Chapter 102: Finding Nothing

"I have no intention of slandering you, but your behavior is suspicious. Your earlier words could be interpreted as a guilty conscience. If it's not you, nor a disciple of the Xinglan Sect, why are you so angry?" Xiao Chen sneered, his gaze turning icy.

"Late-stage Bigu realm. Xiao Chen, it's obviously not him. We only need to check those in the Golden Core stage," the Ancient White Tiger transmitted.

"That's right! If it's not a Xinglan Sect disciple, what are you worried about?" the people of Hundred Flowers Town began to shout.

"The Xinglan Sect is not a place for you to act recklessly! Xiao Chen, you will pay for your words!" Ye Tian shouted angrily. Being doubted by Xiao Chen in front of so many disciples was unbearable for him as the senior disciple.

"Ye Tian, stop!" At this moment, a majestic voice rang out from the main hall.

"Greetings, Sect Master!" the Xinglan Sect disciples said respectfully.

"The Sect Master of Xinglan Sect has come out!" a cultivator from Hundred Flowers Town said.

"Ye Tian, why are you so impatient? Have you forgotten what I told you?" Han Yun walked over slowly, speaking to Ye Tian with a tone of disappointment.

"Sect Master, that kid maliciously slandered the disciples, slandered the Xinglan Sect. I..." Ye Tian hurriedly defended himself.

Han Yun waved his hand and said, "The innocent need no defense."

Han Yun looked at the people of Hundred Flowers Town and said with a faint smile, "The matter of the flower thief has indeed caused panic in Hundred Flowers Town. I understand your actions today. Since you have come to the Xinglan Sect, you must have some evidence. If it is indeed a disciple of the Xinglan Sect, I will punish them severely, expel them from the sect, and hand them over to you."

"Xiao Chen, this Xinglan Sect Sect Master seems reasonable and has already reached the early Nascent Soul stage. Very powerful. But that Ye Tian guy is so arrogant, I really want to beat him up," the Ancient White Tiger transmitted.

"Sect Master Han Yun, we had no choice but to come here. All the evidence points to the Xinglan Sect. We hope you won't be offended," Old Li said, cupping his fists.

"No offense taken. The disciples of Xinglan Sect have been investigating for more than a month without any progress. I am deeply ashamed," Han Yun said with a bitter smile.

At this moment, an elder asked, "Since there is suspicion on the Xinglan Sect, how should we prove it? Let you decide. To clear the Xinglan Sect's name, we will not interfere."

"Sect Master Han Yun, it was my idea to come to the Xinglan Sect today. It was I who injured the man in black last night. He fled towards the Xinglan Sect. I pursued him to the forest on the outskirts of Hundred Flowers Town and lost his trail. I won't comment on the cultivation of the man in black to avoid anyone deceiving us. I ask Sect Master Han Yun to have the disciples of the Xinglan Sect reveal their left shoulders. A simple check will reveal the truth," Xiao Chen said politely, cupping his fists.

Hearing this, Ye Tian couldn't help but shout angrily, "Xiao Chen! Don't go too far! It's one thing to act wildly in the Xinglan Sect, but you want us to undress in public? What are your intentions? I think you're here not to investigate the flower thief but to insult our Xinglan Sect!"

Xiao Chen glanced at Ye Tian and said calmly, "As I said, the innocent need no defense."

"That's right! Sect Master Han Yun! If it weren't for the rampant flower thief, we wouldn't have come to the Xinglan Sect! This matter must be investigated thoroughly!" a cultivator said, agreeing with Xiao Chen, and others followed suit.

"Sect Master, Xiao Chen is insulting our Xinglan Sect. Please allow me to teach him a lesson!" Ye Tian quickly asked Han Yun, unable to contain his anger.

"Sect Master, this..." Several elders of the Xinglan Sect also felt troubled, unsure of what to do.

"This matter concerns the reputation of the Xinglan Sect. Since Hundred Flowers Town suspects us, any hesitation on our part would make it even harder to clear our name," Han Yun said, after a moment of contemplation. He then added, "Ye Tian, gather all the disciples of the Xinglan Sect for inspection. Brother Xiao Chen, why don't you conduct the inspection yourself? There's no need to remove the clothes."

"Sect Master!" Ye Tian wanted to say something but was stopped by Han Yun, leaving Ye Tian furious but helpless as he summoned the disciples.

"Since Sect Master Han Yun has said so, there's no need to undress. This is for the sake of investigating the flower thief. I hope Sect Master Han Yun will forgive us," Xiao Chen said with a faint smile, remaining calm throughout, which secretly impressed Han Yun.

More than 100 disciples of the Xinglan Sect gathered in the square. Xiao Chen and the cultivators from Hundred Flowers Town inspected them one by one. Though the disciples were secretly angry, they had no choice but to let the people of Hundred Flowers Town check.

After a few minutes, Xiao Chen found no disciple with a sword wound on their shoulder. The other cultivators from Hundred Flowers Town also found no such wound.

"Strange, how can there be none?" a cultivator wondered.

"Could it really not be a Xinglan Sect disciple?"

"We can't find anything. What should we do?"

"Yes, I didn't find anything either," one cultivator after another shook their heads, indicating they found no disciple with a sword wound.

