Steward Chen was just about to explain the situation when the Elder cut him off. "Hold on."
He then walked over to Xiao Chen with a serious expression. "Is this your room?"
Xiao Chen nodded. "Yes, this is my residence."
Steward Chen hurried forward to explain. "When I arrived, Li Sibao was already poisoned. Xiao Chen was using the Water Therapy Skill to save him."
Then he gestured and made the introductions. "This is Elder Jiang from the Law Enforcement Hall. And this disciple is Xiao Chen, an Inner Sect candidate from my Second Division."
"You be quiet. I'll question him." Elder Jiang stopped Steward Chen and looked Xiao Chen up and down. "Why did Li Sibao come looking for you, and why was he poisoned?"
Seeing this, Steward Chen couldn't help but frown. He hadn't wanted to go find Elder Jiang in the first place, precisely because he was worried the man would misunderstand Xiao Chen.
From their very first meeting, he had felt that Xiao Chen was a promising talent, and subsequent events had only confirmed this.
But after he found Elder Chen, the latter insisted that he go to the Law Enforcement Hall to find Elder Jiang, who would then "coincidentally" run into him on the way and accompany him to the scene.
And now, just as he'd feared, Xiao Chen had become the prime suspect.
Steward Chen looked at Elder Chen in confusion, but Elder Chen seemed completely unworried, watching the show from the sidelines with a leisurely air.
Hearing this, Xiao Chen frowned slightly but still recounted the entire story of his encounter with Li Sibao from beginning to end.
He told the absolute truth. After all, he was a victim in this matter too.
He was met with hostility for no reason, attacked for no reason, and now he was being questioned for no reason.
But this only deepened Elder Jiang's suspicion. "Are you saying you were sleeping soundly at home when Li Sibao came to find you for no reason at all, and you have no idea why he was poisoned?"
"Xiao Chen, I am officially warning you. I am questioning you in my capacity as an Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall. You will answer all my questions truthfully."
"If I find out you've tried to lie to me, the eighteen tortures of the Law Enforcement Hall will be waiting for you."
At the end, Elder Jiang bellowed, "Do you understand?!"
"Hey, Brother Jiang, don't get so worked up. I've met this disciple before. He's an honest and well-behaved kid. Let me have a word with him first."
Only then did Elder Chen leisurely speak up to mediate.
At the same time, he took two steps to position himself between Xiao Chen and Elder Jiang, physically shielding Xiao Chen with his body.
Elder Jiang's face darkened. "Are you protecting this disciple? Junior Brother Chen, you'd better think this through."
Steward Chen, standing to the side, was stunned. He was slowly beginning to understand a fraction of Elder Chen's intentions.
Sure enough, in the next moment, Elder Chen declared righteously, "I believe Xiao Chen is innocent. If my judgment is wrong, I will take full responsibility."
He looked at Xiao Chen and said virtuously, "You don't have to worry. I will vouch for you."
Xiao Chen first thanked Elder Chen. "Thank you for your concern, Elder. However, a person with a clear conscience has nothing to fear."
Then, he calmly faced Elder Jiang. "Whatever questions the Law Enforcement Hall has, I will answer them all, holding nothing back."
'He truly hadn't done anything wrong in this matter.'
Therefore, in the face of suspicion, Xiao Chen was very confident.
'After all, they can't just fabricate things out of thin air and twist right and wrong, can they?'
"Hmph. Easy for you to say." Seeing his demeanor, Elder Jiang continued his questioning. "Let me ask you, have you two ever had any grudges?"
"No."
"Never had any disagreements before?"
"No."
"Then why did he come to your room looking for you?"
"I do not know."
"You don't know? Then what do you know?"
"Other than what I have already stated, I know nothing."
"Insolence!" Elder Jiang roared. "Men, take him back to the Law Enforcement Hall and help him 'remember' a few things."
Hearing this, the two disciples behind him immediately took out ropes and moved forward to take Xiao Chen away.
"Stop! Who dares take him away!" Elder Chen immediately shouted. "I've already said, I will vouch for Xiao Chen. He has nothing to do with this matter."
Elder Jiang looked at Elder Chen, a flicker of doubt in his eyes.
Then he glanced at Xiao Chen again, confirming that he did not recognize the disciple's face.
He then reminded him, "Junior Brother Chen, according to sect rules, disciples harming one another is a grave taboo. The light punishment is having one's cultivation crippled; the severe punishment is execution."
"If any high-ranking members of the sect shelter their family's disciples, or their own apprentices, they will bear joint responsibility and be dismissed from their post and punished."
Elder Chen shot an imperceptible glance at Xiao Chen behind him and replied loudly, "I am naturally aware of that. You don't need to worry about it, Brother Jiang."
"In any case, I am protecting Xiao Chen, and that's final."
When Steward Chen had rushed over earlier, Xiao Chen had been helping Li Sibao suppress the poison.
That was why Steward Chen had easily noticed that Xiao Chen had, without any fanfare, broken through to the seventh level of Qi Refining.
If the situation hadn't been so urgent, with Li Sibao's life hanging by a thread, Steward Chen would have much rather pulled Xiao Chen aside to ask him just how he cultivated.
This was also the reason why, when he set out to find help, he had deliberately taken a long and roundabout route to find Elder Chen first.
