Eventually, Grandmaster Zhu Zhang addressed him, cutting off his speculations.

"Shopkeeper Mu, justice will be served as soon as we get to the bottom of this tale."

His response seemed appropriate during the course of an investigation but Shopkeeper Mu felt something wasn't right since he already delivered a detailed account of the incident and even went as far as to bring witnesses to testify on his behalf. Shouldn't the girl be on her way to the dungeons by now?

"Grandmaster Zhu Zhang…" Shopkeeper Mu began appealing with a pleading voice but the Grandmaster instantly raised his wrist from the armchair and waved his palm in demand for silence.

"I grant the accused, Li Meirong, permission to step inside the hall." The Grandmaster stated, glancing briefly at the Pale-haired Man while doing so. The Pale-haired Man hummed in approval.

Li Meirong walked inside the halls, kneeling a few steps behind Shopkeeper Mu. She looked up to see the banes of her existence staring right back at her. Zhu Zhang was sighing dejectedly and as for Zhu Qingyue… did he look angry? Was he annoyed with her?

"Grandmaster Zhu Zhang. Senior Zhu." Li Meirong maintained her composure and cupped her hands up front in a display of respect to each of them.

The whispered murmurs of the people could barely be heard but the displayed contempt was unmistakable. Li Meirong's eyes darted to the ma.s.ses, regarding plenty of scowls directed straight at her.

The onlookers in the hall were divided between attendants in the Bestiary division and disciples who witnessed the shop's explosion. Numerous disciples covered their scalps with paddy hats. They became the laughingstock of the whole sect overnight, all because of this girl!

Seeing the crowd's outrage only heightened Shopkeeper Mu's resolve. Everybody is on my side! He thought gleefully, placing his worries aside and regaining his composure. He rebuked himself for needlessly fretting.

That man who's called Senior Zhu is most likely outraged on my behalf! Shopkeeper Mu thought to himself.

Meanwhile, the two esteemed individuals sat on an elevated dais a great distance away from the rest of the ma.s.ses. To the spectators, it seemed as though for a moment, the Grandmaster's respectable guest was restraining his rage to lash out. The man whom Li Meirong addressed as Senior Zhu had his hands clenched into fists, his irritated expression worsened. Shopkeeper Mu was elated, righteously thinking that even the Grandmaster's guest supported him since his mood soured the moment Li Meirong arrived.

"Just wait and see what happens to you!" Shopkeeper Mu venomously whispered to Li Meirong who kneeled behind him.

Didn't she pompously threaten his life yesterday? Now, look at her! Bowing so lowly with her shoulders hunched in fear!

Li Meirong did not reply. Her eyes s.h.i.+mmered and her head hung lower.

The shopkeeper wasn't wrong with his deduction. Li Meirong was indeed afraid, feeling as though by now she had developed a crowd phobia. Every time she was surrounded by people, she ended up needing to defend herself from torture or possibly death.

She knew she was in the wrong for ruining the man's shop, but he was practically slave trading! Spirit Beasts weren't mindless creatures. They had the same level of intelligence as humans if not more so.

In fact, she was willing to find a way and compensate Shopkeeper Mu for his loss. They could have settled the issue calmly! Li Meirong really wanted to knock her own head for acting so stupidly before.

While bowing low, she wondered if this trial meant she would no longer be accepted as an inner sect disciple, much less a personal disciple…

Well, it would at least mean she won't have to spend any more time with the crazy Zhu's. If she makes it out of here alive, that is. Li Meirong tried to rea.s.sure herself silently.

Shortly after, Zhu Zhang asked, "Would you be so kind as to give us your input to these accusations?"

His tone sounded unusually friendly to Li Meirong. She looked up to behold the frightening Grandmaster faintly smiling at her.

Li Meirong turned saucer-eyed, her expression almost seemed comical.

Did he just smile at me? This is too shocking!

She tried to a.n.a.lyze his reaction but couldn't come to terms with this odd change of behaviour. Could it be that because he wanted her to compete for his sect, Zhu Zhang had become more lenient towards her?

Notwithstanding her theories, she concisely delivered her rendition of yesterday's situation, confirming that she indeed went into the shop and was responsible for its destruction.

Zhu Zhang attentively overheard her report, no longer looking uninterested, and Zhu Qingyue's temper seemed to have lessened as well. He now seemed peculiarly calm. Expressionless.

Unable to make sense of their att.i.tude, Li Meirong felt it was beyond her comprehension skills to try and a.n.a.lyze these strange people. At the same time, she still felt stressed. Just because they bothered to listen to her didn't mean they would take her side, especially since the sect laws actually condemned her actions.

Or so she thought, right until the moment Zhu Zhang addressed the Shopkeeper, again.

"Ah. So that's what happened... it sounds like a misunderstanding to me, wouldn't you say?"

Everyone looked startled, except for the expressionless Zhu Qingyue. Li Meirong's mouth hung open in disbelief and a sharp intake of air was collectively uttered from the attendees.

More so than the others, it was Shopkeeper Mu who was utterly confounded!

Could anyone please explain to me what the h.e.l.l was going on?! The wretched girl literally confessed to wrecking my shop. How in all the seven h.e.l.ls does this sound like a misunderstanding?!