"Xiao Chen, have you finished checking? What did you find?" Ye Tian asked coldly, looking very pleased.

Xiao Chen smiled faintly and said, "These disciples indeed have no sword wounds."

Upon hearing this, Han Yun and the elders sighed in relief. If it had been a Xinglan Sect disciple, it wouldn't have been as simple as expelling them. The sect's reputation would have been severely damaged, possibly leading to its decline.

Xiao Chen looked at Sect Master Han Yun and the elders and said calmly, "Sect Master Han Yun, elders, may I inspect you as well?"

"Xiao Chen, don't go too far!" Ye Tian shouted angrily, glaring at Xiao Chen.

"Xiao Chen, the Sect Master and elders would never do such a thing. Don't slander them!" a disciple shouted angrily.

"The Sect Master and elders are of high status. Who are you to say you can inspect them?"

"Our Xinglan Sect is not a place for you to act recklessly!" The Xinglan Sect disciples were all enraged.

"Quiet." Han Yun waved his hand and looked at Xiao Chen calmly. "Brother Xiao Chen must have his reasons for doing this. Brother Xiao Chen, please proceed."

"Thank you, Sect Master Han Yun," Xiao Chen said, cupping his fists with a smile.

"Brother Xiao Chen, I have a sword wound on my shoulder. See if it was caused by you," an elder said, indicating that Xiao Chen should check him first, his tone showing some dissatisfaction.

"Ridiculous! The third elder is a Golden Core stage expert. How could a brat like you injure him?" Ye Tian sneered, a look of disdain flashing in his eyes.

"If it were the third elder, Xiao Chen would have been dead long ago!"

"This time, Xiao Chen will face humiliation. How could a brat like him injure the third elder? Overestimating himself."

"The third elder is also fed up and is making things difficult for Xiao Chen, telling him not to be arrogant."

The Xinglan Sect disciples looked satisfied, while the cultivators from Hundred Flowers Town understood the third elder's intention, showing bitter smiles.

Xiao Chen glanced at the third elder and smiled faintly. "The third elder indeed has a sword wound, but it wasn't caused by me. The third elder's sword wound is just a graze. If I had wounded him, the wound would be deep."

"You!" The third elder's face changed abruptly, seething with anger.

The Xinglan Sect disciples were stunned. They hadn't expected Xiao Chen to say something so arrogant, showing no respect for the third elder.

Ye Tian shouted angrily, "Xiao Chen, you're insulting our third elder!"

"Arrogant brat! I'll teach him a lesson when I get the chance!"

"Xiao Chen, you have no respect for your elders and are insulting them. I think you're the real flower thief, trying to blame our Xinglan Sect!"

The Xinglan Sect disciples were once again furious, pointing at Xiao Chen and cursing him. The cultivators from Hundred Flowers Town were also shocked by Xiao Chen's words. They hadn't expected him to speak so arrogantly in front of the third elder.

Given Xiao Chen's clever mind, he naturally understood the third elder's dissatisfaction and deliberate provocation. Since the third elder was asking for humiliation, Xiao Chen wouldn't miss the opportunity.

The current Xiao Chen was no longer the useless person he once was but a Golden Core stage expert. He would retaliate without mercy against those who insulted or provoked him, even if it was the third elder.

"Does Xiao Chen dare to speak so arrogantly because he doesn't understand the third elder's cultivation or for some other reason? Why can't I see through his cultivation?" Han Yun wondered, his eyes showing a hint of complexity.

Xiao Chen ignored the Xinglan Sect disciples' anger and continued to check the others. After a while, the inspection was over, and the result was the same: he couldn't find the person he had injured.

"Sect Master Han Yun, there are indeed no disciples with sword wounds in Xinglan Sect. I apologize for any offense, but this matter concerns the safety of all the families in Hundred Flowers Town," Xiao Chen said calmly, maintaining a composed demeanor.

The entire Xinglan Sect was cleared of suspicion, and Sect Master Han Yun finally felt relieved. He smiled faintly and said, "No problem. It seems that someone is deliberately trying to frame our Xinglan Sect. Brother Xiao Chen, while our disciples found no clues in over a month, you managed to uncover leads in just a few days. I will send disciples to assist you in the investigation. I hope we can swiftly find the real culprit and bring them to justice."

"Master, allow me to go down the mountain. I will definitely find out who is framing Xinglan Sect and will dismember that Flower Thief!" Ye Tian quickly requested.

"It seems the Flower Thief's cultivation is not weak. In that case, Ye Tian, take ten disciples at the late stage of Bigu with you and assist Brother Xiao Chen in this investigation," Sect Master Han Yun nodded in agreement.

"Yes! I will not fail you!" Ye Tian replied with a pleased smile, his face revealing a hint of a cold smirk.

"Xiao Chen, this guy is so eager to hunt the Flower Thief, he must have ulterior motives. I think he's looking for an opportunity to teach you a lesson!" the Ancient White Tiger communicated telepathically, easily seeing through Ye Tian's intentions.

"No matter. If he dares to make a move, I'll show him who truly doesn't know their limits!" Xiao Chen responded with a cold smile, then departed with the people from Hundred Flowers Town.