"W-What's going on?! Why did the sect elder suddenly attack that Outer Court disciple?!"
The Inner Court disciples there were greatly shocked by this sudden incident, as they have never seen such a forceful and aggressive reaction in the Treasury Hall before.
"Whatever that disciple did, he's done for. Nobody offends a sect elder from the Treasury Hall and gets away with it!"
"It's been a long time since someone has caused trouble in the Treasury Hall! I cannot wait to see how that Outer Court disciple gets punished!"
Meanwhile, Yuan turned to look at the sect elder with a frown on his face, "That was dangerous! How could you suddenly attack a disciple without any reason as a sect elder?!"
"Without a reason?! I have plenty of reasons to discipline you! You not only stole the Silver Fortune Medallion but you also dared to talk back to a sect elder!"
"You assumed that I'd stolen it without any evidence, and then you attacked me when I asked for you to return it to me! That's unreasonable!"
"Shut your damn mouth, you freaking liar! How could a disciple like you exist in the righteous Dragon Essence Temple?! You don't belong here! Not only will I discipline you, but I will also make sure you are no longer a disciple after today!"
"I can say the same thing to you! You want to discipline me? Go ahead and try!" Yuan stood his ground, not willing to be bullied by the sect elder.
'Not only the disciples but even the sect elders are unreasonable! This really makes me question some things!' Yuan sighed inwardly.
Hearing Yuan's provoking words, the sect elder jumped over the desk and approached Yuan while surrounded by an aggressive aura.
"If I don't punish you today, I do not deserve to be a sect elder!" The sect elder spoke as he approached Yuan.
"Haaa… What the heck is going on here, Elder Gu? I stepped away for a few minutes and trusted you with the Treasury Hall, and this is how you repay me? By creating a commotion with an Outer Court disciple inside the Treasury Hall?" A sighing voice suddenly resounded, causing everybody there to look at the entrance, where a tall middle-aged man stood.
"Elder Bei!" Elder Gu looked at Elder Bei with a perplexed look on his face.
"You've misunderstood the situation, Elder Bei. I am merely disciplining this disciple who not only dared to steal a precious item from the sect but also dared to lie in front of a sect elder!"
Elder Bei raised his eyebrows, and he turned to look at Yuan, who was standing there still with an unpleasant look on his face.
"What did he steal?" Elder Bei asked as he approached them.
"This— the Silver Fortune Medallion!" Elder Gu quickly showed him the silver medallion in his hands.
"T-That's…" Elder Bei's eyes widened with shock when he saw the Silver Fortune Medallion.
He then turned to look at Yuan in a stiff motion before asking him, "Y-Young disciple… Can you tell me your name?"
"Disciple Yuan," he responded.
'Disciple Yuan! Shit! He's the disciple Grand Elder Xuan warned me about! This fucking idiot Elder Gu actually offended the one person we're not supposed to offend when I went to get some food!'
Elder Bei immediately began sweating after realizing the situation.
While Elder Xuan had told Elder Bei about Yuan and the Silver Fortune Medallion because he was the manager at this place, Elder Xuan didn't tell anyone else because he didn't want too many people knowing about Yuan's existence to keep the risks of revealing his identity low. Furthermore, Elder Gu was only an assistant working in this place temporarily, so he was definitely not briefed about Yuan.
But alas, little did Elder Xuan and Elder Bei expect that Yuan would arrive at the Treasury Hall at the worst time— when Elder Bei went out to get some food.
"Elder Bei?" Elder Gu called out to him when he stood there in silence for many moments.
Elder Bei rubbed his eyes and released a long sigh.
After sighing, he turned to look at the other disciples there and said, "The Treasury Hall is closed for today. Everybody, get out."
Although Elder Bei tried his best to remain calm, his voice turned out quite angry-sounding, causing the Inner Court disciples there to sweat.
The disciples began leaving the building, and a couple of moments later, only Elder Gu, a few other sect elders working there, and Yuan remained.
Once the place was dead silent, Elder Bei extended his hand at Elder Gu and spoke again, "Give me the Silver Fortune Medallion."
Elder Gu did not think twice and handed the silver medallion to Elder Bei.
Once the medallion was in his hands, Elder Bei turned to look at Yuan before showing him the Silver Fortune Medallion on his palm, almost like he was offering it to Yuan, shocking everybody there.
"I deeply apologize for the misunderstanding and inconvenience you've experienced at the Treasury Hall today. I am the only one here who was informed by Elder Xuan regarding your situation, so please excuse the others for their ignorance." Elder Bei lowered his head as he apologized to Yuan, shocking the others even more.
Yuan then said, "I won't blame anyone for being ignorant. However, being ignorant and being unreasonable are two different things. That sect elder immediately assumed that I'd stolen this medallion without any evidence when I showed it to him, even striking me out of the blue when I asked for him to return it. That's simply inexcusable."
"What? Is this true? He attacked you?" Elder Bei looked at Yuan with wide eyes.
Yuan nodded with a serious look on his face.
"..."
After a moment of silence, Elder Bei turned to look at Elder Gu and said, "Since when do we, sect elders, attack disciples over suspicions and without any evidence that they'd committed a crime? Even if he did, when did that become our responsibility to discipline disciples? The disciplinary squad exists for a reason! I will listen to the whole story and deal with you later. Go wait in my room until I am done here!"
"Y-Yes…" Elder Gu nodded with a dazed look on his face, as he still couldn't comprehend the situation. Why did Elder Bei protect that Outer Court disciple? Why was he scolded? It didn't make sense!
Once Elder Gu left the scene, Elder Bei returned to Yuan and said, "Don't worry, I will handle this properly later, so let's stop thinking about this for now. Why did you come to the Treasury Hall today? Are you looking for some treasure? Tell me what you need and I'll see if we have it."
Seeing how Elder Bei wanted to drop the subject, Yuan had no reason to continue this drama and said, "I am here to see if I can get some Spirit Warrior monster cores."
"Spirit Warrior monster cores?" Elder Bei raised his eyebrows at this unexpected answer.
"Do you have a specific type of monster core in mind?"
Yuan shook his head and replied, "No, any kind of monster core will do."
