In Baiyun Sect, within the Punishment Hall.
All the people from the cafeteria—suppliers, chefs, and even the hall master—had been brought in and were kneeling on the ground.
Before them lay plates of dishes. Although the food tasted mediocre, there appeared to be no issues with its appearance.
Thus, all these individuals denied any wrongdoing. The head chef, in particular, said indifferently, "I have always been dedicated to Baiyun Sect and have never done anything to harm it. Is it too much to drag us here for questioning based on the words of a single disciple? Does the Great Elder know about this?"
"Oh, you mean that if the Great Elder knows, we can't arrest you, right?" A cold voice echoed.
The Sect Leader of Baiyun entered.
Seeing him, the cafeteria hall master lost his arrogance and respectfully said, "Greetings, Sect Leader. I request that you restore my name!"
By saying this, he indicated that he felt wronged.
The Baiyun Sect Leader snorted lightly. "Whether you are innocent or not, the Punishment Hall will provide an explanation for you, not me."
Ling Feng, the discoverer of the waste oil incident, followed behind the Sect Leader and cast a probing technique at the cafeteria hall master.
[Lu Cai]
[Cafeteria Hall Master of Baiyun Sect, nephew of the Great Elder, greedy and petty, driven by profit, willing to use cheap waste oil, embezzling cafeteria funds for personal gain...]
The probing technique made it clear that this person was the mastermind behind the waste oil incident.
But how could he get this person to confess?
Ling Feng suddenly thought of the Truth Pill he had obtained not long ago, and his eyes lit up. He whispered a few words to the Baiyun Sect Leader.
The Sect Leader glanced at him suspiciously.
A Truth Pill?
Such a magical pill exists in this world?
"Well, it doesn't hurt to give it a try," the Baiyun Sect Leader nodded and took the pill Ling Feng offered.
He grabbed the cafeteria hall master, forced his mouth open, and shoved the pill inside. The hall master's face turned pale with fear, thinking the Sect Leader was poisoning him.
"Leader, you are torturing me! Even if I confess, it won't be convincing to everyone!" he panicked.
"Relax, what I'm giving you isn't poison; it's just a pill that makes you speak the truth," said the Baiyun Sect Leader.
He then looked at the cafeteria hall master.
Understanding the implication, he continued to press for a confession.
"Lu Cai, tell us! Did you ignore the health of the Baiyun Sect disciples and use cheap, inferior oil to fatten your own pockets?"
Lu Cai sneered internally.
How could he confess?
"Yes," Lu Cai coldly replied.
But as soon as the words left his mouth, his expression froze.
What just happened?!
What did he just say?
The chefs and suppliers behind him were also stunned.
"Hall Master, what nonsense are you talking?!"
"Did you mishear? We didn't do anything like that!"
The cafeteria hall master was also momentarily dumbfounded. Was the effect of the pill really that significant?
He was asked again, "Where did these oils come from?"
"We sourced some unwanted pig internal organs, dead pig meat, and pig skins from the slaughterhouse at the foot of the mountain. Additionally, we sent people to various restaurants in the city to collect leftover food and slop to extract oil..."
The cafeteria hall master confessed everything in one breath.
The more he spoke, the more sweat beaded on his forehead.
Stop! Stop talking!
Don't say anymore!
He internally screamed, trying to control himself, but it was useless.
The effect of the Truth Pill was beyond his resistance.
The cafeteria hall master and the Baiyun Sect Leader both turned pale.
The related staff in the cafeteria also turned ashen and collapsed to the ground.
It was over!
Everything was over!
The cafeteria hall master suppressed his anger and continued to interrogate.
He learned that not only did the cafeteria use waste oil, but they also utilized many inferior ingredients.
"How could you disregard the health of the Baiyun Sect disciples like this? Aren't you human? Don't you fear the consequences?"
"I'm not afraid! Ordinary people might have serious problems eating this, but all Baiyun Sect disciples are martial artists, strong and healthy. They could eat as much as they want without any issues; at worst, they would just have a bit of diarrhea."
"You're wrong!" Ling Feng interjected coldly from the side. "Even martial artists, if they consume these things for a long time, their martial arts progress will inevitably be affected. In other words, you are jeopardizing the future of the Baiyun Sect disciples!"
"So what? As long as no one dies, it's fine," the cafeteria hall master replied.
He had already collapsed to the ground, his face ashen.
He could no longer control his mouth.
His inner thoughts kept spilling out uncontrollably.
"Rascal!!"
At this moment, the Great Elder of Baiyun Sect entered the Punishment Hall and happened to hear his words.
He roared angrily and slapped toward the hall master's head.
The Baiyun Sect Leader caught his hand.
"If you want to kill him, there's no need to rush. Let him finish revealing all the relevant people associated with this matter before we act."
The Baiyun Sect Leader looked deeply at the Great Elder.
Then, Lu Cai named all the people involved in the waste oil incident.
Chefs, suppliers...
There were actually more than a dozen people involved.
And the amount of money they had embezzled over the years totaled more than several hundred thousand taels!
"Hmph, as the hall master of the Punishment Hall, my assets are only a few thousand taels, but you, a cafeteria hall master, are worth dozens of times more than that," the Punishment Hall Master sneered.
Ling Feng blinked from the side.
So Baiyun Sect is this poor?
He still had several hundred high-grade spirit stones on him.
One high-grade spirit stone was worth ten thousand taels.
So he effectively had several million taels!
Could it be that he was even richer than the Elders combined?
"Great Elder, do you know about this matter regarding Lu Cai, your nephew?"
The Baiyun Sect Leader asked the Great Elder calmly.
The Great Elder's expression stiffened.
Given his earlier eagerness to kill Lu Cai, it was highly likely he was aware of the situation.
Thinking of this, the Baiyun Sect Leader coldly said, "Answer me! Great Elder!"
"Replying to the Sect Leader, I did know about Lu Cai's embezzlement, but I really didn't know that he would be so heartless as to disregard the health of the Baiyun Sect disciples. If I had known, I would definitely not have let him off!"
The Great Elder realized that hiding the truth was futile, so he came clean.
He was the Great Elder of Baiyun Sect, and he hadn't been deeply involved in this matter; his crimes were not severe enough to warrant death.
"Oh Great Elder, how should I say this? As the Great Elder, you actually acted with favoritism! You have greatly disappointed me!"
"You are to be punished with half a year's salary. Go back and reflect on your actions!"
"As for Lu Cai and the rest…"
"Execute them all!!"
The Baiyun Sect Leader said coldly.
The Punishment Hall Master nodded, "Yes!"
Immediately, the hall erupted in wails of despair.
Some looked at Ling Feng with resentment, shouting, "It's all your fault! You brought this upon us! It's just some inferior oil; it won't kill anyone! Why do you have to meddle in our business? May you never find peace, may you never find peace!!"
Ling Feng stood by, his expression cold and indifferent.
He felt no sympathy for these profit-driven individuals.
The Great Elder also looked at Ling Feng deeply.
"Ling Feng, you have made a significant contribution. What reward do you wish for?"
The Baiyun Sect Leader smiled and asked.
"I merely spoke out about what I knew. As a member of Baiyun Sect, anyone who knew about this matter wouldn't sit idly by. I don't dare to ask for any rewards," Ling Feng replied, cupping his hands.
The Baiyun Sect Leader and the Punishment Hall Master looked at this humble, courteous young man, who acknowledged his accomplishments without arrogance, and their satisfaction grew. Their eyes filled with fondness.