? In your clans and your own forces. All I’m doing is following your examples straightforward instead of your roundabout and sneaky way of doing it.
“And as for me not being respectful to the academy’s legacy that’s just not true.”
Li Shen's expression then became serious.
“My loyalty to the Sword Pavilion and this Academy should not be questioned. I won’t let my position as the Second Prince of the Li Imperial Family influence my decisions when inside the academy. I won’t have any hidden agenda besides upholding the academy’s prestige as the number one Academy on the Maple Continent. That means I won’t go around sending spies into my fellow Faction Leader’s factions and stir up conflict by spreading false allegations, as well as participating in any power struggle that could divide the Sword Pavilion or the Academy itself.
“I’m not going to even comment on your accusations of me brainwashing disciples, that’s just blatant slander.”
Just as Lin Dong was about to calm down, Li Shen’s words made his blood boil.
Completely ignoring everything else as well as the jab he made at them, he said.
“Lies! Those disciples you brainwashed have all taken up positions in the other factions! Their obviously working for you!”
“Are they a part of my faction? No. And I can’t prevent them from speaking up when someone on the outside slanders the good name of my Divine Sword Music Faction.”
Hearing that, Lin Dong jabbed a finger at Li Shen and angrily said.
“Y-You-”
But he had to stop because the blood rushing to his head was about to make him cough up blood.
Ye Fei seeing all of this placed his face in his hand and shook his head.
“Am I free to leave?”
Li Shen suddenly asked out of nowhere.
The Head Deacon’s expression turned strange, but he quickly composed himself and he coughed a bit before saying.
“No disciple Shen, we’re still in the middle of your trial. If the rumors of you brainwashing disciples of our Sword Pavilion are discovered to be true, then we have the obligation to punish you as per the academy’s rules regardless of your status.”
Lin Dong smiled maliciously upon hearing that.
“Oh? What would those punishments be?”
Li Shen asked curiously.
The Head Deacon was a man that was strict and always abided by the books, so he had memorized the academy rules back to front. The punishment to be dealt out if Li Shen was found guilty quickly came to his mind and he opened his mouth ready to recite it like every other time this was required, however, he paused. His expression then slowly turned strange once again.
After a second or two he finally said.
“Uhh...the punishment would be... abolishing your cultivation.”
Lin Dong’s expression froze.
Even the stoic Elders who had been silent this whole time almost showed a reaction to that.
What cultivation?
Li Shen was famously known to possess no foundation, hence he had no cultivation to abolish.
“...Ehem.”
The Head Deacon cleared his throat as if he was trying to clear away the awkward atmosphere.
Not to mention the rumors to be clearly spread by someone, even the punishment if found guilty would be next to nothing.
Though this meeting wasn’t necessarily called because of the accusations of Li Shen brainwashing disciples with some flute, they didn’t believe that was the case.
They were entertaining the idea as Lin Dong had supposedly brought a witness.
After clearing his throat, the Head Deacon said.
“Let the trial of disciple Shen begin.”
Next to the small podium, another seat was placed there. Teleportation runes glowed before someone appeared.
Li Shen recognized him as one of the spies that had sneaked into their Faction.
That disciple looked around and a nervous expression appeared on his face as he saw the elders and even the Vice Headmaster.
“What is your name?”
That disciple jumped at the Head Deacon’s question, but he still managed to stammer out.
“This disciple’s name is Lin Su-uh wait!”
He suddenly panic and waved his hands while hurriedly correcting himself.
“Hu Suhai, my name is Hu Suhai!”
Everyone hearing his words cast glances at Lin Dong.
Lin Dong meanwhile was seen glaring at that disciple while cursing him internally.
Li Shen himself released a small chuckle.
It was obvious from the get-go that this witness Lin Dong brought was from his Lin Clan.
Ignoring his early mistake, the Head Deacon asked.
“Disciple Suhai, are the rumors that disciple Shen is brainwashing disciples true?”
Suhai nodded his head vigorously and pointed at Li Shen while saying.
“It’s true! I’ve experienced it myself! He was using a Soul Art while playing his flute to influence us to be loyal to him!”
Even though this disciple was obviously acting, and was quite bad at it. The Elders were all suddenly serious about this despite initially deeming it as what they are, just rumors.
It wasn’t like Li Shen didn’t have the ability to perform Soul Arts but was he brainwashing disciples so obviously? And why would the Vice Headmaster not say anything if that was the case?
After all, he was showing favoritism towards him. They didn’t believe he was now working with Li Royal Family.
Instead of brainwashing, they were now wondering what else he might be doing behind those closed doors. All the disciples who had come out of there had completely become new people. As if their lake of potential that had once been dried up had been found to have a spring just underneath the surface.
How did Li Shen excavate that spring?
This information could be vital to them, so using this opportunity the Head Deacon and the Elders plotted wordlessly to go ahead with this narrative for the trial.
It’s been going on long enough that they themselves were starting to get curious about what Li Shen was doing.
Turning to Li Shen, the Head Deacon’s expression became serious as he asked.
“Disciple Shen’s is this the truth?”
Seeing the gazes of the Elder shift towards him as well as their inner emotions, Li Shen clicked his tongue internally.
‘These bastards are definitely scheming old fogies. They're using Lin Dong’s scheme to their advantage to force me to reveal my methods. What about that Fei Fei?’
Li Shen turned to Ye Fei, but only a neutral expression greeted him in return.
Li Shen sighed internally at that.
‘We agreed that you’d prevent the Academy from interfering with my business, so long as I don’t cause trouble. So what is this?’
As if Ye Fei could tell what Li Shen was thinking, he thought internally.
‘We made an agreement but hadn’t imagined this was what you would be up to. Even if I wanted to step in it would look bad on my part as this is might be something that could help develop the Academy disciples. Given what that Ghuanyu is doing the Elders have latched onto this hoping it could combat the increasing number of people who are cultivating the Ming Clans method.
‘If this continues the way things are now, the only disciples that would remain in the Academy are ones who are grateful to the Ming Clan for granting them outstanding talents. As the Vice Headmaster of the Sword Pavilion, I can’t sit back and watch as the academy is being taken over slowly. Plus, you’ve personally piqued my interest as to how you help those disciples regain their talents.’
‘Fine.’
Li Shen could tell what position Fe Yei had to take in this situation, so he didn’t blame him for going against their agreement.
Flipping open his palm an ordinary wooden flute appeared in his hand.
Everyone's gaze landed on this flute including the Faction Leaders.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