The cultivation master

"Ahhh!!! Elder, please listen to me! I'm not some lowly demon!"

"Am I supposed to let that girl be torn apart by demonic creatures in the cold? Have the righteous sects fallen this low?"

The venerable elder shouted, "Silence!!"

"Dear master! Please stop this! I'm the one who saved her! Should I be killed just to prove my innocence? Aren't you afraid of the inner demons lurking within your souls?!"

"Ugh!!! Master!!! Please stop bullying those weaker than you... Ugh!!! Ouch!!! Let go!!!"

Fang Yuan groaned as the sword embedded in his shoulder bled profusely.

Elder Su, who had remained silent until now, suddenly shouted: "Please, stop it, elder! We can't torture someone without reason! He saved my daughter; how can I allow him to be harmed for that?"

He stood and handed a mid-grade healing pill to Fang Yuan. "I... as her father and the elder of the sect, am grateful."

"Never stop helping others out of fear for your own safety. Through your sacrifice today, you saved not just my daughter, but me and even the entire sect from losing a talented disciple. You are our savior, Lu Zheng."

He then turned to the others, ignoring the venerable elder's words, and said loudly: "If we repay kindness with resentment, help with punishment, and life with death, how can we claim to be followers of the righteous path?"

"Tell me, what makes us different from demons?"

Fang Yuan feigned a smile of admiration, bowing his head in respect, but inside, he found the unfolding drama amusing.

[There's a deep rift between these two groups. I can use this to further my plans. Hahaha.]

The venerable elder responded, "We are the righteous path, not the path of folly! In a world filled with demons, trusting a man who claims to slay zombies but lacks a pulse, has no heartbeat, and exudes an aura of death is foolish."

"It's better to set aside idealism and embrace realism. Demons will attack us in any way they can. If we are cautious, we will be safe; if we act recklessly, we can only blame ourselves."

He then turned to the two elders who had been assessing the northern mountains. "You said the northern mountains have turned into hell; this man claims to have come from that land. What makes you think he isn't allied with the demons? As I said, I'll take him to the supreme Moon Sect. If his words prove true, I will make amends with apologies and treasures from my sect. If he's a demon, I'll destroy him right there!"

Elder Su frowned. "But you have a chance to make amends, and you are denying that chance to our sect. At least let us repay this kindness to some extent. I can't let the savior of my daughter leave without his debt being acknowledged."

"Hmph! Elder Yu, you are making this difficult."

Fang Yuan addressed elder Su, "Dear master, your good intentions are not lost on me. Just as the moon does not stay behind the clouds forever, the truth will one day be revealed. I hope you can forgive me for these troubles. I only saw the senior sister and couldn't turn a blind eye. Such issues arise; the path of righteous is fraught with challenges."

Elder Su, now calming down, smiled and said to Fang Yuan, "Brother Lu. It's true the path of righteous is filled with difficulties, but precisely for that reason, I cannot allow those difficulties to increase for our fellowship. We are cultivators walking the path of righteous; in fact, we are all brothers pursuing a common goal."

He then bowed to the venerable elder. "Brother, I know you have your reasons, but I must ensure Brother Luo recovers before he joins you at the supreme Moon Sect. Please accept this small request. I recognize your goodwill, but even if Brother Lu is a demon in disguise as a righteous cultivator, rest assured he cannot escape retribution."

The three venerable elders fell silent for a moment.

[It seems there's no choice but to go along with them for now. This way, I can pretend that they owe us a favor. Well, it's not like I can't just kill this Lu Zheng. If he tries anything, it will still work out in our favor. Perhaps it's better to keep him in the Mist Sect for a while instead of the supreme Moon Sect.]

"Very well, elder Su. I understand your intentions. My brothers and I will postpone this matter for now. What matters is the friendship between our sects."

elder Su smiled, feeling a newfound respect for the venerable elders. He took Fang Yuan's hand and lifted him from the ground. The sword pulled free from Fang Yuan's shoulder and returned to the venerable elder's grasp.

"Cough! Cough! Thank you, brother. I'm just a lowly half-immortal. I don't deserve this kindness. Thank you for not abandoning someone as insignificant as me. At least I can find some peace before the storm."

"Don't worry, Brother Lu. I will do my best to prove your innocence during this time. You saved my daughter; that's the least I can do for you. Alright, enough talking. We need to go back and treat your wounds."

Fang Yuan nodded and mounted elder su's spiritual tool, heading toward the Mist Sect.