In Steward Chen's mind, the plan was for him to bring Elder Chen to help calm the situation.
Faced with such a promising disciple, regardless of the truth, the priority should have been to extricate Xiao Chen from the situation first, then investigate slowly.
However, after a moment of consideration, Elder Chen had rejected his proposal and chosen a different course of action.
'Is he actually trying to use this opportunity to win Xiao Chen over?'
Steward Chen's expression remained neutral, but his mind was racing, trying to figure out Elder Chen's true intentions.
Elder Jiang was also pondering this in his mind.
He glanced at Xiao Chen doubtfully. 'Something isn't right. Could this disciple have some sort of backing?'
'Otherwise, why would Elder Chen go to such lengths, even personally vouching for a disciple he clearly doesn't recognize?'
To be safe, Elder Jiang added another question. "Xiao Chen, is it? Even with someone vouching for you, you are still the primary suspect."
"A life is on the line, after all. For the foreseeable future, you must be available for investigation and questioning at all times."
"Furthermore, we need to notify your family or master to come and be questioned alongside you."
This was, in effect, giving Xiao Chen a chance to call for backup.
Generally, a cultivator with a background would use this as an excuse to quickly send word.
However, Xiao Chen just shook his head. "I am an orphan taken in by the sect. In all these years, I have only studied under Instructor Wu and have no other master."
'No backing?'
Elder Jiang was clearly surprised. 'Then why would Elder Chen go out of his way to protect him?'
As if to answer this question, Elder Chen chimed in at the perfect moment. "Although Xiao Chen has no official master, his comprehension is outstanding, and I think very highly of him."
"My nephew, Zhi'an, once brought him to see me. I felt then that he was a promising talent, and I took an immediate liking to him."
"In my heart, I already consider him half a disciple of mine."
"Of course, this all depends on his own willingness. Xiao Chen, if you are willing, from this day forward, you may formally call me 'Master'."
This was Elder Chen's goal. He wanted to use this method to snatch up this apprentice before anyone else could.
He was betting on Xiao Chen being able to maintain his astonishing cultivation speed and quickly reach Foundation Establishment.
At the same time, he had deliberately engineered this misunderstanding.
This way, he could put Xiao Chen in his debt and, with any luck, even screw over Elder Jiang.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen also immediately recalled his last meeting with Elder Chen.
'That's right. Last time we met, he was indeed very cordial and even gave me several gifts.'
'Considering our history, both Steward Chen and Elder Chen have certainly shown me considerable goodwill.'
'From the perspective of status, Elder Chen is one of the sect's influential Elders, and the Chen Family is one of the Five Great Clans. Countless people wish for an opportunity to join them but have no way in.'
'And in the current situation, I'm being baselessly harassed by Elder Jiang. If I agree to Elder Chen's offer, I'll gain a powerful backer. No matter how I look at it, this is a good thing.'
So, he immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, Master!"
Elder Chen beamed. "Ah, my good apprentice."
Steward Chen was dumbstruck. He had just been thinking about how to win Xiao Chen over after this incident was settled.
He never would have imagined that Elder Chen would pull a move like this so quickly.
What was even more brilliant was that, to Elder Jiang's ears, this explanation simultaneously resolved his doubts and misled his judgment.
Just then, an Inner Sect senior disciple arrived, leaned in close to Elder Jiang, and whispered in his ear, roughly recounting the major and minor events Xiao Chen had been involved in over the past six months.
The main points were his three consecutive epiphanies, which had broken the cultivation record for Outer Disciples.
Elder Jiang had a sudden realization. 'It all adds up now. So that's it. Elder Chen has his eye on this disciple's potential.'
'In that case, I have nothing to worry about.'
'This is a perfect opportunity to investigate Xiao Chen thoroughly. If I can dig up any dirt on him, I can use it to strike at the Chen Family.'
It was just like how the rising Jiang Family was competing with the Chen Family for their share of the elixir market.
'If Elder Chen's new apprentice gets into trouble, he, as the master, will naturally have to take responsibility.'
'And if that happens, that Outer Sect Elder position might just have to change its name to Jiang.'
Elder Jiang had it all figured out. For him, this situation was all reward and no risk.
'There's a high probability I can find some dirt on Xiao Chen. Disciples from the bottom rungs, nine times out of ten, resort to any means necessary for cultivation resources.'
'Hardly any of them are clean; they can't withstand a real investigation. The only question is whether it's a major crime or a minor one.'
'As long as Xiao Chen has a single flaw, I can connect it to Li Sibao's case.'
'Even if the investigation turns up nothing, as an Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall, conducting an impartial investigation is my duty.'
'At the absolute worst, Xiao Chen will just feel resentful and might even hold a grudge against me because of this.'
Thinking this, Elder Jiang made up his mind.
'Xiao Chen is a mere Outer Disciple. Even if you gave him ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare hold a grudge against the Jiang Family.'
"Junior Brother Chen, a life is at stake. Since I, your senior brother, am the Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall, I must be fair and impartial. We cannot skip a single step of the proper procedure. I hope you can understand."
"Men, please escort Elder Chen and Xiao Chen back to the Law Enforcement Hall. Set up a seat for Elder Chen in the main hall, serve him tea, and treat him with the finest hospitality."