Di Fuyi was the best among the five chosen disciples, and also the most thoughtful. Hua Wuyan assumed that he would always find a way.
"There are only a few in this world who know how the Lord truly looks like. If the young lady hadn't really seen him in her dreams, how could she be able to tell us about it, so lively and vividly? Moreover, some parts of her Kung Fu were indeed from the Lord. All these facts are enough to prove that her words are true. There's no need to seek the Lord for proof," said Di Fuyi, calmly.
"But…" Hua Wuyan hesitated. Di Fuyi raised his sleeves and halted her speech, "There’s nothing more to say. It’ll take us a while if we really wish to see the Lord. Let’s take care of the matter that we currently have here with Miss Gu."
Hua Wuyan’s eyes flickered, "What more is there to be taken care of?"
"Of course! Even the disciples of the Lord should receive the punishment that they deserve after they’ve made such a terrible mistake," said Di Fuyi, in all seriousness.
The crowd was silent.
All these dramatic ups and downs were difficult for the people to keep up with.
It was especially hard for Leng Xiangyu to comprehend. Her heartbeat raced with the flow of the dramatic scenarios of ups and downs and her mood fluctuated between being hopeful and fearful. She felt as though her heart was about to explode in her chest.
Gu Xietian also felt as if he was about to have a heart attack.
He finally said, "Celestial Master Zuo, this is just Gu Xijiu’s unintentional mistake, moreover, she could be the disciple of the Lord. Could you not punish her out of consideration for the Lord?"
"All are equal in the eyes of the law," said Di Fuyi softly, silencing Gu Xietian.
Di Fuyi turned his attention to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, what do you think about this?"
The emperor thought about it for a while and finally commented, "Although it’s just her unintentional mistake, impersonating the chosen disciple is not something to be trifled with. She shouldn’t be released so easily. How about we do it this way? There will be punishment, but it will not be as harsh as a regular punishment for the common people in impersonating the chosen disciple - she’ll only receive a light sentence instead. Otherwise, it’ll be difficult for us to explain to the Lord."
In this land, even a boy from the Lord’s followers would receive the most ceremonious reception.
Even though Gu Xijiu was not truly his acknowledged disciple, he had made the effort to teach and guide her. Her identity should, therefore, be treated as equal as a chosen disciple. If they punished her like a commoner, it would be a great dishonor to the Lord. Thus, there was not anyone who would disagree with the Emperor's point of view.
The crowd started to gabble on in a chaotic way, trying to chime in with the Emperor’s views. Finally, Di Fuyi, whom ultimately had the final say, gave the final verdict.
The guilt for Gu Xijiu in impersonating the chosen disciple should not be completely pardoned. She would still be headed to the Dark Forest, but not the deepest part of it; only up to the third peak. She could definitely maintain all her Kung Fu skills. She was even offered a period of six months to fully prepare herself before going.
Once the decision had been made, none of the people disagreed. All of them nodded in agreement.
Gu Xijiu heaved a sigh of relief.
The pronounced decision was indeed great news to her. She had now possessed a certain level of spirit power. Her power would scale new heights if she seized the opportunity to concentrate on her practice within the six months. It would not be such a great deal to enter the Dark Forest anymore, as her chances of escape would be greatly increased.
She kept a calm demeanor and listened to the entire verdict from the side. By the end of it, she could not help but be impressed by Di Fuyi and develop a sense of admiration for him.
All the promises that he had once made to Long Siye were realized - frankly and righteously. He had even earned himself the reputation of being selfless and just.
It seemed like Long Siye’s treat did not go to waste.
She took a look at her. In her mind, a question started to surface.